PEORIA, Ariz. – Jeremy Reed says he hasn’t reached midseason form.
It only looked like it Sunday.
Reed led off the game with a home run and made one of the best catches of his career in center field in the Seattle Mariners’ 4-2 victory over the Texas Rangers.
While nothing counts at this time of year, Reed’s play so far has been encouraging.
He’s batting .375 after going 1-for-2 with a walk Sunday, and he made four catches in center field that made it seem he’s settling in defensively as well.
“It takes time, but the more we go through spring training, the more I feel comfortable out there,” he said. “Sometimes it’s harder here because with the wind and the (dry) air, the ball carries different. If you can get comfortable out here, you can be comfortable pretty much anywhere. I’m feeling comfortable.”
The catch was as good as any Reed made last year in his rookie season, when there were several.
With nobody out in the third inning, Brad Wilkerson hit a liner into the gap in left-center field that sliced away from Reed. He sprinted to it and, just when it seemed he wouldn’t reach the ball, made a full-layout dive.
He caught the ball in the webbing of his glove just as he hit the ground.
The crowd, and the Mariners, saluted Reed when he reached the dugout. His reaction wasn’t quite so dramatic.
“I didn’t get a good read off the bat and it was kind of an adjustment,” he said. “I was fortunate.”
As spectacular as the catch was, the home run meant more to Reed.
He had fallen into a no-ball, two-strike hole when Rangers starter Josh Rupe tried to tie him up with an inside fastball. Reed turned on the pitch and launched it over the right-field fence for his first home run of spring training.
“It’s encouraging because that’s what we’ve been working a lot on, the ball inside,” Reed said.
Delayed by rain: Kevin Appier was supposed to pitch four innings Saturday night but rain wiped out that game and, with the pitching assignments juggled, his work was sliced to two innings Sunday.
He was glad to get that much.
“When you’ve got a rainout it’s kind of common for them to come to the non-roster guys and say, ‘Well, too bad,’” said Appier, trying to resume his career at age 38 after retiring early last season. “It was nice to at least get two.”
He made the most of them, holding the Rangers scoreless on two hits, striking out two.
Appier has improved steadily this month and Hargrove said he’s “in the mix” to make the team.
“I hope so,” Appier said. “I’m not hiding when I come to work.”
He wobbled through an intrasquad game and the charity game against the Padres in his first two outings, allowing eight hits and six runs, but has followed those with five straight scoreless innings in two Cactus League games.
Despite the numbers, Appier’s self-critique of Sunday’s outing wasn’t all-glowing.
“I had a better breaking ball at times, when I threw it well,” he said. “It’s still not super consistent. But I executed some really good pitches and most of the ones I screwed up I ended up throwing where at least they couldn’t hit them.”
Sexson scratched: The Mariners pulled first baseman Richie Sexson from their original lineup Sunday, saying he had a tight right quad muscle. It tightened on him as the team was stretching Sunday morning, when the temperature was close to 40 degrees.
“We weren’t going to take any chances in this cold, damp weather,” trainer Rick Griffin said.
Sexson’s status is listed as day-to-day.
Killer B: On a practice field in Surprise this morning, the Mariners and Rangers will play a game that would draw some attention in the regular season.
Jamie Moyer will start for the M’s against Kevin Millwood of the Rangers in a B game. Right-handers Cesar Jimenez, Yorman Bazardo and Marcos Carvajal, and left-hander Lindsay Gulin, also will pitch for the Mariners.
It will be Jimenez’s first outing since he suffered a strained hamstring last week.
Third-base Tui: Matt Tuiasosopo has started two of the last three games at third base, even though the Mariners say he remains a prospect at shortstop.
“He’s only 19 years old,” Hargrove said. “When he goes back (to the minor leagues), as we sit here now he’ll go back as a shortstop. He got at-bats the other day at third base and he’ll play third base today, but there’s no thought at this time for a position change. He is a shortstop.”
Tuiasosopo, who probably will play at high Class A Inland Empire, said he’d been told he would play some third this season.
Of note: Pitcher Julio Mateo, who went home to the Dominican Republic after his older brother died Friday in an auto accident, remains away from the team. “There’s no schedule for when he’ll get back. He’ll get back when he can,” Hargrove said. … Pitcher Eddie Guardado and outfielder Matt Lawton left the team to attend memorial services Sunday in Minneapolis for former Twins teammate Kirby Puckett, who died last week. … Besides Mateo, Guardado and Lawton, the Mariners also were missing Ichiro Suzuki, Adrian Beltre and Joel Pineiro, who are playing in the World Baseball Classic. … Infielder Willie Bloomquist probably could play sooner, but the Mariners are likely to take advantage of Thursday’s off day and keep him out of games until Friday. Bloomquist needed three stitches to close a gash on his right little finger after a weight room accident. “The last thing we want him to do is to rip those stitches open, so we’re going to be real cautious with him,” Hargrove said. “And we’re going to get somebody to lift weights for him.” … Outfielder Wladimir Balentien played his first exhibition game after being out with a strained right hamstring. … Saturday’s rainout was the Mariners’ first at spring training since March 13, 2001, against the Diamondbacks at Tucson. The last home rainout at Peoria was March 6, 2000, against the Brewers.
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