Notebook | Raul Ibanez tries not to dwell on his low RISP average

Raul Ibanez tries not to think about how his team-high batting average suddenly dips when there are runners in scoring position.

Doesn't like to talk about it too much either. It isn't that he's ignoring the fact that his overall .306 average entering Wednesday falls to only .250 with runners on second or third. Or that he's one of several players, perhaps the least culpable, in a middle of the order for the Mariners where averages plummet with a chance to drive in runs.

Ibanez just doesn't think there's any point dwelling on an issue he's positive will correct itself down the road.

"I'll make a prediction that at the end of the year, it will all be there," he said of his numbers, which had been up at .321 with runners in scoring position in the three seasons combined prior to this one.

Ibanez shrugs the current low stats off as an anomaly. Though hitters often get credit for coming through in the "clutch" when they post high averages with runners in scoring position, those numbers often tend to mirror overall results.

In other words, good hitters usually have high numbers with runners in scoring position. Bad hitters don't.

That parity isn't reflected in Ibanez's numbers, which is one reason he believes they'll correct themselves eventually. The timing is unfortunate for Seattle since the two hitters after Ibanez in the order, Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson, have a far greater discrepancy in their stats.

Beltre is hitting .267 overall, but just .125 with runners in scoring position. Sexson is batting .209, but just .100 with a chance to drive in runs.

The team's overall batting average of .251 was a lot closer to its .239 with runners in scoring position heading into Wednesday night's game. But with Ibanez, Beltre and Sexson getting the bulk of their team's chances to drive runners home, their lower numbers in such situations are obviously contributing to the club's offensive woes.

Ibanez has been through this before and insists that, the way a season ebbs and flows each year, he has learned to stay confident when things take a downward turn.

"One thing I've learned is not to panic," Ibanez said. "Even when everybody around you is in a panic. One good week and it can all turn around."

Words his faltering team would no doubt long to believe in right now.

Cairo gets another start

Miguel Cairo was given his second start in less than a week on Wednesday, taking over at first base when Richie Sexson had to leave the ballpark before the game to tend to a personal family matter. Cairo had been limited to only 11 plate appearances and some pinch-running stints in the first five weeks of the season, prompting criticism of the team from some quarters for keeping him on the roster at the expense of since-traded Greg Norton — who got the game-winning pinch-hit for Atlanta on Wednesday.

But Cairo, who turned 34 last Sunday and is now in his 11th big league season, has learned to tune out talk that he's just a glorified coach. He'd like a chance to show what he can do on the field, but is willing to wait to be given a chance.

"You've got to deal with that," said Cairo, who wants to coach someday but figures he has still got a few years of playing time ahead of him. "I've got my role on the team. If you feel you're a very good player, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks. I believe in myself and I know if I get a chance to play today, I'm going to do my best."

Turns out he did get the chance to play, going hitless from the No. 9 spot in the order. Cairo is still looking for his first hit of the season.

The Mariners say Cairo serves an important role as a second pinch-runner — along with Willie Bloomquist — for a team that won't pinch-hit much but does have a lot of guys who tend to clog the basepaths. Cairo also serves as a role model of sorts for the team's younger players, particularly those from his native Venezuela and the Caribbean.

Cairo was seen chatting with Curacao native Wladimir Balentien, called up from Class AAA Tacoma last week, by the outdoor batting cages during early batting practice a couple of days ago. He tried to share advice that has helped him survive more than a decade as a major-leaguer cast almost exclusively in backup roles.

"All those years I've been a backup player," he said. "But when the time comes, you have to produce."

He says he told Balentien: "The bus comes around one time and you've got to get on and ride it. Tacoma's in the past. You've got to show you can play in the big leagues. Pitchers can make adjustments to you and you've got to adjust. This is a game of making adjustments. That's how you stay up here."

Notes

• Mariners manager John McLaren was ejected in the second inning of Wednesday's game for arguing balls and strikes with plate umpire Mark Wegner. McLaren has been ejected twice this season.

• Seattle is 14-7 when scoring four or more runs. When scoring less than four, it is 0-14.

For the record

Streak: L2

Home: 8-9

Road: 6-12

vs. AL West: 9-8

vs. L.A.: 3-3

vs. Oakland: 3-2

vs. Texas: 3-3

vs. AL East: 3-10

vs. AL Central: 2-3

vs. NL: 0-0

vs. LHP: 2-6

vs. RHP: 12-15

Day: 3-7

Night: 11-14

One-run: 1-8

Extra innings: 0-1

Home attendance

Wednesday's crowd: 17,173

Season total: 433,295

Biggest crowd: 46,334 (March 31)

Smallest crowd: 15,818 (May 6)

Average (17 dates): 25,488

2007 average (17 dates): 29,334