As expected, Mariners manager Mike Hargrove announced a change to his starting rotation Saturday, but the move itself was not expected.
Joel Pineiro was optioned to Tacoma, where the club hopes he will rediscover the mechanics that made him a 16-game winner in 2003.
Hargrove said Pineiro will spend 10 days in Tacoma but will not pitch in a game. Left-handed reliever George Sherrill will be called up from the Rainiers to take Pineiro’s spot on the roster.
Julio Mateo will take Pineiro’s place in the rotation. Mateo will make his first major league start on Tuesday against the New York Yankees. Jamie Moyer will be pushed back one day and start Wednesday.
Hargrove stressed that sending Pineiro down was not a health-related move. Pineiro was placed on the disabled list last July with a strained flexor in his right elbow and missed the rest of the 2004 season. He then missed most of spring training with a stiff right shoulder.
“We want him to work on his mechanics and get that squared away,” Hargrove said. “It has nothing to do with anyone else in the rotation. It’s just to get him back on track.”
Pineiro is 2-3 with a 6.52 earned run average in six starts this season after going 6-11 last year.
Speculation on tweaking the rotation centered on veteran Aaron Sele, who is 2-4 with a 6.31 ERA. But Sele is still scheduled to make his start Monday against the Yankees.
A clearly upset Pineiro would not comment prior to Saturday’s game against the Red Sox.
“The most important thing is that when he’s out on the mound that he’s comfortable and confident,” Mariners pitching coach Bryan Price said. “You get that way by knowing your mechanics are sound.”
Price said Pineiro was being sent to Tacoma rather than staying in Seattle to work on his mechanics because the team didn’t want to be short a player in the rotation. He said it was important to curb Pineiro’s struggles before it ruined his confidence. Price said there isn’t one obvious flaw in Pineiro’s mechanics.
“We’re not sandbagging this kid,” Price said. “We’re doing what we believe is 100 percent in his best interest.”
In Tacoma, Pineiro is expected to work with pitching coach Rafael Chaves, who was responsible for helping Gil Meche turn his season around last year and worked closely in developing Rafael Soriano and Mateo at Class AA San Antonio. Chaves coached with the Everett AquaSox in 1999.
Hargrove said he hopes to get “five or six” innings out of Mateo on Tuesday. Mateo has been Seattle’s best reliever this season, compiling a 0.41 ERA in 11 games, allowing one earned run and two walks in 22 innings. The right hander has pitched in 118 games, all in relief, since making his major league debut with Seattle in 2002.
“He throws strikes, he’s got good stuff and he’s kept us in ballgames,” Hargrove said of Mateo.
Sherrill on the way: Sherrill will give the Mariners a third lefty in the bullpen, along with Ron Villone and Matt Thornton.
At Tacoma, Sherrill is 1-2 with a 2.30 ERA and a team-best six saves. Last season with the Mariners, Sherrill went 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA in 21 relief appearances.
Tyrone tosses: University of Washington football coach Tyrone Willingham threw out the first pitch. Willingham fired a strike to Jeff Nelson.
Run, Ronnie, run: Villone will be running in the annual Beat the Bridge fun run today. The event, which raises funds to benefit Juvenile Diabetes research, begins and ends at Husky Stadium.
Reed settling in: Since starting the season 0-for-13, Jeremy Reed has batted .284. His .252 average ranks third among American League rookies. Reed is second with 29 hits, tied for second with 16 runs, first with six doubles and 15 walks and second in on-base percentage (.344).
Winn likes the top: Since moving from the seventh spot in the lineup to second on April 26, left fielder Randy Winn has hit .328. He was batting .274 in the seventh spot.
Mike Allende, Herald Writer
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