A Seattle Mariners pitching rotation that has all kinds of potential but plenty of question marks only got more muddled during the first two weeks of spring training.
Two of the starters projected to be in Seattle’s rotation are hurting, and it appears unlikely that right-handers Hisashi Iwakuma and Taijuan Walker will be available for their respective turns in the rotation.
“I think it’d be hard-pressed for those guys to pitch Opening Day, or the second or third day,” manager Lloyd McClendon told The Seattle Times. “One of the problems we face, we don’t have any days off early. We play seven in a row. So speaking realistically, I think it would be tough (for Iwakuma and Walker to be available for their first starts).”
Iwakuma reported to camp with a strained tendon in the middle finger of his pitching hand. He has been wearing the splint to protect the injury, but there was a small flicker of hope that he might get the splint off and begin pitching this week. That possibility was erased when a team doctor re-examined Iwakuma’s finger and announced Feb. 28 that the All-Star starter was still two to three weeks away from throwing.
“I was honestly disappointed and frustrated at the same time, but you have to respect what the doctor says. … It is what it is,” Iwakuma said. “I’ll just have to wait three more weeks.”
Walker’s injury is a bit more concerning, not because of its severity but because the 21-year-old phenom is battling shoulder soreness that has already limited his first full spring training with the big-league club. Walker first experienced the soreness when he reported to camp, and a team doctor announced last week that now he’ll be shut down for seven to 10 days as a precaution.
Walker soared through the Mariners’ system since entering the Seattle organization as a 17-year-old top prospect in 2010, and this was supposed to be the year that he became a full-time member of the starting rotation. But the shoulder soreness, which is not believed to be serious, could set him back — and the Mariners will not be taking any chances.
Adding to the situation, right-hander Brandon Maurer has been sidelined by back stiffness. Maurer, seen as a possible option to fill in for a start or two despite a shaky rookie season last year, returned to the mound for a bullpen session on March 2 and will continue to be monitored.
Through it all, veteran projects like righty Scott Baker and left-hander Randy Wolf might have opportunities to crack the rotation out of the spring. Both players were signed to minor league contracts over the winter and had solid spring-training debuts over the weekend with two-inning scoreless starts.
Baker, who has been out two years following Tommy John surgery, made the most of his first spring start, allowed just one hit during a 32-pitch stint on March 1.
“I am happy with it,” Baker told The Times afterward. “I think the biggest thing is just to get out there and not only get a feel for the mound itself. I definitely got a good test with the guys on base. That’s not necessarily what you want, but it is part of the game and you do have to work on it.”
The next day, Wolf threw two scoreless innings of his own. The 37-year-old had two Tommy John surgeries, the most recent of which came after the conclusion of the 2012 season.
NOTES, QUOTES
–LHP James Paxton is off to a good start this spring. In his first start of spring training, the rookie retired all six batters he faced. Paxton is looking more and more like a lock for the Mariners’ starting rotation, especially when considering the lack of left-handed options at Seattle’s disposal. Paxton, 25, was 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA after a September call-up last season, his first Major League action.
–3B Kyle Seager missed four days with a strained index finger, but the Mariners expect him to be back for the March 4 game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Seager was one of Seattle’s most consistent offensive players for most of the 2013 season but faded down the stretch.
–2B Nick Franklin continues to be mentioned in trade rumors, and his start to the spring probably will not diminish the interest. Franklin, who turned 23 on March 2, went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in his first spring training game. He was expected to be Seattle’s second baseman of the future before the team added 2B Robinson Cano in free agency. Now Franklin is left to battle Brad Miller for the starting shortstop job, and it would not be a big surprise if he gets dealt. The latest rumors have the New York Mets offering young pitching for the switch-hitting infielder. Franklin came out of the gates strong after a midseason call-up from Triple-A last season, when he was actually in the discussion for American League rookie of the year honors before falling into a prolonged slump to close out the 2013 season.
–1B Justin Smoak went 3-for-4 during his first two games of the spring, and that’s only half the story. All three of his hits came from the right side of the plate, where the switch-hitting Smoak had some struggles last season (he hit .192 with two home runs against left-handed pitching last season; .260 with 18 home runs against right-handers).
–2B Robinson Cano is off to a good start this spring, not that it matters to his status as the heart of the Mariners’ batting order. He went 5-for-9 with four RBIs through his first four games of the spring, reminding Seattle fans why the Mariners made such a huge financial commitment to get him. Cano made some noise over the weekend by saying that the Mariners could use another bat, but the more important thing this spring is that the one they added is looking every bit the part.
–RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (strained tendon in right middle finger) is not expected to start throwing until mid-to-late March. It is questionable whether he will be ready to pitch at the start of the regular season.
–RHP Taijuan Walker (shoulder soreness) first experienced the soreness when he reported to camp, and a team doctor announced at the end of February that now he will be shut down for seven to 10 days as a precaution.
–RHP Brandon Maurer (back stiffness) returned to the mound for a bullpen session March 2 and will continue to be monitored.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I’m not going to lie. We need an extra bat, especially a right-handed bat. We have many left-handed hitters. We need at least one more righty. You don’t want to face a lefty pitcher with a lineup of seven left-handed hitters.” –2B Robinson Cano, to CBSSports.com