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Mariners notebook: Opening Day lineup edition?
By Shannon Drayer
PEORIA, Ariz.--He finally said it. Lloyd McClendon finally admitted that the lineup he put out for today's game against the Angels is the lineup we most likely will see Opening Day. Not that there was a ton of mystery, but he has gone out of his way to deflect lineup questions for the better part of spring so this was refreshing.
Of course with platoons that the skipper won't call platoons in left and right field we will not see the same lineup every day. To be fair on the platoon issue, I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see straight platoons, especially with two of them. With so many options McClendon will be able to pick and choose. Nelson Cruz has started six games in right field this spring and that had me wondering just how much McClendon planned on using him there. It is an option and one he would like to use in order to get other guys into the DH position from time to time.
"I think it is important to be able to rotate that position because it keeps a lot of guys fresh," he said. "Also from a health standpoint we can get guys off their feet. The fact is, Nelson is not a slouch in the outfield. He can play the outfield. Now he's not a Gold Glover by any means but he's not a slouch either and it helps."
Lineup!
Jackson 8
Smith 9
Cano 4
Cruz DH
Seager 5
Morrison 3
Zunino 2
Ackley 7
Miller 6
Walker
Notes:
-Brad Miller is back in the lineup after missing the last 4 games with a bad flu.
-J.A. Happ had a rough go of things yesterday giving up 5 earned runs on 11 hits in 5 innings. To me he has the look of a guy who is just not a spring training pitcher. There can be a number of different reasons for this but the good thing is he is getting his work in and his velocity, which has been on the uptick the last couple of years is good. He's hit 94 a few times and the belief is it could jump up from time to time a little more during the season.
Pitching coach Rick Waits believes that Happ is having problems with the breaking pitches down here in large part because of the dry air. He studied his tapes this morning and saw that spin was on the ball, but not the break. He expects that to improve once the team heads north. Break is one thing, keeping the ball down is another and that was a problem yesterday that he expects to see improvement with in his last start in Arizona.
-Rickie Weeks has made just one start in left field in the last 9 days. He insists he is healthy, and I am not sure why he is not out there. McClendon says he has been very happy with his work both in left and more recently at first base before the games and says that we should see him in a game at first before the end of camp.
-Upcoming probables: Tue. @ CLE Felix vs Chen. Wed. vs. CWS Paxton vs. TBA. Thu. vs. COL Happ vs. TBA. Fri. @COL Walker vs. TBA.
PEORIA, Ariz.--He finally said it. Lloyd McClendon finally admitted that the lineup he put out for today's game against the Angels is the lineup we most likely will see Opening Day. Not that there was a ton of mystery, but he has gone out of his way to deflect lineup questions for the better part of spring so this was refreshing.
Of course with platoons that the skipper won't call platoons in left and right field we will not see the same lineup every day. To be fair on the platoon issue, I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see straight platoons, especially with two of them. With so many options McClendon will be able to pick and choose. Nelson Cruz has started six games in right field this spring and that had me wondering just how much McClendon planned on using him there. It is an option and one he would like to use in order to get other guys into the DH position from time to time.
"I think it is important to be able to rotate that position because it keeps a lot of guys fresh," he said. "Also from a health standpoint we can get guys off their feet. The fact is, Nelson is not a slouch in the outfield. He can play the outfield. Now he's not a Gold Glover by any means but he's not a slouch either and it helps."
Lineup!
Jackson 8
Smith 9
Cano 4
Cruz DH
Seager 5
Morrison 3
Zunino 2
Ackley 7
Miller 6
Walker
Notes:
-Brad Miller is back in the lineup after missing the last 4 games with a bad flu.
-J.A. Happ had a rough go of things yesterday giving up 5 earned runs on 11 hits in 5 innings. To me he has the look of a guy who is just not a spring training pitcher. There can be a number of different reasons for this but the good thing is he is getting his work in and his velocity, which has been on the uptick the last couple of years is good. He's hit 94 a few times and the belief is it could jump up from time to time a little more during the season.
Pitching coach Rick Waits believes that Happ is having problems with the breaking pitches down here in large part because of the dry air. He studied his tapes this morning and saw that spin was on the ball, but not the break. He expects that to improve once the team heads north. Break is one thing, keeping the ball down is another and that was a problem yesterday that he expects to see improvement with in his last start in Arizona.
-Rickie Weeks has made just one start in left field in the last 9 days. He insists he is healthy, and I am not sure why he is not out there. McClendon says he has been very happy with his work both in left and more recently at first base before the games and says that we should see him in a game at first before the end of camp.
-Upcoming probables: Tue. @ CLE Felix vs Chen. Wed. vs. CWS Paxton vs. TBA. Thu. vs. COL Happ vs. TBA. Fri. @COL Walker vs. TBA.
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