Greetings from chilly Oakland. A different look lineup tonight with Adam Moore hitting fifth tonight after the homerun last night and Guti out today...

Ichiro RF

Figgins 2B

Branyan DH

Lopez 3B

Moore C

Kotchman 1B

Tuiasosopo LF

Saunders CF

Wilson SS

Gutierrez is feeling better after a bit of a scare last night. He started hyoerventilating after catching a ball and had to leave the game. He said nothing like that had ever happened to him before and was thankful that he was feeling better today. Daren Brown is hoping that with the off day tomorrow they can get him back Friday in Anaheim.

Not a lot of news but it was an interesting clubhouse before the game today. Some guys were on their computers putting their rosters together for the fantasy football league. Chris Woodward had his laptop open but he was working on homework. Woodward is working towards a Business Management degree and was finishing a statistics assignment before the game. It was the first time I have seen a correlation coefficient in a clubhouse.

With all that seriousness in one corner Felix was up to no good in another. Felix apparently gets bored on his non start days. The clubbie here told me that he was helping pass out the laundry last night then today was working in the kitchen. Apparently he made Jason Vargas's lunch. A stir fry if you were wondering. His work is never done. Hey, if he doesn't get the Cy Young then maybe he can go on Top Chef.

On a related note, a few of you have asked who will vote for the Cy Young. Two voters from each chapter of the BWAA. From Seattle that will be Larry Stone of the Seattle Times and Kirby Arnold of the Everett Hearld.

They are about to play ball. Let's hope they didn't use up this weeks runs last night!

Before today's game a member of the media noticed that Daren Brown appeared to be growing a goatee. "It's my offensive goatee," he replied when asked about it. Needless to say he confirmed post game that he wouldn't be shaving it off. Whatever works.

A walk, seven hits (three of them soft line drives that found holes) an error and a sac fly added up to an offensive explosion in the second inning to the tune of five runs. Those five runs put an end to the eleven game streak of scoring three runs or less in a game. Twelve games of three or less is the club record. Whew. Record safe. For now.

What was good to see in that inning was the M's hitters appearing to relax and take what was given to them from a struggling Dallas Braden rather than press and do too much. According to Adam Moore it was a matter of looking for balls that were up in the zone and a little luck. "Even with the hits that were just bleeding through I believe those pitches were decent and good enough to get outs but we just had a flow of hits rolling and balls were finding the green out in the outfield. We were able to find every hole early in the game."

Later in the game after Braden had settled down it was back to the scouting report for Moore who was able to take him deep on a first pitch fastball.

"I was watching him throw to right handers and I watched a lot of video on him. He was throwing a lot of fastballs hard in to get ahead then go off speed and right there he just left it out over the plate and I was able to put a good swing on it."

As for the guy he was catching, Doug Fister was a bit off walking a season high four batters in five innings. In his post game interview it was clear he was battling a cold which he admitted had just come on that morning.

On a perhaps related note, Franklin Gutierrez who had the flu last week left tonight's game after hyperventilating in the dugout. He was checked out by the A's team doctor who said he appeared to be okay but might be battling something respiratory.

News and notes...Ryan Rowland-Smith has been nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award which is given annually to the player who combines a dedication to giving back to the community with outstanding skills on the baseball field...Brown announced today that they would stay in rotation despite upcoming off days thus giving each of the starters an extra day off. Felix will have five more starts this season...The M's had their fantasy football draft last night at the hotel. Josh Wilson and Ryan Langerhans are the commissioners...

Is it just me or should we see more of him? Not on the field, but maybe everywhere else? Does he need to be marketed more? Should there be commercials, endorsements, should he be on the side of a building? He seems to be embracing the community having recently bought a home here, should his image be more visible in Seattle? What do you think?

The Mariners released their weekly Felix update and the numbers continue to be ridiculous. One earned run in the last six starts for a .20 ERA. A league-leading 219 innings pitched despite the fact that the Mariners are limiting his pitch counts. First in AL strikeouts at 209. Seventeen straight quality starts with a 1.35 ERA over that time. Riding a club-record 21-game streak of pitching into at least the the seventh inning. Just about every stat he can control he is at the top or in the top three. Lets hope the voters take notice.

Moving on to today's game... Well, at least we had a beautiful, sunny day in Oakland!

