Monday, March 4, 2013 @ 8:25pm

More fun at the Salty Senorita

There is no doubt this is one of the favorite things I get to do in this job. "The Cactus League Show" from the Salty Senorita in front of a good crowd in great weather. Yes, great weather despite the fact that three of the five of us are wearing long sleeves. Thanks to Jeff Evans for the photo.

The podcast for hour one of "The Cactus League Report" can be found here.

Pitching coach Carl Willis kicked off the hour and talked about everything from what he discussed with Taijuan Walker after a shaky performance Monday to what he saw in starter Jon Garland. He gave us a good evaluation of the young arms in the bullpen and interestingly enough pointed out that the walks were up a bit for the staff as a whole.

Casper Wells followed and gave us the rundown on what he is trying to do at the plate and how important it is to stay within the situation you find yourself in when you come up to bat. He also filled us in on what on Mike Morse's taste in music is and explained exactly how the veterans can help take pressure off of the younger players.

Tom Wilhelmsen closed out the hour and was Tom Wilhelmsen. Find out what instrument he played in middle school band (he was first chair), the transformation to being a closer and the big hurdle he has to throwing his changeup.

Stephen Pryor joined us in the second hour and explained why he is the first to get to the ballpark every day and talked about his quick rise to the bigs and the lessons learned last year.

Mike Zunino was up next and he had plenty to say about his first big league camp. Zunino is impressive in that he has the energy and enthusiasm of a first-year guy but doesn't sound like one. He is not intimidated by any of this.

In the final half hour Seattle Times writer Larry Stone gave his observations of the ballclub and Dave Fanucci talked about his book, "Miracle on Grass", the story of the 2000 USA Olympic Baseball Team which against great odds won the gold medal. The Mariners interestingly enough had four prospects on that team, the most from any organization.

The podcast of the second hour can be found here.

Monday, March 4, 2013 @ 8:51am

Hultzen: "I should be back out there in a couple days"

Danny Hultzen will miss time, perhaps as little as three to four days, with a mild strain of his right hip flexor. Head trainer Rick Griffin stressed that this is nothing major.

"It's not a good thing because he has something and he is not going to get to pitch, but this is not a serious thing," he said on the field during drills. "It is nothing major. It is just something we need to quiet down so he can get back to doing what he needs to do."

Hultzen felt tightness after running a few days ago. When it got worse the next day he knew it was time to get it looked at.

"After we ran it was a little sore and it got worse and worse," Hultzen said of the injury. "But it wasn't like a sudden thing that I think is a good thing. I'm not worried about it but I will be on the shelf for a couple of days and then back out there, so it will be good."

Hultzen has no history of leg injuries and the fact that it was his right hip and not his leg is a good thing in that he pushes off the left. An injury to the left hip could take more time to heal, but fortunately this is not what they are dealing with.

Griffin said that Hultzen will undergo hydrotherapy, physical therapy and ride the stationary bike the next few days. He will be allowed to play catch but not throw off the mound. They will re-evaluate in the next three to four days and after that should have a better picture of how much more time he will miss, if any.

Of course any time when you are a young player trying to make a roster is too much time, but Hultzen realized he would not be helping himself if he tried to tough it out.

"That was the toughest part," he said of realizing he would be losing innings. "But in the long run this is the smartest thing. It is the right thing to do. You never want to be in the training room but hopefully I am only there a couple of days."

Griffin said that what Hultzen is dealing with is a fairly typical early spring injury. Tightenss or a slight strain that needs a couple of days to quiet down.

"All these guys are sore and this off day is coming at a good time," he said. "It doesn't matter how good of shape you are coming into camp. When you start playing games and doing the fundamentals, your body just gets sore."

Monday, March 4, 2013 @ 7:41am

Lineup, a surprise scratch and a new leadoff hitter?

The Mariners host the Rockies today in a game that can be seen on ROOT Sports at noon. We already have a scratch in the lineup, the pitching lineup, as Danny Hultzen, who was scheduled to pitch today after Jon Garland, was scratched with a mild right hip flexor strain. He is expected to miss a week.

As for the lineup ...

