Dutch starting pitcher Rick van den Hurk made his second start for the Marlins this season on Saturday and impressed again. He took the mound against the National League leading Los Angeles Dodgers and allowed just one run on five hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out three. He left the game with Florida leading 3-1. But LA came back, tied the contest in the bottom of the sixth and won it 4-3 on a walk off RBI single by Casey Blake in the ninth. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak by the Marlins. The 24-year-old threw 55 of his 92 pitches for strikes. He had beaten the San Diego Padres last Monday. MLB.com reported in their preview for yesterday’s game that van den Hurk remains in contact with his pitching coach during the World Baseball Classic, Bert Blyleven, who also was born in the Netherlands and pitched 22 successful seasons in the big leagues.
Around the Majors:
- The Seattle Mariners cut ties with outfielder/designated hitter Wladimir Balentien on Saturday, as they designated him for assignment. They now have ten days to trade, release or outright him to the minors. The step was necessary, as the team needed to make room on the roster for outfielder Michael Saunders, who got called up from Triple-A Tacoma. Balentien was once considered a power hitting top prospect in the Mariners organization, but couldn’t fulfill his potential in the MLB. He was batting .213 (OBP .271/SLG .355) with four homeruns, 18 runs scored and 13 RBI in 155 at bats over 56 games this year. He made his big league debut in 2007 and has played in 130 games since.
