Mariners option Santos, recall Klein from Triple-A
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CINCINNATI -- The Mariners¡¯ bullpen turnover continued on Wednesday when the club optioned struggling reliever Gregory Santos to Triple-A Tacoma, one day after he was on the mound for a bases-loaded walk during the eighth inning of an 8-4 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
In a corresponding move, right-hander Will Klein was recalled from Tacoma.
Santos has a 5.14 ERA (73 ERA+, where MLB average is 100) with one loss and one blown save over eight outings, along with eight walks and zero strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings, making him worth minus-0.2 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs.
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That line represents a stark contrast to what the Mariners were anticipating after the flamethrowing righty entered Spring Training healthy after an injury-plagued first season in Seattle, when he made just eight appearances following a high-profile trade with the White Sox leading into the previous spring.
Velocity hasn¡¯t been an issue -- he¡¯s averaged 97.4 mph between his four-seam fastball and sinker -- but he¡¯s had little to no command with the heaters, as his 22.2% walk rate is fifth highest among 287 pitchers who¡¯ve thrown at least seven innings.
¡°We talk a lot here, and it's our philosophy in dominating the zone and getting ahead and just finding some consistency there for him,¡± Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. ¡°He's got the great stuff, and being able to continually -- consistently -- find the zone with it is going to be key for him.¡±
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And beyond having zero strikeouts, Santos has only generated six whiffs among the 137 total pitches he¡¯s thrown, which despite his pedigree as being a heavy ground-ball pitcher, became problematic -- especially in late-innings jams such as Tuesday¡¯s, when he surrendered a one-out single then two walks to load the bases and another free pass that manufactured a run.
At that point, the series opener was still within reach, at least within the context of Great American Ball Park¡¯s hitter-friendly environment and the top of the Mariners¡¯ lineup due up the following inning facing potentially only a two-run deficit.
¡°He just wasn't able to get ahead and command the zone, command the count and take control of the at-bat,¡± Wilson said postgame.
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For all these reasons, Santos was likely going to be the odd man out when Seattle needed a fifth starter this weekend in Toronto, or when Matt Brash returned from a rehab assignment with Tacoma. The 25-year-old had one Minor League option remaining.
¡°He is going to be a big piece for us,¡± Wilson said, alluding to the organization¡¯s hopes that he can get back on track.
Klein, who was already on the 40-man roster, was acquired from the A¡¯s for international slot money in January and he made five appearances in Spring Training. At Tacoma, Klein surrendered nine runs in 6 1/3 innings (12.79 ERA) with 13 strikeouts and seven walks.