When times were good in the Seattle Mariners dugout, manager Don Wakamatsu loved to invoke the bounty of “belief systems,” or what apparently was a trust in his own judgments and values – and in the abilities of his players. Ah, but what he possibly underestimated is that baseball’s own belief system is supreme and absolute, and here it is:

SEATTLE – Last-place Seattle welcomed interim manager Daren Brown by getting its first triple play in 15 years in a 3-1 win over the Oakland Athletics on Monday night. Brown moved up from Triple-A Tacoma earlier Monday when Seattle fired first-time manager Don Wakamatsu after 11/2 seasons. Brown became the 10th of Seattle’s 17 managers to win their first game.

SEATTLE – Jason Vargas is entering rare territory this season for the Seattle Mariners, in both the workload and success he has attained, but don’t suggest to the left-hander that he has reached any sort of barrier. “That seems to be a question every week,” Vargas said, “and every week I prepare myself to do the same thing. I feel fine. I just go out there every five days.” That tunnel-vision approach, along with another strike-throwing demonstration, worked again in the Mariners’ 3-2 victory Sunday over the Kansas City Royals at Safeco Field.