PEORIA, Ariz. — Milton Bradley finally found a way to get thrown out without actually having to leave the game.
That's because it wasn't the umpires doing the heaving this time, but the opposing catcher, who gunned Bradley down at second base after a botched hit-and-run in the first inning Monday that saw Ken Griffey Jr. strike out. Bradley had actually reached base by laying down a bunt single, surprising at least one former Oakland Athletics teammate and earning praise from his manager for doing some little things right.
That's the kind of on-field attention Bradley hopes to draw as he adjusts to life with the Mariners and tries to distance himself from ejections by umpires in back-to-back games last week.
"I was pleased with it for the fact that we were playing Oakland," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said of the bunt single, coming against an A's team that will play the Mariners in seven of the first 10 regular-season games. "All of a sudden, now, they've got to honor that. I really liked it.
"We talked about it the other day, too, with that stolen base against Anaheim. He's doing some things to plant some seeds (in the heads of division rivals)."
The Mariners lost 7-2, with Bradley hitting cleanup against A's starter Justin Duchscherer and playing left field. That's where Bradley is likely to see the majority of his playing time, when there's a right-handed pitcher on the mound.
At the plate, Bradley is likely to bat cleanup against right-handers, with Casey Kotchman or Franklin Gutierrez in the No. 3 spot. Against left-handers, Bradley will be the primary designated hitter because Griffey doesn't fare as well against southpaws.
After a couple of rough outings in left field early in camp, Bradley seems to have settled in.
"Everything is the same," he said. "I've been playing forever. I started out as a catcher in Little League, I've been a middle infielder, I've played outfield here. I can play wherever. Nothing's new. It's all the same stuff."
Bradley added that he won't go out of his way to change anything when he's at the plate, despite being ejected after third-strike calls by a pair of Class AAA umpires last week. In one case, Bradley was ejected for dropping his bat and peeling off his gloves in the batter's box, thinking there were three outs instead of two. Another saw him tossed after looking back and, according to eyewitnesses, blurting "Terrible!" at the umpire as he headed to the dugout.
Wakamatsu said umpires were on a "witch hunt" to get Bradley, who insisted Monday he wants to avoid adding fuel to any fire.
"I'm not going to change," he said, when asked if he feels he has to walk on eggshells at the plate. "The way I look at it is, these were two minor-league umpires, I'm not going to see them again during the season. I don't know why they did what they did, but let's move on.
"I mean, I'm not changing," Bradley said. "I've gotten this far being me, it's been 31 years, and nothing changes about me, ever."
Not according to A's starter Duchscherer, who admitted that a bunt was the last thing he'd expected to see out of Bradley.
"I was a little mad at Milton," Duchscherer said, tongue-in-cheek. "I didn't expect that because he's got so much power. I thought he'd be up there swinging and he drops a bunt. He was a teammate of mine. I get along with him. I'm not bad-mouthing him. I just thought it was a veteran play."
And the kind of buzz the Mariners won't mind Bradley generating around the league once the real games begin.
Note
• Jack Hannahan is experiencing groin stiffness and will be re-evaluated by the team's medical staff. Wakamatsu said he can't envision Hannahan being ready for the start of the season, meaning Josh Wilson or Matt Tuiasosopo will win the backup infielder's job out of camp.
Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com.
Read his daily blog at www.seattletimes.com/Mariners
|
| Oakland |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
|
|
Crisp dh |
|
4 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
|
| Seattle |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
|
|
I.Suzuki rf |
|
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
C.Patterson pr-cf |
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
| Oakland |
051 001 000 |
— |
7 |
| Seattle |
000 010 100 |
— |
2 |
|
E — Pennington (1), S.Tolleson (1). DP — Seattle 2. LOB — Oakland 3, Seattle 6. 2B — Kouzmanoff 2 (5), Lopez (4), J.Wilson (3). 3B — E.Patterson (2). HR — Crisp (1). SB — Taylor (1). CS — Bradley (1). SF — E.Patterson, Gross, Quiroz.
|
|
| Athletics |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
|
|
Dchscherer W, 1-0 |
|
4 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
B.Hornbeck |
|
2-1/3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
|
| Mariners |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
|
|
Snell L, 1-2 |
|
4 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
0 |
2 |
A — 7,264.
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