Putz nearing return
Saturday was J.J. Putz Soul Patch Night, which meant that 20,000 lucky (depending on your point of view) fans took home a patch of replica facial hair.
The much more relevant Putz-related news, however, occurred long before fans started pouring into Safeco Field when the Mariners injured closer threw for the fourth straight day and was again pain free.
Standing in the right-field grass a few hours before game time, Putz threw long toss – about 180 feet by his estimation – and reported no pain or discomfort from the rib cartilage injury that has him on the 15-day disabled list.
“Very good session today,” Putz said. “It’s a step in the right direction.”
Putz is expected to throw off a mound for the first time today. Putz, who is eligible to come off the DL on April 17, said a week off of throwing didn’t hurt his arm strength.
“The most important thing when I get in the bullpen is to see how sharp I am as far as command of the strike zone, because that’s what’s going to be more important than anything,” he said.
Neither Putz nor Mariners manager Jon McLaren wanted to put a timetable on Putz’s return, nor did they know if the closer would pitch a rehab stint in the minor leagues or just work a simulated game before coming back.
Surprisingly sloppy
The Mariners expected to be one of the best defensive clubs in baseball, but after two errors in the eighth inning Friday, they had 12 through 11 games.
“Defense is a big part of our game and we’ve been really sloppy,” McLaren said. “It’s something that we take pride in and we have to do a better job.”
Roughed-up relievers
The Los Angeles Angels had the worst bullpen ERA in the major leagues. Then came relief.
All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez was available Saturday night for the first time since he sprained his right ankle on Monday. Rodriguez tested the ankle on flat ground Friday night before the series opener in Seattle, then told manager Mike Scioscia he was ready to return.
That means everyone else can go back to their usual jobs – Scot Shields and Justin Speier as the primary right-handed setup men and Darren Oliver as the prime left-hander before the ninth.
Los Angeles’ bullpen ERA was 7.27 ERA entering Saturday, after Darren O’Day and Oliver gave up three runs behind starter Jered Weaver in a loss Friday.
“Our bullpen, right now, we’re trying to get settled down,” Scioscia said after that mishap.
Seattle’s bullpen hasn’t been much better. The Mariners were expected to challenge the Angels’ reign in the A.L. West largely because they could depend on their own All-Star closer, J.J. Putz. But they entered the weekend with a bullpen ERA that was better only than the Angels.
Four by four
Friday night’s save by Mark Lowe gave Seattle four this year by four different pitchers as Lowe joined Putz, Miguel Batista and Ryan Rowland-Smith.