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First baseman Justin Smoak, the key player acquired by the Seattle Mariners when they traded left-handed starter Cliff Lee to Texas, was sent down to Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday.The Mariners also put left fielder Milton Bradley on the disabled list with knee problems and recalled pitcher Sean White and infielder/outfielder Matt Tuiasosopo from Triple-A Tacoma.
Smoak, a rookie switch-hitter, gave the Mariners a glimpse of his promise during a four-game stretch from July 16-19 when he went 7-for-15 with a double and two homers, but he's fallen into a long drought since then, going 2-for-36 with one walk and 10 strikeouts.
Hitting coach Alonzo Powell has been working with him in the last couple of weeks to make some adjustments in his swing, and while manager Don Wakamatsu has said the club is seeing progress in Smoak's workouts, that hasn't been translated into success on the field.
The move, while it is primarily being made for Smoak's benefit, also will free up playing time for Russell Branyan and Casey Kotchman.Branyan is back after missing most of the first 10 days after the All-Star break to injury and Kotchman has been the club's hottest hitter with a .328 average in his last 19 games with five doubles, four homers and 10 RBI.
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