Among the coaches let go after the season ended was Art Howe, the former Mets and Athletics manager who spent his last few seasons with Texas.

That immediately makes him a candidate to manage in Seattle.

Why?

It's the off-season, and job candidates are named in rumor, not reality.

No one really knows who the Mariners Top 10 is in their search for a GM, but if you read the papers or check the blogs, the same names apear everywhere.

Howard Lincoln and Chuck Armstrong will interview most of the obvious candidates, but believing they don't have a few that aren't on the media's list is silly.

And without knowing who the new GM will be, it's probably absurd to start compiling a list of managerial candidates ...

So let's do it, anyway.

Here's a start:

Joey Cora's name has come up - in the media - and for no good reason. He's a coach because he's Ozzie Guillen's good friend, period.

But, to start a list of candidates, include Cora because once played here, and Howe, because he once managed against Seattle.

OK, that's Cora, Howe ...

Add Bobby Valentine, because his name is always mentioned, even though he hasn't managed in this country for years.

How about a current pitching coach? They've been hot candidates the last few years, and Bud Black is liked so much in San Diego they kept him as manager even afte a disastrous '08 season.

So let's throw in a name: Arizona's Bryan Price, who started his career in Seattle.

Knows pitching, knows players, knows the game and worked under Lou Piniella and Bob Melvin.

There's your start: Cora, Howe, Valentine and Price.

Add to it. We can't have the new Mariners GM showing up without handing him or her a list of managerial candidates.

Think deeply. Cough up some names.

I don't really know what to say about this past season. I know the 1978 season had more losses than this year, but this team had expectations, postseason expectations. And instead they finished 40 games out of first. Unreal.

If you noticed we used Monday's paper to take a look back at the season that was.

* Here's our main piece that looks at a several of different things that went wrong with the season, and believe me there was many.

* The game story from Monday addresses the fact that Raul Ibanez probably played his last game in a Mariners uniform.

* In the notebook, I caught up with Roy Corcoran for a few minutes, which is always entertaining. It also mentions that R.A. Dickey is part of a ministry organization that delivers goods to Cuba, including Mariners gear.

* Columnist John McGrath talks with Jose Lopez and uses him as an example of what the Mariners have in the future.

* AUDIO ALERT: I was on KJR with Ian Furness yesterday, you can listen to that interview here

* In Tuesday's paper, we take a look ahead at what's going to happen this offseason, including a look at some GM candidates, including Kim Ng (pictured above). If you notice at the end of the story is some lists of the Mariners by position as well as a GM candidates list and some free agent list.

One quick note on that, Padres assistant GM Paul DePodesta just signed a three-year contract so he's not likely a candidate, and a source told me it's unlikely that Padres would give the M's permission to talk to DePodesta or current GM Kevin Towers.

Here's a link that offers a detailed look at all the Mariners contract situations for every player.

Normally, we don't link to other papers, but the P-I's Art Thiel got a sit-down interview with Howard Lincoln, here's his Q and A column, it's pretty interesting.

Kirby Arnold of the Everett Herald offers up his five things the Mariners need to do this offseason. He also has this story

The USS Mariner offers up another GM candidate Rick Hahn.

ESPN's Jayson Stark offers up his end of the year awards. Kenji Johjima wins the AL Least Valuable Player.

Brad Lidge and Cliff Lee win the respective comeback player of the year awards. Remember when John McLaren predicted Richie Sexson was going to win the award.

ELSEWHERE
You can cross Brian Cashman off the GM list. He just signed a three-year extension with the Yankees. Three more years with Hank Steinbrenner? Thankfully the taverns stay open to 4 a.m. in Manhattan.

The Mariners begin what promises to be a busy off-season today with a search for a new general manager.

One thing that GM will inherit is nine players under contract for $75.9 million. And that doesn't include either Felix Hernandez or Erik Bedard, who are arbitration eligible.

It also doesn't include a left fielder, center fielder, designated hitter or a first baseman who wants to play the position.

Here's a look at what Seattle has under contract.

Mariners contracts in 2009
Ichiro Suzuki	$17 million
Adrian Beltre	$12 million
Carlos Silva	$11 million
Jarrod Washburn	$10.3 million
Miguel Batista	$9 million
Kenji Johjima	$8 million
J.J. Putz	$5 million
Yuniesky Betancourt	$2 million
Jose Lopez	$1.6 million

 

It's official the Phillies defeated the Nationals today 8-3.

Why is that important? Well, if you don't know, then you haven't followed the Mariners the last month.

With the loss, the Nationals will finish 59-102 (.578) so even if the Mariners lose today they would finish 60-102 (.588). That means bye-bye to Strasburg for the M's hello to the second pick in the draft.

Now, we were talking about the rare possibility of the Nationals not taking Strasburg with the first pick next year because of financial reasons. It seems to be pretty much a given that Strasburg will be represented by Satan's brother, Scott Boras, next season. And that means, whoever takes Strasburg will be paying big money, like record-setting dollars. Like $15 to $20 million dollars which would more than double the $6.15 million bonus that shortstop Tim Beckham - the top pick in this past draft - got from the Rays.

There is also the fact that the Nats failed to sign their top pick, Aaron Crow, this season. Crow, a starter from the University of Missouri, wanted a signing bonus of $9 million, which was far higher than the MLB recommendation of $2.15 million for the ninth draft slot. Crow also wanted a guaranteed major league contract.

Crow wasn't represented by Boras, he was represented by Alan and Randy Hendricks, who are shrewd agents, but nothing along the lines of Boras.

Could the Nationals back away from taking Strasburg? It seems unlikely. Larry Stone made a good point that as bad as things are in the Washington with the NAts, the failure to take the obvious sure-fire pick would send an awful message to a waning fan base. The Nats almost have to take Strasburg, or have the approval rating of the organization drop from bad to inept.

But ... because Crow did not sign the Nationals will get a "9B" pick in 2009 draft to go with the top pick, meaning they will get a compensatory pick that will be slotted in between the ninth and 10th picks of the 2009 draft. So having basically two top 10 picks would be a pretty large chunk of money to be doled out.

Still, I just don't think there is any way they don't take Strasburg. It's one thing to waiver on a pitcher if there are question marks about him, but there seem to be few with this kid. Not to mention, he realistically could be a member of the pitching starved Nationals by July. In the past, the Nationals had little trouble signing their top picks like Ryan Zimmerman (2005), Chris Marrero (2006)and Ross Detwiler (2007).

So where does that leave the Mariners, who have the second pick. There's obviously some drop off between Strasburg and the rest of the class.

Here's Baseball America's top 10 college and high school prospects for next year's draft.

COLLEGE
1. Stephen Strasburg rhp Jr. San Diego State
2. Alex White, rhp Jr. North Carolina
3. Grant Green, ss Jr. Southern California
4. Dustin Ackley, 1b/of Jr. North Carolina
5. Mike Minor, lhp Jr. Vanderbilt
6. Kendal Volz, rhp Jr. Baylor
7. Kyle Gibson, rhp Jr. Missouri
8. Andrew Oliver, lhp Jr. Oklahoma State
9. Kentrail Davis, of So. Tennessee
10. Blake Smith, of/rhp Jr. California

HIGH SCHOOL
1. Tyler Matzek, lhp Capistrano Valley HS, Mission Viejo, Calif.
2. Donovan Tate, cf Cartersville (Ga.) HS
3. Matt Purke, lhp Klein HS, Spring, Texas
4. Jacob Turner, rhp Westminster Christian Academy, St. Charles, Mo.
5. Mychal Givens, rhp/ss Plant HS, Tampa
6. Zack Wheeler, rhp East Paulding HS, Dallas, Ga.
7. Ian Krol, lhp Nequa Valley HS, Naperville, Ill.
8. Luke Bailey, c Troup HS, Cartersville, Ga.
9. Brian Goodwin, cf Rocky Mount (N.C.) HS
10. LeVon Washington, cf/2b Buchholz HS, Gainesville, Fla.

Knuckle baller R.A. Dickey on the mound, Kenji Johjima behind the plate - meaning few pitches will actually be caught.
Yes, it's Game #162 for the Mariners, many of whom have evening flights out of town. How many of those will be coming back?
Impossible to say without knowing who the new general manager is, but bet this: Raul Ibanez is playing is final game as a Mariner today.
He'll be missed. This season? Not so much.
And we're off.

Travis Buck hit one off the base of the right field foul pole, his first career leadoff home run, and the Mariners were behind after four pitches.
Johjijma - catching while Rob Johnson DHs - threw a ball away on a stolen base attempt, putting a runner at third base with one out.
Two-run double by Chris Denorfia.
How did this team win 60 games?
Athletics 3, Mariners 0

Ichiro's aggressive base-running - yes, you read that correctly - helped Seattle get a run back.
After he doubled, Ichiro tagged up on a fly ball to left field and took third, then scored on a Raul Ibanez ground ball.
That's 110 RBI for Ibanez, a great read by Ichiro.
Athletics 3, Mariners 1

Single by Joh, double by Wladimir Balentien and then Matt Tuiasosopo grounds to second for a run.
Just think, if players had been doing only that - grounding to second with a man at third base and less than two outs - all season, these Mariners would have scored far more runs, won far more games.
After two:
Athletics 3, Mariners 2

Dickey has retired the last 10 batters he's faced to get through five innings, which means a) he's pitching well or b) it's the last game of the season and the A's are in a hurry to get home.

Errors can beat you, even on Sept. 28.
John Outman made one on a double play grounder, throwing the ball into center field to set up Yuniesky Betancourt's two-run triple.
If he makes the play, there's no one on base for Yuni.
He didn't, and now he's down a run.
Mariners 4, Athletics 3

J.J. Putz time, for the last time this season and, he believes, quite likely the last time as a Mariner.
He's trying to get save No. 15 - in save opportunity No. 23.
It's been that kind of year.

Easy ninth for Putz, 61st win of a bitterly disappointing year for the Mariners.
It's a final.
Mariners 4, Athletics 3

Yep, no game thoughts yesterday for various reasons. But I'm back with them today.

Not much went on in the pregame session with Jim Riggleman. I did ask about Luis Valbuena's progress. In yesterday's win, Valbuena had three hits thanks to some quality at-bats.

"He’s gotten a good at-bat almost every at-bat," Riggleman said. "It hasn’t always resulted in getting on base. But there have been very few at-bats where within a pitch or two it’s over. There’ve been a lot of pitches thrown to him. He’s made tough outs when he’s made outs. He’s drawn some walks. He’s faced the other teams’ closers and drawn walks. He’s gotten hits. He grows on you. He’s a nice player."

But would another season in Triple A benefit him?

"One of the things you can do is make mistakes in September and in spring training about evaluating players," Riggleman said. "But we can’t not evaluate them. They’re here. We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. But if the makeup of the ballclub said we need him to play second base, I think the organization would be comfortable with that.

If the makeup of the ballclub said we need Lopez to play second and we’ve got a thumper to play first, then you’d give Valbuena some more time down below.

The added ingredient with Valbuena is that he’s got such a good arm that he probably needs to get a game or two at shortstop just to keep that option open. Not that he’s going to be a major league shortstop, but to be able to do that when you need it done, if it popped up in a game when you need him to play it."

Oh, I also talked to Ryan Feierabend about his elbow. He said it's nothing major. It just has been getting tight and achy after throwing and sometimes in between innings and it takes much longer to warm up.

Top of 1st
The Hyphen got himself into a bit of a spot with a pair of two-out walks, but as he always does, he found a way to get out.

Bottom of 1st
Wow, the Mariners put up a six spot in the first inning. Miguel Cairo draws a bases loaded walk, Wlad Balentien sat on a hanging curve ball and smoked it into left to score a pair of runs and Kenji Johjima ripped a monster three-run homer to left. All nine hitters come up in the inning.

Top of 2nd
Rowland-Smith gives up a lead-off double to Daric Barton, who is nearly cut down on a nice throw to Ichiro. Barton later scores on Cliff Pennington's single through the left side.

Bottom of 2nd
YUNI WALKS! YUNI WALKS! That's like two in three games. Of course, he later gets picked off by Greg Smith. Hey, minor victories.

Top of 3rd
Again RRS finds some trouble, giving up a few hits, but again he gets out without giving up a run. Moxie, the kid has moxie.

Top of 4th
A's add another as Tri-Cities product Travis Buck scores Cliff Pennington with an infield single. It's now 6-2. Any of you hoping that the A's can rally. They won't do it off the hyphen. He's just too steady and good at avoiding big innings.

Top of seven
RRS doesn't finish the inning. Sean Green comes into get the last out. But The Hyphen goes 6 2/3 allowing three runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and three walks. Another quality start for RRS.

Ok, all of the local beat writers just got a nice little group sitdown with Chuck Armstrong and Howard Lincoln.

Basically it was to do some interviews for our season-ending wrap up stuff.

But I'll give you a few of the highlights since I have some time to kill before game time.

First of all any of you hoping for the either of them to resign, retire or be fired, I hate to crush your hopes, but I don't think that's happening.

"In fact, I feel just the opposite," Armstrong said when asked about just retiring. "I have enough self confidence, this is what I'm hoping will be one of the most significant accomplishments that we do here is that I help put this thing back together and get this back into contention."

While he was making that statement, Lincoln was nodding his head in agreement.

And the rumors of Chris Larsen of taking over controlling ownership and changing the front office leadership isn't happening.

"I don’t anticipate any change to occur in the ownership structure," Lincoln said. "We've only had one change in 17 years and that was John Stanton coming in for John McCaw."

And so the rumors about a change in ownership structure, where did they come from?

"I really don't have any idea," Lincoln said. "I think people speculate about a lot of things and what happens is the speculation takes on a life of its own. As we know rumors can easily become facts and that's not that first time that's happened. But there just isn't any basis for that."

So if there isn't new ownership, it's tough to see Lincoln going, and Lincoln isn't about to fire Armstrong.

Basically the rest of the meeting centered around the future ... particularly the search for a new general manager.

"It will be the most important decision we make," Lincoln said. "We've got to get it right."

"It's time we get some fresh thinking," Armstrong said. "Inside, we have our own thoughts, but it's good to go outside and get some fresh views. Our perception of things from the inside may not be the same as someone from the outside. We're looking some fresh new blood."

Um, that doesn't sound good for Lee Pelekoudas.

Armstrong said he was actually appreciative from some of the suggestions that local writers have offered up as potential GM.

"Some of the names you have come up with I have pursued in a little more detail and depth if you hadn't help provide me with some background for them," Armstrong said.

Armstrong said that he talked with commissioner Bud Selig already about the process. The plan is to start calling organizations to ask for permission to speak with potential candidates on Monday.

As for the type of GM or traits of the GM, they were coy.

"I think we have a pretty good idea of the attributes that we are looking for," Lincoln said. "The candidates represent a very broad spectrum so I really don't want to get into the specific traits and all that."

