The Seattle Times: Mariners Blog

Mariners find new, old ways to lose their seventh straight

Fri, 24 May 2013 23:42:36 PDT

In some ways, it was the same old same old: Mariner starter gets rocked, puts team in big hole they can't climb out of. We've seen it repeatedly with the bottom three of the Seattle rotation, a trend that is threatening to bring the season down.

The difference this time is that Joe Saunders was the pitcher getting rocked at Safeco. One of the things they could count on was Saunders pitching well at home, but even that flew out the window as the Mariners lost their seventh in a row and dropped below the Angels into fourth place. Saunders was pretty down after the game, realizing that he needed to be better on a night in which the Mariners banged out 14 hits and scored in each of the first three innings.

“When the team comes out and scores runs like that, you want to put zeroes on the board and get us right back in the dugout,’’ Saunders said. “This one’s on me. It’s my fault.’’

“This game can be frustrating, to say the least, at times. You just have to keep your head up. We’re a way better team than what the results have been. It’s freakin’ frustrating. I know I can do better, especially on the road this year. It’s time for us to turn it around and throw some W’s up there.”

The quirkiest part of this game occurred on Jesus Sucre's first major-league at-bat. The second inning had started promisingly, with singles by Raul Ibanez and Justin Smoak.

Sucre grounded to first baseman Mitch Moreland, who fired to second for the force. Meanwhile, Texas pitcher Justin Grimm, racing over to cover, converged with Moreland. Replays showed that while Moreland was stretching for the relay, Grimm actually grabbed the return throw while he was well off the bag.

But first-place umpire Jeff Nelson called Sucre out, and Wedge lost the ensuing argument. Wedge said it appeared from the dugout that Moreland had caught the ball, and he was arguing he had pulled his foot (which he had, not that it mattered). It wasn’t until later, when the Mariners were able to see the replay, Wedge realized Grimm caught the ball. It was a brutal call by Nelson and the latest argument for replay in baseball.

“It would have been a much bigger argument if I had known that at the time,’’ he said. "Everyone was just focused on the bag. I thought he came off the bag. So that’s what I was out arguing. I didn’t come to find out later with the replay he didn’t even catch the ball. We’re half blocked off out there and there’s a bunch of things going on, so I was out there arguing for that. But after the fact, obviously we found out it was a different story."

Did that change the outcome of the game? Who knows? But instead of first and third, one out, the M's had a runner on third, two outs. Brendan Ryan followed with a double that scored Ibanez, but Michael Saunders struck out.

Ryan and Saunders are headed in opposite directions. Ryan had two doubles tonight and has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, going 13-for-32 (.406). That has raised his average to .202, his first time over the Mendoza Line since April 13. But Saunders went 0-for-4 and is hitting .125 (5-for-40) with 16 strikeouts since the start of the last road trip.

Game thread, Mariners vs. Rangers, May 24: Mariners lose, 9-5

Fri, 24 May 2013 22:20:16 PDT

The M's showed some life, scoring three in the ninth, but still dropped their seventh straight. Jesus Sucre led off the ninth with his first major-league hit, a solid single to right, and scored on Brendan Ryan's double.

RANGERS SEVENTH: Three more runs, and the rout is on. Mariners have now been outscored 28-3 over the last three games. 9-3 Rangers

MARINERS FIFTH: M's go down 1-2-3, and suddenly Justin Grimm has put down

RANGERS FOURTH: After the Mariners scored one in the bottom of the third on an RBI double by Ibanez -- their third two-out RBI in as many innings -- Texas got one back on a sac fly by Elvis Andrus. But that was the only damage from a bases-loaded, no-out situation. 6-3 Rangers.

RANGERS THIRD: The long ball bit Saunders again -- a three-run homer by Berkman on the first pitch he saw. Time to re-figure all those home ERA stats. 5-2 Rangers

MARINERS SECOND: They tie it on another two-out hit, and RBI double by Ryan that brings in Ibanez from third. In his first major-league at-bat, Sucre grounded into a double play, but not really. The ump blew the call in two ways -- the first baseman pulled his foot,but the first baseman didn't even catch the ball. Bizarrely, the pitcher, who ran over to cover, grabbed the throw and wasn't even close to first. As bad a call as you'll ever see. 2-2.

RANGERS SECOND: Some of Saunders' home magic went poof with a two-out, two-run homer by Jeff Baker to right field (following a one-out walk to Nelson Cruz). 2-1 Rangers

MARINERS FIRST: The M's had a two-out rally off Justin Grimm. Kyle Seager ripped a double off the center field wall, followed by a Kendrys Morales RBI single. 1-0 Mariners.

RANGERS FIRST: It looks like typical Saunders at home -- a swift 1-2-3 first, capped by two strikeouts. He rung up Lance Berkman on a 3-2 pitch.

The reeling Mariners, losers of six straight games, hope that Safeco Joe shows up tonight. Joe Saunders is 9-0 with a 1.72 ERA in 13 career starts at Safeco, and 3-0, 0.94 in four starts this year. Over his last 11 starts at Safeco, dating back to June 3, 2008, Saunders is 8-0, 0.94. This wouldn't be a good night for Saunders to revert to his road form. He is 0-4 with an 11.25 ERA in five starts away from Safeco.

Mariners manager Eric Wedge made the point before the game that there might be a little too much panic over the losing streak.

"People have really short memories,'' he said. "We won two out of three in New York. Hell, we hadn’t won in New York since 2002. That means something. You go to Cleveland, and you get walked off three times. It’s not that we played bad. We had a chance to win all three of those games. Damn near had a couple of them in our pocket. But they were the home team and had the last at-bat. But our guys battled their butts off.

"I think there was a lot of emotion spent in Cleveland, and it affected us a little bit (against the Angels). Our starting pitching struggled a little, and when that happens, it changes the whole outlook of game. You have to keep it all in perspective and understand that six days ago, everyone was flying high. Six days later, you’re on the exact opposite side of that spectrum. You can’t do that. You can’t be on that roller coaster."

Wedge says Triunfel will play "semi-regularly"

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:01:06 PDT

Lots of news to cover today, obviously. First of all, manager Eric Wedge said he expects Carlos Triunfel, flying to Seattle from Reno, to get here right around game time. He indicated that Triunfel will play shortstop, second and even some third base.

"He’s not going to play every day, but he’s going to get at least semi-regular playing time,'' Wedge said.

Wedge and Jack Zduriencik had some interesting remarks on Nick Franklin, when asked why Triunfel was selected ahead of Franklin. Beyond the 40-man roster issues, both indicated that defense was a big factor.

"He’s where he needs to be right now,'' Wedge said of Franklin. "He’s a young player. Needs to keep playing every day. It’s not just about hitting; it’s about every aspect of the game. We want him to be the most complete player he can be when he does get his opportunity."

Said Zduriencik: "I think what Nick needs right now is to play down there every day, get his at-bats. He’s playing second and shortstop. I think most people would tell you, at least right now, Carlos is a more accomplished shortstop. I think that was a key component in why we wanted him up here. We like (Franklin) quite a bit. I think Nick just needs to stay down there and continue to swing the bat."

Here's Zduriencik take on the decision to cut loose Robert Andino and replace him with Triunfel:

"You evaluate everything at face value. As we watched Triunfel, what he did in spring training, what he did last year, of course, and as you watch what he’s done this year, I think all of us – the whole organization – felt this was a guy that’s a pretty good defensive player. He’s got a great throwing arm, and there was going to be a point in time when we needed to see him at the big league level. We thought that was important.

"The timing of all these things, you just decide when it is. He had almost two months down there in Triple-A. He’s been very successful there this year. You get to the point you make a decision on this player moving forward, as well as the other factors. With Robert Andino, we signed him this year to be a backup infielder. We thought it would probably be a short-term deal. You just evaluate where you’re at, and where you’re going, and what you’re trying to accomplish. I think with Triunfel, and the things he’s done, he deserves a chance to be up here right in front of our eyes so we can watch this kid play."

Wedge said catcher Jesus Sucre impressed him in spring training, and that he felt it was best to throw him right into the lineup. Here's Wedge on the decision to send down Jesus Montero and cut back his catching responsibilities:

"It’s been a long process for us. It’s not something we just started talking about. We’ve been trying to give him every opportunity we could, and still trying to protect him, still trying to get his bat going, still trying to take care of him physically. In the end, his bat – that’s the carrying tool. With as much time, effort, emotion and energy he had to put in behind the plate, it didn’t seem like we were putting him in the position to succeed offensively.

"He’s still going to catch some down there. He’ll back up Zunino. He’s going to get a first baseman’s glove. He’ll be working at first base every day. We’ll start him off DH’ing down there. Hopefull, we'll get him on first base as soon as possible, and still have him catch one or two days a week, the focus being on getting that bat going."

It didn't escape Wedge's notice that Montero reported immediately to Tacoma when contractually he could have taken three days to do so.

"That does mean something that he did report right away,'' he said. "I was proud of him for doing that."

Zduriencik pointed out that other players who started as catchers have thrived at first base, including Paul Konerko.

"I’m not saying that’s going to happen with Jesus, but with more than anything else, this helps his versatility,'' Zduriencik said. "It’s helps us evaluate where we are as an organization going into next year, and quite frankly the rest of this year. It allows this player to take a step back and get himself back on track offensively."

Zduriencik added that there's no timetable for Montero's return to the majors.

"I wouldn't do that. I don't think that's a fair thing to do....He just has to play. It’s not an embarrassment to be in the big leagues and get sent back to Triple-A. This happens to many players."

Bizarre day ends with Robert Andino DFA from Mariners

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:55:53 PDT

Well, this sure wasn't how the Mariners expected this day to go. The day began with the Mariners planning to take a minor leaguer off the 40-man roster in order to clear a spot for catcher Jesus Sucre. Instead, it has ended with Robert Andino being designated for assignment to free that spot as the result, it appears, of a news leak.

When I spoke to GM Jack Zduriencik moments ago, he said he'd been mulling over whether to call up Carlos Triunfel from Class AAA for a while now. After thinking it over last night and again early this morning, he said, he met with his senior officials and they decided late morning to make a move.

Here's the thing, though: Dave Cameron of FanGraphs/USS Mariner reported on his Twitter account that Andino had been placed on outright waivers and that he'd be freeing up the Sucre roster spot. If Andino had indeed been placed on waivers this morning, the team would have to wait 48 hours for him to clear or be claimed for that roster spot to be freed.

So, under that plan, there was no way the roster spot could be used for Sucre. And as I've said, the plan was to take a minor leager off the roster as of this morning.

So, what changed? Because the Mariners just designated Andino for assignment, which makes his roster spot immediately available.

Well, what just transpired is either some really poor timing and planning by the Mariners, who had all day yesterday to decide on a DFA move, or could have held Triunfel up at the airport if they were hotly debating a move this morning. Or else, they were forced into the DFA move -- rather than the straightforward waiver outright move -- by the news leak Cameron put out.

After all, the Mariners allowed Triunfel to board a plane to Reno with the Tacoma team this morning. It is not usual to allow a guy to do that, then turn around and have him fly back to Seattle that same day. Not unless there is some unforseen injury or something else unexpected that happens. That kind of move is a risky one to make if just part of routine planning, or a change of heart, because there is always the chance of travel delays or something else.

