The White Sox and Mariners have taken divergent paths to mediocrity this season.
Each team has underachieved after many projected the Mariners to capture the American League pennant and the White Sox at least to contend seriously for the postseason.
Poor run production has been the No. 1 deficiency for the Sox, while the Mariners' main weakness has been the back end of their bullpen.
Though acknowledging the Mariners have had a host of problems, manager Lloyd McClendon said before his team beat the Sox 7-6 Saturday night at U.S. Cellular Field that ultimately "it has been our bullpen.