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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 26, 2008 12:08 PM

Mariners at Toronto Blue Jays: 07/26 game thread

Posted by Geoff Baker

We're headed to the eighth inning, with Seattle down 8-3, but on the bigger news front, we're hearing buzz that Jarrod Washburn might not make it to tomorrow with the M's. A trade with the New York Yankees appears imminent. We're trying to peer into the dugout to see whether he's still there. We'll have an update after the game.

For those of you wondering why Jeff Clement isn't playing -- he can't. He can't throw the ball properly with tape over his injured thumbnail. He also isn't swinging properly in BP. As for Bryan LaHair, he's just not playing. They don't have confidence in him against lefty pitching yet. Frankly, he hasn't looked at that great at the plate and I can sense they're trying not to overmatch him so that he can possibly stay up here longer -- not get sent back down right away like Clement and Wladimir Balentien.

By the way, I happened to run in to Tony LaCava, the Blue Jays' assistant GM and one of the rumored candidates for the Seattle job next season. LaCava told me he'd yet to be contacted by the team. Not surprising, since it's still in-season. He told me a lot of candidates around the game would love the job and that he'd obviously consider it if asked.

"I try not to worry about that stuff anymore,'' he said. "If it happens, it happens.''

LaCava was a very late finalist for the Pirates' GM opening last year, but withdrew his name during the last stages of that team's search.

He is close to Seattle's director of scouting, Bob Fontaine, having worked for him during his tenure with the Angels.

Not much new to tell you today. Erik Bedard isn't ready to throw yet.It could be several more days before that happens. I don't know about you, but I'm starting to think he's gone until September -- if not 2009.

In case you missed this the other day, the M's are finally getting some of that national recognition they've long sought.

12:06 p.m.: Jose Lopez hit a two-run homer in the sixth, cutting the deficit to three runs, but R.A. Dickey yielded a double to Gregg Zaun, then a single to center by Joe Inglett (him again) and a terrible throw by Willie Bloomquist helps make it 7-3. Dickey is now out of the game, while Toronto has runners at the corners with one out here in the sixth. Roy Corcoran has come on.

11:21 p.m.: Well, at least R.A. Dickey got away%

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