Mariners have work to do in offseason

They're sticking with general manager Bill Bavasi and manager Mike Hargrove, letting them continue into 2007 what they say was a step forward for the team in 2006.

The stakes will be high. Management's patience will be low.

A slow start to the season will cost jobs next spring that weren't lost this fall.

"I've been doing this now for 15 years and I've been pretty good at it," Hargrove said. "I will work as hard next year as I did this year. If it works, great, I'd love to stay here. If it doesn't, then I'll know that I've done my best. You don't take this job without realizing you're in the hot seat when you take it."

The seat will be hot all winter.

Despite the promise the Mariners showed in so many areas this year -- Yuniesky Betancourt and Jose Lopez as one of the American League's best young shortstop-second base combinations, catcher Kenji Johjima's solid bat, Raul Ibanez's consistency and Ichiro Suzuki's move to center field -- they have plenty of holes to fill if they hope to become competitive in 2007.

"My recommendation is to improve the pitching," Hargrove said. "I don't think I'm revealing any deep dark secret."

The likely departures of Joel Pineiro (arbitration eligible) and Gil Meche (free agent) will leave the Mariners needing to fill three openings in the starting rotation. The only starters under contract for 2007 are Jarrod Washburn and Felix Hernandez.

Meche's agent spent part of last week in Seattle and spoke with Mariners officials, but there was no indication of the team's interest. Hargrove, curiously, singled out Meche's contribution when looking back on the season after Sunday's final game.

"Gil Meche has kind of quietly had a solid season and shown the stuff consistently this year that we saw sporadically last season," Hargrove said.

Meche, who finished 11-8 with a 4.48 ERA, said Sunday he wants to pitch for a competitive team and that he believes the Mariners are on the upswing. But that doesn't mean he'll give any discounts to the Mariners, who drafted him in the first round in 1996.

"I'll just go home and let the process play itself out," Meche said.

Pineiro, pulled from the starting rotation just after midseason, seems as good as gone. The Mariners aren't expected to offer him arbitration.

Where do the Mariners turn for pitching?

Jamie Moyer's trade to Philadelphia in August opened opportunities for Jake Woods and Cha Seung Baek to start, and both performed well. Baek, especially, should be a serious candidate for the rotation when spring training begins.

While the free-agent list is thin on bona fide staff aces, several quality starters will be available, among them Jason Schmidt, Jeff Suppan, Jeff Weaver, Adam Eaton and Barry Zito.

There's also Japanese right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka, the star of Japan's World Baseball Classic team whose name has been connected with the Mariners, if for no other reason because of the team's Japanese ownership.

Matsuzaka throws a fastball in the mid-90 mph range and also flips splitters, changeups and sliders. He'll certainly draw interest among major league teams, and the Mariners must decide if he's worth the millions it will take to get him. Like Ichiro Suzuki six years ago, teams must bid on negotiating rights for Matsuzaka. The Mariners paid $13 for that right with Suzuki.

With Matsuzaka's value so uncertain, especially for a team that could use a No. 1 starter, the Mariners may be better served by spending their millions in other areas.

If the Mariners plan to talk trade, they might have more leverage now than in past years. The late-season rise of such talented pitchers as Mark Lowe, Ryan Feierabend, Eric O'Flaherty and Jon Huber gives them quality young arms that other teams would love to have.

Backup catcher Rene Rivera's time with the Mariners also could be running out as Jeff Clement, their first-round draft pick in 2005, develops. Clement missed a healthy chunk of last season because of knee and elbow surgery, and he could use at least another full year in the minor leagues.

There's also the question of first baseman Richie Sexson's value to the Mariners, especially in light of the $28 million they owe him the next two years. He finished with respectable numbers -- 34 home runs and 107 RBI -- that gave the team a needed power element.

However, Sexson's 154 strikeouts and his lack of speed on the bases make him an over-the-fence-or-nothing player, and that has never been a style that worked at Safeco Field.

If the Mariners could find a trade partner for Sexson, they'd be wise to consider it.

