Mariners
Notebook: Walks lead to Sox runs

By Bob Finnigan
Seattle Times staff reporter

JEFF ROBERSON / AP First baseman Jolbert Cabrera of the Mariners reaches for the ball on third baseman Justin Leone's throwing error in the third inning.

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CHICAGO — The difference in the pitching lines of Chicago's Mark Buehrle and Mariners rookie Matt Thornton — therefore the difference in the White Sox's 3-2 win — was not found in the hits-allowed column.

The Mariners touched the Chicago ace for nine hits in his eight innings yesterday and the Sox managed only three off Thornton in his five frames.

But, oh those walks.

Buehrle walked no one while Thornton handed out seven — four in the two-run fifth inning, including two with the bases loaded to force in the tying and lead runs. The loss at U.S. Cellular Field was the Mariners' 11th straight on the road.

The defeat left Seattle 0-8 on this trip and going nowhere except deeper in the American League West cellar. Only the limitation of the schedule, with today being the journey's end, will guarantee it does not surpass the worst trip in club history, 0-10 in September 1992.

"Thornton's stuff? No question. They didn't get many good swings off him tonight," Mariners manager Bob Melvin said. "With his velocity and movement he's got a chance to be very good ... if he can develop command in the strike zone. Without it ... ?"

Without it, a too-common ailment in his work, Thornton lost his major-league starting debut despite allowing only three hits. Only one was struck well, Paul Konerko's solo homer on a first-pitch fastball in the second inning.

The young left-hander said he had some first-inning jitters, "but after that I thought I settled down and was in control."

He was referring to his emotions, not his fastball, which in the fifth inning started moving too much.

"I just fell apart a little bit," Thornton said. "My sinker was moving way off the plate. I know you can't give up walks. You can't defend walks."

Before he took the mound, Thornton had a 1-0 lead via Jolbert Cabrera's double and Bret Boone's RBI single.

Thornton lost his slim edge in the second on Konerko's 22nd homer.

The Mariners gave Thornton another lead in the third. With one out — Pat Borders had singled and been picked off first — Willie Bloomquist doubled, the first of his three hits. With two outs, Cabrera singled him home to make it 2-1.

In the fourth, Thornton had two on with two away and walked three straight batters, Carlos Lee, Konerko and Joe Crede, to load the bases and force in two runs to give Buehrle a 3-2 lead.

Trade talk not new

A recent report suggesting that John Olerud had rejected a trade did not indicate when the Mariners first baseman had done so, and may have left the impression that Olerud did so recently during the club's efforts to make changes.

Seattle officials approached the first baseman about a trade to San Francisco much earlier in the season, in a straight swap for Giants first baseman J.T. Snow, another excellent defender whose offense is off, like Olerud's.

Olerud did invoke his contractual right, under his no-trade clause, to refuse the trade.

While declining to comment on the specific deal with the Giants, even months later, Olerud did say, "You want to be an asset to a team so it doesn't want to consider a deal for you."

Players understand why a team wants to make changes when things are not going well, he said, "and you feel odd because your instinct is to help your team and they feel this would help, yet you may not want to go. You have a right in your contract to say no, but also you hate to say no to anyone. Definitely, weird."

GMs still talking

Chicago general manager Kenny Williams and Seattle GM Bill Bavasi chatted for 15 minutes during batting practice. The subject of Freddy Garcia's confession — joke or not — about the Sox negotiating a contract before making the trade had to have come up. Yet the two GMs looked amiable throughout their talk.

Williams said it was difficult giving up popular catcher Miguel Olivo, top prospect Jeremy Reed and distant prospect Mike Morse.

"I felt a lot better when Olivo came in here Friday and gave me a hug," he said.

Note

Ichiro did not start for the first time this season, snapping a string of 102 games started, dating to Sept. 4, 2003. He was second in the major leagues in innings played, behind Florida's Juan Pierre. Hiram Bocachica was in right field in Ichiro's place.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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