KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Left-handed reliever Charlie Furbush got to the ballpark Wednesday thinking he was fine, warmed up, played catch and then threw off the mound.
Then he went on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left triceps.
Steve Delabar, who was told on his birthday Tuesday he had been optioned to Tacoma, spent a day with his wife and family here and was heading for the airport Wednesday morning for a flight to Triple-A.
Instead, he was recalled by the Mariners and was in the bullpen against the Royals.
“It’s a strange game,” Delabar said. “I tried to look at (Tuesday) as a positive. I didn’t focus on being sent down. I thought about how great it was spending a day with my family and my wife.
“I was going to the airport and came to the ballpark, instead.”
Furbush came out of Tuesday’s game after two pitches when he felt “something different” high on his left arm. After a quick battery of tests, he threw about 15 pitches in a covered batting cage and felt fine.
At the park Wednesday, Furbush threw from 120 feet before taking the mound.
“I felt nothing, no discomfort, no pain,” Furbush said. “I threw 8-10 pitches and felt good. I decided I’d better amp it up a little and see, and when I threw about 90 percent, I felt it.
“I think I could have pitched through it because it’s more discomfort than pain. But they were afraid I’d overcompensate for it and hurt something else. So I’m shut down for 15 days and hopefully back right when I’m eligible.”
The Mariners hope so, too. Furbush, a 26-year-old acquired in last July’s Doug Fister trade, has gone 4-2 with a 2.17 earned-run average in 34 appearances this season. He has held the opposition to a .147 batting average.
Delabar, 29, is 2-1 with a 4.18 ERA in 30 games.
SHORT HOPS
Switch-hitter Justin Smoak began this series with 10 home runs batting left-handed, only one hitting from the right side – then hit a home run right-handed in each of the first two games. He has homered in consecutive games seven times in his career, just the second time right-handed. … Earlier this season, Furbush put together the third-longest consecutive-scoreless streak by a reliever in franchise history with 222/3 innings. Closer Tom Wilhelmsen passed him Tuesday, and began the night Wednesday with a streak of 23 consecutive scoreless innings. That Wilhelmsen run is also the longest active streak among American League pitchers. … After twice indicating John Jaso would play the next day in this series – then changing his mind – manager Eric Wedge has promised that the left-handed hitting Jaso will catch today’s series finale. … Seattle began the night with a major league-leading 238 runs scored on the road and dead last in the majors with 126 runs scored at home. The Mariners average 4.96 runs on the road, 2.86 runs a game at Safeco Field.
ON TAP
Seattle plays at Kansas City, in a 1:10 p.m. game that will be televised on Root Sports. Probable starting pitchers: Felix Hernandez (7-5, 2.92 ERA) vs. Luke Hochevar (6-8, 5.16).
larry.larue@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/mariners @LarryLaRue
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