Zunino Sent Down and More

On Friday May 5 the Seattle Mariners decided to send down catcher Mike Zunino to triple A Tacoma and brought up catcher Tuffy Gosewisch from Tacoma to take his place.  He and backup catcher Carlos Ruiz will share the catching. In fact Gosewisch got in four innings of action in the extra innings of the Mariners loss to the Texas Rangers in thirteen innings.

The Mariners are hoping that Zunino stay will be short however it will depend on how he can get things corrected in his swing. Zunino I find to be a very nice guy and a good defensive catcher however he hasn’t been hitting very well for the Mariners. His best hitting happened when he was called from Tacoma in the second half of last season.  He hit with power and a decent average until he went back into old habits.  Currently he doesn’t look like he knows at all what he is doing at the plate. Most of the time he is striking out and occasionally walking; he has been pitched hit late in almost every game he has played recently.

Ruiz and Tuffy Gosewisch are not known for their hitting either. Both are known for their defense as well however the Mariners just want them to get their bats on the ball and see where things go. Like Friday night whoever is starting will be pitched hit for late in the game unless one of them is hitting well. I am sure whoever is hitting the best of the two will get the majority of playing time.

When Zunino returns to the Mariners I am sure this will be his last chance to show what he has. Even if he is able to hit in triple A doesn’t guarantee that it come over to major league baseball though his experience last year should mean something. With his defense he could be the backup catcher long term if the Mariners go out and trade for a sure hitting catcher although they may decide to trade him to see if he can get his career back on track in a manner like when the Mariners traded Justin Smoak and Dustin Ackley.

In other news the Mariners had two relief pitchers get hurt in the eleventh inning of Friday night’s game. Jean Machi who made his third appearance this week after being called up had a nerve issue in his right thumb. According to Servais he is day to day while Evan Marshall who came in for Machi was hurt on his second pitch. He started scream and falling to the ground because of his right hamstring. Servais said that Marshall could be out for a long time so he will be going on the disabled list for sure.

The Mariners are expected to have right hander Christian Bergman brought up from Tacoma to pitch in James Paxton spot as he went on the disabled list. Paxton may miss two or three turns in the rotation before returning to the rotation. Paxton has a history of getting hurt and not able to pitch a full season. The Mariners were hoping this year would be different. We hope that this is a temporary thing since Paxton right now is the ace of the Mariners.

It is tough for the Mariner’s bullpen to start having injuries like the starters. The bullpen has been one of the major reasons the Mariners have a record of 13-17. We hope the Mariners can win the two remaining games against the Rangers. Currently both teams are tied for third place in the American League West Division while the Oakland A’s are in last place a half game behind those two teams. The Angels are a game and half ahead of both the Mariners and Rangers while the Houston Astros are dominating the division with a record of 20-10. The main reason for the Astros record is that they have been beating up on all the teams in the division.

Utility player Mike Freeman was brought back to the Mariners on Thursday while outfielder  Boog Powell was returned to Tacoma. Freeman who is a left handed hitter could see some time at first base while Taylor Motter more than likely in the outfield since the Mariners don’t have a regular fourth outfielder unless you count Nelson Cruz. Actually Cruz may see some action in right field next week when the Mariners go to Philadelphia to play the Phillies in inner league play where the designated hitter won’t be used.

All we hope for is that no more pitchers will get hurt over the next few weeks. The Mariners are hoping that reliever Steve Cishek will return shortly. He is currently working on his mechanics and likely goes out for one or two more rehab assignments. Anyway we hope for better health and wins for the Mariners. Update now the Mariners have recalled reliever Dan Altavilla from Tacoma.  Go M’s.