Rattlers in Seattle

From the Seattle Times on Monday:
O'Flaherty gets best of his childhood idol

Eric O'Flaherty's favorite player while growing up in Walla Walla was Ken Griffey Jr.

As an 8-year-old, he traveled with his family in 1993 to see Griffey tie a major-league record by homering for the eighth straight game.

"My dad still has the ticket stub," O'Flaherty said.

On Sunday, in the seventh inning of Seattle's 3-2 win over Cincinnati, he stood on the mound with his idol at the plate, a moment that caused a brief pause.

"I usually don't look at the hitter when they come in the box," O'Flaherty said. "But I got a good look at him."

Then, in the kind of sequence he surely dreamed about during those years in Walla Walla, he struck out Griffey on three straight pitches — all called strikes — to end the inning and keep the score tied at 2. As the final strike was called, O'Flaherty jumped off the mound and pumped his fist.

From the Times today:
Feierabend keeping good grip on pickoff

Getting booed by his own fans isn't about to stop Ryan Feierabend from using a pickoff move that's now a prime weapon in his arsenal.

The left-hander heard the jeers during the first inning Friday as fans anxious to see a Ken Griffey Jr. at-bat protested all the throws Feierabend made to first base.

Feierabend said on Monday that the hostile reaction didn't bother him in the least. He added that his deceptive pickoff move to first is something he's worked on since he was a child.

Also, later on in that same notebook:

Reliever Mark Lowe is anxiously awaiting a simulated game that he'll pitch Wednesday as he works his way back from offseason arm surgery.

It will be the first time Lowe has faced live hitters. If all goes well in that outing and another on Sunday, he expects to head off on a minor-league rehab assignment next week.

"With a bullpen [session] you're just hitting spots, there's no hitters in there," Lowe said. "It's really hard to get excited for a
bullpen. A simulated game is different because there's a hitter in there, you're getting to see if you're effective. You can focus with a hitter in the box, try to get a feel for the strike zone."