Now they wouldn't tell us how many people were on his short list.

"Cause then you guys will speculate, who and what and who's been eliminated," Armstrong said.

To make a guess, I'd say between 10 to 15. But one thing he did say was that all candidates are currently employed by other teams. Nobody that's out of baseball is getting a call.

Remember teams, don't have to grant permission to talk to employees. In fact, Armstrong expects to have a few teams deny permission.

Lincoln and Armstrong won't commit to rebuilding next season or trying to win next season. They're waiting see what the plan that each general manager candidate presents.

"The most important thing get the GM in place and have him develop the comprehensive plan back to where we want to be in both the short term and long term," Lincoln said. "I don't want to prejudge them."

"As I've been saying all summer, I'm not willing to concede anything for next year," Armstrong said. "Let's see what the plan looks like. There are some in organization e.g. our field manager who think we're not that far away."

Hmmmm

Well, I don't know what to make of that. One thing that was clear, the new GM will have some of the free reign that Bavasi had. Lincoln did admit that on things like long term contracts some consultation is always necessary.

Well, that's about it. It was like a 40 minute interview so I didn't put it all up, if there is a question about this stuff, let me know, perhaps I can answer it.

Erik Bedard underwent surgery yesterday on his shoulder to remove a cyst as well as to see how much what other damage was there.

According to a release issued by the Mariners, there was no tear to Bedard's labrum or rotator cuff.

Dr. Lewis Yocum removed the cyst from the shoulder and performed a minor minor labral debridement (clean-up of some fraying). But in the search for any major structural damage, none was found.

This sort of goes against what Bedard told reporters in Kansas City. He thought that he had a tear to his labrum or some extensive damage and could possibly miss all of next season. Now that he doesn't have that, he may actually get to pitch next year and the Mariners may tender him a contract after all.

The release said the recovery time for the procedure is typically six months. A better timetable for return will be established once he has started rehabbing.

This obviously good news for both Bedard and the Mariners.

Hopefully Rick Griffin will speak about this soon. Also Chuck Armstrong and Howard Lincoln are meeting with print reporters at 4 p.m. So I'll have some notes from that.

UPDATE: Ok, we tried to talk with Mariners trainer Rick Griffin about Bedard's injury, but it seems that Mssr. Bedard did not sign a HIPAA waiver, meaning Bedard is not allowed, by law, to speak of the injury or it's status. Usually when a player has an injury they sign the waiver allowing the medical staff to comment about it. Adrian Beltre signed the waiver and it's why Griffin could talk about his thumb surgery. Bedard did not, so Griffin could not comment.

What is HIPAA you ask?
Well here's something to help you...

HIPAA, which stands for the American Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, is a set of rules to be followed by doctors, hospitals and other health care providers. HIPAA took effect on April 14, 2006. HIPAA helps ensure that all medical records, medical billing, and patient accounts meet certain consistent standards with regard to documentation, handling and privacy.

In addition, HIPAA requires that all patients be able access their own medical records, correct errors or omissions, and be informed how personal information is shared used. Other provisions involve notification of privacy procedures to the patient. HIPAA provisions that have led in many cases to extensive overhauling with regard to medical records and billing systems.

I almost forgot to do the game thoughts. I was busy staring off into space and pondering what it would be like to be covering a winning team, or a team that didn't want to beat up it's best player. Anyway I digress.

A few quick notes... The Gar is here promoting his new foundation. And also Kaz Sasaki, the Daimajin, is here doing some commentating for Japanese television.

So let's get to some thoughts...

Top of first
Three ground balls to shortstop, three clean plays by Yuni.

Bottom of first
Ichiro gets a nice ovation from the fans and then promptly delivers a single to left for his 1,800th hit in the big leagues. With that hit he became the fastest player in baseball history to reach 1,800 hits, for any player starting their career after 1954. Ichiro needed just 1,277 games to do it. Next on the list is Wade Boggs who accomplished the feat in 1,352 games.

BETANCOURT WALKED, BETANCOURT WALKED. I DON'T BELIEVE WHAT I JUST SAW. That gives Yuni 16 walks on the season. He might get 20 on the season, at one point, if you told me that, I would have called you a bleeping idiot.

Raul singles home Ichiro. And then Wlad Balentien delivers a double down the line to score a run. Mariners lead 2-0.

Top of second
Cesar Jimenez gets himself into a spot of trouble walking the first two guys he faced. And even though the Angels have clinched a playoff spot and the AL West title, Manager Mike Scioscia still has Howie Kendrick bunt the runners over. It later results in a sac fly to cetner from Mike Napoli. Mariners 2-1.

Bottom of second
A lead-off double from Tuiasosopo and a single from Luis Valbuena goes wasted as Ichiro is rung up on a questionable call and Betancourt hits into a 4-6-3 DP.

OK it's now the bottom of the sixth, and my computer crashed once, and then started running slower than a footrace between John Olerud and Carlos Silva.

I have no explanation for it. It seems that nothing will make it quite better.

hmm... so what happened?

The Mariners lost the 2-1 lead when who else but Wlad Guerrero hit a two-run homer to right. Wlad Balentien tried to make a leaping grab and the ball bounced off his glove over the wall for homer. At first it looked like it might be a double, but then it was ruled a homer, no replay was used on the play.

The lead just moved to 4-2 as Torii Hunter doubled to score another run in the top of the seventh.

We head to the bottom of the seventh.
Ichiro with a single to lead-off the inning and then Yuni delivers a two-run homer on a 2-0 pitch to left-center off of Jose Arrendando. You see Yuni, it's good to hit with a 2-0 count. Raul walks but the rally ends there.

Top of eighth
Roy Corcoran gives up a single but everybody's favorite Southern Fried gentleman gets out of the inning.

Bottom of eight
Tui draws a two-out walk. You can slowly see him starting to adjust at this level. He'll still be at Triple A next year to start the season, but this time up here will have paid dividends. But after a fighting off a few pitches, Valbuena pops up to end the inning.

Top of nine
Vlad, jackshot, game winner?

Bottom of nine
yep

Ok, well, our competitor had a story in today's paper about some of the Mariners not being too fond of Ichiro Suzuki. In the story, an anonymous clubhouse source had a few quotes that were pretty eye-opening.

“I just can’t believe the number of guys who really dislike him,” said one clubhouse insider. “It got to a point early on when I thought they were going to get together and go after him.”

The coaching staff and then-manager John McLaren intervened when one player was overheard talking — in reference to Ichiro — about wanting to “knock him out.” A team meeting was called to clear the air.

Ok, so obviously that was the topic that manager Jim Riggleman addressed in his pregame meeting with the media. Riggleman was quite candid and at time quite irritated about having to discuss such a topic. I'll add my own thoughts on this later.
Here's some of the highlights.

When you aren’t winning many games these type of games surface when a ball club loses a lot of games, you’re going to have some griping and fingerpointing and stuff like that.

But I can honestly tell you I don’t ever remember any time when I was coaching or managing here that anybody was at the point where somebody was going to go after somebody. I don’t think it got to that point.

A lot of those people who say those things need to look in the mirror about their own performances rather than putting it on somebody else but that comes with a losing a lot of games. You get a lot of negativity. The only way to fix that is not lose a lot of games.

When asked if some of the animosity was because Ichiro was the team's perceived superstar, Riggleman said this:

"It probably is. But you know everybody has some deficiencies starting at the top. We all have some deficiencies. I feel like I prepare myself as much as you can prepare for a ball game, but my preparation probably pales in comparison to Ichiro’s preparation.

I think you’ll find that if everybody prepared as hard and worked as hard as Ichiro and Ibanez we probably wouldn’t have lost so many games."

Why would someone say stuff like this?

Pettiness, seventh-grade mentality, just pettiness of whatever jealousy, pointing fingers, deflecting responsibility, lack of accountability, just a lack of a character.

These things happen when you’re losing; you’re not seeing that happen with winning teams now. But those winning teams go out and lose a couple games and you’ll see it.

And as the questions continued about leadership and other things, never really deviating from the overall subject, Riggleman grew more and more agitated about being stuck in this situation.

Your character is tested in the bad times, not good times. I feel like for the most our guys have held up very well, but there are examples of a lack of character when people take shots at each in the paper.

You get a feeling for who those people are and you try to eliminate those people

Here's my favorite ...

Rats are the first one of the ship. When the ship is sinking the rats are the first ones off. They’re the ones scavenging everything on the ship when it’s floating good and going good, but when it’s sinking the rats are the first ones to abandon the ship.

Talk is cheap. We can talk all about. We can talk and talk and talk about stuff like that. You can go on and on about somebody pointing fingers or whether somebody dind’t lead, all those things, but bottom line is we didn’t pitch good enough and we didn’t hit good enough. Those things supercede everything."

Finally, Riggleman, who knows that some of the pitchers have done some of the petty sniping in the press and behind closed doors, had something for them as well.

Out of 14 teams, we’re 11th in pitching. And I’ll guarantee some of those people pointing fingers are pitches, some of the sniping is going on it’s pitchers and then we’re 11th in pitching. I’d keep my mouth shut if I was somebody saying something and part of that staff. 11th in the league in pitching, I don’t think I’d be saying too much.

Felix Hernandez on the mound or his 31st and last start of the season, trying to win his 10th game.
The Mariners, of course, are trying to avoid losing that 100th game, which is a long shot with five games left, including tonight.
We're off - Mariners vs. Angels.

Jose Lopez continued his best offensive season with his 40th double in the first inning, a gapper that drove Yuniesky Betancourt in from first base with two out.
That was RBI No. 85 for Lopez, who spent much of his season batting second - not a big RBI slot.
It also gave Felix a slim lead.
Mariners 1, Angels 0

So much for that slim lead.
Felix gave up a double, then a run-scoring single. The Angels used a perfectly executed hit-and-run play to put runners at first and third base.
On a called third strike to Sean Rodriguez, catcher Kenji Johjima tried to throw out Mike Napoli - running from first base - and instead dropped the ball, allowing the runner from third base to score.
Passed ball.
Angels 2, Mariners 1

The bottom of the Seattle lineup evened things up in the second, when one-out singles by Bryan LaHair, Johjima and Miguel Cairo pushed home the tying run.
Betancourt singled to left field with two outs and Cairo on second base, and Garret Anderson's throw to the plate beat Cairo by a zip code.
Mariners 2, Angels 2

Felix is having to work harder than he should because of a variety of odd little hits, at least two of which never left the infield.
Still, at 71 pitches, he's worked four innings - and that's 198 2/3 innings this season.
He's four-outs ffrom his first 200-inning season, and pitching well when in trouble.

The first video review in Safeco Field history came one out into the fifth inning, on a Vlad Guerrero drive near the left field foul pole that umpire Chuck Meriweather ruled foul.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia askedd for a review and got one - it took two minutes and 28 seconds.
Foul ball.

Mariners break the tie and then some in the fifth.
Yuni's third hit, a double, turned into a run on an Angels error, and Jeremy Reed doubled home a second run, then scored on Bryan LaHair's RBI single.
Felix back to the mound.
Mariners 5, Angels 2.

Felix got to 200 innings - but gave up his lead in the process. Three hits and a walk, followed by a run-scoring double play and the Angels tied it.
Hernandez labored, making poor 0-2 pitches, trying to overthrow.
He got three outs, has now pitched 200 2/3 innings, but may not come out for the sixth.
Mariners 5, Angels 5

With the game in the hands of the bullpens, Angels first baseman Mark Teixeira hit his 33rd home run of the season off Mark Lowe to put Los Angeles up a run in the eighth.
Teixeira has 13 homers with the Angels, 20 with the Braves before his trade.
Angels 6, Mariners 5

It's a final, and the Mariners have lost 100 games in a season for the fourth time in franchise history - their first since 1983.
Angels 6, Mariners 5

Felix Hernandez will start tonight having worked 194 2/3 innings this season, already a career high - and manager Jim Riggleman wants him to get to 200.

"In today's world, 200 innings makes a statement about a pitcher," Riggleman said, "especially in the American League. I'd like to see Felix get that number beside his name."

No matter what happens tonight, Hernandez will finish the season below .500 - he's 9-11 going in wigth a 3.38 earned run average in 30 starts.

Tonight will be his 31st start, tying his career high, and with 171 strikeouts, he's five short of matching his career best in that category.

They haven't lost 100 games in a season since 1983, when they dropped 102 - but the Mariners are sprinting toward that plateau this year.
Seattle has lost a sesason-high 12 consecutive games going into this one, tying the franchise record for the second-longest losing streak.
What was worse, you ask? A 14-game losing streak in 1992.
Ryan Feierabend starts, and the last five men in the Mariners lineup - Jeremy Reed, Wladimir Balentien, Matt Tuiasosopo, Kenji Johjima and Luis Valbuena - have a combined 81 RBI.
Here it comes: Mariners vs. Angels.

Ryan Feierabend was putting on a clinic, retiring the first five Angels he faced, using everything from 90 mph fastball to a 74 mph change.
It looked easy, even after he gave up a two-out single in the second inning. Then Gary Matthews Jfr. hit one into the right center field stands - home run #8 for Matthews - and Feierabend was behind.
Angels 2, Mariners 0

Ichiro Suzuki, who leads the majors with 175 singles - the next highest total by a player is 146! - followed a Kenji Johjima single with a double to right.
Yuniesky Betancourt then blooped a ball into short center field for a two-run single and, after three innings, it's even.
Mariners 2, Angels 2

Mike Napoli untied it with one of the longest home runs of the year - a 447-foot shot off the batters eye beyond center field.
Unfortunately for Feierabend, there were two men on base at the time
It's been a struggle, the last two innings, and Feierabend left after throwing 84 pitches.
Sean Green now pitching for Seattle.
Angels 5, Mariners 2

Matt Tuiasosopo got a smallish Safeco Field crowd pumped, leading off the fifth inning with a triple that banged off the wall in the left field corner.
Mariners fans know the rest.
Johjima popped out. Valbuena struck out. And Ichiro was thrown out trying to bunt for a base hit.
Tuiasosopo was left at third.
Angels 5, Mariners 2

Looking for subtle differences between the first-place Angels and last-place Mariners?
An inning after Seattle left a man at third base, the Angels stole a run.
Chone Figgins singled and took second on Garret Anderson's single. When Mark Teixeira flied out to left field, Figgins tagged - and left fielder Wladimir Balentien caught the ball going backwards.
Figgins easily beat a belated throw to third, then scored on a fly ball.
Angels 6, Mariners 2

The Mariners rallied in the sixth, and forgive the Angels for shaking their heads about it.
After one-out singles by Raul Ibanez and Jose Lopez, Reed hit a one-hopper sharply back to the mound - and Jered Weaver clanked it so badly it wound up in short right field.
Charitably ruled a single, it drove in Ibanez.
Balentien then flied to center field, just short of the warning track, and Torii Hunter simply didn't get to the right spot. The ball fell beside him for an RBI double.
Johjima, a dead-pull hitter, doubled to right center field and - what's this? - the Mariners had tied it again.
Kevin Jepsen in to relieve Weaver.
Mariners 6, Angels 6

Jeremy Reed, the outfielder the Mariners got in the Freddie Garcia trade in 2004, singled home the go-ahead run in the seventh inning - the 97th RBI of his Seattle career.
Yuni singled to open the inning, stole second and stayed put when Ibanez walked. Reed then singled into right center field, and he Mariners had their first lead of the night.
Balentien grounded to shortstop, but Erick Aybar misplayed the ball - Balentien was safe and Ibanez scored.
Jojhjima singled to right field. Yes, right field, and pushed home a third run.
It's not pretty, and it hasn't all been their fault, but Seattle leads.
Mariners 9, Angels 6

A remarkably bad year has ended early for Carlos Silva, a right-hander for whom nothing has gone right since April.

