The breakdown of the Eduardo Perez trade from the Mariners perspective is pretty simple. One, they needed help against lefties (Seattle is just 7-16 vs. left-handers this year) and two, shortstop is the deepest position in the minors so losing Asdrubal Cabrera was not that big of a hit.

Perez mashes – check out that .330 average with eight homers vs. lefties. That's a huge upgrade at the DH position, where he will see the majority of the time. Carl Everett, despite being a switch-hitter, is batting .169 vs. southpaws this year.

The odd man out in all of this is Mike Morse, who has looked good in his limited appearances this season. Morse, though, is young and needs to play, which he will do at Triple-A Tacoma.

Here's Mariners GM Bill Bavasi talking about the trade.
click here

The Seattle Mariners acquired infielder Eduardo Perez from the Cleveland Indians on Friday in exchange for Triple-A shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera.

Perez, 36, has played in 37 games for the Indians this year, hitting .303 (30x99) with eight home runs and 22 RBI. He is a .330 hitter (29-for-88) with eight home runs against left-handed pitchers this season. The eight home runs vs. left-handed pitching are the (tie) third-most in the American League.

"Eduardo is a veteran, proven right-handed bat that allows us to be stronger against left-handed pitching. We think adding him to our big league club strengthens a spot that we want to be stronger as we look to the second half of the season," Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi said.

Since the start of the 2002 season, Perez has hit .294 (124x422) with 31 doubles and 33 homers, against left-handed pitching, posting a .382 on-base percentage and a .602 slugging percentage.

Perez is in his 13th Major League season and has played for five Major League teams: the Angels, Reds, Cardinals, Devil Rays and Indians. While playing mostly as a first baseman (291 games), he has also played third base (104 games), right field (101 games) and left field (44 games). He has a .250 career average with 87 doubles, 78 home runs and 283 RBI. He has hit seven career pinch-hit homers, (tie) seventh-most among active players.

The slick-fielding Cabrera, 20, hit .236 (48x203) with 27 runs scored, 12 doubles, two triples, three home runs, seven stolen bases and 22 RBI in 60 games with thte Tacoma Rainiers. He has reached base safely in 43 of the 60 games he has appeared in this season, including 14 consecutive games from April 6-May 3.

Cabrera made his first error of the season on May 30 after playing 36 straight games (165 TC) at shortstop without an error. He is currently first among all shortstops in the Pacific Coast League with a .986 fielding percentage.

Here they are. The weekly rankings. Check out who's No. 17.

