SEATTLE — This game was indicative of what the Mariners have become lately — and what they could still be.

That’s a lot to put on one game, especially in early June, especially for a team still under .500. But that’s the way it felt Tuesday, when the Mariners beat the Minnesota Twins 12-3 to win their fourth straight game.

“It is as good as we’ve played offensively all year,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “It’s kind of how we thought the roster was put together.”

The only negative on the night was this: Nelson Cruz left the game because his calf tightened up on him. Servais said Cruz will get looked at by the medical staff before Wednesday’s game.

“I’m expecting him to be available tomorrow,” Servais said. “I hope he is.”

Other than that, however, it was nearly a flawless night.

Just look at all that has happened:

—On May 27, the Mariners fell to a season-worst eight games below .500. Since then, they have won eight of their last nine.

The Mariners are 2 1/2 games back in the American League Wild Card.

—The offense, which scored five runs or more just three times in 16 games from May 11 to May 27, has now scored at least five runs in eight of the last nine games. The Mariners have also scored at least seven runs in each of their last four games.

—James Paxton, in his second start since returning from an injury, was not nearly as sharp as he was last week — and he was still OK. He allowed three runs in five innings, a perfectly reasonable outing on a night when the offense exploded.

Paxton said he didn’t handle the long innings particularly well.

“Something to learn from for sure,” he said. “I think I just kind of burnt myself out mentally between innings. Just kind of staying in a too-high, spooled-up place mentally. I’ll learn from that and be able to deal with it better next time.”

—Danny Valencia, who entered the night hitting .348 since the start of May and who has 10 RBI in five games in June, drove in three runs with a fourth-inning double. Earlier this season, Servais defended Valencia, was patient with him, kept talking about how he was a professional hitter and would come around. And now Valencia is one of the Mariners’ most productive hitters.

“We have a really good offense,” third baseman Kyle Seager said. “We have a really deep team. You look top to bottom, there’s a lot of production top to bottom. Everybody in the lineup has shown what they can do offensively.”

The Mariners’ big three all delivered, pretty much as you’d expect. Robinson Cano crushed a three-run homer in the first inning, his 11th of the season. Seager also hit a three-run homer, in the fourth inning. And Cruz drove in a run before he left.

Felix Hernandez made a rehab start for Class AAA Tacoma, and although he struggled, he is on track to return in less than two weeks. Outfielder Mitch Haniger is also nearing a return.

Most of the season has been spent waiting … and waiting … and waiting some more: for players to return, for the team to get healthy, for everything to click. Dealing with and managing injuries is a part of any sport, but the Mariners were hit especially hard.

Their play, their record, often reflected the cold reality of having to rely on so many call-ups and backups, and now, finally, they’ve strung together a stretch of games with offensive firepower, with pitching ranging from adequate to exquisite.

They’re still without many key players — shortstop Jean Segura, starters Drew Smyly, Hisashi Iwakuma and Felix Hernandez and Haniger. But this is the offense many people thought the Mariners could have.

“You go through waves where you’re really not swinging the bats too well, and then you go through waves like this,” Seager said. “It’s certainly much more fun when it’s like this.”