PerShannon DrayerandLarry Stone, Mariners relief pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen has been sent down to Triple-A Tacoma. Wilhelmsen was seen emptying out his locker and getting handshakes and hugs from his teammates following the Mariners’ 3-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays Monday night. Carter Cappswill be recalledto take Wilhelmsen’s place.
It can’t be called a completely unexpected move, considering Wilhelmsen’s most recent outing in Boston on August 1 — that ninth-inning fiasco in which the Mariners gave up a five-run lead. Wilhelmsen was responsible for four of those runs. He was subsequently ousted from the closer role for a second time this season, after previously losing that title on June 14.
Acting manager Robby Thompsoncalled Wilhelmsen’s strugglesa confidence issue the other day. This could be a move to help him rebuild some of this missing confidence. It also could be to experiment with him in a different role — recently, Geoff Baker discussed the possibility of Wilhelmsen converting back to a starter. It’s an interesting proposition but not an outrageous one; Wilhelmsen certainly has the pitches in his repertoire to make it happen.
Greg Johns said thatWilhelmsen will throwa few innings today, as they want to see him work on his pitches in a multiple-inning situation. Eventually he may progress back into a starting role. But what’s important for Wilhelmsen is that he builds back some confidence and starts throwing strikes again.
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