1. Detroit (2) – Stop asking the question. Yes, the Tigers are for real and should be in contention til the end.
2. Chicago White Sox (3) – Memo to Ozzie Guillen: Better to look like an idiot than to open your mouth and prove everybody right.
3. Boston (7) – Looks like they’ve got a keeper in Bellarmine Prep grad Jon Lester.
4. New York Mets (1) – Might have the majors’ best young left side of the infield in SS Jose Reyes and 3B David Wright.
5. St. Louis (4) – Series vs. White Sox shows the gulf between the best of the AL and NL teams.
6. New York Yankees (5) – For all their problems, they’re still the Yankees and they’re still pretty darn good.
7. Oakland (10) – No one is allowed to make Milton Bradley and games jokes because Bradley never plays in any games.
8. Toronto (6) – Could not have asked for much more from A.J. Burnett (2 runs, 6 innings) in first start off DL.
9. Cincinnati (8) – Who would have thunk it: Starters’ ERA is 4th best in NL, the best ranking for Reds since 1999.
10. San Diego (14) – Have hole in lineup – again – after OF Dave Roberts gets hurt – again.
11. Texas (15) – Holding their breath that injured pitcher Adam Eaton can return to rotation in mid July.
12. Houston (11) – They may not admit it, but they are playing for the wild card.
13. Minnesota (18) – There was no way a team that starts Santana and LIriano twice every five days could be that bad for that long.
14. Los Angeles Dodgers (9) – They’ll win the division if they can get their bullpen situation figured out.
15. Milwaukee (19) – Desperately trying to keep state’s attention until Packers camp opens up.
16. Colorado (13) – Todd Helton has hit like Todd Hollandsworth the last two years.
17. Seattle (21) – Maybe they can get Tim Eyman to begin a petition that moves them into the NL West.
18. San Francisco (16) – Don’t laugh. As mediocre as they are, the Giants still might win the division.
19. Arizona (12) – Manager Bob Melvin is having a bad flashback to his Mariners meltdown days.
20. Philadelphia (17) – Some idiots picked these guys to win the NL East. Oops. That was me.
21. Florida (21) – Finishing third in the their division would be a huge achievement given what they started with.
22. Baltimore (25) – Drug scandal – David Segui’s HGH use – finds Orioles again.
23. Los Angeles Angels (22) – There’s no way to explain why they did not keep Jered Weaver in the rotation.
24. Washington (23) – They could wind up finishing anywhere from second to fifth in watered-down NL East.
25. Cleveland (20) – Like Marlon Brando said in ‘On the Waterfront,’ they could have been a contender.
26. Tampa Bay (29) – Don’t expect Delmon Young to be dressed as Batman for Halloween.
27. Atlanta (24) – Hurry, hurry, hurry! Everything must go! No reasonable offer refused!
28. Chicago Cubs (26) – 1B Derrek Lee need not rush back from broken wrist because Cubs’ playoff hopes died long ago.
29. Kansas City (30) – A winning week gives Royals hope of moving up to No. 28 in the rankings someday.
30. Pittsburgh (28) – The rules are the rules: You get swept by the Royals, you wind up in my cellar for a week.

A head's up for the Futures Game, which happens just before the All-Star Game in July:

Two Mariners minor leaguers, outfielder Wladimir Balentien and infielder Yung Chen, were picked to the World Team on Wednesday.

Balentien is hitting .245 with 12 homers and 39 RBI at Double-A San Antonio. Chen, playing mostly second base, is hitting .335 with five homers and 45 RBI for Single-A (high) Inland Empire.

The game, which will be shown by ESPN2, is on July 9.

Last year, Yuniesky Betancourt and Shin Soo Choo played for the World Team.

Got a question today about the Rainiers and their catching situation, which is a good one for general discussion considering Jeff Clement's arrival in Tacoma.

Here's what I know about Rob Johnson, the Rainiers' current catcher.

Johnson is a strong defensive catcher who calls a nice game. Think Dan Wilson, minor league version, and you're pretty close to what Johnson can do behind the plate. The same applies to his offense, which is not necessarily a putdown. wilson was an OK hitter in his earlier days and was very serviceable.

Johnson's been banged up a little bit lately and could use some time off. Clement isn't exactly 100 percent healthy, either, so I would not expect him to play everyday at catcher. He'll get some time at DH, manager Dave Brundage told News Tribune reporter Jon Naito on Wednesday.

Clement, who has missed about a month, needs to play. That he's getting some time at Triple-A a year after being drafted shows how much the Mariners think of him.

Offensively, Clement has a higher ceiling than Johnson, at least what we know about him so far. If he hits in Tacoma, he could be positioning himself for some time in September.

A story on MLB.com reports that catcher Jeff Clement, the Mariners' top draft pick from last year, will join the Rainiers tonight.

Clement, the third overall selection, has been rehabbing from two surgeries on his left elbow (bone chips) and left knee (tear in meniscus) he had in May. The recovery was supposed to take 6- to 8- weeks but general manager Bill Bavasi told MLB.com that Clement is ahead of schedule and that there's no timetable for how long Clement will stay with the Rainiers.

Before the surgeries, Clement was hitting .288 with two homers and 10 RBI in 15 games for Double-A San Antonio.

I've always been a boxscore watcher, a practice dating back to when I was 12. Mariners fans would be wise to look at Monday's Tacoma Rainiers boxscore.

