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The good news about our clunker of an opening series in Anaheim? Texas started 1-2 and Anaheim started 1-3.

Jason Vargas vs. Colby Lewis tonight. Vargs is 0-1 with a 5.27 ERA in 2 career starts (and 2 relief appearances) vs. Texas.

Vargas looked really good...then he started to struggle, and then Kelley came in, and now this game is out of reach within the span of a couple minutes. The offense will get better but we're about to be 1-4. If this team can't flirt with .500 before Lee and Bedard come back next month, then their return will mean nothing.

Agreed, Vargas looked pretty darn good for awhile there. We lost, but I saw some positive things.

Felix (0-0, 4.50) vs. Matt Harrison (0-0, 0.00) today. Harrison is 1-1 with a 4.60 ERA in 3 career starts vs. Seattle. Felix is 8-9 in 22 career starts vs. Texas, with a 3.77 ERA.

Keep the walks down and Felix should stop the M's slide of suck.

We're down 3-1 going into the 9th. Scored on a wild pitch in the 1st, then...

Felix gave up 2 earned in 7 IP.

We've left multiple men on base at least three times today, twice by Ichiro.

Top of the 9th. Kotch got a single, Johnson walked. Wilson sacrificed them into scoring position. Ichiro up... one out.

Ichiro drives in Kotch from third with a single. Both runners had to stay home to see if a Ranger outfielder could make a play on it.

Runners at the corners, KGJr at the plate. One out.

Junior comes through! First pitch single, drives in Johnson. Ichiro scoots around to third, runners at the corners again, still one out.

Ron Washington takes Francisco out.

Nice rally! Tied at 3. Nice to see some clutch hitting after redefining the term 'anti-clutch' all afternoon.

Guttierez with a single into left! Ichiro scores, M's up 4-3! Runners at 1st and 2nd, one out...

We have 12 hits today, 11 of them have been singles (Johnson had a double early).

Lopez hits into a DP. Aardsma time, heading into the bottom of the 9th.

Guti with an incredible HR-robbing grab in CF for out #2... wow. Aardsma nods and pumps his fist in appreciation.

Strike out for out #3... M's win 4-3.

If you DVR'd this game, skip to the 9th. Nothing to see for the first 2.5 hours.

That catch was amazing. I didn't think anyone had a chance on that. Its nice to get a win, but our offense has to be the worst offense of any team in the last couple of years.

Doesn't help that we're a below average offense on a typical day, and several of the guys we're counting on to get the job done have been reeeeaaaally slow to get out of the gates. Bradley is, like, 1/20 on the season. Lopez is barely above .200. Figgins is supposed to be an igniter, and he's below .200. They'll turn it around, but man. The stink really slaps you in the face when the heart of our order all slumps at the same time.

Guttierez, on the other hand, has been awesome. Johnson's even swinging the bat well.

bennith13 wrote:That catch was amazing. I didn't think anyone had a chance on that. Its nice to get a win, but our offense has to be the worst offense of any team in the last couple of years.

You know what's crazy about that catch? He made it look routine. So smooth...this is why he doesn't win a Gold Glove; he makes things look to easy.

Watched the highlights on the MLB Network...that one felt good. The team clearly needed it.

TTown wrote:Doesn't help that we're a below average offense on a typical day, and several of the guys we're counting on to get the job done have been reeeeaaaally slow to get out of the gates. Bradley is, like, 1/20 on the season. Lopez is barely above .200. Figgins is supposed to be an igniter, and he's below .200. They'll turn it around, but man. The stink really slaps you in the face when the heart of our order all slumps at the same time.

On the bright side, Bradley has been hitting the ball with authority and just seems unlucky so far. Figgins will hit [let's pray the team doesn't regularly pinch hit Junior for him...] but in the meantime he draws enough walks that he is getting on base.

TTown wrote:Guttierez, on the other hand, has been awesome. Johnson's even swinging the bat well.

The problem with Johnson is, even when he swings the bat well, I think his defense is complete ****. He had trouble handling Felix and seems like a lock to botch any and all plays at the plate.

5-1 Texas in the 4th. Snell couldn't make it past 3. 8 hits, 5 runs, 4 of them earned.

5 hits for the Mariners through 4, all singles. Since Kotch's 8th inning HR in the first game of the series, we've had 17 hits in the last 14 innings.... 16 of them singles.

I knew if I complained about all the singles the baseball gods would take action.

Wilson singles, gets to second on a wild pitch, and Figgins doubles him home.

5-2 Texas, but the Rangers have runners at the corners and nobody out in the 5th.