TONY DEJAK / AP
Raul Ibanez was among the veteran Mariners hitters who really stepped up during a recent 18-game team hot streak.
Such a sentiment in mid-May is probably just as premature as the pessimism of late April. But certainly there is now a road map to respectability that provides some hope of sustainability, particularly with the potential for reinforcements in the second half, via the minor leagues and the trade market.