PEORIA, AZ Michael Pineda, perhaps the next good pitcher out of the Seattle organization, and Blake Beavan, one of the Mariner arrivals in last years Cliff Lee trade, threw on the side Wednesday.
They will face more of a challenge the next time out. Pineda will be the starting pitcher for the appropriately named Team 1 and Beavan will start for Team 2 Friday when the Mariners have their first intrasquad game of the spring.
Although most of the hitters, including the veterans, could get an at-bat or two, only one of the 10 pitchers it will be a five-inning game with each pitcher throwing one inning will have pitched in a big league game for Seattle before.
That would be Dan Cortes, who will be the second pitcher after Pineda for Team 1, which will serve as the visiting team. Other Team 1 pitchers will include Fabio Castro, Chaz Roe, Jose Flores. and Finishing up for Team 2 will be Edward Paredes, Yoervis Medina and Tom Wilhelmsen.
The 6-5 Pineda and the 6-7 Beavan are two of the tallest pitchers in camp, and manager Eric Wedge says of those starters that he “loves their size and the way their arms move. Both men have thrown well in camp.
Pineda, who made 12 Triple-A starts for Tacoma, is thought to have an excellent chance to make the team while Beavan, who has just seven Tacoma starts, is more of a long shot.
Wedge said he wont call any hit-and-run plays or steals in this game, although its not unheard of base runners to run on their own.
“We want to just let them play, the manager said.
John Hickey is a Senior MLB Writer for AOL FanHouse (www.fanhouse.com)
Twitter: @JHickey3