Break couldn’t come soon enough for M’s

SEATTLE – Through three miserable months, these sunken Mariners have fired their general manager, their manager, their hitting coach and their first baseman.

They have played 95 games, and won just 37 of them. Their top two starters and last year’s All-Star closer have all been on the disabled list, if not ineffective.

Seattle’s first half was so horrid, it needs four days of an All-Star break that began Monday instead of the usual three.

Hey, at least the worst team in the A.L. is guaranteed four days without a loss.

“It’s been a long first half. There’s been a lot of transition. It’s been really tough as a team,” said left fielder Raul Ibanez, the RBI leader of a team that thought it was finally going to the playoffs this year – but is 20 games out of first place.

“We’ve been through a lot this season. And now getting this first half behind us … is going to be huge.”

So huge, the players rushed to pack for their break Sunday as if they were late for the last flight out of Kansas City. Ever.

Earlier Sunday, interim manager Jim Riggleman held a team meeting, the umpteenth such session since this season began with rampant expectations. Riggleman, the promoted bench coach, pressed his players to play the game smarter. Don’t run into foolish outs. Move runners along the bases with productive at-bats, if not hits.

Interim general manager Lee Pelekoudas said he fired manager John McLaren to give the Mariners a different voice. But they are just 12-11 listening to Riggleman.

“It’s hard to get too excited about that,” Riggleman said of his team being over .500 with him.

He knows Seattle has lost six of eight, hardly proof he has righted his wayward team.

“We’ve wasted a lot of good pitching,” he said.

Well, not a lot.

Most of it has come from Felix Hernandez, who will start Friday against Cleveland when the season resumes. The 22-year-old was sharp Friday in his first start since coming off the disabled list following a sprained ankle. Even with his injury, Hernandez has pre-All-Star game career highs of 101 strikeouts and 113 innings pitched. He is 4-1, with a 1.66 ERA over his last six games.

Hernandez has a 2.95 ERA in 17 starts. But poor run support has his record at 6-6.

Jarrod Washburn (4-8) has allowed just 13 earned runs in his last seven starts, but has just two wins in that span. He is just 22-37 in 2 1/2 seasons since then-GM Bill Bavasi signed him to a $37 million, four-year contract. But Washburn’s recent improvement, and the fact he is left-handed, make the 33-year-old attractive to contenders in a possible trade.

Carlos Silva got $48 million from the Mariners as a free agent last winter. Despite allowing just two earned runs in each of his last two starts, Silva has won just once since April 17.

Closer J.J. Putz missed most of April with a ribcage injury, came back to blow more saves and walk more batters than he did all last season, and is now back on the DL with an elbow injury.

Then there’s Erik Bedard. He’s perhaps the final reason Bavasi was fired three days before McLaren was.

Bedard is on the disabled list for the second time, with a tight shoulder. The ace of few words, wins and innings has just six victories in 15 starts. He has continually asked out of games early, frustrating an already miserable team.

The only .300 hitter is Ichiro Suzuki, an All-Star for the eighth consecutive season. He has had to bat .397 over 16 games to go from .285 to .304.

Ibanez, who is reportedly being pursued by Arizona, says some veterans “possibly and probably” will be gone soon.

Not soon enough to save this lost season.