In this case, change is good for M’s

MILWAUKEE – One of the more telling moments of the Mariners’ season came in the seventh inning Thursday, when the past and present of Seattle baseball collided.

Bob Melvin was in a tie game and wanted to make a pitching change – opting for a double switch.

What position player came out of the lineup? Cleanup hitter Bret Boone.

Once the anchor of the lineup, Boone was deemed expendable in Game 64, and when the Mariners rallied to beat Milwaukee, 6-3, the decision seemed sound.

“There was no hesitation at all,” Melvin said afterward. “It was the move to make, and I made it.”

For Boone and fans, it was more than an in-game decision. The Boone of 2001, 2002 and 2003 never came out of games. Between his Gold Glove and his production at the plate, it was never considered – and many teammates would tell you he was Seattle’s Most Valuable Player all three of those seasons.

No more.

“A player with my ability should never, ever be double-switched for,” Boone said. “But at that time, I deserved it. It shouldn’t happen, but I shouldn’t be playing like I’m playing, either.”

Boone’s day wasn’t a good one, even before Melvin lifted him – he was 0 for 3, and after walking in the second inning, he was picked off first base.

Still, it was Boone’s favorite weapon, the home run, that won this one.

Jolbert Cabrera’s two-run shot in the fourth inning put the Mariners ahead, 2-1. Scott Spiezio broke a tie with a home run in the eighth inning that produced a 4-3 lead.

Randy Winn homered in the ninth to put Seattle ahead, 6-3.

“We haven’t had the big home run in awhile,” Melvin said.

For all that, few will remember a victory here that snapped a two-game losing streak or provided the Mariners their 25th win of the year. What became clear was that change in Seattle isn’t just coming.

It’s here.

Even before general manager Bill Bavasi begins altering the roster, manager Melvin has clearly shown he will no longer be tied to the past. The heroes of yesteryear – whether it’s Boone or Edgar Martinez or John Olerud – are no longer the stars of today.

Olerud (.269) started this game on the bench to give Cabrera (.297) a start, and while Olerud singled in the ninth inning, Cabrera had a strong day with two hits and three RBIs.

Martinez sat this one out because in National League parks, there is no designated hitter. A Seattle lineup without Martinez was once considered a significant disadvantage, but this year Martinez is batting .247.

“I didn’t make the switch with Boone to send a message,” Melvin insisted. “It was the move that had to be made. I saw Buck Showalter make a double-switch one time with Matt Williams in Arizona – and Matt wasn’t very happy about that, either.”

Boone’s lackluster season, which has seen him bat .231, seemed to settle on his shoulders Thursday.

“Rock bottom, that’s how I feel,” he said. “It’s pretty bad right now.

There’s not much else to say. It hurts that it happened, it hurts that I deserved it.”

It was a victory that went to the bullpen, to reliever Mike Myers, who retired both batters he faced after replacing Ryan Franklin, who worked 6 1/3 innings.

Franklin departed with the game tied at three, and Myers and Shigetoshi Hasegawa worked two-thirds of an inning behind him, getting the game to Eddie Guardado.

In his 15th save opportunity of the season, Guardado converted his 12th save.

Those Mariners home runs got the game to Guardado, after the Mariners staggered through another series of lost chances – stranding seven more runners, including three in the sixth inning.

“We still don’t get the hit with runners at second and third base,” Melvin said, shaking his head. “It’s almost to the point where you hate to see that situation come up.”

“Almost,” he said.

M’s CEO disappointed

Mariners chief executive officer Howard Lincoln was asked for a state of the team message, and said both the fan and the businessman in him were disappointed.

“The single biggest disappointment is the significant decline by key players on this team, a decline no one would have seen coming all at once,” Lincoln said. “I know how hard they try. I know how much they’ve brought to this organization.

“I hope fans remember these are the same guys who’ve done so much over the past two or three seasons. This is our first difficult year in some time.”

The bottom line?

“Changes are coming,” he said.

“No one saw this coming out of spring training,” he said of the losing record. “You can’t blame the new guys we brought in – players like Eddie Guardado and Raul Ibañez and Ron Villone have done their jobs.”