What really looks to have happened is that Andino was placed on waivers today -- Zduriencik wouldn't confirm that, but did say that nothing procedurally had been done with him prior to today -- and the team was prepared to wait the 48 hours and free the roster spot for Sucre with a minor leaguer.

Once news of the waiver move leaked, the Mariners knew they would be faced with the prospect of having a player dressing inside the clubhouse and possibly playing in tonight's game knowing that he'd be off the team in another 48 hours. That's not good. This is why waiver stuff is kept confidential. I'm not blaming Cameron for anything, he's just doing his job. But there was no way the Mariners could let Andino dress for tonight's game if he knew he was Dead Man Walking.

Hence, the late DFA move today and Triunfel having to turn around and fly back to Seattle the same day he flew to Reno.

Look, I don't expect Zduriencik to say he was forced into a DFA move based on a news leak. But I also have confidence that his front office usually handles things a little smoother than this for it all to have been part of some master plan. What happened today is hardly routine.

In any event, the Mariners will now be forced to trade, outright or release Andino in the next 10 days. The only difference now is the hurried way they're pressing Triunfel into action after what will amount to a day of back-and-forth plane travel. Good thing Reno isn't all that far.

As for the move itself, Zduriencik said it has more to do with Triunfel being ready for the bigs than Andino flopping in his stint here.

"You get to a place where Triunfel, in our estimation, needed some time and that a little more seasoning would help him,'' Zduriencik said. "Now, having seen him play and listened and read all the reports on him, we feel now is a good time. This had a little more to do with us thinking about the big picture.''

Right now, the immediate picture sees the Texas Rangers in town for three days. The Mariners have to figure out how to beat them at least once or twice, or this season could quickly get out of hand and then all this talk aout DFA versus the waiver wire will be quickly replaced by how much longer Zduriencik and company have left.

Triunfel joins Mariners, Andino DFA'd (with lineups)

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:31:05 PDT

Lots of wheels were turning today with the Mariners, and when they stopped, utility infielder Robert Andino was off the ballclub. He was designated for assignment, a move that cleared space on the 40-man roster for catcher Jesus Sucre, who as expected was selected from Triple-A Tacoma. Sucre now becomes the backup catcher to Kelly Shoppach with Thursday's demotion of Jesus Montero to Tacoma.

Sucre was thrown right into the starting lineup tonight, catching Joe Saunders.

With Andino gone, the Mariners needed infield help, so the next move today was recalling Carlos Triunfel. As an indication of how late these decisions were made, he had flown to Reno with Tacoma, and had to fly back to Seattle. Not sure if he's arrived yet, but he's expected to be in uniform for the game tonight with Texas.

Triunfel was chosen over Nick Franklin for a couple of reasons, I'm sure: One, he's already on the 40-man roster, unlike Franklin. Two, he has more experience at third base than Franklin, allowing the M's to be covered in terms of a backup to Kyle Seager. And three, he's regarded as a better defensive player, particularly at shortstop, than Franklin. Triunfel also had playing time at second base in Tacoma, so he's a good fit in Andino's utility role. When we talk to Eric Wedge, we'll find out exactly what role he foresees for Triunfel, 23, who was hitting .300 (51-for-170) with 29 runs, 14 doubles, two triples, four homers and 19 RBIs in 44 games for Tacoma.

In a related move, Brad Miller -- who many regard as the Mariners' shortstop of the future, ahead of both Triunfel and Franklin -- has been moved up from Double-A Jackson to Tacoma. Miller was hitting .294 with six homers and 25 RBI with Jackson.

Andino was expected to give the Mariners some pop in the utility role, but he was hitting just .184 (14-for-76). Triunfel was a September callup last season, appearing in 10 games. He was 5-for-22 (.227) with a pair of doubles.

Here's what's going on with Robert Andino

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:31:05 PDT

Well, I was told yesterday that the Mariners would not be removing a player from the MLB roster in order to free up a spot for Jesus Sucre to join the team. Nothing has officially changed in that regard, but there have been high-level discussions going on all morning with the Mariners involving a slew of potential moves.

There are rumors out there that Robert Andino has been designated for assignment. Also, that he has already been placed on waivers, which is a completely different thing.

If on waivers, Andino could suit up and play for the Mariners tonight. If DFA, he cannot. With waivers, it takes 48 hours to clear and then the team can outright Andino to Class AAA. The reason you would do this is that is to free up a spot on the 40-man roster.

As of right now, the plan is still to free up the Sucre roster spot with the DFA of a minor leaguer. But Mariners officials, like I said, have been meeting to go over options and could change those plans.

For one thing, if Andino is on waivers and hasn't cleared or been claimed by tonight, then you can't use his spot on Sucre. But if Andino does clear or is claimed before tonight's game, then you don't have to sacrifice a minor leaguer off the 40-man roster in order to free up a spot for Sucre.

As of now, nothing has been determined. It's a minute-to-minute thing.

We've seen with last night's AAA pitching performance by Jeremy Bonderman how quickly things can change from day-to-day. In the era before Twitter, this stuff would routinely take place and the end move would be announced and would be straightforward for everybody.

Now, we're in a situation where stuff gets made public in the middle of a fluid process and appears not to make any sense.

That's why, it's entirely possible Andino is on waivers and could still play tonight. If he was DFA, then the team would have to call up an infield replacement from AAA -- either Nick Franklin or Carlos Triunfel -- and one of them would be in-uniform tonight.

As of right now, that has not happened. But the game is still six hours away.

So, stay tuned. It's safe to say there is stuff going on.

Mariners options for rotation help getting thinner by the day

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:01:05 PDT

Well, that wasn't the type of start Jeremy Bonderman needed to have with Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik and others in attendance to watch Class AAA Tacoma on Thursday night.

Bonderman gave up eight runs on 11 hits to Class AAA Nashville. Don't forget, the Mariners have until June 1 to add him to their roster or he can opt to become a free agent elsewhere. The Mariners were keeping their options open with Aaron Harang and Brandon Maurer due to pitch early next week. But after seeing that from Bonderman, they could very well just let both pitchers make another start and then regroup depending on what happens.

Right now, we've seen Bonderman and Hector Noesi both hit hard within days of each other starting in AAA. Blake Beavan is also an option for the Mariners, but at this stage he might not be much of an upgrade over either Harang or Maurer. Remember, it was Harang who replaced Beavan because he wasn't good enough.

The team's biggest rescue options -- Erasmo Ramirez and Danny Hultzen -- are both hurt and several weeks away from pitching in AAA again, never mind the majors.

Thin times indeed.

For those wondering about Rickey Nolasco of the Miami Marlins, he is set to be one of the prime mid-season trade targets for many teams. But that's mid-season. The Marlins aren't about to deal him in May when they can wait until July and get multiple clubs after him to drive up the price.

At this point, the Mariners might be forced to wait. They can send Harang and Maurer back out, cross their fingers and hope they don't get shelled again. After that, they re-evaluate based on what they actually see.

If Harang stops serving up elevated gopher-balls, it's possible he may have found something to take his game up a notch. If Maurer can have greater success with off-speed pitches against lefties, he too, might buy himself some time.

But if one guy, or both, pulls another three-and-done, the Mariners would then be forced to do something.

At that point, they would still have time to add Bonderman to the roster before June 1 rolls around. They could see how Bonderman looks his next scheduled start and base their decision off that.

Same with Noesi. Same with Beavan.

But the point remains the same. For a team that had so much written about the depth of its minor league pitching in recent years, the Mariners have almost zero options as of right now to replace two guys who can't make it beyond the fourth inning.

Mariners option Jesus Montero to AAA, all but ending catching career

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:31:09 PDT

Just got back in Seattle off my flight and the Mariners today wasted little time making their first roster move after the 2-7 road trip, demoting catcher Jesus Montero to Class AAA. While the corresponding roster move has yet to be announced, Jesus Sucre will be added to the club tomorrow to serve as the backup to Kelly Shoppach.

The 40-man roster spot will be created for Sucre ahead of tomorrow night's game, but won't involve a player currently on the major league squad. There are a number of minor league guys who could be taken off the roster, one of them being center fielder Francisco Martinez. So, we'll see on that.

The Mariners also won't be making any more moves involving the major league club for at least a few more days. There has been speculation about the futures of both Aaron Harang and Brandon Maurer, but the team doesn't have to deal with their spots until it's time for them to start once again.

As for Montero, his days as a catcher are effectively over.

The Mariners will still use him as a catcher sporadically in AAA. But he is being sent there to focus on his hitting and will do that mostly as a designated hitter and first baseman. Any catching he does with the Mariners from now on -- assuing he makes it back to the majors -- will be in an emergency capacity only.

This decision has been in the works for some time. There is a feeling amost Mariners officials that all the extra work Montero has put into his catching has had a terrible impact on his hitting.

Not that his catching was making any great strides. Montero had thrown out just one runner in 24 would-be steal attempts this season and the decision by the Mariners to go with Kelly Shoppach as the catcher against the Angels -- namely because the Mariners feared that team's running game would go wild on Montero -- told you all you need to know aout why this move was made.

Looking at the organization's catching depth, with minor leaguers Mike Zunino and John Hicks emerging as future mainstays at the position, the Mariners felt it was time to pull the plug on the whole Montero-as-a-backstop experiment. Things reached a head in Cleveland this past weekend when Montero took his foot off the plate while taking a throw from Brendan Ryan on a play that ended Saturday's game in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Mariners were impressed by Montero's willingness to learn the catching position and his dedication to improving at it. They are also willing to forgive many of his on-field mistakes and occasional mental lapses as being the product of a 23-year-old dealing with MLB rigors for the first time.

But production matters in the big leagues and Montero's offensive numbers -- a .208 batting average and .590 OPS for a supposed power hitter -- were just too poor to be allowed to continue much longer. The team has told Montero that no time limit has been placed on his return and that getting back to the big leagues will require better at prowess and continued daily improvement as a player.

What this also means, for now, is that the Mariners are not planning any additional moves based on position players already on the team. So, Dustin Ackley, Robert Andino, Brendan Ryan and others who have been rumored about are safe for now.

Mariners veterans call team meeting after getting routed again

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:46:04 PDT

There are going to be the usual jokes made about this, but it was no laughing matter inside the clubhouse post-game as Mariners' veterans got all of the players inside a private, off-limits room and held a team meeting prior to everybody dressing for the plane ride home.

I know some fans and pundits tend to roll their eyes at team meetings and on some clubs, you can schedule them on your calendar as monthly, or even weekly events. But I would have been stunned to have not seen a meeting after the two-game fiasco we just witnessed here, with the Mariners getting outscored 19-1. There's a reason some of us were asking Raul Ibanez post-game last night about whether he worried some less experienced players might be tempted to get down on themselves after losing that hard-fought series in Cleveland

Ibanez gave his teammates the benefit of the doubt last night. But today, when they were blown off the field for a second day in a row, Ibanez and other vets made sure the players were reminded of how hard they'd worked the past month or so. And -- it goes without saying -- how close they are getting to throwing it all out the window if they play like they have the past 24 hours.

