Wladimir Balentien Injured (UPDATED)

Wladimir Balentien, Seattle's top MLB-ready outfield prospect, injured himself in last night's ballgame while attempting to make a sliding catch. It is currently unknown exactly what he hurt, most likely his knee, but Ryan Divish reports that he slid into some sort of concrete barrier and had to be carried off the field.

There is no official report indicating the severity of the injury, but it's not looking to good. Jason A. Churchill of Prospect Insider is saying that the injury is "almost certainly a break or a tear," which obviously doesn't bode well.

With current Seattle right fielder Brad Wilkerson struggling at the plate, Balentien may have had a shot at a MLB starting role before the All-Star break. It is now more important than ever for Wilkerson to snap out of his season long slump.

Nothing is certain and hopefully the injury isn't as devastating as the initial speculation. I'll update this post when I learn more.

UPDATE 12:29 pm PST - Ryan Divish, now my favorite Mariner insider, has an update on Wlad. Mariner manager John McLaren told him that the x-rays were negative and that it's looking like a deep bone bruise.

It's okay, you can breathe now.

Injury Updates: Sexson, Bedard, Putz

(Note: What's up with the snow? Last I checked it's almost May!)

Richie Sexson missed the series finale against the A's with nagging pain in his leg and shoulder, and was originally thought to miss the opener against the Angels as well. The reason why fans should be concerned is because it was nagging injuries such as these that zapped Richie's power numbers last season. Obviously the day off in Oakland did him good, because he did indeed play in the opener against the Angles, homering twice and narrowly missing a third. Keep an eye on him, though.

Erik Bedard could return from the disabled list on his first day of eligibility, as expected, meaning his next start may be on April 24th against the Orioles. Today he'll be throwing off a mound for the first time since he was placed on the DL. This hip problem is troubling, though, as he has had a history of it flaring up. I think I read somewhere that he has had hip problems as far back as ten years ago. It's obvious that he puts a lot of stress on his hip, and the Hardball Times thinks he could be seriously injured. I think, no matter what the problem is, Bedard can still be effective enough over the next two seasons, but I think Seattle would be foolish to pursue a long term deal with him.

J.J. Putz will pitch (or already has pitched) a simulated game tonight in Anaheim. He is already eligible to come off the DL, but it's looking like he will return no sooner than the 23rd against Baltimore. He has had no setbacks so far.

7-8

The Mariners defeat the Kansas City Royals 11-6 to improve to 7-8. Here's a few more observations after 15 games:

• Manager John McLaren brought Ryan Rowland-Smith into the game for the 6th inning and veteran Arthur Rhodes in the 9th. There had been some debate among fans about which lefty would replace the recently demoted Eric O'Flaherty as the teams LOOGY, and based on tonight's game it looks like it will be Rhodes. RRS went 1 inning, allowing 3 hits and 2 runs, while Rhodes managed to get one out and was pulled after allowing a couple hits. I would personally like to see RRS get the nod in close and late situations, at least until Rhodes proves he can still get big league hitters out. Rhodes didn't show any spectacular stuff, as far as I could see anyway, but RRS wasn't so great either.
• I love Jose Lopez post game interviews. He continues to excel in the 2-hole, by the way.
• With Erik Bedard DL bound, it's hard to tell who may take it roster spot. It'll almost certainly be a pitcher, but who? The Mariners broadcasting team seem to think it's going to be Brandon Morrow, but he still hasn't found his control. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Seattle called Rhodes up before he was said to be ready, so I suppose it's a possibility. Jon Huber and Cesar Jimenez have been pitching pretty well in AAA Tacoma so far, so I wouldn't mind seeing either one of those guys. I would have liked to see Jimenez rather than Rhodes called up to replace O'Flaherty. He has struck out 9 in 5 innings so far.
• If I remember correctly, J.J. Putz will be eligible to return from the 15-day disabled list on Thursday, and has been doing very well in his rehabilitation so far. He hasn't had a minor league rehab assignment or a simulated game so it's hard to tell, but he may be on track to return on his first day of eligibility or soon after.

Bedard to DL

It was already unlikely that Erik Bedard would be able to go for his next scheduled start, but now it appears he's heading for the DL.

