Rodriguez May Return To Lineup On Wednesday
The target date for the return of Seattle Mariners All-Star shortstop Alex Rodriguez is Wednesday.
“We’ll know more (today),” manager Lou Piniella said. “He threw (Sunday), felt a little twinge. He’s getting better. We’ll have to make a determination on what we’re going to do before we go to Texas.”
Rodriguez suffered a bruise to his chest wall in a collision at home plate with Toronto pitcher Roger Clemens last Wednesday.
Martinez to play first tonight
Seattle plays it’s first National League-style game tonight in San Francisco and the lineup will have to be changed to accommodate a batting pitcher instead of a designated hitter.
Edgar Martinez will play first base tonight and likely sit Wednesday when Paul Sorrento plays first.
Griffey leads All-Star vote
Ken Griffey Jr., the major league home run leader with 27, leads A.L. players in fan balloting for the All-Star Game.
Griffey, selected to the A.L. starting lineup each year since 1990, has received 1,634,285 votes for the July 8 game at Cleveland. He was the overall vote leader in 1994 and 1996, and topped the A.L. in 1991 and 1993.
Baltimore third baseman Cal Ripken, a 14-time All-Star, who has started the last 13 years at shortstop, is second overall at 1,196,426. With Ripken’s shift to third base, Rodriguez tops the shortstops at 849,315.
Baltimore’s Roberto Alomar and Brady Anderson also are in position for starting berths, with Alomar the top second baseman at 812,677 and Anderson third in the outfield at 601,647. Cleveland’s David Justice holds the second outfield position at 777,937.
New York’s Tino Martinez tops the first basemen at 420,612, Texas’ Ivan Rodriguez leads catchers at 764,954 and the M’s Edgar Martinez is the top DH hitter at 552,745.
Notes
Among the 61 players selected by the Mariners in the amateur draft was Matt Woodward, the son of general manager Woody Woodward. Matt is out of Florida State University and played last summer with the Tacoma Timbers semipro team. Word is contract negotiations have been rough.
Just kidding.
Go figure, Seattle has a winning record when allowing 18 or more hits. The M’s are 2-1 i those games. … Although the Mariners have made 55 errors - second most in the A.L. - they have allowed just one unearned run since May 21, a 21-game stretch. … Dodgers center fielder Brett Butler turned 40 Sunday. Pinned to his hat during batting practice were an assortment of Happy Birthday notes. Butler is only the fourth center fielder since the turn of the century to be a starter at 40. He needs seven more hits to move into the 100th spot on the all-time hit list. He has 2,2320. Butler is 24th all time with 543 stolen bases. …
The Mariners took the league lead in total attendance Sunday. Seattle has drawn 1,294,747 fans to pass Baltimore, which has played five less home games. Seattle has the top six single-game crowds. The four-game interleague homestand drew a team record (208,387) for four consecutive home games. … While the Mariners and most other teams rely heavily on left-handed pitchers, the Dodgers have not had a left-hander start a game since Bob Ojeda in 1992.