Mariners | Home-run count against Erik Bedard blamed on dry Arizona air

PEORIA, Ariz. — Baseball writers on two continents were apparently chasing after the wrong story about bizarre spring statistics.

Turns out the real numbers oddity of Mariners camp wasn't Ichiro starting 0 for 21, which had writers and sports editors in Japan and the United States scrambling. Now that Ichiro has resumed hitting at his usual .300 clip, the even bigger eyepopper is the pace at which Erik Bedard continues to give up home runs.

After allowing only 19 over 182 innings last season, the left-hander has given up seven long balls in 18 innings this spring. That would factor out to 70 homers over the same number of innings Bedard pitched last season.

"This has to be a record," Bedard said after giving up two more blasts in an 8-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Friday afternoon.

It is indeed a record pace, and not only for Bedard. Bert Blyleven holds the major-league record with 50 homers allowed in 1986.

Something is clearly amiss with Seattle's prized trade acquisition. Bedard insists he has no idea what's going on, but Mariners manager John McLaren says the dry Arizona air is a prime suspect.

"I would think that would have a lot to do with it," McLaren said.

The perils of attempting to throw breaking balls in the desert air have been well documented.

One of the five players traded to Baltimore for Bedard, relief pitcher George Sherrill, was infamous for his spring debacles. Going into his final outing last spring, half of the 40 hitters faced by Sherrill had reached base. Home runs and extra-base blasts were slugged off him with impunity.

Sherrill blamed the Arizona air for his second consecutive dismal spring record. He then went out and enjoyed a career season, allowing only four home runs and a .295 slugging percentage by the 182 batters he faced when the games counted.

In Florida this spring, Sherrill's numbers for the Orioles have been just fine — as were Bedard's before he showed up in the land of sand and cactus.

The second home run Bedard allowed Friday, to former Mariner Jose Guillen, was what McLaren called "a cookie" and came on a changeup that stayed up in the strike zone. That's usually a sign of a grip problem and a pitcher not getting enough rotation on the ball to get it to move the way he wants.

New Mariners pitcher Carlos Silva has said the dry air makes getting a proper grip next to impossible. Silva has tried everything, from spitting on his fingers to wiping sweat on them from his forehead.

Guillen said it's too early to panic about Bedard.

"It's like I heard some people worrying about Ichiro when he went 0 for 21," Guillen said. "Come on, guys, this is spring training. Those guys know how to figure it out when it counts for real."

Bedard said his grip didn't feel any different Friday. But he couldn't explain why hitters keep taking him deep.

"If it's [hit] far, I like it, I like to see it," Bedard quipped, somewhat tongue-in-cheek. "But if it's barely over the fence, then it's more frustrating."

Bedard was charged with seven runs (five earned) on seven hits, including two homers and three doubles, over five innings. His spring earned-run average is 9.69, and he leads the majors in home runs allowed this spring.

But he insists he's on target to open the season and doesn't need a more solid outing to feel good about himself.

"It's only going to concern me if it's during the season," he said.

Notes

• Thursday night, Mike Morse grounded into an inning-ending double play in the 10th inning and botched a couple of fly balls to right field in the Mariners' 6-6 tie with San Diego. On Friday, playing in left field, Morse allowed a blooper down the line to fall in for a double.

He redeemed himself somewhat with an RBI double and a ninth-inning single after a long at-bat in which he fouled off numerous two-strike pitches.

Despite Morse's .523 average this spring, McLaren said before the game that he is still uncertain the player will be his extra outfielder.

"I'm concerned," McLaren said. "We're no closer to finding that extra bench player or two than we were two weeks ago."

• Sean Green threw two scoreless innings in relief against Kansas City, allowing just one walk.

• Richie Sexson had to hold up with a long single in the fourth inning after he drilled a pitch from Gil Meche off the left-field fence. Sexson did not appear to have a lot of speed while rounding first base and held up after making the turn.

• Meche allowed two earned runs on six hits over 6-2/3 innings in beating his former club.

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com.

Friday's box score

Kansas City						Seattle
	AB	R	H	BI			AB	R	H	BI
DeJesus cf	3	1	1	0		Cairo ss-2b	5	0	0	1
Gathright cf	2	0	0	0		Vidro 1b	3	0	1	0
Callaspo 2b	5	2	2	1		Navarro pr-ss	2	0	1	0
Gordon 3b	3	1	1	2		Beltre 3b	3	0	0	0
Smith 3b	2	0	0	0		Norton 1b	1	0	1	0
Guillen rf	3	1	1	2		Sexson dh	3	1	1	0
German rf	1	0	0	0		Wilkerson rf	3	0	1	0
Butler dh	4	1	1	1		Reed rf	1	0	0	0
Teahen lf	3	1	2	1		Balentien cf	4	1	2	1
Maier lf	0	0	0	0		Johjima c	2	0	0	0
Gload 1b	3	0	0	0		Johnson c	2	1	1	0
Shealy 1b	1	0	0	0		Morse lf	4	0	2	1
Pena ss	2	0	0	1		Hulett 2b	3	0	1	0
	Berroa ss		1	1	1	0

	Tupman c		3	0	2	0

	Huckaby c		1	0	0	0

Totals

37

8

11

8

Totals

36

3

11

3

Kansas City	212 020 001	—	8
Seattle	010 000 101	—	3

E — Soria, Berroa, Beltre. DP — Kansas City 3, Seattle 2. LOB — Seattle 8, Kansas City 4. 2B — DeJesus, Teahen 2, Butler, Berroa, Vidro, Johnson, Morse. 3B — Callaspo. HR — Gordon, Guillen. CS — Pena.

Royals	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
	Meche, W		6 2/3	6	2	2	1	2

	Mahay		2/3	1	0	0	0	0

	Yabuta		2/3	2	0	0	0	1

	Soria		1	2	1	1	1	0

Mariners	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
	Bedard, L		5	9	7	5	0	1

	Green		2	0	0	0	1	0

	Rowland-Smith		1	0	0	0	1	0

	Lowe		1	2	1	1	0	0

WP — Meche. T — 2:38.