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Mariners Update

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, March 14, 2004

Mariners vs. Oakland A’s at Phoenix, 12:05 p.m.

Radio: KOMO (1000 AM)

Pitchers: Left-hander Jamie Moyer will make his third exhibition start and pitch four innings, followed by left-handers Eddie Guardado and Terry Mulholland, and right-hander Aaron Looper.

  • Ron Villone continues to do everything the Mariners have asked, including a change in his pitching delivery that has yielded results.

    The veteran is trying to make the club as a left-handed reliever and didn’t do himself any harm with three perfect innings in the morning B game against the Texas Rangers.

    “He’s changing his arm angle, showing us he can throw a breaking ball to left-handers and get it over on the other side of the plate,” manager Bob Melvin said. “He got (David) Delucci out on a sidearm fastball that he jammed him with. He’s doing a bunch of stuff that we’re asking him to do to get left-handers out.”

    Villone has struggled more against left-handed hitters than righties in his career and the Mariners, who need a specialist against left-handed hitters, have asked him to alter his delivery.

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  • Utility player Dave Hansen, who missed Saturday’s game because of a sore quad muscle, felt it again Sunday during pinch-hitting duty against the Rangers. Melvin said Hansen may need another day before he plays again.

  • Relief pitcher Rafael Soriano, who strained an oblique muscle in his left side early in spring training, threw 20 pitches on flat ground Sunday morning.

    “It went really well. He threw effortlessly with no pain,” trainer Rick Griffin said.

    Soriano is scheduled to throw from the bullpen mound Tuesday.

  • “When you talk about the Nageottes and the Blackleys and so forth, this kid is really starting to creep up, too.”

    Manager Bob Melvin on Korean pitcher Cha Seung Baek, who pitched two scoreless innings Sunday and has a 1.42 ERA in 6 1/3exhibition innings.

    Kirby Arnold, Herald Writer

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