“I think it’s important to remember all the good stuff that happened,’’ Ibanez said. “Not just on the trip, but prior to the trip. I think we’re going to be all right. We have a good group of guys, guys that are going to fight, that are going to scratch and claw.’’

Ibanez didn't want to discuss the content of the meeting, but did add that it was "a good time'' to call one.

Brendan Ryan agreed with that assessment.

“This is a whole different brand of baseball,’’ Ryan said. “This isn’t the brand of baseball we wanted to come in here and play. The losses in Cleveland were tough, but the hunger and drive was there.

"This isn’t good,’’ he added. “We got behind and I don’t know, that determination – that if they score 15, we score 16 – didn’t seem to be there. I don’t know if we were feeling bad for ourselves, or what. But it’s a good time for an off-day.’’

And really, that's the difference. In Cleveland, the Mariners looked like a team that could go toe-to-toe with the game's best, even while getting swept. Here, they looked like the Mariners of 2010.

You'll remember back in 2011, when the Mariners played .500 ball until July 4, then lost 17 in a row en route to a 95-loss season. They really needed some guys to step up with conviction back then and help pull the team out of that historic slide. That's one reason manager Eric Wedge was keen on getting more of a veteran presence on to the roster.

Hence, today's meeting. An attempt to up the intesity level a bit. Not just sit back and take it.

There are things, as I mentioned last post, that the front office and Wedge can do to help. The two losses here were mostly attributable to terrible starting pitching. The Mariners don't have a whole lot of in-house options in Class AAA right now, but Jeremy Bonderman seems worth at least a look.

If Bonderman is promoted, it is still unlikely to be at the expense of Brandon Maurer, who lasted only three innings today. Wedge said postgame that Maurer is learning a lot up here, took a beating today that all young pitchers eventually go through, but came out of it OK and will be better for it.

Maurer had the bases loaded and one out in the second inning and got Howie Kendrick to ground into a double play.

“(Pitching coach) Carl (Willis) came out to the mound…with the bases loaded and said ‘This is how you become a man’,’’ Maurer said. “So, I go in there and throw a two-seamer and get a double play. I guess that was a positive I could take out of it.’’

Now, that's all fine and good. But if Erasmo Ramirez and Danny Hultzen were healthy, I doubt we'd see Maurer beyond today until he figured some things out in AAA. But Ramirez and Hultzen are hurt. The bottom line is, the team likely only has one replacement option for a current starter if it chooses to go that route.

As for the infielders, my guess is the Mariners will sit tight and keep things as they are. You'll remember last year, when many felt that Justin Smoak, Dustin Ackley and Jesus Montero were off to AAA at the all-star break and the Mariners wound up keeping all three.

It's worth noting that they did eventually option out Smoak just two weeks after that and he returned a better player for it.

So, believe me, I'm not saying that standing pat is the best option here.

With Ackley, it's tough, because as one person mentioned to me post-game, he's running an OPS of more than .700 the past month.

But then again, if you run the latest numbers from the past 2 1/2 weeks, the average is .156 and that OPS is at .514.

So, which Ackley would you be pulling the plug on and which one is right around the corner? I'm not saying it's an easy call, but if you have a guy like Nick Franklin, who some of your scouts and coaches feel is big league ready, I think now is a good time to give him a look someplace (it doesn't have to be Ackley's spot). Last winter, we heard Jack Zduriencik lament that he wasn't getting great trade offers for his young prospects because they weren't big league seasoned.

Now, I keep hearing the Mariners may be reluctant to play Franklin -- especially at shortstop -- because he might be exposed as not an everyday big leaguer.

Well, which is it? You can't complain about both.

Anyhow, the Mariners have 48 hours to figure it out. Beteween the players and the front office, there should be enough initiative to be found where both can help the other look better.

Mariners manager Eric Wedge cautioned postgame that there are no quick fixes in baseball. That's true, but there are just plain fixes that sometimes can work wonders. Like a starter pitching his way beyond the fifth inning.

"What happened in Cleveland, those things just don't happen,'' he said. "But it did. So, you've got to man up and handle it. That's what it's all about. And our guys are in the process of doing all that. Here, we didn't pitch very well, we didn't hit very well. This is a bad couple of days for us. But a lot of good things happened in Cleveland. The results weren't good when you get walked off three times. But if we're playing those games in our ballpark, at least one or two if not all three of them are different outcomes.

"But that's baseball,'' he added. "We’re in the middle of May, the third week of May and we’ve got a long way to go. Like I said, we’ve got the makings of a good ballclub. The most encouraging thing to me is, we’re on our way to being the club we think we can be. But we haven’t approached that yet…it’s all right there for us, we just have to go out and take it.’’

Mariners head home facing key decisions as losing streak hits six

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:31:05 PDT

This road trip ended shockingly worse than it appeared it would just five days ago, when the Mariners arrived in Cleveland having taken two of three from the New York Yankees.

They haven't won since.

And while some of the games in Cleveland went down to the wire, the Mariners were simply blown off the field here. This game ended 7-1 in favor of the Angels, so the Mariners were outscored 19-1 in the two-game series.

That's not going to cut it.

The pitching here from the starters was not up to MLB standard. And while I'm partial to letting the Brandon Maurer thing play out a little longer -- given some moderate success he's had -- this is not supposed to be a training school. That's what Class AAA is for. If he can't get opposite-handed hitters out with frequency, he's going to have trouble keeping pace at this level.

As badly as I feel for Maurer today -- let's fact it, nobody wants to see somebody lit-up like that in his return to his childhood home -- I feel just as badly for the Seattle players who were never given a chance to compete in this game.

Trouble is, the Mariners don't have a whole lot of options, meaning that they could probably replace one of Maurer and Aaron Harang, but not both. Not with anything that will lead to a real improvement, at least not this early in the season.

But it's not just the pitching. There are too many black holes in this offense starting to show through and the Mariners might want to make an infield change now, rather than wait for the season to further disintegrate.

The team nearly got shut out for the third time in four games. If there is any hope for an in-house solution to replace one of the struggling middle infielders -- be it Robert Andino, or Dustin Ackley -- they might consider doing it now.

The Mariners keep saying that the time for free rides and developing at the big league level is coming to an end. That may be true for some players, but others look like they could use seasoning in the minors or someplace else.

The Mariners don't have a catcher to replace Jesus Montero with, which is why he's still here and will be come Friday. But they do have Class AAA infielders in Carlos Triunfel and Nick Franklin who may or may not bring something to the table. They do have some options to replace some players who have underperformed all year.

If they keep trotting out the same old excuses while losing the same old games, more and more fans are going to keep tuning them out.

The Mariners were competitive in Cleveland. They got wiped out here. Cleveland is in the rear-view mirror. It's time to look ahead and deal with some issues.

Game thread: Angels 7, Mariners 1, top 8th

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:38:01 PDT

Brendan Ryan finally got the Mariners on the board against C.J. Wilson in the eighth inning, ending a streak of 16 innings without a run by his squad. Ryan reached base on a walk, stole second, then took third when the throw bounced into the outfield.

Ryan wound up scoring on a groundout by Michael Saunders, so it's now a 7-1 game. Michael Morse later reached on a single and Kendrys Morales doubled with two out. But Justin Smoak swung and missed at a full-count offering down in the zone and that was it.

Hope the Mariners have the jet warm because they need to fly off and hide someplace. They might decide to leave Brandon Maurer right here in his hometown. He gave up a third inning run and now trails 7-0. Maurer tonight has allowed 11 hits, walked a pair and uncorked two wild pitches -- in just three innings.

At this rate, Aaron Harang might still be on the team come Friday.

5:09 p.m.: Mike Trout hit a one-out triple and scored on a single to center by Albert Pujols to make it a 6-0 game. Mariners are in all likelihood going to stumble home 2-7 after starting the trip 2-1. The heat will be on GM Jack Zduriencik tomorrow to get some moves done. Problem is, the time for significant moves is in the off-season, not the month of May.

4:46 p.m.: Once again, the Mariners just are not getting adequate starting work from the back end of their rotation. One can argue that Brandon Maurer didn't catch a break on that blooper that fell between center fielder Michael Saunders and second baseman Dustin Ackley.

But the bottom line is, Maurer allowed the first five batters of the game to reach base and also uncorked a wild pitch. He had a chance to get out of the inning only two runs down but a double to the gap in right center by Alberto Callaspo doubled the score and then a Hank Conger single made it 5-0 after one.

It's tough for the offense to get going when the starting pitchers don't keep them in the game beyond even one inning. Maurer has had his moments this year, but he's also had outings where he's looked every bit a pitcher who should be learning his craft in Class AAA.

If the Mariners want anybody to take them seriously beyond June 1, they are going to have to start finding more major league pieces to patch up some areas of concern that have been there since Opening Day and gone neglected. Not just on the mound, either. The team has gotten by for a while with stuff it was fortunate not to get burned by. But this rotation, the way it's designed, is now hurting the team big time. Something will have to be done about it tomorrow. The Aaron Harang DFA will be an obvious move. Not sure the team has a move to make with Maurer. But you can only carry one fifth starter per team. This club has carried two -- and sometimes three when it's on the road -- all season so far.

3:57 p.m.: The Mariners enter this afternoon's road trip finale having dropped five in a row to turn what once looked like a promising trip into a 2-6 nightmare. Brandon Maurer will try to snap the skid today, pitching for the first time in the hometown area where he grew up.

When I spoke to Maurer yesterday, he told me he'd purchased 32 tickets for family and friends. I asked whether he'd been getting calls from folks coming out of the woodwork that he hadn't heard from in years and he replied that this was indeed the case.

"I told some of them they should uy their own tickets,'' he said.

Mariners shuffle lineup, put Bay at leadoff and Morse at No. 3

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:01:07 PDT

There are moral victories and then there are real ones. After taking a bunch of moral victories out of Cleveland, the Mariners need the real thing this afternoon as they conclude a road trip currently at 2-6 after starting off oh so promising with two wins and nearly a sweep in New York. For all of the nice things being said about how well the Mariners have played and how hard, they are now just 20-26 on the season and the platitudes won't matter if they finish roughly the same as last year.

Mariners manager Eric Wedge isn't panicking yet, or so he says. But his lineup today refelcts just how badly he wants the win here today just to give his team something to build off with the Rangers coming to town this weekend. Wedge had Jason Bay in the leadoff spot once again, a role he occupied in Houston last month after Franklin Gutierrez got hurt with Michael Saunders already on the 15-day DL.

Saunders is now healthy, but his offensive numbers have taken a nosedive on this road trip. He is just 4-for-32 (.125) with an on-base-percentage of .152 with a .188 slugging mark for a .340 OPS. It's amazing that the Mariners as a team had done so well offensively on this trip prior to last night, given how poorly the leadoff hitter has been performing.

But with two shutouts in three days, the lack of a presence atop the order may be catching up to the Mariners. That's why you see Bay in there today, with Saunders at No. 2 and Michael Morse now No. 3 with Kyle Seager given a rest.

Wedge was asked about why he thinks Saunders has seen his numbers go off a cliff.

