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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Lack of offense leaves Mariners flustered, angry


Seattle's Edgar Martinez leans back to avoid a close pitch by Minnesota's Johan Santana in the first inning Thursday.Seattle's Edgar Martinez leans back to avoid a close pitch by Minnesota's Johan Santana in the first inning Thursday.
 (Associated PressAssociated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Larry LaRue Tacoma News Tribune

MINNEAPOLIS — The way they’ve been playing, it was inevitable someone with the Seattle Mariners was going to get angry.

Players have been throwing helmets lately, pitchers pounding their gloves in frustration, coaches turning away from the field — it’s been that kind of 34-game run.

After watching the Mariners lose to the Minnesota Twins 1-0 Thursday, their fifth consecutive loss, someone was outraged enough to speak.

It was general manager Bill Bavasi. How upset was he?

Moments after the game, when a writer asked him if the Mariners should have been shut out in the Metrodome, he responded with a two-word answer.

“Bleep, no,” he said.

And the first word wasn’t ‘bleep.’

“Bob Melvin managed a perfect game today, he did everything he could to put this team in position to win,” Bavasi said. “Ryan Franklin pitched his butt off, he absolutely has made himself a major league pitcher.”

And the offense?

“Inept,” Bavasi said. “Their history says they know how to hit, how to get tough runs in. Well, maybe some of these guys have forgotten how it’s done.”

Of the 22 losses the Mariners have piled up this season, this might have been as aggravating as any. Ryan Franklin, Mike Myers and J.J. Putz held the Twins to one run — against Franklin who pitched seven innings.

And the Mariners offense?

It found a way in a half dozen instances to turn point-blank scoring opportunities into outs that, when stacked one atop the other, eventually led to a shutout.

“We hit balls right at people, balls to the wall that guys ran down, we had guys thrown out at the plate,” Franklin said, shaking his head. “How does it feel? It sucks, and it’s getting old for all of us.”

Melvin skipped his usual postgame meeting with the press, and it wasn’t hard to understand why. Every button he pushed against the Twins should have worked, but in the end he might as well have gone to sleep in the first inning.

It was the type of day that would give a manager nightmares – for a long time:

• In the third inning with two out and a man on first base, Melvin sent runner Rafael Soriano. Second baseman Luis Rivas broke to cover the bag — and Ichiro Suzuki lined a ball that Rivas leaped, caught and turned into a double play.

• Ichiro and Randy Winn singled with one out in the sixth. With Edgar Martinez at the plate, Melvin green-lighted his two fastest runners. Ichiro got a terrible jump at second base — Martinez swung and missed — and Ichiro was thrown out at third.

• Scott Spiezio singled in the seventh and was pushed into scoring position by a walk with two outs and catcher Pat Borders due up. Melvin sent Dan Wilson in to pinch hit and Wilson singled to center. Spiezio was out at the plate on a marvelous throw by Torii Hunter.

• Santiago and Ichiro opened the eighth inning with singles and Melvin had Winn bunt them both up a base. The Twins walked Edgar Martinez to load the bases, and Raul Ibañez grounded into a force play — with the Twins throwing Santiago out at the plate. Spiezio then struck out.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Bret Boone, who watched it from the Seattle bench. “It’s no one guy, it’s all of us. We can’t get a runner home.”

Franklin lowered his career earned run average against the Twins to 2.01 in nine games. He’s beaten them once.

“Our hitters are veteran guys, and you’ve got to believe that sooner or later balls that were hit right at ‘em today are going to drop in,” Franklin said. “Yeah, I pitched well. No, it didn’t matter. You can’t take satisfaction in losing.”