McLaren rethinking pitching rotation after Mariners get swept

DETROIT — Time ran out on Miguel Batista only three innings into a third consecutive debacle for the Mariners.

Ran out when it came to him finding some life on his pitches, which were mostly in the high-80s and disturbed his manager enough to yank him after 72 had been thrown.

But in the bigger picture, after the Mariners absorbed a 9-2 licking at the hands of the Detroit Tigers on Thursday afternoon, time might have run out on Batista taking the mound every five days.

Mariners manager John McLaren suggested after Seattle's latest on-field embarrassment that he'll consider whether to send Batista back out for his next start. The big question now is whether McLaren, his team getting blown out on a daily basis, will still be around once the next rotation turn arrives for the two pitchers.

"No one likes to be skipped," McLaren said, adding that he and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre had discussed the matter. "We're going to look at it, not just for Miguel, but all the way around. We've got a couple of guys struggling. We'll see."

Jarrod Washburn would be the other prime candidate to be skipped, having gone just 3-1/3 innings his last two outings. Washburn has also lasted more than five innings only once in his last six starts.

The Mariners still had their chances after Batista left them in a 5-1 hole, having served up a three-run homer to Brandon Inge in the second inning, then two more Detroit markers in the third. Seattle loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth against Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman and had newly installed — for one game, at least — designated hitter Raul Ibanez at the plate.

But Ibanez, who entered the day hitting .292 with a team-high 30 runs batted in, grounded into a 4-6-3 double-play that resulted in just one run. The Mariners went quietly from there, managing just one more hit as the final 11 batters were retired in order.

They showed few signs of life all day, other than left fielder Jeremy Reed nearly making a circus catch at the wall on the Inge home run. A sprinting Reed actually caught the ball, but his glove slipped off his hand and fell into the visiting team's bullpen as the crowd of 40,166 at Comerica Park leaped to its feet with delight.

It was that kind of series for the Mariners, outscored 30-14, out-hustled in the field and outdone in the clutch. The Tigers had been just 4 for 40 (.100) with runners in scoring position on their last road trip, but finished 16 for 31 (.516) in this series.

Seattle starters Batista, Washburn and Carlos Silva lasted a combined 9-1/3 innings in the three games, forcing the bullpen to pick up 14-2/3 frames.

R.A. Dickey tossed two innings in this one, allowing a two-run homer in the fifth by Matt Joyce. Sean Green gave up two more runs in the sixth, while Brandon Morrow and J.J. Putz worked a scoreless inning apiece.

"We're just getting in a hole early in the game," McLaren said. "It's been an uphill battle. Batista wasn't that sharp. And I didn't think he was throwing that hard."

Batista had failed to go more than 5-1/3 innings in five of his last six starts.

He'd avoided speaking to reporters after his two previous starts, but stuck around this time and suggested he actually pitched better this time.

"My command is getting better," he said. "After I got hurt, it was really bad. And now, when I miss, I miss around the plate most of the time."

Batista went on to say: "You never want to beat yourself. When you start walking guys and getting behind in the count too many times, you beat yourself. They don't beat you. You always want them to go out there and swing the bat."

The Tigers certainly did plenty of that.

Batista may have better command, but his velocity is nowhere near what it has been. He suggested that injuries and nagging pain have thrown him off his regular routine.

"I've been battling a lot of stuff since spring training," he said. "My back, my foot, my back. And then I had a dead arm. It's hard to get everything going when you're not completely healthy."

Which begs the question of why the Mariners would want to keep sending Batista out there. The pitcher was asked whether he'd be better off skipping a start or two and whether he thought something was going to change between now and his next outing to help him go deeper into starts.

"Getting my command better is one of the things," he said. "Especially when you don't have your best stuff, you have to make them hit the ball."

That wasn't a problem for the Tigers in this game, or series. It may be a big problem for the Mariners, who have a few more days to decide how many more hits, runs and abbreviated outings they can tolerate.

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

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