Trademark discipline helps Edgar prep for HOF

SEATTLE -- Just in case Edgar Martinez has lost track, the Mariners have a giant Countdown to Cooperstown banner above the right-center-field seats in T-Mobile Park keeping track of when he’ll be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

For Martinez, the count was down to 16 days on Friday, which means reality is starting to set in. He’ll soon be onstage on Sunday, July 21, with five other inductees as he joins baseball’s most exclusive fraternity.

“I’m still doing OK,” Martinez said. “But I know it’s getting pretty close. As it gets closer, I don’t know if I’ll get really nervous. But it is getting close.”

As with many Hall of Fame inductees, the real stress is knowing he’ll need to give a 10-12 minute acceptance speech in front of the huge throng of people gathered in Cooperstown for a ceremony that will also honor Mariano Rivera, Mike Mussina, Harold Baines, Lee Smith and the family of the late Roy Halladay.

In typical Martinez fashion, he’s already completed his speech and now has two weeks to rehearse so he’ll be as prepared as possible for the moment. For a man who perfected the art of hitting by endlessly working at his craft and studying his opponents, none of this should come as a surprise.

“Now it’s just practice and wait until I have to do it," he said. "I just practice it by myself, out loud. I think it’s like anything. If you want to do it right and do well, you have to practice. In a way, it’s like you’re preparing for some performance, whether it’s hitting or a game or a speech.”

The last time Martinez gave such a public speech was Aug. 12, 2017, when his number was retired by the Mariners. One thing he came away with from that event was the desire to enjoy the moment, which he’ll try to duplicate on the national stage.

“I’m working on that,” he said. “It’s not always that simple or easy. But I remember last time we were here in Safeco -- now T-Mobile Park -- and I had a speech, I was able to enjoy it. So hopefully I can do the same in Cooperstown.”

The other challenge is boiling down a lifetime of memories and people he wants to thank into a brief speech.

“Yeah, it goes back to when I was a kid, a lot of people play a role in my success,” he said. “It’s hard to just keep it condensed within 12 minutes, but I think I’m close to having it just right.”

Wisler ready to get rolling

Right-handed reliever Matt Wisler joined the Mariners on Friday after being acquired in a cash trade from the Padres on Thursday, with fellow right-hander Mike Wright designated for assignment to open a spot on the 25-man roster.

Wisler hasn’t pitched in a game since his last outing for San Diego on June 23, but said he’d been throwing on his own in Los Angeles, trying to stay as ready as possible.

“I didn’t find anybody to throw to, so I was just kind of throwing into a fence,” he said. “It’s the middle of the season, not many people are just sitting around ready to catch people. So you do what you can. I got some workouts in where I could and tried to stay as sharp as possible.”

Wisler said he thinks he got too reliant on his excellent slider in his bullpen role with San Diego and hitters started sitting on that pitch. So he’ll look to adjust in his new situation in Seattle, in which the Mariners hope to use him as a multi-inning relief option once he’s able to build back up.

Worth noting

• Manager Scott Servais said the club is close to finalizing its rotation plans coming out of the All-Star break, when the Mariners will open on the road with three games in Anaheim and two in Oakland that are sandwiched around a pair of off-days.

With the off-days, they could allow one or two of their starters to get an extended layoff in combination with the All-Star break, with Yusei Kikuchi the logical candidate to be pushed back as they’re looking to limit his workload in his first season in the Majors.

“We do have the luxury of a few more off-days in the second half, which is great,” said Servais, whose team has played more games than any other club at this point. “We have a bunch coming out of the break. We’ll get all five guys out there as soon as we can, but it’ll be a little different order than what we’ve gone with leading into the break.”

• Right-handed reliever Hunter Strickland remains on schedule to throw off the bullpen mound on Saturday as he ramps up preparing for his return from a strained right lat muscle that has sidelined him since late March.

Two other pitchers -- Felix Hernandez and reliever Brandon Brennan -- are close to throwing bullpen sessions, as they work back from strained shoulders.