What Aaron Harang can do for the Mariners’ rotation
Apr 18, 2013, 11:31 AM | Updated: 11:34 am
By Brady Henderson
Facing one of the best lineups in baseball wasn’t the only challenge facing Aaron Harang Tuesday night. The veteran pitcher was making his 2013 debut after a pair of trades and an extended layover.
 Aaron Harang |
“It had been a couple weeks since I had actually toed up the rubber in a game,” he told “Bob and Groz” on Wednesday.
Harang joined the Mariners last week via a trade with the Rockies, who had designated him for assignment days earlier after acquiring him in a trade with the Dodgers on April 6. The Rockies told Harang they were going to DFA him, so he drove from Los Angeles to his home in San Diego and tried to keep his arm ready while he waited for his next opportunity.
“I called up the guys at San Diego State and told them I needed to keep throwing, so they brought me out and had me throw bullpens,” he said. “I threw a five-inning simulated game, 83 pitches, just to kind of keep everything going.”
Harang was on a pitch count – “about 85-90 is what we were thinking,” he said – when he made his first start with the Mariners Tuesday. He ended up throwing 95 pitches over five innings while holding his own against a tough Tigers lineup. Harang allowed three earned runs on seven hits, striking out six with no walks. The Mariners lost the game, 6-2.
In the video below, Bob Stelton and Dave Grosby share additional thoughts on Harang’s debut and what he can do for the Mariners’ rotation.
You can listen to Wednesday’s show here.
