Mariners Notebook | Pitchers and catchers struggle to stay in sync

ARLINGTON, Texas — The entire Mariners coaching staff gathered in manager John McLaren's office for a lengthy meeting with general manager Bill Bavasi in the hours before Tuesday night's game.

Nobody would talk about what was said afterward, but there was likely some discussion about catcher Kenji Johjima and the team's pitchers. Johjima has had problems getting in sync with some of the team's starters and the coaching staff is monitoring the situation to make sure it doesn't get more serious.

"When a team's winning, none of that other stuff matters," Bavasi said afterward, speaking in general terms and not about a specific incident. "When you're losing, everything becomes an issue."

The team has asked catching coordinator Roger Hansen to come in and help pitchers and catchers get back on the same page. McLaren said previously that Hansen would arrive Tuesday, but that did not happen and it's possible he'll join the team when it gets back to Seattle for a weekend series with San Diego.

Bavasi summoned pitcher Jarrod Washburn over for a chat by the dugout during Tuesday's batting practice. Washburn has said in recent days that he and Johjima were having trouble getting in sync, but added later that it was nothing serious and that he wasn't trying to blame the catcher for Washburn's mound struggles.

Johjima was the starting catcher Tuesday, lining a game-tying double to left field in the sixth inning — one night after a tying three-run homer in the ninth. He was also robbed at the wall by a leaping Josh Hamilton with a runner on base in the eighth.

Johjima will likely sit out this afternoon's series finale, with Jamie Burke usually scheduled to work day games after the night contest.

It had been thought the team might sit Johjima on Tuesday and let the struggling Felix Hernandez be caught by Burke. But the team instead went with Johjima's hot bat and he repaid the favor.

Bavasi could be seen speaking pregame with Johjima's interpreter, Antony Suzuki, but it was not known whether he talked with the catcher as well.

McLaren has said he and his coaches are monitoring some potential clubhouse "brush fires" so they don't spread into something bigger. He'd said after a team meeting Monday that he felt the players were back to being a team and were ready to play solid baseball.

The team then blew a 5-0 lead and went on to lose 13-12.

McLaren was asked Tuesday what signs he'd be looking for to make certain the team meetings had actually worked and changed the mind-set of some players.

"I think what we're looking for is just a little better focus that leads to a little better execution," he said. "That's simply put, but it speaks volumes."

He said he feels good about the way the players are talking to and supporting each other.

"We believe in each other," he said. "We've just got to stay together and get on a roll."

Notes

• Mariners relief pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith had some interesting moments in a phone conversation with his mother, Julie White, after she'd watched the Internet feed of Monday's game back in their native Australia. Rowland-Smith had gotten into a verbal exchange with Rangers third baseman Ramon Vazquez after a strikeout, with the two exchanging numerous expletives caught on camera.

"Yeah, she saw it all," Rowland-Smith said. "She said something about a lot of bleeps."

The incident began when Vazquez, cursing at himself after the strikeout, apparently took a glance back toward the center-field scoreboard to read the speed of the pitch. Rowland-Smith thought Vazquez was looking at him and returned the stare.

"He just kept looking back at me and I kept looking back at him," Rowland-Smith said. "I think he said, 'Why are you looking at me?' "

The language turned foul shortly afterward in an exchange that was replayed several times on ESPN — with the footage blurred in the players' mouth area so that lip readers couldn't tell what was being said.

"I caught him showing emotion and he caught me," Rowland-Smith said with a laugh and a shrug, dismissing it as a macho moment between two players.

• There was no repeat of last week's beanball battle between these clubs in Seattle in a rematch between Felix Hernandez and Kason Gabbard, the opposing hurlers from that brawl-marred game. Hernandez hit two batters in that contest and Gabbard fired a ball high at Richie Sexson, prompting him to charge the mound and throw his helmet at the pitcher.

Neither starter hit anyone this time.

Daryl Hamilton, an assistant to league disciplinarian Bob Watson, was in the stands watching the two teams for a second straight night.

• Ichiro saw his 12-game hitting streak come to an end when he went 0 for 4 with a walk. The streak had been the longest active one in the majors.

For the record

Streak: L2

Home: 9-12

Road: 6-14

vs. AL West: 9-11

vs. L.A.: 3-3

vs. Oakland: 3-2

vs. Texas: 3-6

vs. AL East: 3-10

vs. AL Central: 3-5

vs. NL: 0-0

vs. LHP: 2-8

vs. RHP: 13-18

Day: 4-7

Night: 11-19

One-run: 1-9

Extra innings: 0-2