UPDATE, 8:30: Manager Joe Maddon was equally optimistic, saying Upton was "pretty close" to being ready today. "He just wasn't 100 percent comfortable with it, so I'd rather not,'' Maddon said. "Long plane ride, the dehydration situation, let him just get himself going and get him back out there tomorrow.''

Maddon also said he is confident it is a short-term problem. "I really belive that. If it's any more than that I'd be surprised. He had a good look to him today, he felt confident about tomorrow.''

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CF B.J. Upton is not in the lineup tonight but says he is available to pinch-hit and expects to play Wednesday.

Upton said he tested his right leg and there were "some movements we were not quite sure of" and also that the discomfort moved form his right quad to his groin - "nothing bad, but definitely not to point where I'm comfortable with really pushing off of it. We'll see where we're at tomorrow.''
 
However, Upton also said there was "no chance" he would need to end up on the DL. "It's nothing to worry about, something that's just going to take maybe a day or two to get back,'' he said.

Upton left Sunday's game after the second inning, and said the discomfort didn't occur when he was running the bases in the bottom of the first but when he got to the outfield for the second. "It just kind of locked up on me to the point where I couldn't really run,'' he said. "I'm pretty lucky I didn't have to run after any balls that inning.''

He received treatment at Tropicana Field on Monday afternoon before the long flight to Seattle (which didn't help), then worked out early this afternoon at Safeco Field, saying he figured it about 50-50 he'd feel well enough to play tonight. The biggest concerns are the side-to-side running and quick bursts required to play defense as opposed to "running in a straight line" after hitting, and Upton plans to come out early before Wednesday's game to test it again.

"I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be out there tomorrow,'' he said. "But we're going to come in and do some things and go from there. ... I'm saying tomorrow right now, but you never know until you get out there.''

Upton said when he does return it will be in centerfield, that he won't need to be limited to DH.

Without Upton, the lineup looks like this:

Bartlett, ss
Crawford, lf
Longoria, 3b
Pena, 1b
Burrell, dh
Zobrist, rf
Navarro, c
Kapler, cf
Iwamura, 2b
Sonnanstine, p

And for the Mariners:

Suzuki, rf
Chavez, lf
Griffey, dh
Beltre, 3b
Sweeney, 1b
Lopez, 2b
Johnson, c
Gutierrez, cf
Betancourt, ss
Washburn, p

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