They could replace him at first base with Ben Broussard, who showed with the Indians that he can hit for a higher average and better on-base percentage than he did in a platoon role at DH in 56 games with the Mariners.

The Mariners avoided a huge offseason burden when Suzuki moved to center field and said he wanted to stay there next year. That opens the opportunity for the club to pursue a power-hitting corner outfielder or, if they leave Ibanez in left field, a quality designated hitter.

Hargrove promises, if nothing else, an honest effort to completing the Mariners' turnaround. Their 78 victories were nine more than last year but still not enough to avoid another last-place finish in the AL West.

"We've made progress," he said. "Maybe not the amount of progress that we would have liked. But after the '04 season, when this team lost 99 games, things are going the right direction.

"It hasn't happened nearly as fast as we want it to, but it is happening."

Mariners bats batter Angels

ANAHEIM -- Bat on shoulder, Richie Sexson stood in the on-deck circle at Angel Stadium on Saturday as Raul Ibanez was intentionally walked to load the bases in the fifth inning.
Sexson didn't take the decision by Angels manager Mike Scioscia as a lack of respect. In fact, Sexson said he understood the move.
"A lefty up, base open, one out," Sexson said. "... you don't have to be a rocket scientist."
Sexson's 12th career grand slam came at a nice time for the Mariners, who used the long ball by their big first baseman to break open a tight game, as Seattle defeated the Angels, 12-6, before a sold-out crowd of 44,129.
Sexson's grand slam was part of a five-run inning that sent the Mariners (30-34) to their eighth victory in their last 10 games and their second victory in as many games against the Angels (27-34).
All three of Sexson's grand slams this season have been preceded by walks to Ibanez -- with two of them of the intentional variety.
"Honestly, it's been pure luck," Sexson said of his grand slams this season. "It doesn't get you upset. It's not a bad move."
Or a rare move, at that.
On April 12 in Cleveland, reliever Danny Graves walked Ibanez to load the bases and Sexson made the Indians pay for that decision by drilling a sinker that didn't sink over the wall in left field.
Then on May 22 against Baltimore, Orioles starter Erik Bedard was trailing, 4-2, when he left a changeup over the outer third of the plate that Sexson drove over the wall in right for a grand slam. That hit, too, was preceded by a walk to Ibanez.
There were plenty of hits to go around Saturday -- Seattle had 16 of them, including home runs by Ichiro Suzuki and Adrian Beltre -- but none were bigger than Sexson's blast.
The Mariners inflicted much of their damage on Angels starter John Lackey, who came into the game with an ERA of 3.06. Lackey (4-4) was coming off a start June 4 where he allowed two hits over seven shutout innings against Cleveland.
None of that mattered Saturday, as the Mariners piled up eight runs on nine hits during a blissful three-inning stretch to put the game away.
In the third inning, the Mariners got consecutive hits from Kenji Johjima, Jeremy Reed and Yuniesky Betancourt. Betancourt's double drove in a run to snap a 2-2 tie. Later in the inning, Jose Lopez drilled a two-run double to left field for a 5-2 advantage.
The damage was much greater in the fifth inning. Ichiro started the inning with a single and moved to third base one out later on a Lopez double. That brought up Ibanez with first base open.
Scioscia opted to walk Ibanez to get to Sexson, who entered the game hitting .211. As it turns out, Lackey might have been better off against Ibanez, as Sexson squared up a fastball and sent it over the wall in center field for his 10th home run of this season.
Seattle needed to go to its bullpen early because it took starter Gil Meche (6-4) all of 102 pitches to get through five innings, as his lack of command -- Meche walked four batters -- led to a high pitch count.
Meche allowed two runs on four hits and two walks in the second inning but allowed just two more hits over the next three innings.
"He was behind a lot of hitters," Seattle manager Mike Hargrove said. "He went out and he competed. He buckled down and pitched out of a jam [in the second inning]."
Meche was also hampered by a sore left side, just above his left hip, he said. Hargrove said that he suffered the slight injury during a bullpen session earlier in the week and it cropped up again Saturday.
Meche -- who doesn't expect to miss a start -- said his pain was eased some by Sexson's grand slam.
"After the fourth inning, I'm sitting here and it's 3-2. I'm thinking if Richie hits a grand slam, it would make me feel more comfortable," Meche said.
A four-run spot in the seventh inning certainly made Hargrove a little more comfortable, as Ichiro hit a three-run home run off reliever Kevin Gregg. Beltre followed suit with a long ball of his own.
Ichiro had three hits to raise his average to .367. He's hitting .558 this month with seven multihit games.
"I didn't see him in '04 when he broke the [single-season hits] record," Hargrove said. "But I imagine it was like this. He can flat hit."
So, too, can Sexson, especially when presented the right opportunity.

