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Mariners plan to limit 22-year-old Michael Pineda’s workload

Seattle Mariners v Cleveland Indians

GOODYEAR, AZ - MARCH 11: Michael Pineda #36 of the Seattle Mariners delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Indians at Goodyear Ballpark on March 11, 2011 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

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Michael Pineda has been fantastic through four starts with a 1.78 ERA, .202 opponents’ batting average, and 21/9 K/BB ratio in 25 innings, but pitching coach Carl Willis indicated yesterday that the Mariners plan to limit the 22-year-old’s workload.

Doug Miller of MLB.com notes that in 2006 the Mariners capped a 20-year-old Felix Hernandez’s innings at 200 total between spring training and the regular season, but Willis stopped short of saying Pineda will be given the same limit.

Pineda threw 139 innings in the minors last season, but Willis told Miller that “we’ll come up with a number, maybe another month in” and in the meantime will likely keep him under 105 pitches in each start. His season-high is 103 so far.

Willis explained that the Mariners may use off days to give him extra rest between starts rather than keeping Pineda on a regular schedule and then shutting him down with multiple starts remaining late in the season. Miller speculates that Pineda will ultimately be limited to around 175 innings.

In addition to the minuscule ERA and nice strikeout total Pineda leads all MLB starters in average fastball velocity at 95.9 miles per hour and no one else is above 94.5 mph.