ARLINGTON, Texas —A patched-up Endy Chavez returned to the Seattle Mariners starting lineup Saturday in right field. He exited Friday’s game after a collision at second base in the fifth inning open a gash over his left eye that required three stitches to close.
“There’s still a little bit of swelling,” he said, “but it doesn’t hurt. We just covered the stitches (with a bandage) to make sure nothing happens.”
The injury occurred when Chavez’s helmet came loose on a head-first slide while stealing second base. The helmet struck the knee of Texas shortstop Luis Sardinas, and then slammed into Chavez’s forehead.
Chavez said he’ll be sliding feet first “for a little while.”
A rested Kuma?
Hisashi Iwakuma missed all of spring training, didn’t make his first start until May 3 and has pitched 59 fewer innings, at this point, than last season.
That doesn’t means he feels extra rested as the schedule works through its final month.
“I don’t see it that way,” he said. “I felt I was behind early in the season and had to work to catch up. I feel strong in general but, at the same time, we’re in September. We all get tired.”
Iwakuma improved to 14-6 by getting the victory Friday when the bullpen held off the Rangers in the closing innings. That matches his 2013 record in nine fewer starts.
Overall, Iwakuma is 36-16 with a 2.76 ERA in 73 starts since joining the Mariners’ rotation on July 2, 2012.
Only six pitchers have more victories in that span: Max Scherzer (45-10), Adam Wainwright (45-23), Clayton Kershaw (41-17), Jered Weaver (38-20), Lance Lynn (37-21) and Jordan Zimmerman (37-16).
Only two pitchers have worked at least 400 innings in that span with a lower ERA: Kershaw at 1.91 and teammate Felix Hernandez at 2.71.
Short hops
Fernando Rodney’s 42 saves are already the second-highest total in club history. He needs four more in the Mariners’ final 22 games to break Kazuhiro Sasaki’s club record of 45 in 2001. … Entering Saturday, the Mariners had outscored opponents by 50 runs since Aug. 1. Only Baltimore, at plus-52, was better. … When Brad Miller homered in Friday’s game, he became the fourth shortstop in Mariners history to reach double figures. Alex Rodriguez did it five times, while Rey Quinones did it twice and Todd Cruz did it once.
Looking back
It was 16 and 17 years ago Sunday — Sept. 7, 1997 and Sept. 7, 1998 — that Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 50th homer of the season.
Those were the only years that Griffey reached 50 homers, and he finished each season with 56. He led the American League in homers on four occasions: 1994 with 40, 1997, 1998 and 1999 with 48.
He reached the milestone in 1997 with a two-run shot in the fourth inning against Bob Tewksbury in a 9-6 loss at Minnesota.
Griffey hit two homers on Sept. 7, 1998 to get to 50 in an 11-1 victory over Baltimore at the Kingdome. No. 50 was a grand slam in the sixth inning against Jimmy Key.
Junior had 630 homers when he retired June 2, 2010 and ranks sixth on baseball’s all-time list. He is eligible for election to the Hall of Fame in balloting after next season.
On tap
The Mariners and Rangers conclude their four-game weekend series and their 19-game season series at 12:05 p.m. Pacific time Sunday at Globe Life Park.
Lefty James Paxton (5-1 with a 1.91 ERA) will oppose Texas left-hander Derek Holland (0-0, 1.29). Holland is making just his second start of the season after recovering from knee surgery.
Root Sports will televise the game.
The Mariners open a six-game homestand Monday with the first of three games against Houston. After an open date Thursday, they play three games next weekend against Oakland.
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