The name missing was Willie Bloomquist's. The omission should come as no surprise. He's started just one of the Mariners' past 15 games, none in August as Seattle is making a push toward the postseason.

Bloomquist is supposed to be the Mariners' top defensive backup in the infield, but third baseman Adrian Beltre and shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt rarely miss a start. And the past three times regular second baseman Jose Lopez hasn't been the starter, DH Jose Vidro, judged a more potent offensive producer, has been.

The competitor in Bloomquist demands that he play. The team player inside him demands that he look at what the Mariners are doing, leading the American League wild-card race while challenging for the AL West title.

"It's kind of a tough situation," Bloomquist said in serious understatement. "I want to play, but I want to win, too. I'm not going to be a cancer in this clubhouse."

To make light of the situation, a few weeks ago Bloomquist and fellow backups Broussard, Jamie Burke and Jason Ellison got together and had a gray T-shirt of self homage designed that reads "The Four Horsemen" on the back with a sketch on the front that represents the quartet.

Many of the Mariners, including those playing when the Four Horsemen aren't, wear the shirts under their game jerseys. There's just one problem.

"Jason got traded about two days before the shirts arrived," Bloomquist said, "so he doesn't have his. But I'm saving one for him."

At the time he was dealt to Cincinnati, Ellison was the one Mariner seeing less playing time than Bloomquist. Ellison has since been told he'll see more playing time with the Reds.

Bloomquist hasn't heard that about himself, and it seems unlikely he will. Former manager Mike Hargrove liked to stick with his regular lineup whenever possible, and current skipper John McLaren seems cut from the same cloth.

So Bloomquist, hitting .299, is settling for various pinch-running and defensive duties while he waits for his chance to play, a chance that seems unlikely this year.

"I'm putting the team before myself," he said. "I have to do that this year with what's happening. But it isn't always easy."

IRON MAN: There seemed almost no chance that Jose Guillen would play Friday after being hit on his right middle finger by a pitch Thursday in Baltimore.

But when the lineup was posted, Guillen was in there.

"I can hit. I can catch," Guillen said. "When I grab the ball to throw, well, we'll see."

It should be pointed out that Guillen played the 2003 playoffs for Oakland with a broken bone in his left hand and hit .455. He homered with the bad hand Thursday and had a single Friday.

RAMIREZ ONCE AGAIN: McLaren said he plans to start Horacio Ramirez again when his turn in the rotation comes around Tuesday against Minnesota.

There had been speculation that McLaren and the Mariners would have to look elsewhere, because Ramirez has been pounded too often this year, including Thursday when he gave up seven runs in five innings to Baltimore, although he did get credit for the win.

McLaren looked past Ramirez's 7.12 ERA and preferred to focus on his 7-3 record. Even Thursday's game, when Ramirez blew a four-run lead and gave up a grand slam to Miguel Tejada, didn't completely daunt the manager.

"I was impressed with the way he came back after giving up the grand slam," McLaren said. "You take two or three pitches away from (each of) his last five starts and he's pitched pretty well."

SHORT HOPPERS: McLaren popped out of the clubhouse to interrupt the media session Chicago skipper Ozzie Guillen was having with reporters. "I wanted to know if he was dressing as Elvis tonight," McLaren said in reference to Friday's Elvis Night promotion that brought in a full house of 38,586. "Ozzie didn't know who he was." The pregame ceremonies including a drop-in by the Flying Elvises, and an Elvis impersonator doing the anthem. ... Jarrod Washburn gave up three homers Friday. He hadn't given up more than three homers in any of the first four months of the season. ... John Parrish got into his first game as a Mariner, throwing a 1-2-3 eighth. "(McLaren) did me a favor by getting me in there," Parrish said. "It's important to get in there right away. Now that's out of the way, and I can get ready for the rest of the year." ... Chicago reliever Bobby Jenks' streak of 38 consecutive batters retired, tied for the fourth-longest streak in big league history, almost didn't get there. He went to 3-0 against Lopez leading off the ninth, then came back on three pitches to get a strikeout. ... Vidro's hitting streak ended after 11 games. ... Guillen took away a possible homer by Jim Thome with a catch at the top of the wall in the first.

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