M's Notebook | Show-and-prove time for Sherrill

TUCSON, Ariz. — Time is running out for George Sherrill to show he's ready to head north with a Mariners bullpen he was to be a key part of.

Sherrill has allowed 20 of 40 batters faced to reach base in seven spring outings including five Cactus League contests, a charity game and a minor league affair. The latest debacle occurred Wednesday, when Sherrill allowed a pair of runs and threw 26 pitches over just one inning of a minor league game.

"George needs to show something," Mariners manager Mike Hargrove said on Thursday, as his team defeated the Chicago White Sox, 11-6, at Tucson Electric Park. "He does. There's a certain amount of grace time that you give people who have been important to a club. But there comes a point in time when you need to step it up."

Hargrove said the reports he received from the minor-league game were that Sherrill's outing wasn't as bad as the numbers looked. Sherrill's velocity was said to be fine, but his location was off once again.

"George has been up with everything all spring," Hargrove said. "In the middle of the plate. He's been falling behind hitters."

The team has some bullpen decisions to make this coming week as J.J. Putz works his way back from an elbow strain. Putz threw for a few minutes on Thursday and hopes to have a bullpen session by early next week as he scrambles to ready himself for opening day.

There will either be one or two open spots, and one of them could be claimed by Seattle draft pick Brandon Morrow. "If he keeps throwing like that, it doesn't make it difficult at all," Hargrove said of the decision, adding that he could envision Morrow heading north.

If Sherrill is shelved, the other spot could be claimed by lefty Eric O'Flaherty, who has looked solid all spring. Hargrove hopes to have his bullpen set by next Thursday and isn't sure whether Sherrill — his top lefty set-up man heading into camp — will be on it.

"Now would be a real good time to step it up," Hargrove said.

Expect Hernandez on opening day

The team is expected to name Felix Hernandez its opening-day starter at some point after his scheduled outing Friday, but for now is keeping mum on the rotation since Hargrove wants first to chat with GM Bill Bavasi about it. That could mean the rotation won't get announced until Monday, but Hargrove did let it slip, albeit indirectly, that Horacio Ramirez will be his No. 5 starter.

Ramirez threw only one-third of an inning on Thursday before the game was delayed 47 minutes by rain. Afterward, Hargrove mentioned that Ramirez, who has one more spring start on Tuesday, would stay behind in Arizona to throw in a minor-league game after the team departs for Seattle.

The only way that happens is if Ramirez is the fifth starter, unless he pitched a regular-season game on short rest — something a team would never have him do the first week of a season. The lone rotation question now is whether Jeff Weaver or Miguel Batista will be the No. 3 starter behind Hernandez and Jarrod Washburn.

Ramirez served up a two-run homer to Jim Thome in the only inning he worked on Thursday. But he threw another 70 pitches in a side tunnel, with pitching coach Rafael Chaves sitting him down between "innings" to simulate a game situation.

"I wouldn't say that it's a lost day," Ramirez said afterward. "I definitely got some good work in."

Willie's work day

Willie Bloomquist's uniform was covered in dirt as he trudged into the clubhouse, having collected four more hits, a walk, two stolen bases and three more runs scored.

"I'm sore!" declared Bloomquist, hitting .444 with a .474 on-base percentage, 16 runs and nine steals without getting caught.

Bloomquist has 21 hits, but is still 14 away from equaling the team record held by Carlos Guillen. He's also still ticketed for a utility role, no matter what he does down here the final week.

"I try to prove myself every day and I let Skip make out the lineup," Bloomquist said of Hargrove with a shrug. "I've said it a zillion times. I like playing. It's no secret, everyone likes to play. I'll just prepare the same way and ... if he sees me deserving of more playing time, then he'll give it to me."

Note

• Hargrove hopes to have most of his roster moves done by next Thursday, before the team departs for an exhibition game in Las Vegas. His backup catching situation could be resolved before then, with Hargrove saying the choice between incumbent Rene Rivera and journeyman Jamie Burke won't be as difficult as his other pending decisions. Rivera notched a double and scored in his only at-bat Thursday, while Burke went 0 for 2.

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

Thursday's box score

Seattle						Chicago (A)
	AB	R	H	BI			AB	R	H	BI
Bloomquist ss	5	3	4	2		Erstad lf	4	1	1	0
Beltre 3b	4	1	1	0		Terrero lf	1	0	1	0
Dawkins 3b	1	0	0	0		Iguchi 2b	4	1	2	0
Vidro dh	4	0	0	1		Getz 2b	1	0	0	0
Ibanez lf	3	2	2	0		Thome dh	3	2	1	2
Jones cf	1	0	1	1		Konerko 1b	2	1	1	2
Sexson 1b	2	1	1	1		Smith 1b	2	0	1	0
Burke 1b	2	0	0	0		Dye rf	4	1	1	0
Morse rf	5	1	2	2		Kelly rf	1	0	1	0
Johjima c	4	0	1	1		Crede 3b	2	0	1	1
Rivera c	1	1	1	0		Perez 3b	2	0	1	0
Lopez 2b	5	2	2	1		Pierzynski c	2	0	1	0
Reed cf-lf	5	0	1	0		Gonzalez c	3	0	0	0
						Anderson cf	4	0	1	0
						Uribe ss	4	0	0	0
Totals	42	11	16	9		Totals	39	6	13	5

Seattle	122 300 012	--	11
Chicago (A)	204 000 000	--	6

E — Bloomquist, Dawkins, Crede, Bukvich. DP — Seattle 2. LOB — Seattle 8, Chicago 10. 2B — Ibanez, Bloomquist, Jones, Rivera, Crede, Iguchi, Konerko, Terrero. HR — Morse, Thome. SB — Ibanez, Bloomquist 2. SF — Vidro, Crede.

Mariners	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Ramirez	0 1/3	2	2	2	0	0
Thomas, W	2 2/3	6	4	4	1	2
Lehr	3	1	0	0	2	2
Rivera	2	2	0	0	0	3
De La Cruz	1	2	0	0	0	1

White Sox	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Contreras	1	2	1	1	0	0
Haeger, L	5	9	7	6	3	3
Logan	1	0	0	0	0	0
Bukvich	2	5	3	2	0	2

WP — Rivera, Contreras. PB — Pierzynski. T — 2:41. A.