Cano sore, but happy with progress after last game in Triple-A

And just like that, it’s done.

Robinson Cano’s time in Tacoma came to an end after two games with the Rainiers.

Cano batted in the second slot in the Tacoma order as the designated hitter, going 1-for-4 with a single and a run scored Tuesday at Cheney Stadium. But the results, both his line and the Rainiers’ 8-4 loss to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, were secondary.

Cano, who had not played since May 13 because of a fractured finger on his left hand and an 80-game suspension handed down by MLB, got eight at-bats in two days—drawing a walk and two singles while playing first base on Monday for the first time.

“The most important thing is that he’s back on the field and he’s back playing again,” Rainiers manager Pat Listach said. “That’s the most important thing. He jumped right in. His first game was in Triple-A; that’s saying something in itself. He didn’t go to Arizona to face kids from Rookie-ball, he jumped right in it and faced some big-leaguers.”

And from the man himself?

“It feels good,” Cano said.. “Another day, and I feel better today.”

Adjusting back to live, high-level pitching, Cano either went the other way or up the middle in all four of his at-bats. He flipped a base hit over the third baseman’s head in the bottom of the fourth, and could have had another hit in sixth, lining a shot into deep left field that happened to go right to a Colorado Springs glove.

“That’s what I’ve focused on, playing for a long time,” Cano said. “I just want to get my inside-out swing, working on my time.”

But Cano’s impact was more than just his final line. Even though he was in Tacoma for two days, plenty of Tacoma’s younger players took advantage of the chance to pick the brain of an eight-time all-star.

“He’s been around a long time,” Listach said. “He’s got 2,400-plus hits, and obviously the game’s not that easy. He’s one of the great ones. So it’s huge having him in the clubhouse and just talking to the players.”

And Cano is more than happy to share what he’s picked up in his career and pay it forward.

“I remember as a young guy, guys like Jeter, A-Rod, they were always there for me,” Cano said. “Bernie Williams, Posada, Mariano (Rivera), all those guys were there for me when I was a rookie, and that’s how you learn. You always have to ask questions. You have to ask the veterans, the guys that have been in this game for so long.

“I always say that when you ask, you always get something good out of it. For me, as long as I can share some of the stuff that I learned… you never know which one of them is going to come up and help you make the playoffs.”

The players weren’t the only one getting the most out of they could out of Cano. As the DH, he spent a fair bit of the game next to Listach on the rail of the dugout.

“It was fun,” Listach said. “It’s really fun to have a guy like that around.”

Cano, who said he was plenty sore after eight innings at first base last night, will take Wednesday off, and then go north to join short-season Single-A Everett for four games, where he’ll get to be the veteran in an even younger clubhouse. He’s set to join the Mariners in Oakland when his suspension ends Aug. 14.

The game

Colorado Springs’ 8-4 win ended Tacoma’s penultimate homestand on a losing note, as the Sky Sox jumped on starter Rob Whalen for a six-run fourth inning.

The Sky Sox took a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly in the top of the second, then hit a pair of two-run home runs in the fourth before Whalen recorded an out to balloon the score to 5-0.

Mike Morin came in three batters later and ended the inning, but two more runs ended up on Whalen’s line.

Andrew Aplin powered all of the Tacoma scoring, going 2-for-4 with a pair of two-run doubles.

Colorado Springs added one more run on a solo home run off of Ryan Garton.

Tacoma has Wednesday off, and will fly to Salt Lake City early Thursday morning to begin a seven-game road trip that evening against the Bees. After four games in Utah, the Rainiers will go to Albuquerque for three more before returning home for the final homestand of the season.