First baseman Richie Sexson was a late scratch for Wednesday's game against Texas.

Sexson was in the original starting lineup and went through the club's entire pre-game workout.

However, a family issue came up to take precedence, and Sexson left the clubhouse shortly after informing manager John McLaren.

Taking Sexson's place at first base was Miguel Cariro, batting ninth. To cover for Sexson, who had been batting fifth, Jeff Clement, Yuniesky Betancourt, Jamie Burke and Wladimir Balentien all moved one spot higher in the lineup.

The Mariners having set a new record low single-game attendance Tuesday (15,818) has disappointed the upper levels of Seattle management, but there doesn't seem to be any mood for drastic change in the inner workings of the franchise.

Club president Chuck Armstrong said before Wednesday's game that there is more to the Mariners' attendance troubles - seven of Seattle's top poorest Safeco Field attendances have come this year - than the club's 14-20 record.

''You expect some ebb and flow,'' Armstrong said. ''The weather hasn't been good. We haven't played as well as we wanted. And this is the worst schedule ever.

''I'm optimistic, but when you see 15,000 against a division rival, yes, you are disappointed.''

The most vocal portion of the Mariners' fan base has long advocated changes at the top, specifically targeting general manager Bill Bavasi and, somewhat less often, manager John McLaren.

Armstrong said that the club isn't unaware of the need to change, hence the moves to let right fielder Brad Wilkerson and first baseman Greg Norton go in favor of rookies Jeff Clement and Wladimir Balentien.

At the same time, Armstrong wants to preach patience.

''There's a fine line with patience,'' he said. ''We already made moves (Clement and Balentien) to address the problems. Maybe those moves will come back to bite us. We don't know.

''But we made the moves in a considered manner with everybody involved. And I remember that last year at this time people were talking about making a move with Raul Ibanez. We stuck with him, and it paid off.

''I think Mac (McLaren) is doing fine. I like our manager. I like our staff.''

He just doesn't like the Mariners' record. Who could? At 14-20, the Mariners are tied with the Rangers and Tigers for the worst record in the league. And no AL team is further out of first place (7 1/2 games).

Patience can be preached for now, but if things don't turn around in the coming weeks, don't be surprised if Armstrong has to alter his tone.

The Mariners just announced Tuesday's crowd: 15,818.

It is the smallest crowd in Safeco Field history. The previous low was 15,989 against the White Sox on May 2, 2007.

And given the level the Mariners are playing to right now - down 10-1 in the seventh inning, who can blame fans for staying away?

For the record, seven of the 10 smallest crowds in Safeco Field have come in the Mariners' first 17 home games this year.

Longtime Mariner fan favorite Ken Griffey Jr. seemed to hint to USA Today Tuesday that he would welcome a deal that would bring him back to Seattle, the place where he spent the first decade of his career.

It's likely that this story will crop up in one form or another monthly as the 2008 season unwinds, for several reasons.

1. Griffey really does seem to want to come back.

2. The Mariners really do seem to want him back.

3. The Reds are off to a bad start and seem unlikely to go anywhere in 2008.

4. The Mariners are off to a bad start but think one more big bat might get them over the hump.

5. The Reds aren't likely to want to pick up Griffey's option for next year, so he could be a free agent this winter.

Seattle manager John McLaren, one of Griffey's best buddies in the game, was very careful Tuesday afternoon not to say anything that could be construed as tampering. But he hasn't lost is affection for Griffey.

''Kenny is one of my all-time favorites,'' McLaren said. ''I think he was the player for the '90s. I can't comment on somebody else's player, but I think the world of him. I'm anxious for him to get his 600th homer, and I think if he had been healthy (since leaving Seattle) he'd be at 700 now.''

Here's the link to the USA Today story.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/reds/2008-05-05-griffey_N.htm

Eddie Guardado was J.J. Putz's mentor a couple of years ago.

The two are still close friends, but being on different teams, they don't see each other as much as they'd like.

And when one of the two struggles like Putz (0-1, 9.00, 2 saves, 2 blown saves) is now, the other isn't around to see the problem first hand.

Of this, however, Guardado is certain - Putz will not struggle for long.

''He's just got to pitch,'' Guardado, now a setup man in the Texas bullpen, said before Monday's Ranger-Mariner game. ''Even if games are 14-1, he's got to get in there to get stronger.

''You can't come off the disabled list, then get six days off and be expected to do the job. the only way to get better is to get out in the action. J.J. will figure it out.''

First baseman/pinch-hitter Greg Norton has landed in a better place.

Norton, designated for assignment along with rightfielder Brad Wilkerson by the Mariners on April 30 when the club brought up catcher Jeff Clement and outfielder Wladimir Balentien, has been traded to Atlanta.

The Mariners will get cash or a player to be named later.

Norton is, frankly, a National League-type player, a pinch-hitter and a switch-hitter who just wasn't going to find that many at-bats in Seattle.

