The Seattle Mariners won't be making the playoffs this year with their dreadful record, but fans still have hope for their ace pitcher. Felix Hernandez is right in the middle of the American League CY Young chase with other notable pitchers.

The Venezuelan right-hander won the exclusive award back in 2010 with the Mariners.

The American League CY Young race usually isn't as exciting and dramatic as the National League, but this year doesn't have a clear cut front-runner in the AL. Despite the fact that Hernandez is not having as good of a season as last year, he is still very much in the CY Young conversation. Hernandez presently leads the AL in shutouts and wins and has now recorded double digit wins for the seventh consecutive year.

This year hasn't been nearly as dominant of a season for Hernandez as last year. Hernandez had an incredible (AL leading) 2.14 earned runs against average last year, but Corey Kluber of the Cleveland Indians was instead awarded the CY Young. Many fans still feel as if Hernandez was "robbed" of last year's award. Hernandez's ERA has increased to 3.74, and he has almost as many walks (44 to 46) this year as all of last season.

The biggest issue for Hernandez this year has been inconsistency. In his last nine starts, Hernandez has had five games in which he allowed less than three runs, including a shutout wins against the Los Angeles Angels on July 9. However, Hernandez also has four games in that same time span in which he has allowed four runs or more.

Oakland Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray has an AL-leading 2.10 ERA and a 12-5 record on the mound. Others such as Chicago White Sox's Chris Sale and Houston Astros Dallas Keuchel are in the mix.

Hernandez has the strikeout power, and even the wins to get serious consideration for the CY Young award, but he obviously has to lower his ERA. His current 3.74 ERA is the highest since the 2007 season when he was just 21 years old. He still has time to decrease that average, but it won't be easy. Hernandez has been voted in to the last five All-Star games. Ironically, the one year (2010) he won the CY Young award, he did not make the All Star team.

Hernandez's next start is scheduled to be against the Athletics this Wednesday.

Having won the award in 2010, Hernandez is the latest Latin American-born pitcher to win it in either the AL or NL. Previously, Johan Santana, Bartolo Colón and CC Sabathia combined to win four consecutive CY Young awards in the AL from 2004 to 2007. Santana, like Hernandez, hails from Venezuela. The NL hasn't seen a Latin American-born pitcher win the award since the great Pedro Martinez did so in 1997 with the Montreal Expos.

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1