The Mariners have placed 27-year old lefty starting pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain. Rowland-Smith has pitched in 22 games (19 starts) for the Mariners this year and he is 1-10 with a 6.96 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP. He has given up a stunning 129 hits and an amazing 23 homers in only 98 1/3 innings for the Mariners this year. The Mariners have recalled 24-year old starting pitcher Luke French to replace him in the starting rotation. French pitched in 4 games (1 start) earlier this season for the Mariners and he was 0-1 with a 6.39 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP.

The Mariners have released 35-year old righty reliever Joe Nelson. Nelson pitched in 8 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball for the Mariners and he was 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA and a 2.13 WHIP. He has pitched in 24 games (0 starts) overall for two teams in the minors this year and he is 3-2 with 1 save, a 3.64 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. The Mariners saw enough out of Nelson to know that he wasn’t going to help them this season but at least he will be free to look for a new job.