Mariners closer J.J. Putz says it’s not the number of pitches he throws but the stress
he endures in a save situation that determines his ability to bounce back quickly.
“It’s a lot more stressful to throw three one-run games in a row than if you throw three in a row but they’ve all been three-run leads,” he said. “There’s a lot more room for error. Everything is more magnified with a one-run lead. One pitch can change that whole game.”
He endured that for 113 innings Friday, when he got the final out of the eighth inning with the tying run on base, then finished off the White Sox in the ninth for his 35th save. It was the 10th time this season the Mariners have used him for more than an inning.
“It’s going to happen every now and again,” manager John McLaren said. “If you look at the past, he’s always had rest when we’ve done it. We’re careful how we do it. I don’t think one out in the eighth inning is too big a deal. When you start going two innings on a consistent basis, then we’re talking about a different ballgame.”
Putz said he reflects back to a talk he had last year with veteran Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, who stressed the need to prepare himself mentally to pitch more than the ninth inning.
“A lot of times when you pitch in the eighth inning, you’re coming in to save the game,” Putz said. “The perfect scenario would be a three-run lead, bases loaded with two outs and you get out of that jam, and then you’ve got a three-run lead in the ninth. Basically, you’ve saved the game in the eighth.”
Changing pace: McLaren said he spoke with catcher Kenji Johjima after Friday night’s game, when he was upset with the pitch selection that led to Danny Richar’s grand-slam homer in the seventh inning.
Johjima called for five straight fastballs from reliever George Sherrill before Richar hit the slam that turned a 5-0 Mariners lead into a one-run game. McLaren had hoped Sherrill would have mixed his fastball with a few offspeed pitches.
“I just don’t like going with the same pitch to the same hitter five times in a row,” McLaren said. “Sometimes you do that when a guy’s got a slow bat or something, but that wasn’t the case here. You learn from it.”
Set lineup: After weaving Ben Broussard and Adam Jones into the lineup early in the month, McLaren has rolled out nearly the same nine players throughout this homestand.
Richie Sexson has remained at first base and Raul Ibanez in left field after both had spent time on the bench earlier when they were struggling offensively.
“When we need to give somebody a day off or whatever, we’ll shake it up a little bit,” McLaren said. “But I think we’ll go basically with the same set of outfielders, DH and stuff like that. Sometimes when it’s a day game after a night game we’ll switch catchers and might give one of the middle infielders a day off.”
Of note: Right fielder Jose Guillen was feeling fine Saturday after coming out of Friday night’s game in the ninth inning because of a headache. “There was no residual effect,” McLaren said. “He said he hadn’t eaten since breakfast.” … Jose Vidro’s two sacrifice flies Friday night gave him five this month, tying the Mariners’ one-month record held by Jeffrey Leonard (August, 1989), Edgar Martinez (August, 2002) and Gorman Thomas (May, 1984). … The Safeco Field roof was closed during Saturday night’s game because of rain. It was the 17th game this season played under the roof. … Pitchers for this weeks’ series at Minnesota are Horacio Ramirez vs. Matt Garza on Monday, Jarrod Washburn vs. Scott Baker on Tuesday and Miguel Batista vs. Carlos Silva on Wednesday.
Kirby Arnold, Herald Writer
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