Notebook | Right felt right for Ichiro

A stoic-looking Ichiro made a brief stop inside the Mariners' dugout while manager John McLaren held court with reporters before batting practice.

"Right field, huh?" McLaren called out to Ichiro.

"Yeah," Ichiro said, his eyes growing wide and face lighting up in a smile.

McLaren turned back to the assembled media members.

"That's what he did, right there," McLaren said, recounting the day last month, following a trip to Detroit and New York, when he first broached the subject of Ichiro returning from center field to right. "That's exactly what he did right there. ... As soon as the question was presented to him and I saw his eyes, I knew it was right."

But more than Ichiro's happiness apparently was at stake when the Mariners made the switch three days ago.

McLaren conceded as much Wednesday, saying one consideration was concern that center field might be wearing Ichiro down and leading to a decline in his overall production.

"That was a little bit of the thought process," he said. "That's a big chore out there, to cover that ground."

He also suspected that the corner outfielders playing alongside him were often too quick to assume Ichiro would do everything for them.

"He takes so many balls out there that I think the other two [outfield] guys — whoever they are — from last year to today, they think that he's got everything. And sometimes they think, 'Well, he's got it.' Well, he doesn't have it. So, this way here, it takes a little pressure off that. Everybody's got their turf out there to go get it."

It can be easier to find corner outfielders than a new center fielder, and the Mariners aren't convinced they have anyone who can replace Ichiro full time in the middle.

Jeremy Reed got a start there Wednesday night, collecting singles in his first two at-bats. But the team is not convinced Reed can be an everyday player yet, let alone do it at the most difficult outfield position.

Wladimir Balentien will get some work in center for AAA Tacoma as well, and could play there for Seattle once he's called back up. But the Mariners also believe left field might be Balentien's natural position.

Going forward, though, McLaren is convinced the team will get its best production — on offense and defense — out of Ichiro if he stays in a right-field corner he'd manned for his first six seasons in the majors.

"I actually thought about it last year a little bit," the manager said. "There's something about 51 out there. That's where he belongs."

Morrow's closing time

For all the success Brandon Morrow has had lately in the bullpen, it's tough to believe he's still a newcomer at this whole closing thing. Morrow passed a major test Tuesday night when he came in to get his second career save.

His first, last week in Toronto, came after regular closer J.J. Putz went down in the ninth with an injury.

Tuesday, Morrow had plenty of time to think about, how he'd be coming in to protect a lead against the Marlins. He began to think about it in the seventh inning.

"There was a couple of butterflies," he said. "I got up in the eighth, too."

But the Mariners didn't need him to work that inning, because relievers Sean Green and Arthur Rhodes retired their batters. The ninth was all Morrow. He retired all three Florida batters — two on strikeouts.

"Once I got up throwing, everything was fine," he said.

It's been fine for a while. Morrow has not allowed an earned run over his last 13 appearances dating to May 12. He's allowed only six hits and has 17 strikeouts over that span.

Notes

• Jose Lopez was moved back to the No. 3 position in the batting order after hitting a pair of doubles out of the No. 2 spot the previous night. Manager John McLaren is looking for more power in the middle of the order and figured he'd try Lopez in that spot.

Lopez entered the night riding a 10-game hitting streak at Safeco Field, in which he'd hit .386, but went 0 for 5 against the Marlins. Jose Vidro moved up into the No. 2 position.

• With rumors swirling that he was playing his final home game in a Mariners uniform, Richie Sexson drew the ire of boobirds in the fourth and fifth innings. Sexson was in the field in the fourth when he failed to scoop a throw out of the dirt on what was ruled an infield single for Hanley Ramirez. Sexson then stepped to the plate in the fifth with two on and none out, but grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. Rumors are rampant that Sexson will be designated for assignment in the next few days, possibly before the team begins a trip in Atlanta on Friday.

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

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

For the record

Streak: L1

Home: 15-24

Road: 10-23

vs. AL West: 10-14

vs. L.A.: 3-6

vs. Oakland: 3-2

vs. Texas: 4-6

vs. AL East: 8-17

vs. AL Cent.: 4-10

vs. NL: 3-6

vs. LHP: 5-13

vs. RHP: 20-34

Day: 8-15

Night: 17-32

One-run: 8-14

Extra innings: 3-2

Home attendance

Tuesday's crowd: 24,163

Season total: 1,104,691

Biggest crowd: 46,334 (March 31)

Smallest crowd: 15,818 (May 6)

Average (39 dates): 28,325

2007 average (39 dates): 30,737