Mariners Want to Make Losing Ancient History

Give the Seattle Mariners credit for having the right idea the past few offseasons.

They knew they needed bats after a 63-99 mark in 2004 and inked two of the premier free agents available, Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson. They knew they needed to solidify their middle infield after Bret Boone proved to be over the hill and down the other side in 2005, so they welcomed Cuban defector Yuniesky Betancourt. They knew they needed workhorse starters to give their inexperienced bullpen a chance to succeed and went to great expense to acquire veterans Jarrod Washburn last year and Jeff Weaver prior to this season. Throw in the addition of Japanese catcher Kenji Johjima in '06 and you have enough evidence to prove GM Bill Bavasi should never be accused of complacency.

Everyone Bavasi's run into the past six weeks has probably said "told you so" about Weaver, but who could have predicted all of the other poor performances in the Pacific Northwest? Sure, Beltre shouldn't be expected to post 48 homers each year, like he did in '04 with the Dodgers. Still, you'd think a third baseman who's making $12.9 million would put up more than the 44 dingers he totaled during his first two seasons with the Mariners. Likewise, Washburn entered Seattle having finished below .500 only once since becoming a regular major league starter in '01. Last year? He was 8-14 in spacious, pitcher-friendly Safeco Field. Betancourt, meanwhile, has a flashy glove and an errant arm. He committed 20 errors last season and already has eight through 33 games this year.

Many more failures can be listed about the M's, but the most inexplicable albatross - and the one that hangs like a noose around the necks of Bavasi and manager Mike Hargrove - is the one most concerning to fans. How can a team that's spent so freely between campaigns finish last in the American League West three consecutive seasons?

That's a hard one to answer, considering the Texas Rangers play in the division. The Mariners, though, have found a way to stick to the bottom. A month ago, it looked like they would make a serious run at four last-place finishes in a row. Now, they're a team to regard.

Seattle is 17-16, nothing special. They're 10-7 at home, also nothing special. What is worth pointing out is the betting total in the Mariners' last six home games - it's gone under five times. Seattle is also 5-1 in those games and was a moneyline underdog in each. In those five wins at Safeco, the M's pitching staff has allowed a combined six runs. Seattle is getting good pitching, a trend that figures to continue.

Washburn, who combined with unfortunately named closer J.J. Putz to blank the Yankees 3-0 on Friday, has found his form and stands at 3-3 with a 2.64 ERA. Mercifully, Weaver and his 14.32 ERA have been relegated to the shelf because of tendonitis. And phenom Felix Hernandez (2-1, 1.56 ERA) returns to the mound Tuesday night after a stint on the 15-day disabled list.

In the bullpen, Putz is 9-for-9 on save opportunities following his 36-save season in 2006 and Bavasi replaced troubled Julio Mateo by dealing a player to be named to Cleveland for hard-throwing long reliever Jason Davis.

If Hernandez and Washburn can be an effective 1-2 combination, then the Mariners are going to win games.

"Last year, a few of us talked about attitude and changing it, and I've changed mine. In this clubhouse, we look at the talent and the ability, and we won't be surprised when we win," Washburn said after beating the Yankees. "Other people might be surprised, but not us."

Potentially, the Mariners are great value. Their next six games will be at home against the AL West-leading Angels and the San Diego Padres in an interleague set. The Mariners have won five of six series they've played at Safeco this year. The one shortfall was to the Twins during a six-game slide in mid-April. That was when Hernandez got hurt and it became clear Weaver was an $8-million bust, a deflating revelation. The players have shown some determination by not sinking from the early-season woes.

Throw in the fact the Mariners' bats have yet to heat up (Ichiro Suzuki stands 25th in the American League in average) and baseball bettors shouldn't be quick to fade this team. The M's were 43-46 and in the hunt for the division last year before an 0-11 stretch in August. This year, there are indications they could be around until fall.

Random Thoughts on the Week in Sports

• Give the Utah Jazz serious props for pulling out that win in Game 3. The Oracle Arena has been the most intimidating place to play this NBA postseason and to have the mental focus to pull away from Golden State in the fourth quarter says a ton about coach Jerry Sloan's ability to adjust. His inexperienced team - a 7.5-point underdog - has grown up fast.
• A couple of reasons not to be shocked by the Senators' dominance of the Sabres. Buffalo's defense is small and full of players (Jaroslav Spacek, Dmitri Kalinin, Teppo Numminen) discarded from other teams. The Sabres haven't been a good penalty-killing squad and that's because their goalie hasn't been effective. Ryan Miller stays too far back in his net, resulting in goals above his shoulders and bad-angle tallies like the ones scored from the left faceoff circle by Daniel Alfredsson (Game 1) and Mike Fisher (Game 2). Also, Buffalo is much slower in moving the puck. The Sens get the puck and release the pass, the Sabres stickhandle into turnovers.
• What a difference a couple of games makes. The Sabres saw their Stanley Cup odds go from 3/1 to 5/1 while the Senators' chances of winning the championship went from 5/2 to 3/2 after the first two games of the Eastern Conference final. The Senators entered Game 1 of the best-of-seven series as a +125 underdog on the moneyline; they were +140 in their double-overtime win in Game 2.