Don't panic: This isn't all bad. First of all, it's good that Seattle is going to sit him out and try to get him healthy now, in April, rather than having him constantly mess up the rotation or hurt himself further down the road. Second, the injury took place a while ago so he'll be eligible to come off the DL in just nine days. R.A. Dickey will take his next start. No word on who will take Bedard's roster spot. Unfortunately, Brandon Morrow may be the second Mariner pitcher to be promoted too quickly this season (Arthur Rhodes being the first).

None of us could have expected Bedard to make all of his starts. He's a fragile pitcher and the team has to focus on minimizing his time out. This is a good step.

Happy Jackie Robinson day!

Morse to DL; Rhodes Recalled

As I speculated last night, Mike Morse has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a dislocated left shoulder he suffered on an awkward dive attempt in yesterday's ballgame. Seattle was probably thrilled at the chance to get Morse off of the 25-man roster without losing him entirely, as he is of little use to the ballclub as of now.

Veteran lefty Arthur Rhodes has been called up to take his spot on the roster. I haven't been a fan of Rhodes this time around, and I'm not at all convinced that he can still get it done, but even with my doubts these latest flurry of moves get Seattle's roster back to where it should be: 12-man pitching staff, 4-man bench.

Bullpen:
Mark Lowe, R
Arthur Rhodes, L
Roy Corcoran, R
Sean Green, R
Ryan Rowland-Smith, L
R.A. Dickey, R
Cha-Seung Baek, R

Bench:
Willie Bloomquist, INF/OF
Miguel Cairo, INF/LF
Greg Norton, CIF/COF
Jaime Burke, C

The bench doesn't contain a single true outfielder, but manager John McLaren's history of choosing against using defensive replacements late in the game makes it somewhat obsolete.

Both Dickey and Rhodes, Seattle's latest callups, are available for tonight's game against the Royals.

Possible Roster Moves to Come

After struggling in pressure situations for most of the season, Eric O'Flaherty was seemingly demoted from the later innings and appeared in what was supposed to be long relief for emergency starter Cha-Seung Baek. O'Flaherty gutted out 2.2 innings, but allowed 6 runs on 8 hits.

I already wrote about how Seattle should start using Ryan Rowland-Smith as the teams LOOGY over O'Flaherty, and now it would make sense that to demote him even further. AAA Tacoma seems to be his next stop. In fact, there has already been a rumor that he has already been sent to the minors in favor of R.A. Dickey; this coming from a commenter over at Geoff Baker's blog that was supposedly in the clubhouse after the game.

Such a move makes perfect sense because Seattle is short a long reliever after Cha-Seung Baek started in place of the hurting Erik Bedard. Having two long relievers on your team isn't the best strategy, and either Baek or Dickey would have to be sent down or waived after the bullpen sorts itself out. With O'Flaherty gone (presumably), Arthur Rhodes seems like the next in line to get a shot in Seattle after Dickey. I don't believe Rhodes is quite ready yet, but he could be up in the next 10 days or so.

Mike Morse is also likely on the move. He hasn't sustained his Spring Training hot streak at the plate and has continually looked like a fool in the outfield. He hurt himself making an awkward diving attempt on a sinking line drive (that most right fielders probably could have caught without diving) and was later removed from the game. Such a move wouldn't happen right away, but after the team runs some test on his shoulder (or whatever it is that ails him) he could find his way onto the 15-day disabled list, likely opening the door for Jeremy Reed. Wlad Balentien is also a possibilty, but the team would have to decide to bench Brad Wilkerson for that to happen, and I believe that Seattle is going to give Wilkerson some more time before such a move happens.

The Morse situation is more speculation than anything at this point, but if Seattle sees an opportunity to get Morse off of the team without losing him I think they'll take it. Such a move could be announced as early as tomorrow, but I wouldn't expect it for at least day or two.

Once again, none of this is official. Let's see how many of these things come true.

Bedard, Beltre Scratched

Erik Bedard was expected to pitch today against the rival Los Angeles Angels, but was scratched due to the same hip pain and inflammation that postponed his last start two games.