Right there, batting third for Tacoma, is Chris Snelling, CF. That's right, CENTER FIELD. This is interesting for many reasons:

1. The knee must be getting better. Snelling is recovering from ACL surgery on his left knee. If he's OK to be playing in the outfield, this is a good sign that he's getting healthy, especially if he's able to play the more demanding position of center field. Another nugget from the boxscore shows Snelling stole his first base of the season on Monday, further evidence that the wheels are working like they should.

2. He's in center, and not a corner spot. Last season with the Rainiers before his latest knee injury, Snelling played left and right field. No center. It makes sense because Snelling probably isn't as swift as he used to be because of all the leg woes he's had and, center field was not the position the Mariners would use him at anyway. Or is it? This might signal a change in thinking (or maybe that's reading too much into a boxscore). It's not like Jeremy Reed is tearing up the league and it looks like super prospect Adam Jones is still a year or so away, so why not have Snelling get some time in center?

3. Then, there's Snelling's line: 2-for-5, three RBI. Snelling had not been having the success at the plate like he did last year, but on Monday, he had his second consecutive two-hit game to raise his average to .263.

They're back! Here's the weekly rankings, one day before they appear in the Sunday paper. Sorry for last week. Life happened.

1. New York Mets (3) – Swept Phillies this week to open up a comfortable lead in NL East.
2. Detroit (2) – Nice turnaround: Won 44th game Friday, surpassing total for the awful 2003 season (43-119).
3. Chicago White Sox (4) – In case you were unsure now you know that some pitchers are order to hit people.
4. St. Louis (6) – Go Italy: Cardinals have won the World Series (1982, 1932) in years the Italians win the World Cup.
5. New York Yankees (5) – Bubba Crosby comes off DL to be the savior in the outfield.
6. Toronto (9) – OF Alex Rios living up to comparisons once made to Dave Winfield.
7. Boston (7) – Could Red Sox search for pitching including Seattle’s Gil Meche?
8. Cincinnati (1) – Blowing their chance to bury the Pujols-less Cardinals.
9. Los Angeles Dodgers (10) – Finally people are seeing why everyone raves about their farm system.
10. Oakland (17) – Like the bad guy in some slasher flick, the A’s just can’t be killed off in the early going.
11. Houston (16) – Steadily climbing up the standings and will be a threat to the Cardinals once they get Clemens back.
12. Arizona (8) – Jason Grimsley incident sent the team into a tailspin.
13. Colorado (18) – Like that Monty Python line, the Rockies “aren’t dead yet” in competitive NL West.
14. San Diego (14) – It was bound to happen: Pads fire hitting coach Dave Magadan because of offensive woes.
15. Texas (11) – Not so hot start, Rangers go 1-4 in first five games played in 90 degree heat.
16. San Francisco (13) – What the Geritol Giants really need is 40-something Julio Franco on their team.
17. Philadelphia (12) – If Pat Gillick can turn this around, he really is a genius.
18. Minnesota (25) – Say what? How can Joe Mauer not be in the top five of All-Star balloting?
19. Milwaukee (19) – Seemingly stuck in that mediocre not-bad, not-good nowhere land.
20. Cleveland (15) – Manager Eric Wedge got the dreaded vote of confidence from GM this week.
21. Mariners (23) – Safe bet the Mariners can’t beat the A’s in video games, either.
22. Los Angeles Angels (21) – Like my disaster of a garage, where do you start to clean up this mess?
23. Washington (22) – Don’t think just because they’ve played better that Alfonso Soriano won’t be dealt.
24. Atlanta (20) – Bold prediction of the week: Braves will not win the division.
25. Baltimore (24) – Inking Ramon Hernandez was one of the best free agent signings last year.
26. Chicago Cubs (27) – There’s always next year, Cubbies fans.
27. Florida (28) – Fishin’s good as Marlins go 9-3 in first 12 June games.
28. Pittsburgh (29) – Here’s one reason they’re so bad: Pirates are major-league worst 7-20 in one-run games.
29. Tampa Bay (26) – If everyone wants to trade for their players, why are Devil Rays still so bad?
30. Kansas City (30) – Season will be considered a success if they can convince Yankees to take Reggie Sanders off their hands.

