M’s keep close eye on Pineiro
PEORIA, Ariz. – The Seattle Mariners said all winter that they would be cautious with pitcher Joel Pineiro at spring training as he comes back from an elbow injury.
The caution flag is flying high again, but not because of the elbow.
Pineiro has a sore right shoulder and has been scratched from his scheduled start today against the Kansas City Royals.
Pineiro pitched two innings last Friday against the Brewers in his first outing of spring training. It also was his first time to face hitters since he landed on the disabled list July 26 because of a strained right elbow.
He said Tuesday that the pain he’s feeling is general muscle soreness behind the shoulder and he isn’t concerned that it’s anything serious.
Still, the Mariners are being extremely careful with the 26-year-old right-hander.
“The biggest thing is we don’t want his arm to be sore and have him change his mechanics,” trainer Rick Griffin said. “This is very precautionary.”
Pineiro is scheduled to pitch Friday if the shoulder has improved. He believes he’ll be ready.
“I’d gone seven months without throwing. I’m using muscles that I haven’t used for so long,” he said. “It’s nothing bad.”
Pitching coach Bryan Price said it’s common for pitchers to have soreness in the area of the shoulder where Pineiro is hurting.
“If you want to talk about good spots to be sore, that’s a lot better spot than him coming out of that game saying his elbow is stiff and sore,” Price said. “It’s in an area that’s not of concern as far as being a critical injury that should keep him off the field for a long period of time.”
Pineiro, who could be the opening-day starter April 4 if he’s healthy, said the setback shouldn’t affect his preparation for the regular season.
“It’s not going to set me back this early,” he said. “I’ll still be able to go out there and get my two or three innings on Friday.”
Hargrove impressed with Reed
Mariners manger Mike Hargrove still doesn’t yet know who’s No. 2 in his batting order, but he’s been getting a good idea of Jeremy Reed’s ability to fill that role.
Reed batted second Tuesday for the second straight game as Hargrove looks for the best player to hit behind leadoff man Ichiro Suzuki. Reed went 1 for 3 and is batting .333 after four games.
“I don’t think a hitter should change the way he hits based on where he hits in the lineup, and a lot of hitters will try to do that,” Hargrove said. “He’s still an aggressive hitter and has the ability to pull the ball in the hole with Ichiro on base. On the whole, I’m very pleased.”
M’s split squad splits
Jose Lopez had a three-run triple as the Mariners scored six runs in the eighth inning to rally for an 8-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in a split-squad game in Peoria, Ariz. The win was Seattle’s first of the exhibition season.
In Tempe, Ariz., the Angels romped to an 11-5 victory, although starting pitcher Ryan Franklin pitched well despite needing 53 pitches to get through two innings.
Notes
Closer Eddie Guardado said his left shoulder felt good Tuesday, one day after his spring training debut when he threw an inning in a B game. Guardado expects to pitch in Friday’s exhibition game against the Rockies. … Look for the Mariners to make their first cuts soon. “We’re starting to run out of innings for some of these (pitchers),” Hargrove said.