From Baker, we get some chilling news: Kenji's going to the DL with a broken toe, an injury he sustained early in the game that knocked him out after two and a half innings (but not before he was caught on camera putting on socks like a little bitch). This removes from the lineup a guy on pace for 11 homers and puts into the lineup a guy on pace for 11 hits. For Rob Johnson, these next few weeks are going to try even his family's love.

If Rob Johnson is such a genius pitch-caller, then he should have a decent idea of what's going to be thrown to him when he hits, which makes his offense all the more laughable. From the right perspective, even his alleged strengths make him pathetic.

God damn you, Jeff Clement.

From Drayer:

If you were wondering about the 16 straight fastballs [Felix] threw to start the game, I asked Johjima about why he wanted to do that and he told me to go ask the pitcher. He tried to get him to throw the breaking ball but Felix was insisting on the fastball. Adair said that will be addressed.

I'm beginning to think the reason there's been a rift in the clubhouse between Ichiro and the rest of the Mariners is because Ichiro isn't retarded.

NOTE: this may be a PITCHf/x problem, and not a Felix problem, so don't go jumping off tall things just yet.

92.1mph
92
91.3
90.9
90.8
90
89.7
89.7

Uh oh.

From Larry Stone

Erik Bedard has a tight right hamstring, and manager Don Wakamatsu just told us that he' a likely scratch for his next start, which was to be Saturday at Safeco against the Red Sox. Garrett Olson is likely to get the start. The Mariners don't think the injury to Bedard -- who tweaked his hammy in his last start -- is serious enough for the disabled list. They think he will be able to pitch soon if they don't push it.

Hooray.

Hopefully this is as it's stated and not actually too serious. We have seen already this season the Mariners be extremely conservative with their pitchers when it comes to minor injuries so them stating that Bedard is not likely bound for a short DL stint should tell us how they feel about the threat level of this one.

From Baker:

From what I've been hearing, pitcher Shawn Kelley has a strained oblique, but it's more like a torn one to be honest. Now, get this straight. A strained muscle is, in fact, a tear. There are different degrees of tearing in strains, from microscopic to more severe. And from what I'm hearing, this one could keep Kelley out about a month. Maybe even six weeks. We don't know yet, but he's definitely heading to the DL.

Somehow Garrett Olson doesn't make me feel any better about this.

Times:

In case you were wondering why closer Brandon Morrow wasn't used in the top of the ninth last night -- Morrow certainly was -- the Mariners gave an answer today: Morrow has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 24, with right biceps tendinitis. He's eligible to return May 9 (a week from today). Manager Don Wakamatsu called the move "proactive."

Morrow says he's not feeling any pain, which is reassuring, so I'm guessing this is just something the M's are doing to make absolutely certain that he doesn't carry any lingering issues all season long. I suppose now's the time to be ultra-cautious. Get ready for a whole lot of Aardsma!

Denny Stark (yes) is up in his place.

Baker brings the news:

I caught up with Ryan Rowland-Smith before the game and he was not in great spirits. It turns out that Rowland-Smith has not thrown a baseball all week since that flareup of biceps tendonitis after he threw on the side before the team's home opener.
...
"I just want to talk to him about it and see what he says,'' Rowland-Smith said. "Because it doesn't seem like it's getting any better.''

I didn't think this was anything to worry about when it first came up, figuring that RRS would be back in the minimum. But the way he's talking now, this is beginning to sound like something that's going to keep him out of action for a good while yet. They might want to go ahead and get that MRI, since it's been a week and you'd think that he'd see at least a little improvement were it as minor as everyone assumed.

Keep your fingers crossed. I don't think RRS' health really means all that much to the team in terms of win value - Chris Jakubauskas may just be his equal as a starter, or at least an approximation thereof - but it's a cruel world where the off-the-charts likeable RRS is sidelined while Brett Myers carries on uninterrupted.

By the way, Russ Branyan's still a little hurt. He should be back any day now. And he damn sure better be.

Pravda.Tigers:

Jackson had flu-like symptoms as he approached his start, the same bug that's been invading the Tigers clubhouse all week.

"He was sick as a dog. I was really worried about him whether he was going to hold up," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "But he went out there and got through it. It was a courageous effort."
...
"I just felt weak," Jackson said. "I'm not sure if it's a slight case of what's going around, but I was not fully energized."
...
In the first, after running to back up third on a one-out double by Endy Chavez, Jackson said he nearly threw up.

A lot of times players will say something that their opponents use as bulletin board material to get amped up for the next game. This is the opposite of that.