Mariners notebook: Lloyd McClendon asks for more from team

Lloyd McClendon had words for his team following a disappointing first half plus news and notes including injury updates and why McClendon had to say no to Felix.

BY SHANNON DRAYER

Jul 17, 2015, 3:57 PM Updated: Jul 20, 2015, 10:19 am

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"We had a lot of good things and a lot of bad things," Mariners manager Lloyd McCLendon said.

Before their mandatory early workout at Yankee Stadium Friday afternoon, Lloyd McClendon had some words for the Mariners who fell far short of expectations in the first half of the season.

“We had a lot of good things and a lot of bad things. I expressed my feelings of what I wanted going forward,” he said. “We had a bad first half. The great thing about the second half is you can put the first half behind you.”

That of course doesn’t just happen after the four-game break. According to Logan Morrison it is not a matter of just play better.

“Main goal for us should be yeah, win games, but how to win games,” he said “Last year we did the little things right. We played great defense, we ran the bases really well. Sometimes when you think you have more talent, ‘we can bash, we can hit homers, we can win games that way,’ well yeah, we can. But we have to do the little things right. How are we going to win that game? Whether it is approach at the plate, on the bases, taking the extra base.”

McClendon challenged each player to give more.

“There are a lot of internal changes that we all need to make,” he said. “We all need to look ourselves in the mirror including me. Did I do everything I could do to make this club the best they could be on a daily basis and I challenge my players as well. The one thing I ask is just give me everything you got every day. At the end of the day we will see where we are.”

Where they are is where just about every other team in baseball is right now thanks to the second wildcard. A team with a chance. A chance that McClendon is not taking for granted.

“If you really look at the big picture we have been very fortunate,” he said. “We haven’t played any baseball that amounted to much of anything in the first half. To be where we are and still within striking distance of our division and wildcard, then certainly, we are very fortunate.”

Though the record cannot be erased McClendon wants his players to take a clean slate approach into the start of the second half.

“They’re all in and I’m all in,” he said. “We’re all recharged, the batteries are ready to go. Contrary to popular belief, the Seattle Mariners are not dead. We’re not out of this. One of the things I reinforced, it’s real simple. You play nine innings, twenty-seven outs and you give it everything you have got every day. At the end of the day we look at ourselves in the mirror and we see what happens.”

“I expect to see a different club tonight.”

Lineup

Miller 6
Seager 5
Cano 4
Cruz DH
Smith 9
Jackson 8
Ackley 7
Morrison 3
Zunino 2

Montgomery

Notes

• Felix Hernandez remains on schedule to pitch Sunday after throwing seven pitches in the All Star Game. It turns out it was a good thing McClendon was there as a coach to limit Felix’s All Star outing.

“Felix went through it pretty good, pretty easy,” he said. “The coaches were asking, well can he go another one and I said no, absolutely not. He did a great job. Cruz just missed hitting a home run, just got under the ball. They fit right in. It was nice to see them enjoying themselves.”

• Miller is making his fourth start at lead off today. Over the last 30 days Miller has had the best batting average (.279) and second best OBP (.340) on the team.

• Tom Wilhelmsen has been recalled to replace Danny Farquhar on the 25-man roster. Wilhelmsen threw four scoreless innings in four outings while with Tacoma.

• J.A. Happ is expected to make the start Monday in Detroit. He participated in the early workout but because he is not currently on the 25-man roster is not allowed to stay for the game.

• Charlie Furbush, who is on the 15-day DL with biceps tendinitis, did not travel with the team as expected but has resumed his throwing program in Seattle.

• Danny Hultzen has been taken off his rehab assignment and assigned to Double-A Jackson.

• James Jones has been placed on the DL with a fractured toe.