Mariners Unveil Everything But Arms

Two managers reached deep into the book of tricks to stage a strategic little chess match, though no matter how far they stretched Friday, neither came up with much in the way of pitching.

There were hit-and-run plays and sacrifice bunts, pinch-hitters and stolen-base attempts, pitching changes and lead changes …

In the end, a Kingdome crowd of 24,231 may have come away impressed with the way managers Lou Piniella and Bob Boone run a major league game, but after watching Kansas City beat Seattle 14-10, every one of those fans had the right to ask the same question:

Can’t anybody here pitch?

Not so you’d notice, at least not Friday - and the Mariners were starting their most effective pitcher this season, Chris Bosio.

Runs were scored so fast in this one that standing in line for a latte’ meant missing a lead change.

Seattle took a 2-0 first-inning lead, but trailed by the third, 3-2.

The Mariners went ahead again in the bottom of the third, 5-3, but before they got another three outs they were behind, 7-5.

After four innings, the game was tied at seven.

After five innings, it was tied at nine.

“We’re a better team than we showed tonight,” Piniella said. “This was an ugly game. I’m not pleased with the effort and I’ll have something to say (today).”

To the team, not the press.

How crazy did it get? Brian Hunter had a career-high four runs batted in during the first three innings - and was pinch-hit for in the fourth. Bosio, so often a victim of nonsupport in his starts, was given seven runs to work with and couldn’t get out of the fifth.

Early on it was obvious to Piniella and Boone, the former Tacoma manager in his second big-league season, that starting pitching was not going to decide this game. So each man went hard at the other from the bench. There wasn’t much this crowd didn’t see.

In the first, Piniella had baserunners Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. running on a 3-1 pitch to Edgar Martinez, who took ball four. A moment later, Hunter singled home two runs, but the tone was set for a game that was in constant motion.

Boone had shortstop David Howard running in the fourth, and that was the difference when the Mariners tried to turn a double play on Sal Fasano’s ground ball - and wound up getting neither runner. Small move, big play: The Royals scored four runs in the rally.

Boone had his hitters drop a pair of sacrifice bunts. So did Piniella. Piniella was using his third pitcher by the seventh. So was Boone. The Royals committed two errors. So did Seattle.

Griffey Jr., mired in a long power outage, hit his first home run in 52 at-bats, a stretch of 15 games. A little later he hit another, his 10th of the season.

A team with almost no power, Kansas City began the night with 22 homers in 35 games, the lowest total in the American League. The first night they saw Seattle pitching, the Royals hit three more.

Johnson cleared to pitch

Nearly two weeks after leaving his last start with pain in his back and stiffness in his calf, Randy Johnson will return to the mound Sunday for Seattle - a team badly in need of its staff ace.

The Cy Young Award winner threw two simulated innings in the bullpen Friday. When there were no setbacks, he was cleared to pitch.

“The last 10 days, what we’ve needed is to get a couple of our hitters going and to get Randy back on the mound,” manager Lou Piniella said.

Johnson hasn’t pitched since May 1 in Texas. In his last two starts, Johnson (4-0) pitched a total of 5-2/3 innings - leaving early because of persistent pain.

Notes

Bob Milacki has run up a 6-0 record at the Mariners’ Triple-A Tacoma team. … Quietly and without fanfare, Griffey spent much of his afternoon with a young man brought to Seattle by the ‘Make A Wish Foundation.’ … Bob Wolcott (1-5, 5.90 ERA) will be asked to come back on three days’ rest from his last start and face the Royals tonight. The Royals will counter with former Mariner Tim Belcher (3-1, 3.50.).