As you can see from my earlier posts, I am back after a 7-day hiatus in my hometown of Havre, Montana… or as I call it “God’s Country.”

But I’m back and ready for some baseball. And of course, useless information that will help you be better at your local pub trivia contest. Like … did you know that on this date in 1990, Stevie Ray Vaughan died in a helicopter crash.

Famous people born on this day include Ernie Broglio (1935), who …

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Michael Pineda had a less than stellar outing last night for the Tacoma Rainiers. The Mariners’ top pitching prospect struggled against the Portland Beavers, lasting 3 2/3 innings, giving up six runs on eight hits with a walk and five strikeouts. He threw 81 pitches with just 53 strike.

That outing puts his total number of innings pitched between Double A West Tenn and Triple A Tacoma at 139 1/3innings this year. That’s the most he’s ever throw in a season. And it …

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In his first 14 games as interim manager, Daren Brown has seen the Seattle Mariners go 7-7, winning more games in that span than they did all of July.

What starting pitcher has won the most under Brown? David Pauley, who’s 2-1. Felix Hernandez?  He’s won once. David Aardsma has two saves, Brandon League one.

What Brown hasn’t been able to do is coax much more from the Seattle lineup than anyone else, an indication, perhaps, that this offense isn’t simply short, it’s bad. It has one .300 hitter (Ichiro), one power hitter (Russell Branyan) and no one with a …

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Daren Brown is making changes at just two positions – catcher and left field – and otherwise, it’s the same lineup tonight as it was this afternoon.

Here’s the Mariners lineup vs. Tim Wakefield:

• Ichiro Suzuki, RF
• Chone Figgins, 2B
• Russell Branyan, DH
• Jose Lopez, 3B
• Franklin Gutierrez, CF
• Casey Kotchman, 1B
• Adam Moore, C
• Matt Tuiasosopo, LF
• Josh Wilson, SS
• Felix Hernandez, P

Boston just scratched lefty Jon Lester as their starting pitcher in the nightcap of this double-header.

The explanation?

Daisuke Matsusaka is having back problems and won’t br able to start on Friday as scheduled – so the Red Sox moved Lester back and will start him Friday. Tim Wakefield will start the 4 p.m. (PDT) game tonight.

As for the Mariners, they’d starting Felix Hernandez, though the change in Boston pitchers might change their lineup. Stay tuned.

David Pauley is starting the first game of a scheduled day-night double header, and the Seattle Mariners would happily take a repeat of his only career start against Boston.

On July 24, at Safeco Field, Pauley went 5 1/3 innings and allowed one run – and a David Ortiz homer – in a no-decision.

Now, FenwayPark isn’t Safeco Field, but Pauley is a tenacious right-hander who seems capable of pitching into and out of jams throughout a game. He’ll need to feel his way through this Red Sox lineup, and hope the Mariners can score against Josh Beckett.

The odds on …

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Umpiring crew chief Joe West says the scheduled 10:30 a.m. (PDT) Boston-Seattle game will start on time, barring a monsoon, and at the moment there’s only a drizzle.

“I went out in the dugout this morning and splashed around,” manager Daren Brown said. “If it stops raining, the field should be OK. At least the infield, since it’s been under a tarp.”

Alonzo Powell, the Mariners batting coach and a former outfielder, took note of that in teasing infielder Josh Wilson: “Heaven forbid there’s a puddle near shortstop. The outfielders? They’ll let them play in a swamp!”

The lineup against …

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It’s a bit wet here in Boston, having rained for the last 30 hours or so, and it is still raining hard enough to drench a writer running from a taxi to the media gate at Fenway Park.

On the field, players were practicing catching pop flies (photo) in waist deep water.

At the moment, the first game of today’s double header is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. (PDT), and no one here believes hat will happen. The warning track is underwater in spots, and shows washed out dirt canyons in others.

David Pauley and Felix Hernandez are the Mariners scheduled …

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