M’s rail
Published 11:40 pm Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Today in camp
Mariners vs. L.A. Angels, 12:05 p.m. (PST) in Peoria on KOMO radio (1000 AM).
Left-hander Erik Bedard will make his second exhibition start for the Mariners, followed to the mound by right-handers Cha Seung Baek, Sean Green, J.J. Putz and Brandon Morrow. Right-hander Nick Adenhart will start for the Angels.
Also today, the Mariners will play a morning B game against the Padres at the San Diego side of the Peoria Sports Complex. Horacio Ramirez and Chris Reitsma are among pitchers scheduled for the Mariners in the B game.
Tuesday in camp
n Miguel Batista left the Mariners’ loss to Oakland in Phoenix because of a sore back.
Batista gave up two runs and two hits in three innings. His back stiffened up on him while he was sitting on the bench after the second.
“I’ve had problems with it the last few days, and we’ve been working on it,” Batista said. “It was really bad; I couldn’t finish my pitches.”
Despite back pain, Batista retired the top of the A’s lineup in order in the third.
Mike Morse went 2-for-4 with a home run for the Mariners — and his spring training average went down to .636 from .714. Morse, in competition for a back up outfield spot, has driven in six runs in five games.
Raul Ibanez had two hits and drove in two runs and Miguel Cairo added two hits for Seattle. Yung Chi Chen hit a home run in the top of the second.
Tuesday’s box score
Athletics 9, Mariners 6
SeattleabrhbiOaklandabrhbi
Cairo 3b5120Denorfia lf3000
Btncourt ss3110Cnnnghm lf2110
Blmquist ss1000RSwney cf4010
Ibanez lf3022Gonzalez rf1000
Reed pr-lf1100Brown rf3010
Jimrsn ph1000Flrntino pr-rf-cf1211
Sexson 1b3000Cust dh3100
LaHair 1b2000Lindn ph-dh1110
Clemnt dh3011Johnsn 1b2000
Sardinha0000Bankstn 1b2012
Johjima c3110KSuzuki c2210
Burke c1000Bowen c2000
Blntien cf4011Hnnhn 3b2121
Morse rf4121Baisley pr-3b1111
Chen 2b3111Conrad 2b3012
Petit ss4012
Totals376116Totals369129
Seattle011003001—6
Oakland02010213x—9
E—Cairo, Petit. DP—Oakland 1. LOB—Oakland 9, Seattle 7. 2B—Balentien, Ibanez, Clement, Hannahan 2, Conrad, Petit, Cunningham, Bankston. HR—Chen, Morse. SF—Conrad.
SeattleIPHRERBBSO
Batista322212
Dickey221130
Woods132200
Rowland-Smith, L111012
Corcoran143300
OaklandIPHRERBBSO
Blanton442202
Saarloos243302
Embree, W110022
Meyer, S221110
WP—Dickey, Woods. PB—Johjima. T—2:44. A—3,809.
On the trainer’s table
n Designated hitter Jose Vidro has a hyperextended right elbow and might not play until Friday.
n Catcher Brant Ust had a magnetic resonance imaging exam after experiencing back spasms for the second time in spring training. He was feeling better Tuesday but was scheduled to see a back specialist.
n Pitcher Anderson Garcia had an MRI Tuesday on his sore right arm. He’s been down all spring training because of biceps tendinitis.
Weather
n It’ll be sunny and 75, although the temperature could rise in the M’s dugout in their first game against the AL West rival Angels.
They said it
n “If it messes up the catcher, and sometimes it does, I’m sure there is something about the physics when it comes into the strike zone late. It takes some getting used to.”
— R.A. Dickey, on whether umpires, like hitters and catchers, might get confused by his knuckleball. Some of Dickey’s borderline pitches weren’t called strikes by plate umpire Gerry Davis on Tuesday.
They did it
n Manager John McLaren, Jay Buhner, Dan Wilson, Rich Amaral, Lee Elia got together for dinner Monday night near the spring training complex and rehashed their glory days together with the M’s, especially the 1995 season.
“The stories were flowing,” McLaren said. “We had a good 10 years of Seattle stories. It was very refreshing and brought back a lot of memories.”
Kirby Arnold, Herald Writer
