M's Oust Contreras, Appoint Williams -- Bullpen Woes Prompt Piniella To Seek Switch
CLEVELAND - With their bullpen battered and having blown three save opportunties in the first two weeks, the Seattle Mariners fired pitching coach Nardi Contreras today and replaced him as expected with Stan Williams.
For now, that's where the personnel moves end, at least until right-hander Rafael Carmona comes back in a month from his broken arm.
"We're not looking at any other changes at this time," General Manager Woody Woodward said after Contreras was notified of the change today. "The guys that are out there are our guys."
There is a chance that Heathcliff Slocumb, who failed in two ninth-inning appearances during the weekend in Boston, including yesterday's 8-7 loss, will be moved out of the closer's role for a while.
"It's one of the things Lou (Manager Lou Piniella) may look at," Woodward said. "Stan came in with some ideas, too. This is not to say there will be moves, just that they will talk about some things."
Woodward acknowledged that the change was made because "we all expected a lot more from this bullpen, veteran guys who have done the job before."
As far as their having done it with second-division clubs (Slocumb had 63 saves with Philadelphia and Boston in 1995-96, and Mike Timlin had 31 with Toronto), Woodward said that should not matter.
"Slocumb did the job in the pennant race for us last year, Timlin is a true quality arm, as is Paul Spoljaric, and Bobby Ayala saved games for us that we developed into a pennant-winning situation in 1995," Woodward said. "There is no reason they can't get guys out now."
Piniella recommended the change just 11 games into the season as the pitching staff, hurt badly by the relievers' troubles, dropped to last in the American League with a 7.01 earned-run average.
"I can't say I'm surprised to be let go," said Contreras, who had never been fired previously. "But I am surprised that it was this quick. Eleven games into the season is quick."
Contreras noted that Seattle has been going against tough teams such as Cleveland and New York, plus Boston at Fenway Park. "We have four games coming up in Minnesota. I thought I might be given a chance to see if the bullpen could build some confidence there," he said.
As early as the first week of the season, after Seattle was swept by Cleveland in its first two games and the relievers lost a 9-6 lead on Opening Night in Seattle, club officials have been discussing the possibility of a change in mound coaches.
After the disastrous loss of a 7-2 lead in the ninth inning last Friday, Piniella called Woodward and said he felt it was time to "try a different approach."
He immediately suggested Williams, who was hired to be Seattle's advance scout in January and who was Piniella's pitching coach when he managed the New York Yankees in 1987-88 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1990-91.
"They are old friends and have a lot of confidence in one another," Woodward said.
Still, it can't be easy to be Piniella's pitching coach. Sammy Ellis lasted only two years in Seattle, as did Bobby Cuellar, who had been in the Mariner farm system. Contreras was hired away from Arizona before the 1997 season.
"We won 90 games and won the AL West last year," Contreras said. "So while things may not have gotten off to a good enough start, I am at peace. No one likes to be fired, but to me it was circumstances, not the job I was doing. If I hadn't worked as hard as I did, I might feel differently. But no one works harder than I do."