M's release Byrnes

[A.E]

SEATTLE (AP)—The Seattle Mariners released veteran outfielder Eric Byrnes(notes) Sunday night, two days after a late-game gaffe and then bizarre exit from the clubhouse on a bicycle.

The punchless Mariners announced after they were swept at home by the Texas Rangers that they also optioned 23-year-old infielder Matt Tuiasosopo(notes) to Triple-A Tacoma.

Seattle called up outfielder Ryan Langerhans(notes) and infielder Josh Wilson(notes) from Tacoma. Both will be in uniform Tuesday against Tampa Bay after Monday’s off day.

Manager Don Wakamatsu hinted after Sunday’s 3-1 loss to Texas—which spoiled yet another outstanding day of pitching, this one from Doug Fister(notes)— that changes were imminent.

“There are decisions that have to be made,” Wakamatsu said after Seattle scored just three earned runs in the 32 innings of the series against the Rangers.

“If someone would have said you’d throw 26 scoreless innings in a three-game series and get swept, they’d think you were crazy. Kind of tells you the shape of the offense.”

The Mariners signed Byrnes in January after Arizona released him. He was 3 for 32 (.094) in 15 games, including striking out looking on three pitches with the bases loaded in the fourth inning Sunday. His release comes at a minimal cost to Seattle; the Diamondbacks are paying all but $400,000 of the $11 million due in the final year of his $30 million contract.

On Friday night, he inexplicably pulled his bat back on a botched suicide squeeze in extra innings of a scoreless game. Ichiro Suzuki(notes) was tagged out on the play.

Texas manager Ron Washington was ejected for arguing with plate umpire Jim Wolf that there should have been a strike called on Byrnes on the botched squeeze play. Washington just “could not fathom” that Byrnes pulled the bat back.

Asked if he’d ever seen that in his 39 years of professional baseball, Washington said Friday night: “No, never have. That’s why I couldn’t believe when Jim told me that Eric pulled back on it. Ichiro’s flying down the line, Eric squares the bunt—how can you pull a bat back? But he did.”

To top it off, Byrnes froze at a fastball right down the middle for strike three, squandering Seattle’s chance to make Cliff Lee’s(notes) debut with the Mariners a winning one.

Byrnes, who was living nearby in downtown Seattle, bolted out the front door of the clubhouse riding his beach cruiser bicycle mere minutes after the game ended. He made a right turn down a tunnel and then made a 90-degree left turn around approaching Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik before he could make eye contact.

Zduriencik glanced up, then kept walking to the clubhouse that had every Mariners player but Byrnes in it.

In the visiting clubhouse, a handful of Rangers cracked up at a television replay of Byrnes’ gaffe. The Rangers were still talking about the play Sunday. --AP

Hate to toot my own horn but I was pretty adamant, in the pre-season, that not only was Byrnes washed up...but the Mariners also weren't suddenly going to be this great baseball team. A month into the season and outside of a strong Cliff Lee outing, things ain't looking to good in Seattle.