Mark Lowe makes comeback with Mariners

It wasn't long ago that Mark Lowe's baseball dream was simple and relatively modest: To step back on a major-league mound.

That was no guarantee, either. When Dr. Lewis Yocum performed surgery on Lowe's right elbow in October 2006, he told Lowe, then 23, that he might never pitch again.

Yocum privately informed the Mariners medical staff that Lowe's odds of making a successful return were about 30 percent.

But now that Lowe has defied those odds and is back as a vital, contributing member of the Mariners' bullpen, he has a new vision.

It's not an obsession, mind you, but Lowe would be delighted if, one day in the not-so-distant future, he hits triple digits again on the radar gun.

Lowe would occasionally crank one up at 100 mph in 2006, when he burst into the majors with a 1.93 earned-run average and .190 opponents batting average in 15 appearances.

"Obviously, getting guys out is the biggest thing for me," he said.

But if the 100 mph pitch happens, he said, "that's just another great accomplishment to go along with everything else."

On Wednesday, Lowe's comeback became even more important to the Mariners when closer J.J. Putz went on the disabled list with a rib injury.

Lowe figures to be a leading member of the closing committee that manager John McLaren said he will use to protect leads in Putz's absence.

Eric O'Flaherty and Sean Green are also closing candidates, and No. 5 starter Miguel Batista, who saved the first Putz-free game, could be a consideration.

"J.J. came up to me [Wednesday] and said, 'OK, you guys have to pick it up a little bit,' " Lowe said. "We're ready. We're going to do everything we can do.

"J.J. is a huge part of our bullpen. He is our bullpen. He's still our leader; he's just not going to be out there for a little bit. But he'll still be out there helping us and keeping us in line."

That Lowe is pitching at all qualifies as a medical marvel. Yocum's arthroscopic procedure to regenerate missing cartilage in Lowe's elbow by poking tiny holes in the bone — akin to microfracture surgery now often performed on the knees of NFL and NBA players — had little track record with baseball players.

"It's usually something you see in pretty violent collisions, and his is a more of a wear-and-tear sport," Mariners trainer Rick Griffin said. "When Dr. Yocum did this surgery, he actually said it [the cartilage] could continue to grow for up to a year and a half.

"Hopefully, the process is complete. He doesn't have 100 percent regeneration or growth, but he has enough where he's now pain-free; he's not swelling up after he pitches, and he's recovering very quickly between his appearances. These are all very good things."

After missing most of the 2007 season, Lowe was a big question mark heading into spring training. But Griffin said he told anyone who would listen that Lowe was his pick to be the biggest surprise of Seattle's camp.

Lowe came to Seattle for the Caravan, a goodwill speaking tour in January, and Griffin saw him throw.

"He was throwing from 120 feet, just lasers," Griffin said.

Griffin had heard all the reports from Arizona, where Lowe was training, but "you never know."

Lowe's real breakthrough came late in camp, when he pitched in back-to-back games for the first time. That essentially clinched his spot on the team, but more important, convinced Lowe that he was really back.

"My velocity even went up the second day," he said. "The next day, I felt normal — some little aches here and there, but not like it used to be. I kind of sat there and said, 'OK, I'm finally where I want to be.' "

After facing one batter in each of the Mariners' first two games against Texas, Lowe felt frisky enough to tell pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre he was ready for a third straight game.

"That's good to know, but I think we'll give you the day off. It's too early," Stottlemyre responded.

Mariners manager John McLaren admits that he has his own dream: Lowe and Brandon Morrow, currently working on his mechanics in Class AA after recovering from a shoulder issue in camp, as a flame-throwing one-two punch setting up Putz.

"It's a very nice feeling I have thinking about it," McLaren said.

For now, Lowe says he's proud of his perseverance through some admittedly dark hours after the initial surgery and a follow-up procedure last February.

"It was a long road," he said. "It was tough. There were ups, there were downs, there was success, there was failure, there was everything. I think it matured me a lot and prepared me for a lot of things."

Lowe says his arm is as good as ever, verified by his current speed-gun readings in the mid-90s.

"I was telling someone, 'I've never been 94, 95 right out of spring. Ever,' " he said. "It's only going to go up as the season goes on and I get stronger."

Griffin said, "For him to be throwing 95 in cold weather in April, that's phenomenal. When the weather warms up, I don't see any reason he can't get back up to 96 to 98 as the year goes on."

And if Lowe should pop 100, that would be the ultimate statement for the regeneration not only of his cartilage, but also his career.

Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com