Not a ton of news to talk about. Jason Vargas gave up run(s) in the first inning for the fourth straight game. He is searching for answers to why this has become a trend. He acknowledged that it was very surprising to see Coco Crisp homer on a second pitch fastball. It looks like the approach today was to sit on his fastball. He said that with hitters being more patient he has had to throw more fastballs which I would imagine is not what he really wants to do as his changeup is his best pitch and his fastball, if not spotted, is very hittable. It looks like the ball is in his court to make the adjustment as it appears the hitters have done just that. It is all just part of pitching a complete season and the league getting to know you.

Innings may be a factor too as he is at 169. Daren Brown pulled him after just 81 pitches, the least he has thrown in a game this year. Vargas will get an extra days rest with the off day coming up and Brown hopes that will help.

That is about it for now. I don't have the heart, or stomach to talk about the offense today!

Sept. 1 has arrived and as expected no call ups have been made as of yet, although I am hearing we could see a pitcher or two on Saturday.

I have received a few e-mails asking about the Rainiers playoff games. They will play their home games at Safeco Field. For information, click the link here to the Rainiers home page.

Another link worth checking out is from ESPN.com today. Jerry Crasnick gives us a look at the possible managerial vacancies coming up this off season. The competition for managers may actually be tougher than that for top tier players this winter. Check out the competition here.

Speaking of competition...Looking ahead to spring training it looks like there will be plenty for one and possibly two spots in the starting rotation. One guy who trying to state his case right now is Luke French, who is just starting to put up numbers similar to those that earned him a PCL All-Star selection earlier this season.

French has changed up his repertoire, replacing his slider with a changeup. Why the change after having success with the slider last season? It is due partly to approach and partly to the pitch itself.

"Right now I have the most confidence in the changeup," he told me. "I have confidence throwing it in any situation in any count. Last year I tried to do too much. I tried to strike people out with the slider and do too much. I want to get the ball in play early and let the defense work and for me. Doing that it is locating my fastball and keeping them off balance which is what the changeup has done this year."

It is not that he is opposed to the strikeout and missing bats. The problem is his slider has not always been there for him this year.

"It has been really inconsistent," he said. "Last year it was better so I threw it more. It's been one of those things where I haven't had the feel for it consistently. It's all feel, it's really got to be spot on in the time you release it otherwise it is going to float or get hit or it is going to end up in the dirt. You either have the feel for it or you don't which makes it tougher to be consistent with it."

I asked if he was working on any other pitches and he said he was trying to learn a curveball. Who has been helping him with this? Josh Bard. The two both live in Colorado in the offseason and when French found out he had signed with the M's he gave him a call and asked if he would work out with him.

"He's helped me learn the breaking ball, he has really helped me learn the game, learn situations, which pitches to throw," he said. "I've just been picking his brain. He has been up here a long time he has a lot of experience and he has been catching a lot of great pitchers so I feel he knows what he is talking about and has a feel for what it takes to be successful."

Smart move using his resources.

One note to end with...They are calling this good news. Shawn Kelley underwent what turned out to be a partial Tommy John surgery yesterday. Dr. Lewis Yocum performed the procedure which involved cleaning up fraying at the end of the ligament and reattatching it. A full Tommy John requires ligament replacement and a 12-18 month recovery period. Kelley is expected to be throwing in four months.

That above is early work. Good early work. Tui at third taking grounders, Saunders in left getting work as well. This is exactly what I hoped to see when I posted this two weeks ago. We have seen other teams doing this on the road all year long. The fact that this was not going on earlier in the season I recently learned was a concern. It only makes sense. If a team heading to the post season like the Twins can do it why can't a team who has had base running errors, poor situational hitting, young players up, players new to positions do the same? Again, it was good to see today.

One of the teams we have seen recently that is big on early work is the Chicago White Sox. Of course bench coach Joey Cora was in the news today as Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reported that Cora has emerged as a "strong candidate" for the Seattle job. Interesting on a few fronts. First of all Jack Zduriencik has said that experience will be something he is looking for moving forward. Second, Cora was a strong candidate, possibly one of the top three for the manager job here the last time.

I don't know how important experience is. There are pitfalls that can be avoided by someone who has experience but I am not convinced that an inexperienced manager can't navigate around or completely avoid them. If the right experienced manager is not available wouldn't the best inexperienced candidate be the next best bet? The trick will be to find him.

