Sometimes, M’S Seem Out Of Their Field

For a team on the verge of its second division title, the Seattle Mariners have strung together some rather homely statistics this season - including one that makes it appear the defense has rested all too often.

One Mariners coach groused that this might be the worst fielding team he’d ever seen, and while that may have been harsh, it wasn’t totally unfair.

Seattle has the third highest victory total in the American League, but along with that comes a ranking of 11th in pitching with a 4.88 earned run average - and a ranking of 12th in fielding percentage. Only two teams, Boston and Chicago, have committed more errors than the Mariners’ 117.

First baseman Paul Sorrento may feel under siege in the Seattle infield, where shortstop Alex Rodriguez (24), third baseman Russ Davis (18) and second baseman Joey Cora (16) have combined for 58 of those errors.

Notes

Jay Buhner threw out infielder Carlos Garcia trying to stretch a single into a double Sunday, giving Buhner five assists… . In 42 games with the Blue Jays, ex-Mariner Jose Cruz Jr. is batting .235 with 11 home runs, 28 RBI and 54 strikeouts… . In his past 27 games, Edgar Martinez is batting .386.