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 placed 36-year old righty swinging DH Mike Sweeney on the 15-day disabled list with back spasms. Sweeney has played in 30 games this season for the Mariners and he is 26 of 99 (.263 avg, .802 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 6 homers, 18 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. This hurts the Mariners as Sweeney has been one of their best hitters when healthy. The Mariners have recalled 27-year old righty starter/reliever David Pauley to replace Sweeney on the active roster. He will serve in long relief for the Mariners for the time being. He made his season debut yesterday working 2 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits, walking 3 batters and whiffing 2. Pauley has also pitched in 15 games (14 starts) earlier this season in AAA-ball and he was 1-6 with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP.

The Mariners have placed 26-year old righty reliever Shawn Kelley on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow inflammation. Kelley has pitched in 22 games (0 starts) for the Mariners so far this season and he is 3-1 with a 3.96 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. The Mariners have activated 26-year old righty starting pitcher Doug Fister off the D.L. to replace Kelley on the roster. Fister has pitched in 10 games (all starts) for the Mariners this year and he is 3-3 with a 2.45 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. The Mariners are likely very happy to have Fister back in action as he has been a pleasant surprise for them so far this year.

The Mariners have placed 36-year old righty swinging DH Mike Sweeney on the 15-day disabled list with a sore Achilles tendon. Sweeney has played in 27 games for the Mariners this year and he is 23 of 89 (.258 avg, .806 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 6 homers and 16 RBIs. The Mariners will miss Sweeney while he’s out of action as he is one of the few Mariners that are hitting the ball this year. The Mariners have recalled 23-year old lefty swinging 1B Mike Carp to replace Sweeney on the active roster. Carp has played in 50 games in AAA-ball this year and he was 46 of 184 (.250 avg, .776 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 10 homers and 31 RBIs. Carp was the Mariners’ #23 rated prospect coming into this season according to Baseball America. Carp got his first taste of the majors last year with the Mariners playing in 21 games in which he was 17 of 54 (.315 avg, .878 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 1 homer and 5 RBIs. Look for Carp to possibly get some P.T. at 1B with Casey Kotchman struggling big time this year.

The Mariners have placed 26-year old righty starting pitcher Doug Fister on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder fatigue. Fister has started 10 games for the Mariners this year and he is 3-3 with a 2.45 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. He only has given up 57 hits in 69 2/3 innings while walking 10 batters as he has been very aggressive in the strike zone which has led to his success this year. It was smart for the Mariners to shut Fister down for a couple of weeks to prevent him from really hurting himself and missing significant time on the mound. 27-year old lefty Ryan Rowland-Smith will replace Fister in the rotation. Rowland-Smith has pitched in 12 games (9 starts) for the Mariners this year and he is 0-4 with a 6.65 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP as he has given up 58 hits (10 homers) in only 46 innings pitched. The Mariners have recalled 24-year old lefty starter/reliever Luke French to replace Rowland-Smith in the pen. French started 11 games in AAA-ball this year and he was 6-2 with a 1.93 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He has already worked in one game for the Mariners getting 1 guy out and allowing 1 hit but no runs. French pitched in 8 games (7 starts) for the Mariners last season and he was 3-3 with a 6.63 ERA and a 1.87 WHIP. If Rowland-Smith stumbles as a starter look for French to replace him in the rotation.