It's good that Bedard has been up front with the coaches and training staff, but things are going to get difficult if Bedard continues to miss his scheduled starts. I'll update this post after the game if any news on when Bedard will make his next start surfaces.

Adriane Beltre also got the day off with stiffness in his thumb. His left thumb has been hurting him since last season when he tore a ligament that never properly healed, but don't get too concerned. Manager John McLaren said earlier in the year that the team would try and give him regular days off to keep him healthy. (Ed. Note: As Patrick mentioned in the comments section, Beltre is out with a hamstring, not a thumb injury. I skimmed through the report before the game and must have read it wrong. Him being out of the lineup appears to be a precautionary measure and the injury doesn't seem serious.)

Seattle already won the series so they're willing to take it easy in the finale. A sweep would still be nice though...

M's Drop Second to O's, Bedard Pushed to Tuesday

by Patrick

I just got back a little while ago from tonight's game and what a disappointment it was. The O's were right on Batista taking him hard up the middle or watching him struggle to throw strikes. Mac left him in four or five batters too long and it was sickening to see how long it took a Mariner to get up in the pen. Sexson went 0-4 with 3 k's (2 of them looking), Vidro hit his SECOND HOMERUN of the year as did Lopez. Four errors combined with only six hits drops us to under .500 for what must be the first time in a while. While the score was 6-4 and Sherrill got his third save of the year, it really would have been a lot worst had the Orioles not made some dreadful baserunning blunders; I swear, Luke Scott must have tripped like 4 times.

Shocking news tonight from the M's blogosphere... Mac said in his post game comments that Erik Bedard, who was scheduled to start tomorrows game in Baltimore, has experienced hip inflammation and will not start tomorrow. Not only this, but he will be pushed back all the way until TUESDAY in Tampa Bay and won't get to pitch against his former ballclub. I have been looking forward to watching Bedard face the O's since we acquired him and now my dreams are shattered. Instead, Felix will take the hill tomorrow and then Silva in the finale. This will make the lefties pitch back-to-back... grrrr

Closer By Committee

Earlier this evening I relayed that Seattle closer J.J. Putz had been placed on the 15-day disabled list with rib cartilage inflammation and that Seattle would be going with the "closer by committee" approach, rather than appointing Mark Lowe, Sean Green or someone else as the replacement closer.

The bullpen was stretched tonight after most of the pitchers worked in the first two ballgames, so Mariner fifth starter Miguel Batista got the call. Today was his "throw day" anyway, so bringing him into the ballgame will have little effect on his scheduled start in Baltimore three days from now. Seattle did a similar thing with Batista last season with positive results.

Batista has some closing experience, saving 31 games for Toronto in 2005. I wouldn't be surprised if we see Batista become Seattle's primary closer on these "throw days" in order to spell the bullpen until Putz returns. Not a bad idea in my mind, and tonight he closed out the game successfully.

On other days we'll probably see Mark Lowe, Sean Green and Eric O'Flaherty take turns getting the save. As I've said before, I think Mark Lowe is best suited for the job, but I think Seattle will get by just fine with whoever we throw out there until J.J. is back.

Other posts from today:

• Putz to DL
• Question for the Readers
• Fun with the Mariner Blogosphere

Putz to DL

Putz doesn't blow saves, so something must have been up when he lost the second game of the season for the Seattle Mariners, right? I guess so, because J.J. Putz has been placed on the 15-day disabled list today. Putz apparently felt some discomfort on his right side while pitching to Michael Young. The next batter was Josh Hamilton, who hit a go-ahead homer off of Putz on an uncharacteristically mis-located fastball.

A precautionary MRI found Putz to have a mild case of costochondritis, "an inflammation of the junctions where the upper ribs join with the cartilage that holds them to the breastbone or sternum," according to eMedicine.com.

No news yet on how long J.J. will be out. Roy Corcoran has been called up from AAA Tacoma to fill the roster spot. Corcoran has had success in a long minor league career, but has yet to receive an extended look in the major leagues.

There has been no announcement as to who will fill in for Putz during his absence, but Mark Lowe seems the logical choice. I've heard Lowe called Putz's successor, and would probably have to agree. He appears to have the stuff and the mentality for the job. If Lowe excels it could make for some interesting conversation when Putz returns. Putz has been helping Lowe out the way Eddie Guardado did during his stint in Seattle. When Guardado went down with an injury, Putz stepped in and took the job.