At one point, he was 3-0 for Seattle, then went an improbable 1-15 and suffered through losing streaks and back pain.

Scheduled to make his last start on Thursday, Silva has been scratched because of back problems.

Someone - probably a reliever - will start in his place.

Silva has had the kind of year you wouldn't wish on anyone. When he pitched well, he got no run support. And when he pitched poorly, no amount of run support was enough.

Like Kenji Johjima, Silva has three years left on his contract. Based on this season, it's to imagine him not being in camp with the Mariners next spring, pitching for a spot in the rotation.

Notes...
Jose Lopez is back at first tonight (lineups below) and the lineup as a whole has a Rainer-esque feel, in fact Ichiro and Raul have to be wondering if they were sent down to Triple A. ... It's also f-f-freezing up here. That won't do much to help attendance. I'm guessing maybe 17,000 at the most and that's on the high side.

Top of first
Rowland-Smith sets down the side in order. I've said it before, and I'll say it again ... "I like how he competes."

Bottom of first
Ervin Santana just cruised through the lineup needing about a handful of pitches, while making Raul Ibanez look foolish. Look for Santana to work quickly tonight because he's got Jeff Mathis catching him. Santana is 13-4 with a 2.98 ERA this season when Jeff Mathis (edited) catches him.

Top of second
Wlad leads off with a single through left side. That's hardly surprising since he's hitting about .920 against the M's. Rowland-Smith walks to Torii Hunter. After getting a fly-out from Juan Rivera, RRS almost gets out of trouble with a groundball to second that Luis Valbuena makes a nice play on starting what should be a 4-6-3 DP, but Yuni drops the ball on the transfer, leaving runners on the corners. RRS gets out with strikeout of Mathis.

Bottom of second
The Mariners muster a hit off of Santana - a sharp single to left from DH Tug Hulett (no that's not a typo), but Santana strikes out Tuiasosopo looking to end the inning.

Top of the third
Rowland-Smith gives up another hit, but Rowland-Smith gets a nice double play to end the inning. On the turn Valbuena fired a laser to first, he has got a cannon for an arm.

Bottom of the third
With a cold wind blowing in, the M's drop in three straight singles from Valbuena, Johnson and Ichiro to load the bases for Betancourt. He strikes out. But Raul at least salvages the first run with a fielders choice to first. Lopez strikes out to end the inning.

Catching up.... now top of eight
Yes, I had a huge lapse in updates. I'm a little rusty and I had some sort of unexpected football stuff to write for tomorrow along with my game notebook, what's happened?
That's a good question. Wlad hit a homer, so he's now hitting .965 against the M's. Rowland-Smith gutted his way out of a couple jams with some nice pitches, and some moxie. Did I mention I like how he competes. He leaves the game down 2-1, having thrown seven innings, giving up two runs, only one was earned -- Raul's bobble on a single allowed the other. RRS gave up eight hits, but struck out six and walked just one.

Offensively, the Mariners haven't mustered much off of Ervin Santana. They got the one run, but have only had two hits after that.

Roy Corcoran is on in the eighth and gives up a lead-off double, but gets out by getting Wlad out -- his average dwindling to .959 -- striking out Torii Hunter and getting Kendry Morales to line out.

Still 2-1 and still Santana on the mound.

Lineups
ANGELS (96-59)
Figgins 3B
Kendrick 2B
Teixeira 1B
Guerrero RF
Hunter CF
Rivera DH
Aybar SS
Mathis C
Willits LF
--------
Santana (15-6, 3.33)

MARINERS
Suzuki RF
Betancourt SS
Ibanez LF
Lopez 1B
Reed CF
Hulett DH
Tuiasosopo 3B
Valbuena 2B
Johnson C
------------
Rowland-Smith (4-2, 3.53)

It's good to be back covering baseball, maybe not this caliber of baseball, but its still good. Maybe I'll actually cover a win from this team. That hasn't happened much. Just a rough guesstimate but I think of the 90-odd games I covered, I think only 25 might have been wins. I'm going to have to go look that up to find out for sure.

A few things from pregame

Jeff Clement was back in the clubhouse and walking around without crutches following his knee surgery a few weeks back.

Clement had a cotton sleeve on the knee, and a had a slight limp, but seemed in good spirits.

"I was there with him when he talked to the trainer," Riggleman said. "Basically, it's going to be a long process. He's feeling pretty good right now. He's got a lot of work to be ready for spring training."

Riggleman said that the surgery went as expected, but is proceeding with cautious optimism.

"We aren't going to really know till he gets down and squats and catches four or five days in a row and see how he reacts," Riggleman said.

I talked with catching coordinator Roger Hansen, who said Clement is already talking about getting back to work up in the Seattle area with Hansen in January.

Also on the catching front, Rob Johnson will play in the Arizona Fall League in the offseason. AA prospect Adam Moore was also supposed to play, but in his last game with AA West Tenn this season he suffered a broken thumb on his glove hand and won't be able to compete in the fall league. Others players slated to participate in the fall league our Greg Halman and Carlos Triunfel.

Riggleman's pregame meeting with media also spent some time discussing Erik Bedard and his upcoming surgery.

A columnist for another paper (hint: he's a big WSU alum) was asking a few questions about why Bedard didn't report the shoulder discomfort when he started feeling it early in the season.

"Nobody knew that," Riggleman said.

Riggleman was adamant in saying that nobody on the coaching staff and training staff knew that the arm was a problem until Bedard mentioned it after leaving his July 4th start (the last time he pitched in a game.)

"Absolutely not," Riggleman said.

Bedard told a couple writers last week that he first felt the pain back in April following his second start of the season in Tampa Bay.

"I'm glad he was talking to the writers, number one, but that was news to everybody," Riggleman said.

So why would he wait till July? Riggleman didn't know.

"I think it happens a lot, guys will pitch till the damage is done and then say my arm hurts," he said. "If they had spoken up earlier maybe they could have minimized the damage."

Riggleman cited a similar incident this season.

"Without naming names, there was another pitcher later in the year who wasn't happy with his role on the club, who spoke up and said I pitched earlier in the year and my arm was killing me," Riggleman said. "Well, nobody knew his arm was killing him."

I'd bet you my meager salary that unnamed pitchers' name rhymed with Bigel Mautista.

And Riggleman couldn't understand why these pitchers wouldn't say something, especially when it comes to their arms.

"It's a message delivered to them constantly: that if you have anything wrong we need to know as soon as possible," Riggleman said. "We can minimize the damage, we can address it, we can fix it, but they just try to pitch through it."

It's a mindset you can respect on some level. It's one thing for a player to buck up with a sore leg, or fight through a game with tight back, but when you're a pitcher, there's no need to be hero with your arm - it is your livelihood.

"He didn't want to make any excuses and just let people criticize him," Riggleman said. "I think its admirable that he was pitching in pain, but I wish he had said something earlier."

Riggleman pointed to the recent news that Blue Jays starter Shaun Marcum is going to have Tommy John surgery and will miss the 2009 season.

"How long has his arm been hurting? I doubt if anybody knew his arm was hurting. you dont' just go from 100 percent to Tommy John Surgery," Riggleman said. "That thing had to be hurting and he's not saying anything to anybody. If you're looking at rotator cuff surgery, labrum surgery, Tommy John surgery, that doesn't happen in one day, that's wear and tear over time," Riggleman said. "And that wear and tear means there must have been some considerable pain that you are pitching through. Very few of them did it on one pitch and everybody knew about it."

As somebody who recently tore his ulnar collateral ligament (the Tommy John ligament), Riggleman is right.

I need to kind of think of this Bedard injury for a little bit before really offering up an opinion about it.

Tug Hulllett is starting at shortstop for the first time as a Mariner, and the Seattle infield didn't look much like it's opening day counterpart.
Consider the difference between now and then:
1B Jose Lopez -- Richie Sexson
2B Luis Valbuena -- Jose Lopez
3B Miguel Cairo -- Adrian Beltre
SS Tug Hullett -- Yuniesky Betancourt
The Mariners are trying to snap a 10-game losing streak, and Brandon Morrow is starting for the fourth time in his Major League career.
He's part of a rotation that has changd, too:
Felix Hernandez -- Eik Bedard
Carlos Silva -- Felix Hernandez
Brandon Morrow -- Jarrod Washburn
Ryan Rowland-Smith -- Carlos Silva
Ryan Feierabend -- Miguel Batista
Will this team win it's 58th of the season - or lose it's 98th?

The Mariners have four hitters at the top of their lineup with which they can score runs, and after that it's diminishing returns.
Hulett drew a walk and Jose Lopez doubled him to third, but that was that.
After those first four hitters the Seattle lineup - Jeremy Reed, Miguel Cairo, Bryan LaHair, Kenji Johjima and Luis Valbuena - have a combined 88 RBI.
They won't reach 100.
Morrow now on the mound.

Morrow has thrown three dominant innings and, in the fourth, Lopez and Reed hit consecutive doubles to produce the first run of the game.
Reed then mistakenly tried to take third on a ground ball to shortstop and was thrown out.
Oops.
Mariners 1, Athletics 0

In their first five innings, Mariners have just three hits against Oakland's Sean Gallagher.
Through five innings, despite falling behind often and walking two batters, Morrow hasn't allowed a hit. Relying mostly on his fastball - he's thrown it anywhere from 92 to 97 mph - he's overpowering Athletics hitters up in the strike zone.
It's a dangerous combo, falling behind and pitching up.
So far, it's worked.
Mariners 1, Athletics 0

Carlos Gonzalez doubled, Oakland's first hit of the game, putting runners at second and third base with one out in the sixth.
Morrow, stoic as usual, struck out Ryan Sweeny, then retired Jack Cust on a foul pop fly.
That's pitching, folks.
Mariners 1, Athletics 0

Ichiro extended his hitting streak to 14 games in a row with a clutch two-out RBI single in the seventh.
Miguel Cairo singled and took second on Valbuena's two-out walk, then Ichiro singled. Pinch-hitter Yuniesky Betancourt singled home Valbuena
Raul Ibanez struck out for the fourth time.
Mariners 3, Athletics 0

Morrow's in uncharted territory at 113 pitches, and it's showed - he walked Cliff Pennington,gave up an RBI double to Bobby Crosby and walked Daric Barton.
In his last start, Morrow threw 80 pitches, and had never thrown more than the 106 of his first start - when he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning.
Miguel Batista now pitching, with one out and two runners on.
Mariners 3, Athletics 1

Tie game. Batista's first pitch was centered over the plate, and pinch-hitter Aaron Cunningham doubled to drive home two runs charged to Morrow.
Morrow won't win, won't lose.
The Mariners will have to do one or the other. It's in the rules.
Mariners 3, Athletics 3

Consecutive Loss No. 11 is staring them in the face after Batista gave up a two-run home run in the eighth inning to Jack Cust.
The Mariners have one more chance in the ninth, but the bottom of the order is due up.
During this streak, the team hasn't yet gotten a save opportunity to J.J. Putz.
Speaking of saves, the Mariners now lead the majors in blown saves (31).
Batista has three blown saves in four opportunities.
Athletics 5, Mariners 3

The scoreless streak is at 26 consecutive innings, three short of the franchise record. Can the Mariners break it or will they go scoreless into infinity?
Most likely, Raul Ibanez or Jose Lopez will hit one out, or perhaps Ichiro will work his way around.
Anyway it comes, the Mariners need a run before they can score, say, two.
Carlos Silva vs. Kirk Sarloos.
And we're off.

A 1-2-3 first inning and the Mariners have now tied their second-longest scoreless streak in franchise history.

Bryan LaHair snapped the streak at 27 with a two-run home run over the wall in right field.
The Mariners now have something even rarer than a score, they have a lead.
Silva and a 2-0 lead. If he can hold it and the Mariners get baserunners, Riggleman will play small ball to pad it.
Mariners 2, Athletics 0

So much for that lead.
Silva walked Jack Cust, gave up a single and the Athletics bunt the runners over.
With two outs, Jeff Baisley - batting .167 - singledd into center field to score both runners.
Mariners 2, Athletics 2

Luis Valbuena doubled, Ichiro legged out an infield single - hit No. 204 - and Yuniesky Betancourt grounded into a double play.
That scored Valbuena with the go-ahead run.
Silva set Oakland down 1-2-3, so the Mariners have a lead heading into the fourth inning.
Heady stuff.
Mariners 3, Athletics 2

Mariners loaded the bases in the fourth, then called upon the sun to push home two more runs and chase Sarloos.
Kenji Johjima's fly ball to the wall in left field somehow eluded Aaron Cunningham, who was there in plenty of time to catch it.
Ruled a single, it gave Johjima 31 RBI for the season - and gave Silva a three-run lead.
Mariners 5, Athletics 2

El Buffalo is gone, taken out after Oakland scored twice and team trainer Rick Griffin visited the mound.
Cesar Jimenez is in to relieve, with two runners on base, one out and a one-run lead.
Five runs will not be enough today.
Mariners 5, Athletics 4

Oakland walked LaHair and Kenji hit one out, his sixth home run of the season and fourth RBI of the day.
Can Johjima regain the form of 2006-07, when he was an offensive weapon behind the plate?
Right now, he's a what he was then - a dead-pull hitter with some pop. Where was it for the first four or five months of the season?
Mariners 7, Athletics 4

Seven runs won't be enough.
Oakland's rally has included a pinch-hit RBI single, a two-run double by .169-hitting Rob Bowen and a throwing error by Yuni on a relay to the plate.
That put the go ahead run at third base with one out and Roy Corcoran pitching.
The infield played in, Corcoran got a ground ball from Buck, walked Aaron Cunningham and was replaced by lefty Justin Thomas.
Ryan Sweeney popped out.
We be tied.
Mariners 7, Athletics 7

Still tied in the eighth, Jeremy Reed punched a single to left field to open the inning.
Cairo faked a bunt, then flied out. LaHair walked for the third time today. Johjima tapped back to the mound, starting an inning-ending double play.
Can the Mariners hold?
Mariners 7, Athletics 7

No, they can't.
Singles sandwiched around a sacrifice bunt put runners on first and third base with one out, and Dan Barton broke the tie with an RBI single.
Miguel Batista relieved and got an infield pop up, walked Jack Cust then got a ground ball to end the inning.
The Mariners are three outs from their 10th consecutive loss.
Can Oakland hold?
Athletics 8, Mariners 7

Yes, they can.
Valbuena doubled to right field and was thrown out on a close call trying for third. Coach Sam Perlozzo went ballistic and Jim Riggleman argued until he was ejected.
Game-changing call, since it involved having the potential tying run at third with no one out.
Ichiro walked, but Yuni grounded into a double play.
It's a final.
Athletics 8, Mariners 7

It’s an interesting question: If you liked Erik Bedard, would you view his season differently.

