Votto made a diving catch of Wilmer Flores liner to end the fifth inning,

SEATTLE -- After the Seattle Mariners posted the biggest comeback in franchise history to win in San Diego 16-13 on June 2, they headed off to a series in Texas tied for the lead in the AL West.There was a buzz and optimism about the club. They were playing better than expected, were more entertaining than expected and were giving credence to the idea that maybe the longest playoff drought in baseball could come to an end after 15 years.Then the rest of June happened. And by the time the All-Star break arrived, the Mariners were 45-44, facing a nearly double-digit deficit in the division race as part of a season defined thus far by inconsistency.When Seattles pitching was strong, the offense lagged. When the offense picked up, the pitching often faltered. The Mariners were powerful away from home early in the season, but lost 16 of 20 road games heading into the break. They swept the first place Orioles at home, but were also swept at home by the last place Angels and last place Twins.Thats not to say there werent bright spots. Robinson Cano returned to All-Star form. Nelson Cruz has 23 home runs at the break. Korean slugger Dae-Ho Lee has been a pleasant surprise.There are a number of reasons why Seattle has gone from legitimate contender in the AL West to now trying to get back into the playoff discussion. At the root of Seattles struggles in June was the fragility of the roster created in the offseason.While the makeover that general manager Jerry Dipoto undertook with the Mariners after taking over at the end of the 2015 season created a more competitive, more versatile roster, there is still a lack of depth that was highlighted by key injuries to center fielder Leonys Martin, shortstop Ketel Marte and ace Felix Hernandez.Between May 22 and June 9, the Mariners defense was ailing with Marte and Martin sidelined. Seattle went 8-10 during that stretch and it was the beginning of the downward trend that saw the Mariners finish June at 10-18.Hernandez, meanwhile, has been out since June 1 with a calf injury. Combined with other injuries, that left Seattle putting together a makeshift rotation for most of the last six weeks.Not all lost is for Seattle. They are only five games back in the AL wild card race and after an eight-game road trip in late July the schedule becomes far more favorable.Here are a few other things to watch for as Seattle enters the second half trying to climb back into contention:FIND AN OUTFIELDER: The Mariners expected Nori Aoki to be their leadoff hitter and left fielder the majority of the season. But Aokis struggles at the plate could not justify keeping him in the lineup. Thats left Seattles outfield rotation thin and in need of an experienced option in left field. That is likely the top priority for Dipoto prior to the trade deadline.LAY OFF THE BULLPEN: Seattles bullpen was taxed in the first half of the season, especially in June when the starting rotation struggled to pitch beyond five innings. The Mariners relievers made a combined 248 appearances prior to the All-Star break and threw more innings than manager Scott Servais wanted. The overuse began to show in June during Seattles swoon after the bullpen had been an area of strength the first two months.GET THE ROTATION HEALTHY: Hernandez wasnt the only starter to find his way to the disabled list in the first half. Left-hander Wade Miley and young righty Taijuan Walker also landed there for short stints. Nathan Karns started in the rotation before getting demoted to the bullpen because of his struggles. Hernandez and Walker are expected to return shortly after the All-Star break and both need to rediscover the top form they showed in spurts earlier in the season. Custom Blues Jerseys . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. Custom Al Macinnis Jersey . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. http://www.custombluesjersey.com/ . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Custom Blues T-shirts . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. Cheap Custom Blues Jersey . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. CINCINNATI -- Yoenis Cespedes expects mixed results when he bats in pressure situations.The outfielder hit the most damaging of New Yorks four homers, a two-run shot in the seventh inning, as the Mets rallied for their 13th straight victory over the Cincinnati Reds, 5-3 on Tuesday night.Sometimes its good, sometimes its bad, Cespedes said, through a translator. When things work out, its great.Whenever the Mets play the Reds, they get the result they want. The winning streak is their longest against Cincinnati. The club record against any opponent is 15 straight wins against Pittsburgh in 1986-87. New York has won 18 of its last 20 against Cincinnati, including its division-clinching win at Great American Ball Park last Sept. 26.Overall, New York has won 13 of 17 to tighten the NL wild card race.Curtis Granderson and Jose Reyes had solo shots off Brandon Finnegan. Cespedes connected off Michael Lorenzen (2-1) for his 28th homer, putting the Mets ahead to stay.Every time you see Ces go to the plate, you think hes going to do something special for this ballclub, Reyes said. You think hes going to hit it out.Reyes isnt the only one thinking it.When youre a star, thats what you do, manager Terry Collins said. Thats why theyre in the middle of the lineup. They come through when you need them.The Reds thought they were in good shape until Asdrubal Cabrera singled with one out in the seventh.Then Cespedes does what he can do, manager Bryan Price said.Alejandro De Aza had a pinch-hit homer in the ninth.Rafael Montero made his second start of the season and gave up Adam Duvalls two-run homer in 4 1/3 innings. Josh Smoker (2-0) allowed one hit in one inning. Jeurys Familia pitched the ninth for his 46th save in 49 chances. The closer has allowwed one earned run in 15 2/3 innings since Aug.dddddddddddd. 1.The Reds have dropped 11 of 15 overall, including the first two games of the series that concludes Wednesday.Grandersons fourth homer in his last seven games gave him 24 for the season. The Mets have hit six homers in the first two games of the series, five of them solo shots.BRUCE GETS A HITMets RF Jay Bruce singled in four at-bats. In his first series against his former team, hes gone 1 for 8 with three strikeouts.NICE PLAYReds 1B Joey Votto made a diving catch of Wilmer Flores liner to end the fifth inning, stranding two runners.NEW ADDITIONSThe Mets called up OF Brandon Nimmo, INF T.J. Rivera, INF Eric Campbell, LHP Josh Edgin, RHP Erik Goeddel and INF Gavin Cecchini from Triple-A Las Vegas. The Reds called up INF/OF Tony Renda, OF Steve Selsky and RHP Josh Smith from Triple-A Louisville.TRAINERS ROOMMets: LHP Steven Matz is playing catch but hasnt thrown off a mound. Matz has been sidelined since the middle of August by tightness in his pitching shoulder.Reds: RHP Homer Bailey is limited to playing catch as he tries to get rid of soreness in his right biceps. Theres no timetable for when he might throw off a mound again. He felt soreness after his last start on Aug. 28.UP NEXTMets: Noah Syndergaard (12-8) is 3-1 with a 1.63 ERA in his last four starts. Hes 2-0 career against the Reds with a 2.42 ERA in three starts. The Mets have won all three games.Reds: Anthony DeSclafani (8-2) is 0-2 with a 12.27 ERA in three career starts against the Mets, with all three games ending in losses.---Follow Joe Kay on Twitter: http://twitter.com/apjoekay ' ' '