No Ken Griffey Jr., no Mike Sweeney - the Mariners first game of the season in a National League park has them looking a little weak, offensively.

Endy Chavez, for instance, his batting fifth in this lineup - and no one was more suprised than Chavez. Ronny Cedeno (.147) is in left field, and Rob Johnson (.188) is back at catcher.

Jarrod Washburn better be thinking shutout.

This is a chance to climb above .500, but it may be the wrong park for Seattle's anemic offense. If the Rockies start hitting balls out of Coors Field, the Mariners don't figure to be able to match them with power, although Russell Branyan might hit one to Aspen.

For the night, they still have three catchers on the roster - that will change Saturday, when Roy Corcoran is brought up from Tacoma.

Any chance for the Mariners tonight probably begins and ends with pitching.

It's Washburn vs. Ubaldo Jimenez.

And we're off.

Mr. Branyan goes deep

A night after hitting a ball 450 in Baltimore, Russell hit one 438 feet in Colorado - his 15th of the season.

No one was on, but Washburn has a lead before stepping on the mound.

In the first: Mariners 1, Rockies 0

Ichiro keeps ticking

Johnson beat out an infield single but Washburn's bunt attempt rolled directly to the mound and became a fielders choice.

Ichiro singled, and now has reached base in a career-high 41 consecutive games.

Working carefully, Jimenez walked Branyan to load the bases with one out for Adrian Beltre - as point-blank a scoring opportunity as Seattle could ask for.

Beltre delivered a two-run double off the wall in left field. Lopez grounded into a fielders choice, with Branyan caught between third and home.

That brought up Chavez with men on second and third base - and he was intentionally walked for the first time this season.

Cedeno grounded out.

In the third: Mariners 3, Rockies 0

Out of control

Washburn lost his command in the third, and it cost him.

Two walks set up Todd Helton's RBI single, and when Brad Hawpe topped a all in front of the plate, Washburn fielded it but through wide to first base for an error that let a second run score.

A couple of freebies for Colorado.

After three: Mariners 3, Rockies 2

One run at a time

Yuniesky Betancourt singled, and Jimenez hung a slider that Johnson turned into an RBI double.

In the fourth: Mariners 4, Rockies 2

The Rockies strike back

One swing matches a couple of Mariners hits, with Troy Tulowitzki hammering his eighth home run of the season over the fence is center field.

After four: Mariners 4, Rockies 3

So much for that lead

Washburn once again lost command, and put Colorado in position to beat him - and they may.

A walk and hit batter put runners on, and pitcher Jimenez squared to bunt, then hit away and singled home the tying run.

Worse, Dexter Fowler dropped a squeeze bun, and Ian Stewart just beat the tag with a hard slide at the plate.
Sneaky bahstahds, these NL guys!

With the bases loaded, Washburn got Helton
and Hawpe. It might have been too late.

After six: Rockies 5, Mariners 4

Goodnight, Mr. Washburn

Six innings, and it wasn't Colorado hitting that put Washburn behind as much as is inexcplicable control problems in the third and sixth innings.

Now it's up to Miguel Batista to hold the Rockies and hope the Mariners come back.

Tough night behind the plate

Johnson's first night back at catcher since Sunday went south in the seventh inning.

First he was charged with an error on a throw into center field on Tulowitzki's stolen base.

Then, with Tulowitzki at third, Johnson was given a passed ball on a Batista ball in the dirt.

That's an insurance run.

After seven: Rockies 6, Marines 4
And in the ninth ...

Yuni flied out to right field. Sweeney, batting for Johnson, flied out to center. Griffey Jr., batting for Batista, walked on the 124th pitch of the night for Jimenez.
That brought up Ichiro, whose ground ball forced Griffey at second base.

It's a final: Rockies 6, Mariners 4

Brandon Morrow's transition back to starting pitcher won't begin in Tacoma after all - an inflamed shoulder that sidelined Erik Bedard will push Morrow into the Mariners rotation.

"We're hoping to get about 60 pitches out of Brandon, however far that takes him," manager Don Wakamatsu said. "Erik will just skip his start."

Morrow hasn't pitched more than the 2 1/3 innings in Baltimore, so he'll be held to a strict pitch count.

"I'm going to be as conservative with my pitches as I can, go as far as I can," Morrow said. "Whether it was here or in Tacoma, what I'll be doing is the same - it's just a little more exciting here."
Morrow had asked the team a month ago about returning to starting and fully expected to do so with the Rainiers.

Now?

"Who knows, we might have to stretch him out up here," Wakamatsu said.

In 16 relief appearanes this season, Morrow is 0-3 with a 6.38 earned run average, although for the past few weeks he's worked on new mechanics and seen improved results.

On Satuday, Morrow will get his feet wet again as a starting pitcher.

"When they called me in today to tell me, I thought they were going to make a move and send me out," Morrow said. "This is better."