When the season began, many Mariners fans didn’t envision their team would be sitting in third place of the American League West. It was hard for people not to get their hopes up with all the talk about the World Series.

However, while it may have been a slow start, there is still enough of the season left for the Mariners to get going.

No matter what happens, it’s safe to say the Mariners made a great pick in signing Nelson Cruz. Not only has Cruz provided the Mariners with the power they need, but he has proven to be a consistent hitter and play in right field.

Cruz is leading the majors with 16 home runs and sitting at fourth place with a .340 batting average. We were all figuring he would hit his fair share of home runs, but I don’t think many people saw a batting average like that coming.

Along with Cruz, Felix Hernandez has shown us why we call him “King Felix.”

Felix has finally had the luxury of getting some bats behind him to score runs, and it is showing in a big way by leading the AL in wins with six. It’s a nice feeling when you can have a pitcher, every five games, just dominate any batter that steps up to the plate.

One of the major surprises has been J.A. Happ. Happ was signed in the offseason to compete for the fifth starting spot. Many people believed if he made the roster, he would be our weak spot in the rotation. However, over the course of the season, he has proved that theory wrong. Happ has started the season with a 3-1 record and 2.98 ERA. You will be hard-pressed to find anyone who predicted that start for him. He’s been a great pick-up so far for Seattle.

The slow start of Robinson Cano, however, has been a big disappointment. After a great first year in Seattle, he has failed to deliver the same results. Cano has made some good plays in the field, but that consistent bat we saw last year is missing. If Cano can get going and Cruz can keep it up, it’s safe to say we will see more offense out of the Mariners in the near future.

In addition to Cano’s shaky start, the best bullpen in the majors has, as of yet, not found its way back to Seattle. The Mariners had a dominant bullpen last year that could come in and shut opponents down until it was time for Rodney to “shoot the arrow.”

That sure hasn’t been the case this year. There have been countless games in which our starters gave us seven good innings and then left with the lead, only for the bullpen to blow it. When they’re a few innings away from a win, they need to be able to count on the relievers to seal the deal. For the Mariners to turn this ship around, we will need the bullpen to step up in a major way.

I said it before, but I will say it again: the Mariners have time to turn this around and take a shot at the playoffs. With 162 games in a year, we have plenty of baseball left to get the “Sodo Mojo” back in Seattle.