Veteran relievers Chad Cordero and Tyler Johnson continue to make good progress in Arizona, manager Don Wakamatsu reported today during his pre-game media session.

Cordero, the former All-Star closer with the Nationals, “Is feeling good and is scheduled to throw a simulated batting practice on Saturday,” Wakamatsu said. “He’s progressing nicely.”

Exactly where he would fit into the Mariners bullpen remains uncertain, but a lot can happen between now and when Cordero is ready to join the Mariners. That could be as soon as mid-May.

The progress on the left-handed Johnson also is encouraging. He will throw one-inning stints in extended Spring Training games on Thursday and Monday, Wakamatsu said.

Meanwhile, at the MLB level, first baseman Russell Branyan still has some back stiffness and missed his third consecutive start in tonigt’s series opener against the Rays.

He remains day-to-day.

Also, catcher Kenji Johjima, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right hamstring, threw long toss ear/lier day and also took 35 swings in the batting cage.

“Tomorrow, we’ll see how he does, he’ll take some batting practice and probably when we go on the road to Anaheim we’ll start his running program,” Wakamatsu said.

The middle of the Mariners lineup is off to a slugghish start. Ken Griffey Jr. (.206), Adrian Beltre (.200), and Jose Lopez (.195) have been in the third, fourth and sixth spots most of the season.

As we go forward, if that continues we’ll look to re-arrange it,” Wakamatsu said. “But right now, with Russell down, the changes in the lineup the last couple of days are more due to injuries than anything else.”

— Jim Street
 
 

The Mariners are back to being a one-Burke operation.

Almost three weeks after acquiring infielder Chris Burke from the Padres for cash, the Mariners have sent him back to the National League club. Details of the trade are expected to be made today.

That leaves veteran catcher Jamie Burke (no relation) as the only Burke in the system.

Chris Burke, who saw limited action in Spring Training after the initial trade, was batting .237 in 38 at-bats for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers.

Burke, 29, was a first-round draft pick of the Houston Astros in 2001. He’s played in 445 games in the major leagues over the past five years, mostly at second base and in the outfield, and is a career .241 hitter.

The Mariners get their first look at the reigning AL champion Rays tonight as Tampa Bay makes the first of its two visits to Seattle. In fact, six of the eight games between the teams this season will be played at Safeco Field. The Mariners and Rays play a two-game series inside the Tropicana Dome on Sept. 22-23.

Fingers are crossed that the defensive lapses by shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt on back-to-back grounders in Sunday’s loss to the Tigers was not an indication that Yuni’s focus has dwindled — again. He has a tendency to fall into moments when his concentration isn’t what it should be and he makes silly mistakes.

— Jim Street

 

Several readers of this blog have written wondering why starting pitcher Chris Jakubauskas was charged with two runs in Thursday night’s game against the Angels although only one of the two runners he put on base in actually scored.

After retiring 15 of the first 18 batters he faced, the rookie surrendered singles to two of the three batters he faced in the sixth inning and was replaced by Roy Corcoran with one out and runners on first and third. Corcoran recorded an out by inducing Torii Hunter to hit a high chopper to third baseman Adrian Beltre, who threw the ball to catcher Rob Johnson who tagged out Chone Figgins. Bobby Abreu, who had singled off Jakubauskas, went to second and Hunter reached first.

Both runners eventually scored and although Jakubauskas never actually faced Hunter, according to the official baseball rules, Hunter was still Jak’s responsibility.

The rule says: The departing pitcher is responsible for any runners that he allowed to reach base who are there when he leaves. If a runner is “replaced” at a base due to a fielder’s choice, the “replacement” runner is charged to the same pitcher the original runner was.
 
Rule 10.18, says “It is the intent of this rule to charge each pitcher with the number of runners he put on base, rather than with the individual runners.”

In short, the rules makers believe a relief pitcher should not penalized for getting an out, but Corcoran was still beating himself up this afternoon for allowing any runs to score in that decisive sixth inning.

“It was just a bad pitch, a really bad pitch,” he said of the 0-and-2 pitch he threw to Mike Napoli that was hit into center field for a two-out, two-run single. Before the inning ended, the Angels had scored five runs.

In other hot-off-the-press news, left-hander Cesar Jiminez threw a 30-pitch simulated game prior to tonight’s game. He will throw another on Tuesday and if all goes well, he’ll begin a rehab assignment next Thursday.

Left-hander Jarrod Washburn returned to work after missing all of yesterday with the flu. He gave a pretty graphic description of his illness, but the less said, the better. He is expected to make his next start, which is Tuesday against the Rays at Safeco Field.

— Jim Street

The Mariners have made a few of roster moves,including putting catcher Kenji Johjima on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring.

Veteran backup catcher Jamie Burke was promoted from Triple-A Tacoma to replace Johjima. Also, the Mariners sent third baseman Matt Tuiasosopo to Tacoma and promoted right-handed reliever Sean White from the Triple-A club. An opening in the bullpen was created on Wednesday when left-handed starter Ryan Rowland-Smith went on the 15-day DL with triceps tendinitis.

— Jim Street

The Mariners have their first 400-HR club member, the same guy who started the 300-HR club.

With one mighty swing of his bat in the fifth inning tonight, Ken Griffey Jr. sent a Jered Weaver pitch into the right field seats.

The 400th home run of his career wearing a Mariners uniform was the 613th of his Major League career. The latest came on a 1-and-0 pitch from Weaver. Two pitches earlier, left fielder Endy Chavez hit his first career home run with the Mariners.

The crowd gave Griffey a thunderous ovation and he came out for a curtain call.