Just remember, closers don't typically stay put for very long. There is often a much cheaper option laying around your bullpen that can get the job done. Putz was once in that situation and forced a trade of Guardado. Jon Rauch of the Washington Nationals is probably about to push Chad Cordero out of his role now that he's down with an injury. Jeremy Accardo of the Toronto Blue Jays is also in a similar situation, and has done a fantastic job as closer while B.J. Ryan has been hurt. They'll give Ryan a shot when he's healthy, but if he can't get it done as effectively as Accardo he'll quickly become trade bait. All of these guys mentioned above were once top notch closers.

I'm not saying Putz is done as a Mariner. Seattle will give him every single opportunity to get back to his dominating self. He is a fan favorite and a face of the franchise. All I'm saying is to keep this tucked into the back of your minds so that you're not crushed if Putz cannot quickly return to form.

I hope for a quick recovery and return to form. I hope that Thunderstruck comes blaring over Safeco Field's public address system another 100 times. Fingers crossed, he should be fine.

UPDATE 5:07 pm PST: Lookout Landing and MLB Rumors are speculating that this injury could take a month or two or more to heal.

UPDATE 7:02 pm PST: As Rob mentioned below, the injury isn't too bad. The doctor didn't give a timetable, but Bill Krueger of the Seattle Mariners pregame show said he came back from a similar injury in 10 days back when he was pitching.

UPDATE 7:50 pm PST: Almost forgot to add this, but Seattle will be going with the "bullpen by committee" approach. Can't say I'm a fan of the decision, but hopefully it's not a long-term thing.

Final Roster Decisions Loom; Last Predictions

Well, I think the performances in tonight's ballgame given us a better indication of how the Mariners' Opening Day roster will look.

Yesterday afternoon and this morning there were rumors going around that Rule-5 pick R.A. Dickey was offered back to the Twins. Prospect Insider was the only site with this info, and Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times called Dickey's roster inclusion "a given" as recently as this afternoon. After thinking about it today it boiled down to one question: Why would Seattle pitch Dickey tonight if they were giving him back anyway?

Seattle wanted to see how Dickey's knuckleball looked outside of the Arizona air. I am assuming that they were going to make their final decision on who the long reliever would be based on tonight's appearance. Most of us had a hard time believing Prospect Insider's "report" this morning, and it looks like they are second-guessing themselves as well. Their sidebar now reads:

Watching R.A. Dickey tonight, albeit versus an awful lineup the San Francisco Giants put out there, makes ya think twice about potentially picking Cha Seung Baek over the knuckleballer, eh?

If Baek's durability wasn't a big question mark, I'd prefer him to Dickey. But I think the M's are nuts if they don't trade Baek and keep the 33-year-old.

Dickey pitched brilliantly tonight, tossing 5 scoreless innings of 1 hit ball. His knuckler was dancing and he was mixing it well with his fastball. R.A. Dickey is going to be on this team and their shouldn't be any doubt about it. Cha-Seung Baek pitched great this spring, but Dickey's skillset is more of what manager John McLaren is looking for. Dickey isn't going anywhere.

As for the rest of the bullpen, I think Brandon Morrow's outing helped sort a lot of things out. He came in very wild, especially with his breaking pitches, and loaded the bases with three straight walks. He then opted to repeatedly throw his fastball down the middle to the next three hitters, which amazingly led to a popup, a strikeout and a flyout. He only gave up one run in his inning of work tonight, but that looks awful given the fact that he didn't surrender any hits. Against a better team that may have been a 5 run inning.

Morrow could still make the team, but I think he'll start the year in AAA Tacoma. That would be his first minor league stint since he pitched 7 games in rookie ball and one game in high-A back in 2006.

With that, the Opening Day bullpen will likely include J.J. Putz, Sean Green, Mark Lowe, Eric O'Flaherty, Ryan Rowland-Smith and R.A. Dickey. McLaren could opt to carry deserving long reliever Cha-Seung Baek on the team as well, but it would not improve the team and it would only be to buy some time for Seattle to trade him.

