M’S Fall To Jays Again Another One-Run Loss Puts Mariners Boss On Offensive

The sermon on the mound - or on those who toil there - began with anger, turned to compassion and finally worked its away around to philosophy Wednesday.

Minutes after the Seattle Mariners had lost another lead and another game to Toronto, this one after a three-run seven-thinning rally that handed the Blue Jays a 6-5 victory, manager Lou Piniella began waxing eloquent.

Nearly 30 minutes later, he was still talking about pitching.

“When I played, pitchers would go eight good innings a game,” he said. “There were no pitch counts, they pitched on four days rest, and we’re not big, strong guys. Ron Guidry weighed 165 pounds.

“The complete game is becoming obsolete. Today, six innings is acceptable for a starter. In two years, that might be four innings. Maybe the secret is to let these kids take their lumps, just sit and watch them.

“You’ve got to learn to get outs early in the count. To make 115 pitches get you deep into a game. That has to start in the minor-league systems,” he said. “You protect your high school kids in Class A, but in Class AA, Class AAA, you’ve got to let the kids you envision making the major leagues pitch. Let ‘em take their lumps - but make them learn.

“You start looking for help in the sixth inning there, you’re going to do it here.”

Early on - after a brief but powerful explosion - Piniella made it clear he wasn’t talking only about Wednesday starting pitcher Matt Wagner, who got to the seventh inning with a 5-3 lead but then couldn’t get an out.

When Wagner left with two Jays aboard and none out, reliever Bobby Ayala got three outs, but not until a two-run double had pulled Toronto from behind and into a 6-5 lead.

It was the M’s third straight one-run loss, losses absorbed by relievers.

So when Piniella was asked about his relievers - “Do you have any thoughts on your bullpen?” - the answer contained much heat and little light.

“What thoughts do you want me to have, sir?” he said. “What bleeping thoughts? I run out the pitchers who’ve done the job before. I’m out of bleeping thoughts.”

And then Piniella proved himself wrong. He had many more thoughts.

“We’re scoring enough runs to win. We scored enough runs to win tonight,” he said, “and we did it with only four hits.

“But we haven’t had a complete game this year. It’s one thing to go eight innings and then use the bullpen; it’s another when you’re into the pen in the sixth or seventh inning every night. Do that, and the reliever has to be perfect. And if you have to use two or three relievers, they all have to be perfect.”

Seattle starters have not gone deep into games often. On average, the bullpen must get 9-12 outs a game.

“This is June. Arms should be strong, endurance should be up,” Piniella said. “But these guys get to the sixth inning, to 100 pitches or so, and they’re tired. They lose velocity, they lose their stuff. We’re not talking 37-, 38-year-old veterans, these are kids! And it’s not just us, it’s every staff. When I played, we’d pitch the whole year with eight, nine pitchers. Today teams have 11-12 guys, and some teams carry 13 pitchers.

“Our guys are busting their butts - pitchers and hitters - but that doesn’t always translate to wins.”

Piniella paced his office in his underwear, thinking more thoughts.

“We’re throwing too many pitches early in the game with no purpose, we’re using too many pitches to get one out, trying to be too perfect,” he said. “That should be learned before kids get to this level. Up here, you can’t let them take their lumps - not and keep your job. Up here, you’ve got to win.”