Sore thumb keeps M’s Seager out of starting lineup

Published 6:31 pm Wednesday, April 29, 2015

ARLINGTON, Texas — Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager, who is nursing a sore left thumb, wasn’t in the starting lineup Wednesday night against the Texas Rangers after playing every inning of the first 20 games.

“It’s just the kind of annoying little thing that happens over the course of the year,” he said. “Stuff like this happens all of the time. You just play through it and not make an issue about it.”

Seager said the injury occurred about a week ago when he was jammed on a pitch. Coincidence or not, he has just four hits over his last 23 at-bats, and his average had dropped from .314 to .270.

“He’s probably going outside the zone a little too much,” manager Lloyd McClendon said, “but it could be affecting him a little bit. That’s another reason to give him a day.”

Seager entered the game in the eighth inning as a defensive replacement, which extended his ironman streak to 147 games.

Only three players have longer streaks: Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria (264), Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman (189) and Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre (161).

Cano’s slide

Robinson Cano took an extra round of early batting practice in an effort to break out of an ongoing skid but saw no immediate dividend. He went 0-for-5, which extended his hitless streak to 18 at-bats.

That matches a career-worst, which he set as a rookie in 2005 while playing for the New York Yankees. His current slide had also dropped his average from .309 to .244.

“I think he’s been going outside the zone a little bit,” McClendon said. “He recognizes that. He’s had a couple of mechanical things that probably led to that. We’ll clean those up.”

Cano’s longest hitless streak last season was 14 at-bats from June 24-29. He ended that drought with a home run.

Hultzen scheduled

Left-hander Danny Hultzen is slotted for his first start in nearly 18 months Friday when he pitches for Double-A Jackson against visiting Pensacola (Reds).

Hultzen opened the season in extended spring training in his continuing recover from major shoulder surgery, which forced him to miss all of last season.

The Mariners selected Hultzen with the second overall pick in the 2011 draft. He was 14-8 with a 2.82 ERA in 32 starts in 2012-13 before undergoing surgery.

Hultzen’s last minor-league start was Sept. 1, 2013 for Triple-A Tacoma against Sacramento. That came after he rested his shoulder for roughly two months, but he lasted just two innings.

Hultzen underwent surgery Oct. 1, 2013 to repair his labrum and rotator cuff.

Minor details

Veteran reliever Mark Lowe continues to position himself as a promotion possibility for the big-league bullpen after posting another scoreless outing Tuesday for Triple-A Tacoma.

Lowe, 31, has allowed just one run and seven hits in eight innings over six appearances for the Rainiers. He also has 11 strikeouts and has yet to walk a batter.

The catch is promoting Lowe would force the Mariners to make a corresponding space-clearing move on their 40-man roster.

Lowe has a 4.16 ERA in 271 appearances over parts of nine big-league seasons but spent much of the last two years in the minors.

He appeared in 162 games for the Mariners from 2006-10 and returned to organization last December by signing a minor-league contract.

Short hops

The Mariners, entering Wednesday, had played a club-record 16 straight games decided by three or fewer runs. The Mariners were 8-8 in those games. … The Mariners have had 117 bases-loaded opportunities since their last grand slam, by Brad Miller on Sept. 28, 2013 against Oakland. … The Mariners won the first two games at Texas by scores of 3-1 and 2-1. Prior to this series, they were 5-62 when scoring three or fewer runs at Globe Life Park (which opened in 1994).

On tap

The Mariners open a four-game weekend series at first-place Houston at 5:10 p.m. Pacific time Thursday at Minute Maid Park.

Lefty James Paxton (0-2, 6.86) will face Astros right-hander Scott Feldman (2-2, 4.81) in the opener. The game can be seen on Root Sports and heard on 710 ESPN.