Mariners win, 5-2

Spring training went into extra innings today as the Seattle Mariners forestalled the start of the 2008 season until the sixth frame. Then they scored for the first time, eventually putting away the Texas Rangers 5-2 in front of a capacity crowd, many fans obviously glad that a roof kept away every kind of weather except the baseball kind.

The victory wasn’t exactly impressive unless you like extended Cactus League play. It took the supposed franchise-savior pitcher Erik Bedard 96 deliveries to retire the first dozen Texas Rangers he faced, leading some to wonder: Had the testy lefty with the iffy spring training picked up right where he’d let down in preseason? But Bedard’s numbers through his five innings were about what was advertised when the M’s paid franchise-player money for him. If not for a first-inning dinger by perennial Mariner-murderer Michael Young, Bedard would have finished his stint with legitimate ace-pitcher stats, including five innings, three hits and five strike-outs.

The M’s big hit came in the seventh, when Jose Lopez doubled in a couple to, as it happened, put the game away. The shaky second-baseman, who also singled, had some dubious glove work and was thrown out trying to steal. But manager John McLaren, during a post-game chat with reporters, was willing to forgive Lopez his sins.

“This game’s all about growing up,” McLaren observed in response to questions about his 24-year-old second-sacker’s decisions at the plate and defensive transgressions. “I really like what I’ve seen with Jose Lopez.”

He no doubt also liked Adrian Beltre’s two-hit night and solid relief pitching by three of the bullpen stalwarts. The M’s send Felix Hernandez to the mound Tuesday for the April Fool's Day game, with fans expecting better weather and perhaps a hit or two from the five members of the opening-day lineup who were blanked in the victory. Carlos Silva pitches Wednesday before the team leaves town until April 11.