Cairo hits, Richie sits with Mariners game on the line

In another place, at a different stage in his career, this moment begged for Richie Sexson.

With two outs and a man on first, in the bottom of the ninth, against Detroit closer Todd Jones, the tying run was coming to the plate.

The Mariners needed a jolt. They needed a Sunday punch. They needed Richie Sexson.

If not this at-bat, at this time, against this pitcher, then when?

In 11 at-bats against Jones, Sexson has five hits, including three home runs and has seven RBI. His slugging percentage is 1.275.

If not now, then when?

But manger John McLaren didn't bring Sexson off the bench. He stayed with Miguel Cairo, whose last home run was hit on July 28, 2005. And Cairo's soft fly ball to center field ended the comeback bid.

It was a curious call in another hard-to-swallow loss, 7-5 to the Tigers.

"I just think that Cairo has been swinging the bat pretty good and so forth and so on," McLaren said, when asked after the game about his non-move.

This is how deep Sexson's confidence has eroded and, more important, how far the Mariners' confidence in him has sunk.

At crunch time, when the Mariners needed a long ball, Richie Sexson sat.

McLaren will get blamed for not using Sexson in that situation, but this is how complicated the conundrum of Richie Sexson has become.

If he used Sexson as a pinch-hitter and Sexson struck out, the thunder of boos could have been devastating. And if McLaren had chosen Wladimir Balentien, instead of Sexson, to bat for Cairo, it also would have fueled Sexson's funk.

What's a manager to do?

Sexson hasn't been clutch for two seasons. He has struck out 53 times in 44 games this season. He's hitting .200. He hasn't been able to fight out the slump. He hasn't found any easy answers.

McLaren had to make a change, even if it was just to remove his tall first baseman from the harsh glare of some 35,000 angry Safeco fans.

Before Sunday's game, McLaren said he wanted to clear the air about Sexson's benching. He said the decision to play Cairo, a 33-year-old singles hitter, was more about Cairo than it was about Sexson.

"[Hitting coach] Jeff Pentland has been doing a couple of things with Richie behind the scenes," McLaren said. "And in the meantime, we've put Cairo out there and, to be honest, he's energized us.

"He's given us great defense. He's given us different looks. He gives us some speed, contact hitter and we're playing pretty good. So, in the situation we're in, I'm not going to change it."

Cairo also has given the Mariners' some on-field leadership. The players relate to him. And, let's face is, Sexson's struggles have become a drain on the entire team.

Nobody has been more supportive of Sexson than McLaren. This spring he even predicted a Comeback Player of the Year Award for Sexson. It was meant to pump confidence into his first baseman's fragile psyche.

"Richie is our first baseman," McLaren said before the loss. "But we've got a hot hand and I'm not going to change it right now. But you know what, he [Sexson] has pride. And he wants to do well.

"He knows he's struggled. And it's not an easy situation for him. It's not an easy situation for myself. But first and foremost it will always be about the team. That's where we are."

The Mariners are 3-2 in Cairo's five-straight starts. He has at least one hit in his last nine starts. But he's hitting .208 and certainly isn't the long-term answer at first.

The Mariners, in fact, may not have that answer in their system. Do they try Tacoma catcher Jeff Clement at first? Do they move Raul Ibanez from left field? Do they recall Bryan LaHair from Tacoma?

It should be apparent by now that Sexson, who probably will return to the lineup tomorrow night against Los Angeles Angels lefty Joe Saunders, also isn't the answer.

He should look at these next starts as his last chances with this franchise. He has to show a mental toughness he hasn't shown in the past two seasons. If he doesn't hit soon, if the tweaks Pentland has made in his stance and his swing don't work, Sexson could be released soon.

"We've spoken. I've told him how I feel about it and how I feel about him," McLaren said. "I've tried to support Richie as much as anybody. I believe in Richie. I'm sure he's anxious to get back out there. He can't do anything sitting on the bench. But I've told you the reasons why he's not out there and that's what it is."

The Mariners could have used Sexson on Sunday against the Tigers. But it was the Sexson of 2006 they needed. The player who hit 34 home runs and drove in 107.

Not the Richie Sexson of today.

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