Opponent: Baltimore Orioles
When: 1:35 p.m.
Where: Safeco Field
TV: None
Radio: KIRO (710 AM)
Pitchers: Seattle left-hander Jamie Moyer (3-2, 4.64 earned run average) vs. right-hander Rodrigo Lopez (5-0, 1.94).
The arrival of Chris Snelling not only gives the Mariners a position player to replace Edgar Martinez, it offers manager Lou Piniella a multitude of lineup scenarios.
Piniella may unveil the first one today by moving Ichiro Suzuki into the designated hitter slot and giving Ruben Sierra the day off. The outfield today could consist of Snelling in left field, Mike Cameron in center and Mark McLemore in right.
“I have that choice now, where before I didn’t have that choice,” Piniella said.
That’s what the arrival of one player can do.
“It gives us options,” Piniella said.
The best option is that he now can rest several players who badly need it.
Of the first 47 games, six Mariners have played at least 44 games and two – Bret Boone and Mike Cameron – have played 46 of the 47.
“We’ve had some days off and that has helped, but if you look at our schedule from now on, it’s not going to be easy on us if we’d stayed that way,” Piniella said.
After Monday’s travel day to Tampa, the Mariners will have just two days off in June. They had four in May.
“We’re going to rest a player every day and keep them nice and fresh,” Piniella said. “You can’t keep going on like we had. First of all, a guy needs a mental breather once in a while, and second of all you’re looking for more injuries.
“And when we start going back east we’ll start going into the warm weather. This is the right time for something like this.”
It’s a balk: Orioles pitcher Travis Driskill made Suzuki look clueless when he picked him off first base in the first inning.
There’s a good reason.
Umpires didn’t call it, but Driskill balked when he made the pickoff move. After coming to a stop in his stretch, Driskill moved his left (front) knee and quickly stepped off the rubber before he threw to first.
By rule, a pitcher must finish his delivery once he starts it, even if it’s a small bend of the knee as Driskill did that fooled Suzuki.
Abbott throws again: Pitcher Paul Abbott threw in the bullpen on Saturday for the second time as he continued to progress from an inflamed right shoulder that landed him on the disabled list.
Abbott threw 46 pitches Saturday and added some sliders to the fastball-changeup mix that he threw in his last workout.
“It feels fine and I’m ready to throw a simulated game,” Abbott said.
That will come on Tuesday in Tampa, where he expects to throw about 50 pitches. If he has no ill effects from that session, Abbott probably will join Class AAA Tacoma on a rehab assignment and, he hopes, be ready to rejoin the Mariners on June 4.
Coming attractions: Here are the pitching matchups for the two-game series at Tampa: Joel Pineiro vs. Ryan Rupe on Tuesday, Freddy Garcia vs. Tanyon Sturtze on Wednesday.
Kirby Arnold
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