PEORIA, Ariz. — Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano, as expected, returned Friday to camp after missing five days to attend his grandfather’s funeral in the Dominican Republic.
Cano wasn’t in the lineup for the game against Milwaukee but is expected to play Saturday against Arizona at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale.
While in the Dominican, Cano said he found time to work out.
“I didn’t just want to sit around at home,” he said, “and start crying with the whole family. I wanted to keep my mind busy.
Other personnel updates
Outfielder Rickie Weeks shows progress in recovering from a sore hamstring and, barring a setback, is likely to play Saturday as the designated hitter.
Outfielder Franklin Gutierrez isn’t responding as hoped to treatment for tightness in his right groin. Manager Lloyd McClendon said Gutierrez “did not run the bases well” on Thursday in workouts.
700 club
Here’s a simple measuring stick on the Mariners’ beefed-up attack: 700 runs.
“If we stay healthy,” McClendon said, “I think we should be a club that should be able to score 700 runs. … We didn’t quite get to that number (last season). I think that’s the magic number.”
The Mariners scored 634 runs last year, which ranked tied for 18th (with Boston) among the 30 clubs. Only eight clubs scored 700 or more runs in 2014. The Angels led the majors with 773.
The last time the Mariners scored at least 700 runs was 2007, when they scored 794. Last year’s total was their best output since scoring 640 in 2009.
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