MLB: How 'bout those Mariners?

By Brandon Engebretson Sports Central Columnist

By now, everybody knows about the Seattle Mariners. They've had the division won since July, right? Well, there still is a couple reasons to follow them. The first reason is their record. 96-38 before September is impressive. Very impressive. That gives them a .716 winning percentage. They need to win 20 games in September to tie the Cubs major league record for wins with 116. Right now, they are on a pace to win exactly that.

How does the schedule bode for them? They get to see Tampa Bay and Baltimore a lot. That's always good. If they can play well and take both of the Oakland series, they have a great chance at the record. Texas could pose an interesting threat with the A-Rod factor still effecting things.

The other reason to watch is to see how they get ready for the postseason. It seems like they're going to need to prepare for either the Indians or Yankees. At this point, it looks like it'll be a Seattle/Cleveland matchup, which would be a good matchup for the Mariners.

Right now, they only have a couple of decisions to make.

Who will be the fourth starter when the playoffs roll around. Currently, all signs point to rookie Joel Piniero moving to the bullpen and journeyman Paul Abbott being the fourth starter, which is fine with Lou Pinella, when you look at Piniero's recent troubles and Abbott's experience. Either way, they won't be hurting themselves since they'll be throwing out the effective group of Aaron Sele, Freddy Garcia, and Jamie Moyer.

Many people believe that a strong bullpen is the key to the playoffs, and if that is the case, why argue against the Mariners? That is the one spot on the ball club that won't be contested. With all those arms out there, the only thing that could stop them are Arthur Rhodes' earrings.

Seattle has scored the most runs in the AL this year. So why should offense be a problem? Well, production from left field would be really nice in the playoffs. Good news is that Jay Buhner may be able to make it back in time to give the Mariners a shot in the arm they need. Even if he can't make it, they won't be in that much of a jam with super-utility man Mark McLemore finding a home in left field.

But Buhner coming back would make the world a lot easier for Pinella. That would allow him to use McLemore at third and shortstop when needed. Pinella would probably be better off alternating McLemore in between left field and third base, taking over third base from David Bell, and giving Buhner the rest he'll need every so often. Either way, McLemore will play.

So, it looks like the Mariners will be invincible in the playoffs, right?

Not necessarily. Their offense can be neutralized with a strong pitching staff, so if the run into Oakland or New York on a hot streak, they can be beat. But if they're lucky enough to face Cleveland, they shouldn't have a problem with that suspect pitching. In either case, their pitching staff should be okay.

In the end, they don't have much playoff fine tuning to do. That will allow them to play their regular players enough to keep winning. Although they have set the bar high, only time will tell if they can still clear that bar.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.