The Seattle Mariners have signed right-handed pitcher Brandon Morrow, the club's first selection and fifth overall pick of this year's draft.

"Obviously, we are very pleased to get Brandon signed," Mariners vice president of scouting Bob Fontaine said. "We thought Brandon would be a great fit for this organization all along. He's got a great chance to be a real, real good pitcher."

Morrow, 21, was one of 10 semifinalists for the Roger Clemens Award as the nation's top collegiate pitcher. He was 7-4 and finished second in the Pac-10 with a 2.05 ERA. Morrow also finished fourth in the conference with 97 strikeout in 96.7 innings. Opponents batted .211 against him.

It's bad enough the A's are like Krypotnite to the Mariners, who are 1-7 against the A's this year, including 0-4 in Oakland. Not helping matters is that this series is in June, which is the A's month to soar.

The A's are 9-2 this June, which makes them one of the hottest teams in baseball. It's not surprising when you consider the A's have the best June winning percentage in all of the majors since 1992.

Here's a look at the top three teams in June since 1992:

Oakland 81-39 .675
Yankees 70-46 .603
St. Louis 67-49 .578

Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona said before Thursday's game with the New York Yankees that former Bellarmine star Jon Lester would be called up to start the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, weather permitting.

Rain forced Saturday's doubleheader and may be a factor when and if Lester makes his major league debut. Should rain cancel Friday's game – and rain is forecast for Boston tonight – Friday's starter, Tim Wakefield, could be pushed back a day and start on Saturday. Because of the uncertainty with the weather, Lester will not be recalled until the Red Sox know what they'll do on Saturday.

Lester, a 2002 graduate of Bellarmine, has soared through the Red Sox system and is considered one of the team's top prospects. Despite a slow start at Triple-A Pawtucket, Lester is 3-4 with a 2.70 ERA in 11 starts there this year. The lefty has a mid-90s fastball and has showed better command of his breaking pitches.

"I'm excited," Francona told reporters in New York. "I get excited about all the young kids when they come up. There's some enthusiasm. It's their first time and it's probably the most exciting baseball game of their life, and I'll be glad to be a part of that and watch it and hopefully have a win with it."

The Seattle Mariners, in a move to bolster a bullpen weakened by throwing six innings on Wednesday, recalled Emiliano Fruto from Tacoma and optioned Sean Green to the Rainiers.

Green had a 6.75 ERA and was tagged with three runs in Wednesday's 10-9, 11-inning win over the Minnesota Twins. Pitching coach Rafael Chaves said Green had pitched well but it was a matter of the Mariners needing help in the bullpen.

Fruto is making his second stint with the Mariners. In two appearances in May, he threw 4 2/3 innings without giving up a run.

I interviewed the Mariners' top draft pick, Brian Morrow of Cal, yesterday. Here is what he had to say about a few of the questions surronding him:

On his increased velocity

On starting vs. relieving and on his delivery

About managing his diabetes

A couple of questions have begun to be asked about the Mariners top draft pick. I'll share what I know:

1. Brandon Morrow? Why not Andrew Miller (who went No. 6 to Detroit) or Tim Lincecum (No. 10 to San Francisco)?

Morrow is a guy who is only scratching his potential, according to Mariners scouts and Morrow's pitching coach at Cal, who I talked to this afternoon. He's gained a lot velocity in a short period of time, basically adding almost 10 mph in the last 3-4 years. And while he has struggled with control, he showed the ability to get it done with his fastball (clocked as high as 99 mph), breaking ball, splitter and a changeup that he's still working on. He's also got a more prototypical body (6-3, 190), which is what hurt Lincecum (6-0, 165). His delivery is also considered to be smoother.

2. Do college pitchers have an advantage of preps when it comes to getting to the majors?

The one thing college pitchers have is the benefit of physical maturity, which means the top collegians are closer to the majors than prep pitches. The trend in recent years is to draft the college guys because of that and a higher level of experience and competition, which gives them an advantage when beginning their careers. The M's are high on Morrow and think he can rise quickly, if not as a starter than as a reliever.

