The Mariners have activated 25-year old lefty swinging 1B/OF Mike Carp off the D.L. to replace Miguel Olivo on the active roster. Carp played in the season opener for the Mariners in the season opener this year against the A’s and he was 0 for 4. He hurt his shoulder in that game. Carp didn’t looked too good on his rehab assignment in AAA, as he played in 13 games there in which he was 7 for 51 (.137 avg, .362 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 0 homers, 4 RBIs and 1 stolen base. But, the Mariners need offensive help and Carp will likely serve as the DH with Jesus Montero likely starting at catcher. Carp played in 79 games for the Mariners last year and he was 80 for 290 (.276 avg, .791 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 12 homers and 46 RBIs.

The Seattle Mariners have placed starting catcher Miguel Olivo on the 15-day disabled list due to a groin injury. Olivo has played in 23 games for the Mariners so far this year and he is 17 for 81 (.210 avg, .575 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 3 homers, 7 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Righty swinging Jesus Montero and lefty swinging John Jaso will split up the duties behind the plate for the Mariners until Olivo is ready to return to action. Montero has played in 21 games for the Mariners so far this year and he is 21 of 82 (.259 avg, .690 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 4 homers and 13 RBIs. John Jaso has played in 8 games for the Mariners so far this year and he is 5 for 18 (.278 avg, .961 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs.

When the Mariners picked up 30-year old righty SS two years ago, it was for his D. He played in 123 games for the Mariners last year and he was 108 of 436 (.248 avg, .639 OPS) with 51 runs scored, 3 homers, 39 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. The Mariners were actually probably o.k. with Ryan’s hitting last year due to his glove work. He has been lost at the plate so far this year. Ryan has played in 17 games for the Mariners so far this year and he is 8 for 49 (.163 avg, .629 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 1 homer and 4 RBIs. He has walked 11 times so far this year, so at least he’s finding some ways to make up for his lack of hitting. The Mariners don’t really have an alternative to Ryan on the roster right now, so he’s going to continue to start for the time being.

Switch-hitting 2B Julio Cruz was one of the reasons to tune in and watch the Seattle Mariners in their early years. Cruz played in 742 games in his 7 years with the Mariners and he was 649 of 2,667 (.243 avg, .634 OPS) with 402 runs scored, 17 homers, 162 RBIs and 290 stolen bases. Cruz’ best offensive year came back in 1979 for the Mariners. He played in 107 games for the Mariners in 1979 and he was 112 of 414 (.271 avg, .689 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 1 homer, 29 RBIs and 49 stolen bases. Cruz is #2 in Mariners’ history in stolen bases (290) and he is #8 in walks with 330 of them. In the Mariners’ record books, Cruz has five of the top 10 one season totals in stolen bases. He is #2 on the list for his 59 steals in 1978, only one behind franchise leader Harold Reynolds.

26-year old righty starting pitcher Felix Hernandez continues to dominate despite not having his won/loss record reflect it. Hernandez has pitched in 4 games (all starts) for the Mariners so far this year and he is 1-1 with a 2.76 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. He has 31 whiffs (leads the majors) and only 5 walks in his first 29 1/3 innings as he is pounding the strike zone. Hernandez has now pitched in 209 games (all starts) for the Mariners in his first 8 years with the team and he is 86-68 with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He is the Mariners’ all-time leader in both ERA (3.23) and WHIP (1.22). He is also #4 in starts (209), #3 in wins (86), #4 in innings pitched (1,417 2/3), #2 in strikeouts (1,295) and he is tied for 10th with Freddy Garcia and Aaron Sele with 4 shutouts. Hernandez has been flat out awesome for the Mariners in his career and they hope he keeps up the good work.