Jon Lester allowed one hit in seven shutout innings and the Chicago Cubs hit three home runs to defeat the host Seattle Mariners 11-0 Wednesday afternoon.

Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer with two out in the eighth, and the Chicago Cubs topped the Seattle Mariners 6-5 on Tuesday night for their third consecutive victory.

Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer with two outs in the top of the eighth inning as the Chicago Cubs defeated the Mariners 6-5 Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park.

Ichiro Suzuki has rejoined the Seattle Mariners as a special assistant to the chairman and will work as an instructor with both the major league club and some of the organization’s players in the minors. Suzuki was in the Mariners clubhouse before Seattle opened a series against the Chicago Cubs. Suzuki retired from baseball last month during Seattle’s opening two-game series in Japan against the Oakland Athletics, but was expected to continue having a relationship with the team.

Smith is hitting .065 (3 for 46) in his past 15 games (11 starts) with a double, five walks and 18 strikeouts.

As a youngster in Tacoma, Washington, about 45 minutes south of the Kingdome, Cubs left-hander Jon Lester grew up rooting for Hall of Fame center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. even more than the Mariners teams Griffey played on. Griffey’s trade request and subsequent deal to the Reds before the 2000 season helped prepare Lester for the unsettling realities of the business of baseball – realities that Mariners fans continue to experience under current general manager Jerry Dipoto.

Hunter Pence went 3 for 5 with a double, home run and four RBIs as the Texas Rangers routed the Mariners for the second consecutive day, beating them 14-1 Sunday afternoon at T-Mobile Park.

But is this unexpected spurt out of the gate something substantive or is it more like the smoke that whiffs over T-Mobile Park’s left field whenever the garlic fries burn?

Three errors help the game get out of hand as the M’s end the game with a second baseman pitching and a catcher on second.

Elvis Andrus and Rougned Odor hit three-run homers in the opening two innings as the Texas Rangers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 15-1 victory against the host Mariners on Saturday night.

Mitch Haniger’s infield grounder with the bases loaded brought home the winning run in the 11th inning to give the Seattle Mariners a 5-4 victory over the Texas Rangers. Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run homer and drove in the other four runs for the Mariners.