As i live in Portland, OR with no cable access, the only way I can catch Mariners games is through the local sports AM radio station. Unfortunately, I flipped the radio on last night and instead of hearing the Mariners dramatically ending their 12-game road losing streak 4-3 over the Devil Rays last night, I was treated instead to the Oregon State-Eastern Washington college football game.

It upsets me to no end that everyone's focus in the sports world shifts to football all of a sudden as the calendar changes into September. I mean, yes the new football season's started and old rivalries have new blood and who do the pundits think will come out on top and blah de blah blah... but has anyone noticed there are some freakin' pennant races going on in baseball? I mean, nearly every team in the National League could be a potential wild card winner, and that means every passing day's outcome is a life-and-death matter for those team's fans.

I mean, it's not like the opening of baseball season in April detracts from the current basketball season. I mean, there is still two months left in the NBA at that point. And when the NBA finals do come around in June, I can understand the sports world focusing on basketball. I mean, June baseball is hardly of little importance, besides the AL beating up the NL in interleague play. But for football to detract from the most exciting part of the baseball season just doesn't make sense...

Admittedly, the pennant races and wild card results matter not to the Mariners and their fans. So perhaps I shouldn't get bent out of shpae due to the fact that I ended up with college football when I was expecting major league baseball. But, as I said, its the only way I get to follow the M's. And I don't like the best part of the baseball season to be superceded for football.

Anywya, on to the game. Yes, the M's won. Their first road win in exactly a month- last Aug. 2nd at Baltimore. Cha Seung Baek was the slayer of the beast, being stingy with the base-runners for a second start in a row, allowing seven in 6.2 innings. Who knows what's going to happen with the composition of the Mariners' starting rotation in the off-season- it's pretty much guaranteed that we can all say BUH-bye to Joel Pineiro, but will the M's resign Gil Meche or blow a wad of cash on Jason Schmidt/Barry Zito instead?- but if there is room for Baek in next year's rotiation, given what I've seen so far here in his late season efforts I would be comfortable with that.

Beltre led the Mariners' offensive attack, going 2-for-4 with 2 RBI singles accounting for half of the M's four runs. He brought his batting average up a point, to .264. Given Beltre's horrendous start, if he can finish at .270 by the end of the year- his career mean that he would regress to- I think would be an ultimate individual accomplishment for Beltre in '06. Beltre was also involved in a ridiculous triple play in the third inning when, with Raul Ibanez striking out on a 3-2 pitch, Beltre took off for second before pulling up when it was obvious the throw from Tampa bay catch Dionar Navarro would beat him by a mile. After getting tagged out, this allowed Devil Rays shortstop Ben Zobrist to throw home, where Jose Lopez was attmepting to score, and Navarro tagged Lopez out. It was a 2-6-2 triple play- the second one that caught the M's this season- and according to SABR, it was the first triple play of that kin recorded in major league history.

Felix Hernandez takes the mound for the Mariners in the rubber game of the three game series, and if he's on top of his game like the five-hit 2-0 shut-out over the Angels in his last start, the Devil Rays have their work cut out for them. In two career appearances versus Tampa Bay, Felix has a 1-0 record with a 1.15 ERA and 13-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 15.2 innings. The lethal bat of Delmon Young might be the only thinking keeping this game a cakewalk for the M's, but so far Young has been a non-factor in this series, which speaks well for the M's pitching corps.

For the Devil Rays, Brian Stokes is making his major league debut after being called up from AA Durham. Stokes is a 26-year old journeyman who went 7-7 with a 4.11 ERA for Durham. Baseball Prospectus has nothing on him, so I have no idea what kind of pitcher Stokes has. Chances are, considering that little has been said of the quality of Tampa Bay's pitching staff whether in the majors or the minors, that Stokes is a below replacement-level arm. Luckily, he's a right-hander so I find it doubtful that the M's will struggle to score as they have the past two games.

This game is pretty much one-sided. Felix should definitely dominate, and Beltre will raise his average to .265. 7-2 Mariners, final.