MIAMI — It's slowly but assuredly looking brighter for the Mariners, who pulled out a 4-3 victory over the Florida Marlins last night despite going 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position.

They won even though five of those outs came from the National League imports in the middle of the order, Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre, who didn't find their comfort zone at Dolphins Stadium.

They won despite giving up a two-run, go-ahead single to the opposing pitcher, Brian Moehler, despite balking home a run in the eighth, and despite getting a temporarily frightening health scare in the ninth.

Closer Eddie Guardado, whose nickname might have to be officially changed from "Every Day" to "Lights Out," shook his left arm in a fashion that alarmed the Seattle bench after throwing ball four to the first batter he faced in the ninth, Damion Easley.

Trainer Rick Griffin and pitching coach Bryan Price hurried to the mound to check on Guardado, who quickly assured them he was fine.

Then he proved it by retiring the next three batters for his 16th consecutive save, stranding Easley on third to run his streak of scoreless appearances to 11 dating to May 4.

"It's a habit," Guardado said of his arm shake. "I guess I did it more than normal. They get nervous when I double-twitch."

Guardado acknowledged that he's been receiving treatment on his elbow for two weeks, but stressed, "It's fine, normal stuff. I just don't want what happened last year to happen again."

What happened last year was shoulder problems that eventually ended his season on Aug. 1 with a partially torn rotator cuff. He opted for rehabilitation rather than surgery, and now is the hottest closer in baseball, a bona fide All-Star candidate.

"Eddie's got no fear," Mariners' manager Mike Hargrove said. "He's a tremendous competitor, and has all the intangibles you need to be a good closer. You see a guy throwing 87 mph, and you say, 'How can he close as consistently as he does?' It's because he has a big heart, no fear, and command of all his pitches."

It was the third straight game Seattle has pulled out in the late innings, and was a good one to get since they now face two of the NL's top pitchers, Dontrelle Willis and Josh Beckett.

But they are also facing a reeling Marlins team that has lost 11 of its last 13 games and yesterday fell into last place in the tight NL East. The Mariners, meanwhile, have won seven of their last nine, and now find themselves back on the fringes of the AL West race.

Granted, they're still six under and seven back, but at least they appear headed in the right direction. Not that Hargrove is ready to concede that point.

"I've been asked that question a hundred times — 'Is it turned around?' " he said. "If it's turned around, it's turned around. We'll just keep grinding it out. Today was a good day. We'll see about tomorrow tomorrow."

It was an especially good day for two of the Mariners' trio of Florida natives. Miami resident Raul Ibanez, getting a start in left field because of the absence of a designated hitter, hit a home run, while rookie shortstop Mike Morse of Plantation, a Fort Lauderdale suburb, had his first career two-hit game.

The Mariners were especially pleased with the second one by Morse, a solidly stroked ball to left after his previous three major-league hits were bloopers.

"That was the first time I drove it," Morse said. "I'll take all the little bloopers, but I felt I really got extended on that one. I felt very relaxed today. It felt like the old days, when you just used to play."

Morse was also hit by a pitch and scored the eventual winning run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs. That came after catcher Pat Borders, the third Floridian, hit a grounder up the middle off the leg of Florida pitcher Jim Mecir, who threw wildly to first to allow Bret Boone to score and Morse to get to third.

Sexson pulled a frustrating 0 for 5 with three strikeouts, but still contributed to the victory with a sprawling defensive play. He smothered Juan Pierre's grounder toward the hole with two runners on base in the seventh, ending the Marlins' threat off eventual winning pitcher Shigetoshi Hasegawa.

"I thought that ball was by him," Hargrove said. "He made a huge play for us. You like to see guys who don't swing the bat well do something with their glove, and Richie sure saved the game for us."

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