Calm, effective Cortes
Rookie pitcher Dan Cortes had been waiting for a moment like his stellar relief appearance Monday night.
It wasn’t only about the two scoreless innings he pitched against the Blue Jays or that it was the best of his 10 career outings in the major leagues.
The 24-year-old Cortes was able to corral the high anxiety that caused him to do everything but hyperventilate in earlier outings in the big leagues.
“You have to learn from your mistakes,” Cortes said. “My first couple of outings up here I was rushing, I was all over the place. I wasn’t controlling my breathing. I’d catch the ball and throw the ball right away. I’ve got to calm myself down and take things easy.
“I’ve always known I could throw strikes, but sometimes I lose focus during games and I try to be too fine. Sometimes I’m too amped up. Sometimes I’ve got to block everything out and just focus on hitting my target at all times.”
Mariners bullpen coach Jaime Navarro talked with Cortes about the importance of staying calm before and during his relief appearances, and he applied that advice well Monday.
“There would be times when I’d be breathing too fast and I’d catch myself and say, ‘Just take a deep breath and count to five.’ It worked out,” Cortes said. “I’m happy with my outing. I didn’t care who was at the plate, I was going to go at them with the same attitude — pound the strike zone. I’ve got to stick with it.”
Manager Eric Wedge has noticed a definite difference in Cortes from the guy he saw pitch in spring training and in one appearance in May before being sent to Class AAA Tacoma.
“He’s much more under control, much more consistent with his delivery and not trying to do too much. He doesn’t need to do too much,” Wedge said. “He’s been more composed. Those are all separators for him.”
Besides helping deliver a victory, Cortes is happy he made such a positive impression on Wedge.
“I try not to focus on that kind of stuff, but I’m a guy who’s trying to earn a job for next year,” Cortes said. “An outing like last night, it seems like it opened up some eyes and the manager has confidence that he can put me in certain situations. It’s pretty exciting.”
Kids’ night
Wedge rolled out a “veteran” lineup Tuesday against the Blue Jays — with only five rookies (second baseman Dustin Ackley, first baseman Mike Carp, DH Casper Wells, left fielder Trayvon Robinson and third baseman Kyle Seager).
Monday, they tied a 34-year-old record when eight rookies played in their victory over the Jays. They started six — Ackley, Carp, Wells, Robinson, Seager and pitcher Michael Pineda — and also used rookie relievers Cortes and Tom Wilhelmsen.
Wedge, who has used 112 different lineups in 121 games this season, didn’t seem all that impressed when asked if he’d ever played more than eight rookies.
“I think I started 10 (when he managed the Indians),” he said. “But that doesn’t come into play with me. I’m putting out there what I feel I need to put out there, for multiple reasons right now.”
The main reason is to evaluate talent as the Mariners learn who can and can’t play at this level.
Special place
Reliever Tom Wilhelmsen is a fairly simple guy (he often rides a bike instead of driving a car). When asked what he did with the game ball after his first major league victory Monday night, nobody expected his answer to be anything grandiose.
It wasn’t.
“I put it on the counter,” Wilhelmsen said.
Of note
The Mariners are expected to announce the player to be named later in the Aug. 30 trade with the Tigers, possibly by today. General manager Jack Zduriencik has said it will be a highly regarded prospect, and the name mentioned most often is right-handed pitcher Chance Ruffin, the Tigers’ first-round draft pick last year (48th overall). Ruffin is 3-3 with a 2.03 ERA in 482/3 innings of relief with the Tigers’ Class AA and AAA teams this year. … When Brandon League saved games Saturday, Sunday and Monday it was the first time since David Aardsma on Aug. 8-10 last year that a Mariner had saved three straight games. Nobody has recorded a save in four straight Mariners games. … Two recent signees from Venezuela, outfielder Jose Leal and right-handed pitcher Victor Sanchez. The Mariners haven’t said where they will play.
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