Speaking of trade, I have a hard time believing Seattle can trade him for anything worth while at this point. I'm sure interested teams have read Baek's quotes about opting for free agency rather than reporting to AAA. I'm sure they're also aware of Dickey's performance this spring. Why would a team give up anything worth while for Baek when they can just wait until he's a free agent?

If he goes with the 6-man bullpen, McLaren has five bench spots with two left to fill. Willie Bloomquist, Jaime Burke and Miguel Cairo all have job security, leaving Jeremy Reed, Mike Morse, Charlton Jimerson and Greg Norton as the only position players left in camp without a guaranteed roster spot. I think it's safe to pencil Norton in at this point. McLaren reportedly wants him on the team but his lack of versatility rule him out as a possibility on a 4-man bench. With two spots available McLaren can carry both Norton and an outfield, making Norton's lack of defensive skills obsolete.

Reed should fail to make the roster. McLaren stated a long time ago that he wanted a right-handed outfielder on the bench, something that Reed isn't. I believe that Reed is being showcased for other teams, and that is the only reason he's still on the roster and getting playing time. It's been widely reported that both the Rays and Padres have recently contacted the Mariners about Reed.

So it comes down to Mike Morse versus Charlton Jimerson for the last spot. To many fans Morse seems like the obvious answer. 81% of you think he should make the team, according the poll that is currently running on the right sidebar. He's been hitting a ton this spring, can play four positions, five in a pinch. He seems like a good bench player, right? Not so fast.

Many have reported that McLaren favors Jimerson, and Jimerson is the better option when you consider the position Seattle is trying to fill: fourth outfielder. Morse is a better hitter, but he is atrocious when playing in the outfield. He's a converted infielder with Raul Ibanez range who takes bad routes to fly balls. Jimerson, on the other hand, is a natural outfielder with fantastic range and a good arm. He can play center field, unlike Morse, and would also be Seattle's fastest baserunner off the bench.

The only benefit I see to having Morse on the team is that he would be a better offensive option than Bloomquist and Cairo when it comes to spelling Adrian Beltre and his aching thumb at third. His value at first base is hindered by the potential presence of Norton, who would be a better offensive option should Sexson slump again or get hurt.

There are still tough decisions to be made but as of right now, Friday at 12:06 AM PST, this is the team I expect to see on Opening Day:

Pitchers:
Miguel Batista
Erik Bedard
R.A. Dickey
Sean Green
Felix Hernandez
Mark Lowe
Eric O'Flaherty
J.J. Putz
Ryan Rowland-Smith
Carlos Silva
Jarrod Washburn

Catchers:
Jaime Burke
Kenji Johjima

Infielders:
Adrian Beltre
Yuni Betancourt
Willie Bloomquist
Miguel Cairo
Jose Lopez
Greg Norton
Richie Sexson

Outfielders:
Raul Ibanez
Charlton Jimerson
Ichiro Suzuki
Brad Wilkerson

The only prediction I don't feel good about is Jimerson over Morse. That could go either way, but if Morse is picked the defense suffers. How do you all think the final cuts will go?

Morrow: MLB or AAA?
Norton, Jimerson, Reed or Morse for the final bench spot(s)?
Dickey or Baek in long relief?

Escobar Finished?

Well, Seattle needed help to win the division and got it when the Angels' dueling aces John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar were said to miss the first month or so. Now, according to the LA Times, Escobar could be done for the year and could even call it a career. His shoulder injury, now diagnosed as a tear, could require surgery. The decision on whether or not to have surgery will not be made for a couple more weeks, but either way Seattle benefits.

Please, no cheering in the comment section. I do not like to see anyone get hurt, especially this seriously, even if it benefits the Mariners. Escobar sounded awfully discouraged in his quotes:

"I'm concerned, I don't know what's going to happen, I don't even know if I'll be able to pitch again."

"I'm still young. I'll be 32 in two weeks, but retirement is getting into my head, because it's hard to rehab. I want to be out there playing, and I've done everything I can do to be healthy."

"This could be the end of my career. They're not sure if I'd be able to come back after surgery."

