The Angels are in tune up mode for the post-season, looking a little ahead and not paying much attention to the Seattle Mariners of the world.

The Mariners would love to change that in the next three games, but they’ll have to do it without their best lineup tonight.

No Ichiro, no Beltre, no Brayan, no Griffey.

Instead, the Mariners field their scrappy lineup the one with two Wilsons – Josh and Jack – leadoff hitter Franklin Gutierrez, cleanup hitter Mike Sweeney and left fielder Ryan Langerhans.

Luke French, meanwhile, will try to hold off a

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Carlos Silva will pitch an inning or so of relief today – his first since April – but he’s going to be a Frog, not a Rainier.

The Mariners are sending Silva to Everett, not Tacoma, in part because they don’t want to jeopardize the Rainiers run for the post-season.

“In Everett, we can control the situation a little better,” manager Don Wakamatsu said. “Carlos will throw an inning, then Thursday throw again – maybe in Tacoma, maybe in Everett – and then one last time on Sunday.”

Then, it’s back to the Seattle bullpen for September.

The lineup is up and Ichiro isn’t in it, though the team says tomorrow is the day he’ll play.

No Ken Griffey Jr., no Adrian Beltre, who are both taking batting practice – as is top draft pick Dusin Ackley, who formally OKed his contract today.

Ackley took fly balls in the outfield, schmoozed with new teammates and was immediately taken under the wing of Mike Sweeney, who showed him around.

Beltre comes off the disabled list tomorrow, Griffey’s left knee may allow him back in, but Ackley is headed for Arizona and instructional league, then the

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Ichiro is stretching and running in right field, with manager Don Wakamatsu, a trainer and translator on hand should he suddenly need mouth-to-mouth.

On the sidelines, some 30 yards away, are six Japanese photographers and a couple of television camera crews, recording each smile, wince and wink.

We forget, occasionally, that Ichiro remains a larger-than-life figure in Japan, and that a dozen Japanese writers follow him around daily – only marginally interested in what the Seattle Mariners do unless it directly impacts Ichiro.

Ichiro means a great deal to the Mariners, and to their fans. He may

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A few weeks ago, it seemed impossible to think the Tacoma Rainiers were a postseason caliber team. They were 7 1/2 games out of the Pacific North Division of the PCL and any playoff chances were fading with each game. To make matters worse they were embarking on a nine-game road trip.

But what happened, Tacoma swept the road trip taking four games from Fresno and five from Portland to improve to 70-66 and skip past Colorado Springs (69-65) into first place in the division.

Here’s Ian Ruder’s

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Seattle comes in with a 10-game home-run hitting streak, having hit 18 homers in that span and the question is: how?

Franklin Gutierrez has 14 home runs and Jose Lopez 20. Combined, the rest of today’s Mariners lineup has 19.

What’s amazing is that in the last six games, the Mariners have gone 5-1 and done it without Ichiro Suzuki, without much of Ken Griffey Jr. and without Adrian Beltre.

They still don’t have those three players available – and now they’re without Russell Branyan.

Oh, and did we mention they’re facing Zach Greinke today?

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Yes, Virginia, it’s slim pickings trying to put together a formidible attack for Seattle, these days.

Ichiro remains out with a strained calf.

Ken Griffey Jr. misses a third game with a tender knee.

Adrian Beltre has a bruised cajone.

Russell Branyan, herniated disk.

The good news is, Ichiro could return Mondoay when the Angels come in, Beltre and Griffey should be ready Tuesday – when the Mariners can expand their roster and bring up, among others, first baseman Mike Carp.

For now, however, this is the lineup:

Franklin Gutierrez CF

Josh

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Russell Branyan watched the Seattle Mariners win their 68th of the season tonight, then dressed and brushed his teeth.

“I can still do that,” he said.

What Branyan cannot do is swing a bat or play the game, not with a herniated disk in his back, discovered during an MRI Saturday.

The Mariners deemed it serious enough to put him on the 15-day disabled list, and both they and Branyan know the rest of his season could be in jeopardy.

“It depends how my body responds to rest and treatment,” Branyan said of missing the rest

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