M’s notebook: Cano sits with abdominal strain
Published 10:28 pm Wednesday, July 29, 2015
SEATTLE — Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano sat out Wednesday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks with an abdominal strain and is currently considered day-to-day. He has an MRI scheduled for Wednesday. Brad Miller replaced him at second.
“It’s a grade one strain,” Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. “He’s going to need a couple of days off and he may be able to DH after that. Five or six days later he should be able to resume playing.”
Cano first felt discomfort a few days ago while making a play in the field. He continued to play including Tuesday. He is expected to travel with the team to Minnesota for their four-game series.
Cano has recently started hitting the ball much better after batting .251 and hitting six home runs before the All-Star break. In 12 games after the break, Cano has hit .348 (16-for-46) with five home runs.
In the last nine games Cano has batted in the cleanup spot and has hit .406 (13-for-35) with three home runs and eight RBI.
Morrison leaves game
Mariners first baseman Logan Morrison exited the game at the beginning of the eighth inning Wednesday with a thumb injury and designated hitter Mark Trumbo replaced him at first.
“It (his thumb) was pretty swollen,” McClendon said. “Right now he’s considered day-to-day.”
Peterson moves up
Third baseman D.J. Peterson — the second-ranked prospect in the Mariners organization according to Baseball America — was called up to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers on Wednesday.
Peterson started the 2015 season playing for the Double-A Jackson Generals. He was hitting .223, with seven home runs and 44 RBI in 93 games for the Generals.
Peterson — a former first-round pick — struggled at the beginning of the season, but has been hitting better since the All-Star break. In his last 10 games with the Generals, Peterson hit .256 (10-for-39) with a home run and four RBI.
Cruz continues success
Nelson Cruz extended his hitting streak to nine games after going 1-for-3 with a single Wednesday. The hitting streak ties his previous season high.
During his current streak, Cruz is hitting .394 (15-for-39). During the homestand, Cruz hit .454 (10-for-22) with two home runs and four RBI.
Cruz also increased his American League-leading batting average against left-handers, going 1-for-3 against the Diamondbacks left-hander Patrick Corbin and raising his average against lefties to .385.
Short hops
The Mariners are tied with Detroit and Los Angeles for the most home runs in the AL in July with 33. … Kyle Seager committed his 12th error of the season Wednesday, the third most in his career. … Vidal Nuno’s 91/3 inning scoreless streak came to an end as he allowed a run in the eighth inning Wednesday. … Brad Miller has collected three multi-hit games in his last four games.
On tap
The Mariners travel to Minnesota for a four-game series against the Minnesota Twins. The first game is Thursday at 5:10 p.m. The Mariners will start left-hander J.A. Happ (4-5 4.27 ERA) and he will face Twins right-hander Phil Hughes (9-6 3.93 ERA).
