Spring Training: Washburn on target
Jarrod Washburn gave up a run in his four innings Tuesday in Seattle’s 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Peoria, Ariz., continuing the strong stretch of pitching by Mariners starters.
In their past 29 innings, the starting five of Washburn, Felix Hernandez, Miguel Batista, Horacio Ramirez and Jeff Weaver have allowed four earned runs (a 1.24 ERA) and held opposing hitters to a .188 average.
Washburn, though, experienced something strange against the Brewers – a struggle.
He battled his control in the first inning, when he gave up a leadoff single and RBI double, then settled down and allowed just one hit the rest of his time on the mound.
“It was kind of nice to have a little bit of a struggle and re-teach myself how to make adjustments,” he said. “Everything the first inning was up. I was falling behind hitters and when I did throw strikes, they were right over the middle of the plate. That’s not a good recipe for success.
“It’s never nice to struggle, but sometimes after a long off-season you forget how to adjust and figure things out midgame. I’m glad I remembered how.”
Down 1-0 in the seventh, Seattle scored three times off Milwaukee’s Matt Wise (1-1). Backup second baseman Gookie Dawkins hit a two-run homer to start the rally, and Jeff Clement added an RBI single to cap the inning.
Jon Huber (1-1) got the win for Seattle, pitching a perfect seventh. Eric O’Flaherty gave up two hits and one run in two innings of work, but got his first save of the spring.
Parque among M’s cuts
Pitcher Jim Parque knew coming into spring training that he had little chance of making the Mariners’ opening-day roster. It became a certainty when he was among nine players cut from the major league camp.
Parque and pitchers Carlos Alvarado, Jesse Foppert and Juan Sandoval, plus catcher Luis Oliveros and infielder Matt Tuiasosopo, were re-assigned to the minor league camp. Left-handed pitchers Travis Blackley and Ryan Rowland-Smith were optioned to Triple-A Tacoma, and left-handed pitcher Matt Perisho was released.
Parque hasn’t pitched in a major league game since 2003 because of a shoulder injury. He gave up 12 hits and nine runs in 3 2/3 innings this month.
“His first outing, he was sharp,” manager Mike Hargrove said. “His command was good and there was life on his pitches. His next two outings, he was a little less sharp. After taking two years off, it’s going to take time to get that sharpness back. His first outing showed us that when his arm is strong and fresh, he has that ability.”
Rose speaks out
Pete Rose said his fans would likely be “elated” if baseball reinstated him.
“Everything should be for the fans,” Rose said before a preview party celebrating Saturday’s opening of a special exhibit in his honor at the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. “If they retired my number here, don’t you think the fans would be elated?
“They could send a hit man after me, and I would still be out there trying to sell baseball. My name’s synonymous with baseball.”
Several Rose-related artifacts have been on display at the Reds Hall of Fame since it debuted in 2004, a year after Great American Ball Park opened. The new exhibit includes more that 300 items from the career of Rose, who finished playing in 1986 with a record 4,256 hits. His total is reflected at the Reds’ Hall in a three-story high wall of baseballs – one for each hit.
“I’m just happy having three stories of balls. That’s a lot of balls,” said Rose, who spent almost three more seasons as Cincinnati’s manager before he agreed to a lifetime ban in 1989 after an investigation if his gambling. In a 2004 autobiography, Rose admitted he had gambled on baseball.
Because of the ban, Rose is not eligible for induction into the Reds’ or Baseball’s Hall of Fame. He also is not allowed to be involved in most on-field activities, which has prevented the Reds from retiring his uniform No. 14.
Hall board defers
Baseball’s Hall of Fame wants more time before making any changes in the voting format of its Veterans Committee.
The latest vote by the Veterans Committee produced no inductees – the third straight time the reconstituted committee failed to elect anyone.
“We had full and engaging preliminary discussions on the Veterans Committee procedures,” Hall chairman Jane Forbes Clark said. “The board feels strongly that we need to take our time out of respect for this important process, and we plan to meet again in the upcoming months to continue these discussions.”
Clearing the bases
The New York Mets released right-hander Alay Soler before their exhibition game against the Cleveland Indians. … New York Yankees bench coach Don Mattingly left the team after the death of his father. A team spokesman said William Mattingy, who had undergone several brain operations over the past week, died in Indiana.