Baseball \ Around the majors

April 4, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Seattle: Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki is being treated for a bleeding ulcer and was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday, sending Seattle into opening day minus one of baseball’s best players. The Mariners said the ulcer is no longer bleeding. Doctors have restricted the 35-year-old outfielder’s activity but are optimistic he’ll be ready to play when he’s eligible to come off the DL on April 15. Suzuki played for Japan in the World Baseball Classic. He complained of severe fatigue earlier this week and missed Seattle’s final three spring training games in Arizona, and was diagnosed with the ulcer — a relatively rare condition for an athlete — after seeing doctors Thursday. “I know how much [Ichiro] cares. This is the first time in eight years he’s been on the DL,” Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said Friday night in Las Vegas before the team opened a two-game weekend set against Colorado. “Every indication is that it will be 15 days. We’ll see how he is after that.” The All-Star right fielder didn’t accompany the team to Las Vegas, instead staying in Arizona and having a light workout at their spring training complex in Peoria on Friday. Seattle opens the season Monday at Minnesota.

Texas: Texas Rangers right-hander Vicente Padilla left Friday night’s exhibition game against the Kansas City Royals after two innings because of slight stiffness in his right forearm. Padilla allowed one run and two hits in his final spring tuneup. Padilla was originally scheduled for a four-inning stint, but left as a precautionary measure. Padilla, who had a team-leading 14 games last season, is set as Texas’ No. 2 starter. Padilla is scheduled to start Wednesday night against Cleveland in the Rangers’ second regular-season game after Kevin Millwood draws Monday’s opening-day start against the Indians. Padilla said the arm stiffness shouldn’t jeopardize his start.

Cincinnati: Juan Francisco homered twice and drove in five runs, and Cincinnati’s top minor league players hit Bronson Arroyo and the rest of the big leaguers hard Friday night in a 12-4 exhibition win over the Reds. Arroyo gave up six runs on seven hits in three innings of his final spring tune-up. He’s fighting a flareup of carpal tunnel syndrome, which has plagued him recently. He allowed a three-run, inside-the-park homer to Francisco in the third. An inning later, Francisco added a conventional two-run shot off Francisco Cordero. Yonder Alonzo also homered for the Futures, who led 10-0 in the fifth.

Atlanta: Jordan Schafer’s rise to the major leagues became official on Friday when the Atlanta Braves set their 25-man roster and named the 22-year-old rookie their starting center fielder. Schafer beat out Josh Anderson, who was traded to the Detroit Tigers on Monday, and Gregor Blanco, who was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday. Schafer won the job even though he has never played above Double-A Mississippi and was suspended for the first 50 games of the 2008 season for a violation of baseball’s drug policy.

Associated Press