HeraldNet: M's-Rangers: Monday pregame notes



RECENT POSTS:
• And now, a short break from the Mariners July 3 • Nothing sinister in Mariners lineup without Lopez July 2 • Searching for (an offensive) personality July 1 • Too many batters, not enough at-bats June 30 • A couple of coaches tell all June 20

Archives:



RELATED ARTICLES:
• Bullpen delivers for Mariners July 5 • MARINERS UPDATE July 5 • BASEBALL: Pujols becomes fifth-fastest to 300 HRs July 4 • Which way will it go: Ball sits on top of fence July 4 • Mariners beat Tigers for 8th win in 11 games July 4 • Indians designate Borowski for assignment July 4 • Mariners stumble to another loss July 4 • Brewers downplay Sabathia trade rumors July 4 • Braves send Francoeur to minors July 4 • Mariner update July 4


ADVERTISEMENT <script language=JavaScript src="http://ads.heraldnet.com/servlet/ajrotator/169233/0/vj?z=heraldnet&ct=122081&dim=169231&abr=$scriptiniframe"></script><noscript><a href="http://ads.heraldnet.com/servlet/ajrotator/169233/0/cc?z=heraldnet"><img src="http://ads.heraldnet.com/servlet/ajrotator/169233/0/vc?z=heraldnet&ct=122081&dim=169231&abr=$imginiframe" width="160" height="600" border="0"></a></noscript>

Mariners Blog

May 5, 2008

M's-Rangers: Monday pregame notes

Posted at 4:57 pm by By Kirby Arnold

Some good news: The sun came up this morning in Seattle and the Mariners weren't spooked by their own shadows.

But there really is something positve going into the Mariners' four-game series against the Texas Rangers. M's closer J.J. Putz believes he has found his fastball again. Putz, who had no control of that pitch Thursday in Cleveland, has thrown three times in the bullpen since and today's session was by far his best.

"Today's bullpen was wonderful," said Putz, who missed most of April because of inflammation in his ribs. "It’s something that I knew would come. I wasn’t worried about it."

He likened his control problem to a golfer trying to find his swing after a long layoff. There's nothing better than repetition to help him find consistency with the fastball. The next step is to take it into a game, which is where the rest of the Mariners come in. If they can take a lead into the ninth inning, Putz will be in there to finish it off.

Of course, in order to take a lead, they'll need to score runs. And to score runs, they'll need to hit. And we know what that has been like lately. We'll see what tonight brings as the M's face right-hander Kevin Millwood, who's 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA and already one complete game this season.

Return to Mariners Blog

TODAY'S TOP JOBS

View All Top Jobs

>> view all top homes

>> view all homes

<script language=JavaScript src="http://ads.heraldnet.com/servlet/ajrotator/105699/0/vj?z=heraldnet&dim=100749&abr=$scriptiniframe"></script><noscript><a href="http://ads.heraldnet.com/servlet/ajrotator/105699/0/cc?z=heraldnet"><img src="http://ads.heraldnet.com/servlet/ajrotator/105699/0/vc?z=heraldnet&dim=100749&abr=$imginiframe" width="728" height="90" border="0"></a></noscript>
\|Contact Us \|Advertiser Services \|Home Delivery \|Newsstand Locations \|Classifieds \|Feedback \|About the Company \|Work@the Herald \|Site Map	© 2008 The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA.