Tigers Greet Bosio Greedily Detroit Hitters Bombard Seattle, Take Edge Off Pitcher’s Return

The plan a couple of weeks ago called for Sunday to be the day Randy Johnson returned, healthy, to the Mariners pitching staff. As you might have guessed by the demolition Detroit did at the Kingdome, 14-6 over the Mariners, Johnson got nowhere near the mound.

Instead, Chris Bosio pitched for the first time since he was placed on the disabled list May 22, and the rust was evident even as Bosio was encouraged by his return to health. Detroit nailed him for a seven-run second inning and coasted.

The victory gave the Tigers a split of the four-game series, which is nothing new against the M’s, no matter how desperate Detroit’s straits. Seattle hasn’t won a season series against the Tigers since 1989 and leads this year only 5-4.

“The second inning I know he wasn’t very happy with,” Mariners pitching coach Bobby Cuellar said of Bosio. “His velocity was good, and his breaking ball came back a little better after the second.

“The toughest thing for Chris right now is, he knows the situation we’re in (battling for division and wild-card position), and he wanted to come in here and do something for the team. I expect him to come back next game. It’s against the same team (Friday night).”

Bosio said his knees, the reason he went on the disabled list, felt all right. Cuellar added that the real issue is how he feels a day or so after the start.

“I was getting ahead of the guys, I just wasn’t putting them away with a quality pitch,” said Bosio. “It was good to be back out there, but I didn’t plan to put us in that big a hole.

“I was a little excited out there today. I was trying to do too much, and it showed, especially when I was ahead in the count.”

Bosio threw 75 pitches in four innings, 49 for strikes. In the Detroit second, the first six Tigers reached base, and Cecil Fielder struck the decisive blow, touching off a three-run homer for his first of two dingers.

John Marzano, the Mariners catcher, said he wouldn’t put too much stock in the numbers associated with Bosio’s return. “He had good stuff,” Marzano said. “He just missed his spots when he needed to, like on 0-and-2 pitches. When he’s in form, he never misses like that.

“I remember when I got back in ‘92 after a torn rotator cuff. It felt like it was my first game in the big leagues. He’ll be fine.”

It is likely no consolation for Bosio that the two Mariners who succeeded him to the mound, Blas Minor and Rusty Meacham, were abused almost as ruthlessly. The Tigers pounded four homers, giving them 11 in the series. Detroit is a team that is last in the American League in hitting (.256) and pitching (6.73 ERA) but unfailingly plays tough against the M’s.

The Tigers scored 32 runs in the series, which furrowed the brow of Cuellar and manager Lou Piniella as much as Bosio’s rough return.

“He hadn’t been out there in quite a while,” said Piniella, referring to Bosio. “You’re talking about major-league competition.”

Piniella talked about having “to sort some things out” regarding Bosio’s role. But the big righthander is expected to get at least one more start before any serious consideration would be given to using him in the bullpen, and that probably would have more to do with his knees’ response to starting.

“If there’s a positive,” said Bosio, “it’s that I didn’t have any walks. I was aggressive. I felt a lot stronger than I have in the past, as far as getting ‘through’ the ball and being aggressive.

“But a couple of bad pitches and we’re down 8-0, which is a hell of a hole to put your team in.”

In that hole, the Mariners tried to return fire for several innings and might have made it a game but couldn’t deliver a clutch hit. Joey Cora, who extended his hitting streak to 17 games, was one of those stranded in scoring position after a one-out triple in the third.

Detroit made all that academic off Minor in the seventh as Fielder and then Mel Nieves crushed tworun homers to make it a laugher.

The loss preceded a long day for the M’s. They fly out today and have an exhibition at Appleton, Wis., tonight before they play a doubleheader Tuesday at Milwaukee.

As for Johnson, whose return was postponed two weeks ago, he responded well to a throwing session on the side Friday and is scheduled for another here Tuesday.