"I think he's expanded the (strike) zone a little bit from time to time,'' Wedge said. "You know what? When he stays in his zone, he does some damage. So, I think he's just expanded his zone, is trying to do too much. So, again, we're at our best when these guys are willing and able to set the bat down and take the walk and let the next guy get a shot at it.

"So when you try to do too much, or get a little greedy out there, that's when you get into trouble.''

Wedge said it's important for his players to keep rememering how well they played in New York -- going 5-0-1 in their most recent six series to that point -- and in most of the Cleveland series before getting blasted last night.

"You can't compute that,'' he said of the Indians series. "Those things happen once in dozens of years. And then we're one game into here, so you've got to keep it all in perspective.''

Wedge has Jesus Montero on the bench against left-hander C.J. Wilson. He said it's strictly a matter of wanting to better control the running game the Angels have and he feels Kelly Shoppach is best positioned to do that.

Podcast: Mariners season hits crucial point

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:46:04 PDT

For an audio-only version of this podcast, click below:

Needless to say, the Mariners could use a victory later this afternon in this finale of a road trip that began so well and then went south on the team in a hurry. The Mariners are 2-6 on the trip after losing five straight, the most recent of those defeats a 12-0 thrashing last night.

This is where a coaching staff becomes so important. The Mariners simply cannot allow this recent string of setbacks to ruin everything they've built up over the past month. But for a few breaks, they'd have won most of the games in Cleveland and then last night's Aaron Harang debacle would not seem to be as catastrophic as it does.

The coaching staff has to communicate what Raul Ibanez tried to last night. That this team appeared to be on the verge of a breakthrough in Cleveland, but just ran into a red hot squad.

This is a huge test for the Eric Wedge staff. They have to convince players not to aandon their approach at the plate. That the offense had run a .348 OBP on this trip heading into last night despite all the ate defeats and that one terrile outing in Anaheim doesn't change that.

We'll see. Because the future of this staff might depend on it. If the Mariners can't pull out of this tailspin in time, it does not bode well down the road.

This is an area where Wedge excels more so than in-game mangement. He has to use that veteran player support network as well and get the Mariners to realize they should have won many more games on this trip and the process appears sound.

We'll see whether they are up to the task.

Mariners need to help themselves out this time

Wed, 22 May 2013 03:16:04 PDT

Sometimes, as in what happened this past weekend in Cleveland, there isn't much a coaching staff or front office can do. Players are the ones who play and when they lose games because of walkoff home runs, or dropped balls, or whatever, that falls under the guise of on-field stuff and we all know that stuff happens.

But sometimes, there are things a team can do to help. The back end of this Mariners starting rotation has been a shaky loose link for most of the season with a few points of stability. Tonight wasn't one of those stable moments. The Mariners lost 12-0 and were down 7-0 by the fourth inning when starting pitcher Aaron Harang gave an extra-base hit clinic -- and not from the side you want to be giving one of those.

Nope, he was on the mound, unfortunately. By the time that inning was done, he'd given up a home run, two triples and two doubles -- in the same inning.

That's not the kind of pitching a winning team needs. The Mariners, unfortunately, need better than that every five days. They need it because the bullpen is going to get torched otherwise before the season is even halfway over and this clu's shot at a winning record will go out the window as well if it keeps punting games at one or more rotation slots.

Thursday is an off-day, so the front office will no longer have the continuity of games as an excuse for inaction.

They can make a switch and bring back Hector Noesi, or promote Jeremy Bonderman. Neither option is really all that thrilling. But neither is the prospect of watching any more of this.

At this stage, Bonderman makes sense because a DFA of Harang would free up the 40-man roster spot needed to add Bonderman to the roster. The Mariners have to make a call on Bonderman by June 1, or he can become a free agent if not added to the big league club.

Noesi isn't going anywhere. He got hit hard in AAA tonight and can still be added at any time without 40-man roster worries.

“We’ll have to talk about that,’’ Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. “You can’t keep putting this kind of heat on the bullpen. You want to give everybody ample opportunity, but having said that, you can’t keep doing what we’re doing and expect to compete.’’

And this is exactly what it all boils down to -- giving the Mariners a chance to win. Harang didn't do that tonight. The back end of the rotation hasn't done that on too many nights this season.

You have guys in that cluhouse busting their tails and taking gut-wrenching losses in Cleveland. Just throwing this game away was like a kick in the gut for them.

You can't point fingers at an offense when it trails 3-0 after one and 7-0 after four. A major league team needs major league pitching. The Mariners cut some corners in the rotation this winter and are getting what they paid for at times.

Now, they have to try to fix it. If they send Harang back out there, they'd best pray he turns it around. If not, they will have set themselves up big time with the bullseye smack dab on their forehead.

For Harang's part, he feels he has more left to show the Mariners.

“I think it’s just a matter of getting the repetition,’’ he said. “I had the stints off and as a pitcher you have to stay sharp, to keep throwing. Obviously, that hinders you. So, I think it’s just a matter of being out there and throwing my pitches and getting my feel back.’’

He added: “It’s tough to get into game speed when you just keep throwing bullpens. So, I’ve got to keep grinding and I know I can get back to where I need to be. It’s just a matter of getting the repetition in there and getting that muscle memory back.’’

Harang may be telling the truth. It just may be that he does have more left to show. But he might be showing it someplace else.

At this point, after tonight, he has no reason to expect the Mariners will keep sending him back out there.

Mike Trout hits for cycle; Mariners hit rock bottom...again

Wed, 22 May 2013 01:46:04 PDT

Start spreading the news...we're not in New York City anymore. Tales of the Mariners' exploits in the Big Apple have been long forgotten and they now face a brand new crisis in both confidence and their season.

This 12-0 loss tonight to the Angels was just one game. But the Mariners have now lost five in a row, play here again tomorrow and then face the Rangers this weekend. In other words, yeah, a long, long losing streak could be just around the corner if the Mariners don't figure some things out.

Some of it, the players can control. They did nothing offensively tonight, again, though, in their defense, the pitching by Aaron Harang was brutal and left them little chance in the game.

Other changes are entirely up to management. There is no rule that says Harang has to keep being sent out there to get lit up. There's an off-day Thursday and that's usually when roster changes come. If the Mariners stand pat, they will be writing their own epitaph.

Mike Trout hit a home run off Lucas Luetge in the eighth inning, making him the youngest player to hit for the cycle since Mel Ott of the New York Giants in 1929. Trout becmes the sixth player to hit for a cycle against the Mariners, the most recent being Aaron Hill of the Diamondbacks last June.

This road trip has gone from heartbreaking to ugly in a hurry.

The Mariners and their front office can no longer keep their fingers crossed and hope to get by. The dam has broken in the back end of the rotation. It's time for a fix before the season gets washed away.

Game thread: Angels 11, Mariners 0, top 5th

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:03:18 PDT

Honestly, who cares how the Angels got four more runs? There should be some good OTA coverage on TV from Seahawks camp. I'm going to find me a souvenir Mike Trout pint glass.

8:33 p.m.: That could be the last we see of Aaron Harang, who just walked off the mound -- and maybe into the sunset -- in the fourth inning after allowing a home run, two triples and two doubles to fall behind 7-0. The Mariners are getting what they paid for here and it isn't much. Time to look at Plans B and C rather than continue to toss games away like this.

Hector Noesi should probaly get another look in the rotation. Jeremy Bonderman is in Class AAA as well and could take Harang's roster spot if the latter is DFA.

7:39 p.m.: Aaron Harang is single-handedly reviving the Angels offense and trails 3-0 after an inning of play. Harang yielded a leadoff double to Erick Aybar on a pitch up in the zone and saw shortstop Robert Andino forget to cover second base on what might have been a close play. Albert Pujols collected the one-out RBI single shortly after, followed by a two-out, two-run homer to left by Josh Hamilton.

Yep, not the start the Mariners were looking for out of Harang so far.

6:57 p.m.: Aaron Harang isn't quite the stopper you want out there when trying to snap a string of four consecutive losses. Then again, he's making his "return" to the Los Angeles area, where he pitched for the Dodgers, and at least is making his start this time -- period.

Harang skipped his last start in New York with lower back stiffness. Hector Noesi filled in admirably in that contest against the Yankees. So, if Harang gets lit up tonight, it should make for some interesting discussion about what happens next.

Mariners hitting coach Dave Hansen on all those strikeouts

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:31:05 PDT

Tough not to notice all the strikeouts the Mariners have taken of late. Hitting coach Dave Hansen is hard to pin down, but we got him for a few moments today and one of the topics that came up was the team's strikeout rate. The Mariners have struck out at least 11 times in four of the first seven games on this 2-5 trip.

They have struck out 13 times on three occasions and are averaging 9.3 strikeouts per contest.

Then again, if you crunch the date, the Mariners also have a .348 on-base-percentage and a .474 slugging mark during those seven games for an .814 OPS and are averaging 4.7 runs per contest. The team's walk rate has also gone up. So, on the surface of it, the team is still putting up some impressive offensive totals despite the whiffs.

Hansen said what you're seeing now is the team going through the process of "refining" its strike zone. The Mariners are still striking out, ut they are also taking more walks and generating more offense by swinging at hittable pitches and doing some damage with them.

"We're still working on it,'' Hansen said. "We're still getting our strikeouts. But when you're consistent with your approach, you refine your strike zone. It's a byproduct, I think. You just don't chase as many. We still chase. But we don't chase as many pitches. We're looking for more specific pitches and that's real important that we do that -- stay focused that way.

"You will see the walks. We're still working on the other part, but I do see that we're in it every pitch. And that's real important.

Hansen said that Justin Smoak is a good example of a player who has refined his strike zone while working to maintain his aggressivness.

"He's got a really good eye, but he would chase outside of that zone because he can drive the ball out of the ballpark,'' Hansen said. "So, being able to control that aggressiveness -- still staying on-the-hunt, but refining that strike zone so that we can have some discipline at the plate -- that's the bottom line.

"These guys are all good,'' he added. "Pitchers are good at this level. The hitters are good. Wat's the difference, really? It's discipline. We're still working on it. It's a daily process, for sure.''

Hansen was asked whether the power numbers might be the last thing to come for Smoak, as he carries a team-high .366 OBP, but only a .367 slugging mark into tonight's game.

"Yeah, it is,'' he said. "Smoakie's a unique guy, because from both sides (of the plate) he's pretty disciplined with his strike zone. For a big dude, that's pretty unique. But keeping him within himself -- because he does have that power -- that can get you in trouble. So, we just constantly preach about being a good hitter. Being a good hitter and not worrying about where the ball ends up. If it ends up in the seats, great.''

Late home runs? Mariners OF Endy Chavez has been there, done that

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:01:05 PDT

Several jokes were flying yesterday about Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez after 170-pound Endy Chavez popped a ninth-inning, go-ahead homer off him. It was the first homer of the season by Chavez and the fact it came in a pinch-hit appearance was even more impressive.

According to Mariners PR and history maven Jeff Evans, the last Mariners pinch-hit home run was by Franklin Gutierrez on June 20 of last year. It was the first pinch-hit home run to give the Mariners a lead by the seventh inning or later since Dan Wilson hit one on May 5, 2001. The last pinch-hit homer that gave the Mariners a lead in the ninth inning or later came when Ken Griffey Jr. hit one on Sept. 16, 1990.

