Wedge gives Smoak homework for offseason

Seattle Mariners first baseman Justin Smoak didn't play Tuesday in Toronto, which is no surprise given that his average has been under .200 virtually the entire second half of the season. He's been out of the lineup three times in five games since Sept. 5, which is what happens when a middle-of-the-lineup hitter has a .189 average and a .312 on-base percentage in September. Smoak will play off and on the rest of the season in all likelihood, but manager Eric Wedge and the coaching staff have mapped out what they hope will be a solid offseason as a prelude to a better 2013. The manager said this fall and winter will comprise an important offseason for Smoak, who has never quite been the hitter either he or the Mariners hoped he would be when Seattle acquired him as part of the July 2010 deal that sent Cliff Lee to Texas. Both the manager and members of the coaching staff have been talking with Smoak about those expectations. "We just need to make sure we get hi...