Willie Bloomquist’s leg injury didn’t seem any better Sunday than it did Saturday night, when he crumpled to the ground after beating a throw to first base in the 10th inning.
Officially, Bloomquist has a strained right hamstring.
Unofficially, it looks like his season is over.
“It’s a very significant pull,” manager Jim Riggleman said. “I don’t know if we’ll see Willie again the rest of this year.”
Bloomquist said he wants to play before the end of the season.
“But I’m not going to be stupid about it,” he said. “I understand my legs are my game and I need to make sure I’m healthy before I go back out there. I’m not going to be foolish about it and have another setback.”
If he doesn’t return, it’s possible Bloomquist — a Bremerton native who the Mariners drafted in 1999 — has played his last game for the Mariners.
Bloomquist’s contract expires after this season and he told the Kitsap Sun earlier this season that he’s intrigued by the possibility of playing in the National League.
The versatile Bloomquist would be a classic NL-style backup, although the Mariners have started him at every position except pitcher and catcher this season. He’s batting .279 with a team-high .377 on-base percentage and 14 steals in 17 attempts.
“Willie is a jack of all trades,” Riggleman said. “You can put him anywhere on the field. He’s your pinch runner, he’s a high on-base percentage guy coming off the bench. He’s a nice weapon to have and we’re going to miss him.”
The impact was felt Sunday, when Riggleman would have started Bloomquist at shortstop in order to give Yuniesky Betancourt a day off.
Of note: Pitcher Erik Bedard threw off flat ground Sunday morning for a second straight day as he comes back from a tight left shoulder. He’s scheduled to throw again Tuesday and Wednesday. … Riggleman said Ryan Rowland-Smith, who gave up seven hits and four earned runs Saturday, would remain in the starting rotation and pitch Saturday at Minnesota. … On a night when there were more groans than cheers, one of the loudest ovations during Saturday’s game came when highlights of Mill Creek’s Little League regional championship victory were shown on the Safeco Field big screen. … Phillippe Aumont, who hadn’t pitched since June 9 because of a forearm injury, allowed three hits and a run in three innings Saturday for the Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in his first game back. Aumont, 19, was the Mariners’ first-round draft pick in 2007.
Kirby Arnold, Herald Writer
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