I believe that Escobar will attempt to rehab, and is just considering retirement after learning that his 2008 season is all but lost. It's gotta be depressing, and I don't blame him for having doubts. The article mentions Mark Mulder and Bartolo Colon as two other pitchers attempting to rehab from the same injury, and we all know how that's going.

This certainly helps the Mariners as their rotation is now clearly better than the rival Angels'. I wish the best of luck to Escobar, but Seattle better capitalize on this opportunity.

Infield Singles: Bullpen, Sexson, Bench +

• The bullpen is still a bit of a mess. While all the same names are still being discussed-- J.J. Putz, Brandon Morrow, Sean Green, Mark Lowe, Eric O'Flaherty, Ryan Rowland-Smith, R.A. Dickey and, to a slightly lesser extent, Cha Seung Baek, Arthur Rhodes and Chris Reitsma-- health concerns keep manager John McLaren from putting a final bullpen together. Reitsma appears to be the farthest along health wise of the three "rehab pitchers," but hasn't been nearly as effective as Lowe or Rhodes. At least there are no serious injuries. Seattle may have to rough it for the first couple of weeks, but should have their best relievers available to them by mid-April.
• Richie Sexson's shoulder pain has been attributed to bursitis. The team is saying that Richie just slept on his should arm and that it's no big deal, but bursitis can easily turn into one of those nagging injuries that just won't go away. Sexson had the worst year of his career last season due to multiple nagging injuries, so it's very important for Sexson to get healthy and start 2008 off on the right foot. He is currently day to day but playing, though I wish he'd completely shut it down for a few days.
• More bad news out of Angels camp, setup man Scot Shields suffered a forearm strain and could miss the start of the season, along with fellow pitchers John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar and Chris Bootcheck. Shields says he'll be ready for the opener, but it's not looking up for him. His awful spring control may be a result of this injury. Whether he's pitching poorly or not pitching at all, it's good news for Seattle.
• The bench, like the bullpen, is no closer to being finalized as Opening Day approaches. It's becoming more apparent that none of the candidates really offer what Seattle needs. Greg Norton's bat is really heating up, but he is useless on the field, and the same can be said about Mike Morse. Charlton Jimerson would give the bench tremendous speed, but he still has a massive hole in his swing. Jeremy Reed offers decent defense and nothing else. It will be interesting to see how this shapes up.
• Speaking of the bench, Reed Johnson has just been released from the Toronto Blue Jays and is a much better all around fit for Seattle's bench than the current options. A Johnson acquisition has already been endorsed in several places around the Mariner blogosphere, and I gotta say that I wouldn't mind it either. The only bummer would be to see Morse and Jimerson walk. Neither have much of a future with the team but, as a fan, I really like watching both of them play. Bill Bavasi has a knack for bringing in last minute players, so this could be a realistic possibility.
• Almost forgot to post this, but John McLaren may have had a slip of the tongue the other day. "Unless there’s something going on with one of these guys - Dickey, the Rule 5 guy, if we’ve got a deal going for one of our guys who’s out of options. That may push us back, but I’d like to be set when we hit that plane. I don’t know that we can do that, but that would be my goal," he was quoted yesterday. It seems apparent that Seattle is trying to work a deal for either Cha Seung Baek, Mike Morse and/or Charlton Jimerson. We already mentioned the rumored Baek-for-Durham trade the other day. Mike Morse's strong spring may have upped his value as well, so he might bring something worthwhile in.

Sources: Stuff and Story, Bullpen picture still murky, Shields' arm now a concern for Angels, Shields out, Sexson has bursitis, Fourth Outfielder, Nothing's certain yet...... the morning update, March 22

Bullpen Update

Seattle's spring roster is now 13 players lighter after Wednesday and Thursday's cuts, making this a good time to reaccess some position battles (all stats current as of 3/16 and for Cactus League games only).

Bullpen: Five pitchers; Horacio Ramirez, Joe Woerman, Phillipe Aumont, Brodie Downs and Stephen Kahn; have been dismissed from big league camp as Seattle begins to tighten things up. Of these five, Ramirez and Downs were the only ones with any chance of making the club, in my mind, so those two cuts are the only one that really effect the way the 'pen will take shape.

