M's reliever Reitsma set for season-ending surgery, mulls retirement

Not so, said manager John McLaren.

"This guy tried to pitch with some pain, and I respect him a lot for that," McLaren said. "There's probably no one I respect more in that clubhouse than Chris.

"We knew he was hurt. We didn't see the real Chris Reitsma."

Last July, Reitsma had surgery to cut a rare muscle that had wrapped around a nerve, causing his hand to go numb.

The surgeon who performed the July 18 operation, Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., told Reitsma that the only other person he'd ever seen with that condition was singer Kenny Rogers.

Rowland-Smith, a 24-year-old native of Sydney, Australia, is the first major league player with a hyphenated last name and is in his third stint with the Mariners this season. He appeared in seven games in his second time up. In 25 games with Tacoma, he was 3-4 with one save and a 3.67 ERA.