So, that was a pretty rare feat by Chavez

Turns out, though, this isn't Chavez's first go-around with this late-homer stuff.

"I never did it in the minor leagues but I did it in the majors once with the Mets,'' Chavez said. "It was the same situation. I was leading off an inning, the game was close and I hit a home run to keep the game going.''

Well, not exactly the same situation, but pretty close. I looked it up -- not tough to do when a guy has just 27 homers in 12 years -- and there it was, five years ago this month on May 28, 2008, with Chavez going deep off Kevin Gregg of the Florida Marlins at Shea Stadium. The Mets were down 5-4 and Chavez led off the bottom of the ninth with a line drive deep beyond the right field wall to tie it.

Florida actually regained the lead in the 12th inning of that game, but the Marlins scored twice in the bottom of the frame to win it. No, not off Chris Perez. It was actually off former Mariners spring training hopeful Justin Miller, known as baseball's tattoo king. Anyhow, I digress.

Chavez said there is no real secret to going deep in a situation like that. It's not like he's trying to hit a home run.

"Oh, no, no,'' he said, laughing. "I was just trying to get on-base and put the ball in-play. I guess I hit it pretty good.''

He didn't think the ball had any hope of going out.

"I was pretty sure that I'd hit some balls harder than that in that stadium and they stayed in,'' he said. "Plus, the wind was blowing in the whole series and keeping balls from going out.''

As for mental preparation, Chavez is used to the whole late-game sub routine by now. He also went to the plate with an idea of what Perez might show him, then unloaded on an 0-1 pitch.

"He's very aggressive with the fastball and he likes to attack the strike zone,'' Chavez said. "I'd faced him before, so I knew what he might try to do, but I wanted to see how his fastball was running first, then after I took my swing.''

A few things to take away from this heartbreaking Mariners series

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:19:16 PDT

Justin Smoak may have said it best yesterday when he opined that any time a team loses three walk off games in four days, it's not going to be a good thing. Tom Wilhelmsen had the other great observation of the day that his club seemed about ready to catch the first plane out of town.

I know there was plenty of teeth-gnashing, hair-pulling and all-around second, third and fourth-guessing taking place in the blogosphere after the game and that's fine. It's what sports fans do everywhere and the fans of Seattle are no different. We all need time to vent and there was certainly some vent-worthy baseball on display late. But a part of me wonders what we all would be saying had Wilhelmsen just caught the danged ball that Smoak flipped to him in the ninth inning.

Because a big part of me thinks -- knows -- that we'd be hearing a whole different storyline about resiliency and the team's improved power and ability to come back and stay in games.

About how Hisashi Iwakuma grinded it out on a day his best stuff was missing. Or, how Smoak is starting to find his power stroke. So, if we're going to play that game, then let's at least do it properly. Because we can't plan a season around Wilhelmsen catching or not catching a routine toss. Stuff happens. But once the anger dissipates, and the venting subsides, we all have to take a deep breath, use our heads and think and then try to come to some rational and objective analysis about what is actually going on.

And if we were going to conclude some things were looking OK had Wilhelmsen hung on to the ball, that doesn't all change because he dropped it.

Look, I know that some things went wrong in Cleveland. I know that things have gone wrong in other points of this 20-25 season.

Want to argue that there is a bit too much mixing and matching going on in the bullpen at times? Hey, I'm with you. I'm getting tired of these three-hour, 20-minute games we're seeing, even for routine, low-scoring affairs. The games this year have taken longer to play than any season I've covered in my 15 years of working a major league beat. And I do blame all the bullpen shuffling by manager Eric Wedge. But I also understand the difficulties Wedge faces in melding together a bullpen of largely inexperienced pitchers who are being thrust into new roles because of injury and the decision to dump Kameron Loe one week into the season.

That part is still being worked on and sure, Wedge has made some missteps along the way. But yesterday's loss is on Wilhelmsen, not Wedge.

If Wilhelmsen catches the ball, there is no debate about whether Wedge should have usedhis closer in a second inning of work rather than Charlie Furbush. I heard groans the other night when Wedge went to Oliver Perez -- a guy who had been striking out every batter he'd faced going on a week -- in the ninth inning of a non-save situation. Those fans doing the griping have to understand that most managers won't use their closer in a non-save situation on the road, while the majority will do it with their closer at home with the game tied because there is no such thing as a save situation once a tie game reaches the ninth inning inyour own ballpark. So, yeah, Wedge has his ways of doing things.

Fire him and another manager will have his own set of quirks and ways that you won't like. What you want is a manager who believes in what he is doing and has the conviction to stand behind it even when it inevitably fails from time to time.

This whole business of blaming the manager, or the umpires, anytime something doesn't go the Mariners way is getting a bit tiresome, and frankly, it's a sign of immaturity in terms of the analysis being done locally. Wedge makes mistakes. So did Joe Torre. So does Joe Maddon. The Mariners aren't going to change all that drastically as a team with a new manager. Get over that notion, please, for the sake of your own sanity. We've had years of this blogosphere griping for a new manager every five minutes, getting one every other year, then seeing the same losing baseball.

It's.Not.The.Manager.

On to how this team is constructed, yeah, I've had problems with it going on several years in terms of the time it was taking to build a young core that still is not really showing any signs of being anyplace close to completed. Sure, there are some bright spots, but there is also underachievement and uncertainty going forward. For all the talk of a "Big Three" I've heard the past two years, I'd settle for a "Big One" right about now.

The young arms are still a ways away and it was obvious two or three years ago that this club would not seriously contend for anything until at least 2015 or even longer without bringing in some bats from outside the organization to help speed things along. The Mariners have finally done that and they look better on offense as a result. The fact that they just got swept in Cleveland doesn't change that.

During my weekly Talkin' Baseball segment on Sports Radio KJR, host Mitch Levy asked me about all of the recent strikeouts by the Mariners and suggested my "bar" for OBP was set rather low, given how poorly the Mariners had performed in that category the last few games. I told him you can't use a sample size that small to gauge anything and offered up, just for kicks, that had he checked the stats from the beginning of the road trip, he'd find the club doing OK.

Well, as of yesterday, the offense had struck out 11 times or more in four of the first six games of the trip. Yet, it had produced a .260 batting average, .332 OBP and a .447 slugging mark for an OPS of .778 against two first place ball clubs. So, no, the strikeouts were not adversely impacting the offense. Teams can live with an OPS of .778 in any prolonged stretch.

Yes, the Mariners did go just 2-4 to start the trip off. But if they'd gone 4-2 and finished the trip 5-2, would you have greater faith in the offense? If so, why? What does Wilhelmsen catching a ball have to do with the offense? You either trust in the numbers and the process, or you don't.

I hear a lot of talk about process around here, but I also see scores of fans jumping ship on it, even when it has started to play out.

This offensive process is working and has been for a full month now, building off a solid OBP, with some home run power mixed in. What the Mariners need are a few more timely hits, because you will gladly take the .330 OBP they've been running for four weeks now and you know this team can hit for home run power. To me, they appear very close to putting it all together on a more consistent basis.

Will changes need to be made? Sure, at some point. What Jesus Montero and Dustin Ackley have done is disappointing and I would not mind seeing one or both go to AAA at this point because it's been long enough that we've seen them struggle like this. It doesn't have to be permanent, but again, an offense can only withstand so many black holes.

And naturally, if the team wins only 72 games, or 75 or even 80, I will not be pleased with the product because frankly, I don't see how this team could finish with such a low win total based on what the offense has been doing for a good while now, combined with pitching that I believe to be good enough for a .500 team or better once the back end of the rotation gets sorted out a bit.

The bottom line? Now is still not the time to panic. Not after a series against that quality of opponent and given how the losses came.

Offense was always going to make the difference this year and it has indeed gotten better with numbers that should continue to grow and widen the gap between the 2013 stats and those of prior years. It takes time to do that when you start off as slowly as the Mariners did in most of April. But things have been coming around for a while now after players returned from injury, and despite all the losses in Cleveland, that fundamental OBP base is still there and looking intact.

The trick now is for the Mariners to stick with their approach and keep hoping it pays off more frequently. It should, with a little luck and a few changes in personnel. It already is working. The Mariners just went tooth and nail with two of the league's best teams. What they can't do now is abandon their approach. They had a very tough April and May schedule and if they can survive it and get to July a .500 team, then that's what most of us said would be key topossibly sticking around with the big boys after that.

We are a long way from July. This offense is much better than it was before. The pitching is at least decent and could improve. Let's give this more time to play out, make some changes where they can be made and see whether this team lives up to expectations.

If not, then I'll be the first to say that this plan isn't working and should have accomplished more in five years of time. I won't string you along for another five years based on my baseball politics or my own personal beliefs on the best strategy for roster construction and team design. If it appears to be working, there are a number of different processes that can accomplish the job.

This team improved over the offseason and we've seen it on the field of play in terms of how the games have gone, if not in the wins and loses. Let's give the season time to play out and leave the hand-wringing for when the Mariners actually start playing like a 72-win team and not one that just went toe-to-toe with two of the games finest in their own backyards.

Mariners can't close Indians out, lose it 10-8 in 10th

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:16:04 PDT

Twice, the Mariners had the Indians down to their final outs, but couldn't close it today. Charlie Furbush gives up the three-run homer in the 10th to Yan Gomes and the Indians hand the Mariners a 10-8 loss in 10 innings.

Justin Smoak had homered to give the Mariners an 8-7 lead in the top of the inning, but then Furbush allowed a leadoff single, then saw Drew Stubbs reach base when Smoak dropped a ball at the bag. Gomes then hit his second home run of the game.

The Mariners are swept in four.

Game thread: Mariners 7, Indians 7, top 10th

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:46:03 PDT

The Mariners were one squeezed toss from Tom Wilhelmsen away from winning this one, but he could not hold on to the lob by Justin Smoak at the first base bag and enabled the Indians to tie it up 7-7 with two out. Wilhelmsen gave up an infield single to Jason Kipnis, then a two-out single to right by Nick Swisher in the ninth to put runners at the corners.

With Smoak holding the runner on first, Carlos Santana sent a chopper towards the hole in the right side of the infield. Smoak made a great diving stop to his right, then tossed the ball to Wilhelmsen. The closer reached the bag in time, but appeared focused on getting his footwork right so he didn't miss the base. In doing so, he took his eye off the ball and dropped it.

The runner was safe and we're all tied up.

In the top of the inning, Endy Chavez hit his first homer of the season, to right center, off Chris Perez to give the Mariners a short-lived 7-6 lead. It's the third ninth inning homer allowed by closer Perez in his last two games facing the Mariners here.

Tough break for Wilhelmsen and the M's there.

11:56 a.m.: Well, we just got done discussing how important it was for Yoervis Medina to limit the Indians to just the one run last inning. And we saw why in the top of the eighth as Kyle Seager led things off by ripping a Vinnie Pestano offering into the right field bullpen to tie the game 6-6. That's the sixth homer of the season by Seager as the Mariners fight to avoid the four-game sweep.