Gutierrez 8
Seager 5
Ibanez DH
Smoak 3
Wells 9
Thames 7
Shoppach 2
Andino 4
Triunfel 6
Garland

Walker, Luetge, Pryor, Nunez, Wilhelmsen and Capps are all scheduled to follow Garland.

Looking at the lineup we see again that Franklin Gutierrez is leading off. We have seen quite a bit of this but never with Dustin Ackley in the same lineup. I asked Eric Wedge after Saturday's game about Gutierrez's versatility and where he could see him in the lineup.

"We have been messing around with him up top a bit and we will see how it plays out," he said. "I think the good thing about this year is we will have more options, whether it be at the top of our lineup up or the middle of the order."

In other words, yes. He is getting a look as the leadoff hitter. The question is, why? Would he like a righty at the top and would he follow with Ackley or would Wedge prefer to drop Ackley in the lineup to perhaps take some of the pressure off? He is doing that with veterans in the middle of the order so why not at the top as well. Something to watch.

Also something to watch in the outfield, with Michael Saunders having left for the WBC, Jason Bay, Casper Wells, Eric Thames and Carlos Peguerro should get more looks in the outfield. If the last spot does come down to Bay and Wells, Bay is off to a good start with four hits, four walks and one strikeout in eight at-bats while Wells, who got off to a hot start, has stumbled with two hits, six strikeouts and no walks in 18 at-bats.

One last note: "The Cactus League Report" can be heard on 710 ESPN at 7. Guests scheduled to appear are Carl Willis, Tom Wilhelmsen, Mike Zunino, Casper Wells, Stephen Pryor and Larry Stone.

Sunday, March 3, 2013 @ 3:15pm

Mariners make it 9 in a row

Update: X-rays revealed that Texas pitcher Martin Perez suffered a fracture of the ulna bone in his left forearm when he was hit by a ball hit by Brad Miller. He will miss at least two months.

The Mariners won their ninth straight game, beating the Rangers 7-6 in Surprise Sunday afternoon. The home-run streak is also alive as both Kendrys Morales and Jesus Montero hit their first home runs of the spring. After the game, Eric Wedge had high praise for what he saw from his catcher.

"Sticking his nose in there offensively and battling through ABs, that at-bat he had earlier in the game was probably the best at-bat I have ever seen him have," Wedge said on the field. "Against a guy throwing pretty good with good stuff, he ended up winning it in the end and winning it in a big way."

In that at-bat Montero went 1-2 before fouling off four pitches. He then took a fastball out of the zone and homered on the eighth pitch he saw, a fastball. He finished the game 2 for 3 with the home run, a double and a walk.

Joe Saunders went two innings and got in the work he needed to get in. He did not surrender a run and said he felt that tweaks he made to his offseason routine have him feeling stronger than he usually does at this point of the spring.

One last note: An unfortunate incident with the Rangers will be one to keep an eye on. In the sixth inning Brad Miller, who had replaced Dustin Ackley in the game, hit a rocket back to the mound that hit pitcher Martin Perez square on the wrist. He was taken for X-rays and no diagnosis has been announced as of yet but it did not look good. Perez was in line to be the Rangers' fifth starter at worst. There are also some questions about Alexi Ogando as a starter, so if Perez is indeed lost this could be a somewhat significant loss. Of course help in the form of Kyle Lohse, who is still out there, is available but the Rangers have not wanted to go in that direction. Again, something to keep an eye on.

Mariners host the Rockies tomorrow in a 12:05 game that will not be on the radio but will be broadcast by ROOT Sports. Later that night we will have "The Cactus League Report" from the Salty Senorita, where guests scheduled to appear include Carl Willis, Casper Wells, Tom Wilhelmsen, Mike Zunino, Stephen Pryor and Larry Stone.

Sunday, March 3, 2013 @ 1:42pm

Felix looks ready for his Cactus League debut

As I mentioned in the updated previous post, Felix Hernandez threw a simulated game Sunday and all went well. Once again he threw against guys from the low minors, but this was different in that in the sim game you simulate the breaks between innings with the pitcher going back to the dugout and sitting down like he would in a game. Outs, hits and runs are recorded and if anyone gets on, they actually get on. There are no fielders but there is base running.

