Opponent: Tri-City Dust Devils
When: 7:05 p.m.
Where: Everett Memorial Stadium
Radio: KRKO (1380 AM)
Pitchers: Everett right-hander Jeff Gilmore (2-0, 1.02 earned run average) vs. Tri-City right-hander Buzz Vargas (2-2, 3.96)
Garner takes a look
It was as if he’d never been gone.
During the current homestand, Darrin Garner could be found on the infield dirt at Everett Memorial Stadium hours before game time, running the AquaSox infielders through their paces, just as he did in years past.
But this summer his time in Everett is merely temporary.
Garner, who was an AquaSox coach four of the past five years, spent the week in Everett in his new role within the Seattle Mariners organization, that if infield coordinator.
“I love Everett, it’s a beautiful place,” Garner said. “I was looking forward to coming here because it’s a great town.”
As the Mariners’ infield coordinator Garner, who was a coach in Everett in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004, travels to all of Seattle’s minor-league affiliates, working on defensive fundamentals with the infielders. His arrival in Everett means he’s now visited every team in the organization this season, with the exception of Seattle.
Having had the chance to watch and work with Everett’s infielders for several days now, Garner likes what he’s seen, singling third baseman Ronnie Prettyman out for individual praise.
“I’m impressed, actually,” Garner said. “There’s still little things. Footwork could be better. Some guys catch the ball too deep and footwork will take care of that. As far as throwing accuracy goes these guys have been pretty good. There’s not much to fix here, but footwork is crucial in the infield and a lot of them don’t have it right now. But they’re making the plays, so you can’t say much.”
Clement dons the gear: Everett catcher Jeff Clement’s first time behind the plate as a professional proved to be somewhat uneventful.
Clement, the Mariners’ first-round draft pick who signed Tuesday and joined the AquaSox on Wednesday, started at catcher in Friday night’s 9-3 loss to Tri-City. He caught five innings before being removed, and in those five innings there were no wild pitches, passed balls or stolen base attempts.
“There weren’t a lot of stolen bases and they hit the ball in play, so there were no chances to throw any runners out,” Clement said. “I think there was only one ball to block. So as catching goes it wasn’t too eventful. But there’s always action when you’re a catcher.”
Clement, who hadn’t played in a competitive game in five weeks before arriving in Everett, served as the AquaSox’s designated hitter in his first two games in Everett and was not in the starting lineup Saturday. He said he felt a little rusty behind the plate, and his legs are readjusting to crouching on a daily basis.
“I’ve been sore the last three days with coming to the park early and being here close to 10 hours every day,” Clement said. “I’m feeling it a little bit, but hopefully in a couple days the soreness will start leaving my body.”
RIP Frogstocks: The end of Everett’s winning streak Friday brought with it the end of the AquaSox’s tie-dyed Frogstock jerseys. The jerseys, which were donned in an attempt to end a six-game losing streak and went on to spark a four-game winning streak, were discared in favor of Everett’s navy blue tops.
And several of the players weren’t exactly mourning the demise of the tie-dye.
“I sure hope we’ve seen the last of those,” Everett outfielder Casey Craig said. “We should have done away with them a long time ago. They’re fun for one day, but they’re ugly, dude.”
Nick Patterson, Herald writer
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