Ramirez is now searching for a new team, making the long reliever battle a two-man race. R.A. Dickey and Cha Seung Baek have both been impressive thus far, and both pitched in Wednesday's ballgame. Baek pitched one scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one, lowering his spring ERA to 1.29. Dickey followed with two innings of work, giving up one run on two hits. His ERA sits at 2.00 after giving up an RBI double to Ray Durham.

This one can still go either way, and will go down to the wire since the loser will likely be pitching for another organization. Could the fact that Baek pitched just one inning today hint that Seattle may be testing him as a middle reliever? I doubt it and I don't endorse the idea, but Seattle could be forced into that if the rest of the bullpen doesn't shape up the way they want it to.

The rest of the bullpen is up in the air at this point, and a lot will be determined by the health of the four reclamation projects. Mark Lowe, Chris Reitsma, Arthur Rhodes and Jon Huber all have the talent to be on the Opening Day bullpen, but it is unclear when they'll be ready. All have shown some good stuff at times.

"Oh, I'm ready to go right now," Rhodes told reporters after his latest appearance. "By the end of spring training, I want to be on this team."

It's still too early to tell what will happen. I think we'll have a better idea of what might happen after their next appearances in a couple days. All have looked pretty good so far.

As far as the rest of the bullpen goes:

Ryan Rowland-Smith has yet to give up a run in 8.2 innings, but his five walks are a little disconcerting. The consensus on RRS is that he'll start the year in AAA as a starter, but if he continues to put up zeros and finds his control the team will have no choice but to consider carrying him as a middle or long reliever. If injuries temporarily limit Seattle's bullpen depth, there is no reason not to carry RRS for the first month or so.

Brandon Morrow has already been dubbed one of Seattle's late-innings guys, so it'll take a disastrous spring to land him in the minor leagues. He has been pretty decent so far, with the exception of his last appearance. If you take away his hellish outing against the White Sox on March 10th (0 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 ER), he has an ERA of 2.25 over 4 innings of work. That bad outing can be attributed to a sore shoulder Morrow has been pitching with lately; a full recovery is expected.

Eric O'Flaherty has been great: 4.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 4 K, 0 BB. He should be the frontrunner for the left-handed specialist opening, but could get setup consideration depending on bullpen health and depth.

Sean Green had been okay, sporting a 2.70 ERA over his first 3.1 innings, though the WHIP wasn't looking so great. Green pitched horribly in his last outing, allowing 6 runs in a third of an inning, skyrocketing his ERA to 17.18. We'll see how he rebounds, but I expect him to be on the Opening Day roster considering the stability he brought to the club last season.

Cesar Jimenez has been fantastic so far this spring, a single bad outing inflating his ERA to 6.75. In his other three outings he's given up just one hit and no walks. Jimenez is trying to make the team as a left-handed specialist or middle reliever. I would prefer to see O'Flaherty as the team's LOOGY, but McLaren seems to like what he sees in Jimenez. Jeff from Lookout Landing does a great job in this post discussing why O'Flaherty is the better option.

Philip Barzilla is putting up some very nice numbers. The non-roster invitee has yet to give up a run in three innings of work. His 5:0 K:BB ratio is what will get him noticed. We'll see if he can keep it up. He'll likely be competing for a middle relief role.

If none of the aforementioned "reclamation projects" can go on Opening Day, Seattle may have to go with a bullpen like this:

Long: R.A. Dickey, R
Mid: Cesar Jimenez, L
Mid: Cha Seung Baek, R*
LOOGY: Eric O'Flaherty, L
Setup: Brandon Morrow, R
Setup: Sean Green, R
Closer: J.J. Putz, R

*Baek's inclusion would depend on how many pitchers Seattle decides to carry. I think Seattle could get away with having just six pitchers in this 'pen, as Dickey, Jimenez, Morrow and Green are all capable of pitching more than one inning. I doubt that Seattle will have to go with this bullpen, as at least one or two of Lowe, Huber, Reitsma and Rhodes should be available.

Big Day for Rehabilitating Hurlers

Mark Lowe, Chris Reitsma, Arthur Rhodes and Jon Huber are all scheduled to pitch in today's ballgame against the Milwaukee Brewers. As you are all well aware, these four are all coming back from tough injuries and surgeries and figure to be competing for roster spots until the end of Spring Training.