Kansas City Royals (14-40) At Seattle Mariners (25-33)

The Kansas City Royals wrap up what actually hasn't been a bad 10-game road trip tonight, when the club plays the last of four games with the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.
The Royals moved to 4-5 on their current road swing after Sunday's 9-4 triumph over the Mariners. Kansas City had been a dismal 2-20 on the road prior to the start of the trip.
John Buck belted a go-ahead homer in the top of the fourth inning and Reggie Sanders drove in three runs as the Royals snapped a nine-game losing streak at Safeco Field.
Sanders finished the day 2-for-4 for Kansas City, which snapped a three-game skid overall. Emil Brown also went 2-for-4 with a homer and two runs scored, while David DeJesus chipped in a pair of hits to the win.
Royals starter Mark Redman (1-4) hurled 5 2/3 innings and was solid if not spectacular en route to his first win of the season. The soft-tossing lefty surrendered four runs on eight hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
Adrian Beltre went 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs batted in for the Mariners, who lost for the first time in four outings. Mike Morse was 2-of-3 with an RBI.
Beltre now has a nine-game hitting streak and is batting .368 (14-for-38) during the run.
Jarrod Washburn (3-7) started and struggled for Seattle. The crafty lefty was tagged for seven runs on eight hits in just 4 1/3 innings of work.
Kansas City will try to even this series behind right-hander Mike Wood, who will be making only his second start of 2006. He enters the rotation in place of Denny Bautista, who was sent to the bullpen.
Wood's three victories this season are tied for the most among Royals' hurlers, but he has been hit hard in recent outings. Over his last four appearances, all in relief, he has surrendered 10 earned runs and 13 hits over 5 1/3 frames.
The 26-year-old is 0-1 with an 11.45 earned run average in five career games against Seattle, one of which has been a start.
The Mariners counter with Gil Meche, who will try to snap a personal two-game losing streak. The hard-throwing righty yielded season-highs in runs (six), walks (five) and hits (nine) in a 5 1/3-inning stint last Tuesday in Texas.
Prior to that outing, Meche struck out 10 Baltimore Orioles in seven innings and gave up just a pair of runs on four hits. However, he was on the short end of a 2-0 decision on May 25.
Meche, who is 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA in five starts at Safeco Field this season, owns a 2-3 record and a 5.40 ERA in six career games against Kansas City. In his lone start versus the Royals last season, Meche was rocked for seven runs -- five earned -- and seven hits and lasted just three innings in a loss at Kauffman Stadium last July.
The Mariners have won 13 of the last 16 meetings between the teams and are 11-3 at Safeco against KC since 2003.

