The Mariners Monday recalled RHP Casey Lawrence from AAA Tacoma and optioned RHP Emilio Pagan back to the Rainiers. Lawrence was available to the club Monday night when it began a four-game series against the Minnesota Twins at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
Lawrence, 29, is 0-0 with a 3.29 ERA with 16 strikeouts in five relief appearances with the Mariners this season. The 6-foot, 175-pound right-hander struck out nine over five innings in relief June 1 vs. Colorado, setting the single-game club record for strikeouts by a reliever.
On June 2, he was optioned to Tacoma, where he had a 9.00 ERA in two relief appearances. A native of McSherrytown, PA, Lawrence was signed as an amateur free agent in 2010 out of Albright College (Reading, PA).
Pagan, 26, tossed four scoreless innings in relief Sunday vs. Toronto and recorded a career-high five strikeouts. Over three stints with Seattle this season (May 22-24, May 2-6 and the weekend), the 6-foot-3, 205-pound right-hander is 0-1 with a 4.22 ERA in four games.
The Mariners (31-33), 13 games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West, will use RHP Yovani Gallardo (2-6, 6.26) in the 5:10 p.m. PT opener against the Twins, who will counter with LHP Adalberto Mejia (1-1, 4.18).