— Jim Street

There are certain games that are a “must-see” and today’s home opener against the Angels is one of them.

Safeco Field will be packed and thousands of television sets around the Northwest will be tuned to FSN for the home opener, which features the return of Ken Griffey, Jr.

When I asked him the other day in Oakland if he would discuss today’s game, he politely said he wouldn’t, and when I asked him if it was because he didn’t want this day to be all about him and not so much about his 24 teammates, he smiled.

That would be a “yes”.

In the 21 years that I have known him, Junior never has been all that excited about talking about himself. He would be more available to the media after tough losses than big wins, especially if a teammate played a big role in the win. He would take on the tougher questions following a loss.

The photo at the top of this blog shows Griffey approaching home plate and then-Reds teammate Adam Dunn after hitting a home run against Mariners right-hander Miguel Batista in the finale of a three-game Interleague Play series in June 2007.

That was his most recent home run at Safeco Field, but this much you can probably count on: there surely will be more, perhaps even one today, which would be the 400th of his career while wearing a Mariners uniform.

This should be quite and afternoon and early evening at Safeco Field.

Enjoy.

— Jim Street

Right fielder Wladimir Balentien is not in the starting lineup for today’s series finale against the Athletics, but it has nothing to do with his left wrist.

Balentien suffered a slight sprain trying to make a diving catch on a ball Athletics shortstop Orlando Cabrera hit in the first inning on Saturday.

The wrist was still a little sore this morning, but Balentien said he was available for pinch-running and defensive duty if needed.

He was reminded by several teammates that he came out of the play fortunate. He could have been injured the same way Mike Morse was a year ago when he tried to making a diving catch in right field, injured his shoulder so bad that he needed surgery that caused him to miss the remainder of the season.

“I was lucky,” Balentien said.

Third baseman Adrian Beltre told me during the final week of Spring Training that this team would be better than many expected and he’s right on so far. More than anything, the attitude inside the clubhouse and dugout are 180 degrees different than a year ago.

If it’s possible for players from so many countries to mesh, this could be the team.

Third baseman Matt Tuiasosopo mentioned the other day in Minneapolis that the difference between this April and last September is amazing. “Everyone is pulling for each other in the dugout and you never saw that (last year),” he said.

“If a guy has a great inning, guys on the bench are patting him on the back, and if he had a tough inning, he might get the same – with a hug thrown in,” Tuiasosop said. “On the bench, we’re talking about the game. That didn’t happen last September, either.”

The Mariners, who entered the season on a 13-game road losing streak, are assured of coming back to Seattle with a winning record.

— Jim Street

Minor League infielder Carlos Triunfel, rated in the top of five among Mariners prospects, is expected to miss about eight weeks of the regular season with a broken tibia in his left leg.

The 19-year-old from Puerto Rico was injured while sliding into second base on Friday night trying to break up a double play in Double-A West Tennessee’s Southern League game against Montgomery.

He was taken from the stadium to a hospital and listed in “good condition” according to the Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser.

Triunfel, the youngest player in the Arizona Fall League last year, was signed by the Mariners in 2006 as a non-drafted player.

— Jim Street

Mariners catcher Kenji Johjima was out of the lineup for today’s series finale against the Twins, but it had nothing to do with the two changeups he called for during Wednesday night’s one-run loss. The game plan all along was to start Rob Johnson.

Even so, manager Don Wakamatsu was not pleased with his first-string catcher calling for a Carlos Silva’s “third-best” pitch in the 6-5 loss.

The manager had a post-game meeting with Johjima and Silva to discuss the pitches that turned into a pair of two-run home runs.

“Believe me, as a former catcher, I don’t sit back there and say ‘that was a stupid call’,” Wakamatsu said this morning. “I was not trying to single anybody out, but it was getting down to what we need to do. We’re not pointing fingers. What we’re saying is what happened is not acceptable.”

While it might hurt a player’s ego to have his manager offer some critical comments, the Mariners new regime, including Wakamatsu and general manager Jack Zduriencik, seems to undertand that accountability is important — something the most recent regime never understood, or practiced.

To that, I say, “It’s about time.”

Wakamatsu had other things to say on the subject, which should be available any moment at mariners.com.

— Jim Street

The lineups for tonight’s game have been posted and there is one change for the Mariners.

Ronny Cedeno, who had a solid Spring Training and earned a spot on the 25-man roster as a utility infielder, will start in left field. Endy Chavez moves to right field.

“As we go forward and guys step up, or have some struggles, maybe a set lineup will emerge,” manager Don Wakamatsu said, “but right now, it’s important to give everyone an opportunity and not have them sit for four days.

Backup catcher Rob Johnson and third baseman Matt Tuiasosopo are the only position players that have not appeared in this series.

 

It will be interesting to see how the team reacts to Tuesday night’s stunning loss. Just one out away from a 5-3 victory, the Mariners ended up losing the game, 6-5, on three walks, an infield single and solid single to center field.

Manager Don Wakamatsu says he has confidence in closer Brandon Morrow, who retired the first two batters he faced and then walked the next three. The Twins sent up a bevy of left-handed hitters, including pinch-hitters Jason Kubel and Brian Buscher, and the Mariners couldn’t bring in a lefty reliever because there aren’t any.

The Mariners lineup:

1. Endy Chavez, RF.

2. Franklin Gutierrez, CF.

3. Ken Griffey Jr., DH.

4. Adrian Beltre, 3B.

5. Russell Branyan, 1B.

6. Jose Lopez, 2B.

7. Kenji Johjima, C.

8. Ronny Cedeno, LF.

9. Yuniesky Betancourt, SS

— Jim Street