What I like about Cora is that he has been coaching at the big league level for seven years, the last four as bench coach. His name has been out there for a couple of years now as someone who will be managing soon. He is smart as well as baseball smart. He is fiery and not afraid of confrontation or to get on a guy though he has mellowed somewhat since becoming bench coach. If he is indeed a candidate he would be a good one.

News and notes...Felix hit the 200 strikeout mark for the second straight year with his strikeout of Erick Aybar in the 7th inning tonight...Ichiro recorded his 500th infield hit with his single in the 2nd inning of the same game...To follow up on something I wrote yesterday, the Mariners released the names of players who will play along with Dustin Ackley in the Arizona Fall League this year.

- Maikel Cleto (RHP)

- Josh Fields (RHP)

- Josh Lueke (RHP)

- Tom Wilhelmsen (RHP)

- Matt Mangini (INF)

- Nate Tenbrink (OF)

- Eddie Tamez (Trainer)

The big news of the day is Michael Saunders is back in the lineup after missing 10 of the last 11 games since crashing into the wall. He lined out hard to right in his first at bat, chopped one into the ground in his second, it doesn't look like the shoulder is bothering him at all.

In other news Daren Brown today said that they would most likely hold off on September callups until Tacoma season and post season is over. If there were a specific need at the big league level I have no doubt someone would be called up but as it is now they would like the Rainiers to stay together and win as many games possible.

In addition to figuring out who will come up in September the Mariners need to decide where some guys will play after the season. Some, like Dustin Ackley will play in the Arizona Fall League. We may not see him in Seattle because of this as they may want him to get a break before fall ball begins.

Others will play abroad. Representatives from the Lara team in Venezuela are here to talk with the Mariners about which players will be joining them. Director of Minor League and International Administration Hide Sueyoshi tells me that they most likely will send 6-7 players to Venezuela this year. The majority of those players are most likely to be pitchers and they will be watched closely by Lara's pitching coach who will be Jamie Navarro who currently holds the same position with Tacoma.

Sueyoshi says the experience in Venezuela can be a great one for young players as they get the opportunity to play in a very competitive environment. Two guys who benefited greatly from winter ball two years ago were Shawn Kelley and Chris Jakabauskas. Both made the club that year after being relatively under the radar in the system. Both credited their experience in Venezuela to being a big factor in making the team.

The Mariners will also look to place a couple of lower level players with the Adelaide Bite of the newly formed Australian Baseball League. Pat Kelly, a Mariners scout, owns the team.

Of all of the decisions Jack Zduriencik has to make this offseason, the most important will be choosing a manager. The organization cannot continue to change managers every two years or less. Stability is needed with both the manager and his staff. This is a decision Zduriencik cannot afford to get wrong.

"We talk about it every day," he said. "We are still in the process of accumulating names. My ears are wide open. Obviously I have an idea of what we are looking for. It is always on my mind but the process has to run its course."

Despite the competition for managers this year, do not look for a move to be made soon. There are candidates on other teams and the season will have to end and permission to talk to them will have to be granted before any interview can be held. For now, Zduriencik is formulating criteria for what he is looking for in a skipper. He will pass this on to Chuck Armstrong and Howard Lincoln with at least the former most likely to sit in on interviews but do so fully versed in what Zduriencik's vision is for the Mariners next manager. While not one ever to say never, Zduriencik is fairly confident experience will be at the top of his list of wants.

"If I had to make a decision today I would lean towards someone with experience, but you have to let the process unfold," he said. "I don't want to box myself in and say that is absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt what has to be because I do think you would limit yourself. But I do think that is the criteria we start with."

Zduriencik is looking for a leader above all else. I asked if he was a believer of veteran leadership in the clubhouse. He feels that leadership ultimately needs to come from above.

"I have always said this, that I think the leader of the clubhouse is the manager," he said. "The manager sets the tone. He can get great assistance from players and they can do wonders for him but that manager has got to set the tone from day one. He is in charge of that clubhouse. These players play for him. They don't play for another player on the team. The manager sets the tone. Players play for the manager. The manager is responsible for what happens in the clubhouse and he is responsible for what happens on the field. To have players that might be on your club that have leadership ability, that is wonderful because they can be a great aid to the manager. But at the end of the day the manager sets the tone."

