OAKLAND, Calif. – Things looked pretty good for the Mariners after having hit two more home runs just a half inning into this game. But Mariners starter Joe Saunders knew his team was in trouble almost from the moment he stepped on the mound to try to protect his early lead. The veteran left-hander just could not get a proper grip on the baseball from the start and a 6-2 loss Wednesday night to the Oakland Athletics was all but confirmed four laborious innings from Saunders later.

OAKLAND, Calif. – Felix Hernandez struck out eight on opening day in his first start since signing a $175 million, seven-year contract in February, and the Mariners beat the reigning A.L. West champion Oakland Athletics 2-0 on Monday night. King Felix surrendered one walk while pitching 72/3 scoreless innings. He didn’t allow a hit until John Jaso doubled to left-center with one out in the fourth, only a couple of hours after the pitcher gifted his former backstop with a Rolex watch for catching his perfect game in August against the Rays.

Jack Zduriencik chooses words as carefully as a foodie picks ingredients. It’s like he has an editor serving as a middle man for his brain and tongue. So when the Mariners general manager says something noteworthy, you can’t miss it. And last month, amid an encouraging spring training from this ever-rebuilding franchise, Zduriencik did not hesitate to put some clear expectations on the 2013 Mariners.

Every indicator says the Mariners should present their best product since they finished 85-77 in 2009. If they continue at the same rate of improvement they’ve had under field manager Eric Wedge, the Mariners will finish above .500 this season. If their upgrades on offense (Kendrys Morales and Michael Morse chief among them) pan out, they could be even better. And if their young position players make major progress, too, it could be a special breakthrough season.

Felix Hernandez has pitched the opener five seasons for the Mariners but says this sixth one should be the most surprising for those not in the clubhouse. “We’re going to be good,” Hernandez said. “We’re going to surprise people.” One can hardly fault Hernandez for being enthusiastic given the improved run support he should finally start seeing. The days of hoping voters look past a 13-win season in Cy Young Award voting should be a thing of the past for Hernandez with a bolstered middle of the order that just set a franchise record for Cactus League home runs.

Felix Hernandez has pitched the opener five seasons for the Mariners but says this sixth one should be the most surprising for those not in the clubhouse. “We’re going to be good,” Hernandez said. “We’re going to surprise people.”

PEORIA, Ariz. – Building outfield flexibility was a Mariners priority all spring. And as they wrapped up the Arizona portion of spring training on Thursday with a 6-4 win over the Chicago Cubs in Mesa, the Mariners planned to go right to the very end of camp before finalizing their outfielder mix. The team appeared to unofficially declare that veteran Jason Bay had made the squad by inviting him to join them for Saturday’s final exhibition game against the Colorado Rockies in Salt Lake City.

PEORIA, Ariz. – Mariners non-roster candidate Jeremy Bonderman had little idea what to expect two months ago when he arrived here to resume a pitching career abandoned after the 2010 season. And having lasted this long in the team’s rotation battle, Bonderman, 30, still has no idea where he’ll make his next start. The only thing the Pasco resident is certain about following his final Cactus League outing Tuesday is that he still has what it takes to compete in the majors.