Fresh off being named the American League's best pitcher for the month of June, Felix Hernandez takes on the high-flying Red Sox in his first July start.

Hernandez is 3-1 with a 3.05 earned run average against Boston in his career,but the issue tonight - as always - may be offense.

The Mariners don't hit knuckle baller Tim Wakefield.

Ichiro (.240), Ken Griffey Jr. (259), Russell Branyan (.182) have all struggled with him, Ryan Langerhans, Rob Johnson and Ronny Cedeno have never faced him.

So who to look for? Jose Lopez has a .333 career average with three doubles and a home run against Wakefield.

It's Seattle (40-38) vs. Boston (48-30) at Fenway Park on the Fourth of July weekend. This is baseball.

First-inning trouble

Felix is mortal.

Dustin Pedroia singled, David Ortiz walked and Jason Bay - in an 0-for-17 streak - doubled home a run.

Felix then wild-pitched home a second run before sriking out Mark Kotsay. He's down two runs.

After one: Red Sox 2, Mariners 0

Mariners answer

Rob Johnson opened the third inning with a double, and back-to-back singles from Ichiro and Russell Branyan got him home.

With Ichiro perched on second base, Lopez and Griffey each popped out.

In the third: Red Sox 2, Mariners 1

And answer again

Langerhans doubled with one out - and yes, that will probably keep him in the lineup another day - and with two outs, Rob Johnson doubled him home.

No. 9 hitter Cedeno then homered to straightaway center field. Yes, Cedeno.

In the fourth: Mariners 4, Red Sox 2

He's still Felix

This isn't his finest game, but Hernandez can still raise his energy when needed. With two outs and two men on - both in scoring position - Felix threw a 96 mph fastball that absolutely froze Nick Green for a third strike.

Every pitcher gets in trouble. Not many of them can get out of it like that.

After six: Mariners 4, Red Sox 2

Sox get closer

J.D. Drew launched a Felix fastball over the wall in center, his 11th home run of the season, and cut Seattle's lead to one.

One run leads are delicate, anywhere, but in Fenway Park?

Yikes!

After seven: Mariners 4, Red Sox 3

A timely swing

Mr. Lopez provided the Mariners with a two-run lead, courtesy of his 11th home run, which landed in the seats atop Fenway's Green Monster.

Now it's up to the bullpen - and Sean White is in the game.

In the eighth: Mariners 5, Red Sox 3

Not tonight, Felix

Hernandez threw a grueling 105 pitches, didn't seem to have much left and came out after seven innings with a two-run lead.

Didn't last.

Sean White, looking like someone other than the Sean White we've seen all season, got one out, gave up a walk and a single and came out, replaced by rookie Shawn Kelley.

Kelley got the second out, then gave up Nick Green's two-run, game-tying double.

That means no win for Felix, and it may mean something is wrong with White.

After eight: Mariners 5, Red Sox 5

It takes a village

Chris Jakubauskas has thrown two scoreless innings to keep Seattle in this one, and he's throwing harder in relief than he did as a starting pitcher.

In the rotation early this season, Jakubauskas topped out at 92 mph. Out of the bullpen, he's hitting 94 mph regularly.

What the Mariners need now is a run.

In the 11th: Mariners 5, Red Sox 5

That's a record

Much malligned for his hitting, catcher Rob Johnson delivered a one-out, two-run double into right field - his third double of the night.

That ties the franchise record for doubles in a game, and puts Seattle ahead by two.

In something of a surprise, Mark Lowe is on to close. David Aardsma finished Thursday's game in New York but threw a lot of pitches in a long ninth inning.

It's up to Lowe.

In the 11th: Mariners 7, Red Sox 5

And in the end

Lowe was hitting 99 mph on the Fenway Park radar gun and got two quick outs, then gave up a solo home run to catcher George Kottaras.

That not only cut the lead to one, it got the game to outfielder J.D. Drew, who'd homered in the seventh inning.

What to do?

Lowe went to a 3-2 count, then gave up single to right field, bringing up Dustin Pedroia - the reigning American League MVP.

He grounded out.

Final score: Mariners 7, Red Sox 6

For the first time in his career, Felix Hernandez has been named the American League Pitcher of the Month - winning the award for a June in which he went 3-0 in five starts with an 0.94 earned run average.

In those five starts, Felix worked 38 1/3 innings, struck out 35 batters and posted the lowest June ERA in major league baseball.

"It wasn't a surprise, was it?" joked pitching coach Rick Adair. "Along with everything else he did, he saved our bullpen every fifth day. I pretty much left him alone."

The month included his third career shutout, against San Diego, and at one point he threw 20 consecutive scoreless innings.
Hernandez has always loved the month of June, and his career record in it is 11-2 with a 2.55 ERA in 19 starts.

"Since spring training, Felix has just been getting better and better," manager Don Wakamatsu said. "The way he carries himself, on the field and in the clubhouse. It's like a lot of things have clicked.

"He's become more efficient, and his competitive nature is always there."

What's the award get him? A big-screen television.

Rookie right-hander Shawn Kelley came off the disabled list today and will rejoin the Seattle Mariners bullpen tonight in Boston.

"I was having breakfast with my wife in Kirkland yesterday when they called," Kelley said. "They said 'Go pack' and I did. I flew all day and almost missed a connection, but I'm here and I'm ready to pitch."
The move gives manager Don Wakamatsu another power arm to work the late innings in setting up closer David Aardsma.

To make room for Kelley, the team optioned first baseman Mike Carp back to Tacoma, where he'll play regularly.

Kelley made the team out of spring training and had become a reliable seventh and eighth-inning reliever until he was felled in May by a pulled oblique muscle.

"I only had a month in the big leagues, but I learned so much," he said. "The time I missed seemed a lot longer than the time I played. I'm just glad I've got the whole second half of the season to pitch."

The bullpen now has Aardsma, Mark Lowe, Sean White, Roy Corcoran, Miguel Batista, Kelley and Chris Jakubauskas.

According to ESPN's Jorge Arangure and Baseball America, the Mariners have signed 16-year-old outfielder Guillermo Pimentel for an estimated $2 million signing bonus.

There was a minor controversy that the Rangers had gotten a verbal agreement from Pimentel earlier this year, but apparently he changed his mind.

But remember the Rangers are not exactly doing so well financially these days. Though they did have an international signing in Jurickson Profar.

Here's a list and scouting reports of the top Latin free agents this season.

Obviously it's tough to predict what a 16-year-old kid will do, but the Mariners success in scouting and signing Latin American players is pretty substantial. There's this guy, that's a pitcher, his name is Felix Hernandez, seemed to be a pretty good signing. He signed for $710,000. Now he's the AL Pitcher of the Month.

Other players the Mariners have signed include Jose Lopez, Carlos Triunfel, Yuni Betancourt, Jharmidy DeJesus, Michael Pineda

While $2 million seems like a lot for a 16-year-old, the Cardinals dished more than $3 million for outfielder Wagner Mateo.

Columnist John McGrath weighed in with his thoughts on the Mateo signing.