Notebook | Morrow makes most of his time in minors

OAKLAND, Calif. — Recovering from a sore arm wasn't the only thing Brandon Morrow has been doing since spring training.

Morrow joined the Mariners on Wednesday for the start of a five-game trip, coming up from Class AA West Tennessee to fill the roster spot vacated by injured pitcher Erik Bedard. Besides trying to regain the command that deserted him in late in spring training, Morrow's AA stint also involved polishing a third pitch — a changeup — to go with his fastball and slider.

"I was throwing my changeup a lot down there," he said. "My last outing, I probably threw six, seven, maybe eight changeups out there."

Morrow has also worked on a split-fingered fastball, but feels more confident throwing the changeup in game situations.

"It's something to keep lefties off balance with," he said. "The split's a little harder to command. The changeup just keeps them off balance and keeps their momentum going back and forth."

The jury is still out on how far Morrow has come since being sidelined by biceps tendinitis in spring training. He pitched two innings a couple of times at West Tennessee, the latest on Monday night, and worked in back-to-back games.

But his command is still a question mark. He walked a pair of batters in two innings on Monday, giving him six walks in 7-1/3 innings.

Morrow insisted he's ready to go. He said talk that he'd suffered "a setback" last week had been overblown.

"I just took one day off," he said. "I got a little tired. I threw four times in the first week and then I took an extra day off and then was 100 percent after that."

Mariners manager John McLaren said he isn't worried about Morrow's command and believes the pitcher can be used in any situation — be it in the sixth, seventh or eighth innings.

"He's ready to go," McLaren said. "He's been throwing on a regular basis down there. I don't see any reason to hold him back."

Morrow welcomed his return to the big leagues with a smile. He'd skipped pitching in the minors in making the team straight out of college last year, but got a taste of what it's like with a 13-hour bus ride from Jacksonville, Fla., to Tennessee on a recent trip.

"Bored" Putz eager to come off DL

Mariners closer J.J. Putz hinted that he's unlikely to be reactivated off the disabled list before the end of this trip. Putz threw 41 pitches over eight minutes in a bullpen session on Wednesday and hopes to pitch in a simulated game on Saturday in Anaheim.

"It's just [pitching to] the hitter," he said of the value of throwing a simulated game.

"I'm really, really excited to get back. I'm bored out of my mind. To the point where I'm ... seeing how many pitches the batting-practice guys are throwing every day."

The Mariners could send Putz on a minor-league rehabilitation assignment. Putz said he believes the earliest he might be activated is Tuesday, the start of the next homestand.

"You don't want to push it," he said. "You just want to stay with the course and do what the training staff has planned for you."

Bedard to throw in bullpen Friday

Bedard is to throw a bullpen session on Friday in Anaheim as he tries to rebound from the hip inflammation that landed him on the 15-day DL. Bedard said he felt fine after playing catch on Wednesday.

The Mariners have been tight-lipped about what is causing the inflammation, amid speculation that the injury is more serious than the team is letting on. An MRI was taken over the weekend, but McLaren said he had no further information on it.

Notes

• Pitcher Jarrod Washburn was the odd man out among Mariners hunting enthusiasts who tried to get permits to hunt elk in Montana. Washburn had paid $600 to enter his name in a lottery for one of the limited number of elk hunting tags the state issues, as did teammates Mark Lowe and Willie Bloomquist and bullpen coach Norm Charlton.

The other three got their tags and plan to go hunting this offseason.

Washburn merely got his $600 refunded. And a sign posted at his locker stall by an anonymous teammate, reading: "For Sale, Montana Elk tag."

• Outfielder Charlton Jimerson, limited to only a couple of appearances with the Mariners this month, cleared waivers and signed a Class AAA contract with the team.

• Catcher Kenji Johjima had been 0 for 19 on the road this season before lining a single to right off Oakland's Joe Blanton in the second inning.

For the record

Streak: W2

Home: 5-3

Road: 3-5

vs. AL West: 5-2

vs. L.A.: 2-1

vs. Oakland: 1-0

vs. Texas: 2-1

vs. AL East: 2-5

vs. AL Central: 1-1

vs. NL: 0-0

vs. LHP: 1-2

vs. RHP: 7-6

Day: 3-4

Night: 5-4

One-run: 1-3

Extra innings: 0-0