Mariners Notebook | Fine "firsts" for Chris Jakubauskas

Chris Jakubauskas figures there will be a day when he's less a novelty than a fixture. That day is down the road, but if he performs as he did Thursday night against the Angels, it will come.

"It was kind of fun getting those 'firsts' out of the way pretty quick," he said Friday night before the opener of a three-game series with Detroit. "I'm trying to show I belong up here as a pitcher, not because I'm a good PR story.

"I want to prove I can pitch in this league for a long time. It goes with the territory. I'll roll with it. Hopefully, my pitching will take some of the focus."

Jakubauskas, of course, has the irresistible story of having been signed by the Mariners in 2007 after five long seasons playing the independent leagues.

Good stuff, but that goes away when you get to the hill, where Jakubauskas did well in his first major-league start, taking the M's into the sixth inning with a 1-0 lead. He exited with that lead and one out, but the bullpen coughed it up and Seattle lost a 5-1 decision to the Angels.

The public may be smitten by Jakubauskas' story, judging by e-mails that peppered The Times questioning why he was tagged with the loss in the game. He left with Chone Figgins on third and a runner on first. Although Roy Corcoran induced a grounder to third that resulted in an out on Figgins at the plate, the rule book stipulates that the two runners remaining on base belong to Jakubauskas.

The 30-year-old right-hander felt it should never have gotten that far. He nearly picked Figgins off first before the inning really began to percolate, and that might have kept the Angels off the scoreboard.

"I got asked earlier if I'd take anything back, and that would be the one thing," Jakubauskas said.

Notes

• Manager Don Wakamatsu said some M's relievers are progressing in their rehabilitation from arm problems.

LHP Cesar Jimenez threw a 30-pitch simulated game Friday and is due another one Tuesday before an assignment in his return from biceps tendinitis. LHP Tyler Johnson, who had rotator-cuff surgery almost a year ago, threw 38 pitches Thursday and will face extended-spring hitters Monday.

And RHP Chad Cordero, coming off labrum surgery in July, is due for a simulated game Monday.

• Wakamatsu said LHP Jarrod Washburn, fighting through the flu the past couple of days, "is a little weak, but he'll be fine."

• Wakamatsu hasn't been shy about tinkering with his lineup.

"To me, [I'm watching] the same thing the fans are watching," he said. "I want to see these guys play hard and do the things they can do."

Noting that Seattle has hit well in the clutch, he said, "The biggest issue with us is, we need to get on base."

The M's entered the Tigers series with a tepid .318 on-base percentage.

For the record

Streak: W1

Home: 3-1

Road: 5-2

vs. AL West: 5-1

vs. L.A.: 2-1

vs. Oakland: 3-0

vs. Texas: 0-0

vs. AL East: 0-0

vs. AL Cent.: 3-2

vs. NL: 0-0

vs. LHP: 4-1

vs. RHP: 4-2

Day: 4-0

Night: 4-3

One-run: 3-2

Extra inn.: 1-0

Home attendance

Friday's crowd: 35,824

Season total: 118,826

Biggest crowd: 45,958 (April 14)

Smallest crowd: 18,516 (April 15)

Average (4 dates): 29,707

2008 average (4 dates): 30,450