Opponent: Cleveland Indians
When: 1:05 p.m.
Where: Safeco Field
TV: Fox Sports Net
Radio: KOMO (1000 AM)
Pitchers: Seattle left-hander Jamie Moyer (3-0, 3.00 earned run average) vs. right-hander Scott Elarton (0-0,7.90).
The Reed plan
Rookie center fielder Jeremy Reed batted eighth Saturday night as manager Mike Hargrove continued to bring him along slowly against left-handed pitching.
It was the first time Reed has batted anywhere but second this season. Randy Winn batted second Saturday against Indians left-hander Cliff Lee.
Reed, a left-hander who is 1-for-8 against left-handed pitchers this season, didn’t start the Mariners’ recent games against three of the tougher lefties in the American League – Mark Buehrle of the White Sox, Barry Zito of the A’s and C.C. Sabathia of the Indians.
“There are certain ways you can ease a young left-hander into playing every day, and that’s one of them,” Hargrove said. “There are certain left-handers he won’t play against and there are ones he will.”
Reed, after a strong spring training when he showed he could handle the No. 2 spot in the batting order, is hitting .255.
“I’ve been happy with Jeremy since the first day I saw him,” Hargrove said. “He’s still doing things right at the plate. There are times when I’d like to see him take more pitches than he does, but that goes for any player.
“I’ve been happy with Jeremy in the way he has conducted himself. You can tell a lot about a person when things aren’t going well in how they handle themselves and how they work. You couldn’t tell if Jeremy was going great or going bad. He works hard, pays attention to detail, stays focused on his job. When you have talent, things tend to work out when you pay attention to things like that.”
Olivo’s OK: Catcher Miguel Olivo’s batting average has dropped to .143 and it’s obvious to Hargrove that he’s pressing with the bat.
What’s also clear, Hargrove says, is that Olivo hasn’t let his problems at the plate carry over behind it.
“I had a conversation with him recently about that very thing,” Hargrove said. “I told him I haven’t seen that, and he needs to continue to play that way.”
Olivo, who worked hard in the offseason to improve his defense, has one passed ball in the 13 games he has played and has shown dramatic improvement over last year. He committed 13 passed balls in 2004, nine after he was traded to the Mariners in June.
“He’s receiving the ball well, he’s calling good games, he’s moving well behind the plate and blocking balls,” Hargrove said. “I think he’s pressing a little bit with his hitting right now, but I think that he’s gong to be all right.”
Hello baldy: Olivo showed up Saturday with a shaved head, the product of a long look at himself in the mirror after he got out of bed.
“I got up, looked at myself in the mirror and did it,” Olivo said.
He isn’t sure it’s a look he will keep, and someone assured him it will grow back soon.
Just then, Mariners third-base coach Jeff Newman walked by, took off his cap and said, “It don’t always grow back.”
Newman is bald, naturally.
Coming attractions: Here are the pitching matchups for the Mariners’ upcoming series at Texas: Tuesday, Joel Pineiro vs. Ryan Drese; Wednesday, Ryan Franklin vs. Kenny Rogers; Thursday, Gil Meche vs. Chris Young.
Of note: Marysville resident Susan Roberts received a check for $18,000 in a pregame ceremony after she won a contest to have her mortgage paid for a year. … On Education Night at Safeco Field, Willie Bloomquist’s sixth-grade teacher, Steve Kao-Mattox of South Colby Elementary in Port Orchard, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. … The Safeco Field roof rolled overhead just before Saturday’s game because of rain in downtown Seattle. … Today’s game will be televised world-wide on the Armed Forces Network.
Kirby Arnold, Herald Writer
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