Weaver takes it in stride
PEORIA, Ariz. – Jeff Weaver wasn’t exactly jumping through hoops following his first solid outing as a Seattle Mariner.
The free-agent acquisition from St. Louis over the winter allowed one run in three innings of the Mariners’ 6-5 loss in 10 innings to the Colorado Rockies on Friday. But he wasn’t about to make any bold proclamations of what this means he’ll do for his sixth team in six years this season.
“I had my best spring ever my second year in New York and it was my worst season ever,” Weaver said of his 2003 season with the Yankees, in which he went 7-9 with a career-worst 5.99 ERA during the regular season.
New York demoted Weaver from its rotation during that season and eventually let him sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers following it.
“Spring training doesn’t mean nothing to me, other than getting ready for the season,” said Weaver, who signed an $8,325,000, one-year contract last month that includes up to $1 million in performance bonuses.
The 6-foot-5 right-hander saved his best for last a year ago, picking up the World Series-clinching win for the Cardinals after a dismal start that led the Los Angeles Angels to trade him for a minor leaguer.
While much always seems to change for Weaver off the field, he said the spring training preparation will remain the same.
“You just start from the ground up each and every year. It’s pretty much the same process,” he said.
Whether spring training results matter or not, the Mariners have received favorable ones from their starters this spring.
The starting rotation of Weaver, Felix Hernandez, Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista and Horacio Ramirez has combined to allow just two earned runs in its past 14 innings.
That has made a major league-worst 1-8 record this month less alarming.
“Everybody has done their job,” Seattle manager Mike Hargrove said. “They’re getting their work in and things are going well.”
The same cannot be said for Chris Reitsma. The Mariners signed him to be their primary setup man to closer J.J. Putz, following Reitsma’s season-ending surgery last summer on his pitching elbow.
Friday, he allowed two solo home runs, to Alvin Colina and Ian Stewart, in the ninth inning. The latter came with two outs and gave Colorado a 5-4 lead.
Jimenez has fracture
An MRI of left-handed reliever Cesar Jimenez’s pitching elbow has revealed a stress fracture.
Jimenez, injured while throwing a changeup on Wednesday against San Francisco, has opted for surgery that will be scheduled next week. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Edward Khalfayan, the team’s medical director.
Jimenez, a 22-year-old native of Venezuela, began last season at Double-A but ended up pitching four games for Seattle as a September call-up – one of them starts.
Although there are three left-handers ahead of him on the depth chart – George Sherrill, Jake Woods and Eric O’Flaherty – Jimenez had been spicing up the competition by tossing two scoreless innings during this spring.