Mariners notebook: McClendon sits Cano to “recharge the battery”

Today is one of those good news/bad news days for Jesus Sucre and Willie Bloomquist. The good news, you are playing. The bad news, Chris Archer is on the hill and it won’t be an easy day for the hitters.

A day game after a night game – and a pitcher not named Felix on the hill – means Sucre gets the start. Bloomquist’s start might be a little bit of a surprise, though, as Robinson Cano is getting a day off.

“A lot of things went into play,” said Lloyd McClendon on the decision to give Cano the day off. “Obviously the opportunity to give him two days to get him cleaned up, the fact he is 0 for 13 against this guy. It’s been a tough homestand, gives him a mental break. Hopefully he recharges the battery and will be ready to go in Cleveland.”

Cano has hit .167/.184/.250/.434 on the homestand, but the hitting woes go back much further. Over the last 30 days he’s hit just .213/.250/.259/.509, with the .509 OPS the worst on the team for any player with 60 plate appearances or more. A day off against one of the toughest pitchers in the AL is probably not a bad idea.

“When you face a string of tough strikeout pitchers like we have, Archer, (Corey) Kluber, (Danny) Salazar, (Michael) Pineda, (Masahiro) Tanaka, it can kind of put you in a funk a little bit,” said McClendon. “It may take you a little while to come back out of it. I think that’s what’s happened to us. Our guys are battling hard, we are getting them out there, just not getting them in. Hopefully the tide is turning.”

Of course it doesn’t get any easier with the Mariners facing Archer and Kluber back-to-back for the second time in the last two weeks.

Lineup!

Jackson 8
Smith 7
Cruz 9
Seager 5
Trumbo DH
Morrison 3
Miller 6
Bloomquist 4
Sucre 2

Montgomery

Notes

• Unless the Mariners get into a 17-inning, last-man-standing situation, Fernando Rodney will be unavailable today. McClendon wants Rodney to focus on his work with the coaches as they attempt to break down what has been going wrong for him on the hill and get him straightened out. If there is a save situation today, McClendon said that he could go to Carson Smith, Mark Lowe or Charlie Furbush.

• Hisashi Iwakuma threw his second bullpen since his injury this morning and all went well. According to McClendon he mixed in all of his pitches in the 35-45 pitch session. He is scheduled to throw again on Wednesday and should throw a simulated game shortly after that.

• James Paxton is still about a week away from reevaluation of the strained tendon in his left middle finger. He is not throwing and it sounds like he might not throw for some time

“From what I was told we were lucky because it didn’t come off the bone so it could be a shorter amount of time,” McClendon said. “Traditionally, speaking conservatively, it’s anywhere from 6-12 weeks. I believe Kluber had the same injury as well. We have to be very careful.”

• There has been a change in the upcoming probables. Roenis Elias and Taijuan Walker have been flip-flopped, with Elias now pitching the series opener in Cleveland against Kluber on Tuesday and Walker going on Wednesday.

• The Mariners will be leaving Seattle this afternoon without one of the traveling party. Today is left-handed batting practice pitcher Scott Budner’s last day with the big club as he is returning to coaching. Budner is staying with the organization and will be a roving special assignment instructor working with pitchers in the low minors.

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