SportsLink

M’s are home with a large hill to climb

Posted by Vince

May 31, 2007 1:32 p.m. • 0 comments

MARINERS • UPDATED: 2:45 P.M.

The road trip from hell is over, though the unending stretch of games continues.

And the M’s failed their first big test of the season. With Felix on the mound. And with the offense supplying six runs.

Now Seattle comes home trailing the Angels by 5½ games as May winds down. Not an insurmountable lead, but one, with the Angels’ pitching, that will be hard to overcome.

At least Texas is in town for three games, starting tonight (7:05; FSN; 920-AM) when Cha Seung Baek (2-2, 4.60 ERA) will take the mound coming off one of his better games of the season.

Today’s hot list …

• The game stories feature exactly what you would think they would feature, the mystifying inability of Felix Hernandez to put the Angels away. Here they are from the News Tribune, the P-I and the Times. From Los Angeles you can read the stories in the Times and the Register.

• The manager said he was. The pitcher said he wasn’t. Guess who won? Yes, the pitcher. Jeff Weaver won’t be going on a rehab assignment after all.

• Raul Ibanez is getting healthier, and he hopes that health will result in more RBIs.

UPDATE: • San Francisco Chronicle columnist Ray Ratto assesses the American League All-Star picks.

By the way, sorry about being so late today. It’s been an interesting day with meetings and assignments unrelated to Mariners.