http://www.king5.com/ SURPRISE, Ariz. - Jose Lopez is likely to be hitting second in the Seattle Mariners' lineup next week when Seattle opens the regular season against Texas. Heading into Tuesday night's game against Texas, Lopez was hitting .347 (8-for-23) since manager John McLaren inserted him into the second slot on March 17. "We're thinking about it strongly, I think that's safe to say," McLaren said Tuesday. "He's hit behind the runner. He's swinging at more strikes. I'm not going to say it's 100 percent but we're leaning that way." It's a move Lopez welcomes. He hit .290 with eight home runs and 43 RBIs while hitting in the second spot during his All-Star season of 2006 and has looked relaxed and comfortable batting there this year. The move up in the lineup means Lopez will be batting behind speedy leadoff hitter Ichiro Suzuki, whom the Mariners are pushing to steal more bases in 2008. That will require Lopez to be more disciplined at the plate, something Seattle's second baseman is prepared to do. "When Ichiro gets on base in the first couple innings, you want to take a pitch and let (him) run and move the runner," Lopez said. "The pitcher, when Ichiro's on first base, he wants to throw a strike. He doesn't want a breaking pitch." The Mariners experimented with several different players hitting in the second spot of the lineup this spring, including designated hitter Jose Vidro and shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt. Since Lopez was inserted at No. 2, Vidro, who batted second eight times this spring, has been dropped to third, fifth and seventh. Lopez batted second in 74 games during the 2006 season and hit .282 overall. He hit there only 30 times last season, batting .266 and finished the year with a .252 overall average. The 24-year-old, who spent his winter in Venezuela working on his batting stroke, was batting primarily in the seventh spot before the Mariners made the change last week. "From day one he's had an excellent attitude," McLaren said. "His whole approach has been outstanding for me." As for hitting behind Suzuki, who went into Tuesday having stolen five bases without being caught, McLaren says Lopez will be learning on the fly. "Part of hitting No. 2 is when Ichiro takes off and you don't have two strikes, you gotta know when to take a pitch and give him an opportunity to steal a base," McLaren said. "It's going to be kind of a little bit of a learning process for him and we'll see how it goes. I'm very confident that he'll fit in the slot very well." 06:44 AM PDT on Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
M's may hit Lopez second behind Ichiro
Friday, March 21, 2008
Miguel Batista, Ichiro Suzuki lead Mariners in 6-6 tie with Padres
PEORIA, Ariz. — Ichiro Suzuki broke out of his spring training slump, Miguel Batista became the first Seattle starter to pitch six innings and the Mariners tied the San Diego Padres 6-6 in 10 innings Thursday night.
The right-hander, who was 16-11 with a 4.29 ERA in 33 games last year, allowed three runs and seven hits. San Diego's Chase Headley hit a tying, two-run homer off Eric O'Flaherty in the ninth.
Suzuki, who started the spring hitless in 21 at-bats, went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs scored. He raised his batting average to .174.
"I thought (Batista) threw the ball hard," Seattle manager John McLaren said. "He showed signs of really pitching well. I thought he got careless a little bit in that one inning when he gave up three. He settled down and pitched well after that."
New centre fielder Jim Edmonds, who hasn't played since March 6 because of a right calf strain, could start the season on the disabled list, according to Padres general manager Kevin Towers.
"I think he's still a ways away from being in a game," Towers said. "It's tough to tell."
Padres manager Bud Black said his starter, Justin Germano, has pitched well since camp opened.
Competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, Germano allowed four runs - three earned - and six hits in five innings. He finished with three strikeouts and a walk.
Black said the key to Germano's success is that he's thrown his improved changeup more often this spring. Last season, Germano was 7-10 with a 4.46 ERA in 26 appearances for the Padres.
"I think his changeup is solid," Black said. "That development has been a pleasant surprise and his fastball command has been good. He's thrown well."
Germano said he didn't do any extra work on his changeup in the off-season but has had a good feel for it all spring.
"I've seen quite a bit of swings and misses," Germano said. "That's definitely a good sign. Definitely my first choice is going to be that fifth spot in the rotation. I feel like I've been consistent."
San Diego right fielder Brian Giles, who is coming off microfracture knee surgery, singled and walked in three plate appearances.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Ichiro raises average to .040
Ichiro Suzuki, after an 0-for-21 start, gets his first hit in spring training.
