NEW YORK – If you had the Boston series in the office pool as to when Erik Bedard would make his next start, you lose.

Bedard, a left-hander sidelined by shoulder inflammation since June 8, was once tentatively scheduled to start in New York, but that proved too optimistic. After throwing a full bullpen session Tuesday – 44 pitches – Bedard felt “great.”

That left the Mariners with options. They could start Bedard against the Red Sox and keep him on a pitch limit of, say, 65 pitches. That would likely get him four innings or less.

“We’ve decided to give him a full-blown simulated game Friday in Boston, get him up to 60 pitches or so,” manager Don Wakamatsu said. “Then, Erik will start Tuesday and Sunday at Safeco Field.

“We’ll get him two starts before the All-Star break and then see where we are.”

Bedard is 5-2 in his 11 starts this season, compiling a 2.47 earned-run average while holding opposing hitters to a .221 average. He had surgery last September to remove a cyst from his shoulder, and felt pain in the same spot in his last start.

Since then, he’s been treated for the inflammation and brought along slowly to ensure it doesn’t return. Bedard is in the final year of his contract, and the Mariners have discussed a new contract with his agent, but only casually. If healthy, Bedard could be a trade chip next month before the deadline.

If he’s not healthy, teams are unlikely to offer much, if anything.

An inauspicious beginning

When Chris Woodward took the field at third base Tuesday, he was thinking one thing – he wanted to play well in the absence of Adrian Beltre and show that he could fill in while Beltre recuperated from shoulder surgery.

Then, someone hit him a baseball.

It was the first one hit to Woodward, and he bobbled it for an error – then threw late and wild, allowing the baserunners to move up. Both eventually scored in what became a Mariners loss.

“After the game, all I could do was laugh,” he said Wednesday. “I mean, the first ball hit to me? I’m out there filling in for a guy who’s the heart and soul of the infield, and I do that on the first ball hit to me?

“I haven’t played third regularly in years, but I’ve played enough to know you have to prepare on every pitch for the ball to be hit to you. You might have three balls hit to you all night, but you expect one on every pitch thrown.”

In five games since being called up from Tacoma, Woodward has batted .400 and committed those two errors on the same play. He started at third base again Wednesday.

Short hops

Interesting note on major league ballparks: Since Safeco Field opened 10 years ago next month, 12 teams have opened new stadiums. Here’s the list: the Yankees, Mets, Phillies, Nationals, Pirates Reds, Cardinals, Astros, Brewers, Tigers, Giants and Brewers. ... Ichiro Suzuki hit .407 in June, with 44 hits – the 20th time in his career he’s had 40 or more hits in a month. The last American League player to do that was Lou Gehrig. ... The Mariners finished the month 15-10 with a 2.98 ERA and a .270 batting average.

On tap

Seattle concludes its series with the Yankees with a 4:05 p.m. (PDT) game that will be televised on FSN. Probable starting pitchers: Jason Vargas (3-3, 3.79 ERA) for Seattle vs. CC Sabathia (7-4, 3.55) for New York.

larry.larue@thenewstribune.com

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