Final score: Diamondbacks 14, Mariners 10

I’ll admit it: I spaced out during this game. On my commute home this afternoon, I turned on the radio to hear the Diamondbacks scoot around the bases for runs 11, 12, 13, and 14 on Miguel Montero’s RBI single and Ryan Roberts’ inside-the-park homer. At which point, I turned on KISS FM and started belting some Adele.

Here are the bullet points of today’s game. Although a 14-10 loss is never welcome, there were some standout moments from the Mariners that deserve a bit of attention before we shelve this series.

• Jason Vargas surrendered five home runs in 4.1 innings, with a side of 9 hits, 10 earned runs, and 2 walks. Although he struck out two batters, the Ks came after wearying 7-pitch at-bats.
• His shaky start notwithstanding, Vargas became the first Mariners pitcher this season to record a hit. He went 1-for-2 at the plate with a single off opposing starter Trevor Cahill, coming around to score Seattle’s first run on a John Jaso double.
• The Mariners fought back, albeit not quite as hard, with two home runs from Kyle Seager and Franklin Gutierrez. Kyle’s homer, his tenth of the season, was the icing on a 5-run 3rd inning. Guti, on the other hand, served up a 3-RBI jack in the 8th to bring the M’s within four runs of tying the game.
• Brendan Ryan stretched his hitting streak to 5 games, going 2-for-4 today with a base hit and a double. Both times, Munenori Kawasaki followed with non-productive outs.
• The ‘pen collapsed in the 4.2 innings following Vargas’s departure, giving up 7 hits, 4 runs, and the 6th long ball of the day. Oliver Perez was the handpicked closer of the afternoon, and maintained his scoreless streak with a 10-pitch, 2-strikeout inning.
• RISP: 4-for-8. Progress!

After an off day tomorrow, the Mariners will reunite with the Padres at Petco Park on Friday for a much-needed rematch.

Next game: @ Padres | June 22 | 7:05pm

Walking stick and Talking Stick. I looked at way too many photos of bugs to find that image.

A few days ago, the Giants played the Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Yes, that is the official name of the stadium. Broadcasters Kruk and Kuip were deliberating over the name: to call it Salt River Fields, or Talking Stick? They settled on Talking Stick for brevity, but I think I’m going to go by Salt River Fields instead. There are just too many images of walking sticks in my head right now.

Today’s lineups:

Seattle: 3B Figgins, SS Ryan, RF Ichiro, LF Carp, CF Wells, DH Peguero, 1B Liddi, C Jaso, 2B Kawasaki, LHP Vargas.

Arizona: SS Willie Bloomquist, 2B Aaron Hill, RF Justin Upton, C Miguel Montero, CF Chris Young, DH Jason Kubel, 1B Paul Goldschmidt, LF Gerardo Parra, 3B Ryan Roberts, RHP Trevor Bauer.

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Today’s game will be broadcast live on 710 ESPN Seattle, and as always, Gameday is available for you to use (along with your imagination), since the game will not be televised. For some reason, I feel like we’ve been deprived of live broadcasts for the past week, so today will be fun.