"Anybody who doubts the high degree of skill required to play baseball competently should pay attention to Mariners left fielder Milton Bradley.

Although left field is considered the least demanding outfield position, Bradley reminded Safeco Field fans Sunday that no defensive task is routine. There are balls to chase, and walls to face, and homeward-bound throws to make - throws that can prove the difference between a rally-snuffing out and a gift-packaged run.

After the Mariners closed their homestand with their second listless effort in 19 hours, manager Eric Wedge put blame for the 5-2 defeat to the Chicago White Sox on his team's inability to produce key hits.

Wedge had a point - the Mariners wasted three singles in a scoreless fourth, and had a chance to push across more than two runs in the fifth. But shoddy defense was no less responsible for allowing the White Sox to win a 10-inning game the Mariners should've won in nine.

The shoddy defense began with Bradley, whose leaping attempt to catch a Paul Konerko line drive against the fence, in the top of the fourth, found his glove within, oh, five feet of the ball. Somebody off the street isn't going to make that play - you and I aren't going to make that play - but a big-league outfielder should make that play.

Instead, the White Sox ended up with a leadoff runner on second base, and then a runner on first after Alex Rios' infield single. When Ramon Castro followed with a single to left, it was picked up by Bradley.

There was plenty of time to deliver a big-league throw in time for catcher Miguel Olivo to tag out Konerko, but Bradley's throw was so off the mark - well to Olivo's left - that there was no chance.

Things got goofier from there: Olivo couldn't hold onto the ball. (A troublesome trend for somebody employed as an everyday catcher, but that's another topic for another day.) Pitcher Erik Bedard was supposed to back up the catcher, but Bedard was standing in the vicinity he thought the ball would land, and not where the ball actually went.

Olivo retrieved it, and then, for reasons that made sense to nobody else, he turned down the opportunity to make a throw to Bedard, covering the plate, for the chance to chase down Rios."