Washburn Calls Matchup ‘Weird’

Jarrod Washburn has envisioned what it will be like to face the Angels, the team with which he spent the first seven years of his big league career before signing a four-year, $37.5-million contract with the Seattle Mariners in the winter.

The left-hander even asked new teammate Eddie Guardado, the former Minnesota closer, for advice on facing ex-teammates for the first time, when the emotions of the breakup were still raw.

But no matter how much he prepares for this moment, Washburn will have no idea how he’s going to react until Angel third baseman Chone Figgins steps into the box to lead off today’s game and Washburn delivers his first pitch as a Mariner.

“This is definitely something I’ve never dealt with, and it’s going to be weird,” Washburn said. “Hopefully, I won’t get too emotional or too excited, and I can concentrate on making pitches.”

Asked if there was one Angel he’ll feel most awkward facing, Washburn reeled off most of the lineup.

“Ersty, G.A., A.K., Figgy, Fish ... heck, all of them,” Washburn said, referring to Darin Erstad, Garret Anderson, Adam Kennedy, Figgins and Tim Salmon. “I considered those guys family for seven or eight years. There are going to be some feelings I’ve never experienced before.”

Washburn could have avoided some of today’s potential awkwardness had he made his scheduled spring-training start against the Angels last week, but Manager Mike Hargrove chose to start Washburn in a minor league game that day, so the Angels couldn’t get a peek at him.

“He’s scared,” Angel reliever Brendan Donnelly joked upon hearing the news that Washburn wouldn’t pitch that day. “I’ve never seen Wash not take the ball under any circumstances. I’m disappointed.”

Said Washburn: “I didn’t have a choice in that decision.”

Though Washburn was not offered a contract by the Angels, he said he would not take the mound today with any ill will toward the Angels, Manager Mike Scioscia or General Manager Bill Stoneman.

“I’m not bitter -- I’m just disappointed it didn’t end the way I wanted it,” Washburn said. “I made it public I wanted to play my whole career there, and it didn’t work out. I never got an explanation, but I’m over it. I’ve moved on. I’m happy to start over here and looking forward to a new opportunity.”

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Many National League pitchers struggle upon arriving in the American League, but veteran right-hander Jeff Weaver, who will make his Angel debut today after spending the last two seasons with the Dodgers, is not anticipating a bumpy transition. Weaver spent his first five years in the AL, with Detroit and the New York Yankees.

“Guys who come straight from the NL and have never pitched in the AL are surprised how potent the lineups are here,” Weaver said. “Having seen it and understood it will definitely help me out, but there’s still a lot of new faces and bats for me to learn.”

The key to pitching in the AL, said Weaver, who signed a one-year, $8.35-million contract with the Angels in February, is to remain aggressive.

“You can’t be picking corners and walking guys, causing more trouble for yourself, because most guys in the AL can put the ball over the fence,” Weaver said.

“In the NL, you can pitch around guys. Here, you want to get that first-pitch strike.”