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Geoff Baker covers the Mariners for The Seattle Times. He provides daily coverage of the team throughout spring training, and during the season.

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July 22, 2008 4:30 PM

Bedard gets an MRI

Posted by Geoff Baker

Take a look at the pitchers above, taking some pitchers' fielding practice, and try to figure out which one isn't there. Well, the title of this post kind of gives it away. Yes, Erik Bedard is absent. He's getting a magnetic resonance imaging scan done on his shoulder. We should know the results in a couple of hours.

From what I've been told, Bedard had a cortisone shot over the weekend. It was hoped that he'd feel well enough to start throwing again yesterday. But he couldn't even repeat the mild throwing he'd done in an indoor batting cage on Sunday. The Mariners figured enough was enough and it was time to figure out what the problem is.

"He didn't really feel up to throwing yesterday, so we're going to have him take an MRI,'' Mariners manager Jim Riggleman said. "Hopefully, the news is good on that. He was throwing the ball the other day in the cage and made a little progress. But not enough, really.''

Riggleman said Bedard's shoulder woes were not an immediate concern. After the July 4 outing by Bedard, he said, it was merely a question of some minor soreness. The DL move, remember, was more a pro forma thing that wasn't originally going to set Bedard back in his next start. But as the days went by and Bedard's arm showed no signs of improving, the team grew more concerned. That's apparently why it took up until now to get that MRI done.

"The more days of that,'' Riggleman said, "it just became apparent that, let's see if we can clear his mind that there's nothing structurally wrong there.''

But the line of the day goes to Bosox manager Terry Francona, who, when informed of last night's jaywalking by Manny Ramirez, quipped: "OK, that's the last straw. I'm not playing him.''

Ramirez is indeed in tonight's lineup as the DH. He'll match up, rather well, I might add. Ramirez's response to the jaywalking story? "It's OK. Don't worry about it!'' he said, raising his hands. You can see him below, no doubt talking to his agent about all the fuss.