The Associated Press
The Mariners' Paul Abbott delivers a pitch against the San Diego Padres on Thursday in Peoria, Ariz.

Abbott says he's good to go

M's pitcher undeterred by injury scare in final spring start

KIRBY ARNOLD, FOR THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Friday, March 29, 2002

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The goal these final days before the regular season is to stay healthy.

That's why there was a collective gasp from Peoria through San Bernardino and all the way to Seattle on Thursday when Paul Abbott grabbed his right hamstring and walked off the mound.

Abbott, the Seattle Mariners' No. 3 starting pitcher, suffered a cramp as he warmed up before the third inning of his final start of spring training.

Then all fears subsided.

Abbott stretched in the dugout for a few minutes, then jogged back to the mound and pitched the next two innings without a problem.

"It was just a cramp," Abbott said. "Every time something like that happens, you can change your mechanics and allow the cramp to grow and turn into a muscle pull. But they (trainers) helped me stretch it out in the dugout and allow me to go back and get my work in."

Bench coach John McLaren, who managed the team while Lou Piniella handled the group that played in San Bernardino, Calif., said his heart jumped into his throat.

"I didn't know what was going on," McLaren said. "He'd had some diarrhea problems this morning and initially I thought it had hit him again. But he said he had a little cramp in his leg and he needed to stretch.

"I said, 'Paul, why don't we just get you out?' and he said, 'No, let me stretch and I'll be fine.' "

Abbott pitched four innings, allowing two runs on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts. The plan Thursday was for Abbott to work six innings or throw 105 pitches.

"He was right at 95 pitches and he wasn't going past 105, so we decided we weren't going to take any chances," McLaren said.

Didn't matter, because Abbott said his arm is ready for the season. He will pitch the third game Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox.

"You can tell you're ready when your pitch count gets up and you feel strong," he said. "It's when you get late in the pitch count when you start getting tired and you quit throwing the same quality pitches. I feel like I'm ready to go at least 105 pitches."

He also heads into the season having a grasp of his out pitch, the changeup.

"The changeup was brutal the first three innings," Abbott said. "The last inning I think I found something. I felt like I wasn't getting on top enough, and I slowed my body down and let my arm get out in front and threw good ones after that."

It has been a difficult month for Abbott, whose father is seriously ill in California. He has traveled there several times during spring training, including a trip earlier this week.

"He's been through a lot here," McLaren said. "He was out there pitching but his mind is in California right now."

The Padres scored five runs off Mariners minor league pitchers in the last four innings to beat the M's 7-4.

It left the Mariners with a 13-16 record in Arizona and 4-12 at Peoria Stadium.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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