Benes Earns Seat Next To Ayala

The Indians were seeing Andy Benes for the first time Saturday night.

So much for the element of surprise.

In the most important start of his career, the Seattle Mariners right-hander couldn’t even make it out of the third inning against a Cleveland lineup that was without the injured Albert Belle and Sandy Alomar Jr.

By the time Manager Lou Piniella mercifully pulled the plug on Benes’ outing, the Mariners trailed 6-0 on the way to a 7-0 embarrassment in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series at Jacobs Field.

And there was no one more embarrassed than Benes, who was acquired from the San Diego Padres for the stretch run but instead has been the weak postseason link in an already shaky Seattle staff.

His ugly playoff line in three appearances: 0-1 with an 8.36 earned-run average.

His even uglier line Saturday night: six hits, six earned runs (including homers by Eddie Murray and Jim Thome) in just 2 innings.

“It’s hard to describe how you feel when you don’t even come close to doing your job,” said Benes. “Tonight’s game got out of hand early, and that was my responsibility. I’m making no excuses.

“You can’t give up six runs that early in that situation against that team and expect your guys to crawl back in it,” Benes said. “I’m disappointed, obviously, because I didn’t give us an opportunity to win.”

He wasn’t nearly as disappointed as Piniella, who announced after the game that Benes would only appear out of the bullpen the rest of the way.

That hardly was an earth-shattering revelation after Benes’ showing Saturday night and in two starts against the New York Yankees in the divisional playoffs. He was tagged by New York for 10 hits and seven earned runs - including three homers - in just 11 innings.

Asked if anything struck him about Benes’ outing Saturday night, Piniella said: “Yeah, the balls that were going into the seats. We didn’t notice anything mechanically wrong. He got a few pitches up and they hit them.”

Actually, it was more than a few pitches. Benes fell behind all but one of the 15 Cleveland hitters he faced, a statistic he knew spelled certain - and early - doom.

“I was all over the place, and they hit everything that was in the (strike) zone,” Benes said. “I felt good going into the game. Maybe I felt too good.”

He dismissed suggestions that the chilly weather - it was 53 degrees at the first pitch - hindered him.

The cold weather certainly didn’t affect Ken Hill, who was everything Benes wasn’t. The Indians starter shut down Seattle for seven innings, allowing eight baserunners but working out of every fix.

No answers

In the post-game gloom of the Seattle clubhouse, a television crew lit up the face of Edgar Martinez, jammed a long microphone in his face and asked the questions that have provoked brawls in less-intense conditions.

“Did you feel like celebrating in the second inning when you beat out that ground ball to third base for your first hit of the series?” the TV reporter asked.

Martinez blinked. “No. It’s one hit,” he said. “It didn’t help us win, it didn’t lead to a run.”

Another set of lights joined the first and a crowd of more than 25 writers and TV and radio types swarmed in.

“On the ground ball you hit to second base with runners at second and third base in the third inning, should you have beaten that out?” was the second question to Edgar. He seemed confused.

“Our replays showed you weren’t running very hard and then tried to speed up at the end,” the TV man said.

“I ran like I always run and at the end I jumped at the bag,” he said. “I was running like I always run.”

The questions kept coming. Why was he only batting .067 for the American League Championship Series? If he had hit well, would the Mariners lead the series instead of being tied 2-2 with Cleveland? Had he lost his confidence? His stroke? Was he chasing bad pitches?

Not once did Martinez raise his voice. Not once did he say “Interview over!” and walk away. When one camera crew left and another took it’s place, he answered the same questions again and again.

“That man won the American League batting title for the second time this year and he has to put up with that (bleep)?” Jay Buhner asked. “And you know if he has a great game tomorrow, he won’t hold it against anybody.”

Limping along

Fast and furiously, the bad news emanated to and from the Cleveland clubhouse, a triple-whammy of injuries.

Early on Saturday afternoon, the appearance of Belle limping on crutches into the Indians clubhouse stunned his teammates. Belle had turned his right ankle as he unsuccessfully attempted to dodge a pitch by Norm Charlton in Game 3 Friday night. His ankle, which also was hit by the pitch, swelled so much that he had X-rays Saturday morning, which proved negative.

Hargrove acknowledged that Belle’s status would be examined day-to-day. There is a chance Belle could miss the rest of the playoffs.

Hargrove announced immediately that pitcher Dennis Martinez, scheduled to start tonight’s Game 5, is being pushed back a few days to pitch Game 6, because of some shoulder stiffness. Orel Hershiser, who was supposed to throw Game 6, will pitch tonight on three days’ rest.

Then, about half an hour before the game, a lineup change was announced - Tony Pena in place of Alomar. Alomar slept awkwardly and woke up with a stiff neck.

Hershiser remembered how in 1988, when he pitched for Los Angeles, the Dodgers played through a staggering series of postseason injuries and won the World Series.

“I don’t think there’s anyone in the clubhouse who’s sitting in there thinking ‘We don’t have a chance,’ ” he said. “It’s just another obstacle to be overcome.”

Another Mascot mishap

If the Indians make it to the World Series, they’ll have to do it without their mascot.

Slider, the team’s fuzzy purple mascot, took an 8-foot tumble from the stands to the field as Cleveland’s Carlos Baerga batted in the fifth inning. Slider - the Indians would not disclose the name of the person in the suit - tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee and is out for the year.

Slider was cavorting atop a flat 6-foot ledge above the fence in right field when he fell onto the playing field.

“He was cheering us all on,” said Buck Kelley, one of the fans seated near the site of the mishap. “He did a somersault, but it kind of went crooked. He just slipped over.”

It’s been a bad postseason for team mascots.

The Seattle mascot, The Moose, was injured in the fourth game of the Mariners’ divisional series with the New York Yankees when he collided with an outfield fence while rollerblading.

Johnson’s stuff debated

Baerga, on the Indians’ chances: “It is very important we get out of here up 3-2. We will have to face Randy (Johnson) on Tuesday, and if Randy beats us, we still have another chance to win Wednesday.”

Some of the Indians noticed that Johnson threw more sliders than fastballs in Game 3, and that his fastball didn’t have its usual zip - perhaps the result of many innings thrown in the postseason.

“They were showing him on TV throwing 95 and 96 mph,” Baerga said, “but I know what Randy looks like when he is really throwing very hard… . I don’t think he had his good fastball (Friday).”