Opponent: New York Yankees
When: 4:05 p.m.
Where: Yankee Stadium, New York
TV: KIRO (Ch. 7)
Radio: KIRO (710 AM)
Probable starters: Seattle righthander Freddy Garcia (3-2, 3.93) vs. left-hander Ted Lilly (0-2, 1.35).
Hours before the game Thursday, Jeff Nelson threw in the visiting bullpen without his constant companion for the past month – pain.
Nelson left spring training with mild inflammation in his right forearm, and it persisted throughout the month, which left him with a forgettable 5.59 earned run average in 10 games.
“We haven’t been able to use him this trip yet,” manager Lou Piniella said. “It’s just tenderness, but he hasn’t been able to shake it, so he asked for a little down time.”
Since Sunday, Nelson has had that.
“We all have tenderness and most of the time you pitch through it,” Nelson said. “This just wouldn’t go away. When I’m struggling consistently, there’s usually something wrong.”
With the forearm aching, Nelson could throw his fastball and often did. But the only thing his out pitch, the hard slider, bit was his arm.
“You can’t throw that pitch when you’re thinking, ‘Don’t leave it over the middle of the plate,’ ” Nelson said. “I felt discomfort every time I threw the slider.”
After his last outing on Sunday against the Yankees, Nelson told pitching coach Bryan Price he needed a few days of rest. After not throwing Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, Nelson tested his forearm by throwing in the bullpen before Thursday’s game.
“It felt fine, no pain,” he said. “Now I’m not throwing as hard as I would in a game, but I was throwing hard.”
He’s also been getting physical therapy since Sunday.
“Have we missed him? Yes,” Piniella said. “He wasn’t 100 per cent last month, but he kept taking the ball. The strength of this staff is the bullpen and how we handle the late innings. Without Jeff, we’re not the same staff.”
On the mend: It’s been a week since Ichiro Suzuki suffered a cut left knee that required four stitches. The stitches won’t be removed until Monday because of their location – just below the knee cap – and the fear that the wound could reopen as the leg bends. For that reason, Ichiro has been told not to attempt stealing once on base. “Ichiro running is a big part of our offense, but if we open that cut again it could really set him back,” Piniella said.
Road mystique: If you’re wondering why the team is 8-7 at home and 11-2 on the road, consider the numbers. At Safefco Field, Seattle is batting .242 and Mariners pitchers have a 4.53 ERA. On the road, that ERA is only slightly higher (4.67), but the team is batting .324.
Yuck: How miserable was it on the field during the three-time rain delayed game Wednesday. “That’s about as bad as it’s ever been on any field I’ve been on,” Bret Boone said.
And how about Drysdale’s, too, while you’re at it: When the topic of player autographs came up on the team bus, broadcast Ron Fairly remembered the mail he’d get while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ’60s. “I’d get a lot of letters that said, ‘Dear Mr. Fairly, You’re my favorite ballplayer. Could you please get me Sandy Koufax’s autograph?” Fairly said.
Larry LaRue
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