M's win three-game series but lose it on injuries

The Seattle Mariners had a base to give during the third inning Sunday (April 13), what with Los Angeles Angels runners on second and third and two out. The not-so-angelic batter? It just had to be Bad Vlad Guerrero, aka, Nightmare on Brougham Street (looking even more horror-movie worthy this year with hair that would scare Javier Bardem). So you walk Guerrero, obviously, playing for the forced out and facing Garret Anderson, on the downside of his career. Some might even walk Vlad the Prevailer with the bases loaded. C’mon, his average against Seattle last season was .466.

Or pitch to him and see where it gets you. How ‘bout Angels 2, M’s zero (on the way to a 10-4 M’s loss), with manager John McLaren seldom looking less like he’s at the same game as the rest of us. Guerrero lined a sinker to right. Mike Morse nearly stabbed it while sliding but the first-base umpire saw that it was a clean hit. The way the crowd protested, you wondered whether it was because of the ump’s call or the manager’s. Press-box pundits usually keep their wunderin’ to themselves, but when it was clear that Cha Seung Baek had been told to test Guerrero, the disbelief was audible.

Baek? We thought it would be ace lefty Erik Bedard. No, because scheduled starter Bedard’s left hip is inflamed.

But let’s go to the fifth, when the McManager finally learned to walk. With one out, a runner at second and the (to use a memory-lane version of team identities) California Angels of Anaheim South of Los Angeles Sort of Near Disneyland still up 2-zip, McLaren had Baek put Guerrero on first. Anderson then grounded out to third; two out. Howie Kendrick promptly whistled one over Morse’s head, and Casey Kotchman singled to left. From a negative perspective, the M’s were down 0-4; McLaren, strategically, was merely 0 for 2.

Yet, the M’s won the three-game series, getting eight runs during each of the first two games. Their 6-7 season mark isn’t awful after a baker’s dozen, and they ought to match up all right against Kansas City through Tuesday. Half the position players are hitting consistently (every starting position player had at least one hit in the Saturday 8-3 win). Even Richie Sexson (I can’t believe I hear myself typing this) has shown signs of being more selective (well, less unselective) at the plate.

But the early-season injuries are a worry. How bad off is Bedard? Did third-baseman Adrian Beltre just take a breather Sunday, or is he genuinely beat up? First it was the bum thumb, now the tight hamstring. J.J. Putz tossed practice pitches from the mound Sunday and is said to be about ready to close games again. And Mike Morse suffered what could be another blow to the roster Sunday with a shoulder injury McLaren had trouble pronouncing.

Four bung-ups out of a 25-guy roster isn’t exactly what anybody had in mind for mid-April. On the bright side, at least McLaren knows how to walk, if not necessarily when to.