Mariners notebook: Roster move required after Saturday marathon

CHICAGO – Quick notes after a quick turnaround, and quicker actually than most day games after night games since last night’s 7-6 Mariners win over the White Sox turned into a marathon. It took 4 hours and 16 minutes to complete the nine innings, tying it for the longest 9-inning game in the Majors this year. It was the second longest 9-inning game in team history, just falling short of the Mariners’ record holder, a 4 hour, 20 minute 14-13 loss to Baltimore on May 17, 1996.

With Logan Kensing throwing 1 2/3 innings and Tom Wilhelmsen 1 1/3 innings and a reliever (Edgar Olmos) making the start today on a pitch count, the Mariners had to make a move to get a right-handed reliever. Mayckol Guaipe got the call and is here in Chicago, with Mike Montgomery sent down to make room for him.

With September callups just a couple of days away, these moves are usually just paper moves, but Lloyd McClendon would like Montgomery to pitch in Tacoma before the Rainiers season ends.

“He’ll start and continue to work on his command and try to get it back,” McClendon said.

As for a return to the bigs this year?

“A lot of that depends on his performance down there,” he said.

Fastball command has been the biggest issue with Montgomery. In his interview with me for the pregame show, pitching coach Rick Waits said that

“What’s great in his case is when he doesn’t have it he can use his other pitches to get through a game and win,” he said. “He’s learned he can pitch backwards or he can pitch offensively and I think he needs to get better at that fastball command so it isn’t all of his games when he needs to throw an off-speed pitch when he gets behind.”

Without the command Montgomery had become a little predictable, but he has learned from the experience, according to Waits. We shall see what happens in the coming weeks.

Lineup!

Austin Jackson, CF
Kyle Seager, 3B
Nelson Cruz, DH
Robinson Cano, 2B
Franklin Gutierrez, LF
Logan Morrison, 1B
Mark Trumbo, RF
Brad Miller, SS
John Hicks, C

Edgar Olmos, LHP

Notes

• Ketel Marte’s hamstring is feeling better today and the hope is he will be able to play tomorrow in Houston.

• The starters for the Houston series will be Vidal Nuno, Roenis Elias and Taijuan Walker. While it hasn’t been announced yet, Felix Hernandez is expected to make his next start Saturday in Oakland.

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