Lou’s Changes Didn’t Quite Do The Trick

Seattle manager Lou Piniella shook up his lineup for Game 5, moving up slumping Edgar Martinez and benching skidding Vince Coleman and Mike Blowers.

Martinez, the A.L. batting champion, was shifted from the cleanup to No. 2 in the order. Although he hit the ball a little better, he went 0-for-5 and dropped to 1-for-20 in the series.

“Edgar will hit these last two games in Seattle,” Piniella said after a 3-2 loss dropped the Mariners into a 3-2 deficit. “Remember, Edgar didn’t miss a game all season. He may be a little tired.”

Coleman, only 1-for-16, was replaced in left field by Alex Diaz. Blowers, at 3-for-15, was replaced at third base by Doug Strange. Coleman later entered as a pinch-hitter and Blowers was a defensive replacement.

“I wanted to give Coleman a day, he’s been struggling,” Piniella said.

Joey Cora, meanwhile, was moved into Coleman’s leadoff spot and Jay Buhner, who has three home runs in the series, was elevated from sixth to cleanup.

Pitching plans

Seattle ace Randy Johnson (18-2) will pitch Game 6, but it’s not been decided who would work Game 7 if the Mariners extend the series that far.

Mariners manager Lou Piniella could pick either rookie Bob Wolcott, who won Game 1, or Tim Belcher, the loser in Game 2.

“Game 6 is Johnson and we’ll see what happens in Game 7,” he said.

As for the Indians, they will start Dennis Martinez (12-6). He is still planning on finishing the postseason before having surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee.

Belle’s still a ding-dong

It’s not surprising Cleveland’s durable Albert Belle finally got hurt; what’s surprising is the injury that put him on the bench for Game 4 wasn’t diagnosed as a case of an enlarged shoulder chip.

Since breaking into the majors in 1989, Belle has served suspensions totaling 20 games - penalties for charging the mound, corking bats and throwing a baseball at a fan.

A few months ago, two talk-show hosts on radio station WHK were taking Belle to task for his boorish behavior when Indians Sports Channel broadcaster Jack Corrigan called to defend the player. Belle, Corrigan pointed out, has a philanthropic side he doesn’t want publicized.

“But I know where you guys are coming from,” Corrigan said. “A few nights ago we were in Chicago, and as Albert was walking by the dugout a fan - a matronly, gray-haired lady - asked for his autograph. He dropped the ‘F-Bomb’ on her.”

Can Seattle build one?

“This is my favorite park,” Mariners president and chief operating officer Chuck Armstrong said, standing in the Jacobs Field stands at 1 a.m. Saturday, preaching the merits of the park as if he worked for the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce.

“Foul pole to foul pole, there are over 25,000 good seats for baseball. And we could sell these all day long,” he said, gesturing toward the padded second-deck club seats.

“And it’s not so steep on the third deck that you feel like you’re going to tip over. … They’ve got a kids play area, and standing-room only areas, and a picnic porch,” and, and, and …

“Think about this in the North Kingdome parking lot - with a roof,” he told members of the media, nearly a continent away from where the Washington Legislature was meeting in special session over how to finance a new stadium for the Mariners.

Just chilling out

Perhaps it was the wind gusting to 30 mph, maybe it was the chilly conditions that had players blowing on their hands and umpires wearing gloves.

Whatever, the teams combined for six errors after making a total of six in the first four games. The A.L. playoff record for errors is seven by Boston and Oakland in 1975.

“It’s October, and you have to expect it now. It was as tough for us as it was for them,” said Seattle first baseman Tino Martinez, who made one of the mistakes.