Seattle honors Lowe

ARLINGTON, Texas – Dealing with diabetes on the mound has been a learning process Mark Lowe feels he finally has under control.

Lowe began taking insulin shots several times daily earlier this year when he was unable to fully control the weight loss and energy crashes he experienced from Type 2 adult onset diabetes. The pitcher now says he feels a lot better and is able to fully compete. He wants to share his experiences with others, especially young children, who may also be struggling with the condition.

Lowe is in a position to do just that. He has been nominated by his teammates as the Mariners’ finalist for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award, given annually by the players association to the player whose on- and off-field performance inspires others to high level of achievement.

“I think it’s always an honor to give back to the community,” Lowe said. “That’s just the way I was raised.”

Fan voting will determine six finalists from the field of 30 candidates by Sunday.

The Mariners saw their Friday night game against the Texas Rangers postponed by rain. It will be made up as part of a regular doubleheader starting at 10:35 a.m. PDT Sunday.

Brandon Morrow, who was to start Friday’s game, will instead pitch today while the rest of the rotation stays in order.

The inclement weather gave a needed rest to the team’s overworked bullpen. Lowe has already set career highs with 64 games and 69 innings pitched this season, limiting opponents to a 3.00 earned-run average and a .219 batting average. He has 56 strikeouts against 24 walks.

Given his workload, the team would like to limit both him and closer David Aardsma to eighth- and ninth-inning save situations the rest of the way if possible.

Off the field, Lowe has been busier than usual, leading to his nomination for the award.

He is the co-chair of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s annual golf tournament and helps support activities surrounding the Mariners Social Responsibility Program, the Mariners Get Well Tour, the Taylor Hooten Foundation’s PLAY Campaign and the Teammates for Kids Foundation.

It was while speaking to a group of youngsters at Safeco Field in August about the perils of steroid use and other issues that Lowe formulated the idea for speaking out more about diabetes.

“I just want people to know that I know what they are dealing with and to show them that I’ve dealt with it too,” he said. “I want them to know that if there are things they want to do in this world, they can do it. This shouldn’t be an impediment.”

Lowe had volunteered for past Winter Caravan tours with the Mariners and visited hospitals with former teammate Eric O’Flaherty and ex-bullpen coach Norm Charlton.

“It’s something I enjoyed doing, spending time with the people I met there,” he said. “It kind of touched me, and I always wanted to go back and do it again.”

Lowe is in only his second full season with the club. He underwent microfracture surgery on his elbow late in the 2006 season after being called up, then missed most of 2007 while recovering.

He’d have become involved in more charity and off-field work sooner, he said, but others on the team, such as Raul Ibanez and Jamie Moyer, were already handling the bulk of team-related events. But now that they have moved on, there was a void of sorts that Lowe said he was happy to fill.

“It was just a matter of getting more opportunities,” he said.

And now, he’s also more familiar with his schedule, where road trips take him away from Seattle several times per year. He has adjusted to the three or four shots per day he often needs to compete, and feels ready to take on the added workload that doing a diabetes-related program might entail.

“As long as I’m still here, with the team, I’ll be ready to do it,” he said.