Seattle Mariners Manager Dan Wilson Compliments Veteran Pitcher Casey Lawrence
PEORIA, Ariz. — The Seattle Mariners starting rotation will get more time on the hill and and pitch more like it's a regular season game in the final days of spring training.
Bryce Miller threw five innings in an 8-3 win against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday and struck out seven batters in his outing.
The Mariners No. 6 pitcher will be on the mound for a game against the Athletics at 1:05 p.m. PT on Monday at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz.
Casey Lawrence started spring training as the No. 7 guy in the initial seven-day rotation. He was behind the major league rotation and No. 6 pitcher Emerson Hancock. Hancock was elevated to the five-man rotation March 7 after George Kirby was shut down to right shoulder inflammation. The 37 year-old Lawrence took the No. 6 role as a result.
Lawrence has been a professional baseball player for a decade-and-a-half. He originally signed with the Toronto Blue Jays as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He made his major league debut in 2017 and has bounced around several organizations since (including Seattle).
Lawrence spent all of last season with the Mariners Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers.
Seattle manager Dan Wilson praised Lawrence for his consistency in an interview Monday.
"Case is a veteran," Wilson said. "I've had a chance to see him in Tacoma over the last couple years, also. He battles you. His command is good, changes speeds on you. He's a true pitcher. So you know you're gonna get that good outing from him. He mixes it up and uses all of his repertoire. So that's what I would expect from him today over in (Hohokam Stadium)."
Lawrence started 29 games for Tacoma in 2024 and had a 5.95 ERA with 108 strikeouts across 165 innings pitched.
Scoreless first inning for Casey Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/v0IVMwO8uQ
— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) June 1, 2024
Kirby is expected to be out roughly two weeks into the regular season with his injury. Unless another starter gets hurt, it's unlikely Lawrence will start for the Mariners in 2025.
But Seattle clearly values having the veteran within the organization. And if the Mariners need a starter beyond Hancock this season, Lawrence would be one of the first options.
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