Today
Opponent: Tampa Bay Rays
When: 7:10 p.m.
Where: Safeco Field
TV: FSN Radio: ESPN 710 AM
Pitchers: Seattle left-hander Cliff Lee (0-0, 0.00 earned run average) vs. right-hander Matt Garza (4-1, 2.06).
Wakamatsu: The talent is there
With two newcomers in the clubhouse Tuesday, Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu made a few lineup adjustments with the same players he has used since the season began.
He moved Milton Bradley back up to the fourth spot in the batting order, where he’d struggled in five games early in the season, and dropped Jose Lopez to sixth after 19 games in the No. 4 spot.
Struggling Ken Griffey Jr., meanwhile, remained the DH and batted sixth.
Wakamatsu plans to use outfielder Ryan Langerhans and infielder Josh Wilson, called up from Class AAA Tacoma after Sunday’s game, as defensive replacements who’ll start occasionally when he gives his regulars a day of rest.
So much for any idea that Langerhans would get more starts in left field, which would move Bradley to DH and lessen the number of at-bats for Griffey, who entered Tuesday batting .224 with no home runs.
“These weren’t as much offensive moves as defensive moves,” Wakamatsu said.
Not that the offense doesn’t need help.
The Mariners scored four runs in three weekend losses to the Rangers, and they hadn’t homered since April 25.
Still, Wakamatsu believes there’s nothing so wrong that more effective at-bats and a return to good fundamental hitting won’t fix.
“The talent is there,” Wakamatsu said. “I’m not saying we’ve got to go out and buy somebody. We’ve proven at certain times that we can function offensively. The biggest thing for us is to focus on situations.”
He discussed that in a meeting with the hitters before Tuesday’s game.
“You can look at that last series and talk about the lack of offense but we had opportunities to win those ballgames and we didn’t,” he said. “It does come down to executing fundamental things and we didn’t do that. The key is, can we get a squeeze down? Can we get a guy in from second? Can we get a guy in from third base? Those are the things we’ve got to focus on more than anything. We haven’t been fundamentally sound.”
From diapers to the M’s
Ryan Langerhans was changing a diaper on Sunday when his phone rang. He fumbled for a moment _ with the phone, not the diaper _ before taking a fairly important call. It was Tacoma Rainiers manager Daren Brown, who told Langerhans he was being called up by the Mariners.
“I couldn’t get the phone out of my pocket, but I was glad I was able to take that call,” Langerhans said. “I wasn’t expecting it.”
Langerhans batted .282 with five doubles for the Rainiers and will be used primarily for his defense, especially on days when center fielder Franklin Gutierrez needs a break.
“You look at Guti’s season, so far he’s playing every day and there’s times when he’ll get a little bit tired and we didn’t really have that option of putting anybody out in center field,” Wakamatsu said. “Langerhans gives us coverage in all three positions in a guy we’re comfortable with.”
Langerhans made the Mariners’ opening-day roster but was designated for assignment on April 8 when the team decided to bring up a 12th pitcher. He cleared waivers and gladly went to work with the Rainiers.
“I love the organization and all the people in it,” he said. “I just wanted to go down there, work hard and be a good teammate. If you go down there with a sour attitude, you aren’t going to endear yourself to your teammates very well. I just wanted to go down there and work on the things I needed to work on to get back here and just make solid contact and play good defense.”
Of note
Ichiro Suzuki has baseball’s highest all-time batting average in May, .363 going into Tuesday’s game. Among hitters with at least 500 plate appearances, Rod Carew is second at .340 followed by Kevin Youkilis at .339, Tony Gwynn at .333 and Wade Boggs at .327. … Wakamatsu said Matt Tuiasosopo, optioned to Tacoma as part of the Sunday shakeup, will play mostly at third base and some left field for the Rainiers, and continue to work on changes to his swing that he began with M’s hitting coach Alan Cockrell. “He’s put in some good work with Alan and now he can see if he can put together some consistent at-bats.” … Wakamatsu on Eric Byrnes, who the Mariners released after Sunday’s game: “He was almost apologetic that he couldn’t do more for this ballclub.”
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