News
Lopez to return from bereavement list
Seattle (36-35) vs. San Diego (31-39), 1:40 p.m. PT
By Jim Street / MLB.com
06/25/09 1:34 AM ET
SEATTLE -- The Mariners' infield should be at full strength for Thursday afternoon's Interleague series finale against the Padres at Safeco Field. |
Second baseman Jose Lopez returns to the starting lineup after spending the past week on the bereavement list. He returned to his home in Venezuela last Thursday to be with his cancer-stricken sister, but she passed away before he got there.
Lopez remained in Venezuela for his sister's funeral. "He is flying in later today, I don't know exactly what time," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said prior to Wednesday night's game. "The plan of action will be according to when he gets here." Lopez probably would want to get back on the field as quickly as possible. This is the second time in the past three years that he lost a sibling during the baseball season. His older brother, Gabriel, was killed in a motorcycle accident in Venezuela in June 2007. Jose was unable to make travel arrangements in time to attend his brother's funeral and he seemed to be bothered by it for the remainder of the season. After batting .284 before the All-Star break, Lopez batted .213 after the Midsummer Classic. He has enjoyed a productive June, batting .309 (17-for-55) with five home runs and 16 RBIs. Included are four three-hit games. Lopez currently is batting .248 with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs. Though his batting average and on-base percentage (.278) are considerably lower than his career averages of .271 and .303, respectively, he leads the team in RBIs and is second to Russell Branyan in home runs. Lopez emerged as a run-producing threat last season when he hit a career-high 17 home runs and drove in 89 runs. Left-hander Jarrod Washburn (3-5, 3.24) tries once again to win his first game since April 21. He has certainly pitched well enough to win, but lack of run support has played a huge part in his frustration. The 3.13 runs per game he has received is the lowest in the American League. He will be making his fifth career start against the Padres and has a 2-0 record and 3.33 ERA against the NL West team. Pitching matchupSEA: LHP Jarrod Washburn (3-5, 3.24 ERA)
Washburn's winless streak reached 12 starts in his last outing, another quality start that wasn't quite good enough to get him a win. The lefty has the lowest run support average in the American League since 2005 and there appears to be no end in sight. He held the D-backs to three hits in his previous start, but the Mariners did not score while he was in the game. SD: LHP Wade LeBlanc (0-0, 9.00 ERA)
LeBlanc didn't last long in his first start of the season for the Padres. A late fill-in for an injured Chris Young, LeBlanc was handed a 2-0 lead on Friday against the A's but allowed the first four batters in his fourth inning of work that day to reach base, two on walks, and he was gone before recording an out. LeBlanc got some good swing-and-misses on his best pitch, the changeup, early but the A's were patient with him. All told, LeBlanc allowed three runs on three hits with two walks and one strikeout. Tidbits
Right-handed reliever Shawn Kelley will have a bullpen session prior to Thursday's game and if all goes well, he'll be sent to Peoria to continue his recovery from a strained left oblique. He is scheduled to pitch on Saturday and Monday and then be re-assigned to Triple-A Tacoma for a couple of outings. He could be activated off the 15-day disabled list during the next homestand, which takes the Mariners to the All-Star break. ... A roster move might be made after Thursday's game to activate catcher Kenji Johjima. The likely corresponding move probably would involve backup catcher Jamie Burke. ... Closer David Aardsma ranks second among AL relievers with a 1.62 ERA. He is tied for seventh in saves (14) and 21 of his past 22 outings have been scoreless. All three of the earned runs he allowed occurred in one game -- against the Angels when he was pitching on his fourth straight day. Tickets
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• Friday: Mariners (Jason Vargas, 3-2, 3.24) at Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw, 4-5, 3.76), 7:10 p.m. PT
• Saturday: Mariners (Felix Hernandez, 7-3, 2.74) at Dodgers (Eric Milton, 2-0, 2.89), 7:10 p.m. PT
• Sunday: Mariners (Garrett Olson, 2-2, 4.95) at Dodgers (Hiroki Kuroda, 2-3, 3.44), 1:10 p.m. PT
Jim Street is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
