SEATTLE -- The Mariners put left-handed starter Bobby Madritsch on the 15-day disabled list Saturday morning, several hours before he had an augmented MRI on his left shoulder.

It is a procedure in which a red dye is injected into the testing location to enhance a picture of the affected area.

"Even if the MRI comes out good, which we hope it does," manager Mike Hargrove said, "it would be four or five days beyond today before [Madritsch] could pitch again. So it makes sense to go ahead and put him on the DL."

The move is retroactive to Thursday, meaning Madritsch can be activated on or after April 22. Third baseman Justin Leone was promoted from Triple-A Tacoma and in uniform for Saturday's game against the Rangers at Safeco Field.

"We were going to go to a seven-man 'pen at some point anyway, and felt like we could better use an extra position player at this time than an extra pitcher," Hagrove said. "We looked at all the options."

Leone played in one game with Tacoma, going 1-for-3 with a solo home run and two walks. He hit .216 in 31 games with the Mariners last year, including five home runs. Meanwhile, right-hander Ryan Franklin moves back into the rotation, starting Monday afternoon in Kansas City against the Royals.

Madritsch apparently was injured while throwing a pitch in the fifth inning during his first start of the season Wednesday afternoon against the Twins. He departed the game and underwent an MRI exam. The injury originally was diagnosed as a "mild strain."

But the 29-year-old hasn't been able to throw without discomfort since.

"It's frustrating not knowing [what] I'm going up against," Madritsch said. "I'm not really concerned about it because it's not as bad as my other injury [a torn labrum in 1998]. All I know is, I can't throw right now and I want to find out why."

Madritsch, a graduate of the Independent Northern League (Winnipeg) reached the Major Leagues last July 21 and joined the Mariners starting rotation on Aug. 5. He compiled a 6-3 record and 3.27 ERA in 15 appearances, going at least six innings in 10 of his 11 starts.

The injury appears to be similar to the one right-hander Joel Pineiro suffered in his first Spring Training start. He missed the ensuing two weeks of camp and has been working himself back ever since. Pineiro is scheduled to make his regular-season debut next Saturday in Chicago against the White Sox.

The ailments to both Pineiro and Madritsch further demonstrate how unusual it was for the Mariners to go through an entire 162-game regular season with the same five starting pitchers -- something they did in 2003 when Freddy Garcia, Jamie Moyer, Gil Meche, Pineiro and Franklin started every game.

Not quite what he had in mind: Right-hander J.J. Putz emerged from Friday night's wild game with his first Major League victory, which came in his 59th career appearance.

"It's not the way you draw it up," he said Saturday, "but a win is a win."

Putz entered the game in the eighth inning with the Mariners ahead by one run. After getting an out, the hard-thrower walked two batters back-to-back, a cardinal sin for a late-inning reliever.

Errors by first baseman Richie Sexson and shortstop Wilson Valdez on potential double-play balls led to two unearned runs.

Seattle came back to score four runs in the bottom of the inning to win the game, taking most of the sting away from the ugly top of the eighth.

"The odds of an inning like that happening with the defense we have is not likely," Putz said. "But I put myself in a jam with the two walks. [Mark] Teixeira gave me a real good at-bat (a full-count walk), taking some good pitches. And [Richard] Hidalgo laid off a good 2-and-2 pitch before I just missed and walked him.

"Then I got the two groundballs and it could have been a lot worse," he added. "I was happy I kept it there and didn't let the snowball effect happen."

Putz stranded runners at first and second by striking out Gary Matthews Jr., and Rod Barajas on splitters to end the inning.

"The split was there when I needed it," Putz said.

Hargrove actually thought Putz went to the splitter too often.

"It's not good walking guys back to back like that, and it was uncharacteristic," Hargrove said. "He got himself in trouble throwing split-finger a little too much, in my opinion. There were counts I would rather see him go with his fastball.

"He struck out two guys on nasty splits and it's a big pitch for him. But he needs to get some game-consistency with it. That pitch, along with 94 mph fastball, can make him overpowering."

Putz, who walked 24 batters in 63 innings last season, removed a curveball from his pitching repertoire to improve his control and he had superb control in Spring Training, issuing just two free passes.

Some news for Ichiro from home: Aikodaimeiden High School, Ichiro's alma mater in Japan, recently won the national spring championship for the first time in school history. Ichiro played in the tournament during his junior year as a left fielder, and as a pitcher during his senior season. The team was eliminated in the first round both years.

Ichiro, by the way, had two hits in each of his first four games this season, extending his hitting streak to 17 straight games. He ended the 2004 season on a 13-game streak. During his 635-game Major League career, Ichiro has had 288 multiple-hit games.

A new year, indeed: The outcome of Friday night's game was totally out of whack compared to last season. The Mariners, who rallied for four runs in the eighth inning for a 9-6 victory, were 5-82 when trailing after seven innings in 2004, and the Rangers were 74-5 when leading after seven innings last year.

"I think it shows we're able to score runs and never be out of a game," Hargrove said. "Last night showed that. But hopefully, we are ahead in games and are able to close them out and not have to [rally late]."

On deck: Ichiro meets up Sunday afternoon with the pitcher that delivered the pitches that tied and broke the Major League's single-season hit record last October. The Mariners right fielder collected the 257th and 258th hits of the season against Rangers right-hander Ryan Drese, the starter in the series finale Sunday at Safeco Field.

Right-hander Gil Meche, who pitched four scoreless innings in his first start before being kayoed in a seven-run fifth inning by the Twins, starts for Seattle.