A possible setback for Pryor and will Hultzen return to the hill this year?

By Shannon Drayer

Three days after he gave up five runs in an inning, Stephen Pryor was scratched from a scheduled appearance in a game with the Rainiers Friday night. After going through his normal pregame routine with no problems, while preparing to get ready to come into the game something didn’t feel right.

“He was feeling a bruising sensation in the connection of the triceps up underneath his armpit,” Mariners pitching coach Carl Willis told me before Saturday’s game. “It didn’t loosen up. We are going to get him checked out by (team doctor Ed Khalfayan) again to see where we are at and get a new plan together once we get the tests back.”

The bruising sensation Pryor is feeling may or may not be connected to his original injury, which was with the lat. Pryor said the bruising sensation was moving towards his body and not down his arm. This could be soreness or it could be something else. We should know more in the next couple of days.

Onto better news: A few weeks ago I wrote about the changes the Mariners were making to Danny Hultzen’s delivery. The process is underway as he is on a a throwing program. He has yet to throw a bullpen but Willis said the organization believes he will be back in time to pitch in a handful of games before the Triple-A season ends. A determination about what he will do after that has yet to be made, but fall ball may be an option to get him more work.

The last update is on Carter Capps, who has thrown six innings since being sent down to Tacoma. In those six inning he has given up two earned runs, walked four and struck out six.

Capps was sent down to rework his delivery, something he was unable to do while in Seattle. An attempt to make changes was made but in the heat of the battle he went back to what felt comfortable. Much like Hultzen, they are trying to get his stride in better direction to the plate, which will cut down on how much he throws across his body and create better angle.

“What it is going to allow him to do is stay with the ball a little longer out front,” Willis said. “His velocity has been good, but not quite what we saw last year. If he is able to do this we will see that velocity come back another mile or two per hour just because he can finish the pitch a little better as opposed to getting so far across his body he just can’t get to his release program in a direct line.”