SEATTLE — After being dealt to the Texas Rangers in December, Patrick Kivlehan is once again a member of the Seattle Mariners organization.
The Mariners announced on Sunday that they acquired Kivlehan, a 26-year-old infielder whom they drafted as a fourth-rounder in 2012, in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Kivlehan spent the first four seasons of his professional career in the Mariners minor-league system, but in December was traded to the Rangers along with James Jones and Tom Wilhelmsen in exchange for outfielder Leonys Martin and right-hander Anthony Bass.
In 36 games this season with Round Rock, the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate, Kivlehan batted just .184 with one home run. He hit .256 with 22 homers in 123 games last season with the Tacoma Rainiers.
To make room for Kivlehan on the 40-man roster, the Mariners placed 30-year-old right-hander Evan Scribner on the 60-day disabled list.
Marte looks good
Mariners manager Scott Servais said injured shortstop Ketel Marte, placed on the 15-day disabled list May 22, “looks great” in his recovery from a sprained left thumb and will likely begin his Triple-A rehab assignment when the Mariners leave on Tuesday for San Diego.
“He’s swinging the bat,” Servais said. “I think he’s going to hit in the cage with the actual BP thrower today, underneath in the cage. That’ll kind of be the last test. If he gets through that, he’ll be ready to go out on the rehab after.”
Marte is eligible to return to the 25-man roster on June 6.
Cruz leaves yard
Mariners slugger Nelson Cruz seemed nonplussed about the home run he hit completely out of Safeco Field and onto Royal Brougham Way during batting practice prior to Saturday’s game.
“That’s not like a real homer,” he said. “It’s just BP.”
Still, the blast was believed to be the first of its kind, batting practice or otherwise. Cruz said he did it because Mariners ace Felix Hernandez was encouraging him to “hit it out, hit it out.”
So he did. The Mariners posted video of the homer on their official Twitter account.
“I don’t think I’m going to try to do it (again),” he said. “I went 0-for-4 (Saturday), so I don’t think it worked out. And I missed some balls that I should have hit good, too.”
Said Servais: “That 5 o’clock stuff is fun to watch, but it’s the 7 o’clock stuff I’m concerned about.”
No sleep Saturday
Nights like Saturday, Servais said, sleep doesn’t come easy.
He said the Mariners have been fortunate this season to mostly avoid outcomes like their 6-5 defeat against the Twins on Saturday, a loss capped by a wild, 2-4-5-6 double play in the bottom of the ninth inning.
But that one kept him up a bit afterward.
The game ended after Kyle Seager tried to take second base when a pitch bounced in front of Twins catcher Juan Centeno, then Centeno threw to second base well before Seager got there, then Seager tried to retreat, then Shawn O’Malley wandered too far off third base, then Twins second baseman Brian Dozier threw O’Malley out at third and third baseman Eduardo Nunez threw back to shortstop Eduardo Escobar to nail Seager trying to take second base.
Game over. Not how the Mariners drew it up.
“Crazy play, and not one that you practice too often,” Servais said. “You certainly don’t expect a game to end that way. It just happened. We had guys that were probably a little too aggressive in that spot, but I don’t fault our guys at all. We had many, many chances in that game early in the game, too, to take care of business, and we didn’t. Like I said, it’s over, and we’ll let it go.”
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