=== Inning 4 ===

Bedard is in a rocking chair.  He's firing, and after the 5-3 putout, he's holding out his glove demanding the ball back, "Cmon Cmon Cmon."  Actually mouthing the words on TV.

He throws first-pitch fastballs to each of the three batters, as if bluffing on the first hand of a long poker night .... and then follows with curve balls, like a poker player tightening up after an early fast-play representation.

Beltre does a great job to hit a deep fly ball off one curve, but the other two guys tap grounders to Chone Figgins.

Erik Bedard is a LH ground ball pitcher.  Chone Figgins is a waterbug third baseman.  It's a match made in saber/scout Unitarian heaven, and Figgins fields six grounders in 7 innings behind Bedard (ML average being 2.0 plays for the 3B per game).

Bedard/Figgins will snuff many AL right hand hit men.

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=== Inning 5 ===

The Mariners go down meekly again in a 1-1 game.  I'm a guy who loves 10-to-6 scoreboards.  Low-scoring games are tense, but dreary, for me.

I'm prepared to write up the M's need for more hitting, but it dawns on me that

• This is a team that will always have to win games 4-2 and 5-3 and 3-1
• They're getting unlucky tonight
• They probably actually do have enough offense to scrape out a good # of W's for these starters

So I grab a coffee and suffer through the middle innings of an unpleasant 45-degree game.

The M's are tied 1-1 but, because of the long and agonizing first inning, it feels like they've been down 3-0 all night.  It still feels like they're sure to lose, but Cindy says "Oh, they're going to win."

What makes you say that?

"Just a feeling.  They'll win this one."  She sensed the 13 bases vs 8 bases thingy long before I counted it up.

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=== Inning 6 ===

The stRangers get their only legit rally:  Kinsler breaks up the no-hitter with a double, gets bunted to third .... and Young smacks the ball through a drawn-in infield.

Bedard is cheerful throughout.  Maybe he's wearing a wire and Cindy is in his ear.

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