Mariners' Emerson Hancock: Velocity dip noted in loss

Hancock, who allowed eight runs over 3.1 innings to the Brewers on Sunday, has seen some dip in velocity since the start of spring training and could have his next turn in the rotation skipped, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

The Mariners won't need a No. 5 starter again until April 16 thanks to an off day on Thursday, but Bryan Woo (elbow), who Hancock is filling in for in the Mariners' rotation, may not yet be ready to return at that point. Nevertheless, Drayer speculates Hancock may not necessarily get the call in such a scenario, noting manager Scott Servais may want to have him take a step back and also work on building toward the velocity he was displaying when he first reported to camp. Hancock had impressed with a 97 mph two-seamer and 90 mph changeup at that point, but those figures were at 92.9 and 87.3, respectively, during Sunday's abbreviated outing.