Taijuan Walker has been at his best against the Cleveland Indians.

This makes three starts now for Mariners lefty Wade Miley and three disappointing efforts. On Tuesday, he failed to make it through the fourth inning in a 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

Any assessment of the Mariners at this point comes with the disclaimer heading of “small sample size.” That includes veteran catcher Chris Iannetta and his .276 average.

NEW YORK — Outfielder Seth Smith is back to the strength-building stage in his recovery from a nagging groin injury that surfaced midway through spring training. “The groin is fine,” he said Sunday before the Mariners closed out a three-game weekend series at Yankee Stadium. “It’s just a matter now of getting my legs back.”

Warming up in the bullpen, Felix Hernandez felt like a Cy Young Award winner. On the mound, well, sigh.

Robinson Cano got two more hits to celebrate his special connection to Jackie Robinson Day as the Seattle Mariners sent the New York Yankees to their third straight loss, 7-1 Friday night.

Dae-Ho Lee hit a two-run, pinch-homer with two outs in the 10th inning on Wednesday, lifting the Seattle Mariners over the Texas Rangers 4-2 for their first win of the year at Safeco Field.

Brett Nicholas spent two summers on the lowest rung of Class A baseball in Spokane, not the normal career development arc of a sixth-round draft choice.