Certainly, he hasn’t always gotten the benefit of the doubt from teammates and media, and now he’s about to undergo exploratory surgery to determine just how badly the labrum in his left shoulder is injured.

Jim Riggleman was asked about Bedard today, and his response was illuminating.

“Obviously, he was pitching with injury, not with pain, but we didn’t know that,” Riggleman said. “Pitchers never tell you – they feel if they can’t pitch, they’re not part of the team. They know if they have an MRI done, it will find something. So that’s the nature of pitchers. They don’t tell you.

“Adrian Beltre played in pain, and we admired him for that. It’s the same with Erik, What he did was admirable.”

Last week, Bedard said he could pinpoint the moment his left shoulder turned on him – in his second start of the season. He made 13 more before, on July 4, walking off the mound and stunning the team.

“He told (trainer) Rick Griffin ‘My shoulder is killing me,’” Riggleman said. “That was the first we knew about it.

“Early in the season, John McLaren asked him. I think Mel (Stottlemyre) asked him. He’d tell them during a game when he was done, but when he was asked if he was hurt, he said no.”

Once Bedard was shut down, a number of the Mariners questioned everything from his heart to his pain threshold to his willingness to pitch. Riggleman said now that everyone knows Bedard has a torn labrum, those opinions should change.

“His teammates should have more respect for him now. He tried pitching with a tear in his labrum, and ‘labrum’ is sort of a four-letter word to pitchers. It scares them,” Riggleman said.

“I don’t know what the organization could have done differently. You trade for him, stretch him out in spring training and in his second start he hurts something but doesn’t tell you,” he said.

“We tell every pitcher every spring, when something is wrong, tell us. And they all nod their heads – and then never do it.”

Felix Hernandez tries to become the Mariners only 10-game winner - and snap the team's eight-game losing streak.
The biggest problem won't be the Oakland lineup but his own. The Mariners have two players, Jose Lopez (.443) and Ichiro (.333) hitting more than .300 on this trip - and seven players hitting below .200.
If the Mariners give up more than three runs, they're in trouble.
You can't say the Mariners aren't trying different cominations. Rob Johnson is DHing tonight, and he's the 16th player to DH for the Mariners this season.

Raining and 65 degrees at first pitch, which shouldn't favor the offense tonight.
Hernandez seems loose - he's throwing 96 mph in the first inning and has already shattered one bat. An 11-pitch first inning for Felix.

Mariners have two hits throuh three innings, and neither left the infield. In the third, they got Ichiro as far as third base, but stranded him there.
Oakland put their first runner on base when Yuniesky Betancourt bobbled a ground ball for an error.
This doesn't have the feel of a high-scoring game.
No score after 3.

Outfielder Travis Buck got a hit that left the infield, then the outfield - his fourth home run, giving Oakland the lead. Kurt Suzuki's two-out RBI doubled it.
Two runs is hardly insurmountable - it just feels that way.
Athletics 2, Mariners 0

Felix is mad, and he has reason. He's made a couple of mistakes, it looks like his ankle may be bothering him again and - oh, yes - the Mariners haven't scored.
This is about the time of game when former Mariner Randy Johnson would storm into the dugout and start screaming at his teammates to get him some runs. It didn't make him friends, but occasionally it got him a few runs.

Ichiro doubled with two outs in the seventh and now has 202 hits this season. He did not, however, score his 97th run.
Yuniesky grounded out.
Athletics 2, Mariners 0

Small consolation for Felix, but as he walked to the mound in the eighth inning, he'd already established a career high for innings in a season.
Back in 2006, he'd pitched 191 innings.
Through seven tonight, he's worked 193 2/3 innings in 2008.
The Mariners, meanwhile, are three outs from being shut out for the second game in a row.

No matter who the general manager or manager is by spring training, one of the more complicated questons the Seattle Mariners face is behind the plate.

Kenji Johjima, who began the 2008 season as a 31-year-old with a career .289 big-league average, signed a three-year contract extension in April.

Jeff Clement was just beginning to make strides - at the plate and behind it - when knee surgery ended his season last month.

And then there's Jamie Burke, Rob Johnson and, not far behind, Adam Moore.
Some might see that as a wealth of catching, but it's unlikely the Mariners can carry more than two next year.

Johjima and Clement are catchers, and using either as a first baseman or full time designated hitter isn't in the immediate future.

Clement's knee surgery will keep him off the field until December. The team doesn't see him as a first basemnan or DH yet, and doesn't want him to think otherwise.

Similarly, Johjima is eating up the lion's share of September starts despite the presence of Johnson.

Why?

"Right now, Johjim is the No. 1 catcher," Jim Riggleman said. "He's throwing runners out, and in the last six weeks he's come on at the plate and as a catcher. I think we're starting to see what this team saw his first few years."

If Joh's No. 1 going into spring, where is Clement?

Can the team platoon them and get the most from either?
And if you're Burke, Johnson or Moore, is your future somewhre other than Seattle?
Not only don't the Mariners know the answers, they don't yet know who will be answering them.

Jim Riggleman is in that managerial netherworld - the Mariners want to play their kids, experiment with position changes and - oh yes, win a few games.
Riggleman, however, is likely to be judged not by how good the team's pups do, but his win-loss record.
The team is 32-47 under Riggleman, a record that's taken a major hit with the current seven-game losing streak.
"If we wanted to win, we'd probably have a different lineup," he said. "But we're in posiion to have to look at our future, so we play the youngsters. Once the game starts, though, you want to win, you manage and play to win."
But, as this 0-7 trip illustrates, they don't always deliver.
Young hitters like Matt Tuiasosopo, Rob Johnson, Luis Valbuena and Brian LaHair are getting experience, but they're not hitting much.
That makes a low-scoring Seattle offense even more vulnerable that usual to any kind of pitching.
Put another way, if Raul Ibanez or Jose Lopez don't drive runs in, the odds of Seattle scoring enough to win drop dramatically.
Ryan Feierabend will try to hold Kansas City and put the Mariners in position to snap this streak and win No. 58.

Ryan Feierabend's mistake in the fourth wasn't the RBI single from David DeJesus, but the leadoff walk to Alex Gordon that wound up as Kansas City's first run.
Then, with two on and one out, Feierabend fell behn Mike Aviles, 3-1, and in an effort not to walk him left a pitch over the middle.
Three-run home run.
Royals 4, Mariners 0 ...

It's 6-0, Mr. Feierabend is out and there's one out in the fourth, with runners at first and third.
Given what the Mariners offense is capable of, a comeback seems all but impossible.
So, what would you like to talk about?
Royals 6, Mariners 0 ...

Royals have 10 runs, Mariners have two hits, and Riggleman is emptying his bench in the seventh inning.
Miguel Cairo is in left field, Tug Hullett is at shortstop, Matt Tuiasosopo is at third and Wladimir Balentien is in right field.
This looks like back-to-back four-game sweeps.
Royals 10, Mariners 0.

Ichiro is three hits short of reaching the 200-hit plateau for the eighth consecutive season which is, like, really hard.
In fact, when Ichiro does it, he'll match Wee Willie Keeler for the most consecutive seasons of 200 or more hits.
Keeler had his streak from 1894-1901, before the age of blogging, so the lads at Big Boat Mariner weren't around to dissect him.
OK, it's Rowland-Smith vs. Meche, with the Mariners trying to snap a six-game losing streak.
We're off.

Trying to stay out of the double plays that have haunted them, Jim Riggleman has his team running.
With one out, Ichiro and Yuniesky Betancourt pulled off a double steal - and Jose Lopez singled both home, pushing his RBI total to 84.
KC pitched out and caught Lopez stealing, but Riggleman clearly isn't in the mood to sit back and watch tonight.
Mariners 2, Royals 0 ...

Ichiro doubled, hit No. 198, and Yuni bunted him to third base, but Raul Ibanez and Jose Lopez couldn't get him home.
Two short of 200.
Mariners 2, Royals 0 ...

One short! Ichiro popped a ball up along the third base line and it fell in despite the Royals best efforts.
He's sitting on 199 hits now.
As for Ryan Rowland-Smith, he's allowed a solo home run but not much elsed, and has thrown only 54 pitches going into the fifth inning.
Mariners 2, Royals 1 ...

After six, Rowland-Smith owes his one-run lead to the defense of his shortstop.
Yuni's two-out diving stop of Mark Teahen's grounder up the middle stopped the tying run from scoring.
Mariners 2, Royals 1 ...

Life is an odd duck. After saving Rowland-Smith in the sixth inning, Yuni's error behind FRoy Corcoran in the seventh ignited a three-run rally in which all the runs were unearned.
Royals 4, Mariners 2 ...

Ichiro got a standing ovation here by beating out an infield single in the eighth inning for hit No. 200. It was his 48th infield single, and he's now the American League's all-time leader with eight consecutive 200-hit seasons.

Erik Bedard has been, he admits, something of a ‘mystery man’ as a Seattle Mariner, a left-hander who was named the staff ace before he put the uniform on – and a man who didn’t appear in a game after July 4.

The expectations were monumental. The Mariners had traded away five players, including outfielder Adam Jones, reliever George Sherrill and top pitching prospect Chris Tillman for Bedard.

He started 15 games, went 6-4 with a 3.67 earned run average.

And when the injuries began, Bedard’s season – and his career – came into question.

“To not be able to pitch, that’s the most frustrating part,” Bedard said Wedndsday. “To not be able to do what you love is hard, and now to have surgery and not know if I can come back or not.

“If I can’t pitch, I guess it’ll be time to find reality, find a 9-to-5 job in the real world.

“I love the game. If I’m not playing it I watch it. I’m one of the few guys I know who goes home in October and watches playoff games – that’s how much I love this game.”

That’s not the image of Bedard that most fans have developed his season, but then they rarely got the chance to see him healthy, and he rarely spoke to the media.

“Fans don’t know me? I kind of like being the mystery man,” Bedard said. “I don’t know how I’d explain this year to them, any way. I try not to put expectations on myself, I’d rather just go out and do my job. I just want to pitch.”

Bedard started opening day, and though he didn’t win, the team did. He developed inflammation in his left hip, skipped a start and then pitched April 8.

“I always felt Felix (Hernandez) should have been No. 1 in our rotation, that I should have been No. 2, and I told them that,” Bedard said. “I went out when it was my turn.

“The start after I hurt my hip, I felt discomfort in my shoulder the last inning I pitched. I know exactly when I did it,” Bedard said. “After that, it got worse and worse.

“I didn’t say anything, like everybody else in the game.”

Trainer Rick Griffin said Bedard never mentioned the pain until after his July 4 start. An MRI two weeks later, he said, showed a frayed labrum and a cyst in the shoulder.

“I stopped pitching when I couldn’t handle the pain. After my last start, I couldn’t lift my arm,” Bedard said.

“We knew what it was after the MRI. Surgery was always an option, but you want it to be the last option. You’re never 100 per cent sure what’ll happen in surgery.”

Team doctors, trainers and Bedard agreed to try rehabilitation as the first option, and Bedard began a long, slow climb back to throwing off the mound.

“He played long toss, then shortened the distance and increased the intensity,” Griffin said. “He probably threw in the bullpen four or five times. For two months, Erik did everything we asked.”

The problem was, Bedard didn’t improve enough.

“We tried rehab, and it got better, but it never got good. The pain was less at times, but I always felt it.,” Bedard said.

This week, the team and its medical staff agreed, and shoulder surgery has been scheduled for Sept. 26.

Why wasn’t it done in July?

“Surgery on the labrum is the last option, not the first,” Griffin said. “A lot of pitchers have labrum issues, and you might change their mechanics, move them from starting to relieving, try to strengthen it through rehab.

“When you do surgery, you don’ know what you’re going to find. MRI’s give you an idea, but never the complete picture. With that kind of surgery, you’re talking anywhere from six to 12 months of rehab before a pitcher can pitch again.”

Best case scenario, Bedard might begin throwing late in spring training. He could miss the entire season.

Worst case scenario, the damage is career-ending.

“All I take out of this year is having met new teammates, and the fact that I didn’t do badly when I did pitch,” Bedard said. “I’ve never been through anything like this in my life.”

Greetings M's fans and blog readers ... I haven't totally forsaken you. And I'm working on a few more end of the season posts.

Anyway the Mariners released their tentative schedule for next season. You can view it HERE.

Seattle opens the regular season on the road at Minnesota on April 6th.

(the place where the M's got Carlos Silva from and can't return - photo is from a start there this season). After a four-game series in Minnesota, the Mariners go to Oakland for three.

The home opener will be on Wednesday, April 15th against the Los Angeles Angels (hopefully we won't have to see any of K-Rod’s ridiculous histrionics in the series).

That will start a nine-game homestand, with the Tigers and Rays following.

As for interleague play, the Mariners will play the National League West this season. The first session will feature a quick three-game series on May 23-25 against the San Francisco Giants - meaning Tim Lincecum might be making a start at Safeco. Ahh, what might've been.

Interleague play continues a few weeks later with a series at Colorado (June 12-14) followed by a series at "natural rival" San Diego (June 16-18). The Arizona Diamondbacks (June 19-21)and BoMel and the Padres (June 23-25) will come to Safeco. Seattle will also have a later road series at Chavez Ravine against the Dodgers (June 26-28).

As for other key series ...
Red Sox fans and several impostor and poser Red Sox fans will invade Safeco for only three days this season on May 16-18.

But only one Sox series means two Yankees' series, which is almost, but not quite, as annoying. The Bombers come to Safeco on August 14-17 and on Sept. 19-21. So at least fans will get to see A-Rod not hit here and a team most likely slipping out of the postseason race.

Also as if it's not punishment enough, the Orioles and the benefits of the Bedard deal come not once to Safeco, but twice. Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Chris Tillman (possibly) and Co. will be here on June 1-3 and July 7-9.

Erik Bedard, the left-handed pitcher the Mariners hoped would help them reach the post-season, will undergo exploratory shoulder surgery Sept. 26.