Felix used all of his pitches and threw 39 in two "innings" plus. It was interesting to watch Felix work in that he handled it like he would a game. Everything from the pitch sequences to indicating how many outs to his invisible fielders to shaking a finger at first base after an out was made there just as he would in a game. He even asked that an out take first because he wanted to make sure his pitches were working the same out of the stretch. He was really working.

As for the pitches, I have no idea what the velocity was and I don't think anyone had a gun on him. Whatever the velocity is, with what happened this time last year I am not going to be concerned about it unless it is something extreme, and I don't see that happening.

It was a great experience to get to watch this from as close a distance as we got to. The media parked it up against the fence behind and to the left of the catcher, Kelly Shoppach. The vantage point was even better than what I get to see at the end of the games from the camera well. Watching that close you can really see how nasty the changeup is. The kids he faced for the most part clearly wanted no part of it.

"Luckily enough I didn't get to see one of them," jioked Joe DeCarlo, who faced Felix twice. "He's the best, you know? I was just kind of in the batters box looking for fastballs and he's pretty nasty. It speaks for itself."

The sim game was not without controversy as Gabriel Guerrero got bat on ball and sent a pitch into center field that pitching coach Carl Willis called out as a single. Shoppach did not agree as he yelled, "Nice catch, Guti!" after the ruling.

After the game Felix said he had no doubt Gutierrez would have caught the ball had he been out there.

"Easy, easy fly ball there," he said. "But the guy was doing pretty good. He was swinging at everything but he was doing pretty good."

Shoppach was so sure the catch would have been made that he described the play.

"It was a low liner, he was coming straight in, it was just beautiful," he said. "He just laid out for it. It was about this high off the ground. He slid in, popped up a little, side-arm flip to the middle infielder."

Hit or no hit, Felix was pleased with the work he got in.

"I feel pretty good. The changeup was good, the slider was there. Pretty happy," he said.

It has not been officially announced yet but Felix should throw in his first Cactus League game Thursday. A split-squad is assigned to face Oakland and Kansas City and my guess would be they will keep Felix away from the team he will face Opening Day. If he does face the Royals we will most likely broadcast that game (in delay) instead of the game against the A's that we are currently scheduled to do. I will keep you updated on those plans here on the blog.

Sunday, March 3, 2013 @ 7:43am

Lineups as the Mariners go for #9

By Shannon Drayer

10:30 update: Felix threw a sim game on Field 3 and all went well. The difference between a sim game and a live BP is that while there are no fielders, runners still run bases and coaches determine what are hits and what are not. Felix threw 39 pitches and appeared to come away unscathed. Kelly Shoppach caught him and said everything looked good from his view. One bit of fun took place when Gaby Guerero hit a ball to center that may or may not have been a single. After Carl Willis called "runner on first" indicating a hit, Shoppach yelled "Great catch Guti!" Felix's next appearance should be in one of Thursday's games (split squad) most likely the one against the Rangers as the Mariners will most likely not want Felix to pitch against the A's who he will face on Opening Day.

Well apparently the Rangers didn't give up and quit baseball after falling 8-6 to the Mariners Friday because they have invited them over to their place today so they can try again. The Mariners of course are gracious enough to give them a shot.

Since that loss the Rangers have won a game to improve to 2-6-1. If they fail to make the Cactus League playoffs they will really regret not trying harder in that tie.

I have been here for all of three days and already it appears spring baseball is getting to me. I will say this. These games are fun to watch. I don't care if they mean anything or not, and again, in my experience good things in the spring are, "hey, that's neat!" and bad things are "uh oh." Be more concerned with what you don't see than with what you do. That said it is fun to see a game start and wonder when we will see our first home run.

The players are having fun with it too in the sense that everyone is in a good mood before and after games. Franklin Gutierrez made the comment yesterday when I interviewed him that he might want to slow down and save some for the regular season. So no more home runs I asked?

"Well, I'm not saying that," he laughed.

Of course not. Because home runs are fun. And it is good to see this team have fun.

Today's lineup will be great to watch. Almost all of the regulars are in the lineup plus Mike Zunino at DH. It will be the last game with the team for some time for Michael Saunders, Alex Liddi and Oliver Perez as they will leave for their WBC teams tomorrow. Fortunately they will not go far as all three teams are in the bracket that starts in Phoenix.

