In you-just-never-know world of the Mariners, they aren’t flat-out saying that Miguel Batista will be pulled from his place in the starting rotation and be replaced by Ryan Rowland-Smith on Saturday. Manager Jim Riggleman all but said that, however, this afternoon.
It’s one of those well-duh decisions, given Batista’s struggles this season and Rowland-Smith’s steady progress as a starter at Class AAA Tacoma. But the Mariners won’ t decide for sure who’ll start until after Friday’s game.
Why?
Because, as Riggleman explains, the two games before Saturday could alter the Mariners’ pitching needs, especially if he needs to use the bullpen significantly.
What is official is that the Mariners told Batista today that he’d be going to the bullpen.
“He’s totally on board with it,” Riggleman said. “He’s very much upbeat. He’s feeling like the orgzniation has to find out about some other people and we we need to use his spot in the rotation to do that.”
That said, look for Rowland-Smith to start Saturday.
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