Smith hitting September stride for Seattle

MINNEAPOLIS — While much of the Mariners’ offensive focus understandably circles around the heart-of-the-order trio of Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager, veteran right fielder Seth Smith has quietly been playing a key role in the stretch run.

Consistency is a hallmark of Smith’s and he certainly has lived up to that this season. His .261/.349/.437 batting line is almost a mirror image of his 10-year career numbers of .262/.345/.450.

But he already has exceeded his career best with 60 RBIs and is one shy of his high for home runs with 16.

Most importantly, Smith has been big down the September stretch, hitting .316 with five home runs and 11 RBIs in his last 13 games.

“Smitty was not really doing much in the second half, by his own admission, and he’s made a few adjustments and gotten right back in there and been huge for us,” manager Scott Servais said.

The first-year skipper says Smith’s veteran presence shows both in his overall performance and individual at-bats when he works counts as well as anyone on the …

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