Today
Opponent: Oakland A’s
When: 7:10 p.m.
Where: Safeco Field
TV: FSN
Radio: ESPN 710 AM
Pitchers: Seattle left-hander Jason Vargas (0-1, 8.44 earned run average) vs. left-hander Gio Gonzalez (1-0, 3.00).
M’s hope Lee returns in May
Cliff Lee’s recovery from a strained abdomen has been such a success that the Mariners are targeting a return date for their star left-handed pitcher.
The most likely scenario is May 1 if Lee remains on an every-fifth-day schedule that will begin in earnest on Friday when he’s scheduled to face hitters for the first time since the injury in a simulated game.
Manager Don Wakamatsu said Lee probably would need two minor league rehab starts in order to push his pitch count near 100. Barring setback, that would put him in line to start the May 1 game at Safeco Field against the Texas Rangers.
Given Lee’s strong recovery, the biggest uncertainty may be his five-game suspension from a March 15 incident in spring training. Lee is scheduled to participate in a hearing today to explain his side of a confrontation with the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chris Snyder. Lee threw a pitch near Snyder’s head two innings after they had collided when Lee attempted to back up a play at home plate.
“We’ve got a couple of scenarios in place based on his health and the other issue h e has going on, and we’ll go from there,” pitching coach Rick Adair said.
Lee threw 63 pitches in the bullpen Tuesday in a session that Adair said was typical of any pitcher, injury or not.
“He looked great. He feels good,” Adair said.
Wakamatsu said Lee was so strong Tuesday that he may throw more than the scheduled three innings in the simulated game Friday.
“We may see if we can bump it up to three or four innings because he feels so good,” Wakamatsu said.
Besides Lee’s simulated game, recovering pitcher Erik Bedard will throw 60 pitches off the bullpen mound Friday as he continues his impressive comeback from shoulder surgery in August.
Bedard played catch Tuesday and will long-toss today before throwing what Wakamatsu describes as “an extended bullpen” Friday. Bedard is well ahead of original estimates of pitching in June or July and could be pitching in May.
Wak’s message: show some personality
Strong pitching will make a team look dull, but Wakamatsu said the Mariners lacked personality in their 4-0 loss to the A’s in the home opener Monday, and he discussed that with the team Tuesday.
“We talked about having some personality out there,” Wakamatsu said. “Yesterday, I watched that game in front of 45,000 fans and I didn’t see the personality in our players. A lot of that is because they’re all trying to do too much and trying to carry the club.”
As he said after Monday’s game, Wakamatsu believes too many players have drifted from team goals and tried too hard to make an impact individually. Monday, the Mariners had wanted their hitters to drive the ball to the opposite field against A’s starter Justin Duchscherer; instead, too many tried to pull the ball and were easy outs.
“We have to rely on each other and start functioning as a group,” Wakamatsu said. “It’s so early in the season that it’s going to take some time to really have an identity as a ballclub. I’m not asking them to win 10 in a row. I’d love for that to happen but what I’m saying is that we have to play the game a little more intelligently. When you play with a monkey on your back and play for what other people think, that puts a lot of self-imposed pressure on yourself.”
Wakamatsu said losing three of four games in the opening series at Oakland last week created self-doubt.
“All of the sudden you start questioning how good you are,” he said. “It’s a long season and we just have to make sure to keep these guys’ spirits up and get them to realize that we are going to work through some things and get this thing turned around.”
Of note
His average was .045 going into Tuesday night’s game, but Milton Bradley was tied for seventh in the American League with six walks. … Chone Figgins’ single off pitcher Brett Anderson’s glove in the third inning Tuesday ended an 0-for-13 skid by the Mariners’ first two hitters (Ichiro Suzuki and Figgins) going back to the fifth inning Sunday at Texas. … On opening day, Ken Griffey Jr. became the 27th player in big-league history to play in at least four decides, and he was joined on that list by two former Mariners _ Omar Vizquel with the White Sox and Jamie Moyer of the Phillies.
Read Kirby Arnold’s blog on the Mariners at www.heraldnet.com/marinersblog
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