M's Notes: Borchard the center of attention

PEORIA, Ariz. — In the morning, manager Mike Hargrove handed center field to Joe Borchard for the remainder of spring training. In the afternoon, Borchard made Hargrove look really, really smart.

Borchard looked nothing like the prospect who fell out of favor in Chicago, nothing like the average Joe who went hitless in his first 10 Mariners at-bats. He made a diving grab in center field, smacked a home run onto the lawn about 430 feet into left-center, knocked in five runs, even stole a base.

"It is good timing," Borchard said. "I had no idea four weeks ago that I'd be standing here with the opportunity I had presented to me."

After the Mariners lost 20-8 to Oakland, Hargrove emphasized that he had given Borchard just that — an opportunity and not the starting job in center field when the season starts.

"I haven't made a pronouncement," Hargrove said. "But I've seen nothing out there from him that makes me think he can't play center field and play it well."

Starting center fielder Jeremy Reed is expected to miss at least four weeks with a broken wrist, likely longer, and certainly a good chunk of the beginning of the season. How long wasn't any clearer Saturday — Reed needs to see a specialist for another test on Monday. But who will spell Reed in center field cleared up significantly.

Hargrove said he would "rather not" move Willie Bloomquist to center field — except in a platoon situation — because Bloomquist can play multiple positions, offering flexibility. Hargrove also said he hasn't talked to Ichiro about moving from right field to center, and, at least for now, he doesn't plan to.

"We're going to run Joe Borchard out there," Hargrove said, "which was the plan all along anyway — get him out there and see what we've got and go from there."

Hargrove said this one-week audition provides enough time to properly evaluate Borchard, a player the Mariners got in a trade from the Chicago White Sox for Matt Thornton on March 20. Borchard admitted this week will be the most important in his career to date.

Pitching problems

Where to begin? Well, how about at the beginning, when Mariners starter Jesse Foppert walked the first three Oakland batters, hit the fourth and allowed a single to the fifth. The first six A's scored.

"He just, for whatever reason, could not throw strikes," Hargrove said. "He could not find the strike zone, whatsoever. We had somebody up as soon as we could, and got him out of there as soon as we could. It was not a good outing for Jesse."

Foppert can take comfort in the company. Cha-Seung Baek relieved him, and gave up the double that scored the last three Foppert runs, along with a run of his own. Luis Gonzalez pitched a perfect fifth inning and imploded for four runs (three earned) before Jake Woods relieved him in the sixth. Woods pitched out of the Gonzalez jam, then gave up a home run in the seventh.

Gonzalez, a Rule V pitcher, and Woods are vying for the last spot for a left-hander in the bullpen. Both were unimpressive Saturday. Meanwhile, Joel Pineiro started a minor-league game for Class AA San Antonio and surrendered nine hits and six runs (five earned, two home runs) in six innings.

Thank goodness for Julio Mateo. In his first outing since returning from the Dominican Republic to be with his family after his brother's death, he pitched a perfect fourth inning.

Notes

• RHP Felix Hernandez walked through the locker room in the morning with a wrap on his right leg. Trainers said he has a shin splint in that leg, but the injury is not serious.

• Hargrove said two bullpen slots and one utility slot are still open.

"They are jobs to be won," he said, "hopefully not by default."

• LHP Jarrod Washburn is scheduled to pitch in a minor-league game today, likely because the Mariners are facing the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Washburn's former team and his first regular-season opponent.

• Ichiro picked up two more hits against Oakland, raising his spring training average to .556.

• With the exception of his sixth-inning error, Jose Lopez continued a strong spring. Hargrove said Lopez has impressed with his ability to hit to the opposite field this spring. He had two hits and two RBI against the A's.

• A beer vendor, overheard talking to the crowd behind home plate: "I was just discussing the Washington basketball game last night. Only because it reminded me of the Seahawks in the Super Bowl!" • Hargrove, on the No. 2 spot in the batting order being open because of Reed's injury: "That narrowed it down a little bit, didn't it? I've got Lopez hitting there, [shortstop Yuniesky] Betancourt hitting there, [and] Bloomquist is a guy that we'd look at."

Saturday's box score

Oakland (Ss)						Seattle
	AB	R	H	BI			AB	R	H	BI
Bynum rf-cf	4	3	1	1		Ichiro rf	3	1	2	0
Kotsay cf	3	1	1	2		Morban pr-rf	1	0	0	0
Clark pr-rf	2	1	0	0		Bloomquist ss	5	0	0	0
Ellis 2b	3	1	0	2		Lawton lf	4	0	1	1
Melillo pr-2b	2	1	1	1		Sexson 1b	3	0	0	0
Crosby ss	2	1	0	0		Petagine 1b	2	0	1	0
Kiger ss	3	1	2	1		Everett dh	4	2	1	0
Melhuse c	3	1	1	2		Morse 3b	3	3	1	0
Baker c	2	1	1	3		Johjima c	2	0	0	0
McClain 1b	5	1	2	1		Gregorio c	2	0	0	0
Stavisky ph-lf	1	1	1	3		Lopez 2b	3	1	2	2
Swisher lf-1b	6	3	3	3		Ransom 2b	1	0	1	0
Ginter 3b	5	2	3	0		Borchard cf	4	1	2	5
Watson dh	4	2	1	0
Totals	45	20	17	19		Totals	37	8	11	8

Oakland (ss)	600 004 109	—	20
Seattle	010 520 000	—	8

E — Lopez, Morse. DP — Oakland 6, Seattle 8. LOB — Oakland 6, Seattle 8. 2B — McClain, Ginter, Bynum, Suzuki, Ransom. HR — Ginter, Swisher, Borchard. SB — Borchard. S — Johjima.

Athletics	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Gaudin	3 1/3	5	5	5	3	2
Casilla, W	1 2/3	4	3	3	1	1
Flores	2	2	0	0	0	2
Cruz, S	2	0	0	0	0	3

Mariners	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Foppert	0	1	5	5	3	0
Baek	3	4	1	1	0	2
Mateo	1	0	0	0	0	0
Gonzalez, L	1 1/3	3	4	3	3	1
Woods	2 2/3	1	1	1	0	1
James	2/3	5	6	6	1	0
Blanco	1/3	3	3	3	0	0

HBP — by Casilla (Morse), by Foppert (Crosby). WP — Gaudin. T — 3:17.