By Kirby Arnold
Herald Writer
PEORIA, Ariz. -- As the sun set on another glorious Arizona day, the Seattle Mariners walked away Thursday with something just as special:
A batting average for Ichiro Suzuki.
He finally got his first hit of spring training, an infield single in the first inning of the Mariners' 3-3 tie against the San Francisco Giants. It ended an 0-for-21 start.
After it happened, baseball writers circled it on their scorecards.
Many in the crowd of 9,125 stood and cheered.
Trainer Rick Griffin walked to the dugout rail and tried to get the baseball from Giants pitcher Kevin Correia, who didn't give it up.
OK, it's only spring training and nothing is important but getting a feel for hitting. But Suzuki's 0-for-March had gained not only attention but notoriety.
Early in the week he said he enjoyed experiencing something so different.
Thursday morning, after the Mariners had cut 12 players from the major league camp, manager John McLaren noted that Suzuki "survived this cut."
Five hours later, Suzuki had his first hit.
He pulled a grounder into the hole between first and second, then beat Correia to the bag.
"As soon as I saw the first baseman go out, I knew it was going to be a hit," he said.
Then he got wispy about the end of the slump -- his comments dripping heavy sarcasm.
"I'm not sure what my next challenge is," he said. "I'm kind of sad. Sad to say good-bye."
Suzuki also wanted the ball but Correia wouldn't let it go. Eventually, it was hit out of play.
"I was planning to send the ball to Cooperstown," Suzuki said.
He hit three more ground balls and finished the game 1-for-4, giving him a .040 average. He's now batting .541 points lower than the Mariners' best hitter, Mike Morse, who went 3-for-3 Thursday.
"I don't care how good you are, it's always good to get the first hit," McLaren said. "I kind of compare it to the home-run contest at the All-Star game. You know you can hit home runs. But until you get the first one, it's not happening. I think he'll be on his way now."
Morrow sore: Relief pitcher Brandon Morrow, dinged for four runs without getting anybody out in his last outing Monday, has a sore right arm and has been pulled from the pitching schedule for now.
McLaren didn't say it was serious.
"We're just holding him back a little," he said.
Morrow has an 11.25 earned run average in five exhibition outings. He pitched a perfect inning Saturday against the A's but gave up two hits and three walks Monday against the White Sox in Tucson.
Air time: Baseball players can be a tough audience, and Thursday the Mariners weren't easy on themselves. Their annual TV commercials aired in the clubhouse and the response was mild laughter at some of the seven spots and groans at others.
Based on the players' response as they watched the commercials before Thursday's game, the most popular featured Felix Hernandez in a mustache-growing contest and Adrian Beltre as a human "L" screen.
The least popular seemed to be "Slide Show" featuring Raul Ibanez and new pitchers Carlos Silva and Erik Bedard, and one titled "Hit the Target" with Suzuki.
The most dazzling was "Fungo" with closer J.J. Putz and several pitchers, plus a circus-like gathering that includes a fire breather, belly dancer and clowns on stilts. That one drew scattered laughs in the clubhouse, but also some expressions as if to say, "I can't believe I did that."
Cut day: The clubhouse got a little less crowded Thursday morning when the Mariners cut 12 players.
Pitcher Joe Woerman, infielder Yung Chi Chen and first baseman Bryan LaHair were optioned to Class AAA Tacoma; pitchers Stephen Kahn, Brodie Downs, Phillippe Aumont and Robert Rohrbaugh, infielder Mark Kiger, outfielder Bronson Sardinha and catchers Jair Fernandez, Adam Moore and Brant Ust were re-assigned to the minor league camp.
None of the cuts came as a surprise.
"The next time around will be a little tougher, and the final cut will be the toughest," McLaren said. "These kids, they know it's time to start playing regularly with their respective clubs and we need to start tightening things up here."
Of note: The Mariners not only cut Sardinha, they sent out a player with the longest name in the majors. His middle name is Kiheimahanaomauiakeo. "It means protector of Kiehe, the guardian," said Sardinha, who is from Hawaii. "My ancestors are Hawaiian chiefs on Kiehe." ... Former Mariner Rich Amaral returned Thursday and will work again with baserunners. ... Miguel Batista was the honorary chair of the Latino Béisbol Award Festival celebrating Latinos in baseball Thursday night in Phoenix.
Read Kirby Arnold's blog on the Mariners at www.heraldnet.com
