M’s lose pitcher Blackley for 2005

PEORIA, Ariz. – Before a pitch had been thrown Tuesday, the competition for a spot in the Seattle Mariners rotation shrank – rookie left-hander Travis Blackley is lost for the season.

Blackley, the 22-year-old Australian with marvelous minor-league numbers, underwent surgery last week to repair two tears in the labrum of his left shoulder.

“I felt it last year, and after the season it was decided we’d try to rehab it rather than start with surgery, and I was all for that,” Blackley said. “But when I started playing catch again, it hurt again, and I was spiking throws into the ground.”

Re-examined earlier this month, Blackley learned his rotator cuff was fine – but the labrum had two tears.

“It’ll be four or five months before I throw again,” Blackley said. “If I’m lucky, I might get a few innings of work in Instructional League next fall.”

For the Mariners, the loss was not insignificant. Though Blackley was unlikely to win a job with the club this spring, Seattle had considered him among the first candidates to be called up from Triple-A should they need a starter.

“It’s part of the game, unfortunately, and now the issue becomes how hard he works to get back,” general manager Bill Bavasi said. “It’s a tough wake-up call for young guys, to suddenly not be able to pitch for a year.”

Blackley has dealt with the shock of that knowledge, and moved beyond it.

“I know I’ll probably go crazy just rehabbing, but I’m 22 and I have plenty of years ahead of me,” he said. “I’ve even found one positive to the whole thing. I had a baby Jan. 6, and this will give me a lot of time to spend with her in her first year.”

Most of the off-season, Blackley spent time dealing with the emotions of the 2004 season. After a marvelous season in Double-A San Antonio, he pitched well in Tacoma and was brought to the big leagues on July 1. In six starts, he went 1-3 with a 10.04 earned run average.

“I’m an intense guy, and I was too passive up here and that’s not me,” he said.