SEATTLE — It came on the first pitch on the fifth plate appearance of the seventh inning. A 98-mph fastball from Eduard Bazardo that Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart scorched over the wall in right-center field.

You figure the Seattle Mariners had to be envious of how easily Stewart was able to run around the base paths. They, after all, have been stuck in neutral.

That three-run homer put Cincinnati ahead 5-3, which would end up being Wednesday’s final score. An opportunity to win back-to-back series disintegrated, as has these Mariners’ reputation as a fearsome team.

The M’s now sit with a record of 51-52 — a game out of first place in the American League West and 2 1/2 games out of the final wild-card spot. They just hosted the lowly Giants (42-60) and Reds (47-54) and managed a 3-3 record over the homestand.

I know — it’s baseball, where the cellar-dwellers regularly upset the penthouse guests. But 103 games into this season, maybe it’s time to just admit that … this is just who the Mariners are.

Maybe it’s time to accept that the stretch in which their biggest contributors all click at once is a mirage. I mean, where did you expect the bulk of this team’s offense to come from? Was it catcher Cal Raleigh, who’s hitting .163 with 10 home runs through 263 at-bats this season? Even with that grand slam last Monday, he is still just two for his last 21. Was it center fielder Julio Rodríguez? Yes, the three-time All-Star has been making hard contact, but he’s still hitting a career-low .258 — those second-half surges he’s been famous for don’t guarantee it will happen again this year.

Next to Cal, first baseman Josh Naylor might be the most disappointing, with his .261 average and near-career low .682 OPS. For the sabermetrics geeks, Naylor had a 2.2 WAR in his 54 games in Seattle last year. Entering Wednesday, he had a -0.2 WAR through 95.

No doubt there have been surprises elsewhere, most notably from second baseman Cole Young, who’s playing at an All-Star deserving level. Left fielder Randy Arozarena has also been a major offensive boost, even if defensive mishaps overshadow it at times.

Starting pitcher Logan Gilbert has been his usual dominant self, and Bryce Miller has been near brilliant since returning from injury in May. But offsetting that output on the mound have been … underwhelming seasons from Bryan Woo and Luis Castillo.

Throw in a series of questionable bullpen decisions from manager Dan Wilson, and you have a team whose season can be distilled into three letters.

Meh.

Perhaps the return of Brendan Donovan — who’s been hampered by a groin injury most of the season — could help. But who knows if he’ll be fully healthy this season? Maybe reliever Matt Brash — who’s rehabbing a lat injury— could provide some potency. But he’s hardly a savior. And given the trade deadline market, the odds of a true offensive juggernaut bolstering this offense is virtually nil. The Mariners’ success is going to come down to what this group can do.

As expected, the guys in the uniforms are putting up strong fronts.

“Every game down the stretch here is big, and there’s a lot of baseball in front of us yet, and a chance for us to find that stride,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.

True. But the next two series are on the road against the AL West-leading Texas Rangers (four games) and reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers (three).

What say you, Emerson Hancock, who gave up two earned runs in six innings Wednesday?

“I think we’ve all heard about it — it’s not the first half that we expected or wanted, but at the end of the day, we got another opportunity in Texas, and you got another chance to go in there and compete as hard as you can and then maybe you get on a run from there,” he said.

Perhaps the greatest motivation for Mariners fans right now are the Boston Red Sox. That team was 37-48 a few weeks ago, and now 52-48 after a 15-game winning streak. Runs happen in MLB, although as has been pointed out before — the M’s had an eight-game winning streak earlier this season.

There is still plenty of talent on this team, and the betting markets are still higher on them than the Mariners’ record suggests.

Maybe they are better than this. For now, though, the evidence is lacking.

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