Mariners Notebook | Sexson on bench again

A third straight start at first base by Miguel Cairo only made the questions about Richie Sexson grow stronger.

Mariners manager John McLaren did his best to deflect them, amid mounting speculation that Sexson's time with the team is nearing an end. McLaren insisted he was merely riding the extra energy Cairo and his defense had brought to the club during a rare two-game win streak earlier in the week.

"This is starting to take on a life of its own," McLaren said, attempting to downplay the situation. "It's just a situation where we expect a lot out of our players. We're just trying to get him going. But in the meantime, the team was struggling so bad and we won two games, and that's why Miguel is back out there."

The Sexson question is weighing heavily on the team's mind with the first baseman hitting just .200 and fading as the season wears on. He'll be a free agent once the year ends and there is a growing call among fans for the team to sign Yakima native Scott Hatteberg — designated for assignment by Cincinnati on Tuesday.

But McLaren suggested Sexson will be back in the lineup at some point.

"You know Richie, he wants to play," McLaren said. "There's not an easy answer for this. It's not a long-term thing. I'm just sticking with the hot hand. We know Richie wants to play. It just is what it is."

The Reds have 10 days to trade, release or outright Hatteberg to the minors, and there is word the Mets are interested in him. That could mean some negotiating before any team could acquire the 38-year-old first baseman.

Cairo entered Friday's game hitting just .186 but had made several key glove plays in recent weeks — including a couple when he threw out the lead runner at second on sacrifice bunt attempts.

Playing several consecutive days at first base is nothing new to the former middle infielder. He made 17 starts at first base for the New York Yankees last season — most of those over a two-week span in June.

Cairo agreed that being a natural shortstop has made the transition to first base a little bit easier.

"You've got a bigger glove," he said. "You've just got to make sure you catch it, that's all."

Cairo says he wasn't stepped on during Wednesday's game by any of the Safeco Field grounds crew members during their sixth-inning display they put on for fans. Cairo had just been called out on a close, inning-ending play at third base and was arguing the call when the crew members stormed on to the field — running between him and the umpire.

What began as a heated argument between Cairo and the umpire was cooled off almost instantly by all the commotion around them.

No eyes on Joba

McLaren said he wasn't going to pay any extra attention to how Yankees starter Joba Chamberlain does next Tuesday, when he moves from the bullpen into a starting role with the team.

The Mariners have discussed building Brandon Morrow's arm up in the bullpen by throwing multiple innings — to the point where he could also transition into a starter the way Chamberlain will.

But that plan was nixed earlier this week. McLaren doesn't foresee revisiting it even if Chamberlain has success.

"We've talked about it and I think it's way on the back burner," he said. "There's too many obstacles in building his arm up and not rushing him in that role."

McLaren added that while he figures Morrow would probably use his secondary pitches — a slider and changeup — more often as a starter, he's already mixing them in well right now. The manager said he can envision Morrow with three "above-average" pitches once he finally does move to starting.

Morrow said he's shelved a fourth pitch — a split-fingered fastball — that he'd toyed with earlier.

McLaren said three pitches will be enough for Morrow, especially with a fastball in the upper 90s.

Tiger gets first hit

Tigers designated hitter Jeff Larish, called up from Class AAA Toledo before the game to replace injured Gary Sheffield, had an interesting first few at-bats in his major-league debut.

Larish came up in the first inning and battled Carlos Silva in a 10-pitch at-bat before grounding into a fielder's choice — a run scoring on the play to give the new Tiger his first RBI. The at-bat also worked Silva's pitch count to the point where the Mariners quickly got reliever R.A. Dickey up and ready in the bullpen.

In the fifth inning, Larish notched his first major-league hit — an infield single that Jose Lopez snared but could not make a play on.

Note

• Adrian Beltre enjoyed the 17th two-homer game of his career, clubbing solo shots in the second and fifth innings off Tigers starter Nate Robertson. His last two-homer game was July 6, 2007, at Oakland.

For the record

Streak: L1

Home: 13-15

Road: 7-20

vs. AL West: 10-11

vs. L.A.: 3-3

vs. Oakland: 3-2

vs. Texas: 4-6

vs. AL East: 5-14

vs. AL Central: 3-9

vs. NL: 2-1

vs. LHP: 4-11

vs. RHP: 16-24

Day: 6-10

Night: 14-25

One-run: 5-10

Extra innings: 2-2

Home attendance

Thursday's crowd: 34,019

Season total: 781,516

Biggest crowd: 46,334 (March 31)

Smallest crowd: 15,818 (May 6)

Average (28 dates): 27,911

2007 average (28 dates): 29,596