M's Notes: Hispanic M's honor boycott in own way

MINNEAPOLIS — Immigration is obviously a very serious and volatile issue, but in the confines of a baseball clubhouse, nothing is sacred.

The Mariners used the occasion of the nationwide immigrant boycott to pull a prank on manager Mike Hargrove on Monday at the Metrodome.

Before the game, at the behest of third baseman Adrian Beltre, a Dominican, most of the team's Hispanic players solemnly entered Hargrove's office to tell him they wouldn't be able to play.

Eddie Guardado, whose father is a Mexican immigrant who participated in the boycott in Stockton, Calif., did the talking. But it was Guardado who gave away their ruse by laughing.

"He [Hargrove] bought it," Beltre said. "He said three times, 'Are you serious?' "

"He was getting red, like he was ready to pop a fuse," added Guardado.

Asked if he fell for the gag, Hargrove said, "Yes and no. For the longest time, I didn't. Then for about 15 seconds, I did. Then I thought they weren't [going to boycott]. Then, finally, Eddie gave it away."

And Hargrove's reaction during those 15 seconds of belief? "Which one could I reach out and rip their throat out? Who was closest?"

Though many of the Hispanic players were animatedly discussing the boycott in Spanish before the game, few wanted to comment about the issue. Beltre said his wife and father-in-law were participating in Los Angeles, but his status as a ballplayer precluded his participation.

"I'm an immigrant myself," Beltre said. "I'd probably support it, but I can't do much."

Guardado, whose father came to this country as a farm worker, was also sympathetic.

"My dad worked in the fields for a long time," he said. "They needed workers, and my dad was on that bus from Mexico. Every month he'd go back on that same bus."

Guardado said he had mixed feelings on the subject of illegal immigration.

"I know what they're going through," he said. "It's a tough situation to me, because some people don't know how to do it the right way. You have people coming in, and half of them are very good people; they're just trying to make it better for their family. The other half are just criminals.

"I understand trying to get over to make a better life for your family. But do it the right way."

Reed is pressing, Hargrove says

Center fielder Jeremy Reed, mired in a terrible slump that reached 0-for-21 when he grounded out in the ninth, was benched by Hargrove on Monday. He came in the game as a defensive replacement for Matt Lawton, who got the start and had three hits.

"The thing we're seeing with Jeremy is he's really, really pressing, and he's his own worst enemy right now," Hargrove said. "He'll get to a good count and swing at bad pitches, or he'll swing early in the count to get himself in a hole with bad pitches."

Hargrove termed the move "day to day."

"We made the switch to give him [Lawton] at-bats and give Jeremy time to regroup and refresh. Of course, if Matt swings the bat and plays the way Matt can, it will make it interesting."

Notes

• Felix Hernandez said he doesn't believe he was tipping his pitches last Saturday in Baltimore, when the Orioles touched him for 10 hits in five innings. "We thought he was, but we haven't really found anything," said pitching coach Rafael Chaves. "He was doing a couple of things we're going to take care of, just in case."

• The Mariners appear likely to lose center fielder Joe Borchard, whom they designated for assignment April 23. Borchard would have to clear waivers for the Mariners to send him to the minor leagues, and that is not expected to happen. The Florida Marlins, among other teams, have had interest in the services of the former first-round draft pick.