Back on track

By Larry LaRue

The News Tribune

ARLINGTON, Tex. – Late in what would become their 15th series sweep of the season, the Seattle Mariners began to feel a little bit like … well … the Seattle Mariners.

“We’re back to playing our kind of baseball,” Mike Cameron said. “We were in a little rut for a minute, but we’re back on track now.”

As evidence, consider the Texas Rangers, whose 7-5 loss to the Mariners on Wednesday was their 12th loss in 15 games this season. The Mariners may have proven themselves mortal by losing four consecutive games – but the Rangers never got to see that team.

The group that showed up here was the same one that had pounded Texas every other time the two teams met, and the Mariners went about it the same way that had all season.

They ran wild, stealing another five bases.

They pitched well for three games – and pitched superbly when they most had to.

They hit in the clutch, in game-breaking situations.

“Sweeps are hard to come by, but we have a good number of them this year,” John Olerud said. “We’ve been playing good baseball.”

If Olerud put you to sleep, consider it an analogy of sorts. It’s what the Mariners have done to teams all year – lull them into a relaxed state and then blow them down with a few wins.

“I don’t think we intimidate people,” Arthur Rhodes said. “But that’s not the point. The point is to win, and that’s what we do.”

The Mariners have now won 109 times, the sixth highest total in major league history, and have nine games left to play.

“A lot of folks were worried when we lost four in a row,” Cameron said. “Well, that was the first time we’d done it all year. That was the last time we’ll do it all year.”

Behind an unspectacular five-inning start from Paul Abbott – who earned his 16th victory – the Mariners had 10 more hits against Texas pitching, and then closed out the game with something they hadn’t seen in a few weeks.

A Kazuhiro Sasaki save.

Sasaki’s 41st save came on Sept. 2, and the big right-hander had only one save opportunity after that – on Sept. 7 – and blown it. As with most closers, he hadn’t been at his best in non-save situations since then.

“I was nervous, and that was good,” Sasaki said of a 1-2-3 ninth inning in which he protected a two-run lead while facing Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro and Ruben Sierra. “It was good to be in that environment again.

“It’s hard to get the adrenaline going in a non-save situation.”

Sasaki’s 42nd save of the year seemed to right the Mariners ship that had been slightly tilted for the past few weeks. They either won – or lost – games by wide margins, and hadn’t had to deal with a one-run decision often.

In a game that was close often, Seattle responded as it had most of the year.

Bret Boone was hit by a pitch in the first inning and, after Olerud singled, scored on a two-out RBI single by Cameron.

“I didn’t like being hit, but I scored and it’s 1-0,” Boone said. “So I got over it.”

The Mariners sent along a little reminder a half inning later, when Abbott buzzed a fastball well over A-Rod’s head, putting the shortstop on his back in the batters box.

By the third inning, Rodriguez had his revenge – a two-run home run—and in the fourth Texas pulled ahead, 4-1.

“Anyone who’s watched us all season knew we weren’t done,” Boone said.

“This team finds ways to come back.”

Boone helped, banging a two-run single in the fifth inning that made the score 4-3 Texas, and left him with 135 RBI. With two outs, veteran Stan Javier sliced an opposite field double past Texas left fielder Frank Catalanotto and two more runs scored, putting the Mariners ahead again.

Carlos Guillen slapped another RBI single – and manager Lou Piniella handed that 6-4 lead to his bullpen. It would become 7-4 later when Dan Wilson hit his ninth home run.

Joel Pineiro came in to pitch the sixth and promptly put two men on base for A-Rod.

“That’s not exactly what I had in mind,” the rookie admitted. “But I knew I had to make good pitches, and I did. A fastball, a slider, then all fastballs in on him.”

Rodriguez popped out. Inning over.

Rhodes pitched the seventh inning and gave up a solo home run to Gabe Kapler.

“I fell behind him, which was stupid,” Rhodes barked at himself.

The eighth was Jeff Nelson’s.

The ninth was Sasaki Time.

Three batters later, the Mariners September record was 13-5 and the Texas Rangers were 39 games out of first place. Next up? Oakland in Safeco Field this weekend.

“What’s the series mean?” Cameron asked. “It’s the chance for us to pick up three games or two games or one game or none. We don’t like to talk about things like that. We like to play baseball and let someone else decide what it all means.”