M's Notebook | Buckling down on Betancourt's wild throws

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mariners shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt had company during Monday's pregame workout as he made a series of tosses to first base.

Standing behind Betancourt and offering commentary with each throw was third-base coach Carlos Garcia, who doubles as the team's infield instructor. It has been a while since Betancourt has been scrutinized so closely for anything defense-related, but a string of haphazard throws on routine plays has set off alarm bells.

Garcia has been told to work with Betancourt to correct the problem. Monday's session was their first effort, and Garcia said his prime objective is to keep a physical problem from becoming mental.

"I don't want it to get to that point," he said. "I don't want to make it a mental situation. It's not like that right now. If they feel tender about throwing the ball, they start thinking about it. And I don't want it to get to that point."

The Mariners say the problem is that Betancourt's arm angle has dropped lower than it used to be. But the problem is not quite that simple.

Garcia says Betancourt is throwing the ball the same way he always has. His sidearm-like angle is his natural throwing motion and something no one wants to mess with given his spectacular infield play.

The real problem, Garcia says, is that Betancourt needs to get his body down lower when he throws. He has been standing up straighter, causing his arm to naturally drop lower than the shoulder level he'd normally throw from when crouched down.

"If his arm stays more up, the ball's going to go straight," Garcia said. "If it stays under the ball, the ball is going to sink."

Garcia said extra weight lifting done by Betancourt last winter, which has made him bulkier, might be causing him to throw from a more upright position. But Garcia wants to ease Betancourt back into his old style, worried he'll be thinking about his throws too much.

Betancourt might have been guilty of thinking ahead in the third inning Monday night, as a hard shot by Vladimir Guerrero skipped past his backhanded glove and out into left field. The play was ruled a single, but it was the kind of grounder Betancourt has turned into outs before.

Betancourt made a throwing error in the ninth inning, throwing wide to first base.

Breathing

not so easy

Raul Ibanez is still feeling some soreness from the stiff back that kept him out of the lineup an entire week.

The team's medical staff has told him to stand and breathe a certain way so as not to put added strain on his back when waiting in the on-deck circle, or chatting around the batting cage.

"They've taught me a few things, a few ways to protect it a little bit," he said. "So when I'm standing around, I'm just trying to keep my core drawn in. You exhale your breath and then suck your stomach in."

Ibanez shows no signs of slowing down at the plate. He was 5 for 12 with four doubles, four runs batted in and four runs scored in three starts at Kansas City, then had a first-inning single here Monday.

An odd oops

Mariners second baseman Jose Lopez had gone 42 consecutive games without an error before finally making one on a throw in the ninth inning of Sunday's win over the Royals.

"The big thing I've seen is that he's had better range," Mariners manager Mike Hargrove said. "And when he's getting to balls, he's better balanced. I think that has a lot to do with him making so few errors so far this year."

Lopez had always been blessed with a strong arm, but his range had been a question mark. The other big work-in-progress had been the turns he makes before throwing the ball to second, something he continues to work on.

"It's kind of ironic that the one error he finally does make is a throwing error," Hargrove said. "You almost feel like it shouldn't count, but it does."

Notes

• The Mariners say the injury to LHP Horacio Ramirez isn't serious, but they can't say when he'll be back. Ramirez, on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder tendinitis, met with team medical director Dr. Edward Khalfayan on Monday in Seattle.

Khalfayan told the team Ramirez needs to strengthen the arm, but no definitive timetable has been given for how long that will take.

• Injured RH reliever Chris Reitsma is to begin working out in Seattle today with M's physical therapist Jason Steere. Reitsma's sore elbow feels better, and he could come off the DL by the weekend.

• The Angels optioned OF Tommy Murphy to Class AAA Salt Lake and purchased the contract of OF Nathan Haynes.

The Associated Press

contributed to this report.

For the record

Streak: W4

Home: 12-11

Road: 13-11

vs. AL West: 9-7

vs. L.A.: 2-5

vs. Oakland: 4-1

vs. Texas: 3-1

vs. AL East: 7-6

vs. AL Central: 8-7

vs. NL: 1-2

vs. LHP: 9-3

vs. RHP: 16-19

Day: 8-8

Night: 17-14

One-run: 4-6

Extra innings: 0-0