Guthrie's Best Is Not Quite Enough

Mariners 4, Orioles 2

SEATTLE, April 22 -- SEATTLE, April 22 - Jeremy Guthrie made the slow walk back to the pitcher's mound from behind home plate on Tuesday night, his glove hanging at his left hip and his head looking down at the emerald green grass at Safeco Field. First baseman Kevin Millar met Guthrie at the hill, patted him on the backside and waited alongside until Orioles Manager Dave Trembley emerged from the dugout and pulled the defeated pitcher from the game.

Guthrie produced the longest outing of any Oriole in the rotation this season, battling the Seattle Mariners through 7 2/3 innings. He showed just how much he wanted to win in the fifth inning, when he barely won a footrace to third base, forcing lead runner Kenji Johjima by tagging the bag himself. He even outlasted Mariners phenom Félix Hernández, who gave way after seven strong innings.

But all of that tenacity resulted in a final scene of defeat for Guthrie, who looked deflated as he stood on the mound waiting for Trembley, shortly after surrendering a bases-loaded single to José Vidro that snapped a deadlock and made the difference in the Orioles' 4-2 loss to the Mariners.

"I had all four pitches going, I was able to keep the pitch count low and I thought I pitched as well as I had all year," said Guthrie, who has pitched at least six innings in his last four starts, though he has yet to have a win to show for it.

Guthrie looked so strong while striking out a season-high five batters that Trembley stuck with him even as the Mariners showed signs of a mounting rally in the eighth inning. The pitcher allowed a leadoff double to Yuniesky Betancourt, bringing up the left-handed Ichiro Suzuki. Even with lefty specialist Jamie Walker ready in the Orioles bullpen, Trembley let Guthrie stay in the game.

Guthrie responded by getting Suzuki to pop out and José López to fly out. With two away, Trembley called for an intentional walk to Raúl Ibáñez so Guthrie could instead face Adrian Beltre, who in his career against the pitcher had gone 0-for-12 with four strikeouts.

"That was the idea," Guthrie said. "Obviously, we thought we had a better chance going after him."

Instead, the perfect matchup for the pitcher became his undoing.

"I just couldn't execute the fastball for a strike and make him swing it," Guthrie said. "I think that was the key, that 3-2 especially because I need to make him swing it and earn his way on. Instead, I gave him the pass."

Said Orioles catcher Ramon Hernandez: "Beltre took some good, close pitches."

Beltre's walk loaded the bases for the switch-hitting Vidro and forced Trembley to make another critical decision on Guthrie. And again, Trembley chose to stay with his pitcher.

"As well as Guthrie pitched right there, I don't want to bring somebody in and either walk the guy or give up his runs," Trembley said. "I felt Guthrie pitched well enough to win it or lose it on his own."

Guthrie appreciated the manager's decision, calling it a show of confidence.

"Once I walked Adrian, at that point I kind of felt like hopefully I can put us in a position for us to win, or lose," Guthrie said. "At that point, I created the mess myself. It just didn't work out."

But Vidro waited on Guthrie's belt-high change-up, bouncing it through the hole and into right field. Guthrie stood behind Hernandez and watched as the winning runs crossed the plate. Again, he would not have a win to show for his efforts.

"Anytime you pitch well and have your stuff working you build on it," Guthrie said. "Obviously I haven't won a game, so I just built on trying to keep improving pitches, and get deeper in the game and give our team better chances to win. I think I've done that and hope to continue to do that."