"Just so we're clear: yes, that was Erik Bedard taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning on Tuesday, despite a 33-pitch first frame that threatened to prevent him from a second consecutive venture into the seventh inning.

And yes, that was the Seattle Mariners offense bailing out its bullpen with a string of clutch hits in the bottom of the eighth inning, Jack Cust pouncing on a first-pitch curveball from Rangers reliever Darren Oliver to drive home the game's winning run.

It just didn't look like them. Or, maybe now that the Mariners have won six of their last seven games, taking a 4-3 win over the Texas Rangers at Safeco Field on Tuesday, we should treat these occurrences as signs that Seattle plans to actually compete in the American League West this season.

When this team left Safeco nine days ago, it held an 8-15 record, and looked for all the world as if it was heading for a season similar to last year's 101-loss debacle.

Now?

"We're winning," Cust said. "When you're winning ball games, everything's better, no matter what the stats are, or how you're feeling personally."

They've got to be feeling pretty good after another promising start by Bedard, who overcame his rough start to finish seven strong innings and keep the Mariners (14-16) in the game on a night when they once more had trouble hitting with runners in scoring position.

The Rangers (16-14) didn't need any hits to score their first run. Bedard walked the first two batters of the game, Ian Kinsler advanced to third base on a fly-out by Michael Young, then scored when Mariners third baseman Chone Figgins botched a ground ball off the bat off Adrian Beltre.

"Every start, you always have one inning that's difficult and you try to get through," Bedard said. "After that, it's just settling down and throwing strikes."

Bedard needed 33 pitches - 15 strikes, 18 balls - to retire Texas in the first, though managed to face only six batters in the process. And managed to go seven innings in consecutive starts for the first time since May 2 and May 7 of 2008.

"He really had to work in that first inning, and for him to be able to give us seven strong innings, that says a lot about just how far he's come," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said.

The Mariners tied the game in the third inning, when Ichiro led off with a single, Adam Kennedy singled two batters later and Justin Smoak lined a ground-rule double on one hop over the right-field fence.

Problem was, Kennedy would have scored easily had the ball simply caromed off the wall and stayed in the yard. Instead he was halted at third, where he watched as Cust grounded out to second base to end the inning."