Sports

POSTED: Tuesday, Sep. 16, 2008

MARINERS NOTEBOOK: Johnson in catch(er)-22

KANSAS CITY, MO. – Lou Piniella used to evaluate his backup catchers not by how they hit or even how they threw – the issue was always whether they won.

If they won, they kept catching.

For the Seattle Mariners, taking a look at catchers has been a season-long examination, and in the final weeks of the season, they’re looking at Rob Johnson, who made his fifth start of the month Tuesday.

In his first four starts, the Mariners went 0-4.

Manager Jim Riggleman isn’t down on Johnson’s record – this may not be the year to use that measuring stick – but he likes the player.

“He’s as advertised, and he came up having been named the Pacific Coast League’s defensive catcher of the year,” Riggleman said. “A catcher is a little bit like an umpire back there. If you don’t notice him, he must be doing a good job.”

Johnson, 24, earned his September callup from Tacoma by batting .363 after the All-Star break. Playing irregularly, he’d gone 1-for-11 heading into Tuesday’s game.

Since arriving, however, he’s been third on the Mariners’ depth chart – ahead of Jamie Burke, but behind Jeff Clement and Kenji Johjima. Now that Clement’s knee surgery has put him out for the season, Johjima is doing the majority of the catching.

Why?

Ostensibly to try to let Johjima find his stroke, even this late in a lost season. But there’s also the possibility that some team might see something in Johjima worth trading for – and the Mariners would love to move his three-year contract extension.

The odds of that are about as good as those of Johjima – now batting .212 – hitting .300.

Johnson will catch now and then, but not regularly. That’s in part because there’s no room for him on the 25-man roster next season if Johjima and Clement are back.

No one said it made sense.

Cairo’s dubious streak

Outfielder Juan Pierre of the Los Angeles Dodgers broke a home run drought of 1,074 at-bats this week – and put the bull’s-eye squarely on the back of Seattle journeyman Miguel Cairo.

Excluding pitchers, Cairo has the longest current streak in the majors now, 754 at-bats without a homer.

Short hops

Ichiro Suzuki and Raul Ibañez began the game each batting .310, but Ibañez had led the team in batting the past three days. Why is that noteworthy? It was the latest in a season someone other than Ichiro had led the Mariners in batting average since Aug. 3, 2001 – when Bret Boone led Ichiro by .001. ...For those wondering how Kyle Davies looked so good against Seattle and so mortal against everyone else, consider this: On Tuesday, the day after Davies shut out the M’s, his manager, Trey Hillman, a teammate, Gil Meche, and Davies himself said it was his best start of the season. Lucky Seattle.