Mariners Update

  • Sunday, May 20, 2001 9:00pm
  • Sports

Opponent: Minnesota Twins

When: 5:05 p.m. Tuesday, 10:05 a.m. Wednesday

Where: Metrodome in Minneapolis

TV: KIRO (Ch. 7) on Tuesday, ESPN (cable) on Wednesday

Radio: KIRO (710 AM) both days.

Pitchers: Tuesday – Seattle right-hander Paul Abbott (2-1, 4.15 earned run average) vs. right-hander Brad Radke (7-1, 2.83). Wednesday – right-hander Freddy Garcia (2-0, 4.13) vs. left-hander Eric Milton (5-3, 3.43)

Cobwebs: Al Martin looked well, and he said he felt fine.

But a concussion is a mysterious thing, and the Seattle Mariners won’t take any chances with their outfielder, who was knocked out Saturday when he collided with shortstop Carlos Guillen on a first-inning fly to shallow left field. He probably won’t play for several days.

“The medical people say there’s a five to seven-day window,” general manager Pat Gillick said. “If you suffer another concussion in that period, it could have a serious effect.”

Martin’s situation has created a roster dilemma that Gillick wishes baseball would address with something along the lines of a seven-day disabled list. Currently, injured players can be put on 15- and 60-day DLs.

“We’re in a Catch 22,” Gillick said. “Do we DL him and lose him for 15 days, or do we go four games short-handed?”

Martin, who played football at USC and said he suffered a much worse concussion there, said he had only a slight headache and some nausea Saturday night.

He seemed more concerned, in a painfully amusing sort of way, at how the play was described on the radio. Martin caught the ball, although he doesn’t remember a lot about it.

“I heard Dave Niehaus call it, and he said, ‘Great catch by Guillen!’” Martin said. “That’s the way my year is going. Does anybody know a sewer I can take a bath in?”

Back in the game: Ed Sprague, called up from Class AAA Tacoma on Sunday, believes he can still be a productive player, even though he was caught up in a numbers game at spring training and was released by the San Diego Padres.

“I don’t feel like I’ve lost anything, other than the opportunity to play,” said Sprague, who batted .316 with two home runs and four RBI in five games with the Rainiers. “I feel great. I feel like I haven’t left. I feel like I’m still a major league player.”

Sprague has primarily been a third baseman in his nine-year major league career, but he played third base, left field and DH with the Rainiers.

“And he could be an emergency catcher if we need him,” manager Lou Piniella said.

K stands for Cameron: Mike Cameron struck out three times Sunday, giving him six strikeouts in his last nine at-bats going back to Friday’s game. Cameron went 0-for-4 Sunday and is hitting .264.

Run, run, run: Mark McLemore stole two bases Sunday against Yankees catcher Jorge Posada, pushing his weekend total to three on Posada. The Mariners stole eight bases on Posada, who threw out only Carlos Guillen in the third inning Friday.

The last word: Joe Torre didn’t take kindly to a comment from Mariners reliever, and former Yankee, Jeff Nelson, who suspected that Orlando Hernandez intentionally hit Ichiro Suzuki with a pitch Saturday.

“He’s never shy of an opinion,” said Torre, who got sideways with Nelson last year after he didn’t put him on the All-Star roster. “Nellie’s Nellie. But that’s not going to influence my decision on whether he makes the All-Star Game or not.”

Hmmm.

Kirby Arnold

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