The first year after major surgery brings good times and bad for a pitcher, and it’s been mostly good for Travis Blackley.
The left-hander, who has long been a top Mariners prospect, is 3-2 with a 3.96 earned run average with the Class AA San Antonio Missions.
It has been a positive start for Blackley, who missed all of last season because of shoulder surgery.
He had his best outing on Tuesday, when he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning at Springfield, Mo., before giving up a leadoff double in the seventh. He finished with a two-hitter over 72/3 innings before leaving the game.
Blackley has been one of the few bright spots on a struggling San Antonio team.
The Missions entered Saturday 11-20 and last in the Texas League South Division, eight games behind Corpus Christi. They had lost five straight.
First baseman Bryan LaHair was batting .330 with five home runs and 17 RBI, infielder Michael Garciaparra was hitting .305 and outfielder Wladimir Balentien had hit six home runs. Balentien, however, had struck out 43 times in 111 at-bats.
Elsewhere around the Mariners’ minor league system:
Class AAA Tacoma Rainiers: Outfielder Mike Morse’s bat finally is coming around after a horrid start. He entered Saturday with a four-game hitting streak, going 7-for-16 in those games, to raise his average from .179 to .218.
Outfielder Adam Jones led the team with seven home runs and outfielder Chris Snelling, in his first week after coming back from knee surgery, went 3-for-5 with three walks and two RBI in his first two games.
Right-hander Cha Seung Baek had a 3-1 record with a 3.16 ERA.
The Rainiers won three straight to pull their record to 18-14, putting them third in the Pacific Coast League Pacific North Division, 1 1/2 games behind first-place Salt Lake.
Class A Inland Empire 66ers: The 66ers were getting solid pitching to build a 19-15 record that put them first in the California League South Division.
Ivan Blanco, Julio Santiago and Mumba Rivera all were 3-1 with ERAs below 3.00.
Infielder Yung Chi Chen led the league with a .356 average and he had 14 stolen bases. Ronald Prettyman was hitting .313 and Matt Tuiasosopo .305.
Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers: Jeff Dominguez was hitting .318 for the Rattlers, who were 15-18 and fifth in the Midwest League Western Division. Jose Escalona was 4-2 with a 3.00 ERA and Justin Thomas 3-3, 2.13.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
