Weak-hitting Mariners are an incomplete team

Welcome to another in the long-running series of Bring Back Junior columns.

And this one comes with a subtitle: And Before You Do That, Recall Jeff Clement and Wladimir Balentien and Release Brad Wilkerson and Miguel Cairo. Please, I Beg You.

When Wilkerson had to deliver, he took a called third strike to end the eighth Sunday, in what became a 4-2 Mariners loss to Oakland. Squandering an overpowering performance by starter Felix Hernandez, the Mariners finished with a 2-4 homestand.

"We still aren't running on all cylinders," manager John McLaren said after the loss.

The Mariners need bats stat.

Late this winter, management made a statement. It told the town, the ballclub and the American League that the team was ready to compete.

The M's paid — many consider overpaid — Baltimore to acquire perhaps the second-best left-hander in baseball, Erik Bedard.

They gave the Orioles an outfielder with A-Rod-like potential, Adam Jones. They gave up their left-handed setup man, George Sherrill, and three other pitchers with huge ups, including prodigy Chris Tillman.

Absolutely, the right thing to do.

Now, a month into the season, it is clear the Mariners remain an incomplete team.

They can't hit.

Against the A's Sunday, they left six men on base in the first three innings. There are holes in the order from right field to catcher, from first base to designated hitter.

DH Jose Vidro is stuck at .195. Catcher Kenji Johjima, signed Friday to a three-year contract extension reported to be worth $24 million, is hitting .194. Right fielder Wilkerson is at .189. And first baseman Sexson is treading water at .207.

It's only April, and a long time ago, ex-Mariner manager Dick Williams warned about making rash decisions based on what happens this month. But the Mariners' offense needs a transfusion.

Two roster moves are relatively easy. Recall Clement and Balentien. Release Wilkerson and Cairo.

Clement is raking it in Tacoma, hitting .384 with five home runs and 19 runs batted in. His on-base-plus-slugging percentage is 1.211. He should be the Mariners' starting DH and occasional catcher. His swing is made for Safeco Field's inviting right-field seats.

Admittedly, Clement isn't Yadier Molina behind the plate. He isn't in-his-prime Pudge. But neither are Yankees catcher Jorge Posada or Boston's Jason Varitek. And Mike Piazza's defensive liabilities didn't keep him from catching hundreds of games for the Dodgers and Mets.

Clement turns 25 in August. He was the third overall pick in the 2005 draft. This is his fourth year in the organization. What are the Mariners waiting for?

Balentien is a little more problematic. He came to spring training overweight and is hitting only .228. But he has 15 RBI in 16 games for Tacoma, and the Mariners are desperate for run production.

Both should be on a plane to Cleveland today, meeting the Mariners for the three-game series with the Indians that will begin tomorrow night.

And speaking of Ohio, as soon as the celebrations have ended in Cincinnati, after Ken Griffey Jr. hits his 600th career home run, the Mariners should trade for Junior.

This isn't a sentimental call. They need his bat in the middle of the lineup. This is the season to do it. The Reds have a new general manager, Walt Jocketty, who is looking to make Cincinnati younger.

Unlike Bedard, Griffey wouldn't cost the Mariners a ransom's worth of prospects. The sticking point for him will be his salary. He has a $16.5 million option for next season. But I think he would return to Seattle for less.

Griffey, 38, was overwhelmed with the reception by the fans when he returned last summer. And he said during that visit that he wanted to finish his career in Seattle. He has hit 398 of his 597 home runs for the Mariners.

Even at this stage of his career, he would be a dramatic defensive upgrade. If they are going to compete, really compete, through the summer, the Mariners need his pop.

Last winter general manager Bill Bavasi made a statement. He put together a deep, efficient pitching staff by signing free agent Carlos Silva and trading for Bedard.

Now, with the Mariners in an early-season rut, two games below .500, it's time to begin the important finishing work on that statement.

Steve Kelley: 206-464-2176 or skelley@seattletimes.com