Mariners manager Jim Riggleman has a lot of patience with young players, as long as they play the game hard. What galls Riggleman is a half-hearted effort.
He’d already benched shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt twice this season and, today, he did it with second baseman Jose Lopez. During the game.
Riggleman already wasn’t happy Saturday after a Rays runner reached second base because Lopez tried to use his glove to flip a ball to Betancourt instead of throwing it.
In the fourth inning today, catcher Jeff Clement made a good throw when Akinori Iwamura stole second. The throw was on the bag but Lopez’s glove wasn’t, allowing the ball to sail into center field and Iwamura to reach third. He scored on Carlos Pena’s single to center.
Lopez was due to bat second in the bottom of the fourth. Instead, Riggleman replaced him with called-up Tug Hulett. Lopez took a seat on the dugout bench, looking disgusted.
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