Erik Bedard came off the disabled list on July 7, went 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 17 innings spread over four starts while working on a limited pitch count, and landed back on the shelf Sunday. Shoulder problems are once again to blame, and the Mariners are calling the latest issue inflammation while hoping to get him back in a couple weeks.
While the latest trip to the DL ruins whatever chance the Mariners had of dealing Bedard prior to Friday’s deadline, the injury should make it easier for him to pass through waivers unclaimed after July 31. In other words, if he comes back in two weeks and looks healthy, Seattle may still have an opportunity to cash Bedard in before he hits free agency. He’s continued to pitch well throughout the injuries.
While the Mariners keep chugging along just 10 wins from last year’s total, here are some other notes from around baseball ...
* Brett Gardner has been a pleasant surprise for the Yankees, as the 25-year-old rookie hit .275/.354/.400 with 20 steals in 25 attempts and great defense through 85 games while splitting time with Melky Cabrera in center field. Unfortunately he suffered a broken left thumb while sliding into second base Saturday and will be in a cast for the next couple weeks before being evaluated further.
Triple-A center fielder Austin Jackson is one of baseball’s best outfield prospects and is hitting .311/.375/.429 with 17 steals in 92 games, but manager Joe Girardi indicated Sunday that the 22-year-old is unlikely to be called up as Cabrera gets another chance to play every day. In terms of offense his .285/.347/.433 mark is nearly identical to Gardner, but Cabrera’s glove and wheels are downgrades.
* After going 0-for-4 in his big-league debut Saturday, Michael Saunders notched a pair of hits Sunday while driving in his first career run. Seattle cleared room for Saunders by designating Wladimir Belantien for assignment in preparation for a trade, leaving Ryan Langerhans as his only real competition for playing time and all but guaranteeing the 22-year-old top prospect regular starts down the stretch.
Saunders batted .290/.374/.484 at Double-A last season before struggling after a promotion to Triple-A, but mastered Tacoma while hitting .310/.378/.544 with 13 homers, 30 total extra-base hits, and a 25/48 K/BB ratio in 64 games prior to the call-up. Saunders projects as a 20-homer hitter with a .275-.290 batting average, double-digit steals, and solid defense, but he’s not a mixed-league option yet.
* John Smoltz was regularly clocked at 91-93 miles per hour with his fastball and showed a good slider while getting six strikeouts in five innings Sunday, but once again struggled by allowing six runs on nine hits. Lack of fastball command has really hurt Smoltz and he certainly hasn’t looked great through six starts, but with a 28/5 K/BB ratio in 30.2 innings his 1-3 record and 7.03 ERA are misleading.
* While making absolutely zero promises regarding the ratio of fantasy insight to inane rambling, I’m now on Twitter and have quickly become addicted to posting stuff throughout the day. Whether you’re interested in reading the minutiae of my life, my complaints about the Twins, or half of random conversations I’m having with people you likely don’t know, come check out @aarongleeman on Twitter!
AL Quick Hits: Justin Morneau went deep twice Sunday, and now leads the AL in homers and RBIs ... With their efforts to acquire Roy Halladay stalled the Phillies have been scouting Cliff Lee, who threw seven innings of two-run ball Sunday for his seventh win ... With the Red Sox facing a right-hander Sunday, Mike Lowell was benched in favor of Adam LaRoche ... Bartolo Colon will stay in the rotation and start Wednesday, with Jose Contreras pushed to Thursday ... Cleveland got reliever Jess Todd from St. Louis to complete the Mark DeRosa trade ... Already battling the flu, Kevin Millwood left Sunday’s start with a strained gluteus ... Brett Cecil stayed on a roll Sunday with seven frames of one-run ball ... Tony Pena Jr. will go to the low minors to work on becoming a pitcher after posting a .548 OPS as a “hitter” ... Cleveland turned down Boston’s offer of Michael Bowden, Justin Masterson, and an unnamed outfield prospect for Victor Martinez.
NL Quick Hits: Geovany Soto (oblique) is slated to take batting practice Monday and could return as soon as next week ... Max Scherzer shut out the Pirates for seven innings Sunday, striking out eight without a walk ... Because of setbacks, Chris Young (shoulder) isn’t expected to return until September, if at all ... Micah Owings exited Sunday’s start after three innings with shoulder soreness ... Dmitri Young’s comeback officially ended with a torn quadriceps ... Joe Blanton tossed eight innings of two-run ball Sunday and is 7-2 with a 3.21 ERA and 82/27 K/BB in 15 starts since an ugly April ... Still bothered by a sore hand, Manny Ramirez sat out Sunday’s game ... Chad Gaudin stayed on a roll Sunday by allowing one run over seven innings in a no-decision ... John Lannan cut his ERA to 3.25 after giving up one run in eight innings Sunday ... Colby Ramus was out of the lineup Sunday and will have his sore heel examined Monday ... Derrek Lee missed his second straight game Sunday with back spasms, giving Jake Fox the start.
