No spark for M’s
SEATTLE – Major League Baseball’s contrived “natural rivalry” of the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres actually makes some sense this year.
The two teams, who train at the same facility in Peoria, Ariz., also entered Friday night joined at the bottom of their respective leagues, ranking as two of the most disappointing teams in baseball.
Which made San Diego’s 6-4 win Friday night in front of 35,586 at Safeco Field that much more frustrating for the Mariners, who had hoped a gutty 12-inning win Wednesday at Texas might spark a turnaround.
Instead, the struggling Miguel Batista gave up hits to the first three batters he faced, all of whom scored, as the Padres jumped out to an early lead they never relinquished.
It was the first of six games this year between the two teams, designated as natural rivals for the purposes of interleague play.
A Mariners offense showing some increasing signs of life tried to get back into the game, knocking around San Diego starter Chris Young – who had allowed two or fewer runs in six of his eight previous starts – for four runs in six innings.
It was the fifth time in the last six games the M’s had scored four runs or more after they had done so only once in the previous 10.
But while the M’s twice got within a run, they never could catch up in losing for the eighth time in 10 games and 13th in the last 16.
The Mariners are tied with the Padres for the second-worst record in baseball (16-27) ahead of only the Colorado Rockies (15-27).
Like the Mariners, the Padres had legitimate thoughts of contending in their division this year after losing a tiebreaker for the wild card in 2007.
But they entered the night having won just seven of their last 26 games, mired in last in the N.L. West.
They threatened to end this one before many fans had a chance to sit down as the first three Padres batters hit the ball hard off Batista, all three eventually coming around to score.
Many fans booed after the third of those hits, a double by Brian Giles, and again when Batista walked one batter and then hit another later in the inning.
Batista gave up another run in the second on a solo homer by Tadahito Iguchi to make it 4-0.
But the Mariners offense got rolling in the second inning, scoring three runs with two outs off Young. Kenji Johjima keyed the rally with a two-run homer, giving him a six-game hitting streak, while Wladimir Balentien and Yuniesky Betancourt followed with back-to-back doubles to add another. The Mariners blew a chance to take the lead, however, when Adrian Beltre struck out with the bases loaded and Young seemingly on the ropes.
The Padres made it 5-3 in the top of the third on an RBI double by Josh Bard.
But the Mariners kept pace in the bottom of the inning when Raul Ibanez led off with a double, moved to third on a fly ball by Richie Sexson, playing his first game since a five-game suspension, and scored on a groundout by Jeff Clement.
The score stayed there until the sixth when the Padres scored a run on two singles and a walk. The run scored when reliever Giles beat Mariners reliever Ryan Rowland-Smith to first base after a hard smash that Sexson snared on a dive.
Batista labored through 105 pitches, allowing nine hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings before exiting.