Mariners' Notebook | Batista: "It's starting to come around for me"

TORONTO — The morning after his longest outing in nearly two months, Mariners pitcher Miguel Batista was sticking to his between-outings routine.

Batista was seated by his locker Saturday, highlight marker in hand, going through a book titled "Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists." For those of you wondering, it's a book of famous quotations and their origins.

An eager Batista promptly highlighted one of them, from 11th century Jewish poet and philosopher Solomon Ben Judah, which states: "What you hide from your enemies, don't share with your friends."

Batista had been reading the book before his Friday outing against Toronto, in which he gave up two earned runs over 5-1/3 innings. It was the first time he has gone that deep since June 1 against Detroit and the first time he has allowed fewer than three runs total — in a stint of at least five innings — since May 1.

"It's starting to come around for me," Batista said, nodding his head. "I'm going to keep working at it and see what happens."

Batista was talking about his pitching, not his reading or writing. As he kept flipping pages in the book, he continued to highlight entire paragraphs worth of quotations.

"I like to know these things," he said. "That way, when I hear somebody talk about it, I'll know where it came from. It's also stuff I can use."

Batista released his first fiction novel, "The Avenger of Blood," earlier this year. And then, this week, he set up a Web site, theavengerofblood.com to promote that book, about a young boy with supernatural powers accused of serial killings.

On the site, still a work in progress, an audio clip has Batista reading the names of serial killers from Ted Bundy to David Berkowitz. He then states that "even those who claimed to kill for religious motives, none of them ever exhibited supernatural powers. But this boy does."

Lopez slugging away

Jose Lopez is trying to leave talk of a second-half slide behind him. Lopez has spent the latter part of July compiling a career-high 13-game hitting streak, though he had notched only one extra-base hit his past 10 games heading into Saturday's contest.

That soon changed as Lopez clubbed a run-scoring double in the second and a two-run homer in the sixth off Toronto starter David Purcey. Lopez is hitting .299 for the season.

"The last two years, I've struggled a little bit," said Lopez, who faded badly the latter parts of 2006 and 2007. "This year, I try not to think about it. I want to keep my strength in my legs, my shoulders and the rest of my body. And I want to keep my concentration high. I want to have the same concentration that I did in the first half and keep it all the way through."

Lopez doesn't know whether batting higher in the order — he hits fifth against lefties and second against right-handers — is helping after he had been primarily a No. 8 and No. 9 hitter last year.

"I just concentrate wherever I am in the order," he said. "I try to stay strong and hit the ball hard."

Clement sidelined

Mariners catcher Jeff Clement was out of the lineup again Saturday, unable to properly throw a ball or swing a bat because of a fingernail bent backward on his thumb by a ball he tried to catch Tuesday night. Clement had blood drained from the area behind the nail, which is now covered in protective tape.

That tape is preventing Clement from throwing the ball properly. He also had trouble making proper swings in batting practice Friday, then skipped it Saturday.

"It bothered me a bit today," he said.

Mariners manager Jim Riggleman said Clement likely took too many batting-practice swings and was feeling the effects. He added Clement may not be able to catch until the tape — which is keeping the nail from falling off — is removed.

Clement said the slickness of the tape isn't enabling him to get proper direction on the ball when he throws.

Notes

• Ichiro had a ninth-inning single Saturday to snap an 0-for-14 slump. He's now four hits from reaching 3,000 for his career in the major leagues and Japan.

• Riggleman said pitcher Erik Bedard is still several days from throwing again, raising the question of whether he'll be on a major-league mound before September. Bedard, who hasn't pitched since July 4 because of a shoulder impingement, will likely need several bullpen sessions and then a minor-league rehabilitation assignment before throwing for the Mariners in a game.

For the record

Streak: L7

Home: 20-32

Road: 18-33

vs. AL West: 11-17

vs. L.A.: 3-6

vs. Oakland: 4-5

vs. Texas: 4-6

vs. AL East: 10-23

vs. AL Cent.: 8-16

vs. NL: 9-9

vs. LHP: 10-21

vs. RHP: 28-44

Day: 11-23

Night: 27-42

One-run: 11-20

Extra inn.: 2-6

• Newsday in Long Island, N.Y., and ESPN reported the Mets are interested in trading for outfielder Raul Ibanez.