Veteran utilityman Willie Bloomquist officially became a free agent Monday when he cleared waivers and was released.
The Mariners designated Bloomquist, 37, for assignment July 2. He was batting .159 in 35 games. He previously said he hoped to continue his playing career.
When Bloomquist cleared waivers, the Mariners remained obligated for the balance of his $3 million contract — or roughly $1.5 million.
The Mariners’ payout could diminish if Bloomquist signs elsewhere, but his new club likely would play only a pro-rated portion of the major-league minimum salary. That amount is unlikely to be more than $250,000.
Run-starved Safeco
Start with the Mariners’ sputtering attack and add their solid pitching staff and — no surprise — Safeco Park is among the American League’s lowest-scoring ballparks.
Games at Safeco, prior to Monday, were averaging a mere 6.650 runs a game. That ranked second to the 6.639 at U.S. Cellular Park in Chicago.
The Mariners entered the week ranked last among AL clubs in scoring at 3.39 runs a game (that’s overall, not just at Safeco). The White Sox were second at 3.43.
Pitching-wise, the Mariners’ 3.66 ERA ranked sixth overall among the 15 AL clubs, and their ERA at Safeco was 3.10. Only Oakland, at 2.90, had a lower ERA in home games among AL clubs.
Hard knocks
This might surprise you considering his disappointing season: Robinson Cano tops all Mariners in hard-hit balls as determined by ESPN, which bases its ratings on video reviews by a game-tracking service.
Cano hits the ball hard 18.6 percent of the time, which ranks 34th in baseball. The Mariners have two other players in the top 50: Nelson Cruz at No. 39 (18.2 percent) and Kyle Seager at No. 48 (17.7 percent).
Washington outfielder Bryce Harper leads all players at 25.4 percent, followed by Miami outfielder Giancarlo Stanton (24.5) and Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (24.2).
The leader among American League players is Los Angeles outfielder Mike Trout, who ranks sixth overall at 22.4 percent.
Hultzen’s return
Left-hander Danny Hultzen is scheduled to throw 15 pitches in a simulated game Wednesday in Arizona in his first action since being shut down in mid-May after three starts at Double-A Jackson.
Hultzen, 25, missed all of last year while recovering from major shoulder surgery. He allowed three earned runs and 10 hits over eight innings before experiencing fatigue in his repaired shoulder.
The Mariners selected Hultzen with the third overall pick in the 2011 draft. He was rated by Baseball America among the game’s top 30 prospects prior to the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
Minor details
Outfielder Pat Kivlehan, on loan from Triple-A Tacoma, led the U.S. Pan American Games squad to a 9-3 victory over Canada in the first game of the Americas Baseball Festival at the National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.
Kivlehan, 25, went 3-for-4 with a triple, a home run and three RBI.
Kivlehan, a former Everett AquaSox, was batting .237 in 76 games at Tacoma with 15 homers and 46 RBI prior to joining the national team. He was a fourth-round pick in 2012.
The U.S. team continues the training phase of its schedule Tuesday against Cuba. The Pan Am Games are July 10-19 in Toronto.
Looking back
It was eight years ago Tuesday — July 7, 2007 — that Ichiro Suzuki hit the first inside-the-park homer in All-Star history. It occurred at AT&T Park in San Francisco with other former and future Mariners playing key roles.
The homer came off Chris Young, then with San Diego, in the fifth inning with a runner on first. The ball caromed away from center fielder Ken Griffey Jr., then with Cincinnati.
Suzuki was 3-for-3 as the American League held on for a 5-4 victory, with Mariners reliever J.J. Putz allowing a two-run homer in the ninth inning. Suzuki was selected the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Short hops
Brad Miller leads all American League shortstops with eight home runs. … Eight of Seth Smith’s 22 RBI have either tied the game or put the Mariners in front. … Detroit outfielder J.D. Martinez was picked as the AL player of the week for June 29-July 5 after hitting .458 (11-for-24) with four homers and 10 RBI. Mariners rookie pitcher Mike Montgomery was among those receiving votes.
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