PEORIA, Ariz. – Nobody has told Jeff Nelson that he has made the Seattle Mariners’ roster, but he believes the indications are positive.
“I would think that I’m on the club or they wouldn’t have scheduled me to throw back-to-back games,” Nelson said.
He pitched one inning in a minor league game Monday and will pitch again today against the Oakland A’s.
The Mariners must let Nelson know Wednesday, as stipulated in the minor-league contract he signed in the offseason, whether he has made the team.
“I’ve shown them everything I needed to show health-wise and with all of my pitches,” he said. “I would be hugely disappointed if it went the other way.”
Nelson came to spring training as a non-roster player, needing to prove that his right arm had recovered from surgery last year and that he could get hitters out.
For the most part, he has done that. He has pitched eight innings in seven exhibitions and allowed 12 hits and four walks. In his past five appearances, Nelson has given up just two earned runs and struck out seven in six innings.
On a pitching staff where few relievers have pitched with jaw-dropping results, Nelson is pitching well enough to make the team and give the Mariners a veteran with years of experience in late-inning situations.
The M’s must decide whether putting Nelson on the 40-man roster is worth lopping another player off, and also if he is as healthy as he has seemed.
Nelson was hurt most of last season with the Texas Rangers, pitching only 29 games and needing surgery on both his right knee and right elbow.
Asked if Nelson’s appearance in the minor league game Monday, where none of the big-league coaches were around to watch him, was a sign he had made the team, manager Mike Hargrove said only, “I can’t answer that.”
The Mariners have sent several of their pitchers to the minor-league side lately to get work, especially relievers who now need to pitch back-to-back days to build arm strength. J.J. Putz also pitched an inning in a minor league game Monday and is scheduled for an inning today against the A’s.
Nelson needed just nine pitches to work a perfect inning, pitching for the Mariners’ Class A team from Appleton, Wis., against a Class A team from the Brewers organization.
As is typical, the young hitters were swinging at almost every pitch he threw.
“They know a major leaguer will be around the plate, so they’re swinging at everything,” Nelson said. “You can’t gauge what your pitches are doing based on the swings you’re getting like you would against major leaguers.”
Putz, pitching in the same game, gave up two hits and a run in one inning.
Left-handed reliever Ron Villone, pitching for Class A Inland Empire against another Brewers Class A team, gave up eight hits and three runs in four innings.
Announcement coming: Hargrove said he would announce his opening-day starting pitcher today.
“I still need to talk to the guy,” he said.
Every indication is that Jamie Moyer will get the ball Monday against the Minnesota Twins.
Hargrove has said he prefers to use a veteran who can handle the distractions of an opening-day start, and Moyer’s every-fifth-day schedule puts him on track to pitch Monday.
It would be the third opening-day start of Moyer’s 18-year major league career. He also started the 2000 and 2004 openers for the Mariners.
Right-hander Joel Pineiro had been considered the opening-day favorite before a sore shoulder early in camp pushed him back. He won’t be ready until mid-April.
Opening day features Edgar: On his first official day as a retired major leaguer, Edgar Martinez will have work to do Monday.
The Mariners announced that Martinez, who retired after last season, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the season opener against the Minnesota Twins.
Other pregame events include:
* A performance by the Seattle rock group Presidents of the United States.
* Christening of the field with the annual ceremonial first run around the bases by 12-year-old Christopher Theus of Tacoma. He recently completed treatment for Burkitt’s lymphoma.
* The National Anthem by Maurine McKay and Andrew Garland of the Seattle Opera.
* Gold Glove Awards presented to second baseman Bret Boone and right fielder Ichiro Suzuki. Suzuki also will receive the 2004 Players’ Choice American League Outstanding Player award.
* A video tribute to the 10th anniversary of the 1995 Mariners team that won the franchise’s first division championship.
Gates to the stadium will open at 12:05 p.m. with pregame ceremonies starting at 1:30. The first pitch will be at 2:05.
The Mariners said Monday that fewer than 1,400 tickets remain for the game, but plenty are available for the rest of the opening homestand, which runs through April 10.
Of note: Hargrove said again that he wasn’t concerned about Pokey Reese, who missed Monday night’s game because of a sore right shoulder. Reese came out of Sunday’s game in the third inning. “He went to the doctor and I think he’ll be OK,” Hargrove said. “We’ll give him tonight off and see about tomorrow. It’s been off and on sore for the last couple of weeks.” … Hargrove said the regulars would play all nine innings in Friday night’s exhibition at Las Vegas against the Cubs, then get no more than two at-bats Saturday. He also said 10 minor league players would make the trip to Vegas. … Pitcher Aaron Looper is almost all the way back from “Tommy John” elbow surgery. He hopes to pitch live batting practice this week and get into some games during extended spring training here before joining the Class AAA Tacoma Rainiers. … Outfielder Jamal Strong, who played in every exhibition game with the Mariners before they sent him to the Rainiers last week, got his first day off Monday. He had played in 23 straight games. … With two home exhibition games remaining, the Mariners are averaging 8,586, second-most in the American League (behind the Yankees’ 10,162). The M’s have drawn 11,624 in 13 home games, passing the 100,000 mark for the eighth time in the past nine years.
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