Final score: Rays 4, Mariners 1

No one said this game would be easy. In fact, some people said this game wouldn’t be easy. And they were right.

This game lasted two innings before Blake Beavan broke it with 5 consecutive hits and 4 runs over 43 pitches. Although he coasted through the next three innings, the Mariners struggled to close the gap, catching a break on the efforts of Trayvon Robinson and Eric Thames with a triple and RBI single.

From there, the carousel of relievers spun out Carter Capps (in his Safeco Field debut), Lucas Luetge, and Shawn Kelley. Capps tossed two 100-MPH heaters, averaged 95.8 MPH in 26 pitches, struck out one of 5 batters, and issued 3 walks in 1.0 IP.

Tomorrow, Kevin Millwood takes on Matt Moore. Actually, forget that. On Wednesday, King Felix faces Jeremy Hellickson. Now there’s something you can feel good about.

Next game: vs. Rays | August 14 | 7:10pm

Tonight, the Mariners take on Drew Smyly and the rest of the Tigers in their last game of the homestand. Tomorrow, they’ll have an off-day before traveling to New York for a 10-game road trip. Here’s the latest from the Seattle blogosphere:

Identifying The Least Intimidating Batter In Baseball — I’ll give you one guess.

Painting the Black — R.J. Anderson gives a pitch-by-pitch analysis of Jesus Montero’s first appearance against Tampa Bay’s Matt Moore.

Game 32, Tigers at Mariners — I know it looks like a game thread, but Dave Cameron has a bit of reassurance to dish out when it comes to the Mariners’ 5th starter, Kevin Millwood.

Figgins Benched, Ackley Assumes His Rightful Position At Leadoff — Just hours after I wrote this about Chone Figgins, Wedge made the decision to officially deem him a utility player. The relief was short-lived, though; only one start later, Brendan Ryan was moved up to No. 2.

Four Great Reasons To Watch Mariners Baseball — If you read anything this week, read this. We can always use more reminders of the upside of Mariners baseball.

What have you read this week? Share it with us in the comments!

Just as Larry Stone predicted yesterday, Mike Carp was called up from Tacoma as soon as Miguel Olivo was assigned to the DL. He represented the final at-bat of today’s game, pinch-hitting for Brendan Ryan and going down swinging as Fernando Rodney retired the side.

The Mariners couldn’t quite get things started tonight, stranding 15 runners and striking out 12 times. They scattered 9 hits in 8 innings, only three of which went for extra bases, including Michael Saunders’s home run off lefty starter Matt Moore. Thanks to the efforts of Jesus Montero, who went 4-for-4 with three singles and a double, the team reached base in all but two innings.

In large part, this game belonged to the pitching staff. Hector Noesi earned his third loss of the season, lasting 5.2 IP for 3 hits, 3 walks, and 3 earned runs. His trio of relievers—Lucas Luetge, Steve Delabar, and Charlie Furbush—pitched a flawless 2.1 innings, allowing just one walk and striking out three. Although the Rays gave up three times as many hits, only one fell in for a run, leaving Moore and his ‘pen with 12 strikeouts and a win.

Tomorrow, Blake Beavan takes on RHP James Shields for Game #3. Beavan made his last start in a 9-5 win against the Blue Jays, while Shields is 4-0 on the season, with 13 earned runs and 28 strikeouts in his last five starts. As far as the offense goes… well, let me put it this way. RBIs may be meaningless in the world of sabermetrics, but when it comes to winning games, I wouldn’t mind seeing a few more out of this team.

Next game: @ Rays | May 2 | 4:10pm