Once again, I have a Sunday night flight to catch, so I'm racing. The Mariners deserve full credit for pulling out the final two wins here, and getting this tough road trip started on a positive note. Not to sound corny, but this was one of those instances where you have to credit their character. They've been facing a lot of adversity, yet they've won nine of 12 since getting swept by the Rockies in Denver. Sure, some of those games were against the weak sisters of the NL West, but the Dodgers don't fall in that category. They have the best record in the majors, and a quality lineup even without Manny.

The Mariners were up to the challenge. At 39-36, they moved three games over .500 for the first time since they were 15-12 on May 5. Now Seattle is off for its first venture in new Yankee Stadium, starting Tuesday, followed by three against the Red Sox in Fenway.

Most of the post-game talk was about the pending departure of Adrian Beltre, who went around the clubhouse hugging his teammates as they left for the airport. He told each one the same thing: "Stay healthy."

Here's Don Wakamatsu: "For me, the story of the day is really about Beltre. He's a guy that's played in a lot of pain. He didn't have to play today, didn't need to play. He came in and said, I want to be with my teammates. I want to gut it out. He probably had four or five plays over there that were critical for us. His presence in this lineup is going to be sorely missed. He's such a special player, such a special person. He brings so much to our club. That win today is for him.

"We had talked about last night being his last game. He came in and said, you know what, I'm not having the surgery until Tuesday. I want to give you one more."

Here are Beltre's quotes, and then I need to hit the road. As Jerry Jeff Walker said, "If I can just get off of that L.A. freeway without getting killed or caught."

On what he was thinking as the game ended: "How am I going to handle it, watching these guys play on TV? It's not easy. I'm just thiniking about getting healthy and being back here as soon as possible. And hopefully, I believe they're going to keep doing good and stay in the hunt. I hope I can contribute better when I come back.

"It's a little emotional, but it's for best. Best for me, and best for the team, having me 100 percent where I can contribute more than I am right now."

On the rehab he faces after Tuesday's operation; "Nothing is tough when you want to do it. Sometimes it's tough when you're not committed to do it. If you want to contribute and come back, it's not tough. It's going to be easy because I want to be back here.''