Mariners Batters Hit A Slump
When the Seattle Mariners staggered out of their four-game split with the Chicago White Sox they emerged with their lowest team batting average since April 18 - one more indication of a lineup-wide slump that has cost them games.
Going into Monday’s 11-1 outburst against Milwaukee, Seattle’s hitters were batting .237 in August, only .200 on this homestand, and the team average had dipped to .283.
Jay Buhner, who drove in four runs, returned to the lineup after a one-day sabbatical, and manager Lou Piniella gave Russ Davis a night off. Today, he’ll rest second baseman Joey Cora and catcher Dan Wilson.
“Sometimes you try to break the routine a little,” Piniella said. “It’s more mental than anything, because at this stage of the season one game doesn’t give you much rest. But there aren’t many players who don’t occasionally benefit from sitting in the dugout for a game, watching things from a different point of view.”
Batting coach Lee Elia says hitters struggling tend to wear down mentally.
“They work on something in early batting practice, then again in regular batting practice, maybe a little work on the side and then they’re in the game,” Elia said. “When it’s all going right, it feels instinctive, even if their swing has taken a thousand hours of practice. When it’s going bad, nothing feels right and they start thinking about everything.”
Notes
Among the reasons Jay Buhner was back in the lineup Monday was his .419 career average against Brewers starter Cal Eldred. … Where has Rich Amaral gone? To the bench, with a .246 average produced by a 12-for-75 stretch at the plate. Amaral hasn’t had much of a chance to improve those numbers though - he’s had just 30 at-bats since June 7. With Rob Ducey on the disabled list until next week, Lee Tinsley has been playing left field. He began the night 5 for 16 since coming off the disabled list.
By way of a quick comparison between the ‘97 M’s and teams of the past, Seattle’s previous best record after 117 games was the 60-57 mark the Mariners posted last year. Today they are 66-51, six games better.
Coming up
The Mariners conclude their homestand with a 3:35 p.m. game today against Milwaukee in the Kingdome. Probable starting pitchers are Steve Woodard (1-1, 3.18) for the Brewers and Jeff Fassero (11-6, 3.93) for the Mariners.