Endy Chavez is gone for the year, Ken Griffey Jr. has a tender knee and Jose Lopez remains in Venezuela on bereavement leave.
That means Wladimir Balentien, Mike Sweeney and Chris Woodward are in the lineup and Jason Vargas is the starting pitcher.
Go ahead - pretend you saw the makeup of this team in spring training.
Fresh off their 18th come-from-behind victory, the Mariners will likely again be scratching for runs - although Arizona starter Billy Buckner's ERA (7.36) certainly looks inviting.
A win tonight and Seattle will be a .500 team.
And we're off.
Creating a run
Excuse Mr. Vargas for being a bit dazed by the first inning.
After giving up two singles, he got the second out of the inning on a foul popup behind the plate. When catcher Rob Johnson made the play, however, Jason Upton took off from first base - and Johnson threw wildly to second base.
The throw allowed Felipe Lopez to score from third base.
Vargas quickly got the third out, but trails by a run scored on a foul out to catcher. Go figure.
In the first: Diamondbacks 1, Mariners 0
Another Mariners comeback
Ah, those scrappy little Mariners!
Yuniesky Betancourt - gasp- drew a walk, and Ichiro singled him to third base. When center fielder Gerardo Parra let the all get by him, Yuni kept running and scored, with Ichiro winding up at second base.
Ichiro got to third on a ground ball, but was left there when Adrian Beltre struck out and Mike Sweeney lined out.
After three: Mariners 1, Diamondbacks 1
Wladdy likes left field
Before the game, GM Jack Zduriencik gave Balentien a little pep talk, telling him he should seize the opportunity of starting again.
So far, so good. Balentien, who singled in the second inning, homered in the fourth - his second of the season.
Vargas has the lead and has thrown only 57 pitches thus far.
After four: Mariners 2, Diamondbacks 1
Two won't win this one
With no margin for error, Vargas made one to open the seventh inning.
On a first pitch fastball, outfielder Justin Upton hit his 13th home run of the season to tie the game.
Like Jarrod Washburn a night earlier, Vargas has pitched a marvelous game and may wind up having no decision as a reward. He's allowed one earned run, and it's tied.
In the seventh inning: Mariners 2, Diamondbacks 2
Little ball
Betancourt opened the seventh with an infield single into the hole at shortstop, and took third base when Ichiro banged the ball off Buckner's glove and into short right field.
Clay Zavata came in for Buckner, but on a 3-2 pitch hit Russell Branyan, loading the bases with no out.
Batting for Beltre - he left the game after limping into the dugout - Ronny Cedeno bunted, but Arizona got the force at home.
Sweeney hit a fly ball to the warning track in left, and Ichiro came home with the go-ahead run. Gutierrez singled up the middle, scoring Branyan.
Two run lead with two innings to go? Figue Sean White for one, David Aardsma for one.
After seven: Mariners 4, Diamondbacks 2
That helps!
Seattle seems to have blown this game open, with Betancourt's two-run double and a double play that allowed a third run to score.
Looks like White will get the chance to finish this one, and Aardsma will be saved for another day.
After eight: Mariners 7, Diamondacks 2
It's never simple
Well, they won it but not quite as easily as they might have.
With White pitching, Arizona scored on a walk, error by Ronny Cedeno on a double play grounder and an RBI single.
Enter Aardsma, who struck out two, got a pop fly and now has not allowed a run in 23 of his last 24 games.
That works.
Beltre, by the way, left the game with a stiff left shoulder. He's day-to-day.
Aren't we all?
Final score: Mariners 7, Diamondbacks 3
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