BASEBALL: Silva can’t produce for Mariners

| JOHN FROSCHAUER ASSOCIATED PRESS

“The good news is it doesn’t look like he’s going to have to miss a start.”

As Silva lost for the 12th time and had to leave early, the Mariners and 32,230 fans at Safeco Field got to welcome J.J. Putz back to the mound — a place he hadn’t been since June 11 in Toronto.

The score was no factor by the seventh inning, with Cleveland ahead 6-1., but Putz needed work and the Mariners were eager to see him get it. Almost as eager as Putz was.

“I was nervous, it had been awhile,” Putz said. “I probably over threw a couple of pitches, but otherwise I felt great. It’s just a matter of harnessing it all again. This is the best I’ve felt any day this season.”

A year ago, Putz was the toast of baseball — a closer with a 6-1 record, 40 saves and a 1.38 earned run average.

In 2008, Putz’s season and that of his team’s seem to have been on the same sad track. Injuries had held him to 20 appearances, and in those he’d gone 2-3 with nine saves and a 5.46 ERA.

And the Mariners? They’re 38- 60 and about three weeks behind the Angels in the American League West standings. What’s left to be salvaged?

“Anything we can,” Putz said simply. That’s a start.

While Lee was throwing a complete game against them, the Mariners managed 11 hits against him — more than the Indians garnered against six Seattle pitchers. That they became so few runs was Lee’s doing.

Willie Bloomquist had two hits, but — despite batting second — never came to the plate with a runner on base. Jose Vidro had three hits and an RBI, but never scored a run.

“Cliff threw strike one all afternoon,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said. “Even when things got a little hairy, he didn’t let that affect him. He just kept going.” Silva would have loved to but couldn’t.

“I felt it the whole game, and told them about it in the second inning,” he said.

Into the fourth inning, Silva had held his own — the game was tied at 1. Then the Indians opened the fourth with a Jhonny Peralta double and an infield single by Shinsoo Choo.

In the Seattle dugout, Riggleman, pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre and trainer Rick Griffin were on the top step.

“We saw Carlos kind of fidgeting around out there,” Riggleman said. “He didn’t look comfortable, but when Kenji went out there, Carlos said he was fine. Pitchers don’t always tell the truth.”

On Silva’s 72nd pitch, a 91-mph fastball, catcher Kelly Shoppach homered and put the game away. And put Silva away, too.

From there, the Mariners went to their bullpen enmasse.

Roy Corcoran, Mark Lowe, Putz, Sean Green and Arthur Rhodes all worked at least one inning, with Putz getting the largest ovation of the day.

“It was different, coming in that early instead of coming into the ninth, but I think it was a good plan,” Putz said. “Let me get my feet wet again, get that nervousness out of the way. Except I’m always nervous.

“I put my pitches where I wanted them, which is something I haven’t been able to do since spring training. I’m looking forward to working a ninth inning again, but I think they want to see me go back-to-back games first, and I’m not sure when that will happen.”