Hisashi Iwakuma made his third rehab start with Triple-A Tacoma Tuesday night as he continues to work his way back from a lat strain that landed him on the disabled list in late April. He threw 82 pitches (57 for strikes) over 5 2/3 innings and allowed an earned run on five hits with a walk and six strikeouts. Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said that outing represented improvement from the last one.
"I thought the velocity got better each outing," McClendon told reporters in his pregame media session Wednesday. "I haven't got the final numbers but I know he touched 91 (mph) last night, and that's a good sign that he's moving in the right direction.