HeraldNet: Too many batters, not enough at-bats



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Mariners Blog

June 30, 2008

Too many batters, not enough at-bats

Posted at 7:31 pm by By Kirby Arnold

Now that Jeff Clement will get the majority of starts at catcher, new Mariners manager Jim Riggleman admits he's in a bind in finding enough at-bats to keep Kenji Johjima, Jose Vidro and Richie Sexson from withering away offensively (as if those three aren't already withering to a great degree).

Riggleman said Monday that Johjima would DH most of the days he doesn't catch, and that Clement would DH many of the games he's not behind the plate.

That pretty well pushes Jose Vidro from the DH role, although Riggleman said he'd get more time at first base. Where that leaves Richie Sexson, time apparently will tell.

“It’s a situation where we try to keep both of them sharp, but I can’t put both out there at the same time,” Riggleman said of Vidro and Sexson. “If I play one of them at first base and DH the other, that means Kenji or Clement is sitting. Somebody’s going to get the short end every day, there’s no way around it."

Riggleman says he wants to be patient with Sexson, hoping he finds the power that has disappeared from his swing for more than a month. Sexson has one extra-base hit since May 24.

In the midst of showing confidence in Sexson, Riggleman laid a hint that Sexson's time to get regular at-bats -- or even remain with the Mariners -- could be getting short.

"Richie’s got a lot of baseball left," Riggleman said. "Whether we can get it out of him or if he finds it here shortly, I don’t know.”

During the last homestand, team executives held discussions about releasing Sexson. If that happens, it would ease Riggleman's problem with getting enough at-bats for everyone.

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