Wedge happy with Mariners' resiliency

BALTIMORE -- Mariners manager Eric Wedge did not expect any fallout from Tuesday's near bench-clearing brawl in the 10th inning against Baltimore.

Orioles outfielder Felix Pie bumped Mariners first baseman Justin Smoak after being tagged out on a slow roller. The two exchanged words and both benches cleared, but no punches were thrown, and there were no ejections.

Even though the incident was downplayed, Wedge liked the way his team responded in the tight ballgame. The Orioles eventually scored two runs in the 13th inning for a 7-6 victory.

"You gotta take care of your teammates," Wedge said. "You got to be there for each other. It pretty much was what it was -- nothing more, nothing less, really."

Wedge was especially impressed the way his team overcame a couple of deficits and took the lead in the 13th.

"You don't go right to sleep right after a game like that," Wedge said. "It was an exciting game. The kind of one you love to win and hate to lose. There were some good things that happened, and some things that were not so good. I think we continue to see more from our guys, and find out a little more about our guys in different types of situations."
Ray settling down after rough start

BALTIMORE -- Mariners reliever Chris Ray impressed manager Eric Wedge by shutting down the Orioles after inheriting a tough jam in the 12th inning of Tuesday night's game.

Ray replaced Aaron Laffey with runners on first and second and no outs. Ray responded by retiring Matt Wieters on a fly ball and striking out Mark Reynolds. After J.J. Hardy loaded the bases with an infield single, Ray struck out Brian Roberts to end the threat.

Ray, who was once the closer for the Orioles, is 1-1 with a 11.88 ERA this season, but he has given up just one earned run in his past three games. Wedge is hoping the right-hander has turned the corner.

"Obviously, that's the best we've seen him throw this year -- in a very tight situation too," Wedge said. "Working through that the way he did and making them swing and miss against some pretty good hitters was good to see."

Wedge also expressed confidence in Brandon League, who blew his first save in 10 chances Tuesday night. League is 0-2 with a 22.50 ERA in his last two games.

However, League led all American League relievers in wins last season with nine, and he did not allow an earned run in 55 of 70 games.

"The ball bounces funny sometimes," Wedge said. "[League] has been fantastic. He's a valuable guy. He has a bulldog mentality out there, and that's why I like him."

Overall, Wedge said the bullpen is a work in progress.

"You're always working to get better in the bullpen," Wedge said. "You got guys who are at the top of their game, and you got guys who are working to get there. The bullpen is going to fluctuate over the course of the year, and continue to evolve. You got to have guys who you know what you're getting."