So far Lowe and Reitsma have pitched one scoreless inning a piece, Huber has yet to give up a hit in his 1.2 innings, and Rhodes has yet to pitch in a game this spring.

There have been a lot of different rumors regarding the bullpen outcome this spring, but we won't know for sure until the final roster cuts are made. I'd love to see these guys continue to build strength and pitch successfully because it will boost the level of competition among relievers even if they start the season on the DL or in AAA.

I'm routing for all of these guys. I hope at least one of them is healthy and effective enough to make the club out of Spring Training, and that one or two more can help after a month or two.

I'll go ahead and update this in a few hours with their results.

UPDATE - 11:08 pm PST: Whoa! Almost forgot about the update, thanks for the reminder in the comments! I was super busy today so I wasn't able to watch or listen to the game today, so the boxscore is all I have to go by. Rhodes fared the best, pitching a hitless, scoreless inning and inducing a couple grounders. Lowe was also perfect, getting his outs on two flyballs and one grounder. Reitsma gave up a run on two hits, which goes well with previous information. Some scouting reports are saying that Reitsma isn't hitting his spots as well as the other guys. Huber didn't get into the game after all.

Looking good either way! The more of these guys that are ready for Opening Day the better roster we'll end up with. Pitching depth is always key.

Thursday Notes: Bench, Baek, Beltre Hurt

On Monday I wrote about Seattle's bench competition, guessing that Mike Morse's strong play would land him a spot beside Willie Bloomquist, Jaime Burke and Miguel Cairo. Morse continues to play well, but he's not the only one impressing.

Morse went 1-for-4 with a double in today's game against Milwaukee. In his 6 games (15 at bats) he is hitting .533 with one home run, six RBI and a pair of doubles.

Veteran Greg Norton certainly helped his chances today, going 1-for-3 with a home run, sacrifice fly and four RBI. He's hitting just .250 and will have to continue to impress to get consideration.


John Hickey reported yesterday that Cha Seung Baek will not be pitching in Tacoma this season. If he doesn't make the team and slips through waivers he'll opt for free agency rather than reporting to AAA. "I don't know if they want me to stay or go," he said. "Maybe I will go to another team. There's no way I want to go back to Tacoma."

Baek is my pick to win the long relief job, and these comments just give him more leverage, in my opinion. Seattle has invested eight seasons in Baek, and would probably rather get some use out of him than watch him walk. So far this spring Baek has given up one run in four innings with no walks and one strikeout.


Today Hickey reported that Adrian Beltre further injured his already hurting thumb in today's ballgame. He will not play on Friday, and the team will take it day-to-day after that. Hopefully this won't be one of those nagging injuries, as Beltre is poised for a big year.

Games Start, Pitchers Heal, Other Notes

Happy Leap Day!

Spring Training games are in full swing, and it's nice to once again see some baseball highlights on ESPN. Seeing one of the game's greatest hitters from over a decade ago (Juan Gonzalez) taking the best pitcher in baseball (Johan Santana) deep has to be the most entertaining thing I've seen so far.

Our M's are playing pretty well so far, though I'm not going to get into too many game specifics just yet. Still a bit early to make any relevant observations at this point, in my opinion, though bench hopefuls Mike Morse, Charlton Jimerson and Jeremy Reed have been impressive.

Recovering pitchers Mark Lowe, Chris Reitsma and Arthur Rhodes have started throwing live batting practice, which is good to see. All three of these guys could be important parts of the bullpen this year. Anderson Garcia is also throwing again after taking some time off to recover from tendinitis. Phillipe Aumont is being held out of action with back and hip pain. More on how these guys figure into the bullpen picture here.

Shannon Drayer mentioned that Miguel Batista is working on adding a 12-6 curveball (or 12-5:30, as Batista calls it) to his arsenal. No word on whether or not he'll be unveiling it this year or if it's still a work in progress. He was throwing it his last Spring Training game with mixed results.

I'm getting the itch to do some digging and ink something slightly more original for all of you. Anything in particular you want to read about?