Fans have seen this story before

Just when you think the Seattle Mariners are done, they pull you right back in.

Robinson Cano gets suspended for 80 games, the team goes on a winning streak.

Demote Felix Hernandez to the bullpen, immediately sweep a four-game series in Houston against the defending World Series champion Astros.

You really can’t make this stuff up.

WHATEVER HAPPENS in the next month, and who knows with the way that Oakland’s been playing, hopefully it keeps fans’ attention long past the kickoff of the NFL and college football.

Seattle has been close to a playoff bid in recent years, and seemed like locks a few months ago after even taking the AL West lead from Houston for a few days.

Then, the Mariners struggled out of the All-Star break and Oakland, well, didn’t.

Oakland even won two of three games against Seattle last week to give themselves a little bit of a lead.

Seattle didn’t really help itself by losing two of three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers at home over the weekend.

Cano, who returned to the lineup last week in Oakland, showed some signs of getting his swing back, hitting a three-run home run in the eighth inning of Monday’s win.

Hernandez gave up four runs, but showed some signs of the guy he used to be when he won the Cy Young Award for a team that wasn’t close to a postseason bid a few years ago.

The only problem is what Seattle does with him from here.

Hernandez only started the game because James Paxton was injured, and is currently on the 10-day disabled list after getting hit by a line drive in his left arm, his pitching arm.

PAXTON HAS shown throughout the season that, when healthy, he’s the ace of the staff, not Hernandez, who started on Opening Day this year.

When he’s been great, Seattle hasn’t had anyone near as good as Hernandez on the mound if they got into a one-game playoff game.

Start him, at least the way he’s pitching now, and it might not go very well.

Sure, Felix can still pitch and can make an impact on a game. He proved that on Monday night, pitching three scoreless innings after falling behind 4-2.

If nothing else, he gave them a chance to find a way to come back and win, which they did.

Seattle still has four games with Houston remaining, one today and three at Houston, and plays seven more games against Oakland this season.

Just who’s starting those games on the mound for Seattle remains to be seen.

THERE’S STILL time to make a move, should things turn around.

Then again, with 11 games remaining against those other contenders, it can go the other way.

Mariner fans should be used to it by now.

Once you think they’re done, they just pull you right back in.

Right up until the disappointing end of another season.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.