M’s pitchers will hack away

The answer was right there all along.

There, in the same Seattle Mariners clubhouse that has been looking for offensive production for an entire week, sat a left-handed hitter with serious power.

And yet the Mariners never once gave him a bat.

His name is Eddie Guardado, and he’s got proven home run power. Just ask any of the Mariners pitchers, who have seen Guardado continually dominate home run derbies against his fellow pitchers over the past few days.

“He’s got the most pop,” reliever J.J. Putz said. “And he knows it. He’ll be the first to tell you.”

Maybe during batting practice. But now that the Mariners pitchers are on the verge of getting to prove their mettle with the bats, Guardado’s bravado is a bit less obvious.

“I don’t consider myself a hitter,” he said with a chuckle. “I try to do one thing, and that’s to go deep. … I’m a hack. I might not be looking good, but I’m swinging.”

Seattle’s pitching staff, which sometimes likes to boast about its hitting prowess, gets to show what it can do at the plate over the next six days. The Mariners are at Milwaukee today through Thursday and travel to Pittsburgh the following three days in National League parks that will not allow designated hitters in the lineups.

Relievers such as Guardado are unlikely to step into the batters’ box, but the members of the Mariners’ starting rotation will see some rare at-bats.

“They have to be able to back up any boasting that has gone on since spring training,” hitting coach Paul Molitor said. “So it will be interesting.”

The most boastful starting pitcher is probably Freddy Garcia, who knows how to back it up. He has a respectable .280 batting average in 25 career at-bats.

When asked about his hitting prowess Sunday, Garcia pointed to a scorecard that the pitchers use to track mythical base hits in batting practice. His 15 BP hits led all the pitchers during a recent homestand.

“I’ve always been really good,” he said matter-of-factly. “I was a really good hitter (growing up in Venezuela), but I loved to pitch. That’s what I wanted to do.”

Garcia is excited to face the Brewers today, and not just because he’ll take the mound for his 13th start of the season. Garcia is just as enthusiastic about his first at-bat of 2004.

“I love that, man. It’s fun,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it. That’s one thing I look forward to because I like it. I really like to swing the bat.”

Not all of Seattle’s pitchers are as excited about the opportunity.

“I just want to go up to the plate and not hurt myself,” left-handed starter Jamie Moyer said. “I look at it as a burden. You’ve got to add something else to your day.”

Moyer, who spent four seasons in the National League, has a career batting average of .152. His 171 career at-bats lead the Mariners’ pitchers, but there are more proficient hitters in the rotation.

Garcia leads the team in pitchers’ batting average during interleague games, while Ryan Franklin has gone 1 for 4 in his career. Moyer has matched Franklin’s .250 batting average in interleague play, although his early struggles as a National Leaguer have dragged his lifetime average well below the Mendoza line.

“There are a lot of pitchers who can hit,” Guardado said. “I’ve never seen Freddy or Ryan hit in a game, but you can kind of tell by their swing and the way they approach it that they can hit a little bit. I know (Atlanta’s) Mike Hampton can hit a little bit, and Kerry Wood (of the Chicago Cubs). It’s fun. They like to get a taste of what other players feel.”

The Mariners pitching staff has been preparing for this week with recent batting practices, complete with home run contests to add competitive flair.

“A few of the guys are capable of getting the bat head out there and making some contact,” said Molitor, who has watched from a safe distance while the pitchers took BP. “There aren’t too many terrible hacks, although Mr. (Julio) Mateo might have a difficult time.”

Mateo isn’t the only one.

“I’ve never been able to hit,” said Putz, whose only two professional at-bats came during spring training. “In high school I was a catcher, and they used to DH for me.”

Putz might be dreading the day when he has to face an N.L. pitcher in a real game, but guys like Guardado and Garcia look forward to it.

After months of boasting about their hitting prowess, Seattle’s pitchers get to show what they’ve got.

“Every hitter thinks he’s a great pitcher, and every hitter thinks he’s a great pitcher,” Putz said. “That’s how everybody feels.

“But in all reality, we know we’re not that good of hitters.”