Persistent Arm Problems Send Johnson To The Sidelines

They played without Ken Griffey Jr. for nearly 2-1/2 months and on Saturday the Seattle Mariners absorbed another frightening injury report - Randy Johnson won’t pitch today and will undergo a series of medical tests Monday on his ailing left shoulder.

“I’ve never had arm problems but I’ve been sore before,” Johnson said. “This isn’t like anything I’ve ever felt. It’s real achy. I just want a doctor to look at it and see what’s causing it.”

While the Mariners hope this is a one-start shutdown, there’s no way of knowing - and the loss of Johnson would be devastating to the team’s slim hopes of winning the American League wild-card playoff spot.

“We’ve got to have Randy, but Randy’s got to be healthy,” outfielder Jay Buhner said. “He’s been hurting since the All-Star break and going out there. He’s got to find out what the problem is.”

Johnson leads the American League in strikeouts (195) and shutouts (two) and is second in innings pitched (139-2/3) and complete games (four) and third with a 3.03 earned run average. The man known as “Big Unit” suspects the cause of his pain is pitches, not innings, and the fact that his style demands more pitches than that of most starters.

In his last five starts, Johnson has averaged 137 pitches a game - throwing a season-high 160 in his final start before the All-Star break.

“I don’t like to come out of close games and Lou (Piniella) isn’t comfortable taking me out of close games,” Johnson said. “With the way I pitch and the number of pitches I throw every start, there’s just never a break. In Anaheim in my last start, I went back out there in the eighth inning and gave up five runs. I don’t want to pitch like that.”

An All-Star for the fourth time last month, Johnson is the unquestioned ace of Seattle’s staff. Not only is he 11-2 this season, the team is 17-3 in games he’s started - and 28-44 in games started by anyone else.

Today in Oakland, for instance, the Mariners will start journeyman Bill Krueger in Johnson’s spot. Krueger is 1-0 with a 7.50 ERA.

“We thought about trying to call someone up to make the start, but we’re just going to have to try to get through the one game and then see what happens,” Piniella said. “We’re going to be real, real short in the bullpen (Sunday). Whoever can pitch will pitch.”