Twins Beat Mariners on Ford's HR in 10th

Lew Ford led off the 10th inning with a game-winning home run off former teammate Eddie Guardado, lifting the Minnesota Twins over the Seattle Mariners 4-3 Sunday. The homer, a 414-foot drive to right-center, was Ford's second of the season and first since April 21. It came on a 1-2 pitch from Guardado (0-3), who played for the Twins for 11 seasons before signing with the Mariners in 2003. Justin Morneau added a two-run homer for Minnesota, which completed a three-game sweep for its second sweep of the season. The other was April 11-13 against Oakland at the Metrodome. Jose Lopez hit a two-run homer but made a costly mistake for the Mariners, who have lost five straight games. Ichiro Suzuki went 4-for-5 for his second four-hit game of the season. Minnesota's Joe Nathan (3-0) got out of a jam in the 10th to earn the victory. The Mariners squandered several late-inning chances to go ahead. In the 10th, Nathan allowed back-to-back singles to Suzuki and Lopez to start the inning. Nathan was then helped by two outstanding plays in the outfield. Right fielder Michael Cuddyer made a nice catch on a drive by Raul Ibanez, and Suzuki failed to tag and advance to third because he was too far off second. Center fielder Torii Hunter then leaped against the center-field fence to snag a drive by Richie Sexson. Nathan retired Adrian Beltre on a fly to center to end the threat. The Mariners had another golden chance to grab the lead in the seventh. Suzuki hit a one-out triple to right-center. With Lopez at the plate, the Mariners tried a suicide squeeze. Suzuki broke toward home with the pitch, but Lopez popped it up to pitcher Johan Santana, who caught the ball and tossed it to third baseman Luis Rodriguez for a double play. The Twins tied it at 3 in the sixth. Joe Mauer, who went 3-for-4, led off the inning with a ground-rule double to right-center off starter Joel Pineiro. Mauer moved to third on Hunter's groundout and scored on Mike Redmond's sacrifice fly. Pineiro, who had a 10.93 ERA in losing his past three starts coming in, gave up three runs and nine hits in 6 2-3 innings. Santana, who had won four of his last five starts, allowed three runs and eight hits in seven innings. He had five strikeouts to improve his AL-leading total to 80. Ibanez's sacrifice fly in the fifth inning gave the Mariners a 3-2 lead.

Howard Schultz And Seattle Sonics Experiencing

It seems Howard Schultz and the rest of the owners of the Seattle Seahawks, the audacity of this plan has spurred some pushback. From Rick Anderson’s summary of the Seattle situation, Schultz and the other owners proposed: to contribute all of $18.3 million toward a new arena. The most specific arena plan (see “The Sonics’ Venue Envy,” Feb. 1) is a $271.5 million package that includes existing debt on KeyArena; with interest, the bottom line to taxpayers would be more than $400 million.
These scumbags haven’t even paid off the debt on their powderpuff loans from the last corporate welfare deal and they want more money!

Quarterly Report on Major League Divisional Races (NL WEST)

By Jonathan Wachs
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Now that most teams have played around forty games, let’s look on in the Divisional Races:

NL WEST

Here’s a division where all the teams are in the hunt for the title. Not much has been determined in the first quarter of the season except that the division is not nearly as bad as many thought it would be. All four teams currently have winning records and they are only separated by 2.5 games.

Arizona has been led by Brandon Webb (7-0), who is probably the early leader in the NL CY Young race. Unfortunately, the rest of their pitching staff has about a 6.00 ERA. Jose Valverde (13 saves), Luis Vizcaino (3.38 ERA) and Brandon Lyon have led a bullpen that is improved over last year’s version. After a miserable start, Shawn Green has been on a torrid pace and Chad Tracy was recently rewarded with a $13 million plus contract extension for his fine work. The offense has been a moneyball fan’s dream: Craig Counsell (.387 OBP), Conor Jackson (.372) and Luis Gonzalez (.387) have certainly managed to get on base. Most analysts of the minor leagues rank Arizona near the top of the list and they are going to need to dip into their system to get some rotation help if they are to win the division or compete for the wildcard.

Colorado has been one of this year’s early surprises. One of the best bets in recent years was against the Rockies on the road, but they have dramatically improved this year. The skepticism usually associated with their gaudy numbers are not valid this year as guys like Brad Hawpe who is hitting .340 overall is hitting .383 on the road. Matt Holliday has added 11 dingers and Garrett Atkins has filled out what has been a very productive, albeit no name, middle of the order. In Jeff Francis and Aaron Cook, the Rockies have developed two nice young starters. Brian Fuentes (10 saves, 1.45 ERA) is having his second straight good year. The Rockies appear to finally have a sound plan in place. In a division that will beat up on each other, you can’t count the Rockies out.

