Dan Wilson caught Jamie Moyer in the bullpen Tuesday afternoon, and it appears he’ll be able to do it for real on Friday.
Neither Wilson nor the Mariners would say for sure, but they’re aiming at having him catch at least one inning of Moyer’s start Friday against the Oakland A’s.
Wilson announced early this month that he would retire after this season, but his last wish as a player was to recover from a serious knee injury and say good-bye on the field by catching an inning.
“It feels good,” said Wilson, on the disabled list since May 6 after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. “If it works out (to catch Friday), it would be great.”
Nobody feels as good about the possibility as Moyer, who has pitched to Wilson more than any other catcher in his career.
“If we can do it together, it would be great,” Moyer said. “I think mentally he’s prepared to do it, but physically can he do it? If it’s for an inning, I’m sure he probably can.”
Meche mess: Pitcher Gil Meche told the Mariners his right arm felt good Tuesday, although that wasn’t good enough for the team to start him again.
Jeff Harris will start Saturday’s game and, if Meche pitches again this season, it’ll be out of the bullpen.
Meche had been on the disabled list since Aug. 20 with knee and shoulder problems but pitched two strong innings of relief last week in Toronto. He started Sunday in Detroit but lasted just two innings and was pulled after he told manager Mike Hargrove that his arm felt dead.
“All we know is that we took a month to get him 100 percent capable and comfortable, and we were all thrilled when he threw those two innings in Toronto,” pitching coach Bryan Price said. “We were all really surprised by what happened in Detroit, and nobody at this juncture can put a finger on why there would be any difference from Toronto to Detroit.”
Of note: The Mariners still haven’t decided what’s next for left-hander Bobby Madritsch, who developed a sore shoulder last week after throwing. Madritsch, on the DL since early April, was throwing from about halfway up the mound when the shoulder acted up again. “The goal was to get some slope underneath him because we knew there would be some differences with that,” Price said. “His last bullpen in Toronto was extremely encouraging. But now, I don’t know exactly what our protocol will be the rest of the season.” … Center fielder Jeremy Reed returned to the lineup Tuesday after missing four starts because of a sore left wrist. … Raul Ibanez and Ichiro Suzuki have played in all 157 games. “It says a lot about their ability to play and stay healthy,” Hargrove said.
Kirby Arnold, Herald Writer
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