Mariners | Uncertainty over Brandon Morrow, others as camp ends

PEORIA, Ariz. — A final day of spring training in this state ended Thursday with the Mariners facing the same unresolved issues they opened camp with seven weeks ago.

The team is still not certain whether it will carry 11 or 12 pitchers into the regular season, much of that stemming from the uncertain health of setup man Brandon Morrow. Mariners manager John McLaren admitted Thursday that he still isn't sure whether Morrow will open the season with the club. Morrow was hit hard Tuesday in his second minor-league outing after being sidelined March 10 with a sore shoulder.

"We're going to see where we are with him," McLaren said before leaving with the team on a flight to San Francisco for a night game with the Giants.

A week ago, McLaren was confident he would have his 25-man roster set by the time his club departed for the San Francisco exhibition, as well as two other preseason contests in Las Vegas tonight and Saturday. But that was before Morrow was lit up for five runs in two-thirds of an inning by a Class AAA team Tuesday.

Morrow's command has been slow to return, and the team isn't certain he can be counted on in early April. If he's deemed unready to open the season in Seattle, the club can place him on the 15-day disabled list or option him to Class AAA Tacoma to keep strengthening his arm.

The reason the team is still wavering over whether to add an extra pitcher is that McLaren badly wants to keep Greg Norton around as a pinch-hitter. But that can only be done if the team foregoes the 12th pitcher in favor of an extra position player.

An 11-man staff seems almost a luxury at this stage.

"I think we're going to have to talk it over again when we get to Las Vegas," McLaren said.

And that means that outfielders Mike Morse, Jeremy Reed and Charlton Jimerson boarded Thursday's flight uncertain whether they'll be continuing on to Seattle with the rest of the club come Saturday. Only one of the three is likely to make the club as an extra outfielder.

McLaren says his team is ready to start the season Monday.

"We came into camp with a buzz," he said. "Our workouts were excellent. I think we're in pretty good physical shape. We know we have talent. We know we can win."

Texas tuneup

Felix Hernandez gave up a pair of home runs, one on his second pitch of the game, and three runs total over five innings of a 10-10 tie between the Mariners and San Diego Padres on Thursday afternoon. Four major-leaguers — Hernandez, Jose Vidro, Kenji Johjima and Willie Bloomquist — stayed for the game while the rest went to San Francisco.

Hernandez allowed nine hits during his stint while striking out five. He'll pitch in Seattle's second regular-season game against the Texas Rangers.

Notes

• The Mariners' season opener Monday is virtually sold out, but good seats remain for Tuesday and Wednesday's games against the Texas Rangers. Any tickets returned for Monday's 3:40 opener (gates open at 1:40) will immediately become available on www.mariners.com.

• SS Yuniesky Betancourt had five RBI as the Mariners defeated the Giants 7-2. Betancourt hit a three-run homer in the fourth off Giants starter Matt Cain.

• Tuesday is Boeing Salute to Armed Forces Night. Any current or retired U.S. military personnel with valid I.D. can purchase tickets for half price.

• The Mariners will launch their official Spanish-language Web site, www.losmarineros.com, on opening day. Also, fans will have four ways to hear game broadcasts in Spanish — through the cable SAP feed on FSN telecasts, the ESPN Deportes radio station (1230 AM) in Portland, XM satellite radio and the new site.

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com.

Thursday's box scores

San Diego						Seattle (ss)
	AB	R	H	BI			AB	R	H	BI
Hairston cf	3	1	2	1		Bloomquist ss	2	2	1	1
Macias pr-cf	3	2	2	2		Dominguez 2b	1	0	0	0
McAnulty rf	3	0	1	0		Kiger 2b-ss	4	3	3	2
Huffman rf	1	0	0	1		Vidro dh	3	0	1	1
AGonzalez 1b	3	0	1	1		Limonta pr-dh	2	1	2	2
Cooper pr-1b	1	1	0	0		Witt 1b	6	0	1	1
Kouzmanoff 3b	3	0	3	0		Johjima c	2	0	1	0
Dowdy pr-3b	1	0	0	0		Oliveros ph-c	3	0	0	0
Clark dh	3	0	0	0		Prettyman 3b	4	0	0	0
Durango ph	2	1	0	1		Liddi ph-3b	1	0	0	0
Greene ss	2	1	1	1		Redman lf	5	1	2	0
JLopez ph-ss	3	0	1	2		Halman rf-cf	4	3	3	1
Huber lf	3	1	0	0		Carroll cf	3	0	0	0
Perry lf	1	0	1	0		Lo ph-rf	1	0	0	0
Barrett c	3	1	2	0		Peguero ph	1	0	1	0
McQueary ph	2	1	0	0
Crabbe 2b	4	1	2	1
Lopez 2b	1	0	1	0
Totals	42	10	17	10		Totals	42	10	15	8

