Mariners notebook: Young to be skipped, accepts news graciously

TORONTO – The Mariners again have a TBA on the pitching probables. Manager Lloyd McClendon announced today that Chris Young will move to the bullpen after posting an 8.35 ERA in his last five games.

“I think Chris has done a tremendous job for us this year,” McClendon said. “To think he’s won as many games as he has won and he has gone out there as many times as he has gone out there, coming off the kind of surgery he has had, I think that’s tremendous. I’m not sure we would be in the position we’re in now if it wasn’t for him.”

McClendon left the door open for a possible start down the road if there is such thing as down the road for the Mariners.

“I think he’s probably out of gas from a starting standpoint. Having said that, eight, nine, 10 days from now? We’ll see,” he said.

Young graciously accepted the news that no doubt was not easy to take as a competitor.

“It’s what’s right for the club,” he said. “They said be ready to pitch whenever we need you. It might be this weekend, it could be Thursday, that’s how it was explained to me. I told them I would be ready.”

With the club in the position it’s in right now, it’s important that there are no distractions. A disappointed teammate could be exactly that, but that is not what Young is showing, even though he feels like he could go out there and take the ball again.

“I feel good,” he said. “Look, fatigue is somewhat natural, especially considering where I have come. I think it is somewhat natural. I think if you look across the league there are a lot of pitchers going through it. This isn’t unique to me. I still feel healthy, I feel strong. I feel like the execution of my pitches wasn’t great the other night. But from a physical standpoint I still feel good. I can’t argue with their reasons. We have got to give the team the best chance to win, but I still believe in myself and will be ready when they need me.”

Young admitted that he went through a dead-arm period recently, but he felt good in his last start against Oakland and said he had great bullpen sessions before the Houston start. He understands that the timing doesn’t allow the Mariners much choice in making a move.

“I think it is somewhat coincidental,” he said of his late-season falter. “I also think there is an element of fatigue to it, but I also think if I had that start in June, we don’t talk about it. It gets magnified because of the situation we are in. The timing of it was poor and that’s on me. Nobody is more disappointed than I am about it, but Lloyd has to do what’s right for the club and if he feels that’s what’s best then I will support him and I will be ready to help out however I can.”

Lineup!

Austin Jackson, 8
Dustin Ackley, 7
Robinson Cano, 4
Kendrys Morales, DH
Kyle Seager, 5
Logan Morrison, 3
Chris Denorfia, 9
Chris Taylor, 6
Jesus Sucre, 2

James Paxton

Notes

• The MRI on Roenis Elias’ left elbow showed a flexor-bundle strain. His season is over as the injury will require him to miss four to six weeks.

• British Columbia native James Paxton is making his first professional start in Canada tonight.

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