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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   ADDITIONAL ITEMS • Seattle Mariners (External Link)   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, April 7, 2008 Early season pitching injuries are Mariners' worst nightmare By John Sleeper, Herald Writer This isn't what John McLaren had in mind when he told the media that if his Mariners fell short of the playoffs, it would be a huge disappointment. Considering how loaded the American League is with great -- not just good -- teams, McLaren had to base his hope on the rosiest of scenarios for his team, one that keeps injuries to a bare minimum. The Mariners are off to a rough start in that regard. Baseball's best closer, J.J. Putz, is on the 15-day disabled list with a rib injury. And now, we learn that No. 1 starter Erik Bedard, for whom general manager Bill Bavasi gave up so much to the Orioles, will miss at least one start and maybe more with an inflamed hip. That's just not a rosy scenario. Putz is irreplaceable, period, as evidenced by his winning the American League's Rolaids Relief Man of the Year. His 2007 ERA: 1.38. McLaren has opted to close by committee, which is always a dicey proposition. On Wednesday, McLaren turned to his No. 5 starter, Miguel Batista, who preserved a three-run lead. On his first start Saturday against the Orioles, though, Batista made it into the fifth inning before he inexplicably lost his command, walking three straight hitters and allowing five straight to reach base. Sean Green was ineffective in relief as well, also walking three straight Saturday, along with a balk. Then there was Sunday's meltdown by Mark Lowe and Eric O'Flaherty. It could be argued that the M's are paying the price for the decision to keep just 11 pitchers, in favor of keeping an extra position player. One factor in that decision was an optimistic hypothesis that the starters would go a minimum of six innings a night and preferably seven. So far, just three of the six starters have gone more than five innings. McLaren is toying with the idea of bringing up an additional pitcher. Candidates include left-handed reliever Arthur Rhodes, now throwing in Tacoma, who rehabbed all last year after coming off Tommy John surgery. Another is knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Bedard's injury simply meant Felix Hernandez and Carlos Silva pitch on four days' rest, courtesy of Thursday's day off. If Bedard can't pitch against Tampa Bay Tuesday, McLaren has a decision to make. Either Jarrod Washburn pitches on three days' rest, reliever Cha Seung Beck comes in for an emergency start or the M's bring up someone from Class AAA Tacoma. Reports Sunday were that Bedard felt better and could take his start on Tuesday, which bumps Washburn to Wednesday. But even that raises a problem. McLaren has said he wants to avoid having Bedard and Washburn, both lefties, pitch on back-to-back days. McLaren likely will change that on his first opportunity -- preferably an off-day. That would be April 21, following a five-game road trip at Oakland and Los Angeles/Anaheim. The pitching complications coincide with a woeful start for Seattle's hitters. Raul Ibanez, Richie Sexson, Jose Vidro and Brad Wilkerson all were hitting below .200 going into Sunday's game. Situational hitting has been all but non-existent, save for the occasional home run, which this team is hardly built for. It's not the start McLaren had hoped for. Injuries are the inevitable blow. Every team goes through them. The key questions are how many, how serious and how deep the organization is. The Angels, Seattle's obstacle for the AL West title, lost their top two starting pitchers, John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar, as well as their top setup guy in Scot Shields. They believe they have the depth to absorb those losses. But the only factor that matters in baseball is how it will pan out in the long haul. Reports suggest the Putz and Bedard injuries aren't serious. The M's had better hope so. Without those two, they simply aren't a playoff team. Sports columnist John Sleeper: sleeper@heraldnet.com. To reach Sleeper's blog, "Dangling Participles," go to www.heraldnet.com/danglingparticiples.

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