• There has been interest shown by both the A’s and the Dodgers in Adrian Beltre. Of all the players that we could see hang up their Mariners uniform, I hope he’s one of the last. He may not be putting up the numbers that he did his MVP season, but I think he’s one of the best defenders in the game, and still has some good pop left in his bat. He’s just a fun guy to watch, even if he doesn’t take extra B.P.
• For a team that’s in a hole as deep as the Mariners, R.A. Dickey has shown that he could potentially hold a spot in the rotation. He may have an occasional Batista like outing, but he’s also getting paid a fraction of we are giving Batista, Silva, and Washburn.
• Jeremy Reed has been earning his keep, hitting .304 after 29 games played this year. Grady Sizemore he is not, but his contribution this season should be noted.
• Felix is on the DL for a spell. I’m not sweating it until we hear that he’s going back on it after his return. The last thing anybody wants is to see him out, but if it weren’t this this unfortunate incident we wouldn’t be seeing Rowland-Smith start, would we? Am I the only one excited about this?!
• The weather in Seattle has been amazing. We should all allow ourselves a day to forget about the payroll, the underachievers, and our place in the standings, and get out to Safeco Field for a game. It is hands down one of the nicest parks in baseball. It’s really easy to get bummed out by a team when you’re just watching their numbers. Dare to immerse yourself in the human experience with real athletes in person that do awesome things.

Ryan Rowland-Smith, ladies and gentlemen! The Aussie southpaw will be facing Jesse Litsch for his first big-league start in the history of the world.

Word is that he’ll only be throwing a few innings, and may be held to a pitch count of about sixty, but Rowland-Smith is on my short list of dudes that I’d like to see starting next year along with one Brandon Morrow.

Ryan has dominated righties thus far, allowing them a .159 batting average. If he can do that tonight, I bet we see him starting again before the month is over.

In unrelated news flashes: Jose Vidro is batting clean-up?! Has the ghost of John McLaren come to torment us? I may not be a baseball wizard, but my powers are strong enough to know better than that! 

UPDATE 7:25 PM: Bottom of the first, one out, runners on first and second. In steps our fearless clean-up hitter Jose Vidro…. and the first pitch he sees he grounds back to the pitcher for a double play. I would have preferred a Jeff Clement strikeout.

POST GAME: Willie Boom-Boom with a game winner! Who would have thought? Did anybody else see Yuni pulling on Willie’s nose after the game? Is that some funny game they play? Does Bloomquist still fall for the old “I’ve got your nose” trick?

That was a fun game to watch. Rowland-Smith started strong, Adrian Beltre outdid his homer from his knees with one he didn’t even see, and Brandon Morrow was radical… again. If the Mariners win tomorrow they’ll have won three series in a row. I’m not going to fact check here, and will go out on a limb to say they haven’t done that yet this season. Stay tuned!

Of all of the great Ichiro quotes that I’ve heard, this one out of Scott Miller’s article on Sportline ranks as one of the highest. It’s Ichiro commenting on whether or not rumors have been floating about a trade involving him leaving Seattle:

“I haven’t heard that, but what I think about it is that when things are not going well, many people have different ideas, and that’s only natural,” he says. “If a crow has thought it, it would surprise me. But since it’s human beings, it does not surprise me.”

For those of you wondering why Ichiro uses a translator and doesn’t speak much to the media, it’s because he would blow our minds. The translator only serves as a filter, to insure that Ichiro’s infinite wisdom isn’t put on display when he’s only being payed for his baseball skills.

Wisconsin native Jarrod Washburn takes the hill tonight against righty Dustin McGowan. Washburn has only given up six runs in his last four starts combined, but has just one win to show for it. It won’t be long before we see some trades going down, and there is a good chance that he will be part of them.

It’s another beautiful day in Seattle, and will be a nice night to relax in the friendly confines of Safeco Field. Just watch out for all of the excitable Canadiens! There were a ton of them at last night’s game, and they were cheering so loudly that more Blue Jays chants were coming over the television than Mariners ones. So maybe Canada Day had something to do with it, but still.

UPDATE 7:30 PM: Forget what I said about the weather! The skies are thundering… and wait for it… wait… here comes the rain!

POST GAME: Washburn kept it real tonight, and MIguel Cairo showed us all that he has has the power of a hundred men within him, but only chooses to showcase it once a season. I can’t concentrate on anything else that has happened tonight because my man-crush on Brandon Morrow keeps getting bigger. His ERA is lower than any other pitcher in baseball who has thrown more than twenty innings. Sure, that’s not a ton of time, but he’s been flat out dominating. For (what will most likely not be) the last time: I want a Morrow jersey t-shirt. Who decides which players to print up, and what are they waiting for?

Carlos Silva and Justin Verlander will lock horns tonight in a showdown between two right-handed pitchers sporting 4-9 records.

Maybe Jose Lopez is ready to come out and join the team after the time-out he earned himself for letting a routine double play ball roll through his legs.

This will be the last series at Safeco Field before the All-Star break, and a four game set at that. The Tigers are having their fare share of trouble this year, but this series should be a better litmus test of where the Mariners are right now than their past nine.

7:10 start tonight.

POST GAME: Ichiro reached 1700 hits tonight in an 8-4 loss. The Mariners left 27 runners on base, and Clement and his .170 batting average went 0-4. How about the catch from Jeremy Reed though? That’s how a good center fielder ought to look. I realize that Reed isn’t a big name, five-tool type of player, but he’s been working hard and playing well this year, and I hope he continues to get playing time.