San Diego	100 116 001	—	10
Seattle (ss)	101 014 021	—	10

E — Young, JLopez, McQueary, Dowdy, Halman, Prettyman. DP — Seattle 1. LOB — Seattle 12, San Diego 10. 2B — Barrett 2, Hairston, AGonzalez, Redman, Halman, Limonta. HR — Hairston, Greene, Kiger, Halman. SB — Durango, Kiger. CS — Crabbe, Bloomquist. S — Dominguez. SF — Huffman.

San Diego	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Young	3	4	2	2	0	3
Ledezma	2	4	1	1	2

Abraham 1/334321Moreno 1 2/310004Axelrod 233112

Mariners	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Hernandez	5	9	3	3	0	5
Chick	2/3	4	6	6	3	0
Kelley	1/3	0	0	0	0	1
Mackintosh	1	1	0	0	0	2
Hume	2	3	1	1	1	0

HBP — by Axelrod (Limonta). WP — Axelrod. Balk — Young. T — 3:30. A — 5,411.

Seattle (ss)						San Francisco
	AB	R	H	BI			AB	R	H	BI
Suzuki cf	4	0	0	1		Lewis lf	3	1	0	0
Jimerson cf	1	0	0	0		Durham 2b	2	0	1	1
Lopez 2b	4	0	1	0		Hennessey p	0	0	0	0
Hulett pr-2b	1	0	0	0		Walker p	0	0	0	0
Ibanez lf	2	0	0	0		Alfonzo ph	1	0	0	0
Morrow p	0	0	0	0		Winn rf	1	0	0	0
Norton 1b	1	0	0	0		Horwitz rf	1	0	0	0
Sexson 1b	4	0	0	0		Molina c	2	0	1	1
Tuiasosopo 3b	0	0	0	0		Holm c	1	0	1	0
Wilkerson rf	2	1	1	0		Rowand cf	3	0	0	0
Wilson pr-rf	1	0	0	0		Leone 1b	1	0	0	0
Morse 3b	3	1	0	0		Aurilia 1b	3	0	0	0
R-Smith p	0	0	0	0		Valdez p	0	0	0	0
Green p	0	0	0	0		Velez 2b	1	0	0	0
Burke c	4	2	2	0		Castillo 3b	4	1	1	0
Kinkade c	0	0	0	0		Bocock ss	3	0	1	0
Betancourt ss	2	3	2	5		Burriss ss	1	0	0	0
Truinfel ss	1	0	0	0		Cain p	1	0	0	0
Dickey p	2	0	0	0		Threets p	0	0	0	0
Saunders ph	1	0	1	0		Ortmeier ph	1	0	0	0
Reed lf	1	0	0	0		Yabu p	0	0	0	0
						Davis cf	2	0	0	0
Totals	34	7	7	6		Totals	31	2	5	2

Seattle (ss)	030 301 000	—	7
San Francisco	001 100 000	—	2

E — Lopez, Truinfel, Bocock, Durham. DP — Seattle 1. LOB — Seattle 5, San Francisco 9. 2B — Betancourt. HR — Betancourt. SF — Molina.

Mariners	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Dickey, W	5	1	0	0	3	2
Morrow	1	0	1	1	3	1
Rowland-Smith	2	4	1	1	0	4
Green	1	0	0	0	0	0

Giants	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Cain, L	4	5	6	5	2	6
Threets	1	0	0	0	1	1
Yabu	1	2	1	1	1	1
Valdez	1	0	0	0	0	2
Hennessey	1	0	0	0	0	0
Walker	1	0	0	0	0	0

HBP — by Threets (Wilkerson). T — 2:48. A.