The Dodgers have gone the high risk/high reward strategy the last couple of years. Nomar Garciaparra is the perfect example. He has hit .369, but injuries have limited him. J.D. Drew has 8 homers and 33 RBI so far, but don’t you wish wagerweb.com let you bet on whether or not he would make it through the season? Kenny Lofton (.350 OBP) keeps chugging along, but the Dodgers are waiting for Furcal (.244) to get going. Brad Penny has been pitching well (4-1, 2.53), but also has a dicey injury history. Will Eric Gagne be healthy and effective for the second half of the year? Like Arizona, the Dodgers have a strong farm system. Unlike Arizona, they may be willing to trade a few to fill holes.

Most of the attention surrounding the Giants has been around Barry Bonds. The fact that Bonds is hitting close to .250 and still has an OBP close to .500 speaks volumes about the Giants offense, especially without Moises Alou. The starting rotation led by a resurgent Jason Schmidt (3.07 ERA), the recently returned to action Noah Lowry (3.38 ERA) and Jamey Wright (3.38 ERA) have pitched well enough to keep them in contention, but it would seem another bat is needed for them to stay in the race.

The San Diego Padres recently won 15 out of 18, but still appear to be the weakest team in the division. Mike Piazza has hit 6 homers and has hit better of late, but 15 RBI for a cleanup hitter is just not going to cut it. The challenges of Petco aside, this team has a definite power outage. Only Khali Green has joined Piazza in hitting over 5 homeruns to this point. As usual, Brian Giles continues to get on base with an OBP over .400 and Trevor Hoffman (7 saves, 1.20 ERA) and Scott Linebrink (3.27 ERA) lead a strong bullpen.

So it will come down to Arizona’s farm system, Colorado’s youngsters, The Dodger’s health, The Giants pitching and San Diego’s ability to keep doing it with mirrors. Stay tuned.

Quarterly Report on Divisional Races --- NL CENTRAL

By Jonathan Wachs
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

After a few weeks and with some surprises, the NL Central has begun to look a lot more as expected, particularly at the very top.

With a lineup containing the best player on the planet, the Cardinals have recently started to pull away and
seem well on their way to their third straight division title. Pujols’ numbers are mind-boggling (22 homers and 54 RBI). Barring an injury or a stunning slump, he’s practically locked up the MVP Award in May. Underrated David Eckstein has an OBP of .390 and provides the kind of spark few leadoff hitters can match. While injuries and age have slowed Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen to some degree, they are both still dangerous hitters. Juan Encarcion and Yadier Molina have been disappointments, but the rest of the lineup has picked them up so far. Chris Carpenter has continued to pitch like an ace and starters Mark Mulder, Jeff Suppan, and Jason Marquis form a solid rotation that always keeps the Cardinals in the game. After a slow start, closer Jason Isringhausen has rounded into form. Only injuries will keep the Cards from playing in October.

Losers of 10 of their last 15, the “Big Red Mirage” are starting to play like their talent level indicates they should. Bronson Arroyo has been an outstanding acquisition and is obviously thrilled not to have to face those tough NL lineups, but you simply can’t send out such a mediocre starting rotation and expect to stay in the race. I told you a few weeks back to bet against them and those who listened are a bit richer today.

The Astros got off to a hot start before their starting pitching went through a horrid stretch. Roy Oswalt remains one of the league’s top pitchers and Wayne Rodriguez has been a nice surprise, but Andy Pettitte has struggled, Brandon Backe is out for the year, and the rest of the rotation has been inconsistent. Brad Lidge has struggled (mostly with his control), but expect him to turn things around. Morgan Ensberg hit home runs in six straight games early in the year and Lance Berkman would be an MVP candidate in a league without Pujols. Also, very quietly, Brad Ausmus has put together a very good year (.418 OBP). The Astros could stay in the wildcard race and may soon get the kind of help that could rocket them to the finish line.

