Seattle Mariners: Seattle Mariners closer J.J. Putz has a
mild right elbow strain, and the team should have him back soon.
Putz got a scare after feeling some stiffness in the elbow
following a bullpen session earlier in the week, but the
30-year-old right-hander was set to throw again on Tuesday.
"We were never really too worried about it. It was more of a
precautionary thing, anyway," Putz said on Saturday. "I felt fine
throwing my bullpen Thursday; it was just a little achy afterward.
The pain went away as the day went on."
Tests showed that the injury was a strain and nothing more
serious.
There is no clear-cut plan in place if Putz goes down; projected
setup man Chris Reitsma, who has some closing experience, has
struggled in the spring and hard-throwing reliever Rafael Soriano
was traded for starter Horacio Ramirez in the offseason.
Elsewhere in the Cactus League:
Arizona Diamondbacks: Randy Johnson, who is recovering from offseason back
surgery, played catch Saturday for the second straight day. He is
scheduled to throw his second batting practice session on Monday.
The Diamondbacks believe Johnson may be able to return to their
rotation in mid-to-late April.
Colorado Rockies: Aaron Cook pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings and
Colorado manager Clint Hurdle announced after the game that the
right-hander would start on opening day against Arizona on April
2.
"He's worked hard and battled through adversity on the field and a lot of adversity off the field [because of surgeries to relieve blood clots in his lungs in September of 2004]. I am proud of him," Hurdle said.
The Rockies beat the San Francisco Giants 12-2.