Rain falls and so do the mighty Mariners

George, Dave, Jack and Bobby

I looked forward to July 17 for several weeks, knowing I'd snagged four tickets to see the Seattle Mariners take on the defending American League champion Texas Rangers during a Sunday afternoon game.

Two friends, Dave and Jack, and Jack's teenage son, Bobby, joined me for the 3 1/2-hour drive from Portland to Seattle, all of us grousing at the cool temperatures and constant rain that we're experiencing in mid-July. Isn't it supposed to be summer? At least, we told ourselves, the game wouldn't be rained out, owing to Safeco Field's retractable proof. It's a marvel of engineering that covers the field and fans, yet allows for open-air views of the sky outside and circulation of fresh air.

We had great seats -- 18 rows back from the field, about halfway between third base and the left field fence -- and high hopes for a competitive game. We should have known better. The Rangers were on a hot streak, with 10 straight wins entering today's game, while the Mariners had lost eight in a row, including two shutouts in their last three games. During last night's loss, Seattle managed to score a single run, ending an scoring drought of 30 (thirty!) innings.

Today's result? Rangers 3, Mariners 1.

Two plays early in the game signaled how things would go. In the Mariners' first turn at bat, the lead off hitter drew a walk, only to be promptly erased by a double play ground ball. Meanwhile, a single swing of the bat, a three-run home run in the second inning, gave the Rangers all the runs they would need. It was Seattle's ninth loss in a row, their longest winless streak since 2008. In losing four straight to Texas, they scored a total of two runs.

Safeco Field

A week earlier, I also watched a major league baseball game in San Francisco -- and the entire experience was different in every conceivable way. I rode the light-rail train from suburban Fremont to watch the Giants beat the Mets before a sellout crowd that showered spontaneous cheers and genuine affection on their World Series champions. ("Rockin' it with the Giants")

In Seattle, the crowd was subdued. The "mighty" Mariners were overmatched and have such a punchless lineup that they had only one base runner through the first four innings. They didn't get their first base hit until the fifth inning and didn't score until the eighth, prompting a half-delirious, half-derisive cheer.

The technicians in the sound booth tried to manufacture some crowd noise, with canned music, but the Mariners fell flat. (Quick menu note: Did you know you can get an all-you-can-drink soda at Safeco for $11? Seriously.)

Despite the anemic performance on the field, my buddies and I had a good time. Lots of conversation about baseball, family, politics and work (all three of us are journalists), and no one took the loss hard, given that we all root for different teams anyway. We were just a little disappointed that we couldn't have seen a better -- i.e., more exciting, more competitive -- game.