Losing to the team closest to them in the American League West, 9-1, ended the Seattle Marienrs month of August with a 15-12 record – and reminded them just how tough finishing at .500 will be.

The Los Angeles Angels beat them, and in the 29 games remaining, the Mariners will play the Angels, Rangers and Athletics 20 times. Against those three teams, Seattle is 17-20 in 2012.

Kevin Millwood got hit early and needed 117 pitches to get 15 outs, leaving after five innings down, 5-1. It didn’t get better.

It didn’t help, either, that the Mariners had to …

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The Seattle Mariners are assured of winning records in July (15-11) and August (15-11), and tonight begin a 30-game sprint toward a goal they’ve reached twice in the last eight seasons – an above .500 record.

Now 64-68, the Mariners open a nine-game home stand against the Angels (69-62), Red Sox (62-70) and Athletics (73-57).  How they do will go a long way toward determining how they finish – September is not a kind month.

Down the stretch, the Mariners face Texas six times, the Angels and Athletics again, Toronto and Baltimore.

Seattle will reinforce its roster starting tomorrow, with players …

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All of this fantastic information is provided by Mariners director of baseball information Jeff Evans

2012 Season – Is 13-5 with an American League leading 2.43 ERA in 27 starts this season…leads the AL in shutouts (5) and innings pitched (196.2), 2nd in complete games (5), 3rd in strikeouts (184), 3rd in opponent avg (.218), T3rd in quality starts (19), T6th in wins (13) and 10th with 8.42 K/9.0 IP.

Domination – Over his last 14 starts is 9-0 with a 1.40 ERA (17 ER, 109.0 IP), 5 shutouts, 100 strikeouts (8.3 K/9.0 IP) and a .183 opponent batting average (70×383) – …

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Tacoma Rainiers pitcher David Pauley has been suspended 50 games for a drug violation, the ccommissioner’s office announced.

Pauley was penalized for a second violation for a drug of abuse.

Pauley, a 29-year-old right-hander, pitched in the majors this season for Toronto and the Los Angeles Angels. The Mariners signed him as a free agent on July 12 and assigned him to Tacoma. He went 1-2 with a 3.14 ERA in 28.6 innings for the Rainiers.

Also, the commissioner’s office announced two other drug suspensions.

Detroit minor league outfielder Darren Driggers was banned after testing positive for a metabolite of …

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It’s Eric Wedge’s philosophy that dealing with failure well makes great players and, after striking out in each of his first three at-bats Wednesday, Seattle Mariners outfielder Eric Thames was more than willing to buy in.

“Up here at this level, it’s all about making the big pitch, getting the big hit,” Thames said. “This team? We’re playing our butts off, and if pitchers keep giving us the chance to win every game, why not win them?”

The Seattle Mariners won this one, beating the Cleveland Indians, 3-1, on the strength of Thames’ two-out, eighth-inning, two-run double and the 19th …

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Bartolo Colon was caught using a performance enhancing drug and suspended for 50 games today, the kind of news youdon’t even want in a division rival, and the Seattle Mariners try to win their eighth game in a row.

Colon, the Oakland Athletics pitcher, apologized and accepted his penalty, but one has to question the intelligence of Colon and Melky Cabrera. Each knew he would be tested in 2012. Neither let it discourage him from cheaating..

If someone is so willing to conciously spit in the face of the fans and the game, perhaps 50 games isn’t enough today. Why …

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Felix Hernandez gave a single to the first batter he faced Tuesday, then pitched another gem, working into the eighth inning in Seattle’s 5-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians that was the Mariners seventh consecutive win.

Eric Thames had a solo home run, John Jaso put the Mariners ahead for good and Jesus Montero broke the game open with a three-run home run as Seattle pulled its season record to 60-64.

A crowd of 39,204, most of them wearing yellow t-shirts commemorating Felix’s perfect game last week, saw the Mariners run their record since the All-Star break to an American …

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The Seattle Mariners will play the Cleveland Indians tonight, although that’s almost secondary to the celebration of Felix Hernandez at Safeco Field.

There’s the pre-game video tribute to his perfect game, the passing out of yellow King’s Court-style t-shirts to as many as 34,000 fans and the happy chaos almost certain to follow.

And then, Hernandez will actually pitch. Behind him, the usual left-handed hitting assortment of teammates will face Indians rigtht-hander Roberto Hernandez.

It sets up to be Seattle’s seventh consecutive win, but that’s not the way the game works. If Felix isn’t focused, Cleveland is capable of pounding …

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