Pitching weaves M’s loss

SEATTLE – Life in the major leagues often means never expecting too much from the No. 5 starter. When that guy is making $8.325 million, however, the Seattle Mariners hope for more.

So far, they haven’t gotten anything for their investment in right-hander Jeff Weaver.

Saturday night was the worst, when Weaver couldn’t get more than an out in the first inning before manager Mike Hargrove pulled him. Weaver gave up seven hits, a walk and six runs in what became an 8-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals at Safeco Field.

Adding a double whammy to the Mariners’ pain was Gil Meche, the former M’s pitcher who was hardly his best in giving up 10 hits in six innings. But he didn’t allow an earned run and was plenty good enough to protect the six-run lead he was handed in the first inning.

“From the first pitch to the last, it wasn’t fun,” Hargrove said.

Saturday’s outing will force the Mariners to consider their options when Weaver’s place in the rotation comes around again.

“I’m not going to talk about what it is we’re going to do or not going to do with Jeff,” Hargrove said. “We’ve got try to help him get back in line.”

But how?

Do they send Weaver to the mound on his regular turn Friday in New York against the Yankees, hoping one decent start will cure his ills?

Do they take advantage of Monday’s off day and skip his place in the rotation, giving Weaver time to work with pitching coach Rafael Chaves?

Or do they take the ultimate step and get rid of Weaver, deciding he won’t turn around here and essentially admit that signing him was a multi-million-dollar mistake?

That last idea seems awfully drastic at this point in the season, especially considering that Weaver has been down this path before. He was 3-10 last year with the Angels, who replaced him in the rotation with his brother – Jered – and traded Jeff to the Cardinals in early July. He then went 5-4 with St. Louis and became the Cardinals’ World Series hero by dominating the Tigers in the clinching Game 5.

In 2007, Weaver seems a long way from that kind of a turnaround. He’s 0-4, has an 18.27 earned run average and is averaging less than three innings in his four starts.

Asked if he would benefit by being pulled from the rotation for a while, Weaver wouldn’t answer.

He believes his only solution is to keep pitching.

“It’s a game that can destroy you in a very short time,” Weaver said. “It’s all about being mentally strong and understanding that there’s times when you feel like you’re never going to get out of it. But there’s a reason I’ve made it to my ninth year. I’ve dealt with a lot and I’ll continue to believe that I’m going to turn the corner.”

The Mariners needed it to happen three starts ago.

Instead, he was in trouble from the beginning again Saturday, leaving pitches over the middle of the plate to be hit again and again.

The crowd of 32,441 cheered heartily when Hargrove emerged from the dugout to pull Weaver, then they booed the pitcher on his walk from the mound much they way they did Joel Pineiro last year.