Rain forces M’s to do some shuffling with pitchers

PEORIA, Ariz. – With a 100 percent chance of rain in the forecast Monday afternoon, the Mariners pushed their minor league games against the Royals’ minor leaguers from 1 p.m. to 10 a.m., and then sent three big-leaguers – Michael Pineda, Aaron Laffey and Josh Lueke – to pitch in them.

It was a perfect call because while the minor league games were played in Peoria, the afternoon Cactus League game against the Cincinnati Reds in Goodyear was rained out.

Pineda, competing for the fifth spot in the starting rotation, held the Royals’ Triple-A team to two hits and one earned run in five innings. He struck out four and walked one. Laffey and Lueke pitched in a Double-A game.