Mariners News: M’s call up Cody Martin, Joel Peralta DFA’d

The Mariners have designated Joel Peralta for assignment, and have replaced him with minor league callup Cody Martin.

Though things have gone better than expected so far this year in the Mariners bullpen, one of the biggest disappointments thus far has been the inconsistent performance of RHP Joel Peralta. Through 26 games in two months, he posted the third-highest ERA of his entire career at 5.40, his worst since 2009 with the Colorado Rockies when it was 6.20.

In addition to the drop in his ERA, Peralta experienced a tough time preventing the long ball with 9 of his 14 runs coming off home runs. This is something that hasn’t completely manifested as a problem quite yet, but with the starting rotation beginning to come back to Earth, it will be easier for hitters to exploit weaknesses in the bullpen as the season continues into the dog days.

The front office and Jerry Dipoto saw this drop in Peralta’s numbers, and felt that it was time that a change was made. The Mariners called up RHP Cody Martin to take his place at the Major League level.

This is only the third time in his career that Martin has made his way up to the Majors. Previously, he has made brief appearances with the Oakland Athletics and Atlanta Braves. He has only 25 games under his belt, and he’ll have a big opportunity to make a name for himself in the Mariners bullpen. Martin will be relied upon to help prevent a mid-season collapse that many people feared in the months leading up to the season.

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So far in his MLB career, Martin has posted less-than-fantastic numbers. Although it only represents a small sample size, he has 2-5 record with 7.92 ERA while surrendering 8 homers in Atlanta and Oakland. To his credit, however, he has done decent in his six seasons in the Minors with a 36-32 record and a 3.44 ERA.

Thursday night, Martin debuted for the Mariners and pitched a solid inning, giving up only a hit and not allowing any Padres to cross the plate. He earned the win in the game, as Seattle came back from being down 12-2 to win 16013 in San Diego.

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Though it’s only one appearance, it’s a good start for the 26-year-old who is being given another shot at the next level. With many more appearances on the way in the games to come, and some undoubtedly coming at big moments, Martin is definitely a player that Mariners fans will have to get used to seeing in the coming months.