This is very interesting considering what happened in that clubhouse this year. I think Don Wakamatsu had a shot at setting the tone, of having the players play for him if he had only had the conversation with Ken Griffey Jr.

Some have said that a move involving a player of Griffey's stature isn't something a second year manager should have been left to make. To tell him he was not going to play, to sit him down. I disagree because the manager is the manager. He sits in the chair, he is responsible, he must do the communicating if he wants the rest of the clubhouse to respect him regardless of who the player is. I interviewed new pitching coach Carl Willis a couple of weeks ago and asked him about one of his former teams, the '91 Minnesota Twins, which won the World Series that year. I asked what made Tom Kelly such a good manager and he told me that along with the relationships he had with his players he enlisted the help of Kirby Puckett.

"Kirby Puckett policed the clubhouse, but more importantly he played the game the right way and if ever anything didn't happen correctly with Puck, TK wasn't afraid to call him out," Willis said.

I will never understand why Wakamatsu was afraid to have the conversation with Griffey. Not the "we are sitting you down" one but the "we need to move you down in the order" conversation that Wakamatsu was thinking of weeks before "Sleepgate" erupted. He told me this after a game in Kansas City near the end of April. It made no sense to me that he even thought this would be a problem. He said he was afraid he would lose Griffey if he moved him down. I couldn't see that and I told Wakamatsu so. Griffey wanted to be a part of a team. While it might have stung a little being moved down, nothing he had done since coming back indicated that this would be a problem. He backed his manager fully the previous year. He had a great relationship with him. Towards the end of last year Junior photoshopped himself into a Wakamatsu family photo and placed it on his desk. Wakamatsu asked Griffey to sign one of his candy bars during the final week of the season. Junior even stopped by one of Wakamatsu's sons' football games in the offseason when he was in Dallas to see the Cowboys play. They had a great relationship. It is a shame that Wakamatsu couldn't find a way to have that conversation. I truly believe it would have made any further conversation about Griffey's future easier.

When you talk to players about what they most want in a manager, communication is always first and foremost. Just tell me where I stand. When you talk to players who have had managers they would run through a brick wall for they always say it was the communication and the honesty that made them want to do that. They may not hear what the want to hear but in a game so fickle – a game where you can be in the lineup one day, out of it the next and without a team shortly after that – it is important to know where you stand and what you may be doing wrong. Does this communication improve with experience? Tough to say. But experience brings a track record and if Zduriencik does his due diligence he should be able to get a better picture of how this person inspires.

Jack Zduriencik addressed the media following today's 1-0 loss to the Twins and announced that Michael Pineda has indeed been shut down.

"The simple reason is because of innings. We had that he would pitch somewhere between 140 and 150 innings, he is at 141. Last year he had 47, the year before 138. Our decision is we think this is a prized product of ours, a guy we want to protect."

Zduriencik stressed that there is nothing wrong, no injury or concern in that regard.

The plan is to keep him with the Tacoma team while they make their playoff run then possibly bring him up to Seattle to spend a few days in the big league environment. While he will not pitch he will start a strength and conditioning program for next year that he will continue in Arizona through the instructional season after he leaves Seattle. He could also throw some side sessions there.

Zduriencik expects that Pineda will compete for a spot in the Mariners starting rotation in spring training.

"I think he comes into camp next year, that should be the mindset he has. We have seen this guy dominate this year. You never know how 22 year old kids are going to react in a spring training setting or being on a big league club but I think all the earmarks are there that this guy has a chance to have a very very good future. We feel strongly that this guy is going to have a great shot to make our club."

I am going to put off the manager post until Monday because many of your comments deserved further explorations so I want to do a Q and A here, only you are answering the questions. Feel free to contribute to the discussion even if you were not the original commenter.

Chris From Bothell

You wrote that you would be happy with the youth movement if you knew the remaining spots were filled with higher quality players.

My question to you is if those players were acquired, what would you realistically expect and what would make for a good year in your eyes from a team that was still relying on four starting position players that have less than one year of experience?

I would warn that teams are lucky if they have one guy come through in that situation in a season. Zduriencik warned that with young players you do not know. Many do not make it their first time up.

