SEATTLE – The omen arrived early Tuesday night in signaling a long evening for the Mariners and right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma when an opponent stole a base. That hasn’t happened with Iwakuma on the mound since 2013.

SEATTLE – Whatever demons are plaguing the Mariners’ bullpen are now tormenting rookie closer Carson Smith, who stumbled Monday for the second time in three games in a 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks The Mariners had just pulled even on Mike Zunino’s two-out RBI single in the ninth when Smith put the go-ahead run on base with a leadoff walk to Paul Goldschmidt in the 10th inning.

SEATTLE – The Seattle Mariners manager believe struggling reliever Fernando Rodney is tipping his pitches, part of what’s caused a significant decline after leading baseball in saves a season ago. Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said before Monday’s series opener with Arizona that his staff has been watching tape and there are some “dramatic” things that stand out and may have helped batters know what pitch is coming from the right-hander.

SEATTLE – There was a time this year, Franklin Gutierrez concedes, when he didn’t know if he’d be able to play baseball again, let alone resume his place as an outfielder on the Seattle Mariners’ big-league roster. Seattle signed him to a minor-league contract last offseason, a move that felt something like a courtesy to a player who once hauled in brilliant catches and wielded a productive bat, but was robbed of consistent good health by an arthritic condition that threatened to ruin his career.

SEATTLE – At some point, presumably, the Seattle Mariners will decide they can’t wait any longer for veteran reliever Fernando Rodney to find his 2014 form. Rodney wasn’t around at the end, when Toronto pulled out an 8-6 victory by scoring two runs in the ninth against Carson Smith. But there’s little doubt where the near-sellout crowd at Safeco Field placed blame.

At some point, presumably, the Seattle Mariners will decide they can’t wait any longer for veteran reliever Fernando Rodney to find his 2014 form.

SEATTLE – Cheers for the visiting team are rarely louder at Safeco Field than when the Toronto Blue Jays are in town, and Friday night’s game provided yet another good-natured competition between blue-clad Jays fans – of which there were a few thousand, as usual – and homestanding supporters of the Seattle Mariners. Toronto fans are a boisterous bunch when in enemy territory – Seattle’s proximity to Canada means it’s prime real estate for a road trip – and so they filled Safeco with chants of “M-V-P” for star third baseman Josh Donaldson and “Let’s go Blue Jays” for, well, the heck of it.

Felix Hernandez pitched seven strong innings to pick up his 12th win of the season, Mark Trumbo gave Seattle the lead with a two-run homer and the Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2 on Friday night.

DETROIT – The many scouts who showed up at Comerica Park to get a look at pending free-agent pitchers Hisashi Iwakuma and David Price…well, they got an eyeful in a tight pitchers’ duel. Whether either is still around after the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline is already a topic of growing speculation, but both were long gone Thursday when the Mariners pulled out a 3-2 victory over Detroit in 12 innings.