Sorrento’s Secret: Stop Pulling Fast Ones

Should Paul Sorrento’s marvelous first-half start to go to his head - and with a .324 average, 13 home runs and 42 RBIs, who could blame him? - all he has to do is think back to the first day of spring training.

Mariners batting instructor Lee Elia had this practice drill: a simple flip of the ball in front of the hitter, who then planted off his front foot and smacked the ball into the waiting net a few feet away.

“I couldn’t get to the ball,” Sorrento said, laughing. “I’d become such a pull hitter last year, I kept my weight back. I couldn’t hit that ball out in front - and when I did, I was hitting it over the batting cage about 200 feet away, not into the net right in front of us.

“I think Lee did that drill with me and thought, ‘We signed this guy?”’

Sorrento laughed at the memory, and so did Elia.

A five-year veteran with a .256 career average, Sorrento was the free agent Seattle signed to fill the void left by Tino Martinez.

“I picked up what they were asking me to do quickly, because it’s what I did when I first got to the big leagues in Minnesota,” Sorrento said. “In Cleveland two years ago, they made me more of a pull hitter, and last season I kind of carried it to the extreme.”

Strawless in Seattle

Darryl Strawberry is tearing up the Northern League, leading it with 10 homers while batting .400, and he is anxious to sign with a major league team. It won’t be Seattle.

Though Strawberry’s name has been mentioned, ownership and the front office apparently aren’t comfortable with Strawberry’s history and will not pursue him.

M’s sign four

Seattle signed four more of its draft picks, including right-handed pitchers Dennis Stark and Chris Mears, and catcher Patrick Williams - the team’s Nos. 4, 5 and 6 picks.

Coming up

Matt Wagner (1-1, 5.40) starts the second game of this three-game series, a 4:35 p.m. PDT game televised on Prime Sports. Pat Hentgen (7-5, 3.86) starts for Toronto.