Ex-Mariner Lopez feels strange being back in Seattle with Marlins
Friday, June 24, 2011 | 5:48 pm
It’s kind of strange to see the Mariners taking batting practice in their road gray uniforms as they prepare to be the visiting team at home tonight against the Marlins
Probably no stranger than me staying at an expensive downtown hotel this weekend, eating room service every meal and taking limos to and from the ballpark. This is, after all, a “road” series for the Mariners.
(Note to my boss: just kidding. I can walk from the hotel.)
Speaking of strange feelings, there are a couple of guys in the Marlins’ clubhouse who say it’s kind of weird for them, too. Former Mariners Jose Lopez and Greg Dobbs are back this weekend where their major league careers started.
“I’m nervous,” Lopez said. “I’m coming back to the stadium and to the team I played with before. It feels weird.”
That also describes Lopez’s year since the Mariners traded him to the Rockies last December. Seen as a guy who might get his hitting act together in Colorado, he was basically a worse hitter for two months this year than he was with the Mariners in 2010, batting .196 with two homers, eight RBI and a .223 on-base percentage with the Rockies.
The Rockies released Lopez on June 7 and he signed a minor-league contract with the Marlins two days later. He’s batting .111 in six games with the Marlins, but the important thing, Lopez says, is that he’s happy with his new team.
“I feel good,” he said. “I want to play happy, play hard and do my job.”
Not tonight, though. He’s not starting for the Marlins against Mariners ace Felix Hernandez.
“I don’t want to hurt him,” Lopez said. “I call Felix every time he pitches and tell him, ‘Good luck!’ But not today.”
Besides Lopez and Dobbs (who’s batting .316 and starting tonight at third base), former Mariner (and ESPN analyst) Eduardo Perez is back at Safeco Field as the Marlins’ hitting coach.
A few other pregame notes:
• Dustin Ackley is batting fifth tonight for the Mariners after manager Eric Wedge moved him up to second in Thursday’s game at Washington. Brendan Ryan is back in the second spot.
“I wanted to stretch our lineup a little bit,” Wedge said. “I felt we were better with Ackley in the five hole and (Brendan) Ryan up top. There’s a little bit more balance to that lineup, too.”
Chances are good this lineup won’t last. For one thing, there’s no DH this weekend. For another, Wedge says he’ll keep trying things until he finds something that works.
“You’ve got to have success before you can have consistency with your lineups,” he said. “That’s what we’re going to look to keep finding. Right now, with interleague play, all bets are off because we don’t have the DH.”
• It’s Day 2 of the Chone Figgins benching, and nothing has changed. Adam Kennedy will start at third base tonight and Figgins is relegated to getting himself back together via pregame work.
“Figgy’s just got to hang tough and keep doing the work when he’s not playing,” Wedge said. “When he does get in there and play, it’s an opportunity to move forward. Figgy and I have had multiple meetings. He can control the outcome in the end by when he does get the opportunity to play to go out there and play like we know he’s capable of. It’s tough because he’s not playing every day now, but that’s where we are right now.”
Probably no stranger than me staying at an expensive downtown hotel this weekend, eating room service every meal and taking limos to and from the ballpark. This is, after all, a “road” series for the Mariners.
(Note to my boss: just kidding. I can walk from the hotel.)
Speaking of strange feelings, there are a couple of guys in the Marlins’ clubhouse who say it’s kind of weird for them, too. Former Mariners Jose Lopez and Greg Dobbs are back this weekend where their major league careers started.
“I’m nervous,” Lopez said. “I’m coming back to the stadium and to the team I played with before. It feels weird.”
That also describes Lopez’s year since the Mariners traded him to the Rockies last December. Seen as a guy who might get his hitting act together in Colorado, he was basically a worse hitter for two months this year than he was with the Mariners in 2010, batting .196 with two homers, eight RBI and a .223 on-base percentage with the Rockies.
The Rockies released Lopez on June 7 and he signed a minor-league contract with the Marlins two days later. He’s batting .111 in six games with the Marlins, but the important thing, Lopez says, is that he’s happy with his new team.
“I feel good,” he said. “I want to play happy, play hard and do my job.”
Not tonight, though. He’s not starting for the Marlins against Mariners ace Felix Hernandez.
“I don’t want to hurt him,” Lopez said. “I call Felix every time he pitches and tell him, ‘Good luck!’ But not today.”
Besides Lopez and Dobbs (who’s batting .316 and starting tonight at third base), former Mariner (and ESPN analyst) Eduardo Perez is back at Safeco Field as the Marlins’ hitting coach.
A few other pregame notes:
• Dustin Ackley is batting fifth tonight for the Mariners after manager Eric Wedge moved him up to second in Thursday’s game at Washington. Brendan Ryan is back in the second spot.
“I wanted to stretch our lineup a little bit,” Wedge said. “I felt we were better with Ackley in the five hole and (Brendan) Ryan up top. There’s a little bit more balance to that lineup, too.”
Chances are good this lineup won’t last. For one thing, there’s no DH this weekend. For another, Wedge says he’ll keep trying things until he finds something that works.
“You’ve got to have success before you can have consistency with your lineups,” he said. “That’s what we’re going to look to keep finding. Right now, with interleague play, all bets are off because we don’t have the DH.”
• It’s Day 2 of the Chone Figgins benching, and nothing has changed. Adam Kennedy will start at third base tonight and Figgins is relegated to getting himself back together via pregame work.
“Figgy’s just got to hang tough and keep doing the work when he’s not playing,” Wedge said. “When he does get in there and play, it’s an opportunity to move forward. Figgy and I have had multiple meetings. He can control the outcome in the end by when he does get the opportunity to play to go out there and play like we know he’s capable of. It’s tough because he’s not playing every day now, but that’s where we are right now.”
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