The Mariners still haven't found a spot for Wilkerson, but it would come as no surprise if the Mariner either released him at the end of the 10-day DFA waiting period or traded him and picked up most of his $3 million salary.

Norton, signed the day before spring training opened, hit .438 in six games with the Mariners after hitting .309 in seven games with Triple-A Tacoma.

Welcome to New York.

Three innings. Four errors. One hit. No runs.

Down 3-0. Nice club.

One reason I didn't pick the Mariners to win the division (duh) was that i wasn't convinced of the strength of their offense, and so far at least, that's proven true.

But I never thought their defense would be so wretched. It was the one part of the equation that could be figured to be above average.

I guess I was wrong on that one.

Third baseman Adrian Beltre won a Gold Glove last year, but he's playing like he's forgotten he's one of the best.

Yuniesky Betancourt has the classical young shortstop problem of making errors. But in the classic mold,at least, you're supposed to get better over time.

Jose Lopez isn't going to remind anyone of Bill Mazeroski, but he should be a competent defender.

All three made errors in the first two innings against the Yankees as New York got off to 3-0 lead.

Just 30 games into the season, Seattle has already had two four-error games (including Friday's) and one three-error game.

I don't know what manager John McLaren should do. He can't have infield lessons every day before games. And he can't bench the whole infield at once, especially since those three are among the few bright offensive lights in Seattle-dom.

There's going to be no way to watch this team without wincing if this doesn't change.

No one with the Mariners is saying anything of the sort, but you have to wonder if closer J.J. Putz came off the disabled list too soon.

Since he emerged as a closer in 2006, Putz has never been someone who issued walks randomly.

He allowed 13 in 78.1 innings in 2006, the 13 more in 2007's 71.2 innings.

So far this year? Six in five innings, including five in three innings since coming off the disabled list and two Thursday night in Cleveland, when he blew a save with a bases-loaded walk.

After issuing a walk once every 1.56 innings over the course of the last two seasons, he's now at a pace of one every 10.90 innings. That's beyond alarming.

Putz and the Mariner medical crew say he's over the rib inflammation that put him on the disabled list for three weeks in April. He threw a few times on the side before his return, and said he was ready to go.

Now he's saying he doesn't have any idea where his fastball is going. There was never an issue with that the last two seasons -- his control has been as much of a trademark as his low batting average against, one reason he all allowed just 122 men to reach base in 150 innings combined the last two years.

Actually knowing that Putz was still hurt would be good news of a weird sort - at least there would be a reason for his control issues. And getting healthy would presumably clear up the problems.

Those of us who are old enough remember Steve Blass of the Pirates, who went from 19-game winner to being unable to find the strike zone to being out of baseball, don't want to see another pitcher anywhere go through that.

Blass went from 84 walks in 249.2 innings as a 19-game winner for the Pirates as an All-Star in 1972 to 84 walks in 88.2 innings in 1973. He pitched one game in 1974 and was never in the big leagues again and never understood what went wrong.

Putz's issues are minor by way of comparison, hopefully a blip on the radar of his career. But, given his past success, they are troublesome in the extreme.

The first step has been made. Wladimir Balentien and Jeff Clement will be arriving in Cleveland any moment now, joining a Mariner team that badly needs their offense.

Right fielder Brad Wilkerson and pinch-hitter Greg Norton are both gone, P-I reporter Dave Andriesen reports from Progressive Field. Both have been designated for assignment, meaning the club has 10 days to release them, trade them or get them to take a minor league assignment.

The Mariners will have to make one other move in the next few hours, but the real question is how Balentien and Clement will be used.

Presumably, Balentien will be the right fielder and Clement will split time catching and will play some at DH. But he could also get worked in as a left-handed option at first base, although he has minimal experience there.

What that means for the current DH, Jose Vidro, is hard to say, but it can't be good. First baseman Richie Sexson is on firmer footing, but these moves could cost him at-bats.

These moves were no-brainers. The 5-6-7-8 hitters in the Seattle lineup have been a complete drag on the lineup. Getting Balentien, a .291 hitter with 24 homers last year who is at .254 with six homers this year, and Clement, the former No. 1 draft pick who is hitting .397 with five homers and 20 RBIs, can only help.

The question now is whether or not they will assimilate quickly into the Seattle lineup.

For a Mariner team that is 13-14 in large part because the offense has been non-productive.

There is official confirmation, finally - catcher Jeff Clement and outifelder Wladimir Balentien are joining the Seattle Mariners in Cleveland on Wednesday.

A source in the Seattle organization confirmed that the two minor league hitters are en route to Cleveland and should be available in Progressive FieldWednesday night.

The P-I's Dave Andriesen says right fielder Brad Wilkerson's locker has been cleared out.

And the club now says that both Wilkerson and pinch-hitter/first baseman Greg Norton both have been designated for assignment, meaning a trade, a release or a move to the minor leagues is in the future for both.