News
Mariners get in trading spirit early
Seattle (45-42) vs. Texas (48-38), 1:10 p.m. PT
By Jim Street / MLB.com
07/12/09 1:30 AM ET
SEATTLE -- The non-waiver Trading Deadline is three weeks away, but general manager Jack Zduriencik apparently doesn't pay much attention to deadlines. |
His determination to rebuild a franchise that competed for division championships in the mid-1990s through the first two years of this decade already has resulted in two deals leading up to the July 31 deadline.
On back-to-back days, he traded shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt to the Royals and acquired third baseman Jack Hannahan from the Athletics. Neither deal makes the Mariners instant threats to overtake the Rangers or Angels in the AL West this season, but it might be just a hint for what might occur as the schedule surges toward August. The Mariners reach the "mythical" halfway point of the regular season on Sunday afternoon with a series finale against the Rangers at Safeco Field. Left-hander Erik Bedard opposes Rangers right-hander Dustin Nippert. Right fielder Ichiro Suzuki, starting pitcher Felix Hernandez and manager Don Wakamatsu depart later in the day for St. Louis and the All-Star Game on Tuesday night. If someone had told Wakamatsu coming out of Spring Training that his team would be playing right around the break-even mark and stationed not far behind in the AL West race at the All-Star break, he would have been pleased. Pitching matchupSEA: LHP Erik Bedard (5-2, 2.58 ERA)
Bedard showed good stuff in his first start back from the disabled list, retiring the last 10 batters he faced in four innings of work against Baltimore. He ran into trouble in the first inning, running up his pitch count early, causing his removal after the fourth inning. Two runs on two hits was all the Orioles managed, though, and the left-hander still managed to rack up eight strikeouts while throwing 72 pitches. Bedard is expected to be on a higher pitch count in this one. He's 4-2 lifetime against the Rangers with a 3.35 ERA. TEX: RHP Dustin Nippert (0-0, 7.36)
Nippert made his return from the 60-day disabled list against the Angels on Tuesday, and he gets his second start of the season against the Mariners. He went 3 2/3 innings his last time out, allowing three runs on seven hits in an 8-5 Texas win. Nippert threw 72 pitches in that game, and manager Ron Washington said he doesn't have a set plan on how many innings he'll allow Nippert to throw against Seattle. That means he's not likely to be on any kind of strict pitch count. Nippert is 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in his career against Seattle. Tidbits
Since May 20, the Mariners lead the AL with a 3.28 ERA, which is second best in the Majors. During the 46-game stretch, the Mariners have held opponents to three runs or less 27 times. ... Left-hander Jason Vargas will remain with Triple-A Tacoma to fine-tune his pitching repertoire and be on a similar program as right-hander Brandon Morrow, who was sent to Tacoma on Saturday. ... The reports on left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith are getting better with each outing with Tacoma. In his last two outings, his velocity has been up and he has pitched deeper into games. ... With a double Friday, his 515th, Ken Griffey Jr., passed former teammate Edgar Martinez on the all-time list and moved into a tie with Joe Cronin for 38th place on the list. Tickets
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• Monday-Wednesday: All-Star break
Jim Street is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
