As expected, the Mariners recalled 1B Justin Smoak from AAA Tacoma and sent INF Alex Liddi back to the Rainiers in order to make roster room. Smoak will join the Mariners in Anaheim and be available for Wednesday night's contest against the Angels, the second game of a four-game series.

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GAME: Mariners (31-40, 4th, AL West, -10.5 GB) at Angels (31-39, 3rd, AL West, -10.0 GB). GAME #: 72. SERIES: 2nd of 4 games. MEETING: 8th (Angels lead 4-3). WHEN: Tuesday, 7:05 p.m., Angels Stadium. STREAKS: Mariners L 2; Angels W 1. TV: Root Sports. RADIO: ESPN 710, Mariners Radio Network

For most of the season's first two months, the Mariners muddled along with two starters (Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma) they could consistently count on, one they could only count on at home (Joe Saunders) and an unpalatable mash of rotational back enders they couldn't count on at all (Brandon Maurer, Blake Beavan, Aaron Harang).

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GAME: Mariners (31-39, 3rd, AL West, -10.5 GB) at Angels (30-39, 5th, AL West, -11.0 GB). GAME #: 71. SERIES: 1st of 4 games. MEETING: 7th (series tied 3-3). WHEN: Monday, 7:05 p.m., Angels Stadium. STREAKS: Mariners L 1; Angels L 1. TV: Root Sports. RADIO: ESPN 710, Mariners Radio Network

Aaron Harang sure is hard to figure. He lost five of his first six decisions with the Mariners after joining the rotation April 16, but has tossed two complete-game shutouts in his last four outings. And, during that stretch, May 27-June 11, Harang was shelled for six runs in a 2.1-inning outing against the New York Yankees.

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Dominant most of the season, Hisashi Iwakuma failed to bring his best stuff to O.com Coliseum Sunday, was beat up -- for him -- for four runs in five innings, and the Mariners fell to the Athletics 10-2, spoiling their shot at a three-game sweep in Oakland for the first time since April 10-12, 2009.

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GAME: Mariners (31-38, 3rd, AL West, -9.5 GB) at Athletics (41-29, 1st, AL West, +2.0 GA). GAME #: 70. SERIES: 3rd of 3 games. MEETING: 10th (Mariners lead 6-3). WHEN: Sunday, 1:05 p.m., O.com Coliseum. STREAKS: Mariners W 2; Athletics L 2. TV: Root Sports. RADIO: ESPN 710, Mariners Radio Network

When former Mariner Randy Johnson (1989-98) enters the Hall of Fame, probably in 2014, he will do so with 303 career victories, 4,875 strikeouts, 100 complete games, 10-All-Star selections, five Cy Young awards and a World Series ring (2001). The Big Unit will also tote into Cooperstown a career WHIP (walks + hits / IP) of 1.25. It's the WHIP numbers The Unit compiled during his five Cy Young seasons that interests us here.

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Backup catcher Henry Blanco, acquired by the Mariners Friday, improbably swatted a grand slam off A.J. Griffin in the sixth inning Saturday, and Felix Hernandez did the rest as the Mariners defeated the Oakland Athletics 4-0 at O.com Coliseum. Blanco, a career .226 hitter with his 11th team in 16 seasons, whacked a four-seam fastball on the inner half of the plate over the wall in left. It barely stayed fair.

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GAME: Mariners (30-38, 3rd, AL West, -10.5 GB) at Athletics (41-28, 1st AL West, +2.0 GA). GAME #: 69. SERIES: 2nd of 3 games. MEETING: 9th (Mariners lead 5-3). WHEN: Saturday, 4:15 p.m., O.com Coliseum. STREAKS: Mariners W 1; Athletics L 1. TV: Root Sports. RADIO: ESPN 710, Mariners Radio Network

The Mariners made a major move Friday by signing 41-year-old catcher Henry Blanco, a well-traveled catcher with 16 years of major league experience, while simultaneously designating for assignment their recent starter, Kelly Shoppach. The move says that the Mariners are handing the backstop slot for the foreseeable future to 2012 first-round draft choice Mike Zunino.

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Rookie catcher Mike Zunino, called up earlier in the week from AAA Tacoma, cracked his first major league home run, a solo shot to center on a 1-and-1 count in the seventh inning, lifting the Mariners (30-38) to a 3-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics Friday night in the opening game of a three-game series at O.com Coliseum.

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So many roster issues are upside down for the Mariners this season -- led in homers by a 41-year-old, nearly led in batting average by a 35-year-old, and mass failures by the young core -- the assumption is that everything management does is a mistake. A fair, reasonable assumption by anyone. But for the sake of novelty as much as baseball logic, let's offer one contrary thought:

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The Mariners Friday signed veteran free agent catcher Henry Blanco, 41, making room for him on the roster by designating Kelly Shoppach, who had been the starter, for assignment. Blanco, a 16-year veteran who most recently played with Toronto, will be available for Friday night's game in Oakland against the Athletics.

