Before the All Star break Lloyd McClendon pointed to the bullpen as the biggest disappointment of the first half. Yes, the offense was disappointing as well but the bullpen's inability to hold down leads with anywhere near the frequency it did a year ago was an unexpected blow for the skipper. Things have not improved in the second half. While the offense has scored nearly 5 runs per game since the All Star break the bullpen has taken the loss in four of the Mariners 5 losses. Three of the game winning runs were given up in the 8th inning, one in the 7th.
Mariners notebook: Thin pen once again
