"Chone Figgins is starting to look like the guy the Mariners envisioned when they signed him to that four-year, $36 million contract.

But when I mentioned to him after the game that he was on fire, he replied, "On fire is if you're getting a hit every single time. I'm not getting a hit every single time, so that's not on fire.''

OK, he's not on fire. But Figgins is hitting .481 (13-for-27) during a seven-game hitting streak, .522 (12-for-23) on the homestand, and .407 (24-for-59) since the dugout incident with manager Don Wakamatsu.

He, along with Ichiro, was in the middle of just about everything positive that happened for the Mariners today in their 3-2 win over Kansas City. Figgins had two singles, a walk, a stolen base, scored a run and drove in a run. Ichiro had two singles and scored the other two runs.

Perhaps most impressive was the way Ichiro and Figgins worked in synch. When Ichiro took off in the sixth, Figgins hit the ball to the spot vacated by the shortstop as he moved over to cover. And in the eighth, Ichiro got to second and again took off, and again Figgins delivered, an RBI single to provide what would be a vital insurance run. "