11:48 a.m.: Yoervis Medina came on to pitch the seventh in relief of Hisashi Iwakuma and made a ig mistake by walking the speedy Michael Bourn. A passed ball by Kelly Shoppach enabled Bourn to go to second base and he quickly took third on a groundout by Jason Kipnis. Asdrubal Cabrera then chopped one towards the mound to Medina's left. He looked once at the plate, realized Bourn was too fast and would score, then tried to throw to first and had the ball slip out of his hand.

So, the Indians took a 6-5 lead.

Then, Medina walked Nick Swisher to put two on and then fell behind 2-0 to Carlos Santana. Shoppach did a good job at that point of going to the mound to settle Medina down. He came back and fired a 95 mph fastball for a called strike, then yielded a long drive to the center field warning track. The ball was caught for a huge second out and then Medina got Mark Reynolds to fly out to left to end the threat.

The Mariners trail by a run, but it was nearly much worse.

10:52 a.m.: The worst news the Mariners got in the fourth inning, in which they tied it up again 5-5, is that Scott Kazmir will no longer be pitching for the Indians. Kazmir's work is the only thing allowing the Mariners to endure a sub-par Hisashi Iwakuma performance thus far. Kelly Shoppach opened the inning by drawing a walk and then Robert Andino ended Kazmir's day with a double to right that put runners at second and third with no out.

Brendan Ryan then tied the game with a groundout, Andino taking third. But Andino then broke for home on a contact play and first baseman Nick Swisher made a nice glove stab of a Michael Saunders smash while playing in. Swisher easily threw Andino out at the plate and the inning ended moments later when Saunders was caught stealing.

10:23 a.m.: Hisashi Iwakuma gave the lead back to the Indians in the bottom of the third as Nick Swisher led off with a double, then took third on a flyout. Mark Reynolds walked and Michael Brantley followed with a single to give Cleveland a 5-4 lead. Iwakuma got out of the two-on jam with a 5-4-3 double play.

10:17 a.m.: The Mariners came right back and tied it 4-4 with a pair of third inning runs. Jason Bay led things off with his second hit of the day, then took third on a ground-rule double by Kyle Seager. Kendrys Morales got one run in with a single to center and then the tying run scored when Michael Morse grounded into a double play.

9:56 a.m.: After all that pregame talk about hitting with runners in scoring position, the Mariners did some of it early on. But Ryan Raburn and Yan Gomes just erased a two-run Seattle lead with back-to-back homers to left in the bottom of the second inning off Hisashi Iwakuma.

So, it's now a 4-2 Indians lead.

The Indians got a one-out double by Carlos Santana, then a walk to Michael Brantley before Raburn unloaded to left to give Cleveland the lead. Gomes then followed with a towering shot to left on an 0-2 pitch marking the second straight game in which Iwakuma has yielded two homers. He'd given up just one in his prior five outings combined.

The Mariners had entered the day 1-for-23 (.045) with runners in scoring position this series. But they doubled their hit total in that regard in the first inning when Kendrys Morales doubled to left to bring in Jason Bay from second base and then Michael Morse followed with a single to give the Mariners a 2-0 lead.

8:55 a.m.: Hisashi Iwakuma will try to snap this skid of three straight losses by the Mariners, taking the AL's best ERA (2.24) among starters since last year's All-Star Break into today's contest.

Iwakuma has started to go seven innings more frequently as he moves beyond the blister issue that plagued him throughout April. He still has to monitor the blister, which is why we've yet to see him go eight or nine innings like the aces on some other teams. If he can do that, he'll start seeing his name mentioned right up there with some of the game's best.

Eric Wedge: hitting with runners in scoring position a different animal

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:16:03 PDT

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Be sure to join me at 8 a.m. PT for Talkin' Baseball with Mitch Levy on Sports Radio KJR.

We've got a real early 9:05 a.m. PT start time today, so Mariners manager Eric Wedge held his pregame chat first thing this morning and it almost felt like we were back in spring training. Wedge said his players have to be aware of the fact they've played tough in five of the six games on this trip thus far -- up until yesterday -- and could have won each of those despite having a 2-4 record.

Wedge was asked about his team's performance with runners in scoring position and he said that improvement in this area would indeed turn some of these close losses into wins. It being a dull Monday morning and all, I could not resist asking Wedge about his thoughts on hitting with runners in scoring position. As you may know, for years, many have attempted to quantify whether such hitting is indeed a skill, or whether it boils down mainly to luck.

The Mariners are batting .239 overall and .209 with runners in scoring position.

I know exactly how Wedge feels about it, since he mentions runners in scoring position hitting very often. But just for fun, I asked Wedge to spell out exactly what it takes to hit in such situations and whether he subscribes at all to the "luck" theory. It's an interesting answer he gave -- regardless of where you fall on the whole RISP thing -- because I think it reminds us once again that no matter how many numbers we try to crunch, these are still human beings playing the game and subject to all types of variables we will never be ale to entirely quantify.

"It's just different,'' he said. "Those same (luck theory) people argue that the ninth inning is the same as the seventh and eighth inning. It's different. If I have to explain it to you, then you don't understand. I can't. I don't have enough time to explain it to you, because if you don't know, then you don't know. And you're never going to know. If you don't get it, you don't get it and you're not going to get it.

"The ninth inning is different because we're human beings and we're not widgets. OK? It's no different than when you're doing regular human being things and your heatbeat speeds up a bit from the things that you're doing in regular life. That's what happens with these guys when they're playing and millions of people are watching and there are 30,000 people in the stands.

"So, it's a situation where it's a little bit more important. You know the outcome's going to be more important. So, you feel that. So, it takes some time to be a clutch hitter. It takes time -- more time than not -- to end up being a closer. But that's what you love about the game, too, as far as I'm concerned. The human element, as far as I'm concerned. The success and the failures that you have in this game are more extreme than you have in other sports.

"One, because you play it every day and two because there is just more failure in this sport. That's why the human element and the heartbeat and everything is such a big factor.''

In other news, Aaron Harang appears good to go for tomorrow night's start, though the team has yet to officially confirm it.

Wedge was asked about Erasmo Ramirez and Danny Hultzen and said it's going to take substantial time for both to recover from their shoulder injuries. Neither is to the point yet, Wedge added, where the team can hope to count on them being added to the major league squad this season. That may change as their rehab progresses, but for now, the Mariners are not counting on it yet.

Mariners seeing what that crucial speed element looks like

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:46:04 PDT

We've written many positive things in this space about the Mariners and their offense this season. But it's safe to say, this team is far from perfect offensively. And one of the shortcomings that gets mentioned a lot is the lack of athleticism and speed in the batting order.

Heck, let's drop the athleticism part of it. The Mariners are just slow at times.

They can really start clogging up the bases when the middle of the order gets on and we saw today what a team with real speed -- like the Indians have -- can do with it when it comes to manufacturing runs.

Today's game was a 6-0 loss and some of the sluggishness in the field is what caused that. The Mariners looked bad on four different defensive plays the first four innings and it cost them three runs. The other three came on a Felix Hernandez sinker that didn't sink and resulted in a Michael Brantley homer.

But the other aspect to today's game was how the Indians took advantage of pure speed up top and at the very bottom of their batting order to make things happen. This Indians squad did a fantastic job of remaking their offense both via some trades and in good free agent signings this winter. They didn't do it all with youth.

And now, they have the American League's most dangerous-looking offense both in terms of power and speed. They can beat you in so many different ways. Plus, they are versatile. They have a bunch of switch-hitters they can flip around and use to stack their lineups from both sides of the plate depending on the handedness of the pitchers.

I see a lot of misdirected criticism being aimed at the Mariners and GM Jack Zduriencik for the fact they signed some veterans this winter and let go of some mid-to-lower-level role players like John Jaso and Casper Wells. Needless to say, I've never agreed with that criticism.

In the end, I think this is a better team with Michael Morse, Kendrys Morales, Jason Bay and Raul Ibanez on it. And in the end -- regardless of this losing streak, now at three games and counting -- this is still a good team that should win more than it loses and can stay in contention.

But all that said, there is still room for criticism here. Not because the Mariners got rejected by Josh Hamilton. Not because they were turned out on what would have been a good trade for Justin Upton.

No, there is criticism because the Mariners did not do all they could to maximize their own offense this winter. The Indians weren't the first choices of guys like Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn. Those players fell to the Tribe because of a lack of interest expressed by other clubs, some of them more worried about losing a first-round pick and spending some money than they were in the quality of those players.

Now, I've said it before, I'm not really that upset about Swisher. I think the Mariners have seen some good things from Justin Smoak so far at first base, they have Morales who can play there for now as well and some right fielder types. But some people may disagree with me on that, feeling Swisher is a better overall player, more proven and with the pedigree of having played important games for contending teams.

Hey, that's fine. I don't claim to always be right or have all the answers. Just saying I won't personally sweat that one.

But the Bourn thing, for me, is a classic example of how this rebuilding process has played out for the Mariners. It's taken a long time to get where we are and I do think we could have seen some better baseball a bit quicker had the Mariners spent some dough this winter and in prior ones to shore-up where they were lacking.

Being a rebuilding team does not mean having to suffer through a bunch of 95+-loss seasons.

Yeah, these Mariners could wind up a .500 team or better this year.

But the Indians are now a first-place team with one of the best offenses in baseball. Last year, they were a horrific team in the second half.

The Mariners knew going into this winter they had a hole at the leadoff spot atop the batting order. They knew they had a center fielder in Franklin Gutierrez who had not stayed fully healthy since midway through 2009.

And they knew that Bourn was out on the open market, having trouble finding suitors because of the first-round compensation thing and that his agent, Scott Boras, was probably going to have to cut a deal. The Mariners had conversations with Boras, but kept putting him off as they waited for other things to take hold -- like the Upton deal that came apart.

Still, finally, when all was said and done, they did not manage to land Bourn.

The Indians did and we see the results.

The Mariners stuck with Gutierrez and will now have him for about four more months maximum once he comes off the DL. Then, they can exercise their option on him for 2014 at $7.5 million or walk away.

That was the call the Mariners made. In the end, they opted to keep payroll where it now sits and keep their 12th overall pick in June and the slot money that goes with that.

When you evaluate overall what type of impact that decision might have on the team both this year and in the next few years to come, it's impossible not to conclude the Mariners might have made a big mistake. Or, at the very least, that they just prolonged the end stages of this "plan" by at least another year.

Casper Wells? John Jaso? That's forgettable fodder.

There were potential impact moves staring the Mariners in the face this winter beyond Josh Hamilton that they opted not to make.

This isn't an "I told you so!" because I also wanted Hamilton and that might not be looking so good right now if that move had been done.

But next winter, when we see a bunch of guys on the market and we hear the usual groaning from people who argue that free agency isn't the way to build a team, or that guys are too old and we should be building through youth alone, or that this guy looks like the second coming of Chone Figgins, just stop and think. There were plenty of guys out there who could have helped the Mariners be even more than they are right now.

Sure, part of it's a crapshoot. But the good teams can often spot the crapshoots that will turn sour ahead of time. Sometimes no, but you've got to take the chance. The Indians could have spun their wheels for five more years fielding low-budget, young squads full of little else but empty promises of hope to smaller and smaller crowds.

Or, they could have tried to significantly better themselves.

Right now, it looks like they have. And if they finish third, that's not going to change the fact they went out and tried and -- more importantly -- did actually sign some true impact guys long-term.

