Mariners may give other relievers late-inning opportunities

Published 1:30 am Friday, July 1, 2016

SEATTLE ­­— Joaquin Benoit’s ongoing struggles are forcing the Seattle Mariners to seek alternatives for his role as the primary setup reliever for closer Steve Cishek.

Benoit wasn’t sharp again Thursday in allowing two runs in two-thirds of an inning against Baltimore, which turned a four-run lead into a tense ride over the final two innings before Cishek gained a four-out save by closing out a 5-3 victory.

“Sometimes, his shoulder doesn’t bounce back,” manager Scott Servais said. “But it’s probably more of a mechanical, release-point, timing issue. To see him miss the strike zone as much as he’s missed it by, that’s very un-normal.

“That’s not him.”

Benoit, 38, missed a month earlier in the season because of shoulder inflammation that first surfaced in spring training. His availability remains limited; his outing Thursday was his first appearance in six days.

“Coming out of the game (Thursday) night,” Servais said, “he wasn’t happy with his performance, but he said his arm felt fine. That was not an issue. There are certain days when he’s available and certain days when he’s not available.

“We’ve just got to manage it every day.”

Benoit, 38, has a 5.30 ERA in 19 appearances after allowing eight earned runs over 82⁄3 innings in his last nine appearances. In contrast, he posted a 2.35 ERA over the previous six seasons in 388 games for three other franchises.

“It’s about winning games,” Servais said. “I know he’s been good for a long time. I certainly respect that. He’s been one of the tougher guys in the league to hit for a long time.

“But I think he knows that, some nights, right now, he just doesn’t have it.”

The Mariners have other options, and Servais signaled a willingness Friday to sift through alternatives — at least until Benoit regains his form.

“We’re going to have plenty of opportunities,” Servais said, “for guys to make an impact (in the late innings).”

Rookie Edwin Diaz looms as the likeliest replacement. He has a 2.03 ERA in 12 appearances since his June 4 jump from Double-A Jackson. He also provides late-inning power with 23 strikeouts in 131⁄3 innings.

“What’s nice to see,” Servais said, “is he continues to work on and develop his slider. It continues to get better, and it’s going to be the key pitch. You see a lot of guys in this league who throw hard, but the separator is the secondary pitch.”

Give Benoit an assist there. The improvement in Diaz’s slider is due in no small part from his conversations with Benoit.

The Mariners will could shift recently-reacquired Tom Wilhelmsen, their former closer, into higher leverage roles. Wilhelmsen rejoined the roster Thursday after two tune-up appearances at Triple-A Tacoma.

Club officials also believe right-hander Nathan Karns has the repertoire to be an impact reliever in the late innings, although he’s probably not currently near the head of the line to pitch the eighth inning.