A timetable for his return will depend upon what the surgery determine's Bedard's injury to be.

Bedard last pitched July 4, and has tried rehabbing the shoulder since then without notable improvement.

"Surgey was always an option, but our medical staff thought rehabilitation was a better option," GM Lee Pelekoudas said. "Erik saw Dr. Lew Yocumb while we were in Southern Caliornia and the decision was made to have the surgery done.

"I expect to have him back next year, but until we know the extent of the damage, we won't know."

Bedard was acquired in February in a five-player trade with Baltimore that included Adam Jones, George Sherrill and highly touted pitching prospect Chris Tillman.

In 15 starts this season, Bedard went 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA, but injuries to his hip and back cost him games, and after his last game in July, he felt 'discomfort' in his shoulder.

Brandon Morrow is starting and, unless he can make 90 pitches stretch to eight innings, he'll be followed to the mound by Jarrod Washburn.
No, Washburn is not being tested in relief. The simply wants to get him a few innings to see if his strained abdominal muscle is ready for prime time again.
Washburn says he's ready, and if he is, he'll likely slide back into the rotation, possibly as soon as Saturday.
Jose Lopez is batting cleanup, and the bottom of the Mariners lineup - Wladimir Balentien, Matt Tuiasosopo, Rob Johnson and Luis Vallbuena have a combined 20 RBI this season.
Balentien has 19 of those.
And we're off.

It's September, and the Mariners continue to find new ways of screwing up an inning.
Afrer drawing a walk, Yuniesky Betancourt wen all the way to second base on a Raul Ibanez fly ball, then retreated to first.
Except umpire Brian Knight said Betancourt had not retouched second base on his way back.
He was called out with cleanup hitter Jose Lopez at the plate.
Oops.

The teams are trading solo home runs, with John Buck putting Kansas City ahead, 1-0, in the third inning - and Jose Lopez tying it with a bolt into the Seattle bullpen in the fourth.
For Lopez, it was homer No. 15 and RBI No. 82.
Mariners 1, Royals 1 ...

Starter or reliever, if you issue two-out walks you're going to pay for them.
Brandon Morrow walked two Royals with two outs in the fourth inning, setting up John Buck's RBI single.
Royals 2, Mariners 1 ...

The Royals are whacking Mr. Morrow pretty well in the fifth - a David DeJesus solo home run, a Alberto Callapso triple and a Mike Aviles RBI single.
DeJesus hadn't homered since July 12. The last pitcher he'd homered against?
Brandon Morrow.
Royals 4, Mariners 1 ...

The whacking continued, and Morrow was chased after giving up a single and Ryan Shealy's fifth home run.
Mr. Washburn came in and got out of the inning, but the Mariners offense has just one run here in the last 14 innings.
That doesn't bode well for breaking a five-game losing streak.
Royals 6, Mariners 1 ...

The Mariners surged back and scored ... one run.
Betancourt doubled, took third base on a Jose Lopez single and scored on Jeremy Reed's sacrifice fly.
Washburn is out of the game, Cesar Jimenez is in, and the question now is did Washburn feel too much pain in 18 pitches to continue.
Stay tuned.
Royals 6, Mariners 2 ...

Not a great day for the Mariners. Jose Lopez had three of their seven hits, Mr. Morrow got the loss and gave up three home runs for the first time in his career.
And the team lost it's 93rd game of the season.
With 12 games remaining, do you see these guys winning six do avoid losing 100 times? Do you see them winning again, period?
It's a final:
Royals 6, Mariners 3.

Carlos Silva is back, trying to win his second game since April and his fifth of the season against 14 losses.
He got a little break in the first inning. Down 1-0 with a runner on second base, Mark Teahan singled home a second run. It was negated a moment later when the Mariners appealed - Ryan Shealy had missed third base.
Into the second, the Mariners have gone six up, six down.
Royals 1, Mariners 0 ...

Mariners are hurrying to and from the plate, but the Royals got three consecutive singles against Silva in the fourth inning.
It's the curse of the sinker specialist - two ground balls got through the infield, a opposite-field pop fly fell fo a a hit and there's a run
Seattle batters have yet to reach base.
Royals 2, Mariners 0 ...

The Mariners are a middle-of-the-pack team when it comes to grounding into double plays, but they are the best at absolutely gutting promising rallies with them.
They got a couple of hits in the sixth to put runners at first and third base and were threatening when Yuniesky Betancourt grounded into a double play.
It's no one player, but the Mariners do seem to have an uncanny ability to stop themselves. That's a league-leading 57 double plays with runners in scoring position.
Royals 2, Mariners 0 ...

Weird seventh inning: Alex Gordon singldd and Albert Callaspo doubled - but Ichiro threw Gordon out trying to score.
Callaspo ended up at third base on the play, and scored on an infield single when Betancour and rookie Luis Valbuena collided trying to field the ball.
Royals 3, Mariners 0 ...

Ichiro Suzuki leads the Mariners with 41 stolen bases this season, but hasn’t run aggressively in the second half – he has only seven steals since the All-Star break.

Why?

Ichiro said it’s because pitchers are hyper-aware of him on base and adjust their deliveries to stop him from running. They slide-step, a tactic that shortens the leg kick and gets the ball to the catcher more quickly.

His manager, Jim Riggleman, has seen it for months.

“Teams do things to stop Ichiro they don’t do against anyone else on our team,” Riggleman said.

On Sunday, the Mariners stole three bases and set up two of their runs against the Angels. Yet when Ichiro singled in the seventh inning with the game tied, he didn’t try to steal.

“Our stolen bases came against Ervin Santana, who had a high leg kick,” Riggleman said. “When Ichiro got aboard, Jose Arredondo was pitching – and he used a slide step with Ichiro on first.

“If he’d have run, he’d have been out.”

“All teams look at our team, and they see that I am the only base stealer,” Ichiro said. “It was different when Willie Bloomquist was here, but now they do everything they can to stop me.

“You cannot do more than you are capable of,” Ichiro said. “You should not do less than you are capable of, but you cannot do more or there will be a negative effect.”

Like most teams, the Mariners have a stop watch on every opposing pitcher, and a time they look for to maximize a stolen base attempt.

They also know the time it takes for every cattcher in the league to throw to second base.

If those two times combined are in their favor, the Mariners run.

When pitchers use the slide step, the times - and the chances of a successful steal - change.

All base stealers face those odds. Some challenge them.

Ichiro and the team are a bit more conservative.

But they have their reasons - and there they are.

Adrian Beltre, his ailing left thumb so heavily taped it looks like he's wearing a cast, will start his final game of the season today.
Surgery on that thumb and his left shoulder will come Thursday, and he won't play again until 2009.
Meanwhile, it's the best pitching matchup of the series - Felix Hernandez vs. Ervin Santana.
Play ball.

It took Felix about 18 pitches to find himself, and by that time he was behind 2-0 and had runners at second and third base with one out.
Blow out? No, bad as he was early in the inning, he got out of that jam with a strike out and ground out to keep the damage at 2.
After one:
Angels 2, Mariners 0 ...

Welcome to the offense for the final two weeks: Jose Lopez singled and - attention Ichiro! - stole second base. Yunieskey Betancout singled him to third, and he scored of Bryan LaHair's ground ball.
Without Beltre, that may be what Seattle has to do score.
Angels 2, Mariners 1 ...

Marvelous pitching duel just evened up.
Jeremy Reed walked and - attention Ichiro! - stole second base, then scored on a Jose Lopez RBI single.
Hernandez vs. Santana, in the sixth:
Mariners 2, Angels 2 ...

Great pitching may stop great hitting, but great hitting can also put the occasional hurt on great pitching.
Mark Teixeira launched a monstrous home run off Felix in the sixth, landing it way up the pitches eye beyond center field.
No extra points for disance, but impressive none-the-less.
Angels 3, Mariners 2 ...

Felix is done after seven innings, and the game is tied and in the hands of the bullpen.
Raul Ibanez singled, moved to second on a walk to Yuniesky Betancourt and scored on pinch-hitter Miguel Cairo's bloop single.
Now pitching for Seattle: Roy Corcoran
Mariners 3, Angels 3 ...

One out triple to No. 9 hitter Sean Rodriguez, walk off single by Chone Figgins.
The four-game sweep is complete.
Angels 4, Mariners 3.

For the first time in his career, Jose Lopez started a game at first base tonight - and it won't be his last.
Manager Jim Riggleman and GM Lee Pelekoudas kicked the idea of moving Lopez from second about 10 days ago, and decided to go for it now.
It's not a permanent move, just the chance to see how it works and give the team - and Lopez - more options.
Meanwhile, the Mariners scored twice in the first inning for Ryan Feierabend, with Adrian Beltre and Yuniesky Betancourt driving in the runs.
Mariners 2, Angels 0 ...

No one said the experiment would be easy - Lopez has his first error as a first baseman after dropping a second-inning throw from Beltre.
That's not the worst thing that happened to Seattle in the inning. Afer Torii Hunter singled, Juan Rivera hit a Feierabend pitch over the center field wall for his 12th home run.
Lopez is learning. So is Feierabend.
Mariners 2, Angels 2 ...

Hunter and Rivera were at it again in the fourth - back-to-back doubles put the Angels ahead.
With Tug Hullett (.231), Rob Johnson (.000) and Luis Valbuena (.091) in the lineup, runs are going to be at a premium for Seattle.
Give up many more, this one will be over early.
Angels 3, Mariners 2 ...

Feierabend is gone, Randy Messenger came in and the Angels, while not breaking the game open, are inching away.
Juan Rivera, hitting .231, has a homer and two doubles tonight, and Brandon Wood - batting .193 - added an RBI single in the sixth.
Angels 4, Mariners 2 ...

Francisco Rodriguez in to try to close out this game with his Major League record 58th save of the season.
In 14 games this year between the two teams, the Mariners lost nine of the first 13, and F-Rod saved seven of those.
Tonight, pinch-hitter Miguel Cairo doubled, Luis Valbuena walked and Ichiro grounded into a fielders choice.
Wladimir Balentien struck out on an off-speed pitch - the kind he still hasn't learned to hit. Ibanez struck out.
Final: Angels 5, Mariners 2.

Adrian Beltre wrestled with the decision, talked to family and teammates and finally made up his mind - Sunday will be his last game of the season.

And Thursday, he will undergo thumb and shoulder surgery.
What persuaded him?

"I want to help this team the best I can next year, and doing it now will make sure I'm 100 per cent ready for spring training," Beltre said. "Everyone I talked to basically asked why I was still playing."

While the shoulder surgery is routine and will be arthroscopic, Beltre's left thumb will be a major operation - one the team trainer said will be the equivalent of 'Tommy John' surgery.

Doctors will have to replace a ligament torn in May, 2007, and rehabiltation is expected to take four to five months.

Next year would be the final season on Beltre's five-year, $64 million contract, and he was asked if he expected a trade over the off-season.

"I have no control over that," Beltre said. "I want to be back, but I want to win, too. If the team is really going to rebuild, I wouldn't want to be in that situation."

Playing all season with the torn ligament, Beltre batting .270 with 25 home runs and 76 RBI. His last game today will be his 143rd of the season.

"Adrian hasn't been pain free since spring training, but he's never asked out of the lineup," manager Jim Riggleman said. "In fact, getting him to take a day off is a fight. He's a complete professional."

He inherited a bad team and has it playing better - not great, but better - but Jim Riggleman is hardly satisfied.

After the Mariners lost to the Angels again Friday, he tried hard to defend a team that at least has been competitive since June.

"If there's a team in this league that's 30 games better than us, I'll kiss your butt on Main Street and give you 30 minutes to draw a crowd," Riggleman said.

Almost certainly, Riggleman will be among the casualties this off-season, and he may not be remembered for helping a lot of this team's young players along.

But in the pantheon of funny managerial quotes - a daily staple under Lou Piniella - last night was marvelous.

He said it with good humor, able to laugh a himself and take just a little pressure off his clubhouse.

Nice work, Jim. A borrowed quote from Whitey Herzog is always a treat.

The Mariners safrted Matt Tuiasosopo at DH tonight, and he's their 15th player to man that spot this season.
If you can name the other 14, you need a more well-rounded life - but here they are:
Wladimir Balentien, Adrian Beltre, Miguel Cairo, Jeff Clement, Tug Hullett, Raul Ibanez, Ichiro, Kenji Johjima, Bryan LaHair, Jose Lopez, Greg Norton, Jeremy Reed, Richie Sexson and Jose Vidro.
Meanwhile, Seattle scored in the first - an RBI double for Beltre - then threw out Gary Matthews Jr. at the plate on a fine throw from Yuniesky Betancourt.
After one: Mariners 1, Angels 0 ...

One out walk, then a Rob Quinlan triple that scooted by Ichiro in right field and a broken bat RBI bloop single for Mike Napoli.
Doesn't take much to fall behind the Angels, and Ryan Rowland-Smith has done it.
One hard-hit ball?
Angels 2, Mariners 1 ...

Since Napoli's excuse-me RBI single, Rowland-Smith has retired eight Angels hitters in a row.
The jury may be out until next spring on starters like Brandon Morrow and Ryan Feierabend - to say nothing of Erik Bedard and Carlos Silva - but Rowland-Smith has been a rock.
In his first eight starts, he's gone 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA, and pitched 46 innings - an average of nearly six innings a start.
Tonight, he's looked sharp into the fifth.
Angels 2, Mariners 1 ...

With two outs and Miguel Cairo aboard, Betancourt singled, Ibanez singled - RBI No. 106 - and Beltre singled.
Lopez then hit the hardest shot of the inning, a bolt up the middle that pitcher Joe Saunders caught.
Yes, that was Saunders shaking his head at the play.
Mariners 3, Angels 2 ...

Break for the Mariners, slightly troubling news for the Angels: Vladimir Guerrero has left the game with a tender right knee.
Meanwhile, Rowland-Smith has gotten through six innings - taking a line drive off his left leg but staying in.
Mariners 3, Angels 2 ...

Angels chased Rowland-Smith after 91 pitches, and tied the game on a sacrifice fly against Roy Corcoran.
All three runs are Rowland-Smith's, who went 6 1/3 innings.
After six: Mariners 3, Angels 3 ...

Mike Napoli's two-out, two-run walkoff home run against Miguel Batista won this one.
Final: Angels 5, Mariners 3

In the case of the Mariners, most of them have been on ghe field for the past hour, working hard.

Rather than just run the routine wind sprint, the Mariners are running a West Coast offense in right field.

Pitchers line up - three at a time - then break down field while strength and conditioning coach Allen Wirtala plays quarterback.

They're running pass patterns hard, stretching for passes, having fun.

Felix Hernandez, between spints, is rushing the passer - and Carlos Silva is blocking him.

Felix hasn't reach the QB yet.

And a little further out in the outfield,

Erik Bedard is long-tossing, with pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre and trainer Rick Griffin watching.

