Seattle Sends Torres To Tacoma While Making Room For Wolcott

Since Seattle is about to snatch the Tacoma Rainiers’ best starting pitcher - Bob Wolcott - the Mariners figured the right thing to do was send Tacoma one of their pitchers.

Hello, Salomon Torres.

Making room for outfielder Vince Coleman on the 25-man roster, the Mariners optioned Torres (3-7, 5.32) to Class AAA and asked the Rainiers to put him in the starting rotation.

And it’s now official: Before Friday’s game against Boston in the Kingdome, rookie right-hander Wolcott will be promoted to the Seattle staff and given his first major-league start.

“He’s pitched well, he deserves the opportunity,” Piniella said.

Torres had appeared in 15 games since being acquired from San Francisco in May, making 12 starts. When Wolcott takes the mound Friday, he will become the 12th pitcher to start a game for Seattle this season.

Wolcott has a 6-3 record with a 4.03 ERA in 13 starts this season for the Rainiers. He has 43 strikeouts and 16 walks in 79-1/3 innings.

Coleman, meanwhile, arrived from Kansas City early Wednesday afternoon, took extra batting practice and went over the signs with Piniella. He becomes the first Mariner to get the “green light” to run whenever he reaches base.

“There may be a couple of situations where we’ll throw a stop sign out there, but Vince is a veteran and he knows when to run,” Piniella said.

Notes

First baseman Tino Martinez, Seattle’s leading RBI producer with 86, missed his third consecutive start with a virus that has left him weak, feverish and with a sore throat. It’s unknown whether he’ll play today in Oakland. Tino has 62 RBIs in his past 59 games… . Bobby Ayala didn’t lose his job as closer in Tuesday night’s loss, but he lost the title. “We’ll close with whoever is pitching well and we have confidence in …,” Piniella said. Translation: Norm Charlton may get more save opportunities. Ayala (4-5, 3.91) has 18 saves in 25 chances. Charlton (0-0, 2.87) is 2 for 2 in save chances… . Coleman became the Mariners’ 11th left fielder of the season and the 42nd to play beside Griffey since 1989… . How far have the Mariners come in the past year? After 102 games in 1994, their record was 40-62… . Edgar Martinez’s third-inning double Wednesday was his 39th of the season, the American League high… . Jay Buhner’s two home runs in the Metrodome on Tuesday were the 13th and 14th of his career there - his most in any road park… . Right-handed batters are hitting .159 against Jeff Nelson this season. Last year Nelson held right-handers to a .168 average.