Lira Sent Down, Will Return To Start Next Weekend

To make room for the major league debut of starting pitcher Ken Cloude Saturday, Mariners reliever Felipe Lira was optioned to the minor leagues Thursday.

The move is a well-designed one that preps Lira to start in Chicago next weekend when Seattle has an extra game on the schedule due to an early season rainout.

Lira will report first to Class A Everett where he will start Saturday night in a tie-dyed AquaSox uniform for 1969 Turn Back the Clock Night. He will throw 70-75 pitches Saturday and then move to AAA Tacoma for another start Wednesday before likely starting on the 18th in Chicago.

Lira, who was acquired along with Omar Olivares in a trade for Scott Sanders July 18, has not pitched in the minors since 1994. He threw a no-hitter for the Toledo Mud Hens that season.

He’d rather be pitching to major league hitters though.

“That’s the way they want it,” Lira said. “I try not to think of it as a negative. Obviously, I’d like to stay with the big-league team. It’s something I can’t control.”

Lira hadn’t thrown since Aug. 1 in Milwaukee.

Mariners 3, White Sox 2

Chicago AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Durham 2b 3 0 0 0 1 0 .254 Cameron rf 3 0 0 0 1 1 .268 FThomas 1b 3 1 1 1 1 1 .356 Belle dh 4 1 2 0 0 0 .270 LMouton lf 3 0 0 0 0 0 .279 b-DaMrtinz ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .266 Ventura 3b 3 0 1 0 1 1 .333 Snopek ss 3 0 0 0 0 1 .221 c-Fabregas ph 1 0 0 1 0 0 .256 2-Drabek pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 — Pena c 3 0 0 0 0 1 .169 d-OGuillen ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .261 DLewis cf 3 0 1 0 0 0 .200 Totals 31 2 6 2 4 5

Seattle AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Cora 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .326 ARodriguez ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 .305 Griffey Jr cf 4 1 2 1 0 1 .296 EMartinez dh 2 0 0 0 2 0 .327 1-Tinsley pr-dh 0 0 0 0 0 0 .221 Buhner rf 0 1 0 0 4 0 .242 DaWilson c 4 0 0 0 0 1 .274 Blowers 1b 1 1 1 2 1 0 .291 a-Sorrento ph1b 2 0 0 0 0 1 .274 RDavis 3b 2 0 0 0 1 0 .284 Amaral lf 3 0 0 0 0 0 .246 Totals 26 3 3 3 8 5

Chicago 000 001 001 - 2 Seattle 020 010 00x - 3

a-struck out for Blowers in the 6th. b-singled for Mouton in the 9th. c-grounded into fielder’s choice for Snopek in the 9th. d-flied out for Pena in the 9th.

1-ran for E.Martinez in the 8th. 2-ran for Fabregas in the 9th.

LOB-Chicago 6, Seattle 7. 2B-Griffey Jr (27). HR- FThomas (26) off Fassero; Griffey Jr (34) off Eyre; Blowers (4) off Eyre. RBIs-FThomas (93), Fabregas (33), Griffey Jr (103), Blowers 2 (15). SB-Belle (4), DLewis (9). CS- EMartinez (3). GIDP-FThomas, Snopek.

Runners left in scoring position-Chicago 2 (Belle 2); Seattle 3 (EMartinez, Sorrento, Amaral).

Runners moved up-DaWilson.

DP-Chicago 1 (Pena and Ventura); Seattle 2 (RDavis, Cora and Blowers), (ARodriguez, Cora and Sorrento).

Chicago IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Eyre L,0-2 5 3 3 3 6 3 101 8.68 CCastillo 2-2/3 0 0 0 2 2 35 3.36 McElroy 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 2 3.50

Seattle IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Fassero W,11-6 7-1/3 4 1 1 4 4 98 3.93 Timlin 2/3 1 1 1 0 0 7 3.10 Charlton 1/3 1 0 0 0 1 7 7.56 Slocumb S,19 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 7 5.44

Eyre pitched to 1 batter in the 6th, Timlin pitched to 1 batter in the 9th.

Inherited runners-scored-CCastillo 1-0, McElroy 2-0, Timlin 1-0, Charlton 1-0, Slocumb 2-1.

T-2:52. A-29,319 (59,084).