Mariners closer Putz on road to All-Star season

He doesn't like talking about his accomplishments, usually steering questions about them to the success of the surprising Mariners. His menacing stare at batters while on the mound says more than his words. But he does acknowledge that making the All-Star team "would be nice."

What makes him so good? A fastball that zooms at speeds of 98 mph sets up a splitter that starts out at nearly the same speed -- then dives toward batters' shoes as it crosses the plate.

Putz unleashed that on Barry Bonds while striking him out last June to end Seattle's 5-4 win over San Francisco.

"Man, that closer," Bonds said. "He throws 98 miles per hour, then he drops that split on you?

"See you later," Bonds said, pantomiming a salute.

Putz threw the splitter ineffectively throughout a so-so minor league career. A sixth-round draft choice in 1999, he had just 13 saves at four stops on his way to arriving in Seattle in 2003.

Putz appeared in 64 games in 2005 as a setup man for Eddie Guardado. Then Guardado taught his understudy a new grip for the splitter during spring training of '06.

That ultimately cost Guardado his job.

Guardado flopped into May last season before Putz replaced him. Putz then equaled Guardado's 36 saves from the previous season -- the third-highest total in Mariners' history. Guardado was traded to Cincinnati and is currently on the Reds' disabled list. Meanwhile, the Mariners gave Putz a $13.1 million, three-year contract.

Putz's 10 saves are a Seattle record for June, one more than Mike Jackson in June 1991. Putz already is third in Mariners career saves -- he passed Norm Charlton with his 68th Tuesday.

And Putz has been on the job for all of 13 months.

"I'm just happy with the wins," he said.