No setbacks for Guardado

TUCSON, Ariz. – The news from Peoria was encouraging, although far from definitive.

Eddie Guardado had thrown 30 pitches to hitters in a simulated game Tuesday morning at the Seattle Mariners’ spring training complex, and he felt no pain in either his right hamstring or left shoulder.

Both of those body parts have caused great concern at spring training as the Mariners pondered life without their star closer.

Guardado must continue to progress in order to be ready for opening day April 4, but manager Mike Hargrove is confident he will be ready. Unlike a starter such as Joel Pineiro, who is coming back from a sore shoulder and won’t be ready for regular-season duty until mid-April, a closer’s preparation time is much shorter.

“We’d like to get him up to 30 pitches,” Hargrove said. “The fact that he’s been able to throw during this entire period and do exercises to maintain and increase arm strength, he may be able to do that.”

If Guardado can’t, though, Hargrove has a backup plan.

“I think it’s fairly obvious that if Eddie’s not ready to close, it will be Putz,” Hargrove said.

J.J. Putz, a right-hander, saved nine games last season after Guardado went down with a shoulder injury.

Guardado will throw another simulated game Thursday before he’ll be cleared to pitch in an exhibition, pitching coach Bryan Price said.

The Mariners gave a sigh of relief after Pineiro reported to work Tuesday with no pain or stiffness in his right shoulder, one day after he pitched two innings in a minor league game.

Pineiro will pitch Saturday against Kansas City in his first exhibition game since March 4, and he’ll remain on an every-fifth-day schedule until the Mariners are comfortable that he’s ready to start a regular-season game. Barring setback, he could be ready April 15.

Thornton vies for bullpen spot

Matt Thornton will pitch again tonight, hoping for a second straight solid outing as he tries to win a place in the Mariners’ bullpen.

Thornton, a hard-throwing left-hander who would fill the specialty lefty role, pitched 1 1/3 shutout innings against the Rockies on Monday, when he avoided control problems that hampered him early in spring training.

“There’s time left for him to make a statement,” Price said. “I’m certainly hoping that yesterday was the beginning of that statement.”

“It’s important (that Thornton pitch well today), but you have to go back to how he threw last year, also, and my understanding is that he threw the ball well last year,” Hargrove said.

Mariners top White Sox

The Mariners rallied from a three-run deficit to beat the Chicago White Sox 6-4 in Tucson, Ariz.

Jermaine Dye hit a two-run homer off M’s starter Bobby Madritsch in the third to put the White Sox up 4-1.

Chicago’s Kevin Walker gave up four runs and five hits. He threw two wild pitches while getting just two outs in the eighth inning as Seattle took a 6-4 lead.

Ryan Christianson had an RBI single, Ramon Santiago hit a two-run, go-ahead single and Randy Winn added another RBI hit for Seattle in the eighth.

Notes

Ichiro Suzuki leads all American League players with a .579 batting average, 22 hits and a .610 on-base percentage this spring. Raul Ibanez is fourth with 19 hits. … The M’s are averaging 8,399 per home game, second in the league behind the Yankees (10,143). The Cubs lead the major leagues at 11,650. … With the M’s expected to make their next roster cut Thursday, tonight could be Felix Hernandez’s final spring training appearance on the mound. He’s slated to pitch against the Angels in the second game of a split-squad doubleheader.