Mariners seek slow recovery
SEATTLE – These sinking Mariners have tried everything to avoid the A.L.’s worst record.
Well, almost everything.
“In Toronto, I think they brought a stripper in the clubhouse,” said Seattle manager John McLaren, a coach with Blue Jays teams that overcame struggles to win big in the late 1980s. “It got mixed reviews. Some of the guys who were pretty close to the Lord weren’t too happy about it.”
The Mariners (20-34) need more than that potential diversion. Oh, so much more.
Despite winning their last two games against Boston behind strong pitching, core problems remain. An underachieving rotation, a skittish offense and awful defense have crushed Seattle’s rampant expectations for reaching the postseason for the first time since 2001.
Seattle was 16 games under .500 on Monday. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only the 1914 Boston Braves have been 16 games under .500 and still made the playoffs.
This weekend brings the Detroit Tigers. They swept the Mariners last week by a combined score of 30-14. A loss either today or Saturday would give Seattle its first 20-loss month since June 1998. The Mariners have already set a team record for defeats in May.
The defending A.L. West-champion Angels arrive next week. Seattle is already 11 1/2 games behind Los Angeles in the division.
Not exactly what a payroll of $117 million was supposed to buy.
Impatient fans have stayed away enough this season to create eight of the 10 smallest crowds in the history of Safeco Field, which opened in 1999. They are demanding accountability for this pratfall, something that has been as elusive as wins.
A passive if not indifferent clubhouse has become a prime problem. Last week general manager Bill Bavasi declared the team needs a kick-in-the-pants leader to police fellow players.
The Mariners let that guy go last winter. They declined their half of a $9 million mutual option for 2008 with fiery right fielder Jose Guillen, who hit 23 home runs and had 99 RBIs last season. They didn’t offer him a multiyear contract.
Guillen signed a $36 million, three-year contract with Kansas City. On Wednesday, he tore into Royals teammates for being “babies” after their 10th consecutive loss.
“We can’t do it overnight. We can’t do it in a week,” said McLaren, who got a public assurance last week from Bavasi that his job was safe. “All we are thinking about is winning series. There’s not an easy fix.”