SEATTLE — Most teams expect substantial offensive production out of left field. At this point, a .200 hitter would represent progress for the Mariners.
Since Seattle parted ways with Milton Bradley in mid May, the trio of Carlos Peguero, Mike Wilson and Michael Saunders have taken turns in l
eft field with Peguero getting the most playing time, and none have been able to produce much at the plate. Saunders went 0-for-3 Wednesday, dropping his average to .168, while Wilson, who filled in for Ichiro Suzuki in right field, was also 0-for-3 to fall to .167. Peguero, meanwhile, has 22 strikeouts in 59 at bats, and is now hitting .169.
“Well yeah, we need to be better,” manager Eric Wedge said. “We’re giving guys opportunities, and there’s a lot of development here. You’re going to be patient, but there’s also a line with that. What I want to see is progress, making good outs, pushing forward, making some adjustments, whether it be mechanically, mentally, whatever it may be. We’ve got a few guys here that need to be doing better.”
The question now is how soon there will be a roster move. With Mike Carp tearing up Class AAA pitching in Tacoma, most feel it’s only a matter of time before he is called up. And while Carp, a natural first baseman, is still learning the ropes in left field, a move seems imminent given his hot bat and the lack of production from the current group in left field.
Asked what, specifically, he wants to see out of his struggling left fielders, Wedge said: “I just want to see us do a better job making adjustments, recognizing why we’re not having the success we need to have, and react to it and be better with it. Sometimes you’ve got to be extreme with your adjustments, you’ve got to be willing to take some risks. What you can’t do is do the same damn thing over and over again and expect different results.”
Ryan hitless
Shortstop Brendan Ryan, one of baseball’s hottest hitters in May, saw his 11-game hitting streak come to and end with an 0-for-4 game. But Ryan wasn’t upset with end of his streak as much as the fact that he and the rest of the lineup didn’t do more for starting pitcher Michael Pineda and reliever Jamey Wright, who took the loss after giving up a home run to the Orioles’ Adam Jones in the eighth.
“It just left a bad taste in my mouth,” he said. “I didn’t get anything going. … We’ve got to come out and swing the bats tomorrow, because one run, that’s just not fair to Pineda. And Jamey’s been throwing great, so he’s got nothing to hang his head about. We should have got something going, helped him out a little bit.”
A break for Ichiro
Ichiro Suzuki was in the lineup, but as the designated hitter instead of in his usual spot at right field.
“You pick spots,” Wedge said. “I’m going to need to pick spots to try to get him off his feet. … The 12:40 (afternoon start) after a night game is a good time to do it.”
Suzuki went 2-for-4 as the DH, raising his average to .276. In his career, Suzuki has a .365 average against the Orioles, the highest average of any active player against Baltimore.
Of note
The Mariners are now the only team in major league baseball to use five starting pitchers this season. Baltimore had used five starters before Brian Matusz made his 2011 debut Wednesday. … Despite inconsistent playing time, second baseman Jack Wilson has hit in 17 of his last 21 games after collecting two more hits in the loss. … Reliever David Pauley pitched a scoreless ninth, extending his shutout streak to 16 innings. He currently leads AL relievers in ERA (0.81) and innings pitched (33.1).
John Boyle, Herald Writer
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