Mariners activate Putz from 15-day DL

Apr 23, 2008 - 6:21 AM SEATTLE (Ticker) - The Seattle Mariners on Tuesday activated closer J.J. Putz from the 15-day disabled list.

Putz had been placed on the DL on April 2 with rib inflammation on his right side.

Manager John McLaren wasted no time thrusting Putz back into his closer's slot, bringing him on in the ninth inning to protect a two-run lead against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.

Putz surrendered a leadoff double to Aubrey Huff before striking out two and inducing a groundout by Jay Payton to seal the win and notch his second save of the season.

"What can I say? It's really nice to have the big boy (Putz) back," McLaren said. "It makes a big difference."

"I felt great," Putz said. "I was nervous. I had butterflies the whole time I was warming up. Coming out of the gate was great. It kind of got my blood going. ... I wasn't even thinking about the rib or anything like that."

In the team's second game of the season, Putz gave up a two-run home run to Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers, suffering his first blown save since August 1.

Putz, 31, has become one of the game's most reliable closers, recording 76 saves for the Mariners in the last two seasons. Last year, he registered 40 saves in 42 opportunities.

In a corresponding roster move, the Mariners optioned righthander R.A. Dickey to Class AAA Tacoma of the Pacific Coast League.

Dickey (0-1) made two appearances for Seattle, allowing five runs and eight hits in seven innings.