Mariners' Jose Lopez finds focus at plate

One criticism Mariners second baseman Jose Lopez no longer hears much about is his need to focus more on his job.

He still boots balls around in the infield from time to time. He doesn't get to some others quickly enough, letting them through for hits. But staying focused this season has become more of a necessity than a chore, given all the added hitting responsibility the team has placed on Lopez's young shoulders.

Lopez was primarily the No. 8 hitter last season, but has spent most of 2008 in the No. 2 spot. He was so productive there that the team recently moved him into the power-hitting fifth slot and watched his numbers take off.

"With each position in the lineup, I've got a different job," said Lopez, sporting a team-high .315 batting average and a .424 slugging percentage that leads American League second basemen. "With batting second, I've got to move Ichiro to the next base. Batting fifth, you've got to have good concentration. Especially late in a game, guy on second base, you've got to move him over or bring him home."

The last-place Mariners finally notched a road win Wednesday afternoon in Texas, their first since April 29 after dropping seven straight away from home. They are hoping a day off Thursday enables them to regroup.

And to do that, they'll need plenty of help from their second baseman.

Lopez hasn't enjoyed these types of numbers since being named to the AL All-Star team two years ago. His career seemed in jeopardy last year. The June death of his brother in a motorcycle accident, an overall lack of focus and a second-half swoon — for the second season in a row — contributed to him putting up some of the worst numbers of any major-league regular.

But Lopez, 24, returned to his native Venezuela in the offseason, for the first time since his brother died, got his head together and spent some truly productive time playing winter ball. One of the best things he did there was bat in the middle of the order, something he believes prepared him for the No. 5 spot he now occupies.

"I like it," he said. "I got a lot of games in Venezuela where I was batting fifth, batting fourth and batting third. It doesn't matter for me. I have to have the same concentration. I don't want to change my swings just to get home runs. I want to have the same swings, hit line drives. Concentrate more with men on base and get them in."

The numbers speak for themselves.

In five games in the No. 5 spot, Lopez is 10 for 20 with three doubles, a triple and three runs batted in. His four extra-base hits during that stretch are only one fewer than Jose Vidro had in 70 at-bats at No. 5.

On a team where the slugging percentage is a dismal .399, any power contribution is welcome. Especially when it comes from a position where power is considered a bonus.

Lopez's recent power surge has brought his overall numbers up to more respectable levels. His on-base percentage — a concern from last year, because he doesn't draw many walks — was at a lowly .291 as recently as last week.

But during his weeklong hitting tear, he batted .400 with an on-base percentage of .429 and a slugging percentage of .643. His on-base numbers for the season leapt to a more palatable .313 during that stretch, a number he'll have to maintain to truly help the Mariners.

Lopez had contributed as a No. 2 hitter in ways that worked against his on-base percentage. He moved Ichiro over a base with groundouts, or drove runners home with some of his league-leading eight sacrifice flies.

As a result, Lopez is a rare player whose on-base numbers are actually lower than his batting average.

"He's done everything we've asked of him," Mariners manager John McLaren said. "He shows up ready to play every night. He's moved runners over, brought them home in RBI situations. We couldn't really ask for more, so we wanted to move him in a position where he could help the team more. We're trying to get more production out of our offense, and he seemed the best candidate."

Lopez insists he doesn't look to hit sacrifice flies.

"I don't think about it," he said. "I just use the same swing. Sometimes I've gotten lucky and hit a lot of fly balls. But I just go up there trying to hit a line drive, a long fly. I just want a good swing. My swing is me looking to do something to bring in one or two guys."

Lopez still has occasional lapses in the field. He booted a two-out grounder Monday night, leading to four runs. Last week, he waved his glove at a grounder that got through the infield and helped turn a 5-0 deficit into a 10-0 hole.

The Mariners are watching to make sure such costly lapses don't become more frequent.

And Lopez, memories of his second-half fades in 2006 and 2007 still fresh, will have to maintain his focus at its highest level the rest of the season to avoid another drop-off.

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