A win tonight would give the team a 30-30 record through 60 games - compared to th 21-39 mark they had a year ago at this point.

What do they need to do tonight to win?

Well, they need a decent outing from spot starter Garrett Olson, but more than anything they need runs - and that means the Mariners need production from Ken Griffey Jr.

Junior has had a significant impact in the clubhouse and the dugout this season, but on the field, not so much.

Batting third, fourth or fifth all season, he's hitting .208 with six home runs and 16 RBI.

Obviously, he's not the only Mariner hitter struggling - all of them have to one degree or another. But when you're in the heart of the order, constantly coming up with the chance to get runs home, not doing so puts a lot on everyone else.

Olson vs. Koji Uehara, Mariners vs. Orioles.
We're off.

Tale of two hitters

In the Mariners first, Adrian Beltre singled with two outs to get Junior to the plate - but Griffey struck out.

In the Orioles first, with a man on and two outs, Luke Scott hit his 14th home run into the seats in left center.

After one: Orioles 2, Mariners 0

Baby, the rain must fall

At 7:58 p.m. a heavy rain began to fall here and one minute later the game was officially delayed as umpires and players fled the field.

This is no sprinkle - it's pouring. Stay tuned?

And the rain hath stopped

What, you call that a rain? Not on the eastern seaboard, where hurricanes roll and fish wind up 20 miles inland, living on housetops.

The game is scheduled to resume at 8:30 p.m. here - that's 5:30 p.m. back in God's country.

Mariners strike back

With a man on and no one out, the game resumed - and Ichiro drilled a pitch off the right field scoreboard for a double.

Russell Branyan singled home one run, Beltre singled home the tying run and up came Griffey with the chance to knock Uehara out of the game.
Instead, he grounded into a fielders choice, leaving men at first and third base with one out for Jose Lopez.

Lopez flied out to center field to pick up his 36th RBI, scoring Branyan with the go-ahead run.

In the third: Mariners 3, Orioles 1

Ichiro on the run

With center fielder Adam Jones playing shallow, Icihro hit one to the wall for a leadoff triple in the fifth inning, and Branyan's sacrifice fly got him home a moment later.

With the bases empty, Griffey blooped a soft line drive single over second base.

In the fifth: Mariners 4, Orioles 2

Now that's a home run!

Mr. Branyan just hit a Brian Bass pitch an estimated 450 into the stands beyond right-center field - the sixth longest homer ever hit in Camden Yards.

It only counted as one run, but it was worth several and was Branyan's 14th of the season. Orioles in the outfield just watched it go, not bothering to give chase.

Beltre's third hit was an infield single, Junior walked and with one out Yuniesky Betancourt doubled - then got hung up in a run down when Griffey was stopped at third.

In the seventh: Mariners 6, Orioles 2

Jakubauskas got into quick trouble, giving up a single and double before getting an out, and if it hadn't been for his own one-out wild pitch, Baltimore still wouldn't have scored.

As it is, they got one and left a man at third base.

After seven: Mariners 6, Orioles 3

On to the ninth

Jakubauskas gave the Mariners two innings, and Mark Lowe just worked a 1-2-3 eighth.

Three more outs, and the world looks more interesting for Seattle.

Why?

A win leaves them 30-30, and the Angels are losing big to Tampa Bay. Should that hold, the Angels would be 29-29, and the Mariners and Angels would be tied in second place in the American League West, no worse than 4 1/2 games behind Texas.

Aardsma time

When a team has a closer, it tends to treat him well - and give him every save opportunity within reason.

Ahead by three in the ninth, Aardsma trotted in for his 12th chance this season to earn a save. Eighteen pitches later, he had his 11th save.

It's a final: Mariners 6, Orioles 3

Center fielder Franklin Gutierrez, who fouled a pitch off his left knee in Wednesday's game, was not in the lineup tonight.

"Franklin has played through tendinitis in that knee since spring training, and last night he fouled a ball off the spot that's been hurting him," manager Don Wakamatsu said.

