U.S. ace Peavy steers Padres past M’s
PEORIA, Ariz. – Boy, is Jake Peavy glad the winter is over.
The ace of both the Padres and the United States team in the upcoming World Baseball Classic breezed through a scoreless frame to start the Padres’ 4-3 exhibition victory in 10 innings over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.
Using fastballs and an effective changeup, Peavy took another positive step away from an off-season he spent waiting to be traded. The Padres talked about dealing him to shed payroll, but never got an offer they liked.
“I’ve put that behind me,” Peavy said, obviously fatigued with the subject. “Doing all I can do to get prepared for this WBC and our season in ’09 in San Diego.”
The 2007 National League Cy Young Award winner allowed a ground-ball single and then got an inning-ending double play. He was on the mound for five minutes for the annual charity game between the teams that share a training complex.
Ryan Rowland-Smith, who chose not to play for his native Australia in the WBC so he could make Seattle’s rotation, allowed two hits in two scoreless innings. The left-hander, who finished strongly last season after Seattle converted him from being a reliever, was pleased that a developing sinker got him out of some jams.
Ken Griffey Jr. did not play, four days after he signed with the Mariners. Manager Don Wakamatsu said he is being cautious with the 39-year-old slugger who had arthroscopic knee surgery in October. Griffey may play by the weekend.
“He’s ready to go,” Wakamatsu said. “It will be my fault if he isn’t in there the next couple of days.”
Beltre undecided
Adrian Beltre wants a few more days to decide whether to defy the Mariners and play for the Dominican Republic in the WBC.
Beltre wants to test his surgically repaired shoulder in a couple of spring training games. The initial test will come today against the Padres, according to Wakamatsu.
Beltre said he’s talked to former major leaguer Stan Javier, the general manager of the Dominican team, and that Javier is fine with waiting.
Beltre is on the final WBC roster, but the Gold Glove third baseman can be replaced before his nation’s opener on March 7.
Seattle fears he is not fully recovered from operations last September to repair a ligament in his left thumb and to remove bone spurs from his left, non-throwing shoulder.
“I don’t want him to jeopardize anything,” Wakamatsu said. “He seems to feel he can’t judge that unless he gets in there (in a game). He feels he’s farther along that we’ve anticipated.”
Seattle’s team doctor estimated Beltre would need four months to rehabilitate. That time frame ended six weeks ago, and the hand seems fine. But last week, Beltre was getting treatment on his achy shoulder.
“Since they told me they didn’t want me to play, I don’t want to go over there and get hurt and hear, ‘I told you so,’ ” Beltre said. “But I still probably have the same chance to get hurt here as I do there. It (would be) just a matter of bad luck. And I might play DH over there, so it might even be easier on my shoulder.”
Feierabend sees doctor
Left-hander Ryan Feierabend is seeing a doctor next week and is facing season-ending surgery on his pitching elbow, thinning the candidates for the Mariners’ staff.
“I’m going with the intention of possibly having Tommy John,” Feierabend said, referring to the ligament-replacement that generally requires a year or more recovery time.
Feierabend, 23, a Cleveland native, finished last season by going 1-4 with a 7.71 ERA in eight starts for Seattle.
He has pitched in 25 games for the Mariners in the last three seasons.
He had been a candidate for the long-relief role this season, but he never felt fully healthy after he was scratched from his final scheduled start of 2008. He tried rehabilitation all winter at the Mariners’ spring-training headquarters here.
Then after about 20 pitches in the bullpen Sunday, he heard a pop in his elbow while throwing a slider.