Mariners second baseman Dustin Ackley hit baseballs off a tee this afternoon and didn’t have any soreness around his ribs, and he said he felt good enough to play tonight against the Padres.
He won’t.
The Mariners are being careful with Ackley, who felt discomfort during Wednesday’s game against the Braves. He won’t start tonight for the second straight game.
“I swung and didn’t feel anything,” he said.
Ackley hasn’t thrown a baseball yet, although he worked on his throwing motion in the pool and said he felt good.
“I don’t see any reason why tomorrow I wouldn’t be able to do everything full-strength,” he said.
Ackley described it as a feeling he’s never had before – a bruise-like soreness on his left side near his bottom rib.
“The last game against the Braves (on Wednesday), I started feeling it a little bit,” he said. “I couldn’t pinpoint when it happened — during a slide or a dive or something — but I started feeling it a little bit. It was in a weird area. I didn’t feel it on any swings during the game; I felt it more throwing than anything. The day after when I woke up it was really sore in that spot.
• Miguel Olivo (sore left leg) also isn’t starting tonight but manager Eric Wedge said he caught a bullpen this afternoon and was feeling better. He came out of Tuesday night’s game because of cramping in the leg.
“He’s better, but still not quite where I feel comfortable playing him,” Wedge said
• Here’s Wedge on the callup of right-hander Blake Beavan, who’ll pitch Sunday’s game:
“He’s the guy who deserves to get the call up. He’s been very consistent down there. He’s a big guy. He seems like a good worker, good listener and able to make adjustments, which for a young kid you like to see.
“You never know what you’re going to get the first time up here. But by all indications, he’s a guy who’s done a good job of working the strike zone and pitching the way he wants to pitch. That’s what you love to see of anybody, but particularly a young kid.”
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