Ironically, Gutierrez said he wears a shin guard to protect from foul balls around his shin, foot and ankle.

"My whole career, I never fouled a ball off my knee until last night," he said. "I think I'll be ready to play tomorrow night in Denver. It's not nearly as painful today as I thought it would be."

The Mariners put Endy Chavez in center, Wladimir Balentien in left field and acknowledged that over the six games played in National League parks, Ken Griffey Jr. would make at least a couple of starts in left field.

And before the team arrives in Denver to play the Rockies, it will have to make a decision on sending a catcher out and bringing a pitcher up.

"With the National League game and the changes you may make, we can't carry three catchers and be down a reliever," Wakamatsu said.

Rob Johnson, who hasn't played since Sunday, is about over the bruised foot and shoulder that sidelined him, so it's all but certain he'll regain his starting job - probably tonight.

That means one catcher - Guillermo Quiroz or Jamie Burke - will have to go.

Round Overall Player Position School
1 2 Dustin Ackley OF North Carolina
1 27 Nick Franklin SS Lake Brantley HS, Altamonte Springs, Fla.
1s 33 Steve Baron C Ferguson HS, Miami
2 51 Rich Poythress 1B Georgia
3 82 Kyle Seager 2B North Carolina
4 113 James Jones OF Long Island
5 143 Tyler Blandford RHP Oklahoma State
6 173 Shaver Hansen 3B Baylor
7 203 Brian Moran LHP North Carolina
8 233 Jimmy Gilheeney LHP North Carolina State
9 263 Trevor Coleman C Missouri
10 293 Vincent Catricala 3B Hawaii
11 323 Tim Morris 1B St. John's
12 353 Andrew Carraway RHP Virginia
13 383 Matt Cerione OF Georgia
14 413 Adam Nelubowich 3B Vauxhall Academy, Edmonton
15 443 Blake Keitzman LHP Western Oregon
16 473 Tillman Pugh OF Gateway (Ariz.) CC
17 503 Joseph Terry 2B Cerritos (Calif.) CC
18 533 Anthony Vasquez LHP Southern California
19 563 Eric Thomas RHP Bethune-Cookman
20 593 Jonathan Hesketh LHP New Mexico
21 623 Daniel Cooper RHP Southern California
22 653 Drew Hayes RHP Vanderbilt
23 683 David Rollins LHP San Jacinto (Texas) JC
24 713 Carlton Tanabe C Pearl City (Hawaii) HS
25 743 Brandon Josselyn RHP Yale
26 773 Chris Sorce RHP Troy
27 803 Austin Hudson RHP Central Florida
28 833 Regan Flaherty 1B Deering HS, Portland, Maine
29 863 Brandon Haveman OF Purdue
30 893 Brandon Bantz C Dallas Baptist
31 923 Clint Dempster LHP Mississippi Gulf Coast JC
32 953 Bennett Whitemore LHP Oregon
33 983 Hawkins Gebbers 2B Biola (Calif.)
34 1013 Scott Griggs RHP San Ramon Valley HS, Danville, Calif.
35 1043 Eric Valdez RHP Indiana State
36 1073 John Housey RHP Miami
37 1103 Chris Kessinger RHP Nebraska-Omaha
38 1133 Matthew Nohelty OF Minnesota
39 1163 Greg Waddell OF Florida International
40 1193 Jorden Merry RHP Washington
41 1223 Kyle Witten RHP Cal State Fullerton
42 1253 Steve Hagen 3B Eastern Oklahoma State JC
43 1283 Cameron Perkins LF South Fort (Ind.) HS
44 1313 Mark Angelo OF East Stroudsburg
45 1343 Kevin Malloux 2B Canisus
46 1373 Clay Cederquist 1B Fowler HS, Fresno
47 1403 David Holman RHP Hutchinson (Kan.) CC
48 1433 Sean Nolin LHP San Jacinto College North
49 1463 Dane Phillips C Central Heights HS, Nacogdoches, Texas
50 1493 Ryan Sharpley RHP Notre Dame