Mariners suffer heart-breaking ending to series with Indians

Last year J.J. Putz was about as automatic as closers get.

So far in 2008, things aren't quite the same.

With a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the tenth Thursday night in Cleveland, Putz had a chance to nail down just his third save of the season. After striking out the leadoff hitter, Putz faltered, giving up two consecutive singles and then two consecutive walks to tie the game at 2-2. Putz managed to get out of the inning without any more damage, but the Indians won 3-2 on a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the 11th.

The blown save was Putz's second of the season. Last year, Putz didn't blow his second save until Aug. 1.

I know there are probably a few fickle Mariners fans out there that are going to start doubting whether Putz should still be closing games because of tonight as well as his other recent not so amazing performances. Against Oakland last Saturday, Putz gave up two runs, two hits and three walks in just one inning of relief.

Sometimes it's hard to remain optimistic. But I don't feel like lynching Putz at this point is the right idea. Do Mariners fans really forget the 40 saves he notched last season?

Besides, Putz wasn't the only one struggling tonight. Mark Lowe gave up a run, a hit and two walks in just 1/3 inning of work. Sean Green gave up the game-winning hit with the bases loaded.

The problem with the Mariners tonight was the same as it's been all season long. No consistent hitting. Going into the ninth inning, the Mariners trailed 1-0. With runners at first and second and just one out in the top of the 11th, the Mariners had a chance to take the lead. But Adrian Beltre hit into an inning-ending double play. The Mariners hit just .231 tonight.

This loss really hurts. Not just because of Putz blowing the save. Not just because of the hitting woes again. But also because it wasted a solid effort by Miguel Batista. Batista went 2-3 with a 5.47 ERA in the month of April. Tonight he pitched seven innings and gave up just one run and four hits. He also struck out six batters. Getting a performance on the road like the one the Mariners got from the fifth man in their starting rotation is not going to happen very often. It's truly disappointing that despite pitching so well, Batista was unable to get the win.

Also disappointing is the fact that the Mariners are now 1-8 in one-run games. Last year the Mariners were 25-17 in such contests. Being able to win close games gives a team more confidence. Conversely, constantly being unable to win the close games can drag a team down.

There were some bright spots from tonight's game though. Ichiro went 3-5, Sexson went 2-4 with a home run and Ibanez continued his good start to the season going 2-4. I tend to think that as Ichiro continues to get on track, so will the Mariners hitting in general. He's the team's catalyst. When he's on base, good things happen.

Also on the bright side, the Mariners are now on their way to New York to face the also-struggling Yankees. The Yankees have lost six of their last eight, are just 14-16 and were just swept by the Detroit Tigers at home. The Yankees offense is struggling just as much as the Mariners as well. I'll have much more tomorrow in my series preview.