Sore thumb snaps Seager's 146-start streak

ARLINGTON -- Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager had his string of 146 straight starts snapped as manager Lloyd McClendon didn't pencil him into the lineup against Texas for Wednesday's series finale in order to rest a sore left thumb.

Seager said the thumb got jammed about a week earlier, but indicated it was "a non-issue." He entered Wednesday's 5-2 victory over Texas in the eighth inning for defensive purposes and wound up flying out in the ninth. The 2014 American League All-Star has gone just 4-for-22 over the last seven games, dropping his average from .302 to .267.

"It's not too bad," he said. "If you take a good swing it feels good. If you take a bad swing, it feels bad. If it gets jammed, obviously it vibrates you pretty good. But if you're hitting the ball on the barrel or putting good swings on it, you don't even feel it."

So what has he noticed in recent games?

"I can feel that I'm taking a lot of bad swings," Seager said with a smile. "But no, it's not a big issue."

Video: SEA@OAK: Seager hits a back-to-back homer in the 4th

Seager hadn't been out of the starting lineup since last season on May 10.

"I'm just giving him a day," said McClendon, who started Willie Bloomquist in Seager's place. "His thumb is a little banged up, a little bruise. But he's fine. He could play, but I think it's a good time. We've still got another seven games on this road trip, so it's a good day to give him a day."

As for whether the sore thumb is affecting his swing?

"It could be. You never know," McClendon said. "I think he's probably going outside the zone a little too much. But it could be affecting him a little bit. That's another reason to give him a day and just rest it up."

Seager has received pregame treatment on the thumb and iced it after games, but said it's just the normal wear and tear of a 162-game season.

"Stuff like this happens all the time," he said. "You just kind of play through it and don't make an issue of it. It's something that is going to be there. It doesn't hinder me from doing anything or stop me from playing. It's just going to be a little annoying until it feels better."

Worth noting:

• Left-hander Danny Hultzen, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 Draft, will make his first start of the season Friday for Double-A Jackson. Hultzen, 25, has been working out in extended Spring Training in Arizona the past month as he returns from shoulder surgery. Hultzen missed all of 2014 following surgery to repair a torn rotation cuff and labrum. His last start came for Triple-A Tacoma on Sept. 1, 2013 when he threw two innings before being shut down.