The Seattle Mariners drafted Brandon Morrow, a right-handed pitcher from Cal on Tuesday with the No. 5 overall pick in the baseball draft.

The Mariners passed on UW standout Tim Lincecum, who ended up being taken by the San Francisco Giants with the 10th pick.

Morrow, a 21-year-old junior, went 7-4 with 2.05 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 96 2/3 innings. In his three-year college career Morrow was a combined 8-8 with a 4.04 ERA with 140 strikeouts in 151 1/3 innings.

"We are real excited," said Bob Fontaine, the Mariners vice president of scouting. "This kid is a good fit for this club."

Fontaine said Morrow (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) can start or relieve, but would begin his career with the Mariners as a starter in Single A. Ron Tostenson, the West Coast scouting coordinator, said Morrow has been clocked at 98 mph and consistently pitches from 94-96 mph.

In the second round, the Mariners drafted high school pitcher Christopher Tillman, a right-hander out of Fountain Valley, Calif. Tillman is 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds.

Travis Snider, a high school outfielder from Jackson High in Mill Creek, was taken by the Toronto Blue Jays with the No. 14th selection.

Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki was named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending June 4.

Ichiro led all AL hitters with nine runs scored last week while batting .440 (11-25) with a double, a triple and two stolen bases. The five-time A.L. All-Star drew three walks and collected 14 total bases while posting a .517 on-base percentage and a .560 slugging percentage.

The two-time batting champion finished the month of May with a .371 average (46-124), 22 runs scored and nine stolen bases.

He is currently the Major League leader in hits with 83 and ranks in the top ten of the American League for batting average, runs scored and stolen bases. The Mariners leadoff hitter currently ranks fourth in All-Star balloting for outfielders.

This marks the second time Suzuki has been named the A.L. Player of the Week, having last captured the award on Aug. 8, 2004.

Other candidates considered were Gary Matthews (.444, 1 HR, 6 RBI) of Texas and Vernon Wells (.389, 4 HR, 7 RBI) of Toronto. Pitchers considered for the award were John Rheinecker (2-0, 1.10 ERA, 16.1 IP) of the Rangers and Jamie Moyer (1-0, 1 CG, 0.00) of the Mariners.

The Seattle Mariners originally had Raul Ibanez DH'ing for Sunday's game but he was scratched from the lineup about 15 minutes before the first pitch. Ibanez, the team said, is suffering from flu-like symptoms.

The Mariners' left fielder was to get a half-day off while Mike Morse made his first start of the season in left field. Ibanez was replaced by Carl Everett.

The Mariners lead the Royals, 11-1, in the top of the seventh and seem likely to go on and collect their third consecutive victory. Another good sign is the big games Richie Sexson, Adrian Beltre and Joel Pineiro are having.

Sexson has hit two homers and is the first Mariners to do that in one game this season. Beltre has also homered, marking the first time he and Sexson have done that this year in the same game.

Pineiro is well on his way to breaking a four-start streak of no wins. He's scattered seven singles so far and has been in total control.

The Mariners lead the Royals, 11-1, in the top of the seventh and seem likely to go on and collect their third consecutive victory. Another good sign is the big games Richie Sexson, Adrian Beltre and Joel Pineiro are having.

Sexson has hit two homers and is the first Mariners to do that in one game this season. Beltre has also homered, marking the first time he and Sexson have done that this year in the same game.

Pineiro is well on his way to breaking a four-start streak of no wins. He's scattered seven singles so far and has been in total control.

Here are the weekly rankings. As always, last week's ranking is in parenthesis.

