M’S Defense Frightens Hitchcock

The chapter that gets forgotten in the story of Cinderella is one in which - at the worst possibile moment - the coach turns back into a pumpkin.

As the Mariners try to write another miracle finish to another baseball season that once seemed lost, they ran into a pumpkin of a game Monday, and one of their pitchers turned into … well … something of a mouse.

In the cold, unfeeling line of the box score today, Sterling Hitchcock will look like a victim in the California Angels’ 4-3 victory over Seattle, a man who didn’t give up an earned run in defeat.

Two Mariners errors - a dropped fly ball by Mark Whiten in the first inning, a missed grounder to Alex Rodriguez in the second - set up all four of the Angels runs.

For Hitchcock, there was no third inning.

“I’d prefer not to make errors, but players are human,” manager Lou Piniella said. “A pitcher has to pitch through an error sometimes, pick his defense up …”

On a night when Baltimore and Texas - the two teams between the M’s and the post-season - lost, so did Seattle, in part because Hitchcock couldn’t pick up his defense.

In part, too, because Chuck Finley held all but two Seattle hitters in check, and reliever Troy Percival blew through the Mariners in the ninth inning.

“Chuck’s always tough on us,” said Ken Griffey Jr., who homered and doubled. “He was his old self tonight.”

“Give Finley and Percival credit,” Piniella said. “This isn’t over yet.”

Finley had a no-hitter into the fourth inning and at one stretch struck out four consecutive Mariners. Griffey broke up the no-hitter with a double lined just inside first base, and one out later Jay Buhner hit his 44th home run.

That cut California’s lead in half, and reliever Tim Davis held the Angels in check until Griffey’s next at-bat two innings later.

Griffey hit his 48th home run to inch Seattle closer, 4-3, and Finley seemed to momentarily lose his concentration - walking Edgar Martinez and Buhner.

Dave Hollins struck out on a wild pitch that moved both runners up a base, and with men at second and third base, Finley struck out a strugging Whiten.

Still batting .284 since his acquisition, Whiten’s 10 home runs and 29 RBIs in 34 games have been huge additions to the Mariners lineups. But over his last 25 at-bats, Whiten has three hits - and 10 strikeouts.

Four of those came Monday, when he also dropped a fly ball in the first inning, setting up two of Hitchcock’s four unearned runs.

Playoff tickets remain

The Mariners still have 12,000 strips of tickets for possible post-season action available with a deadline of 10 p.m. today.

The cutoff was established to allow time for the tickets to be mailed.

Tickets are available by telephone only and are sold in strips for all possible post-season games. There is a limit of four strips per customer. VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express credit cards are accepted.

Telephone numbers: (800) 800-3500, (206) 622-HITS and (206) 628-0888.