Offense Absent, but Not Excitement

What Seattle’s 1-0 victory over the Angels on Saturday lacked in offense, it more than made up for in solid pitching, excellent defense, strategic decisions and late-inning drama. Who says you have to score runs in bunches to play exciting baseball games?

Such close and low-scoring affairs do take their emotional toll, though.

“They’re tough because you’re kind of hanging on every pitch,” Angel right fielder Tim Salmon said. “There’s definitely more strategy--do you bunt here? Do you swing away? But I’m a hitter, so I’m more offensive-minded. I’d rather slug it out and see who’s still standing at the end.”

There hasn’t been much slugging on the days Mariner right-hander Gil Meche has pitched. Something about Meche, who threw seven scoreless innings Saturday, seems to bring out the worst in Seattle’s offense.

The Mariners have scored only eight runs in Meche’s six starts for an average of 1.3 a game, the lowest run support in the American League. In fact, while Meche has been in games, Seattle has scored only four runs.

But the Mariners did back Meche with good defense Saturday. With runners on first and third and two outs in the fourth, Mariner second baseman Mark McLemore made a nice running catch of Troy Glaus’ popup near the line in shallow right field to end the inning.

Angel starter Kent Mercker, who threw five scoreless innings, also got help from his second baseman, Adam Kennedy, who raced into shallow right to make an over-the-shoulder catch of David Bell’s blooper to lead of the third.

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For the second time in three days, Angel Manager Mike Scioscia was handcuffed when it came to late-game pitching decisions. Closer Troy Percival threw 27 pitches Friday night and was still a little sore from getting hit on the left hand by a line drive, so Scioscia gave him Saturday off.

Set-up men Mark Petkovsek and Shigetoshi Hasegawa also were rested, Petkovsek because he threw 33 pitches Friday night and had made six appearances in eight days, and Hasegawa because he pitched Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Right-hander Al Levine, who rejoined the team Saturday morning after traveling to Arizona for the birth of his first child, a son, came through with 2 2/3 scoreless innings behind Mercker, and left-hander Mike Holtz pitched in the eighth and ninth.

After Alex Rodriguez doubled with two outs in the eighth, Scioscia had Levine walk the dangerous Edgar Martinez intentionally. He then summoned Holtz to face John Olerud, who was hitting .222 against left-handers this season.

That strategy backfired when Holtz hit Olerud with a pitch to load the bases, but Holtz got Jay Buhner to hit into a fielder’s choice to short to end the threat. Holtz started the ninth because Scioscia wanted to save Eric Weaver for a possible closing role.

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One reason Mercker was so effective Saturday was he was able to incorporate his changeup, a pitch that he doesn’t use as often out of the bullpen but one he has more time to get a better feel of warming up before a game.

“It’s a lot easier to throw that pitch when you know you can use it,” Mercker said. “That’s one thing I have to figure out, whether I can use that out of the bullpen or not.”

Mercker, who hadn’t thrown more than 56 pitches in any of his 10 relief outings this season, threw 76 pitches in his five innings Saturday.

“I felt, mentally, that I could have kept going,” Mercker said. “But I think Sciosca was looking out for my best interest.”

Mercker will get at least one more start, against Texas on Thursday night, before Jason Dickson comes off the disabled list.

TODAY

ANGELS’ SCOTT SCHOENEWEIS

(4-0, 3.43 ERA)

vs.

MARINERS’ JOHN HALAMA

(3-0, 5.79 ERA)

Safeco Field, Seattle, 1:30 p.m.

TV--Channel 9. Radio--KMPC (1540), KIK-FM (93.3), XPRS (1090).

* Update--There’s an outside chance that Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina, sidelined since Wednesday because of tightness in his right shoulder, will return to the lineup today. Schoeneweis, in his first big league season as a starting pitcher after spending four months of 1999 in the Angel bullpen, has shown no signs of slowing from his impressive start. If anything, the left-handed sinker-ball specialist’s control has gotten better--Schoeneweis has walked only two in 15 2/3 innings of his last two starts.