Apparently, injuries to big-time starting pitchers come in threes. Friday, Jake Peavywent to the disabled list, Roy Halladayleft with a groin injury and the Mariners announced Erik Bedard will miss his scheduled start Saturday. In his place, naturally, is the man who was a setup man ... then a closer ... then a starting pitcher ... then closer who will never start again ... then lost his closing duties ... and has now transitioned back to being a starting pitcher. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, it's Mr. Brandon Morrow!
Bedard, half of the Mariners' formidable 1-2 punch with Felix Hernandez, is 5-2 with a 2.47 ERA and 1.16 WHIP this season. He's also striking out nearly a batter per inning.
When the Mariners signed Ken Griffey Jr. to come back to Seattle, it pretty much seemed like nothing other than a public relations move. Junior is way past the prime of his Hall of Fame career, and it was an accepted fact that the Mariners were destined for the basement of the AL West. Well, turns out the Mariners are in first place at 8-5, even though Junior is struggling with a .205 average.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Ichiro's hobbies include: Hitting baseballs, getting massages from manager Don Wakamatsu, and hitting more baseballs.
One nice way to put injury concerns to rest is by smashing a grand slam in your first game back. Ichiro, who missed the first week and a half due to fatigue and ulcer troubles, went 2-for-5 with the homer, four RBI and a stolen base against the Angels. But his stat line paled in comparison to another leadoff star.
MLB Power Rankings:Where we care what you've done for us lately when we break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world each week.
Baseball is here. Only for three days so far, but that's enough for knee-jerk reactions and our collective excitement, certainly. Are the Yankees in trouble? Will Ken Griffey, Jr. lead the Mariners back to glory? Are the Orioles for real? Are the Braves bound for the playoffs again? Will the Marlins manage to save baseball and win the National League East? What happens when Jim Thome and Kyle Farnsworth meet in a hadron collider?
Find out the answers to these questions -- and more! -- after the jump.
It is pretty hard to blame the Seattle Mariners for being overjoyed by their 4-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday to open the 2009 season. After finishing the 2008 season with a 61-101 record, you know they have to be excited to start all over again, so if they want to celebrate a bit, we should let them celebrate.
After all, Felix Hernandez pitched like Felix Hernandez even after turning his ankle, and Ken Griffey Jr. hit a home run in his first game back in a Mariners uniform. So it's no surprise that the team gave its new manager Don Wakamatsu a beer shower in the clubhouse after the game.
The Dugout continues to meander through every team in the major leagues, stopping briefly to superficially mock each one. On Tuesday we visited the Rangers and their horrible pitching staff. This time around, we visit the Seattle Mariners and their horrible hitting.
The Mariners disappointed on the field in 2008, and the team responded by firing general manager Bill Bavasi, manager John McLaren, and everyone on Earth who has ever heard of the Mariners. Their most celebrated personnel move, though, has been the re-acquisition of Ken Griffey, Jr. Meanwhile, the team's negotiations with Penny Hardaway and the "Dan vs. Dave" guys continue to progress.
This spring the Seattle Mariners have about 10 pitchers who are competing for the fifth spot in their starting rotation because that's the type of thing that tends to happen when you go 61-101. You need to mix it up and try new things. Ryan Feierabend was one of the many hopefuls on the staff, but odds were that he was going to end up in the Mariners bullpen because of the surplus of southpaws Seattle has starting already.
Well, now it looks like Feierabend might not be pitching anywhere this season. Feierabend had an MRI on his elbow this week and will now be visiting Dr. Lewis Yocum to see if surgery is necessary.
Hey guys! The end of November is the perfect time for some positive content about the Seattle Mariners! November is over in like a day, so get it while you can!
Believe it or not, there are some positive things going on in Seattle. The Mariners made Don Wakamatsu the first Asian-American manager in baseball history. There might be a strip club going in 400 feet from the ballpark! They're ... uh ... getting new uniforms? No. Ichiro is getting along with his teammates! They aren't going to gang up and beat him down! Well, maybe. What else is there to get positive about in Seattle? Cobain's dead, but the Peppermint Mocha Twist is still pretty great!
The offseason is when we finally get to stop talking about teams that win and do things and get to people like the Twinkies and the M's, so pull up a chair (I assume you are standing at your computer) and enjoy tonight's late night Dugout, after the jump.
Don Wakamatsu saw the Seattle Mariners from across the diamond 19 times in 2008 as the bench coach of the Oakland Athletics. Reports are now surfacing that he'll get them for all 162 games next season as their new manager. The team will make the announcement Wednesday in a press conference.
Wakamatsu beat out six others for the job, none of whom were named Jim Riggleman. Riggleman had quite a run after taking over for John McLaren midway through the season, going 36-54. Of course, McLaren fared much worse, going 25-47 before he was shown the door.
Wakamatsu is a fine hire for this team, who is going to be starting from scratch this season. He's going to be a young manager at age 46 -- when the season starts -- but he's also seasoned, having spent five years as a bench coach in the AL West (four of those years were with the Texas Rangers). He'll be able to grow into an experienced manager while his team grows up with him.
Overall, the hire is a nice fit for both parties. The new general manager, Jeff Zduriencik, can now focus on building the foundation for a long rebuilding process.
Apparently, injuries to big-time starting pitchers come in threes. Friday, Jake Peavy went to the disabled list, Roy Halladay left with a groin injury and the Mariners announced Erik Bedard will miss his scheduled start Saturday. In his place, naturally, is the man who was a setup man ... then a closer ... then a starting pitcher ... then closer who will never start again ... then lost his closing duties ... and has now transitioned back to being a starting pitcher. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, it's Mr. Brandon Morrow! 
When the Mariners signed 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
It is pretty hard to blame the Seattle Mariners for being overjoyed by their 4-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday to open the 2009 season. After finishing the 2008 season with a 61-101 record, you know they have to be excited to start all over again, so if they want to celebrate a bit, we should let them celebrate.
The Dugout continues to meander through every team in the major leagues, stopping briefly to superficially mock each one. 
This spring the Seattle Mariners have about 10 pitchers who are competing for the fifth spot in their starting rotation because that's the type of thing that tends to happen when you go 61-101. You need to mix it up and try new things. 
Hey guys! The end of November is the perfect time for some positive content about the Seattle Mariners! November is over in like a day, so get it while you can!
