Leaping Lopez! 2B pulls off big play

The words "Jose Lopez" and "vertical leap" usually don't find themselves together in the same sentence.

But the Mariners second baseman proved he can indeed jump, using an acrobatic leap in the eighth inning Friday afternoon to avoid a takeout slide and help turn a key 5-4-3 double play in a one-run game. Lopez then went to bat in the bottom of the inning and lined a two-out double off Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers to drive in the final two runs of a 4-1 victory.

After the game, most of the talk centered on Lopez's well-timed leap, which enabled him to narrowly avoid the hard slide by Miguel Cabrera.

"I didn't even think about it with that play," Lopez said. "You need to make one out first on that play. Especially leading by one run. I heard the runner close and needed to jump on that one, or I'd get killed."

The double play was key because the Mariners were going to bring reliever Brandon Morrow in to face Gary Sheffield in the ensuing at-bat. Instead of entering with the tying run on, one out and attempting a five-out save, Morrow was able to face Sheffield with two out and none on.

Morrow got Sheffield to pop out to left field, then worked a perfect ninth inning, spotted the three-run cushion courtesy of Lopez.

Internet fun

Ryan Rowland-Smith is the latest Mariner to join the world of blogging. Miguel Batista has done a regular blog for ESPN Deportes for years, but Rowland-Smith's blog debuted this week on prolebrity.com.

The site is run by Stacey Pressman, an ESPN the Magazine contributor, and former NFL player Marcellus Wiley. Pressman is a friend of Rowland-Smith's and approached him a short time ago about contributing to the site.

"I'm not one of those guys who spends time on places like Facebook and those other sites," Rowland-Smith said. "But she asked me if I could do this, and it sounded like a fun thing."

Rowland-Smith's first entry, published on Thursday, is titled "My First Start" and is a chronicle of his start last Tuesday against Toronto. He threw a scoreless first three innings, then gave up three runs in the fourth.

"Going into the game, the coaches, reporters and everyone else played it down and acted like I was just filling in a spot because I was the most stretched out as far as the bullpen goes," he wrote, "but I looked at it as something special. It was my first start in the major leagues."

Rowland-Smith is to make his second start Sunday.

Looking for lefties

Milwaukee, in need of some left-handed pitching, has had a scout at all four games of this Mariners homestand. The Brewers continue to be rumored as the front-runner in attempts to land Cleveland southpaw ace C.C. Sabathia, last year's AL Cy Young Award winner and a free agent after this season.

But the Brewers are also in need of some left-handed bullpen help and might want to shore up the middle of their rotation with a lesser arm if they can't land a front-line pitcher.

Among the Seattle pitchers who fit that bill: Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn, Arthur Rhodes and Rowland-Smith. Three have made starts on the homestand, while Rhodes has appeared in relief.

It's also worth noting that, on the Bedard front, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin and assistant GM Gord Ash both hail from Bedard's home province of Ontario.

A report in The Philadelphia Inquirer earlier in the week mentioned that Bedard remains the second choice of the Phillies if they are unable to land Sabathia.

The report stated that Charley Kerfield, special assistant to Phillies GM Pat Gillick, scouted Bedard in Seattle recently.

It added that Mariners had a couple of scouts watch the Phillies' Class AAA affiliate in Reading, hoping to see right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco, the organization's top prospect.

Carrasco was a last-minute scratch because of shoulder stiffness. But the scouts were expected to be in Philadelphia this weekend to look at the team's big-league talent.

Note

• Fresh off his 1,700th major-league hit on Thursday, Ichiro appears set to take aim at No. 1,800. Despite some first-half struggles, Ichiro has notched 108 hits — though the last 26 have been singles.

The 89 consecutive plate appearances he has gone without an extra-base hit is the longest stretch of his career. He is on pace — barely — to notch his eighth consecutive 200-hit season, though his total would be the lowest of his career.

For the record

Streak: W1

Home: 18-26

Road: 16-26

vs. AL West: 10-14

vs. L.A.: 3-6

vs. Oakland: 3-2

vs. Texas: 4-6

vs. AL East: 10-18

vs. AL Cent.: 5-11

vs. NL: 9-9

vs. LHP: 9-13

vs. RHP: 25-39

Day: 10-17

Night: 24-35

One-run: 9-15

Extra innings: 2-2

Home attendance

Friday's crowd: 30,564

Season total: 1,235,826

Biggest crowd: 46,334 (March 31)

Smallest crowd: 15,818 (May 6)

Average (44 dates): 28,087

2007 average (44 dates): 31,475