Kevin Millwood’s turn in the Seattle Mariners rotation came and went without Millwood pitching Monday, and there’s some question whether the veteran right-hander will throw another pitch this season.
Millwood, 37, won his sixth game last week but came out after five innings when his right shoulder was too sore to continue.
Is it better now?
“Yeah, but I haven’t done anything,” Millwood said. “I haven’t picked up a baseball since.”
Tests in Texas showed inflammation but no damage, and as Millwood said, most pitchers are working with some kind of inflammation by midseason every year.
“Had I felt (it) before my last start? Sure, but it wasn’t anything that I couldn’t deal with,” Millwood said. “Last time out, it got worse.”
Millwood may make another start – his 29th of 2012 – but it’s just as likely he’s done for the season.
“We’ve got kids the team wants to look at,” Millwood said, meaning Hector Noesi and Erasmo Ramirez. “We haven’t made a decision yet, so I really don’t know whether I’ll pitch again.”
Either way, he said, the state of his right shoulder today won’t affect whether he returns for a 17th major league season.
“Over the course of the season, everyone pitches with something hurting,” he said. “You break down, get better and pitch until something else breaks down. This isn’t that serious. If we were in the race, I’d pitch.”
PRICE OF PIG BEAUTY
One of the first things rookie Lucas Luetge plans to do in the offseason is attend a county fair near his rural Texas home.
“I always went as a kid and I showed pigs there for years,” Luetge said. “I won for showmanship three years in a row – I was good at showing off a pig.”
After his first big-league season, is Luetge prepared to buy a pig at the fair?
“I’d like to help the programs I was part of, but some of these winning pigs now go for like $10,000,” he said. “I might buy a pig that finished a little lower than first place.”
SHORT HOPS
Think the Mariners have scrambled the lineup in 2012? They’ve used 127 lineups in 148 games – and tried eight leadoff hitters. The last time they used more was 1999 (10). … Casper Wells told writers his neck was better after two days of physical therapy, but he did it looking straight ahead. Wells can turn to his left, but not his right, and was not available Monday. The hope is he might be available tonight against left-hander Wei-Yin Chen. … Kyle Seager began the game Monday with 18 home runs and 81 RBI. If he gets to 20 home runs and 90 RBI, he’ll be just the third third baseman in franchise history with 20 home runs, 30 doubles and 90 RBI. The first two? Adrian Beltre (2007) and current Orioles batting coach Jim Presley (1986).
ON TAP
Seattle plays host to Baltimore in a 7:10 p.m. game today that will be televised on Root Sports. Probable starting pitchers: Wei-Yin Chen (12-9, 4.00 ERA) vs. Erasmo Ramirez (1-2, 3.49).
larry.larue@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/mariners @LarryLarue
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