Mariners are concerned about woes of their young hitters at Safeco Field

Jesus Montero is the latest young hitter who is having trouble hitting with Safeco Field as his home ballpark. The Seattle Mariners are becoming very concerned that their guys are psyching themselves out at home. The Mariners hit .175 during their last 10-game homestand and are at .195 in 41 games at Safeco Field.

One problem for the Cleveland Indians is that teams are running on left fielder Johnny Damon. When he threw out the Angels’ Albert Pujols trying to stretch a single into a double Wednesday it was his first assist in two years.

Baseball suffered a huge loss in the hospitality department with the passing of Ed Wellskopf, who along with son Marty had worked in the press room at Miller Park and County Stadium since Bud Selig ran a franchise, not a sport. He was an invaluable asset for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis was rightfully stunned to be left off the All-Star team. He’d be a great addition if there are any last-minute roster changes.

Adam Dunn of the Chicago White Sox, who went to the 2002 game in Milwaukee, is only the fourth position player to be an All-Star after a 10-year absence. The others: Benito Santiago, Darrell Evans and Rick Monday.

Cincinnati Reds second base prospect Billy Hamilton has raced past 100 stolen bases, with his eye on the modern minor league record of 145, set by Vince Coleman in 1983.

Ben Sheets, just signed to a minor league contract by the Atlanta Braves, appears on his way to a successful comeback after last pitching with the 2010 Oakland Athletics. He looked strong in a double-A start last week and could get a look in Atlanta before July is over.

The Kansas City Royals are still serious about finding a way to contend this season. They proved that by arranging their rotation to pitch three left-handers (Jonathan Sanchez, Bruce Chen and Everett Teaford) against the Detroit Tigers this weekend. Like fellow American League Central contender Cleveland, Detroit struggles against left-handers. The White Sox are positioned to attack that weakness.

—Phil Rogers