1. St. Louis (2) – No surprises here: Cardinals pulling away from pack, Edmonds is on the DL.
2. Detroit (1) – Paper Tigers? Bulk of record (22-5) built on beating up Royals, Indians, Twins.
3. New York Mets (5) – Weird stat: Pedro gave up two runs or less four times in May and did not get a win.
4. Boston (6) – Should be concerned that they have not distanced themselves from troubled Yanks by now.
5. New York Yankees (9) – The more players they lose, the more games they seem to win.
6. Chicago White Sox (3) – Jim Thome’s got comeback player of the year wrapped up already.
7. Arizona (7) – Brandon Webb’s gems: 8-0 record, 25 consecutive scoreless innings.
8. Los Angeles Dodgers (8) – Good news, bad news: Gagne comes off DL, Kent goes on DL.
9. Toronto (10) – In one five-game stretch used five different shortstops.
10. Cincinnati (6) – Fading so badly they’ll have to change their name to the Pinks by the end of the season.
11. Texas (18) – For the first time in almost two years, have had back-to-back winning months.
12. Atlanta (14) – A (Kenny) Ray of hope for the beleaguered bullpen?
13. San Diego (15) – Schedule cuts them a break with a 10-game stretch vs. Pirates, Brewers, Marlins.
14. Cleveland (19) – Avoided early burial by taking 3-of-4 from White Sox.
15. San Francisco (16) – Team’s so old that bingo is official clubhouse game.
16. Philadelphia (12) – Juicy rumor has Yankees pursuing outfielders Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell.
17. Colorado (11) – Experienced a return of road woes on last trip, going 2-7 vs. Dodgers, Giants, Padres.
18. Houston (13) – Roger Clemens’ ranking among the all-time leaders in wins (9th), strikeouts (2nd) and retirements (1st).
19. Oakland (20) – Closer Huston Street suffering through sophomore slump (3 blown saves, 4.74 ERA).
20. Milwaukee (17) – Soared in April, skidded in May, flopping in June?
21. Minnesota (22) – So good at so young: 23-year-old Joe Mauer hitting .362 entering the weekend.
22. Baltimore (24) – Four-gone conclusion? Since winning division in ’97 have finished fourth 7 times in 8 years.
23. Los Angeles Angels (26) – Thanks to lousy division this injured, underachieving team still has a prayer.
24. Washington (25) – Alfonso Soriano is a first-rate leadoff hitter (.346, 12 HRs, 9 steals).
25. Seattle (21) – Stick a trident in them if they can’t get it going soon.
26. Pittsburgh (29) – Hot Pirates hitters making opponents say argh.
27. Tampa Bay (23) – Lineup soon to get boost with return of Jorge Cantu, Rocco Baldelli. Sadly, neither can pitch.
28. Chicago Cubs (27) – Stars aligning again as Cubs take their natural spot in universe.
29. Florida (28) – A good fish tale: There once was this good team called the Marlins…
30. Kansas City (30) – GM Allard Baird was the first to go in what could be a Royals flush.

Here's a teaser to my Sunday column, which examines the sorry state of the AL West division. A few quick facts:

• The Angels and A's, who won 183 games between them last season, were a combined 11 games under .500.
• The only team in the division with a winning record is the perennially pitching challenged Rangers. Texas' 29-25 mark would not lead any other division.
• The team with the best home record is the Mariners and they don't have much to brag about. The Mariners are 15-15 at Safeco Field.

A little research (looking at the standings, using a calculator) gave me this little chart:

AL WEST IS NOT THE BEST
A look at the combined winning percentages of the six divisions. Records are through Friday.
DIVISION W-L PCT.
1. NL West 146-124 .541
2. AL East 141-127 .526
3. AL Central 134-135 .498
4. NL Central 158-169 .483
4. NL East 129-138 .483
6. AL West 102-117 .466

The Mariners are done with May, which is a good thing as far as the team an some key players are concerned. After an 11-14 April, the Mariners went 12-18 in May.

June brings warmer weather (hopefully) and a chance of a hot start. The first four games are against the staggering Royals in Seattle, a good as any opportunity for three or four wins. The next three series, in fact, are against teams with losing records (Minnesota, the Angels, Oakland).

For Richie Sexson the calendar's switch to June could not have come soon enough. Sexson hit .198 with four homers in May.

Another player looking to get back on the beam after a downturn is Joel Pineiro. After winning the AL pitcher of the week honors, Piniero lost three of four starts and has had his ERA balloon to 5.13.