There is something to be said in this lost season that Mariners pitchers are still working hard. Something to be said, perhaps, for the comraderie on the field some five hours before a game.

Silva may be too heavy, but that hasn't stopped him from running early with teammates.

Bedard's left shoulder may be something of a mystery - and it's certainly the first thing on his mind every morning - but he got to the park at 1:20 today to begin his workouts.

This isn't to say the Mariners are special, or that they do more than anyone else.

But the Angels are in a post-season mode, and they're not running conditioning drills, any more - they don't want to risk some freak injury.

The Mariners? They could take it easy, play it out and go home.

This pitching staff and its coaches are here early, running pass patterns, running the stairs in the still-empty stands and testing a tender shoulder.

Why? Because they want to.

First time out, he flirted with a no-hitter - and now Brandon Morrow faces an Angels team one night after it clinched the American League West.
On paper, a mismatch. The Angels have won 31 more times than the Mariners have.
Maybe Mr. Morrow can even the odds. ...

Yes, the lad is up to his usual tricks, no-hitting an opponent early on a minimum of fuss.
Thirteen pitches in the first inning, 14 in the second and Morrow walked a man. He also gave up one wicked line drive to Kendry Morales that Adrian Beltre caught with a leap and a backhand.
After two: No score ...

A wobbly third. Morrow walked the first batter he faced, but catcher Kenji Johjima threw the runner out on a third strike to Sean Rodriguez.
Morrow then walked Gary Matthews Jr., who stole second base and took third on Kenji's throwing error.
Garret Anderson singled and the Angels had the lead and Vlad Guererro at the plate.
Guerrero popped out on a 95 mph fastball.
Not bad when your wobbly inning means only a run - but it took Morrow 27 pitches to get through the third.
Angels 1, Mariners 0 ...

Morrow is pitching well. Jered Weaver is pitching just a bit better. If the Seatle lineup has had one constant weakness all season it's been hitting hard-throwing ritht-handers who feature cutters or sliders.
Weaver is one of those, and the Mariners aren't mounting threats.
Their offense so far: two walks, a hit batter and a single.

Difference thus far tonight: Morrow can't stop the Angels with two outs. Both their scores came on two-out singles with a man on third, the latest a line drive by .188-hitting shortstop Brandon Wood.
He gets in trouble, nearly gets out and bends. Two runs aren't insurmountable.
Morrow just hasn't had the stuff to stop them tonight.
Angels 2, Mariners 0 ...

Sixth inning. Sean Green warming up for Seattle. Morrow has pitched into and out of trouble all night and, obviously, the Mariners aren't going to let him go too far.
Jeremy Reed singled to open the inning, one out later Raul Ibanez walked and, with two outs, Yuniesky Betancourt put together a long at-bat before popping out.
Green now pitching for Seattle.
Angels 2, Mariners 0 ...

So effective into August, reliever Green now is watching a marvelous season battered appea rance after appearance.
Out of the bullpen in the sixth, Green allowed four hits while getting one out.
When he entered, it was 2-0.
When he departed, it was 4-0 and there were Angels at second and third base.
Rookie Justin Thomas walked Matthews to load the bases, then gave up a single to Anderson.
Angels 6, Mariners 0.
Smoke 'em if you got 'em. This one is over.

Ichiro Suzuki hit the sixth home run of his season for his 191st hit of the year, igniting a three-run rally in the eighth.
That made the Angels pretend to care, bring in Scot Shields and put the Mariners away.
Mark Lowe now pitching.
Angels 7, Mariners 3 ...

Gold Glove third baseman Adrian Beltre, who has played more than a season and a half with a torn ligament in his left thumb, will undergo surgery and need four to five months of rehabilitation before playing again.

"I should probably have it now, before the season ends, to be fully ready for spring training," Beltre said today. "But I feel guilty walking away from my teammates. I know what I should do, and I probably will do it, but I haven't decided yet.

"I've played with it since I hurt it last year. We did an MRI in December and found the tear, but by then it was too late to do anything and not miss the start of the season."

While weighing his decision, Beltre talked his way into manager Jim Riggleman's pre-game lineup - though that was subject to change.
On the day Beltre has his thumb surgery, he'll also have an operation on his left shoulder to cleanup a painful bone spur there.

"This guy plays hurt, and he may be the toughest player I've ever seen," Riggleman said.

"I'm a fast healer," Beltre said, "but the timing for this surgery is four-to-five months of recovery. If I don't get it done soon, I'm cutting it close for next spring."

Beltre originally injured the thumb diving for a ground ball at Safeco Field in a series that began last May against Texas. When x-rays showed no break, he returned to the lineup after nearly two weeks.

Six years into a career fans never appreciated as much as his teammates, Willie Paul Bloomquist may have played his last game as a Mariner - and has already bid adieu to Safeco Field this year.

Once called the best utility player in baseball by team president Chuck Armstrong, Bloomquist asked the team to let him come off the 15-day disabled list and play the final two weeks of '08.

The Mariners declined, and instead placed him and his ailing hamstring on the 60-day DL.

A free agent, Bloomquist may well be more attractive to a National League team, much the way Greg Dobbs in Philadelphia became a vital part of that franchise.
The lads at Big Boat Mariner won't miss and will likely dismiss his depaerture.

Bloomquist was an old-school player, even in a reserve role. He pushed teammates, cajoled them, befriended them.

He had an impact on players as diverse as J.J. Putz and Adrian Beltre.

If Bloomquist is gone, he'll be missed. He never gave less than his best, which is something not all Mariners could say.

It's too bad that on the final day of what could well be his last season, the local-boy-made-good won't get one last chance to say thanks.

Or say you're welcome.

Mike Morse, the utilityman who won a spot on the opening day roster by hitting nearly .400 last spring - only to be injured diving for a fly ball in April - has been cleared to play again.

Just not with the Mariners.

Morse, whose badly separated shoulder required surgery, will be a desinated hitter in Peoria, Ariz. beginning next week, then play winter ball in November.

The team expects him to be ready to compete for a starting job - first base, anyone? - next spring, and it's a good thing.
Morse will be out of options. If he doesn't make the opening day roster, he can become a free agent.

At 26, Morse is the best chance the Mariners have to still find an impact player in the Freddie Garcia trade that produced Miguel Olivo and Jeremy Reed.

A big, strong right-handed hitter who figures to play for just over the minimum nex year?

Yes, Virginia, the Mariners could use a few of those.

It's a sunny but far from warm fall day here at Safeco Field. It's far from a capacity crowd, but a decent showing nonetheless. Let's get to it.

Top of First
I'm not sure why Gerald Laird is leading off, but hey it's September and the Mariners got Betancourt batting second and Johjima in the line-up so reasoning isn't always an issue. Cesar Jimenez looks sharp striking out Laird, coaxing a ground ball out of German Duran and then striking out Michael Young.

Bottom of first
Ichiro gets an infield "hit" to start the game. He then steals second and Taylor Teagarden's throw to second is wild allowing Ichi to advance to third. He later scores on Betancourt's grounder to short. The Ms have a 1-0 lead.

Top of second
Jimenez get himself into trouble with a lead-off walk to Josh Hamilton and a single to Marlon Byrd. But then he rallied to strike out Hank Blalock and the Rangers helped by calling for a double steal for some reason. Johjima easily threw out Hamilton at third. Jimenez then struck out Chris Davis to end the inning.

Bottom of second
Kenji Johjima, you remember him don't you, he of the 24 million dollar three-year contract extension, comes up with a bases loaded single to center, which for him is going opposite field. Two runs scored and the Mariners are up 3-0. It could have been more but Chris Davis made a nice grab on Ichiro line drive at third and then dove and tagged the bag before Matt Tuiasosopo could dive back in time.

Top of third
Jimenez another strong inning, going 1-2-3. Hmm, Riggleman said that Jimenez was more of a pitcher than like a relief specialist, which is true since he isn't particularly dominant agianst lefties.. Perhaps a long relief role or a future in starting might be better for him. His line: 3 IP,0 runs, 1 hit, 2 BB, 4 Ks. Not bad.

Bottom of third
The Mariners play a little add on as Raul Ibanez smoked a double to left center, scoring Betancourt, who walked to lead off the inning. That's not a typo, Yuni walked. That's 13 on the season.

Top of fourth
Jared Wells with a nice little inning setting down the side. Wells might weigh 150 pounds with 10 pound weights in each shoe.

Bottom of four
The Mariners waste runners on the corners as Betancourt puts together a solid at-bat, fouling off a bunch of pitches, but can't come up with a hit.

Top of five
You know that four-run lead, well it's now gone. Jared Wells gave up two two-run bombs, one to Nelson Cruz and the other to Taylor Teagarden, before being yanked for Randy Messenger. Both home runs were hit pretty well. It's now 4-4. The Divish curse lives.

Bottom of Five
The Mariners fight back against the curse. Raul scoring two runs in the fifth. Raul leads off with a single and later scores on ground ball through the legs of Hank Blalock. Matt Tuiasosopo drives in another run with a sharp single to right-center. The M's are showing a little fight to them.

Top of six
Hmm, it's a day of two-run homers. Jake Woods comes in to face left-handed hitting Hank Blalock. Woods throws a 75-mile per hour hanger, and Blalock hits a two-run homer. Woods was pulled for Roy Corcoran who got out of the inning. One pitch, two runs.

Bottom of six
The Mariner continue to scrap. They retake the lead on Raul's RBI single to score Ichiro. But the inning ends prematurely. Betancourt gets caught in a rundown and thrown out, and then Tuiasosopo grounds out to end the inning with bases loaded.

Top of seven
Corcoran gets out of a little jam with a nice play from Yuni at short.

Bottom of seven
the M's push another run across as Raul delivers an RBI single to center.

Top of eight
Wow, Miguel Batista just served a mammoth home run to Chris Davis, who deposited it off the plexiglass of the cafe. That thing was a rocket. Ichiro's reaction was great – he didn't even move. Batista comes back to strike out Teagarden to end the inning.

FAst forward to the ninth....
JJ is in and looking to shut the door. He gets Laird, he gets his nemesis Ramon Vazquez and then strikes out Michael Young.

Back again for the second day in a row. It was a pretty quiet and uneventful morning up here at Safeco.

Not much going on in the way of news. Adrian Beltre will meet with a thumb and hand specialist today to check on his thumb. Manager Jim Riggleman said that Beltre's thumb was pretty sore after having a dye injection for an MRI on Tuesday. Beltre will probably out three or four more days at least and really it could be longer if the doctors decided surgery is needed post haste.

Not much else to report. Cesar Jimenez will start today and Riggleman said that going three innings would be the best case scenario. Look for Sean Green, Roy Corcoran, Miguel Batista and JJ Putz to all pitch today, Riggleman said it's vital that all of them see some mound time.

Since we have done this for awhile, let's get to some links.

Well, we all knew it was coming, but LOUUUUUUUU finally snapped after last night Cubs loss. Here's Gordon Wittenmeyer's story about it. But if you'd like to hear the audio, you can listen to it here.

Here's Phil Rogers column on Lou's complaints.

But even as bad as the Cubs have been the last few weeks, the Brewers really haven't been much better.

Top draft pick Josh Fields still hasn't signed with the Mariners as there is still some negotiating with his signing bonus, or perhaps its because his agent - Satan, er, Scott Boras - is busy with his other client Pedro Alvarez and the little issue they're having with Pittsburgh Pirates.

Here's another story on the situation.

I've never been a big fan of Boras. Here's an article which can give you some reasons to follow my way of thinking.

Of course not everyone agrees with me, particularly the writer of this story.

It's 67 degrees and the wind has picked up a little. It's amazing how much the temperature can drop in an hour or two.

Top of 1st
OWW!!! I can't imagine what it feels like to be hit by a Felix fastball. But it can't feel good for Joaquin Arias. He must be alright though because he quickly stole second. After a groundout by Michael Young and a walk to Hamilton, the fragile Milton Bradley hurt his back when he fouled off a pitch, so Brandon Boggs comes off the bench cold and strikes out. But with two strikes Marlon Byrd rips one to left that Raul Ibanez couldn't come up with on a jumping grab. Two runs score.

Felix didn't look pleased when Raul didn't come up with it. At first glance I though Raul should have caught it, and looking at replays only confirmed that belief. Look, the guy isn't Ichiro out there.

Bottom of 1st
Ichiro leads off with an infield single (shocking) and then advances to second on Michael Young's poor decision to try and make an impossible throw to first. Ichiro later scores on fielders' choice.

Top of 2nd
The Mariners push the lead to 4-1 on a pair of RBI singles to left. Raul had chances to make things close with some good throws, but he just doesn't quite have the
arm strength to do that.

Bottom of 2nd
The Mariners get a gift on a looping two-out double by Bryan LaHair that Marlon Byrd looked really awkward trying to field, but Seattle can't capitalize.

Top 3rd
Felix is still all over the place. He gets some help from Yuni Betancourt who goes deep into the hole at short and makes a tremendous play and throw to get Nelson Cruz out at first. I know I've bashed Yuni in the past, but he has been playing better as of late.

Bottom 3rd
The Mariners get a pair of runners on and Lopez hits a hard ball to center that the wind knocked down for the second out and Hulett hits a ball hard to first that Hank Blalock gloves.

Top of 4
Felix walks Arias and then hits Michael Young, his command is somewhat off tonight to say the least. But he gets out of the inning with a couple ground balls.

Bottom of 4
Well, at least the Mariners didn't strand any baserunners this inning.

Top of 5
Felix hits his third batter of the game, this drilling Marlon Byrd. He then gives up a single to Hank Blalock. It was followed by a scary play as Felix gets knocked down tagging
Byrd out at home on a wild pitch. He's not in the type of pain like he was in New York, but the trainers check. Felix walks Nelson Cruz and Riggleman lifts him. Fe-Fe does not looked pleased. Randy Messenger comes in and gives up a double to Taylor Teagarden with the two runs scored going to Felix.

Felix's line: 4 1/3 innings pitched, six hits, six earned runs, four walks, three strikeouts, three hit batters and a wild pitch. He threw 98 pitches with only 57 strikes.

Top of 8th...
I'm trying to think of a reason why I haven't posted the last few innings.... and the answer is this .... there is nothing to write about and this might be the most boring game ever and it's taking forever.

The Rangers just got a couple more runs off of Mark Lowe on a Marlon Byrd double. Jared Wells has just been brought in.

I was wondering how many games I've covered this season that have been wins. I think I might have to go back and count at some point. It can't be more than 35.

Bottom of 8th
Bryan LaHair with an RBI single to left to score a run, it's now 7-3. The Mariners just brought in Miguel Cairo to pinch hit with runners on the corners. I really don't know why. He has no chance of hitting a home run. And he hits the ball 48 inches. Rob Johnson could have done that.

No not Erik Bedard, though he did throw today.

