Bedard keeps Oakland off-kilter; Mariners win 5-3

A theory became reality for the Mariners as the real Erik Bedard finally appeared in the Emerald City nearly three months after the trade no one can stop talking about.

The first couple of dry runs for Bedard, hardly embarrassments in their own right, were nonetheless filled with a plethora of early pitches, home runs and base runners. This time around, with Bedard coming off an 18-day injury hiatus, those watching on Saturday night were treated to a blistering inside fastball and a biting cutter and curve that had the Oakland Athletics swinging into easy outs.

None of the runs scored against Seattle in a 5-3 victory came when Bedard was still on the mound. His domination of the A's for most of his 6-2/3 innings enabled the Mariners to build up a big enough lead and then hold on to take a game that held more significance than it should this early on.

"I wasn't expecting that, but I went through it good and we won the game," Bedard said after snapping his team's three-game losing streak at home. "I felt good, so I pushed it a little bit, got to 95 pitches and left the rest to the bullpen."

Bedard's teammates felt as good as he did about seeing their No. 1 starter flash his true colors. So did a crowd of 37,563 fans at Safeco Field, who saw the Mariners move to three back of the first-place A's and Angels and avoid losing any more ground before the season is even four weeks old.

It's getting late early for this team and manager John McLaren let the players know it in a pregame chat. Several players have yet to produce.

Jose Vidro, hitting 2 for 15 (.135) on the homestand, was replaced at designated hitter by Greg Norton for the one game and possibly more. Norton earned himself additional playing time by stroking three hits, including a two-run double in the eighth that enabled the Mariners to build a 5-1 lead.

"I was just able to get some decent swings on some balls," said Norton, who drove in three runs, scored another and has six hits in 12 at-bats this year. "As bench players, we do a lot of extra work, and we try to stay ready for when we're needed."

Norton's work proved invaluable in the ninth, when a rusty-looking J.J. Putz, his rhythm and location off, walked three batters and yielded a two-run single to Daric Barton. The third walk of the inning then loaded the bases, but Putz jammed Mike Sweeny — who'd homered off Brandon Morrow his previous at-bat in the eighth — with a pitch high and inside and got him to tap a game-ending grounder in front of home plate.

Before a late rally, the A's had been thoroughly outclassed by Seattle pitching. Bedard notched 10 of his first 15 outs via ground balls, three more on strikeouts and two on fly balls — one of those a pop up to shallow center.

"His curveball, his cutter and his fastball were working pretty good, especially his two-seamer inside to righties," Mariners catcher Jamie Burke said of Bedard's sinker on the inner half of the plate, which resulted in most of his four strikeouts.

Bedard is known for ringing up hitters, having fanned more than 200 of them last season to lead the AL. But a nagging hip injury, which put him on the DL after only two starts — one of them delayed a couple of days — had caused no end to the hand-wringing and debate amongst fans about the February trade that brought him here from the Baltimore Orioles.

It didn't help that two of the trade's centerpieces, Adam Jones and George Sherrill, came back to haunt Seattle in a tough loss earlier in the week while Bedard sat on the sidelines watching. Nor that the team won't disclose exactly what is causing the inflammation in Bedard's hip, despite swirling rumors the injury is more serious than anyone is letting on.

But aside from some early rust, which led to two of Bedard's four walks issued on the night, the hip didn't appear to be a factor.

"He really looked great," McLaren said of Bedard. "He had everything working. Great control, curveball, changeup, the location of his fastball."

After a tough week, McLaren needed some curveballs to go his way. His next challenge will be to get his team in a different location than third place.

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

Read his daily blog at www.seattletimes.com/Mariners