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GAME: Mariners (29-38, 3rd, AL West, -11.5 GB) at Athletics (41-27, 1st, AL West, +1.5 GA). GAME #: 68. SERIES: 1st of 3 games. MEETING: 8th (Mariners lead 4-3). WHEN: Friday, 7:10 p.m., O.com Coliseum. STREAKS: Mariners L 1; Athletics W 3. TV: Root Sports. RADIO: ESPN 710, Mariners Radio Network

The Mariners, who curiously have a winning record (4-3) against first-place Oakland and a losing record against last-place Houston (4-5), would seem to have an excellent opportunity for success when they begin a three-game series with the Athletics Friday night at O.com Coliseum.

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Within an hour of his latest attempt to hold down the ninth inning of a tight Seattle Mariners lead, closer Tom Wilhelmsen stormed into the home clubhouse and tried to sum up his Wednesday night performance in a single word.

The word was not pretty. But it rhymed.

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Leading 1-0 heading into the ninth Wednesday, the Mariners seemed poised to complete their first three-game winning streak since August, 2012. But then Houston scored six times for a 6-1 win, collecting its most runs in a game after being held scoreless through the first eight since April 8, 1988, when the Astros tallied eight times in a 16-inning game against the Reds. Only the Mariners could be on the wrong end of a stat like that.

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Jeremy Bonderman pitched an eight-inning shutout, then found out what it's like to be a Mariners starter, getting almost nothing from everyone else on the team. One of the worst ninth innings in the club's woeful history, coming from the worst team in MLB, created a stunning 6-1 shredding of the Mariners Tuesday night.

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GAME: Astros (22-44, 5th, AL West, -17.0 GB) at Mariners (29-37, 3rd, AL West, -10.0 GB). GAME #: 67. SERIES: 3rd of 3 games. MEETING: 9th (series tied 4-4). WHEN: Wednesday, 7:10 p.m., Safeco Field. STREAKS: Mariners W 2; Astros L 6. TV: Root Sports. RADIO: ESPN 710, Mariners Radio Network

The Mariners are not very good at winning three games in a row. They last did it between May 1-4 when they beat Baltimore, had a day off, and took a pair from Baltimore. They won three straight only one other time this season (April 27-29), but now have an opportunity Wednesday to sweep the Houston Astros. In the tortured world of Mariners' baseball, this is a big deal.

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Aaron Harang, dismantled by the New York Yankees in his last start, tossed his second complete-game shutout of the season Tuesday and Raul Ibanez cracked his team-leading 13th home run as the Mariners took their second in a row from the Houston Astros, winning 4-0 at Safeco Field. The shutout was Seattle's eighth of the season and set up the Mariners for their first three-game winning streak since May 1-4.

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The Mariners made it official Tuesday afternoon, calling up highly touted catcher Mike Zunino after saying in the past couple of weeks they would not promote the 22-year-old University of Florida product. He was the first player taken by Seattle in the 2012 amateur draft and the third player selected overall. He was available for Tuesday night's game against the Houston Astros.

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Apparently Seattle is not on the verge of a one-night “Carmageddon.” When I called the Seattle Police Dept. Monday to ask about what the cops have planned for Tuesday night traffic in SoDo, the detective said, “What’s going on?” Hmmm. As Yoda might say, a big deal this not is.

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GAME: Astros (22-43, 5th, AL West, -17.0 GB) at Mariners (28-37, 3rd, AL West, -11.0 GB). GAME #: 66. SERIES: 2nd of 3 games. MEETING: 8th (Astros lead 4-3). WHEN: Tuesday, 7:10 p.m., Safeco Field. STREAKS: Mariners W 1; Astros L 5. TV: Root Sports. RADIO: ESPN 710, Mariners Radio Network

Aaron Harang has an absurdly tough act to follow Tuesday night when the Mariners and Houston Astros continue their three-game series at Safeco Field. Monday, Hisashi Iwakuma argued successfully -- again -- that he is the most effective pitcher in Safeco Field history by throttling the Astros in Seattle's 3-2 victory.

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GAME: Astros (23-42, 5th, AL West, -16.0 GB) at Mariners (27-37, 4th, AL West, -11.0 GB). GAME #: 65. SERIES: 1st of 3 games. MEETING: 7th (Astros lead 4-2). WHEN: Monday, 7:10 p.m., Safeco Field. STREAKS: Mariners L 2; Astros L 4. TV: Root Sports. RADIO: ESPN 710, Mariners Radio Network

The best that can be said for the Mariners (27-37) after losing three of four to the Yankees, while scoring just two runs in their last 22 innings, is that they cannot fall into last place in the AL West before the end of the home stand. The last three games Monday through Wednesday are against the Houston Astros (23-42), the division's basement occupant and a loser of four in a row.

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