M’S Interested In One Of Three Veteran Pitchers

The search for a veteran starting pitcher has narrowed to three candidates, and Seattle manager Lou Piniella knows he may get none of them - but if gets one, he wants him as soon as possible.

“Why wait 10 days? That’s two starts,” Piniella said Thursday.

As the July 31 trading deadline approaches and more teams see their season going badly, the numbers of players available grows daily. Seattle is limited by money. The Mariners won’t, for instance, be picking up Kevin Appier and his $4.37 million contract.

They have, however, talked to Philadelphia about Curt Schilling, to Montreal about Jeff Fassero and to Baltimore about David Wells.

All have salaries under $3 million, and each is available.

Seattle general manager Woody Woodward has talked to all three teams, though Thursday his whereabouts were unknown - literally. The Mariners front office staff insisted he was traveling with the team, but he wasn’t in Anaheim.

Blowers visits

Pregame dugout visitor was former Mariner Mike Blowers, now the Dodgers’ third baseman - although on Thursday medical tests revealed he won’t play baseball again in 1996.

Blowers tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, will undergo season-ending surgery the first of next month and then begin rehabilitation, probably from his home in the Northwest.

“It’s exactly the same injury Tino (Martinez) had a couple of years ago, and they’re saying it will be 7-1/2 months before I play again,” Blowers said. Blowers was on third base when he started toward home on a pitch that got away from the San Diego catcher on Wednesday, and when he stopped to return to third his knee twisted and he went down.

Notable

Six television camera crews will be in Lancaster, Calif., tonight to film every move made by Randy Johnson and Chris Bosio, who will pitch in a Class A game as part of their rehabilitation assignments… . Rich Amaral began the night batting .301, having batted .395 in his past 25 games to raise his average 86 points… . . Edgar Martinez walked in the first inning, his 33rd base on balls in the his past 25 games.