A few items to peruse while not messin' around with me, ('less you're feeling  dan-ger-rous) ....

• After going a surprising 13-9 in April, the Mariners are back to being the Mariners. With an ugly loss to the Angels on Tuesday night, Seattle is now just 5-13 in May and new manager Don Wakamatsu isn't wasting any time in calling out his underachievers.

Said Wakamatsu of Felix Hernandez(notes) after the ace lost his third game in four starts and was part of the reason that the Halos stole five bases:

"Sometimes you've got to ask guys to step up. I didn't think he stepped up today.''

Since winning four of five to start his season, King Felix has racked up a 6.75 ERA over his last four starts. He's obviously not the only reason the M's have fallen six games out of first place in the AL West, but unless he and others can start playing respectable baseball, their nice start to the season won't even be a memory by the time the dog days of August roll around. [Seattle Times]

• Eric Chavez(notes) clarifies a previous report and says that the next step for his back will be a microdiscectomy and not a spinal fusion, which will be needed eventually, just not now. Regardless, the next back injury he sustains will be a career ender. Sad. [The Drumbeat]

• Another getaway Wednesday, another instance of no day games on the schedule (though we'll get five on Thursday). What gives? We don't ask for much. [Y! Sports]

• Nick Adenhart(notes) is still listed as the 35th best prospect on MLB.com and his profile carries an editor's note explaining his death last month. It raises some interesting questions — Should the profile be kept up to honor him? Should it be taken down now that he's passed? — for which I think there are really no good answers [Deadspin] 

• Congrats to Todd Helton(notes), who notched his 2,000th hit on Tuesday night and was able to celebrate with friends and family in attendance. [MLB.com]

• Here's a fantastic award-winning computer animation that helps explain the tricky illusion of a curve ball. [Inside Science via The Good Phight]

• Yet another reason it's good to be Clete Thomas(notes): "Clete's Cougars" [Detroit Tiger Weblog]

• A sentiment we can all get behind — Free Jonny Gomes(notes)! [Redleg Nation]

• His offense sure isn't rewarding him for it, but it should be noted that Barry Zito(notes) has a 2.21 ERA with 24 Ks and 13 walks in his past six starts. Says Grant: "If this really is a stepping-stone year to serious contention in 2010 or 2011, I'll take 90 losses if it comes with a reborn Zito." [McCovey Chronicles]

• Mark Buerhle on the Minnesota Twins: "I own them." [Inside the White Sox]

• David Chalk is weirded out over the fact that A-Rod and Kate Hudson may have been making out in his general vicinity the other night. Threesomesayswhat? [Bugs & Cranks]