Mariners' Jason Vargas throws another gem, beats Cubs

Such is the confidence in the Mariners' starting pitching these days that Franklin Gutierrez observed on Tuesday, "We just need one run to win a game."

That has been literally true in three of the games of their current five-game win streak, and it was the case again Tuesday in the M's 2-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Safeco Field.

Gutierrez doubled that required output with one swing in the second inning, a two-run homer off Ryan Dempster that made a winner of Seattle's ace du jour, Jason Vargas.

With Vargas blanking the Cubs on four hits over seven innings, M's starters have given up just two earned runs in 38-2/3 innings in those five victories. That's an 0.46 earned-run average, which will definitely lessen the need for an offensive explosion.

"I can't say enough about our pitching," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said. "It's been pretty phenomenal to watch."

It was Vargas who started the streak last Wednesday in St. Louis, when the Mariners were stuck in a seemingly hopeless rut. He helped salvage a miserable road trip with 7-2/3 strong innings against the Cardinals in St. Louis in a 2-1 Mariners victory.

They then beat the Reds 1-0 on a complete-game six-hitter by Cliff Lee; won 5-1 against the Reds on a complete-game five-hitter by Felix Hernandez; and won 1-0 again over Cincinnati with Ryan Rowland-Smith working six shutout innings.

Those games were bookended by Vargas' gems, which have lowered his ERA to 2.66. He ranks among the American League leaders but says he hasn't paid much attention to that.

"Now that you've brought that up, it's a nice feeling to have," he said. "I'm not really a computer-savvy guy where I'm on the Internet looking at those type of things. I've got a 2-year-old son at home. We watch cartoons most of the time. We don't get to 'SportsCenter' too much."

It might be too late to salvage their season — the Mariners remained 13 games behind the victorious Texas Rangers — but the pitching brilliance is providing a spark for a previously sputtering team.

It's not like the Mariners' offense has cured itself during the win streak, mind you, but not much run support is required these days, as Gutierrez pointed out. Seattle has scored all of 11 runs during the five-game streak.

"Our pitching has been unbelievable," said Mike Carp. "If they keep up like that, it's going to be a lot of fun."

Facing the Cubs for just the third series ever, and the first time at Safeco Field since 2002, the Mariners got all the runs they needed off Dempster in the second inning. Jose Lopez led off with a single to left, and Gutierrez sent a 2-1 pitch over the left-field wall for his sixth homer. Game, set, match.

It was Gutierrez's first homer since May 25, a span of 98 plate appearances.

"He threw me a pitch I could handle," Gutierrez said. "He tried to come in, and left the ball right there."

The M's had just three other hits off Dempster: a third-inning single by Josh Wilson, a late lineup insertion at second base when Chone Figgins became ill; an infield single by Ichiro in the fifth; and a single by Eliezer Alfonzo in the seventh.

The Cubs' best opportunity to score off Vargas came in the seventh, when they put runners on the corners with two outs. Geovany Soto drew the only walk from Vargas on the night and moved to third on Alfonso Soriano's sharp single. But M's first baseman Carp, diving to his right, fielded Tyler Colvin's grounder and flipped to Vargas covering for the out.

"That was huge," Vargas said. "I thought that ball was going through the hole for sure."

Poor baserunning by Soriano had cost the Cubs in the fifth. He led off with a double, on a pop fly that dropped inside the right-field line, but took off running on Colvin's line drive. The only problem was, the ball was snared by left fielder Michael Saunders, who easily doubled off Soriano.

Brandon League replaced Vargas in the eighth and immediately ran into big trouble. He walked Starlin Castro, who moved to second on a single by Ryan Theriot. But Marlon Byrd, who had two of the four hits allowed by Vargas, grounded into a well-turned double play started by Wilson.

David Aardsma worked an uneasy ninth for his 16th save. He issued a two-out walk to Soto, followed by a Soriano single that moved him to third. Colvin, representing the go-ahead run, struck out on a 2-2 fastball.

Suddenly, the Mariners are winning the close games they had been losing earlier in the season.

"Now it's turned a bit,"Wakamatsu said. "These guys feel there's a belief system they can win these tight games."

Added Vargas: "It's a good feeling in the clubhouse now."

Three shutouts in five games will do that.

Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com