Mariners notebook: Pitching puzzle mostly solved

The pitching puzzle for the remainder of the year has been mostly sorted out. Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon announced Tuesday that James Paxton, Vidal Nuno and Felix Hernandez would start the games in Texas. Roenis Elias is being skipped a turn in the rotation and will make his next start Sept. 22 in Kansas City while Taijuan Walker’s is very much up in the air.

“He will not make his next start and I am not sure when he will start again,” McClendon said. “We will re-evaluate after the days off, see where we are and go from there.”

McClendon would not expand on the plan for Walker – who is at 169 2/3 innings – with regard to when or if we could see him on the hill again this season.

While the Mariners are looking to minimize Walker’s innings at this point, they are looking to get Paxton as many as possible. Pitching him Friday in Texas would give him four more starts before the season ends. The more innings Paxton is able to throw between the regular season and Arizona Fall League, the greater innings total he will have to build off of next year. If he stays healthy for the entire season, his innings could be a challenge to manage in 2016.

Lineup!

Ketel Marte, SS
Kyle Seager, 3B
Nelson Cruz, DH
Robinson Cano, 2B
Seth Smith, RF
Mark Trumbo, 1B
Franklin Gutierrez, LF
Brad Miller, CF
Jesus Sucre, C

Felix Hernandez, RHP

Could Wilhelmsen close in 2016?

McClendon was asked point-blank if he would be comfortable going into next season with Tom Wilhelmsen as his closer.

“Yes. He’s done a really nice job,” McClendon said. “I’ve been very impressed. How he goes about his business, he’s really slowed the games down, he’s done a nice job. I wouldn’t have any trepidation at all.”

That comment may or may not need to be taken with a grain of salt. The question was direct and if McClendon had said no, well, that is not something he would want the player to hear.

Wilhelmsen has been lights out, however. He has good stuff, he’s gone through the ups and downs of closing and winning and losing the job and learning from those experiences.

An established closer has been on my offseason shopping list but maybe I need to take a closer look at that. Established righty for the bullpen, for sure, but do the Mariners have their closer? Something worth discussing.

Cruz could return to field soon

Nelson Cruz was still giving Robinson Cano a hard time in the clubhouse Tuesday about not scoring on Seth Smith’s double the night before. If you missed it, Cruz scored on the double then turned around to watch for Cano, who was held up at third. Cruz threw his arms up in the air when he saw this then yelled at him from the dugout for the next minute or so. It was all in good fun, or for show as he said Tuesday.

“I had the red light,” said Cano, who has been slowed by the abdomen strain he suffered a month and a half ago.

Relief could be in sight. McClendon said the hope is that Cruz, who is also taking it easy on the bases because of the quad strain he has been dealing with, will be able to get back in the field in the Rangers series. That would give Cano the opportunity to DH for a couple of days.

Note

• Shawn O’Malley had a couple of bumps above his ear where he got hit by a throw to second Monday night. His jaw is sore but is possibly available if needed in Tuesday’s game.

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