UPDATE 10:36: OK, as far as I know, nothing has happened with Yuni on the trade front. Does that mean it isn't being talked about? Not at all. In fact, I do think they are or were possibly close to a deal and that's why he was pulled.

It wasn't because of his hamstring. I asked him about it and he said, "I'm good, it feels good."

Betancourt took part in batting practice, team fundamentals and infield.

"He did everything with us," Rainiers manager Daren Brown said.

Brown said he got the call about 35-40 minutes before the game starter.

When I asked Betancourt about being pulled from the line-up he said: “I was in the line-up and then they said I wasn’t playing,” he said. “I don’t know why.”

Of course, I had to ask if he'd talked to his agent about today about any possible moves, he seemed genuinely perplexed and just said, "No."

So I asked again, since he doesn't have the best grasp of English: "So your agent hasn't called you?" He shook his head.

Really, though would he know what's going on? Probably not.

The speculating is not fun. It sometimes drives me insane. We've heard the report about the Pittsburgh Pirates scouting the Mariners. I didn't see the Pirates at the Rainiers game yesterday when Yuni played second, but to be honest I wasn't looking. I will say that there are at five or six scouts here today along with Mariner exec Jim Na here the last two games.

What does it all mean I don't know.

But when he left the clubhouse at Cheney Stadium tonight Betancourt believed he was a member of the Mariners organization. And for the moment that appears to be true.

With the speculation of possible trades taking place, Betancourt being scratched 15 minutes before game time seems like more than a coincidence.

Does it mean he's been traded? No. After all, he is coming back from a hamstring injury. But he looked perfectly healthy last night, and he was at Cheney for early work in the field and took batting practice.

The Mariners official comment is that "it was an organizational decision" whatever that means.

We'll keep digging.

With 2 1/2 months of baseball left, it's a bit early to call any series 'critical,' so let's just say the Rangers-Mariners series that starts tonight could tighten the divisional race in the American League West.

It opens with Seattle 4 1/2 games behind Texas, and the Mariners set their rotation up to start Felix Hernandez, Brandon Morrow, Jarrod Washburn and Erik Bedard.

That's the best they have, with no offense intended to lefties Jason Vargas and Garrett Olson.

No matter what happens in the next four games, there will be time for the Mariners to make runs at the top. But making a move by taking three of four games would be a feel-good finish to the traditional first half of the season for a team that's played hard to get and stay above .500.

Win three of four and Seattle gets to the All-Star break with a 46-42 record. The Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays would all take those numbers.

Tonight, it's Felix vs. Tommy Hunter, in the last start before Hernandez heads for the All-Star game in St. Louis.

The center fielder can hit

Ken Griffy J. drew a walk, his 41st of the season, and Franklin Gutierrez banged a single into left field - extending his career-best hitting streak to 12 consecutive games.

With runners at first and second and no one out, the Mariners had the first point-blank scoring opportunity - but never moved those runners as they went down 1-2-3.

After two: No score.

This Felix kid can pitch

Five days before his first All-Star game, Mr. Hernandez is pitching like an ace.

Against a tough Texas lineup, he's allowed one hit in four innings and no other batter has reached base.

The one problem? Seattle hasn't scored for him. This isn't the kind of pitching you can waste, not at home, not against a team you're trying to catch.

The Mariners need to scratch out a run, get Felix a lead, and ride their horse.

After four: No score.

Playing Wak-ball

The Mariners clearly are pushing every chance they get.

Ichiro singled in the third inning, his second infield hit of the night, and promptly stole his 18th base.

Now in the fifth, Rob Johnson singled and Ronny Cedeno bunted him to second base. Ichiro grounded out. Russell Branyan was intentionally walked. Lopez popped out.

After five: No score.

Rangers score first

With two outs, Ian Kinsler walked and Michael Young singled - then the two pulled a double steal.

On a full count to Josh Hamilton, Felix unleashed a wild pitch - ball four - and Kinsler scored from third base.
Hamilton and Young tried a double steal, but Young was caught off base.

In the sixth: Rangers 1, Mariners 0

Getter stronger by the inning

Felix has thrown 111 pitches in eight innings, but just struck out the side in the eighth.

Great game, but not enough, so far. Hunter and the Rangers bullpen have been dominant when it mattered.

In the eighth: Rangers 1, Mariners 0

Oh, the humanity!

Ichiro opened the eighth with his third hit, a looping double to left field, setting the stage for a dramatic rally that almost never happened.

Reliever C.J. Wilson retired Branyan, Jose Lopez before Ken Griffey Jr. drew his second walk of the night, 42nd of the season.

The inning prolonged, Gutierrez hammered his 10th home run of the season, then had to take a curtain call as the crowd stood until he came back out of thre dugout.

After eight: Mariners 3, Rangers 1

Back on the mound, David Aardsma threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Seattle is 3 1/2 games back.

It's a final: Mariners 3, Rangers 1.

The announcement hasn't been made, but the Seattle Mariners have brought up first baseman Chris Shelton and starting pitcher Jason Vargas to Tacoma.

The move was made to bolster Seattle's depth off the bench and essentially replace Mike Sweeney, who's on the disabled list.

Asked if Shelton would play third base, manager Don Wakamatsu said: "No. The reports from Tacoma were not good, but we know he can give us a professional at-bat."

And Vargas, the No. 5 starter in Seattle's rotation, won't be needed after the break until July 25th - so he'll move into the Rainiers rotation until then.

He's played most of his games at third base, but wasn't pretentious about his skills there.

"The manager told me he didn't expect much, so that took the pressure off me," Shelton said. "I did the best I could, but it was still a shock to hear myself introduced as a third baseman."

A right-handed hitter, Shelton will get at-bats at designated hitter, sharing time in a platoon there with Ken Griffey Jr.

There were a lot of folks wondering why the Seattle Mariners didn't heed their advice and trade Erik Bedard last month before he went on the disabled list.

The answer is simple: No one made an offer.

Scouts following the Mariners and Bedard from late May through mid-June were impressed with his stuff, but not his durability.

Bedard was, as a Phillies scout pointed out, a 'five and dive' starting pitcher - a man who'd give you five marvelous innings, could strike out the side in the fifth and then ... quit.

You can live with that in a fourth or fifth starter, but not in a top-of-the-rotation guy. And Bedard is considered the latter, not the former.

The market in June did not exist. Not unless the Mariners and GM Jack Zduriencik had sweetened the deal from their end and dropped the kind of talent they were willing to take in return.

That wasn't going to happen.

Now, Bedard is building up arm strength and lengthening his pitch count, but at the All-Star break he's unlikely to have shown anyone he can pitch deep into games.

Trading Bedard now would be like trying to deal third baseman Adrian Beltre. Damaged goods don't get moved at the deadline.

And when they only give you six innings in June, teams don't line up for the chance to acquire you.