This should come as a surprise to nobody: The two Seattle Mariners who will head to Cincinnati for the All-Star Game next Tuesday are designated hitter Nelson Cruz (who will start at the position) and starting pitcher Felix Hernandez. That’s right, this game won’t have a whiff of Robinson Cano, no trace of Fernando Rodney, nary a hint of Kyle Seager… just Cruz and Hernandez. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a microcosm of the Mariners’ sorry state.

Cruz has slowed down since his world-beating start to the season, but he’s still paying dividends on his contract to the tune of a .304 average, a .916 OPS (good for fifth in the league) and 21 homers as of this writing. He’s been the lone bright spot for the team’s anemic offense, which is ironic considering that many expected him to perform poorly in the cozy confines of Safeco Field. In the first year of a four-year pact, Cruz will play in his third straight ASG and fourth overall.

Hernandez, typically one of the best pitchers in the AL and the game as a whole, has been his usual dominant self — a 3.02 ERA in 110.1 innings pitched, recording 106 strikeouts in that span with two complete game shutouts, his highest total since 2012. There hasn’t been any official word yet as to whether or not Hernandez will be the starting pitcher at Great American Ball Park, but he’ll face some fairly stiff competition, even for the All-Star Game. He’ll be contending with the likes of Chris Sale, David Price and Sonny Gray. This is King Felix’s fifth straight appearance in the Midsummer Classic and sixth overall.

While these two certainly deserve the recognition, it only makes you wonder how many other Mariners could have made the grade if not for a disappointing year. It was only recently revealed that Cano has been battling serious stomach problems since late last season, whereas there is no real explanation for the dip in production from Rodney and Seager. Logan Morrison has had some big home runs but hasn’t added any value otherwise. The same could be said for Seth Smith and Austin Jackson, sans the homers. Mike Montgomery has done a very admirable job of picking up the rotational slack behind Hernandez and Taijuan Walker (in the midst of his own relatively abysmal season), but just like the offense, the pitching has been dismal.

All that’s left to do, really, is hope that 2016 will be more prosperous for the team than 2015. The talent is clearly in place, they just have to avoid falling apart once again. With a little luck (and maybe some Pepto-Bismol for Cano), there could be a heavier Seattle presence in San Diego than there will be in Cincinnati.

Perry Rosenbaum is a featured writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Facebook or on Twitter @PerryFRosenbaum