Just like last year, Beltre's shoulder has gone bad again

Adrian Beltre is back in the Mariners' lineup tonight after manager Don Wakamatsu pulled him for a pinch hitter last night because of pain in his left shoulder. But Wakamatsu will keep an ultra close eye on Beltre, who is dealing with the same problem that caused him considerable pain last year.

Beltre had surgery last September to have bone spurs shaved from the shoulder, and they're back again. Wakamatsu said doctors don't believe Beltre will do any damage structurally to the shoulder by playing in this condition, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.

The Mariners are hoping Beltre can get through the next 24 games, then use the All-Star break to let the inflammation subside. However, it appears now that nothing short of another surgery will fix the shoulder this time.

"It's just a matter of his pain tolerance," Wakamatsu said. "He's going to be playing in pain."

The Mariners went so far as to consider batting Beltre second in tonight's game against the Padres, figuring the demands of that spot in the order might be less stressful on the shoulder. Wakamatsu scrapped that idea and Beltre is back at third behind Russell Branyan.

Here are tonight's lineups:

PADRES
Tony Gwynn, center field
David Eckstein, second base
Scott Hairston, left field
Adrian Gonzalez, first base
Kevin Kouzmanoff, third base
Chase Headley, DH
Will Venable, right field
Elizer Alfonzo, catcher
Everth Cabrera, shortstop

Right-hander Josh Geer, starting pitcher


MARINERS
Ichiro Suzuki, right field
Russell Branyan, first base
Adrian Beltre, third base
Ken Griffey Jr., DH
Franklin Gutierrez, center field
Wladimir Balentien, left field
Yuniesky Betancourt, shortstop
Rob Johnson, catcher
Ronny Cedeno, second base

Right-hander Brandon Morrow, starting pitcher