THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: A feel for the pain with the Mariners, Munoz

I’m not trying to bore you, I promise.

But anyway, I have a bad back.

Despite surgeries, injections, an implanted pain pump and medicine to eat with my breakfast oatmeal, the damn thing hurts.

I’m being treated by one of the best neurosurgeons on the planet, and even he concedes that there are limits to what he can do.

“In some situations,” he said, “you are going to have pain.”

Can you guess why this subject is up for discussion today?

Yes, that’s correct.

Andres Munoz ALSO has a bad back, and when the Mariners’ lights-out reliever came in Wednesday to close out a spirited win over Tampa Bay, he looked all wrong.

After three or four pitches, Andres seemed like he was beginning to creak — a sensation I know from bending over to clean the cat box.

I felt a little queasy watching him.

I suspect Scott Servais was experiencing the same thing.

With a 5-1 lead, and really nothing to do but throw strikes and head for the flight home, Munoz might as well have been crippled.

He walked two batters and hit another one.

Remember: On Monday night, Munoz came in to rescue Austin Voth in an eighth-inning jam — but walked former Mariner Jose Caballero and yielded a single to Yandy Diaz that handed the Rays a 4-3 win.

WERE WE watching the same nightmare?

And at a time when the M’s desperately needed a victory to stop the bleeding of a 2-6 road trip?

Even worse, could Munoz be in such pain that he’d miss more time, just as he did at the beginning of the month?

The Mariners wouldn’t want to suffer through ANY of those things, but some kind of long-term absence for Munoz would be the worst.

At least they survived that ninth inning, as Trent Thornton got a ground ball (that scored a run) and then a double play to wrap up the game at 5-2.

Unfortunately, there was no happy news from Houston, where the Astros pounded Colorado to extend a seven-game winning streak — and thus remain only 4 1/2 games behind the Mariners in the suddenly competitive AL West.

And Munoz?

Well, it was getaway day for the Mariners, who were no doubt hustling to get on that flight for the 3,100-mile trek back to the Northwest.

Teams don’t dawdle in the clubhouse when they’re bolting for a flight, so there’s very little time to hear much from anyone.

Servais, though, dismissed the idea of Munoz suffering a recurrence of his lower back issue — no matter how odd or strained he looked just trying to throw strikes.

‘It’s a long season, and things like that happen,” Servais said, presumably referring to his closer unable to find the strike zone.

Surely, though, the club will take no chances, booking Munoz for another MRI on this off day.

ONLY TOTO and Dorothy could be happier to be home than the Mariners, who have racked up a 27-12 record at T-Mobile Park.

The opposition will be tough, however, with this homestand featuring Minnesota, Baltimore and Toronto.

Servais will have to do some juggling with the pitching staff, in addition to working with the front office in discussion of possible trades.

With Bryan Woo on the IL (hamstring), the Mariners can skip his turn on this off day, but depending on how long Woo takes to recover, Servais will likely need another starter.

One bit of good news involving the bullpen concerns high-leverage reliever Gregory Santos, who is preparing to go on a minor league rehab assignment after a few sessions of live batting practice.

“He’s got awesome stuff,” said Ryan Bliss, one of the hitters who stepped in the cage for a real look.

“I can’t wait to see him pitching for us, for real.”

So far, the Mariners haven’t had either the rotation or the bullpen completely intact.

They’re hunting bullpen help in trades, along with the obvious offensive thump.

They want guys who can put bat on ball — oh, and they need one of them to be Julio Rodriguez.

Their young superstar has to be leading from the front if the Mariners are going to make a serious run at winning the division.

Ironically, Julio was surprisingly patient at a critical spot on Wednesday, fighting back from an 0-2 count to draw a nine-pitch walk with the Rays up 1-0.

Cal Raleigh followed with a three-run homer to give the M’s a lead they never relinquished.

“That’s baseball,” Servais said. “You have good stretches and bad stretches. Everybody does.

“It’s a hard game.”

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”