Leyland to sit pressing Raburn this weekend

For any hitter this season, Mariners rookie Michael Pineda seems to be a handful. For someone like Ryan Raburn, coming off a three-strikeout night against Seattle southpaw Erik Bedard, it has the potential for something worse than an effort in futility.

Thus, after Ramon Santiago pinch-hit for Raburn with the potential tying run on base in the ninth inning Friday, manager Jim Leyland announced he’ll sit Raburn on Saturday against Pineda, and possibly Sunday against Felix Hernandez.

“I think he’s pressing a little bit and trying to get in a groove with his swing and probably putting extra pressure on himself,” Leyland said. “So I’m going to get him out of there tomorrow and get him away from it for maybe a couple days. We’ll see what happens. I don’t think there’s any question he’s fighting himself.”