Mariners

Ackley 4

Bay 7

Morales 3

Morse 9

Saunders 8

Montero 2

Liddi 5

Zunino DH

Ryan 6

The Rangers going with more of a backup and futures lineup with an interesting DH...

Berkman DH

Kinsler 4

Murphy 7

Allen 3

Soto 2

Gentry 8

Beltre, not Adrian 9

Olt 5

Profar 6

Mariners and Rangers from Surprise can be heard on 710ESPN starting at 11:55.

Saturday, March 2, 2013 @ 6:43am

Lineup and Felix

By Shannon Drayer

The Mariners are going about their business getting ready for today's game against the Dodgers. Pitchers run, hitters head to the cages, some guys are watching the WBC, the omelette station is fired up and the Nike rep is on his way. In other words, a typical morning clubhouse.

A couple of us caught up with pitching coach Carl Willis to learn more about Felix's schedule and we were told that he would throw a more intense BP session Sunday then see his first Cactus League action Thursday where he is expected to throw around 35 pitches.

This seems late but it is not as Felix has been held back a bit for the past few years (excluding last year with the trip to Japan). He doesn't need many games to get ready as he has learned he can build up to the needed pitch counts without them. The preference is to hold him back from games a little as he has a tendency to get up for games, even spring training games where that intensity isn't needed. In short, if the arm is ready and up to 95 or so pitches, Felix knows what to do Opening Day.

Lineup for today's game against the Dodgers...

Gutierrez 8
Seager 4
Ibanez 7
Smoak 3
Wells 9
Paulino DH
Zunino 2
Andino 6
Triunfel 5

Friday, March 1, 2013 @ 3:22pm

Eighteen home runs and counting

By Shannon Drayer

It just continues. Four more home runs by the Mariners today as they beat the Rangers 8-6 in Peoria.

I know it is spring but there are a few very positive things we are seeing that need to be pointed out. First, the home runs by Jason Bay and Michael Saunders today were opposite field and Bay and Michael Morse went deep in the count to get their home runs. In other words, it is not a matter of just running into bad pitching early.

They are doing this without the benefit of playing everyday. No one is in any kind of routine as of yet as Eric Wedge has been getting everyone in games early. I asked Bay about this and he said it is what you do this time of the year but it is great to see the production. It tells him that their timing is on early.

Another bright spot, Dustin Ackley checked in today. After not having much to show for the spring he came up with 2 hits on 3 solidly hit balls to center.

And we have to talk about Carlos Peguero who hit his third home run of the spring and made two stellar plays in left, one coming in a long way, making a slide and hanging on to a ball hit between left and short and another leaping grab against the wall. As I said in my previous post the production is great but the biggest thing Peguero needs to show is change. A better approach at the plate. Even more impressive than the home run to Wedge was the single he hit in the 5th inning.

"The breaking ball he hit the other way, that's a great indicator," said Wedge. "He is trying to be more under control and see the baseball. There is just so much power there and so much athleticism for a big guy, we saw that in the outfield today. He is off to a good start."

In a crowded outfield, does he have a chance to make the team? It's too early to be talking about that but Wedge did say that he is not counting anyone in this camp out.

Finally, the pitching. James Paxton had an okay outing showing good stuff but walking two batters and giving up a two run shot to Mitch Moreland. What happened after that is a great example of just how these guys are coming together.

While on the bench after the game Paxton felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Joe Saunders. Saunders wanted to know what he threw to Moreland. Paxton told him it was a fastball down and in and Saunders told him that in that situation, against a power hitting lefty he likes to throw a sinker.

"He was talking to me about how he likes to throw two seam fastballs inside to lefties because those power hitting lefties are looking for that fastball inside but when you throw that 2 seamer it will look like that fastball they want but once you get a little bit of that sink and run on them it will kind of tie them up and you will get that ground ball to the right side."

It was an "aha moment" of sorts for Paxton who is used to being able to get minor league hitters out with his fastball. Different story up here, that is exactly where lefties like to see the ball. Lesson learned. He is looking forward to the opportunity to throw the sinker next time.

Let's do this again tomorrow. Dodgers and Mariners on the radio at 12:05 from Peoria.