Brandon Morrow threw 51 pitches and couldn’t get through the third inning in his second start for Class AAA Tacoma.
Before anyone jokes that Morrow would fit right into the Seattle Mariners’ rotation, it’s not the numbers that are important right now.
Morrow’s mission is to build up his pitch count, refine his slider and changeup and adopt the mentality of a starter compared with the all-out approach as a late-inning reliever. What happened Monday at Tucson, where Morrow gave up five hits and three runs in 22/3 innings, was a small blip in the big picture.
The Mariners sent Morrow to the Rainiers last week to begin his transformation into a starter. He’ll increase his pitch count by 15 each outing and, once he reaches 90-100, the Mariners will consider calling him back up and putting him in the rotation. At best, that would happen the final week of August.
In his first start last Wednesday against Albuquerque, Morrow gave up one hit in 12/3 scoreless innings. He struggled more with his control Monday at Tucson, walking two, and has an 0-1 record with a 6.23 ERA after two starts.
First baseman Jon Nelson batted .333 with one home run and eight RBI in his first nine games after being called up from Class AA West Tennessee. He batted .276 with seven homers and 31 RBI for the Diamond Jaxx.
Outfielder Victor Diaz had a .285 average, 23 homers and 92 RBI entering Tuesday’s game at Las Vegas.
Left-hander Ryan Feierabend is 7-1 with a 2.11 ERA, and has started four games since coming off the disabled list because of a forearm injury.
The Rainiers entered Tuesday 64-58 and second in the Pacific Coast League Pacific North, eight games behind first-place Salt Lake.
Elsewhere
Class AA West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx: First baseman Johan Limonta went 7-for-14 with four doubles and four RBI in a four-game stretch entering Tuesday, lifting his average to .307 with nine homers and 51 RBI.
The Diamond Jaxx were 21-28 and 10½ games behind first-place Carolina in the Southern League North second-half standings.
Class A High Desert Mavericks: Third baseman Ronnie Prettyman was batting .314 and second baseman Chris Minaker, an Edmonds-Woodway High School graduate, .306 with 40 doubles. Minaker entered Tuesday with an eight-game hitting streak and a .450 average in his previous 10 games.
The Mavericks were 21-29 and fifth in the California League South, 7½ games behind Lancaster in the second-half standings.
Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers: Right-handers Michael Pineda and Phillippe Aumont combined Saturday for one of the highlights of a difficult season for the Rattlers.
Pineda gave up two hits in six shutout innings against Kane County, lifting his record to 7-8 with a 2.17 ERA.
Aumont, on the disabled list since early June because of a tender elbow, relieved Pineda and gave up three hits and one earned run in three innings. Aumont is 4-4 with a 2.64 ERA in 13 appearances this season.
The Rattlers entered Tuesday 15-35 and last in the Midwest League Western Division, 15½ games behind first-place Burlington.
Short-season Class A Pulaski Mariners: Right-hander Brooks Mohr pitched a season-high seven innings Thursday against Johnson City, allowing eight hits and two earned runs. He’s 5-2 with a 2.66 ERA in 10 starts. Right-hander Philip Roy is 3-0, 1.52 with four saves in 14 relief appearances.
The Mariners had won seven of 10 games and were 33-20 to lead the Appalachian League East, 4½ games ahead of Danville.
Rookie-level Peoria Mariners: Left-hander Richard Ortiz is 2-1, 1.86 with two saves in 12 games. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in his past three appearances covering four innings.
Shortstop Scott Savastano went 5-for-5 Saturday against Tempe and is batting .333.
The Mariners are 7-6 and three games behind first-place Scottsdale in the Arizona League second-half standings.
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