It only takes 1

This game should be called "It only take one."  That's all it took for the Seattle Mariners to take game 3 and the series from the defending AL Champions. I hate to say it, but these are really the type of games you have to win if you want to be a contender. Once again, the Rays wasted great pitching and couldn't drive in the runs that they needed to win. For some reason, I knew in my gut when Ichiro hit that home run in the 1st that it was going to be the game changer. I just didn't think it would be the only run the Mariners needed.

Here are some things I noticed tonight:

• How bad do you think James Shields wishes he could have that pitch to Ichiro back in the 1st inning?  In a classic pitchers duel like we saw today, it always comes down to one pitch. Unfortunately for Big Game James, that one pitch came early in the game.

• Felix Hernandez lived up to his King Felix nickname.  He pitched lights out against the Rays, even working his way out of trouble after errors and walks.  

• The Rays did have their chances, they just couldn't get the key hit.  Pat Burrell and Zorilla both found ways to get on base against King Felix. Too bad Navi and Aki couldn't do anything to get them in.  Hernandez also seemed to own Longo, who may have lost his jungle karma.

• I was arguing with Matty from St. Pete over text message. He claims that the Mariners are this year's version of the Rays. While I think they're improved, I don't thing they're as good as the Rays were last year.  The Mariner's line-up has a lot more holes in it right now than the Rays did last year. However, give the Mariners credit... they beat the Rays.

• As well as Hernandez pitched, the Rays did have their chance late in the game.  Seattle went to the bullpen in the 8th inning with the top of the Rays order coming up. They had 6 outs to score 1 run.  They failed.  

• This is the 4th straight series loss for the defending AL Champions.  They've only taken one series and that was the first one of the year. The call for another streak begins tomorrow night in Oakland. But, right now, the Rays aren't looking like a team competing against the "Beasts of the East." They should own teams like the Mariners.