Final score: Mariners 5, Twins 1

Forget the Rangers, their immovable position atop the AL West, their 11-2 pummeling of Toronto, their Josh Hamilton and Yu Darvish.

Forget the Athletics, who somehow secured second place ahead of Mike Trout and his posse.

Forget the Angels, who have already been forgotten by the Rangers and the A’s.

The Seattle Mariners are now the best team in this division*.

*Since the All-Star break. I know, I know. Asterisks are not fun. Major League Baseball uses them for not-fun things like steroid usage. So, read on.

Since the All-Star break, the Mariners hold the second-best MLB record at 22-13. After today’s 5-1 win, they broke .500 at Safeco Field (30-30), taking 12 of the last 13 games at home.

Since the All-Star break, the Mariners won 7 of the past 11 series. They reached a low point during Baltimore’s three-game sweep, but accomplished three sweeps of their own, including today’s series cap against the Twins.

Since the All-Star break, the Mariners have inched their way along the division/wild card race. They sit a distant 13 games behind the Rangers, so you can continue to lower your expectations for another division title. In the grab for wild cards #1 and #2, they are just 8.5 games back.

Since the All-Star break, the Mariners have gone on a five-game winning streak, second only to the string of seven wins they strung from July 26 – August 1.

Since the All-Star break, the Mariners have pieced together two walk-off wins—one courtesy of John Jaso, who leads the team with a dozen game-winning hits.

Since the All-Star break, the Mariners have thrown a perfect game.

Since the All-Star break, the Mariners have started to become relevant.

Next game: vs. Indians | August 20 | 7:10pm