"For the return of Erik Bedard, the Seattle Mariners brought out their bats Monday, only to have the Texas Rangers one-up them and bring out their runs.

At one point in the eighth inning, the Mainers had 10 hits to the Rangers' five, and still trailed by two runs before losing, 6-4.

"We're creating opportunities to score, but we've got to do a better job finishing innings," Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. "I was real pleased with Erik tonight. He hadn't been out there in a long time, and he had the same rhythm and tempo we saw all spring.

"He pitched well. We made some mistakes behind him."

Ah, mistakes.

One was not scoring enough runs, and if Wedge thinks, after four games, that his team isn't finishing off innings, he shouldine have seen this team in 2010. They weren't among the worst offenses in 40 years by accident.

There was another mistake, every bit as costly, that came in the field.

Bedard was trailing, 1-0, in the second inning after giving up an Elvis Andrus home run in the first. He got two quick outs in the second, gave up a single, then got a looping liner to right field from Yorvit Torrealba.

Ichiro Suzuki charged the ball, but seemed to be caught between sliding for the catch or running through the ball. He slid.

The ball hit him in the glove, chest high, and bounced out. Error, Ichiro. Worse, the next batter, Julio Borbon, tripled home two runs, and it was 3-0."