The Brewers are fun to watch. They lead the majors in home runs, and youngsters Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, and Bill Hall mix nicely with veterans Geoff Jenkins, Carlos Lee, and Corey Koskie. The only thing is they may be too dependent on getting home runs and they strike out too much. A bit of small ball might help them at times. Getting Ben Sheets healthy would help a rotation that has one underrated star (Chris Capuano) and mostly back-of-the-rotation types. Derrick Turnbow is showing he’s no fluke, but the bullpen lacks depth. This year’s trendy sleeper pick will stay around a while, but ultimately doesn’t have enough for the playoffs.

First the Red Sox, then the White Sox, now the Cu … stop right there. Derrek Lee’s injury has revealed just how impotent the rest of the Cubs lineup is. Juan Pierre has an OBP of .271. Aramis Ramirez is hitting only .231. It’s ugly on the North Side. Greg Maddux’s May has been very different than his April and still no sign of Mark Prior. Dusty Baker must be on edge. No playoffs here, folks.

The Pirates were expected to be an improved team this year, but their starting pitching has failed them. Zach Duke has hit a bit of a tougher time facing teams the second time around, and whatever happened to Oliver Perez, who was thought to be a fast rising star? Not much hope in the Steel City either.

So early on, it looks like it’s the Cards division to lose and the Astros waiting for Roger Clemens to make them serious wildcard contenders.

Fantasy Tip of the Week

By Chris Goudey
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

We are about 1/3 of the way through the 2006 MLB season, and whether you are doing well or are struggling, this is a crucial time. You know what categories you need to improve on and one of the best ways to improve your standing is to pick up guys who have started off slowly but are due to break out. Here is a list of players to target who have had a bad spring but should soon get as hot as the weather: Batters:

Marcus Giles, 2B, Atlanta –He is historically a .300 hitter who is currently hitting .235. He’s a perfect buy-low candidate.

Manny Ramirez, OF, Boston – Usually good for 40 HRs and 130 RBIs, he is currently in single-digits in HRs and very low in RBIs. He is the ONE player who is due to go crazy in the month of June.

Juan Pierre, OF, and Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Chicago Cubs – Both players have seen their value decrease with the injury to Derrek Lee. Pierre isn’t scoring or hitting as well as normal, and Ramirez’s numbers are all down. When Lee returns, watch these numbers start to rise.

Ken Griffey Jr., OF, Cincinnati – IF he can stay healthy, a power surge is coming. Todd Helton, 1B, Colorado – Now over his mysterious stomach ailment, he should be sending many homers into the Mile-High air shortly.

Reggie Sanders, OF, Kansas City – Should be good for at least 15 homers and 15 steals in the upcoming months.

Garret Anderson, OF, LA Angels – The Angels’ offense has been horrible so far, so look for Anderson to have more RBI opportunities as they begin to heat up. Jeff Kent, 2B, LA Dodgers – Kent is always good for 25 HRs and 100 RBIs, so take advantage now and reap the rewards later.

Cliff Floyd, OF, NY Mets – Floyd has really struggled so far, barely batting over .200. That won’t continue. Alex Rodriguez, 3B, NY Yankees – Along with Manny Ramirez, he is the highest-profile player on this list. Look for A-Rod to really explode soon. He is too good a player not to.

Jimmy Rollins, SS, and Bobby Abreu, OF, Philadelphia – It’s amazing the Phillies have done as well as they have with two of their biggest players slumping. Abreu is about to bust out, so snag him quickly. Rollins is the best SS in the NL, but you wouldn’t know it judging from his numbers so far. He will hit over .300 and get you at least 20 steals the rest of the way, so grab him now!

Jason Bay, OF, Pittsburgh – He’s already started to break out, but if you can find an owner who isn’t paying attention, go get those 20-25 HRs and 75-80 RBIs that are coming.

Richie Sexson, 1B, and Adrian Beltre, 3B, Seattle – These two were supposed to be the Mariners’ power duo of the future, but it just hasn’t happened….yet. Look for both of these guys to get it together soon and help Ichiro out.

Jim Edmonds, OF, St. Louis – With only 5 HRs so far, Edmonds is a very good candidate to bust out. He’s normally good for 35, so look for him to get at least 25 more for the year…IF he can stay healthy, which is always his biggest issue.

