The Rockies have won nine consecutive games, including the last one against the Mariners, so Seattle has a job to do if it hopes to win tonight.

Colorado has long been a team of streaks, and they seem to score in bunches at home, where the home run is always a factor.

The Rockies have two men - Brad Hawpe (45) and Todd Helton (43) with more than 40 RBI, while the Mariners top RBI man, Jose Lopez, has only 36.

Yes, runs are always a factor for Seattle, less so for Colorado.

Tonight, it's Brandon Morrow and a cast that could include Chris Jakubauskas and Roy Corcoran behind him.

Morrow vs. Jason Marquis. The tarp is off, the game is about to start.

We're off.

Oh, boy

Some nights, great plays by big league players just beat you.

With runners at first and third base and one out, Franklin Gutierrez hit a little chopper toward third, and Jose Lopez broke for home trying to score.

Marquis came off the mound, bare-handed the ball and threw to the only place he could have made a play - home.

The throw beat Lopez by plenty. The Mariners didn't score, and not because they'd screwed up. Marquis just made a marvelous play.

That pitch count - and foul play

After a 12-pitch first inning, Morrow got into a first-and-third, one out jam of his own.

With his fastball hitting 97 mph, and his pitch count for the game set at 60 or so, the Rockies ran it up in the second inning - but not with hits.

Between them, Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez fouled off eight pitches, and two walks - both on 3-2 pitches - loaded the bases with two outs.

Then, with his 25th pitch of the inning, Morrow walked Marquis to force in a run and bring pitching coach Rick Adair to the mound.

Morrow got out of the inning without further damage, but has now thrown 41 pitches - two-thirds of what the team will hold him to tonight.

After two: Rockies 1, Mariners 0

Goodnight, Mr. Morrow

New mechanics, old mechanics, whatever - Morrow broke past his pitch count and is done after three innings.

He allowed one run, that on a walk to the opposing pitcher, walked four, struck out four and allowed three hits.

Appears that Jakubauskas will pick up for Morrow in the fourth inning and go as far as he can.

In the fourth: Rockies 1, Mariners 0

Take that!

Ichiro legged out an infield single, stole second, took third on a wild pitch. Russell Branyan walked.

Adrian Beltre, who had a pair of two-out doubles earlier, singled up the middle to get Ichiro home and tie the game.

That brought up Junior for the third time with a runner in scoring position tonight.

Griffey struck out.

In the fifth: Mariners 1, Rockies 1

Thanks, Mr. Jakubauskas

Jakubauskas pitched three scoreless innings and will turn a winnable game over to Sean White in the seventh inning.

The Rockies continue to throw fine defensive plays at the Mariners, who have six hits - three from Beltre, two from Ichiro.

In the seventh, again with two out, Ichiro dropped a bunt for a base hit and Branyan worked Marquis for a walk.

That brought up Beltre, who grounded out.

In the seventh: Mariners 1, Rockies 1

That's a clutch hit

Rockies just got what Mariners haven't been able to produce tonight - a huge hit with two outs.

Pinch-hitter Seth Smith singled, took second on a bunt and third on a long fly ball to right field that Ichiro ran down.

With two outs, Helton singled into right field and broke the tie.

On a full count, Hawpe then doubled off the wall in center field for a second run, and the Mariners are down two. Among the ironies: Sean White entered the game with a 17-inning scoreless streak.

After seven: Rockies 3, Mariners 1

That's a clutch home run

Griffey led off the inning against reliever Manny Corpas by walking - and Jose Lopez hammered his ninth home run of the season to stun the Rockies and their fans.

Two-run lead? Gone.

In the eighth: Mariners 3, Rockies 3

That was bad - both times

In a game so well-played by both teams, the Rockies eighth-inning rally didn't fit.

Mark Lowe opened the inning by fielding a little roller and throwing - with no chance of getting Troy Tulowitzki - into right field. That put Tulo on second base.

The Rockies then dropped a bunt, right at Lowe, who fielded and threw wild to third base, where Beltre caught it but couldn't get a tag down.

Two plays, two horrible throws, both errors on Lowe

Chris Iannetta's deep fly pushed home the go-ahead run.
Lowe then walked back-to-back hitters to load the bases and gave up a second sacrifice fly.

After eight: Rockies 5, Mariners 3

And in the ninth

Pinch-hitter Mike Sweeney blooped a single into center field to bring the potential tying run to the plate.

Ichiro flied out. Branyan singled sharply into right field, sending pinch-runner Ronny Cedeno to third base and bringing up Beltre, who already had three hits.

Against Huston Street, Beltre chased two bad pitches and struck out. Endy Chavez struck out.

It's a final: Rockies 5, Mariners 3

Yes, it's Denver in June, which means batting practice was wiped out for the second day by the elements - and the game itself has been delayed.

Thunderstorm cell is wandering through and apparently taking it's time, so the tarp is on the infield and the rain is pelting the tarp.

Occasionally, the rain is mixed with hail, and the skies light up and then boom out thunder.

All in all, quite a show. They're hoping to start the game at 5:50 p.m. PDT).

In the meantime, I am watching the lightning and hiding under Larry Stone.

The Mariners made a roster move to get reliever Roy Corcoran into their bullpen, but it wasn't what they'd intended.

Catcher Rob Johnson was placed on bereavement leave because of a death in the family.

"Rob's mother-in-law was killed last night in a traffic accident near Houston," manager Don Wakamatsu said. "They didn't know until today. I don't know how long he'll be gone, we just wanted to get him on his way to with his wife and baby."

Corcoran, brought up from Tacoma, will be available to pitch tonight.

The move leaves Jamie Burke and Guillermo Quiroz as the two catchers on the roster.

A player can stay on the bereavement leave for between three and seven days.

Ken Griffey Jr. will suit up and trot into left field tonight as a Seattle Mariners for the first time in his major league career.

Naturally, he's having fun with the prospect.

"Hey, if the ball gets to me, someone in th dirt area (bleeped) up," he said. "It had to get by somebody before it got to me, and it had to be a bad pitch selection to let the hitter hit it to me."

No, he wasn't serious Griffey has, of course, spent most of his career in center field and, the last few years, in right field.

Earlier this season, he played in right when Ichiro was on the disabled list.

Now, in interleague games in National League parks, the only way to get Junior into the starting lineup is to put him in the outfield. The biggest question is how many times can the Mariners do it?

Griffey's body hasn't taken the abuse of outfield play in months. The short bursts of speed, the long runs for fly balls, the occasional dive - the Mariners aren't certain how Griffey will feel on Sunday morning.

"Playing left field here, I'm close to the home dugout. If I completely break down, it won't take them long to drag me off the field," Junior said.
He's tentatively scheduled for at least one left field start in San Diego, too.

"I've played outfield all my life," he said. "I think you're making too big a deal about this."