No not Carlos Silva, though his wife did have her child and he'll join the team in Anaheim.

No not Adrian Beltre, he's out for a few days after having an MRI on his thumb.

I'm back, after a little bit of a hiatus from the Mariners and this blog. Let me tell you the time spent away was far from scintillating. Driving five hours to Pullman to cover a 66-3 whupping wasn't enjoyable by any means. But for the next few days, my focus will be back on the Mariners. Besides if this guy can make a comeback, why can't I.

Ok, let's get to some pregame notes.

First of all Wednesday's starter is listed as TBA as in "To Be Announced" or could it be the "The Bullpen Association" because that's what will be taking place on Wednesday. Manager Jim Riggleman use a bullpen by committee start. If you remember John McLaren did this once earlier in the season and I believe Ryan Rowland-Smith started the game and a host of relievers followed after.

So Riggleman will use Cesar Jimenez, Randy Messenger, Jared Wells, Mark Lowe, Roy Corcoran, Jake Woods, and the ilk to handle the innings.

Why do this?

Well, Riggleman wants to give Brandon Morrow the extra day rest and he also wants to get some of those bullpen guys some work. That's why he won't start R.A. Dickey or Miguel Batista. He'll use all those other guys instead.

That takes care of that....

In other news ... Adrian Beltre had an MRI on his ailing thumb. As most of you, Beltre has played the entire season with ligament damage in the thumb. It hasn't gotten substantially worse pain-wise according to Riggleman, but it was a little sore as of late. Also the Mariners decided to be a little proactive with this MRI. They want to see the extent of the damage and see if and when surgery should be done, giving Beltre the best amount of recovery time that will get him ready for next season.

Riggleman said he'll be out the next few days.

As for some other injury and absence related info, as I said up above, Carlos Silva is in Minnesota with his wife, who just had their second child. Silva will join the team in Anaheim, throw bullpen sessions on Thursday and Saturday and start Monday against Kansas City.

Jarrod Washburn was supposed to play catch today, but Riggleman had no other info on him.

Erik Bedard threw today off the mound, and seemed in good spirits. However don't expect him to be back pitching soon.

"We won't really know until he airs it out," Riggleman said. "And he's not ready to air it out yet."

Also from the Mariners today....The Mariners re-upped their affiliation deals with Tacoma, Everett and Pulaski.

There was some rumors circulating in Tacoma that the Mariners might try to set up shop in Portland, taking the Rainiers out of T-Town. Minor league director didn't deny that the possibility was considered, but the Rainiers are at least back for another year.

Class A High Desert and Wisconsin have not yet been renewed and most likely will not. No word as to where those teams will go.

Here's the release ...

MARINERS EXTEND WORKING AGREEMENTS WITH THREE MINOR LEAGUE AFFILIATES AAA Tacoma, Short-A Everett and Rookie Pulaski Extended to 2-year Agreements

SEATTLE, Wash. - Seattle Mariners Director of Player Development Greg Hunter announced today extensions of the Player Development Contracts with their minor league affiliates in AAA Tacoma, Short-A Everett and Rookie Pulaski. The Player Development Contracts, which would have run out at the end of the 2008 season, have been extended to cover the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

"We are pleased to be able to extend our Player Development Contracts with our affiliates in Tacoma, Everett and Pulaski through the 2010 season," Hunter said. "The proximity of both Tacoma's and Everett's facilities to Seattle has been a great asset to our organization and is also a nice opportunity for Mariners fans to see some of our younger players in action."

The Rainiers and Mariners first entered into a Player Development Contract prior to the start of the 1995 season. In 14 seasons as the Mariners Triple-A affiliate in the Pacific Coast League, the Rainiers have a 1031-969 (.515) record. The Rainiers completed the 2008 season with a record of 80-64, including a PCL-best 31-14 mark after the All-Star break. The Rainiers, who finished 3.5 games behind PCL Pacific North Division winner Salt Lake, were nearly unbeatable at home during the last part of the season, going 20-2 at Cheney Stadium, including 13 consecutive wins during one stretch. The team finished with its third 80-win season in 25 years and it improved over the previous season by 12 games.

"I'm very excited that we've linked up once again with our Pacific Northwest partner for another two seasons," Rainiers President Aaron Artman said. "Our relationship has only grown throughout the years and I know for our fans to see the Mariners stars of tomorrow it only adds to their great overall ballpark experience."

The AquaSox have been affiliated with the Seattle for 14 seasons, becoming the Mariners affiliate in the Northwest League on September 12, 1994. Last season Everett went 32-44, finishing fourth in the Northwest League West Division. In 14 seasons as the Mariners Short-A affiliate, the AquaSox have a 504-558 (.475) record. Everett won the West Division with a 44-32 record in 2002.

"We are very happy about the two-year extension of our Player Development Contract with the Seattle Mariners," AquaSox General Manager Brian Sloan said. "Our affiliation with the Seattle Mariners is definitely the most important business relationship we have. It has been very exciting to see some of the Mariners stars of today start their careers in Everett, such as Felix Hernandez, J.J. Putz, Jose Lopez, Jeff Clement, Bryan LaHair and Willie Bloomquist."

Seattle and the Pulaski Mariners also extended their working agreement through the 2010 season. The Mariners finished the season 40-27 and won the Appalachian League East Division title, but lost to Elizabethton in the League Championship Series. Baseball returned Pulaski in 2008 after not having baseball in 2007. Pulaski last fielded a team in 2006 when it had a player agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays, but the relationship ended after that year. The Mariners are the fourth organization to field an Appalachian League team in Pulaski.

With the addition of Pulaski to the Mariners Minor League System in 2008, Seattle was the only team in the American League and one of three teams in the Major Leagues (also: New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals) with nine farm teams. The 2008 season concluded with the Mariners farm teams going a combined 441-450 (.495), including five teams finishing with a record above .500. The West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx and the Pulaski Mariners both made the post season this year, but both lost in the first round of the playoffs.

The Mariners rotation is now without Carlos Silva, Jarrod Washburn and Erik Bedard, which means youngsters Brandon Morrow, Ryan Rowland-Smith and now Ryan Feierabend will take regular turns the rest of the way.
With Felix Hernandez making his starts, that leaves one spot open. Who fills it? Miguel Batista or R.A. Dickey are available.
We'll find out next week.
Meanwhile, it's the final Mariners vs. Yankees game of the year.

Wonder why coaches say the best pitch in baseball is 'strike one?' Because when you fall behind big-league hitters, nothing good happens.
Feierabend fell behind Derek Jeter in the first inning, 2-0, then threw too good a pitch and Jeter hit it for his 10th home run.
Yankees 1, Mariners 0 ...

Sometimes unhittable pitches don't work.
Feierabend threw one about ankle height to outfielder Xavier Nady, and he went down and got it - and hit it out for his 10th home run.
It wasn't a pitch Feierabend wishes he had back. It's one he can't believe was hit out. Major League hitters break young hearts routinely.
Yankees 2, Mariners 0 ...

Rookie first baseman Bryan LaHair's struggles continue, and he hasn't made a case that the position is his in 2009.
In 111 at-bats, he has two home runs and five RBI. Those aren't numbers he or the Mariners are happy with.
With a man on base in the second inning, LaHair struck out swinging wildly.
Yankees 2, Mariners 0 ...

Mussina's turn: After giving up a leadoff single to Yuniesky Betrancourt, he got the next two Mariners but fell behind Beltre, 2-0.
Beltre hammered his 25th home run the opposite way, just tucking it into the second row in right field.
Tie game.
Mariners 2, Yankees 2 ...

Big-league pitchers must possess the ability tyo pitch out of trouble, since all of them get into it.
Feierabend just did.
With one out and runners and second and third base, he struck out Robinson Cano and got Jose Molina on a fly ball. By doing so, he held the tie and gave his offense the chance to take the lead.
It's what big-league pitchers do, and Feierabend did it.
Mariners 2, Yankees 2 ...

The reward for good pitching? A lead.
Jose Lopez measured Mussina with a long drive that just missed the foul pole, then straightened out a fastball two pitches later for his 13th home run.
Mariners 3, Yankees 2 ...

The Mariners are playing 'add on' and doing it with two outs.
Ichiro's 185th hit of the season was a marvelou bunt that Mussina threw away to put Ichiro on second base. Beltre walked with two outs and Raul Ibanez - who else? - singled up the middle for a run.
That's 102 RBI for Ibanez. It only seems like all of them have been important.
Mariners 4, Yankees 2 ...

Feierabend, who didn't know he'd pitch today until he was dressed and sitting at his locker, gave the team seven marvelous innings and just retired the side on five pitches.
Will he be back out for the eighth?
The bullpen has been warming, and Feierabend has thrown 98 pitches.
Since right-handed hitter Jeter is due up first in the eighth - and has homered, singled and walked - figure Mr. Feierabend is done.
Mussina is already gone.
Mariners 4, Yankees 2 ...

Miguel Batista marched in for the eighth, bringing a 6.09 ERA with him, and struck out Jeter.
Batista has pitched better over the past few weeks, and as a reliever his ERA is 3.00.
He got Abreu on a ground ball, got A-Rod on a ground ball and walked to the dugout.
The ninth inning? That'll be J.J. Putz.
Mariners 4, Yankees 2 ...

Putz will have a three-run lead.
Lopez homered with two outs, his 13th of the season - and the first multi-home run game of his career.
No one can accuse Lopez of a second-half let down in '08. He's played well since opening day, and figures to estalish career highs for hits, batting average, home runs and RBI this year.
Here comes J.J.
Mariners 5, Yankees 2 ...

Not exactly a dominant ninth - Putz hit one batter, gave up a single - but the job got done and he picked up his 12th save.
The loss all but finishes New York's post-season hopes, and the Mariners haven't had those since May.
Still, taking two of three from the Yankees is another positive step - especially for the Mariners young pitchers.
Morrow and Feierabend earned their wins.
Final:
Mariners 5, Yankees 2

Today's scheduled starter, Caflos Silva, reported to the clubhouse with back problems - so the Mariners scrambled and lefty Ryan Feirerabend will face the New York Yankees.

"We didn't know about it until this morning," manager Jim Riggleman said. "Silva's back locked up, and we could have gone with a bullpen day, but the Yankees are still somewhat in contention."

That said, Riggleman and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre asked Feierabend if he wanted to start.

"Sure," the kid said.

So today, it's Feierabend vs. Mike Mussina.

Catcher Jeff Clement, considered one of the building blocks for the Mariners future, will undergo arhtroscopic knee surgery Tuesday and miss the rest of the season.

Clement, 25, batted .325 in the month of August, but a tear in the meniscus of the knee kept him from catching fulltime.

For the year, Clement batted .227 with five home runs and 23 RBI in 66 games.

Ryan Rowland-Smith's turn to face New York and, like Brandon Morrow last night, he'll have a few rookies in the lineup with him.
1B Bryan LaHair, C Rob Johnson and 2B Luis Valbuena will start tonight against a rather portly Sydney Ponson.
And we're off.

Yankees grab their first lead of the series on Bobby Abreu's 16th home run of the year. Could have been worse.
Johnny Damon worked Rowland-Smith for a 3-2 walk, but Derek Jeter grounded into a double play. After Abreu's home run, Alex Rodriguez flied out - to the delight of the crowd.
Yankees 1, Mariners 0 ...

Yankees loaded the bases on a trio of two-out walks to bring the game to Jason Giambi.
Manager Jim Riggleman played the right side of his infield deep - second baseman Valbuena was in short right field - and Giambi grounded sharply to Valbuena's right.
Diving stop, pop up and throw, in time.
Yankees 1, Mariners 0 ...

Rowland-Smith has pitched five sharp innings, getting out of trouble when he had to - but Ponson has wiggled out of harm's way again and again.
Mariners got Yuniesky Betancourt to third base with one out, but Valbuena was robbed of a hit by Jeter and Ichiro grounded out.
Jeremy Reed led off with a double in the fourth inning and was never moved.
Mariners have two hits, the Yankees four.
Through five innings, Ponson has thrown only 47 pitches. Rowland-Smith 71.
Yankees 1, Mariners 0 ...

Rowland-Smith got ahead of Giambi, 1-2, and Giambi turned a fastball around for his 29th home run.
After six innings, Rowland-Smith has been burned for two solo home runs - and the Mariners haven't broken through yet.
Yankees 2, Mariners 0 ...

Two-outs, who cares? Reed and Beltre single with two outs - Beltre extending his hitting streak to 12 games - and Raul Ibanez hit his 23rd home run of the season.
RBI number 98, 99 and 100 for Ibanez, and the Mariners lead.
Mariners 3, Yankees 2 ...

Top of the seventh, and Rowland-Smith was pulled for Sean Green. Johnny Damon, aboard on a fielders choice, stole second and third base and Jeter walked for the second time.
With left-handed hitting Abreu due up, Rigglemen went to rookie left hander Justin Thomas.
Abreu pulled a soft line drive into the right-field corner for a two-run triple.
Riggleman went to right-hander Roy Corcoran, who hit A-Rod with his first pitch. Giambi doubled home a run, Nady's ground ball scored A-Rod, Matsui singled home another run and the Yankees opened the game up with a big inning.
Yankees 7, Mariners 3 ...

Two-out singles by Reed, Beltre and Ibanez pushed across a run - but also brought on Yankee closer Mariano Rivera to get the final four outs.
He got the first one, getting Jose Lopez to ground out and end the eighth inning.
Yankees 7, Mariners 4 ...

Luis Valbuena figured he'd get the chance to pinch-run this month when the Seattle Mariners called him up from Class AAA Tacoma.

He called his parents and family at home in Venezuela and told them this was a cup of coffee appearance and not to expect much.

"They went crazy happy," Valbuena said.

Last week in Texas, he started at second base - and made sure his family knew about it before hand.

"They wanted to see me play," he said.

And tonight, in the small city of Zulia, they'll gather again in the Valbuena house, because their 22-year-old pride and joy is starting at second base again.

No, they don't have cable television, nor can they afford a satellite dish.

"They watch it on computer," Valbuena said. "My parents, aunts and uncles - about 15 people, all sitting by the computer screaming for me."

That is what September can mean in baseball, no matter what the win-loss record.

In the small town of Zulia, there is a new hero. And in Seattle, a youngster trying to prove himself.

Brandon Morrow dispatched the first six Yankees he faced, opening his career as a starting pitcher with flare and style.
Andy Pettitte, meanwhile, allowed a hit and a walk but no runs in the second inning.
What, you thought this would be easy?
No score through two. ...

The Mariners have given the kid the lead, scoring in the third inning.
Miguel Cairo doubled, Ichiro singled him to third and Yuniesky Betancourt got Cairo home with a fly ball.
Through three innings, Morrow hasn't allowed a baserunner.
Mariners 1, Yankees 0 ...

