SEATTLE – Ken Griffey Jr. is gone, having suddenly driven home to retirement in Florida. Cliff Lee is gone, too, traded to division-rival Texas instead of teaming with co-ace Felix Hernandez to beat the Rangers and everyone else in the American League West. And Ichiro Suzuki is dumbfounded. Depressed, even.

Jose Lopez hit his second career grand slam off Joba Chamberlain in the eighth inning, and Felix Hernandez went the distance in outpitching Javier Vazquez and leading the Seattle Mariners to a come-from-behind 4-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Saturday night.

Associated Press reports that a source says the Mariners have traded Cliff Lee to the Rangers.

SEATTLE – Many in the crowd booed and a few even flung dollar bills from the upper deck when Alex Rodriguez batted Thursday night at Safeco Field. Ah, hard feelings are still in the air after all these years, and Rodriguez gave those folks chances to cheer – or jeer – with fly balls each of his first three at-bats.

SEATTLE – Alberto Callaspo turned his failed eighth-inning sacrifice bunt attempt into a three-run home run, lifting the Kansas City Royals to a comeback 7-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night. Callaspo came up in the eighth with the Royals trailing 3-2 and runners on first and second. Reliever Brandon League (5-6) had walked the first two batters. Callaspo was unsuccessful twice in making contact on a sacrifice bunt.

Jason Vargas, the Mariners’ starting pitcher tonight against the Yankees, is approaching untested territory in the number of innings he has pitched and the M’s are monitoring him because of it. Vargas, who’ll make his 17th start, has pitched 100 2/3 innings this season. His career high is 143 1/3 in 2009 when he split the season between the Mariners and Class AAA Tacoma.