M's hit a wall for a 4-2 loss to White Sox

There was finally a run, but still no win, for a Mariners team that was punchless in every way imaginable Friday night.

A day after at least going down swinging against the Texas Rangers, the Mariners barely put up a fight against the Chicago White Sox, losing 4-2 in front of a subdued crowd of 27,169 at Safeco Field, their ninth defeat in their last 10 games.

In all nine losses, the Mariners have scored three runs or fewer. They've scored two or fewer in eight of the last nine, the lone exception a 7-3 win Monday over Texas.

"It's a very difficult time for us," said Mariners manager John McLaren. "I've been in the big leagues 22 years and I really can't remember an offensive team I've been involved with struggling as much as we have."

The highlights were a run by Ichiro in the third inning that stopped Seattle's scoreless streak at 24 innings, tied for the fourth-longest in franchise history, and a solo homer by Wladimir Balentien in the bottom of the ninth.

The lowlight was everything else as the Mariners offense redefined the word listless, getting nothing but six singles until the homer by Balentien as Seattle fell to 14-23. The Mariners now have the worst record in the American League by a full two games. Only San Diego has a worse record in the National League.

"We've got to keep going," said McLaren. "We're disappointed, but we are not quitting. There is not a quitter in the clubhouse."

McLaren said before the game that he hoped Thursday's benches-clearing brawl, instigated when Richie Sexson charged the mound after a high pitch from Texas' Kason Gabbard, might light a fire under his team.

Instead, the Mariners rarely had any spark, falling behind 3-0 in the third inning and never really threatening again. The Mariners didn't get a runner past second base from the fourth to the ninth innings until Balentien's two-out homer.

"There's not much happening right now offensively," McLaren said. "And we've tried a lot of things. We've tried a lot of lineups, changed our routine up. I really don't have any answers for you offensively why we are not getting things done right now."

The Mariners remain eight back of the co-leaders in the AL West (A's and Angels) and are now three games back of the Rangers for third place.

Ichiro said the Mariners have to maintain faith while realizing time is slipping away.

"At this point, we are kind of in a worst-case scenario," he said through a translator. "But in this situation, we must not think about punishing ourselves too much because we are in this position. But at the same time, we can't think too much that we are fine where we are at right now. So what's important right now is to find that balance in between."

Carlos Silva lost his second straight start to fall to 3-2 but pitched decently enough, allowing eight hits and four runs in seven innings. But with the Mariners' offense stagnant, Silva had little margin for error.

Statistically, anyway, the Mariners were cooked once they fell behind 3-0. Seattle hasn't rallied from more than one run down to win a game all season.

Chicago got its three third-inning runs on three hits and a walk. Paul Konerko hit a ground-rule double with the bases loaded and Jermaine Dye followed with a sacrifice fly to score Jim Thome.

"I walked one guy and then left a couple of pitches up. That's all," Silva said.

The Mariners finally scored in the bottom of the third. Ichiro singled on a bouncer up the middle, stole second, advanced to third on a ground out, and scored on a wild pitch with two outs.

But the Mariners couldn't keep the momentum despite getting two runners on base in each of the next two innings. White Sox starter Jose Contreras (3-3) made the key pitch when it mattered.

Sexson appeared to have possibly tied the score when he hit a towering drive to center with Jose Vidro on base in the fourth. But White Sox center fielder Brian Anderson raced and caught the ball as he crashed into the wall.

Thome made it 4-1 with a crushing home run to right field in the seventh inning that also seemed to crush the last of the Mariners' hopes.

Bobby Jenks, who attended Inglemoor High in Kenmore, came on to pitch the ninth for the White Sox and retired the Mariners easily other than the Balentien homer to get his seventh save of the season.

Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com