Can surging Mariners get back in the AL West race? ‘I wouldn’t count us out at all’

Here they come again.

Or does that need a question mark?

Here they come again?

If you’re a Seattle Mariners fan, your perspective on the team’s surging finish to the first half of the season likely depends on how much you believe in the offensive resurgence over the last 10 days.

A real breakthrough?

Or just another temporary upswing in this roller-coaster season?

The Mariners won seven of their last nine games to enter the All-Star break with a 45-44 record, having won three of four games in Houston – their historic house of horrors – over the weekend. It was their third consecutive series victory over quality teams, after a riveting set against Tampa Bay to close out their last homestand, followed by two wins in San Francisco.

“We can play against anyone,” pitcher George Kirby, a first-time All-Star, said Monday at T-Mobile Park. “It was about time we picked it up.”

Less than two weeks ago, the Mariners fell to a season-low 10.5 games out first place in the American League West. A day later, they gave up 15 unanswered runs in a 15-4 loss to Tampa Bay, falling to 38-42.

Their season, in that moment, seemed like it was on the brink of collapsing.

Coincidence or not, the Mariners’ surge started the day after a players-only meeting in the home clubhouse on June 30.

“Losing sucks,” Kirby said. “And there are times when it’s hard to come out of that. Sometimes all you need is a little winning streak and that makes everything more fun.”

Mariners manager Scott Servais has noticed the mood around the clubhouse has changed in the past 10 days. Winning will do that, right?

“We are young. We have a very young team,” said Servais, part of the American League coaching staff for the All-Star Game. “We have a group of young players that are trying to find their way in the big leagues. … But I like the steps that we’ve taken on the field, and our team is coming together more in the clubhouse off the field. And it really shows up with how we were playing.”

Julio Rodriguez, at 22 an All-Star for the second straight year, said he feels the Mariners have turned a corner.

“When we play for each other, that’s when we’re at our best,” Rodriguez said Monday. “I feel like that’s what we did, and it was really good for everybody.”

The Mariners were in a similar position a year ago, having won 14 in a row going into the break, a midseason turnaround that helped them reach the postseason – as the No. 3 wild-card team – for the first time in 21 years.

Can they do it again?

The Mariners are six games back of first-place Texas in AL West and four games out of the last wild-card spot.

The Mariners’ best – and simplest – path back to the playoffs might be to win the division.

The Rangers (52-39) have lost 11 of their last 16 games. The Astros (50-41) have been without hitting stars Yordan Alvarez and Jose Altuve. And the Angels (45-46) are fading with Mike Trout sidelined for an extended period.

“I wouldn’t count us out at all,” Kirby said.

The next few weeks leading up to the Aug. 1 trade deadline will be critical for the Mariners. The Mariners, it seems, could still use another offensive upgrade, but, as Servais said Monday, there aren’t many teams in “sell” mode and not many bats available on the market.

“You know, there are some years in this job where you’re hoping something (a trade) happens,” he said. “With the new (playoff) format, there are more teams getting into the playoffs, which means there are going to be fewer players out there available.

“So that means the price goes through the roof. And the core of our team is very young, and I think you have to be careful when you trade away young players. You have to understand where you’re at as a team and where you are as an organization, and our guys in the front office do a great job with that.”