Belcher’s Delay To Be Minor

The newest Tacoma Rainier won’t be one for long - pitcher Tim Belcher’s entire Cheney Stadium career could last just six or seven innings.

If that.

Acquired Monday from Cincinnati in a deal for rookie Roger Salkeld, Belcher will start Friday for the Rainiers. After that, only two things would stop him from joining the M’s.

“He’s coming up unless he gets hurt or unless he thinks he needs another start,” manager Lou Piniella said of the 33-year-old Belcher. “He’s a veteran guy, and I want him to feel he’s ready. Why rush him up four or five days early and cheat yourself?”

Piniella was Belcher’s manager in Cincinnati for a season and, despite the right-hander’s off-season last year, when he was 7-15 with a 5.89 earned-run average, was delighted to project him into the Mariners rotation.

“It gives us experience in the rotation, which we don’t have much of, and it will make our bullpen stronger,” he said.

How? With Belcher a starter, either right-hander Bob Wells or lefthander Tim Davis can move back to relief, probably replacing Jim Converse or rookie Rafael Carmona, called up Sunday from Class AA.

The Mariners had a scout watch Belcher’s start Sunday for Class AAA Indianapolis, where his fastball was in the 88-89 mph range and his control was solid in six shutout innings.

“He’s always been durable. I like his tenacity out there on the mound,” Piniella said. “We wanted to sign him out of spring training, and we offered him the same kind of minor-league deal the Reds did, but Belcher lives in Ohio and wanted to be close to home.”

Belcher’s price tag isn’t cheap: about $600,000 if he should collect all his incentives, or $470,000 more than Salkeld would have made, had he come up during the season. The Mariners’ thinking, however, was that they needed a starting pitcher.

“If Cincinnati stays with Salkeld and gives him time, maybe his arm strength will come around,” general manager Woody Woodward said. “But it wasn’t happening for us, and we needed help now.”

Not ready

Shortstop Felix Fermin is eligible to come off the disabled list this weekend but won’t. The strained right calf that landed him on the 15-day disabled list May 5 will keep him out of the Mariners lineup another week.

Fermin will take ground balls today, then begin taking live batting practice this weekend in Minneapolis.

Once he’s healthy, however, he’ll be activated, not sent out on a rehabilitation assignment. That means Alex Rodriguez will be sent back to Tacoma.