Final score: Mariners 12, Diamondbacks 9

I could spend this entire wrap discussing the ball of pure energy and happiness that is Munenori Kawasaki. The man bounced around the infield so much that he distracted J.J. Putz from Dustin Ackley’s at-bat. He started stretching and sprinting during Arizona’s pitching change. He bowed to the umpire—who bowed back.

Of course, in a game that ended in the 10th inning with a score of 12-9, there are many players to credit. The Mariners picked themselves up after Monday’s loss with a 6-run inning in the 5th, three home runs (courtesy of Justin Smoak, Brendan Ryan, and Kyle Seager), and a solid outing from the ‘pen.

On a grander scale, Ichiro hit the 2,500th mark with a leadoff single, becoming the fifth fastest MLB player to reach 2,500 career hits. Leadoff treated him kindly during the rest of the game, as he drove in 2 runs and reached base 4 times in 5 PA.

Even more welcome, at least to this Mariners fan, was the performance from Brendan Ryan. After 9 games without a hit, Ryan has sparked something of a hitting streak, extending it to 4 games yesterday with a single and home run.

Overall, this was a game where everything worked flawlessly. Seattle held on until the end, and we caught a glimpse of the well-oiled machine the Mariners could become. From the 7th inning until the final strikeout of the 10th, the bullpen pitched scoreless inning after scoreless inning. In the 7th, Brandon League induced three groundouts. In the 8th and 9th, Charlie Furbush racked up 4 strikeouts in 6 batters faced. In the 10th, Tom Wilhelmsen retired the side with 14 pitches.

This afternoon, the Mariners will take on the D-backs for the final game of this series. Whether we’ll get the exciting, dominant Mariners of the future or an overeager adolescent team is yet to be determined.

Next game: @ D-backs | June 20 | 12:40pm