There is no question that Mariners reliever Dan Altavilla has the arm to be a very good major-league pitcher.
But harnessing the potential has been a problem as the right-hander with a fastball that has reached 98 mph has gone back and forth between the minors and the big leagues the past four seasons.
Commanding his pitches has been an issue, and he will get another chance to prove he can do that as the Mariners called up the 26-year-old from Class AAA Tacoma on Friday and sent pitcher Tayler Scott back to Tacoma.
Scott served as the “opener” in Thursday’s 5-2 win over Baltimore, unable to get through the one inning he was scheduled to pitch.