The Mariners also bettered themselves. Just not in the same way. They'd hoped to have more speed, but that's tough when Gutierrez gets hurt and Dustin Ackley and Brendan Ryan can't get on base.

It is what it is for now. The Mariners went with the money-saving and the draft pick. And they are now living with the results of that decision. It may not matter one bit when the season is done if they get back to winning games. But all of this has to be taken into context when evaluating the moves and progress of a team.

Right now, in terms of offense, the Indians have a critical speed component the Mariners lack. And they are the more dangerous team as a result. You don't need track team speed if you're the Mariners, but a few less base-clogging blunders like what we saw in Saturday's loss -- with the Jesus Montero pick off at second on the non-bunt by Endy Chavez -- would be welcome.

The speed game, leadoff spot and permanent center field role long-term were not adequately addressed by the Mariners this winter. And if that problem is still here this winter, it's an area well worth focusing on beyond the too many words spilled already over Jaso and Wells.

Mariners don't show up, clobbered 6-0 by Indians

Sun, 19 May 2013 18:31:05 PDT

The Mariners have the ability to stay competitive in most games, but they usually have to bring their "A" game to do it. Today, Felix Hernandez and his teammates brought their "C" level stuff and the result was a rather predictable 6-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

Justin Masterson is going to be tough to beat most days and he fanned 11 batters in this one. But when Hernandez and a bungling defense spots the home side five runs the first two innings, the rest of it becomes moot. We saw two poor defensive plays by Michael Morse lead to a run in the first, an error by Justin Smoak lead to another run that inning and then a poor play by Hernandez, who forgot to cover home when his catcher went to field a bunt, allow yet another marker to scorein the fourth inning.

An all-around forgettable day, for Hernandez, who yields five earned runs in five innings. And a woeful day by the offense, which mustered only four hits -- one of them a Jesus Montero double (well, it should have been, since the ball hit the wall, but alas, he stopped at first base) in the ninth -- and did nothing in the fifth inning when the first two runners reached base.

The Mariners are better than this.

But they have to do more than just show up to prove it. The actually have to show up.

Game thread: Indians 6, Mariners 0, bottom 4th

Sun, 19 May 2013 14:16:04 PDT

The Mariners are playing with thier heads someplace other than at Progressive Field today and it cost them another run in the fourth inning. Cleveland now leads 6-0 after a leadoff double by Mike Aviles and then a chopper in front of the plate by Drew Stubbs. Jesus Montero fielded the ball and made a strong throw to first for the out, with Aviles going to third.

But Montero was a good 15-20 feet from home plate after the throw and Felix Hernandez was busy watching the play instead of doing what he should have been, which is covering for Montero. Aviles saw that nobody was close enough to the plate, so he took off and scored the run.

Time for the Mariners to hit the "reset" button. For the second day in a row, they really don't look like they're in this game and I doubt we're going to see a flurry of late homers like we did yesterday.

10:48 a.m.: Felix Hernandez caught a bad break in the second inning on a grounder to second that Michael Bourn legged out for an infield single with two out. The inning could have been over right there, but Hernandez didn't do himself any favors after that by yielding a line drive single to center by Jason Kipnis that left runners at the corners and then an absolute bom of a three-run homer to center field by Michael Brantley to make it a 5-0 game.

The Mariners needed more in this game than Hernandez has given them so far. The Mariners have gone six up, six down on offense, so it's not looking good.

10:19 a.m.: Sure hope that 12th overall draft pick (and the saved slot money) winds up being worth it for the Mariners in a few weeks. The Mariners used that pick as an excuse not to go after free agent Michael Bourn this winter and the Indians have reaped the benefits -- signing him to a lower-than-expected deal. Bourn entered today batting .311 with a .363 OBP and a .473 slugging percentage -- and that's for a center fielder and leadoff man.

The comparisons of him to Chone Figgins this past winter by some were bordering on the ridiculous. The biggest comp between them is speed, which Bourn displayed in the first inning with a leadoff double on what should have been a single to right-center that Michael Morse was slow getting to.

Bourn would score on a single to right by Michael Brantley that Morse made an ill-advised throw home on (see "speed" and "Bourn) which allowed the runner to take second on the throw. That proved big when Justin Smoak "Bucknered" a Nick Swisher grounder, enabling Brantley to score easily.

So, it's now a 2-0 game, Indians in the lead after one.

I've been a fan of what the Mariners did offensively this winter, but felt they really could have bettered themselves even more with a Bourn addition. Now, instead of an outfield with Bourn in center and Michael Saunders in the corners for years to come, we get another sub-$90 million payroll and get to wait for Franklin Gutierrez to come off the DL again so the team can squeeze every last dime out of the remaining money owed to him for a few more months. And we get to watch the Mariners keep juggling fifth outfielder/center fielder types in Class AAA to use as emergency insurance in case of another Gutierrez injury.

Oh, and the draft pick. The Mariners still have that.

9:55 a.m.: Felix Hernandez hasn't always had the easiest time of it in Cleveland, where he's 3-4 with a 4.02 ERA in eight career outings. Today, he'll be taking on Indians ace Justin Masterson, so he'll have to limit the damage and give the Mariners a chance to score some runs and snap their two-game losing skid.

Hernandez hasn't pitched at home since April 27, making this his fourth consecutive road outing. He's 4-1 with a 1.29 ERA in four road starts thus far this season.

Jesus Montero in Mariners lineup catching Felix Hernandez

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:16:05 PDT

Jesus Montero will get a quick shot at redemption today after his tough day yesterday on the bases and behind the plate on that decisive ninth-inning play. Montero usually has big games when catching Felix Hernandez and the Mariners are going to go with that battery today.

Mariners manager Eric Wedge had a chance to review yesterday's key play on video and is convinced Brendan Ryan's throw would have made it in time to Montero had the latter kept his foot on home plate.

"He just came off the plate,'' Wedge said. "He just released too early. You've got to keep your foot planted. You're not going to turn two on that, so you've just got to keep your foot planted on that.''

I asked Wedge whether that was something that comes with experience, or whether it's a more basic fundamental that the Mariners teach all their catchers and that they are expected to already be adept at.

"That's what you see us do in spring training,'' Wedge said. "The home-to-first, or the force out or the tag play at home. Those are things you work on.''

Ultimately, he said, Montero's findamentals of foot and glovework on the play got all messed up.

"I've been there,'' Wedge said. "It's the game-on-the-line situation. You've got to be under control and kind of be in your first baseman's mode. But not to where the ball could be anywhere. Understand that , one, you're only going to get one out. So stay put and get one out.

And two, just work your feet accordingly. He probably should have gone out with the other foot and caught the ball like this,'' he added, demonstrating by twisting his hand in an upright position rather than to the side. "He just put himself in a tough position to where he kind of pulled himself off.''

So, anyway, like I said, it was a bit of a rough day for Montero. After Wedge was done speaking to reporters, he went out on the field and had an extended conversation with Montero behind the batting cage, going over the technical aspects of the play and how the catcher should have handeld it. You can see it in the photos above.

In other news, Aaron Harang is feeling better and threw his pregame bullpen session today. If he feels OK tomorrow, he'll start on Tuesday in Anaheim.

As for the hitters, Wedge is feeling better about the progress made by Justin Smoak and Ryan. Smoak has been building on that foundation -- as we've discussed on the blog -- of being more selective in which pitches he decides to unload on.

It hasn't led to big power numbers, but you really can't argue with an on-base percentage of .374. Like Smoak, Wedge remains convinced that if the first baseman keeps the fundamentals of his approach in-line, the power will eventually show up once he gets better pitches to hit.

"If you do have a good eye, which he does and (Dustin) Ackley does too, then you've got the best of all worlds,'' Wedge said. "You're aggressive when you need to be on pitches to hit and you can aggressively lay off pitches too. But you're in a hit mode where you can see the ball better. Again, if they don't come to you, you lay the bat down and go to the next batter. He's done a nice job of that.''

I asked Wedge whether Smoak was still missing some hittable pitches. After all, with just two home runs in seven weeks, you'd have to think there were a few more offerings a first baseman could have cranked by now.

"Everyody misses pitches at times,'' Wedge said. "But I think he's done a lot better job with that. He's done a lot better job of hitting pitches he should hit.''

As for Ryan, who hit his first homer of the season yesterday and is on a five-game hitting streak in which he's 8-for-19, Wedge said the coaches have worked on some fundamentals with him to create more balance at the plate and help him stay behind the ball better.

Ryan has also done a better job of controlling his emotional side.

"I think that's part of it,'' Wedge said. "I've always said that's been part of it. It's been better. He's more more even-keeled and not so emotional like he has been. And I think that's helped him.''

Jesus Montero in Mariners lineup catching Felix Hernandez

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:16:05 PDT

Jesus Montero will get a quick shot at redemption today after his tough day yesterday on the bases and behind the plate on that decisive ninth-inning play. Montero usually has big games when catching Felix Hernandez and the Mariners are going to go with that attery today.

"That's what you see us do in spring training,'' Wedge said. "The home-to-first, or the force out or the tag play at home. Those are things you work on.''

Ultimately, he said, Montero's findamentals of foot and glovework on the play got all messed up.

Mariners run gamut of emotions in this latest walkoff loss

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:16:04 PDT

We've discussed the lack of athleticism by catcher Jesus Montero before and it came into play at a couple of key moments in today's 5-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

The biggest play was the one in the bottom of the ninth, when Brendan Ryan made that diving snag of a Mark Reynolds shot that appeared headed into left field. With the bases loaded and none out, Ryan had to come home with his throw and made a pretty stellar effort to get the all there.

But catcher Montero -- wanting to catch the ball before the runner touched home -- took his foot off the plate in making his stretch. To be fair to Montero, catchers don't practice stretching for balls the way a first baseman would and it was pretty evident on that play.

“That’s the reason right there,’’ Montero said. “We usually block the plate. But in that moment, I was thinking ‘Just touch the plate and catch the ball.’ But the ball was a little far.’’

Mariners manager Eric Wedge had not viewed a replay yet, but said he felt Ryan's throw would have beaten the runner had Montero stayed put.

"You have to stay on the plate,'' Wedge said. "If the throw pulls you, that's fine. But if there's a spot to stay on the plate, you have to do it. And then either he's out or he's safe. You have to give yourself a chance there.''

Montero also didn't help matters in the third inning when he was the lead runner with men on first and second. Endy Chavez squared to bunt, but held up and Montero -- having strayed too far off second in an attempt to cheat towards third -- was nabbed in a rundown by catcher Yan Gomes.

Once again, the lack of athleticism and speed by Montero played a part.

"That's happened to me before,'' Montero said. "I tried to get t third base and I never made it to third base because I'm so slow. I tried to cheat a little bit and when I saw Endy was not bunting, I was like 'Oh, God!' So...I gave up, because I'm not fast.''

No, he is not and the Mariners know full well about Montero's limits as a baserunner and as a defensive catcher. They are trying to work on those aspects of his game ut there is only so much that will wind up being accomplished.

He's here to hit and at some point, he'll either have to do that or the team will have to make some decisions.

