CHICAGO — Drew Storen sees a certain symmetry and a hopeful omen that he landed with the Seattle Mariners in his quest to recapture the form that once made him one of the game’s top closers.
“I grew up as a big Mariners fan,” he revealed. “So it’s kind of cool from the fan’s standpoint in me. The team I grew up following. It’s great.”
How did a kid growing up in Indiana become a Mariners fan?
You guessed it.
“Griffey,” he said. “I was all in on Griffey. I had every teal jersey there was. I had the Mariners T-shirt and pillowcase during the playoffs and stuff. I was all in.”
The Mariners acquired Storen, 28, in a late Tuesday trade from Toronto for veteran reliever Joaquin Benoit. It amounts to a change-of-scenery, short-term rental for both clubs.
Storen and Benoit are each struggling through disappointing seasons that stand in sharp contrast to their career resumes. Each will be a free agent in the coming offseason. And each has something to prove over the next two months.
The Blue Jays designated Storen for assignment last Sunday in a move that, ironically, came one day after he allowed three runs in one inning to the Mariners at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Being DFA’d puts a player in limbo. His former club has 10 days to reach a resolution on his status, but he is no longer permitted to be around the ballpark. It was a stinging career low for Storen, who had 29 saves last season at Washington.
“It’s been a weird couple of days,” he admitted. “Just kind of hang out, go home, stay there in no-man’s land and wonder what’s going to happen. I got the call (Tuesday), and I was really excited that I was coming here. It was perfect.”
It didn’t start perfectly.
Storen joined the Mariners in time to pitch in Wednesday’s 10-1 blowout loss in Pittsburgh. He began with a one-two-three inning, but then manager Scott Servais sent him back out again.
It was only the second time since April 2013 that Storen was asked to go more than one inning — and it didn’t go well. Three of the first four batters reached on singles. Nothing hard. One was a bunt. Another a well-placed grounder.
But the bases were loaded. Storen then walked in a run before Servais went to the bullpen again for Nathan Karns. Servais later admitted, “I probably pushed the envelope a little too far.”
When Jung Ho Kang rocked Karns’ first pitch for a three-run double, those runs went on Storen’s line, which closed out at four runs in 1 1/3 innings. That’s sort of how this season has gone.
Storen’s ERA is now a grim 7.01. Contrast that with his 3.02 mark over the previous six seasons at Washington before he went to Toronto in a January trade for outfielder Ben Revere.
“I also had a tough year in ’13 in D.C. (with a 4.52 ERA in 68 games),” Storen said, “but I think a lot of it was I got off to a rough start (in Toronto). You know how stats are (for relievers).
“And it was an adjustment, adjusting to a new league. It’s a completely different ballgame for me. And I was adjusting to a new role. I was coming from a role where I was either setting up or closing.
“And then (in Toronto) I didn’t know who was getting the call. That was a big change. I got on a good run when I was throwing consistently. Then my work innings kind of ran out, and I sat for a little bit.
“That’s why I’m excited to be here because I get to throw consistently and show people what I can really do. My line right now doesn’t reflect what I can do.”
That’s what the Mariners are betting.
“I liked what I saw,” Servais said. “He’s going to help us. There’s no doubt.”
One plus for Storen over Benoit is he comes with no restrictions.
The Mariners have been carrying eight relievers in part because Benoit’s shoulder problems turned his status into a daily question for much of the season. Pitching back-to-back days wasn’t an option.
The main question surrounding Storen is diminished velocity; radar readings show his fastball is down a mile or two from previous years. He acknowledges this but points to an explanation.
“I think that’s the culmination of not getting a lot of work,” he said. “Also I was used to pitching in high-leverage situations. You get that extra little oomph in there.
“At the same time, when you’re facing hitters in the AL East (and its hitter-friendly parks), you don’t want to overthrow. That’s when you leave it up. You can’t afford a pop fly in that division.
“I concentrated more on my sinker. Just kind of using that. But I could reach back for 94 (mph). It’s not like I was always sitting 94-95-96 (in the past). I would just hit it every once in a while.
“Personally, I feel like the ball is coming out really well, and it’s moving more than it ever has before. So it’s just a matter of executing.”
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