Pitching could be premium vs. Giants

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The Mariners and Giants both know what historic pitching performances look like from a first-hand perspective.

Within the last week, each team has no-hit an opponent. Six Mariners no-hit the Dodgers last Friday, and Matt Cain tossed a perfect game for the Giants against the Astros on Wednesday.

The clubs will meet in a pitching-heavy Interleague series in Seattle with Ryan Vogelsong and Jason Vargas on the mound for the opener Friday.

Vogelsong is coming off a stellar start for the Giants in which he threw 7 2/3 innings of one-run, three-hit ball against the Rangers in a 5-2 victory last Saturday.

"I'm getting a little bit better where I can have more conversation [on] game day," Vogelsong said after the game. "I try not to have a lot, because once I get in game mode, I kind of like to stay there instead of bouncing in and out. It's just trying to be focused and make sure I'm 100 percent committed to make pitches. ... [Teammates] give me a hard time about it, but that's the way I have to be."

The win marked Vogelsong's fifth consecutive victory after starting the season 0-2. The Giants have triumphed in his last seven starts. Vogelsong also lowered his ERA to 2.26, the NL's third-best, and he has worked at least six innings in all 11 of his starts.

Vargas' last two starts haven't been memorable. Even though he is 1-1 in them, Vargas surrendered nine earned runs over a combined 11 2/3 innings in outings against the Angels and Dodgers.

Giants: Blanco saves perfect game
With no outs in the seventh and a perfect game riding on every pitch Wednesday night, Houston's Jordan Schafer hit a Cain offering deep into the right-center-field gap.

Gregor Blanco, though, saved the night, making a remarkable catch to keep Cain's run at a historic gem alive.

"I just put my head down and looked up and saw Blanco -- he was relentless," manager Bruce Bochy said.

Several of Blanco's teammates said to him afterward that it was one of the greatest plays they had ever seen, and Blanco said he couldn't disagree, saying it was the best play he had ever made.

"For me, it was," Blanco said. "It was a big deal right there in that moment. We only try to bring confidence to these guys to do what [Cain] did today."

Mariners: Roster shakeup
Outfielders Franklin Gutierrez and Casper Wells and pitchers Erasmo Ramirez and Steve Delabar were recalled from Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday as the Mariners made a series of roster moves.

Left fielder Mike Carp and reliever Stephen Pryor were placed on the 15-day disabled list, while pitcher Blake Beavan and infielder Alex Liddi were optioned to Tacoma.

Worth noting
• The Mariners have held a lead in 19 of their 37 losses, leading the Majors.

• Cain threw the most pitches ever in a perfect game with 125 on Wednesday. The previous high was 120 by David Wells in 1998.