Originally published April 10, 2012 at 8:10 PM | Page modified April 11, 2012 at 12:19 AM
Eric Wedge benches Ryan, hopes starting shortstop gets message
Wedge sits Ryan saying, "There's a level of accountability and a level of responsibility that I feel everybody has." Wedge said Ryan will start Wednesday.
Seattle Times staff reporter
ARLINGTON, Texas — Brendan Ryan sat and watched Tuesday night's game from the dugout bench, with his manager not happy with some of what he has seen early in the season.
Mariners manager Eric Wedge started Munenori Kawasaki at shortstop in Ryan's place and made it clear the move was to send a message. Ryan made a costly throwing mistake on the back-end of a double play in Monday night's game, though Wedge insisted it was not just about that.
"There's a level of accountability and a level of responsibility that I feel everybody has," Wedge said. "It's no more and no less than that. I'm not going to dive into details on it, but I'll leave it at that."
Ryan made a similar throwing mistake on a double-play attempt last week in Oakland. He also didn't have the greatest at-bats in Monday's game and showed up at the ballpark on Saturday with a stiff neck from sleeping poorly and had to miss that game.
Wedge said Ryan continues to be his starting shortstop and will be in the lineup Wednesday. When asked whether he had spoken to Ryan about why he was sitting, Wedge quipped: "I think it's inferred."
Notes
• Mariners pitcher Erasmo Ramirez was still beaming after his solid debut Monday night. Ramirez was in the clubhouse scribbling on a souvenir baseball he kept from the game, in which he held the Rangers to a run on two hits over three innings.
He wrote the names of his three strikeout victims on the ball, as well as that of Josh Hamilton, who hit a solo homer off him.
"Maybe he'll autograph it for me," Ramirez said.
• The Mariners had gone 0 for 58 lifetime off Neftali Feliz before Justin Smoak hit a single in the fourth inning. Feliz was making his debut as a starter after working in the Texas bullpen since 2009.
• Mike Carp is to play in a minor-league intrasquad game on Monday in Peoria, Ariz. as he recovers from a sprained shoulder. Seattle will decide afterward whether or not Carp is ready to head out on a minor-league rehabilitation assignment.
Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @gbakermariners.
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