Morrow has breezed, Pettitte not so much.
The Mariners broke through in the fourth with Balentien's second hit, Matt Tuiasosopo's first - a double - and Kenji Johjima's RBI single.
Miguel Cairo got a second run home and it's Pettitte, not Morrow, who's in trouble.
Morrow is throwing his fastball, curve and change for strikes, and the Yankees haven't figured him out.
Morrow's thrown 46 pitches through four.
Mariners 3, Yankees 0 ...

Well, let it be said now - Morrow never pitched this well in a Pacific Coast League start.
The Yankees are hitless through six innings, and Morrow has made it look easy. The closest thing to a hit was Johnny Damon's line drive at Cairo, and Cairo didn't have to move to catch it.
Since manager Jim Riggleman was sayin pre-game that he'd take six innings tonight, Morrow has given him all he'd hoped for and more.
Morrow has never thrown more thqan 82 pitches in a game as a professional, so he'll be monitored closely next inning as he passes that mark.
To the seventh:
Mariners 3, Yankees 0 ...

With two out and Jason Giambi at bat, a Safeco Field crowd of 39,518 stood and cheered Brandon Morrow - who got Giambi on a fly ball to end the seventh.
Two Yanks have reached base, both on walks.
In his first ML start, Morrow is six outs from a no-hitter.
Mariners 3, Yankees 0 ...

In the Yankee 8th:
Xavier Nady struck out on a nasty breaking ball.
Hideki Matsui walked on a 3-2 pitch - Morrow's 100th of the night.
Robinson Cano flied out to the wall in center.
Wilson Betemit doubled tgo right field, Matsui scoring.
Morrow got a standing ovation, and pulled from the game after 106 pitches.
Rookie Justin Thomas now pitching.
Mariners 3, Yankees 1 ...

History aside now, the Mariners need three outs for a win - and they're asking J.J. Putz to get them.
Mariners fans seemed to have enjoyed this game more tonight than if they'd seen the scheduled starting pitcher, Jarrod Washburn, pitch.

Against the New York Yankees and an expected sellout crowd at Safeco Field, two long-awaited Mariners debuts take place tonight.

The first is starting pitcher Brandon Morrow, the hard-throwing right-hander who was so good in relief.

The second, third baseman Matt Tuiasosopo, a tools player the team would love to see come on strong in September.

Expect both to undero growing pains.

Morrow hasn't started enough to get consistency, let alone domination. He's on a long learning curve, and September will just be the beginning of that.

As for Tuiasosopo, he may be as good an athlete as there is in the system, a shortstop converted to third because the Mariners thought he'd get to the big leagues sooner.

For those who think there's no reason to watch the Mariners the rest of the way, it's something to consider.
Are these kids the future or more examples of close-but-not-quite stars?

Adrian Beltre singled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, and Felix Hernandez has taken the mound.
All around him are Mariners babies - catcher Rob Johnson, second baseman Luis Valbuena, first baseman Bryan LaHair.
Yes, Virginia, it's September ...

Felix was up to his eyes in trouble with runners at second and third and one out. What he did next was a sign of the maturity he's showing at age 22 - he limited the damage.
Felix allowed a sacrifice fly, then got out of the inning down just one.
Raners 1, Mariners 0 ...

Dustin Nippret is exactly the kind of pitcher that has driven Seattle crazy this year - a hard-throwing right-hander.
Through three innings, he'd allowed one hit, but in the fourth Beltre and Raul Ibanez singled with one out and Jose Lopez grounded out, moving both runners up.
Left-handed hitting LaHair vs. right-handed pitcher Nippert?
Routine fly ball.
Rangers 1, Mariners 0 ...

This is a hitters park, and Jamie Moyer once said that anyone who pitched here should have one run automatically taken off his ERA.
Nippert's allowed four hits in five innings, Hernandez just five hits - and both have pitched out of trouble.
Good reminder that good pitching can do the job in any ballpark.
Rangers 1, Mariners 0 ...

Mariners trying Small Ball. After Yuniesky Betancourt's second single, Johnson bunted him to second base.
Valbuena flied out. Ichiro - batting .260 with runners in scoring position this season - hit a soft ground ball to first.
Inning over.
Rangers 1, Mariners 0 ...

Down to the final chance in the ninth inning, with LaHair, Betancourt andc Johnson due up.
Tug Hullet, batting for LaHair, struck out.
Betancourt flied out to the wall in left field.
Jeff Clement, batting for Johnson, popped out.
It's a final:
Rangers 1, Mariners 0 ...

Manager Jim Riggleman is starting Rob Johnson at catcher and Luis Valbuena at second base today, and said he'll give Matt Tuiasosopo his first Major League start at third base on Friday.

"We're going to give these kids the opportunity to play a little," Riggleman said. "We want to look at them, and we want to let them get the butterflies out with that first game action.

"Then they can concentrate on just playing baseball."

The Mariners have already made heavy use of rookies like Wladimir Balenien, Jeff Clement Bryan LaHair, and given starts to pitchers Ryan Rowland-Smith, Ryan Feierabend and - on Friday - Brandon Morrow.

Now, the team gets to hold a month-long audition that also showcases young players they may want to trade in the off-season.

No rain and almost no fans on hand as Seattle tries to extend its season-best four-game winning streak.
Miguel Cairo can't hit (bruised hand), Kenji Johjima can't catch(bruised hand)and Jeff Clement's left knee is acting up.
So Clement's the DH, Jamie Burke is catching, Bryan LaHair is at first base and there are probably 2,500 fans on hand to watch it all.
Enjoy ...

That's One ...
Jeremy Reed doubled and Adrian Beltre singled to right - hitting thde ball so hard that Reed had no chance to score.
Raul Ibanez got him home with a fly ball.
Beltre has a nine-game hitting streak, and Ibanez has is 96th RBI.
Mariners 1, Rangers 0 ...

Nightmare Scenario ...
Five pitches into his start, Ryan Feierabend had given up a single and double - and found himself squared off with Josh Hamilton.
Feierabend's sixth pitch was a two-run single to center RBI No. 119 and 120 for Hamilton.
Feierabend settled down after that.
Rangers 2, Mariners 1 ...

Oops ...
Nelson Cruz hit a drive off the fence in right center field for a triple, although the ball appeared catchable.
Ichiro got a late jump, didn't go after the ball aggressively, and it became a Texas run when Gerald Laird followed with a single.
Tough play? Yes. But Gold Glovers make those. This one wasn't made.
Rangers 3, Mariners 1 ...

Natural Selection Theory ...
The Mariners have been asking Yuniesky Betancourt to be more selective at the plate, telling him to be aggressive but to do it within the strike zone.
"There's no sense taking a pitch down the middle for a first strike," manager Jim Riggleman said. "As Yuni learns to swing at strikes and let balls go, he'll become a much better hitter."
First pitch Yuni saw in the fifth inning was a strike, and he launched it for his sixth home run.
Rangers 4, Mariners 2 ...

Slip-Sliding Away ...
Feierabend is lifted after 4 2/3 innings, having allowed 11 hits and five runs, with one runner still on base.
New pitcher is Jared Wells, one of the minor leaguers called up today.
Mariners have just four hits, two since the first inning.
Rangers 5, Mariners 2 ...

Let 'Em Play ...
Rangers haven't had a big inning yet and still have six runs.
The Mariners are in the eighth and have used four pitchers, two pinch-hitters and replaced one catcher with another.
Yes, it's September.
The score could be worse: Raul Ibanez and Ichiro have each thrown a Ranger out on the bases.
Rangers 6, Mariners 2 ..

Old Reliable ...
Ichiro doubled to open the eighth inning and, two outs later, was still at second base.
Mr. Ibanez then does what he does - singled for the run, producing RBI No. 97. Jose Lopez doubled Ibanez home and the Texas bullpen started warming up again.
Rangers 6, Mariners 4 ...

It's September, and you'd think a man who batted .282 with 25 HR and 107 RBI with 40 doubles in Class AAA would rate a callup.

In the casse of Tacoma's Victor Diaz, you'd be wrong.

Diaz, 26, had a fine year offensively for the Rainiers, playing DH and occasionally venturing into the outfield.

But while the Mariners liked his bat, they considr him a man without a position.

Given that, and the number of DHs the Mariners have used in the past few weeks - Jeff Clement, Adrian Belre, Raul Ibanez and Kenji Johjima - the team didn't see Diaz getting enough at-bats to add to their roster.

Had they wanted to do so, they'd have had to make a move, since their 40-man is currently full.

Bottom line: Seattle considered Diaz a fine minor league hitter without a position to play.

As reinforcements arrived from Tacoma, the Seattle Mariners learned they needed them Tuesday.

As manager Jim Riggleman and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre tried to work up a starting rotation with two of the next six days off, Jarrod Washburn came up ailing.

A left abdominal strain scratched him from a start Friday against the New York Yankees.

Hello, Brandon Morrow - he'll get his first big-league start in Washburn's place.

Bryan LaHair, meanwhile, started at first base Tuesday, in part because Miguel Cairo has a badly swollen left hand. Cairo was hit by not one but two pitches in Monday's game.
He can play defense, but not yet hit.

As for the other reinforcements, Mark Lowe and Jared Wells will be in the bullpen tonight, along with lefty Justin Thomas.
Catcher Rob Johnson spent a busy afternoon learning the signs, and Matt Tuiasosopo took ground balls at third base.

Yes, Carlos Silva is back, making his first start since Aug. 15, when he landed on the disabled list with elbow tightness.
Silva hasn't won a game since June 28, and has only that one win since April 17, when he was 3-0.
For his sanity as much as anything, Silva needs to pitch well tonight. As for the Mariners, they've got yet another chance to win their fourth consecutive game - which would be a new season high.
Be still your hearts.

Oops ...
Lefty Matt Harrison was ahead in the count, 0-2, when he threw a fat pitch to Adrian Beltre, who launched it.
That's home run No. 24 and Beltre's third in two days. It puts Silva ahead.
A one-run lead usually lasts an inning.
Mariners 1, Rangers 0. ...

As We Were Saying ...
That one-run lead lasted half an inning.
With two outs, Chris Davis just punched an RBI single to center.
The Rangers and Mariners are showing why they're out of contention. Texas made a base-running blunder - getting thrown out at third base on a grounder to short - and Seattle's Wladimir Balentien air-mailed a throw from center field, allowing a runner to move into scoring position.
Mariners 1, Rangers 1 ...

Catch The Ball, Please ...
Silva got into a world of trouble in the third inning, allowing two singles and a walk to load the bases with two out.
The reality is, Silva's sinke4r is working - the right side of his infield isn't. One ground ball got by second baseman Jose Lopez, the other by first baseman Miguel Cairo.
Both plays should have been made, each became a single. When the Mariners begin putting together their plan for 2009, they're going to have to remedy that problem.
Silva got out of the jam, but his defense cost him a lot of pitches that inning.
Mariners 1, Rangers 1 ...

Mr. Beltre, We Presume ...
Yuniesky Betancourt's 30th double started a rally, with Beltre singling him home - RBI No. 71.
Wladimir Balentien then followed an infield sdingle in his first at-bat with a double to the wall in center that scored Beltre.
Let's see how long a two-run lead lasts.
Mariners 3, Rangers 1 ...

That's A New One ...
Weird play of the night - Miguel Cairo hits a ball off the pitcher, and the catcher leaves the game.
Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia threw wildly past first base for an error, sending Cairo to second base, and Saltalamacchia had to leave the game in pain. Looked like a back spasm, but no word yet.
Ichiro singled Cairo to third, and Betancourt's fly ball got him home.
It was a handy run - Silva gave up Josh Hamilton's 31st home run leading off the fifth.
Mariners 4, Rangers 2 ...

That Didn't Go Well ...
The Buffalo is out of this one, and he's left trailing.
With two on and two out, he couldn't finish the fifth inning, allowing an RBI single to Chris Davis and then a long three-run home run to backup catcher Taylor Teagarden.
The final line of Silva:
4 2/3 innings, 10 hits, six runs, four walks and two strikeouts on 98 pitches.
Rangers 6, Mariners 4 ...

Update On Saltamacchio ...
Pain in his right elbow sent him to the training room, and he'll have an MRI exam Tuesday morning.
Not what you want to hear about anyone, any time.

Creeping Back ...
Mariners are trying to sneak back into this one - and in this ball park, you're never out of it.
Singles by Beltre, Lopez and catcher Jamie Burke pushed home a run and chased starter Harrison.
Rangers 6, Mariners 5 ...

Hey, It IS Texas ...
Runs come easy in Texas, and the Mariners have a lead in the seventh.
Another Betancourt double (No. 31). Another Raul Ibanez RBI (No. 95). Another hit for Beltre (No. 4 tonight).
The Rangers intentionally walked Lopez to get to Balentien's spot, and the Mariners counter with pinch-hitter Jeremy Reed, who singled home two runs. Kenji Johjima singled to re-load the bases.
Burke flied out, scoring Lopez.
Now Silva is off the hook and Sean Green is the pitcher of record. It may take 12 runs to win tonight. The two teams already have a combined 27 hits.
Mariners 9, Rangers 6 ...

Pedal That Thing ...
Adrian Beltre's RBI triple made him the fourth player in franchise history to hit for the cyle - a single, double, triple and home run in the same game.
Beltre has five hits tonight, matching his career high.
Betancourt homered in the same inning, and Jeremy Reed singled home Beltre.
That's 19 hits for Seattle, only 12 for Texas.
And 12 may not be enough.
Mariners 12, Rangers 6 ...

Speaking Of Cycles ...
Which Mariners did Beltre join by hitting for the cycle?
Jay Buhner, Alex Rodriguez and John Olerud.d
Beltre also becomes the first Mariner ever with five hits and five runs in the same game. ...

Reliever Justin Thomas and infielder Luis Valbuena will join the Seattle Mariners in Texas today – but five more Tacoma Rainiers will be coming to the majors on Tuesday.

Catcher Rob Johnson and third baseman Matt Tuiasosopo will join pitchers Brandon Morrow, Mark Lowe and Jared Wells as the Mariners expand their September and take a longer look at what their farm system has produced.

For Thomas, Valbuena and Tuiasosopo this will be their first big-league opportunity.

“Young players always bring a lot of energy when they come up, whether they’re playing regularly or just getting the chance to get their feet wet,” manager Jim Riggleman said.

Morrow will start one game of the Yankees series this weekend at Safeco Field – his first big-league start after spending most of the last two seasons in the Seattle bullpen.

Lowe and Thomas will be used in relief.

Johnson will catch pitchers in the bullpen when not starting, and though he’ll be the fourth catcher on the roster, the Mariners want to try and get him in a few games as the starter.

Tuiasosopo isn’t likely to budge Adrian Beltre, but having him on the team gives Seattle a legitimate third baseman should Riggleman want to use Beltre as the designated hitter.

Similarly, Valbuena may get a little time at second base.