Mariners Notebook: Bedard warms up

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Erik Bedard's first appearance for the Mariners was just another day at work.

Nothing spectacular. Nothing awful. It was just a guy trying to get himself ready for the season.

Bedard threw 44 pitches, 31 for strikes, and gave up three runs in two innings against the San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale. That put the Mariners in a 3-0 hole, but they came back to win 5-3. Mike Morse contributed the big hit, a two-run single.

"I was just trying to throw strikes and get my body ready for the season," Bedard said. "I threw all my pitches, and I threw them for strikes."

Well, not all of them. Bedard walked the first and third batters of the second inning, sandwiching them around a single by former Mariner Rich Aurilia. All three of those base runners would score, although Bedard wasn't hit particularly hard.

It was the first time Bedard threw in a game since the Mariners acquired him by trading five players, including reliever George Sherrill and outfielder Adam Jones, to Baltimore.

"I threw some strikes and they hit them," Bedard said with a marvelous economy of words.

Bedard's teammates are looking for ways to get closer to him. Bedard has lots of close friends in Baltimore with whom he texts all the time, but he doesn't know the players in the Mariners camp much better than he knows the Seattle media.

"I don't talk to him very much," catcher Kenji Johjima said. "But we went to dinner a couple of times to try and talk with him, because he's not a very talkative guy."

Johjima was behind the plate for Bedard's debut and was happy enough with what he saw.

"He gave up a few runs in the game," Johjima said, "but I saw some things I liked. For two innings, I saw a lot of things that were good."

Manager John McLaren concurred after seeing Bedard throw strikes with about three-quarters of his pitches. McLaren would take that ratio all year long.

"There were a couple of pitches that were close calls (on the two walks) and he got a couple of pitches up," McLaren said. "We're not looking for him to throw shutouts down here. We're looking for him to get ready for March 31 (Opening Day)."

JIMERSON, MORSE LEAD OFFENSE: The Mariners got nothing going against former Washington starter Tim Lincecum in 2 2/3 innings, but Seattle rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win thanks largely to outfielders Charlton Jimerson and Morse.

Jimerson singled, stole second and third and scored the first of two Seattle runs in the sixth inning.

Two innings later, Morse came through with a bases-loaded single that scored two runs to push Seattle to a 4-3 lead before the Mariners scored an add-on run in the ninth.

ANOTHER LEFTY WAITING: Robert Rohrbaugh was named Triple-A Tacoma's most valuable pitcher last year, even though he spent only half a season there.

After going 7-5 with a 3.28 ERA for West Tenn (they don't like to be called West Tennessee) in Double-A last year, the left-handed Rohrbaugh was promoted to Tacoma and went 6-3 with a 2.95 ERA in 13 starts with the Rainiers.

He'd like nothing better than to limit himself to a half-season or less at Tacoma this year, too, if it meant he could get promoted to the big leagues. It's not going to happen to start the season, but trades and injuries always change things.

"He doesn't throw hard, but he's got a good feeling for pitching," McLaren said.

Rohrbaugh impressed his manager and the coaches by throwing two shutout innings in an intrasquad game Wednesday.

Rohrbaugh says he can hit 91 mph on the radar gun "only if the planets all align." That being the case, he looks for any edge he can get. He's found one in another lefty, Bedard.

"I grew up about 50 miles from Baltimore and was a huge Orioles fan," Rohrbaugh said. "I used to watch him pitch. Now we talk about pitching. We talk about lots of things. It's helped me out.

"I'm just here to showcase what I can do. I don't know what's going to happen. Maybe I've got a shot at making the big leagues this year."

EXTRA BASES: The small tent city that set up Friday morning across the street from Safeco Field for those wishing to be among the first to buy single-game tickets isn't unprecedented. The Mariners had that same kind of interest in 2001 and 2002. It may say something about the interest the club has drummed up by signing Bedard and fellow starter Carlos Silva after an 88-win season last year. Safeco Field's ticket windows along Edgar Martinez Drive open Saturday at 10 a.m. ... The Mariners announced three roster signings Friday. Infielder/outfielder Morse, outfielder Jeremy Reed and pitcher Sean White all agreed to terms for the 2008 season. That leaves starting pitcher Felix Hernandez as the only player the Mariners have yet to sign. Seattle has imposed a Sunday deadline for getting all of its 2008 contracts done. ... Pitcher Anderson Garcia, who has been limited by biceps tendinitis, is getting closer to rejoining regular workouts. ... Injured relievers Mark Lowe and Chris Reitsma, both coming off elbow surgery, could pitch in a game in the next week or so. A little further away is a third injured reliever, Arthur Rhodes, who is coming back from ligament replacement surgery.