SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners got a promising medical report Thursday on closer J.J. Putz, who was pulled from Wednesday’s game because of a sore right elbow.
A magnetic resonance imaging exam Thursday showed that Putz has no ligament damage. He won’t throw this weekend and will be re-examined on Monday.
Dr. Edward Khalfayan, the Mariners’ medical director, said Putz hyperextended his right elbow in the ninth inning Wednesday at Toronto. It caused inflammation in his triceps tendon and irritation to his ulnar nerve.
Putz, 31, is 2-3 with a 5.21 earned run average and seven saves in 10 save opportunities this season. He spent most of April on the disabled list because of a sore rib.
Putz was pulled from Wednesday’s game with nobody out in the ninth inning. Right-hander Brandon Morrow finished the game and recorded his first save of the season.
The Mariners haven’t said who will close games while Putz is out. Morrow, with a fastball that reached 100 mph during the last homestand, is a possibility.
So is veteran right-hander Miguel Batista, who was pulled from his scheduled start tonight against the Nationals and moved to the bullpen. Batista, 3-7 with a 6.00 ERA this season, has 38 career saves, including 31 in 39 save opportunities with the Blue Jays in 2005. He has one save in two chances this season.
Knuckleball pitcher R.A. Dickey, who has spent most of his time with the Mariners in long relief, will make his second start of the season tonight.
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