Nate Robertson to have elbow surgery, out of race for rotation spot; Dustin Ackley hits a bomb in "B" game

Some breaking news here as the Mariners announced that pitcher Nate Robertson will undergo elbow surgery on Wednesday and will be unable to throw for four weeks after that. In other words, scratch Robertson from contention for the fifth starter's job. The surgery will be performed in Los Angeles by Dr. Neal ElAttrache and will remove "loose bodies" from the elbow. The team says the elbow has bothered Robertson the past two outings. Does this help Michael Pineda's chances of making the team? Well, it doesn't hurt them. Speaking of Seattle's top prospects, that's Dustin Ackley arriving at home plate in the photo above after smoking an absolute bomb of a home run over the right field wall during a Mariners "B" game against the Padres this morning. The ball took off on a line, easily cleared the 340-foot sign in right, then struck the top of a building a good 50 feet behind the fence. Chris Gimenez came up right after that and drilled a home r...