As somebody pointed out, even had Montero kept his foot on the plate, there still would have been bases loaded and only one out.

The Mariners, as we pointed out earlier, took far too long to wake up on offense today, mustering only four hits the first seven innings and entering the eighth down 4-0.

That they came back on a late homer by Ryan in the eighth and then two more by Raul Ibanez and Justin Smoak in the ninth was as much a testament to the pitching by Seattle as anything else. Danny Farquhar had a stellar debut, retiring all eight batters he faced -- five via strikeouts.

Prior to that, Joe Saunders had toughed it out for 5 1/3 innings on 120 pitches. He escaped jams for the most part, but got hurt in the sixth when he allowed two of his four runs. Saunders had trouble finishing some innings off after good starts and could have used a reak or two along the way.

But he hasn't had many this season on the road, where he's still winless.

"We're going to sacrifice a live chicken before my next road start,'' Saunders quipped. "Just bad breaks. I threw some great pitches, they made some good swings on great pitches and I didn't get the breaks again. I battled my (butt) off today and tried to keep us in the game as much as I could. I told Wedgie (Eric Wedge) and I told (pitching coach) Carl (Willis) after the fifth, 'I'll throw 150 if I have to.' ''

Saunders said he had nothing left by the time he was pulled.

"That was everything I had,'' he said. "Everything humanly possible to keep us in the game today. I battled my tail off and tried to make as many good pitches as I could.''

In the end, it wasn't enough.

But it did prove enough to allow the Mariners to tie it with those improbable late home runs.

Smoak now has his team-leading OBP up to .374 after drawing his 12th walk in the last 12 games. Smoak leads the club with 24 walks and says the power will eventually be displayed if he keeps swinging at hittable pitches and lays off the rest.

“In the past, I’ve gotten too pull-happy trying to be a homer guy and it’s not good for me as we’ve seen in the past,’’ Smoak said. “So, I’m trying to have good at-bats and hit the ball where it’s pitched. It’s a long season and good things are going to happen.’’

The emotion in the dugout when Smoak hit his home run was there for all to see. The Mariners erupted like they'd just won a World Series. But that only turned out to prolong the wait for a final result many in the stadium had seen coming since the early innings.

"Oh, man…that was pretty awesome,’’ Ryan said of Smoak's tying blast. “He hit it off the closer, with two outs. That was pretty awesome. That was a big knock for him and we felt good about our chances after that. Again, momentum was on our side and it’s too bad.’’

Mariners make stunning comeback, but can't finish it off

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:46:04 PDT

Oliver Perez picked the wrong time to have a rare off day, giving up a leadoff single and then a double to Asdrubal Cabrera in the ninth. The Mariners intentionally loaded the bases with none out after that and brought Yoervis Medina on to pitch.

But Mark Reynolds then hit a shot to the left side that a diving Brendan Ryan made a stop on. But Ryan was off-balance when he threw home and had no chance to get the runner. Well, actually, it looks like Jesus Montero might have taken his foot off home plate too early. I'll have to see some replays on that and there's no time now because I'm off to the clubhouse.

Mariners take their second straight walk-off loss, 5-4.

The loss came after the Mariners had tied the game in stunning fashion in the top of the inning.

After spending most of the day going through the motions, the Mariners were down to their last out, trailing by two runs and with nobody on base.

But Raul Ibanez kept hope alive with a solo homer to right and then Justin Smoak tied it up moments later with his own solo homer to right-center. That's two hard hit balls by Smoak today, an earlier double nearly going out to left field before striking the top of the wall.

That's a welcome sign for the Mariners. Unfortuantely for them today, they waited too long to get untracked. Had they actually done anything on offense prior to the eighth inning, they might not have still be tied in the bottom of the ninth.

Game thread: Can 'Safeco Joe' expand his Mariners contribution?

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:01:12 PDT

This is a big start for "Safeco Joe" Saunders today. His home-road splits have become a bit of a running joke, but nobody on the Mariners is laughing and Saunders sure isn't.

Saunders is 9-0 with a 1.72 ERA in 13 career starts at Safeco Field. He's 3-0 with an 0.94 ERA in four starts there this season.

Problem is, he's 0-4 with a 12.54 ERA on the road.

For the Mariners to be a winning team and contend this season, they need more stability after the top two guys in the rotation. Saunders is being paid $6.5 million to provide some of that stability, but, so far, as you can see, he's been rather unstable.

That has to change. A mid-rotation starter doesn't have to win every game. But he does have to deliver quality innings on a routine basis regardless of the ballpark. Otherwise, he's just fourth or fifth starter material. The Mariners right now have too many guys delivering those performances. They need Saunders to do more. He can start by delivering a good performance in a road game.

Game thread: Mariners 4, Indians 4, bottom 9th

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:46:04 PDT

Wow, did not see that coming. With one out to go, nobody on and the Mariners down a pair, Raul Ibanez and Justin Smoak hit back-to-back jacks off of Chris Perez to tie the game. Smoak's homer was to right-center and the crowd here knew it was gone the moment he connected.

So, it's 4-4.

The big hero if the Mariners come back to win this thing could be Danny Farquhar, who retired all eight hitters he faced in his Mariners debut. Oliver Perez now on to pitch the bottom of the ninth.

12:26 p.m.: Better get the pantry stocked because the Apocalypse might be upon us. Brendan Ryan just hit a home run -- yes, a real one, not in a video game -- to cut the Cleveland lead to 4-2 here in the eighth inning. Justin Smoak had just missed a home run off Zach McAllister earlier in the inning on a blast off the left field wall. Then, Ryan unloaded into the wind (blowing out, we assume) and all of a suden, the Mariners are back in a game they'd previously shown zero signs of wanting to be a part of.

12:05 p.m.: Joe Saunders is going to stay winless on the road, having needed 120 pitches to get through 5 1/3 innings today with his team now on the short end of a 4-0 score as we start the seventh. Saunders kept it close until the sixth, but then allowed a leadoff double to Mike Aviles and then a single to left by Yan Gomes in which Aviles somehow failed to advance. No matter as Drew Stubbs bunted both up by a base, then speedy Michael Bourn hit a slow hopper to shortstop. Brendan Ryan decided his best play was to the plate, but Aviles beat the throw for the run.

Jason Kipnis then singled to left for the fourth run of the day and that was it for Saunders.

The Mariners have been nearly invisible on offense with just three hits so far. They aren't moving guy over when they do get men on base. They'd best show up soon, or this one is done.

11:30 a.m.: Joe Saunders caught a break with the wind here, then did not. First, a huge break when what looked like a two-run homer to left by Nick Swisher in the fifth got blown back towards the field of play where it was caught by Raul Ibanez. Indians baserunner Asdrubal Cabrera sure thought the all was gone because he wound up doubled off first base by about a half mile. Shortly after, though, Mark Reynolds hit a two-out fly to left that Ibanez tried to camp under -- only he couldn't, because the wind must have shifted and this time, the ball left the yard.

So, it's 2-0 for the Indians. But it could be worse.

10:25 a.m.: Not a good start for Joe Saunders or the Mariners, who trail 1-0 after an inning of play. Saunders got two quick groundouts to begin the bottom of the first, but then yielded a single to Asdrubal Cabrera, walked Nick Swisher, then allowed a single to right by Mark Reynolds that brought the run home.

Endy Chavez began the game with a double to center, but the Mariners were then retired on three straight flyballs to left field.

9:50 a.m.: This is a big start for "Safeco Joe" Saunders today. His home-road splits have become a bit of a running joke, but nobody on the Mariners is laughing and Saunders sure isn't.

Saunders is 9-0 with a 1.72 ERA in 13 career starts at Safeco Field. He's 3-0 with an 0.94 ERA in four starts there this season.

Problem is, he's 0-4 with a 12.54 ERA on the road.

Franklin Gutierrez to be used often in right field during rehab stint

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:31:05 PDT

We're a couple of hours from gametime and Michael Saunders is getting a rare day off for the Mariners, having played 15 games in a row. Saunders has looked tired at the plate his last two games, so the rest comes at a good time. You can expect to see Saunders playing a lot of center field going forward, perhaps even once Franklin Gutierrez is ready to return off the disabled list.

Gutierrez was slotted to play right field last night for Class AAA Tacoma prior to being moved to the DH spot because of slick field conditions. He's 2-for-8 with one RBI and one walk in two games thus far but has yet to play the outfield. I asked manager Eric Wedge this morning whether we should read anything into Gutierrez being slotted in right instead of center.

"We want him to play some right field as well as center field for a couple of reasons,'' Wedge said. "One...I think it's easier to stay healthy if you're playing left field or right field versus center field. Two, Saunders has been great in center field.

And three...if he's not 100 percent, then we're better off with him in right field. Now, if he's the Guti of old, 100 percent, then of course you want him in center field. But he just hasn't proven that he can do that. So, we're going to give him some time down there to work things out.''

Wedge said it's critical that Gutierrez comes back fully healthy, meaning he could very likely use all 20 days of allotted rehab time before the team calls him back up.

"Like I told you (media) guys and I told him, too, I need him to be not just able to play up here, but able to come up here and play every day, steal a base and do some things. Because otherwise, we're going to end up right back where we are right now.''

There's another big reason the team needs to be able to count on Gutierrez daily.

"The fact of the matter is, there's a good chance we'll lose a player when we activate him, too,'' Wedge said. "That's real, too.''

Indeed it is. As we've mentioned before, Wedge has no plans to carry six outfielders. I asked him about that again this morning.

"No, we can't do that,'' he said. "You just can't do it.''

So, that leaves a tough decision ahead. It also leaves the team extremely vulnerable going forward if Gutierrez or Saunders gets hurt again.

Right now, there is no way the team is about to release Raul Ibanez or Jason Bay given how they're playing. The odd man out, if things stay as they are, would be Endy Chavez.

Now, if Chavez gets through waivers, then great. He can be outrighted to AAA. But there's a good chance that won't happen. We all saw how even an unproven Casper Wells kept getting claimed on waivers. A seasoned outfielder like Chavez, who can bat leadoff and is hitting .282, is going to be looked at by plenty of teams.

If the Mariners lose Chavez, their center field insurance becomes Corey Patterson, 33, signed a couple of weeks back to a minor league deal. Patterson didn't play at all in the majors last year after hitting .239 for Toronto and St. Louis back in 2011.

Though he has big league experience, it isn't as recent as what Chavez gave the Mariners and there appears to be a clear talent dropoff between the pair.

So far, he's hitting .194 with a .533 OPS for AAA Tacoma.

That's the guy the Mariners would have to call up to the big leagues if Gutierrez goes down again after the Mariners lose Chavez to a waiver claim.

Now, Wedge isn't about to say who the odd man out will be once Gutierrez returns. But I asked him whether he'd be comfortable going forward with just Gutierrez and Saunders as center fielders in the majors.

"Yeah, I'm comfortable with that,'' he said. "I mean, those are two fine options for us. So, I'm comfortable with that. Now, if something happens, then you might get a little bit thin. But again, you can't cover everything. You know? You try to hedge your bets as best you can and go from there.''

In other words, if things stay the same, look for Chavez to be on-the-move and the Mariners being one Gutierrez misstep away from putting a big league uniform on Patterson again.