With two struggling veteran starters, and two youngsters thriving at Class AAA Tacoma, the Mariners were expected to alter their pitching rotation.
It finally happened Friday, although the lone move was a minor one.
Manager Mike Hargrove said the undisclosed shuffling did not involve a player being released or sent to the bullpen, which means that minor league phenoms Jorge Campillo and Felix Hernandez will stay at Class AAA – for now.
Hargrove did not go into the specifics of the decision before Friday’s game, citing the fact that he had yet to inform the effected pitcher of the move.
The most likely scenario is that veteran Aaron Sele will miss his turn in the rotation. He was scheduled to pitch Monday against the New York Yankees, but has been hit pretty hard in three of his last five outings. Left-hander Jamie Moyer, who hasn’t fared any better recently, could take Sele’s turn against the Yankees.
The rotation remains the same through the current series with the Boston Red Sox, with Joel Pineiro starting Friday night, followed by Ryan Franklin tonight and Gil Meche on Sunday afternoon.
Because Sele and Moyer have been roughed up lately, there has been speculation that the Mariners might turn to one of their young arms. When asked about Hernandez, Seattle’s 19-year-old phenom, Hargrove was blunt in his assertion that the right-hander needs more seasoning.
“The kid’s 19 years old,” Hargrove said. “He’s got a lot of potential and a lot of talent, but we would like to give him the opportunity to develop that talent to the point where he’s able to defend himself. Even if you have talent, there’s going to be a period where it’s going to be rough. And we want him to be prepared to fight his way through that.”
Hernandez has a 5-2 record at Tacoma, holding batters to a .208 average while striking out 39 in 43 innings of work. He allowed just two hits in seven scoreless innings of work during a 3-0 win on Thursday.
Campillo, a 26-year-old who pitched in Mexico last year, has a 2-1 record and 3.00 ERA in six starts with the Rainiers. But the Mariners are in no rush to call him up, either.
For now, they’re putting off any youth movement.
Waiting for a ring: While it was nice to finally see some of his former teammates on Friday night, Mariners shortstop Pokey Reese had another reason to be excited this weekend.
Reese, who played for the Boston Red Sox last year, is still waiting for his World Series ring. He said that the Red Sox told him they’d send it in the mail, yet he still hadn’t received it as of Friday afternoon.
“It’s my first time winning a World Series, so I don’t even know the process,” he said. “They didn’t send it through the mail yet, so hopefully they brought it with them.”
Reese didn’t get to play against his former teammates Friday night, as he’s still in the early stages of recovery from a shoulder surgery he underwent last week. He’s expected to miss five to seven more weeks of action.
Injury update: While designated hitter Bucky Jacobsen underwent a second surgery Friday, left-handed starter Bobby Madritsch is still waiting to see if he’ll need one.
Madritsch is currently on the 15-day disabled list because of a torn ligament in his throwing shoulder. The southpaw was originally scheduled to undergo a second MRI next week, but that has now been pushed back another week.
Madritsch is out of his sling and doing light rehab work but doesn’t know when he’ll be able to start throwing again.
“Surgery is something we don’t want to do,” he said before Friday’s game, “so we’re hoping for it to heal on its own.”
Jacobsen, meanwhile, is recovering from a second knee surgery. He also underwent an operation during the offseason, eventually landing him on the 60-day DL. There is no word on when or if Jacobsen will be able to come back this season.
Around the horn: The Mariners signed outfielder Michael Saunders to a minor league contract on Friday. The 18-year-old Saunders is a Vancouver, B.C., native who was selected in the 11th round of last year’s draft. He will take batting practice with the team today and is expected to eventually play with the rookie-league team in Peoria, Ariz. … Naval Captain C. Andrew McCauley of the U.S.S. Lincoln threw out the ceremonial first pitch on Friday.
Scott M. Johnson, Herald writer
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