Carl Crawford, OF, Julio Lugo, SS, and Aubrey Huff, 3B, Tampa Bay – All 3 of these guys have had slow starts due to injury (Lugo/Huff) or just a sub-par performance (Crawford). All 3 should start to pick it up together.

Mark Teixeira, 1B-DH, Texas – With only 4 HRs so far, Big Tex is my bet to hit the most homers in the AL from here on out. He is simply too good a player not to have a huge hot streak and in the 100-degree Texas heat, the ball simply flies out of the stadium.

Jose Guillen, OF, Washington – This is a talented player if he can keep his head on straight. He was projected to have 30 HRs and 100 RBIs, so pick him up now and hope he stays on the straight and narrow. The numbers will come if he can.

Obviously not all of these players will break out and start to hit immediately, but they have done much better historically than this year. Next week, I’ll take a look at some pitchers to acquire that fall under the same classification.

Mariners sweep Padres

Along with the baseballs that were flying all over Safeco Field, so was Felix Hernandez.
The Seattle Mariners' 20-year-old right-hander went to the mound Sunday hoping for a steady performance after his most wobbly game of the year last week in Oakland, where he gave up 10 runs in four innings.
What he produced in a 10-8 victory over the San Diego Padres was far from steady. But it was a victory, giving the Mariners their first series sweep this season.
Hernandez displayed everything from a 100 mph fastball to Brian Giles in the fifth inning to an awkward Flying Wallenda leap off the mound and a little white lie that kept him in the game.
"What's encouraging is the fact that we won the game," pitching coach Rafael Chaves said. "He didn't have his best stuff but the club picked him up and we still won the game."
Hernandez gave up seven hits and seven runs in six innings.
The Mariners' eight-run second inning against Padres starter Chan Ho Park gave Hernandez an 8-1 safety net to work with and he still nearly hit the floor, literally in the third inning.
Early control problems continued with a leadoff walk to Brian Roberts in the third and, on a 1-2 pitch to Giles, Hernandez tried to muscle up.
Instead, he spun himself off the mound in a clumsy delivery that brought Chaves and trainer Tom Newberg out of the dugout. Hernandez waved them off, saying he was fine.
He wasn't. He sprained his left ankle on the pitch.
"He wasn't too honest with us. He said, 'I just slipped,'" Chaves said. "I wish he was a little more honest."
"I had to keep fighting and keep pitching the way I always have, with pain or without pain," Hernandez said.
Hernandez gave up two hits and two runs in that inning, when it appeared he was headed for another short outing.
Instead, he retired nine straight before another misstep - a third-strike passed ball by catcher Kenji Johjima - led to a four-run Padres rally in the sixth that pulled them within a run at 8-7.
"He was pitching well until the third strike got away from Johjima," manager Mike Hargrove said. "He scuffled, but he battled. He, and we, were fortunate we scored eight runs in the second inning. It gave him a chance to scuffle and fight his way through it."
The Mariners' eight-run second was their best inning since Aug. 30, 2003 when they scored 10 in the fifth inning against Baltimore. Raul Ibanez hit a three-run homer, Carl Everett a solo homer and Yuniesky Betancourt dropped a squeeze bunt.
In the sixth, needing another burst of offense to spread their one-run lead, the Mariners got it when Richie Sexson drew a bases-loaded walk and Everett hit an RBI single.
That made it 10-7 before the Padres scored their final run on Josh Bard's leadoff home run in the eighth off Rafael Soriano.
By then, Hernandez had come clean. He was in the clubhouse icing not only his right arm but his left ankle.
The Mariners said he should be OK for his next start, scheduled for Friday at Minnesota.
"It's a good sign to me because he didn't want to come out of the ballgame," Chaves said. "He wanted to stay in and pitch as many innings as he could.
Hernandez gave them six and, with Soriano and J.J. Putz finishing up, the Mariners won their third straight game after three losses in their previous series at Oakland. It pulled them within three games of first place in the AL West Division.
"It's a three-game sweep, but at the same time it's just three games," Ibanez said.