Pitchers: Today – Seattle left-hander Horacio Ramirez (4-2, 6.47 earned run average) vs. left-hander Brian Burres (4-3, 4.19). Tuesday – Seattle right-hander Felix Hernandez (6-4, 3.66) vs. right-hander Jeremy Guthrie (4-3, 3.07). Wednesday – Seattle left-hander Jarrod Washburn (8-7, 3.85) vs. left-hander Erik Bedard (8-4, 3.22).
An outdoor experience
Eight years ago Sunday, a different brand of ballpark brought about a different brand of baseball by the Mariners. Safeco Field opened on July 15, 1999, and the change from the Kingdome was much greater than playing baseball indoors vs. outdoors.
The climate-controlled Kingdome was a joy for power hitters who didn’t have external elements – wind and humidity – working against them. At Safeco Field, where the outfield is bigger and cool temperatures, the breeze off Puget Sound and heavy air affect fly balls, especially during spring and fall, it takes a different game to succeed.
Pitching, defense and speed play well at Safeco, and the Mariners used that formula to put together playoff teams in 2000 and 2001.
Safeco Field clearly is a pitcher’s park, although there were some who enjoyed the Kingdome just as much.
“I liked both places,” said Jeff Nelson, who pitched for the Mariners from 1992-95 in the Kingdome and from 2001-03 at Safeco Field. “Over there, the weather was the same all the time. As a pitcher, I liked the consistent weather. You knew it was going to be the same all the time, especially in April and May and a little bit in September.
“But (Safeco Field) is obviously the best stadium in baseball, and it’s fun to have outside baseball.”
Running wild: The Tigers stole five bases Sunday on Mariners catcher Jamie Burke and manager John McLaren was upset.
Not at Burke.
McLaren said the Mariners’ pitchers did little to keep Detroit runners from getting big leads and good jumps. Four of the five steals occurred while starting pitcher Jeff Weaver was in the game, including one by Sean Casey, who has 17 steals in a nine-year major league career.
“I was very disappointed in the way we didn’t protect the catcher in the running game,” McLaren said. “It’s something we’re going to talk about. This is the worst game we’ve had in terms of holding runners, giving them different looks, slide steps and pitchouts and everything else. We have to give the catcher a chance and we didn’t do that. It really hurt us.”
Staying fresh: Sunday became a day of rest for several Mariners; catcher Kenji Johjima, shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt and first baseman Richie Sexson didn’t start. Part of the reason was the Tigers’ pitcher, hard-throwing right-hander Justin Verlander, but part of it was the need to keep the regulars rested as the season moves into the dog days of late July and August.
“Some of these guys are not happy about having off days, and I appreciate that because they want to play,” McLaren said. “But I’m not going against my word. I’m not going to wait until they get tired in September and say ‘I wish I would have rested these guys.’ They’re going to take off-days, and sometimes they don’t like it. I appreciate that, but that’s the way it’s going to be.”
Of note: The Mariners activated tonight’s starter, Horacio Ramirez, after Sunday’s game and optioned left-handed reliever Jake Woods back to Class AAA Tacoma. Woods had been called up Saturday. … McLaren said his doctor hasn’t been thrilled to see him walk to the mound for a pitching change without his right arm in a sling, but otherwise he’s healing well from rotator cuff surgery June 28. “He wants me to wear it for six weeks,” McLaren said. “I’ll be halfway on Thursday, so hopefully with our training staff and rehab, I can get it off before then.”
Kirby Arnold, Herald Writer
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