It’s Past Time To Get A Pitcher

Five games behind in the American League West. Baseball’s best pitcher and best player both on the disabled list. A pitching staff in such daily flux that management has decided to forgo game programs in favor of a fresh sheet.

By golly, it’s tempting to say the Seattle Mariners have the Texas Rangers right where they want them.

In fact, there’s a sense that fans won’t feel comfortable until the M’s spot Texas a few more games in the standings - just to make things sporting.

It’s no conceit, just the faith of innocents.

Attendance at the Kingdome is stuck at high tide, even though every fourth or fifth day the M’s direct to the mound some overmatched ragamuffin who just that morning thumbed his way up I-5 from Tacoma. And the seats stay warm into the seventh, eighth and ninth innings even if the Mariners should happen to fall hopelessly behind, because the warmers have consigned hopelessness to history.

It’s amazing how far fans can go on a tankful of October.

Not to be a humbug, but the more pressing question is how far Mariners management figures to run on fumes.

Guys, go get a pitcher. Soon.

No, certainly, it’s never that easy. It’s still too early for baseball’s bottom dwellers to concede a front-line pitcher - providing they have a front-line pitcher - and still save face with their fans. It’s a seller’s market. The farm system may not be able to handle a second mortgage after the borrowing done last season.

We won’t even suggest a name because there’ll be some reason you can’t get him.

Get him anyway.

He won’t replace the dozen homers Junior can’t hit this next month because of the hand he broke on Wednesday, but maybe he’ll keep a half dozen balls off opponents’ bats inside the yard.

Maybe he’ll give you six innings every fifth day. You sure could use it.

The truth is, you’ve needed it since you broke camp in the spring, back when you hoped Paul Menhart and Edwin Hurtado would be the answers. You’ve needed it since the injuries to Randy Johnson and Chris Bosio forced you to consider young Bob Wolcott - nice kid, willing, unable - your No. 3 starter. Or Bob Wells - your first-half MVP? - the No. 2 starter. Or Sterling Hitchcock No. 1.

You’ve needed ever since you decided over the winter that you couldn’t afford Tim Belcher.

People laughed when you rescued him from the discard pile a year ago, but he gave you innings - 179 of them - and a chance to win most nights.

Sure, if it’s a choice between giving him a million dollars and Junior only $7 million, it stands to reason that you don’t lowball the next president of the United States. And that Felix Fermin contract had too many shekels tied up, too. Paper clips, pens, notepads - all through the roof.

And, yes, you’re still losing millions and will until the new stadium’s in place (and, who knows, maybe even when it’s in place). But guess what? It’s time to play poker. Again.

With a stadium issue on the ballot and the playoffs in sight last year, you had no chance of winning either the citizenry or the wild card/pennant without digging deep. You dug, the players won and the people responded.

They’re still responding. Attendance has almost doubled since this juncture a year ago - only five teams in baseball draw better. The trust has been established, the thrill is on.

You don’t have to win another pennant. But you’d better go down swinging.

Yes, it was mid-July before you brought in Norm Charlton last summer, and Andy Benes two weeks later. It was Aug. 15 before Vince Coleman checked in. Yes, California had a 13-game head start and you still made it all up.

This is history to be learned from, not repeated.

Johnson and Bosio and Griffey and Russ Davis are on the disabled list, which already you’ve had to use more times than you did all of last year.

Already you’ve lost 10 games in which you’ve scored six runs or more - and somehow managed to win nine giving up six or more. You don’t have a complete game from your pitching staff. Since the Big Unit’s back went out, you can count the seven-inning efforts from your starters on Mordecai Brown’s hand.

Yes, your offense has been sensational - even better than 1996, when from this point on your team batting average went up eight points and you averaged another half-a-run per game.

Right now, you’re hitting .291 as a team and scoring 6.3 runs per game. What are the chances of those numbers increasing?

You have seven games with Texas coming up. Lou Piniella has already jockeyed the staff so his four starters - that’s including Matt Wagner, folks - will face them once apiece on just three days rest.

Get a pitcher, guys. Get him soon.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Griffey surgery

MEMO: You can contact John Blanchette by voice mail at 459-5577, extension 5509.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = John Blanchette The Spokesman-Review