Buhner Has Right Mentality

Jay Buhner’s season has been one of ups and downs even greater than he has typically experienced.

It’s been pretty much an all-or-nothing kind of season for “Bone.”

While his power and run production numbers have been impressive, he’s struck out at record pace.

“Power hitters for the most part are streaky,” Mariners manager Lou Piniella said. “You would hope that a guy’s streak when he’s hot lasts much longer than when he’s cold.”

Lately, Buhner’s long balls have overshadowed his whiffs.

When he slammed a pitch deep into the rarely reached second deck in left field Tuesday, it gave him 40 for the third straight year, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished in 27 years.

In between driving balls into the seats, Buhner had struck out an American League-leading 173 times entering Wednesday’s game.

“You’ve got to have the right temperament,” Piniella said. “You’ve got to have the confidence that one swing of the bat makes up for a couple misses.”

Playoff times set

Game 1 of the American League Division Series against Baltimore will be Wednesday at 5:07 p.m. in the Kingdome. It will be televised by NBC (Channel 5). Game 2 is set for Thursday afternoon at 1:07 p.m. on ESPN. The Saturday, Sunday and Monday times and television information have not been set.

Randy Johnson starts Game 1 against Baltimore, with Jamie Moyer and Jeff Fassero following. If Seattle is down 1-2, Johnson may be forced to come back early for Game 4, but otherwise, it will be Ken Cloude.