The Seattle Mariners are a team now known for their one-two punch of Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee. But the batting side is where trouble awaits. Many years ago, Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre were signed on to help Ichiro Suzuki in the batting department. That didn’t work out too well. Now, Ichiro still has nobody to help him. Ken Griffey Jr. is an all-time great who brings nostalgia to the team, but not much else. Aside from Ichiro, only one other player on the Mariners is even batting .250 this year. Chone Figgins was supposed to be a great acquisition, but his batting average is not even .200 more than mine is.

Cliff Lee has proven to be a great pick-up for Seattle. However, they clearly did not focus enough on batting. Ichiro continues to be his usual great self, but he is climbing up in age. At this rate, by the time he retires, the Mariners won’t have anyone batting over .250. The Mariners need serious batting help. Until then, I hope they will at least find the need to get employees for playoff viewing parties.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

It didn’t require a trade, but the Mariners get an offensive shot in the arm on Tuesday night when they open a three-game series against the Royals.

For the first time since June 28, manager Don Wakamatsu will fill out a lineup card that has Adrian Beltre’s name on it. Beltre had a bone spur removed from his left shoulder on June 30 and has recovered faster than expected. The original prediction was that he would miss six to eight weeks. His return should bolster a lineup that has had problems scoring runs. A healthy Beltre is capable of big things.

Click here to read the full article – By Jim Street of MLB.com

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When free agent Adrian Beltre signed a five-year, $64 million deal with Seattle in December 2004, it signaled a radical change in the Mariners’ philosophy. The team and then-general manager Bill Bavasi were giving a signal to Seattle that they were going to be players in the marketplace.

The Mariners spent another $50 million on Richie Sexson that winter, telling fans they understood they no longer could merely open the gates at Safeco Field and expect 35,000 grateful patrons to pour through the turnstiles. They had lost 99 games in 2004. Lou Piniella was gone. His successor, Bob Melvin, had been fired. GM Pat Gillick was history. A new approach was needed. The Mariners expected Beltre to be part of a power surge. After all, he hit a big-league-high 48 home runs with the Dodgers in 2004. He was fourth in the National League in batting average (.334), fourth in RBI (121) and fourth in slugging percentage (.629). He was only 24, and his future was so bright, it was blinding.

Click here to read the full article – By Steve Kelley of Seattle Times

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Knowing they face the next couple of months without injured third baseman Adrian Beltre, the Seattle Mariners sounded a lot like the Dodgers did in early May when they learned that Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games.

The Dodgers still have the best record in the majors with less than a week to go before Ramirez is eligible to return. The key question facing the Mariners after Sunday’s 4-2 victory over Los Angeles is whether they can stay afloat in the AL West without one of their top hitters.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of HeraldNet.com

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