You and a couple of others asked about the the possibility of significantly raising the budget. I do not see this happening. If anything, if they plan on going mostly young I could see the budget actually dropping. I asked Zduriencik in that interview if he was prepared to go forward with less budget next year. Of course he is prepared to deal with anything handed him but the interesting thing he said is that he did not want to spend money just because it is there. If a player is there that he wants, great. If not? I ask you this. If that player was not there would you be comfortable of banking that money and carrying it forward the next year? I am not saying this is a possibility but if it was do you think the money could be better spent next year?

Cresswell

You ask if the Mariners go all young can we wait for their development to pay dividends or could the addition of one or two veterans help speed it up?

A few of you mentioned going after Cliff Lee. He is a beautiful pitcher but I don't believe he will speed things up. I think we saw that this year. There was not much Lee or Felix could do to help the offense. Personally, the only money I would consider spending on pitching next year would be on a veteran dependable arm in the bullpen. You have a rotation 1-4 (assuming Pineda is up) and 5 or 6 guys who can compete for the fifth spot.

As for veteran position players I don't know how much they could help. In talking to Jack it seemed that he was hoping that Moore and Smoak would come through as threats sooner than later. That would probably speed up things more than anything else but again, both have yet to turn into what they are expected to. They most likely need more time.

So my question to you Cresswell, would you be more comfortable with two of Moore, Smoak, Saunders, Ackley with more veterans and spending more money next year with the hopes of winning more games?

Rayvensdad

You wrote...For me, call it like it is. Jack Z. We are building the organization from the bottom up... and there isn't a quick fix and Jack Z. is doing a good job. It shows with the possibility of having so many young rookies next year.

Two things here. He won't call it what it is because it isn't yet. If opportunities present themselves in the off season, like say the Cliff Lee deal last year, things could go in a different direction. That is a big if however but the point is, Jack is leaving doors open. It is just how he operates.

This is one of the things that has been so interesting in watching him. I think a lot of people thought he was going to come in here and put his focus and resources into building the farm system. Turns out that protecting the big league team and trying to improve it has always been his number one priority. The funny thing is, he still managed to build the farm. If a good number the kids we have been talking about "hit" this year then this time next year we will be talking about a remarkably quick organizational change. Remember, the cupboard was relatively bare.

I was down in Tacoma a few weeks ago talking to a scout from another team. He sympathised with the season we were going through and then he gestured out to the field and said, "The good news is it is going to get better. You look out there and you have "guys". A lot of teams are lucky to have one guy. You have got guys out there and that is a good thing. This is going to get better."

Good discussion from everyone. More on the manager search coming up Monday.

As we get closer to September there seems to me much excitement about what we could see coming from Tacoma when teams can expand their rosters. Youngsters will get looks, some longer than others. The question is, how young will this team be when it leaves Peoria next spring?

Since 2002 only one opening day roster has had more than two first year starting position players on it. In 2006 Kenji Johjima and Yuniesky Betancourt were opening day starters, each with less than a year of big league experience. In 2004, 2005 and 2007 the team had no rookie position players, backup or starter. The organization has purposely avoided the "rebuilding season" and it would seem like now that we could be close. But how much youth will we see in April?

In talking with Jack Zduriencik on the past roadtrip I got the impression that yes, we will see more young players on this team next year. But heading into the offseason Zduriencik is not prepared to declare 2011 a full-on rebuild. Like last year he refuses to limit himself heading into the offseason by putting a label on the team or being specific in its needs. He is leaving doors open.

"Opportunities present themselves," Zduriencik said. "Like last year as we went through the winter we had an opportunity to get Cliff Lee. You don't walk away from that. There will be other opportunities to see if something else presents itself. We are building this organization."

While the organization has not lived up to expectations at the big league level, it has exceeded expectations below.

"We had a void, there is no question that we thought a year and a half ago that the bulk (of talent) was in Double-A and below," Zduriencik Said. "So now as that gap begins to get a little closer, now you begin to say we want to put the best team on the field. We want to be as competitive as we can. But you have got guys like Michael Pineda, guys like Danny Cortes. These guys are doing some pretty special things below. So how quick some of those young kids close the gap remains to be seen. To answer that and say this is exactly what we are going to do? I still think that needs to be weighed based on how we go into the winter. We will go into the winter, we will see if we are able to do some things. There are going to be a lot of young guys we are going to rely on. It could be your Adam Moores, it could be Michael Saunders, it could be (Matt Tuiasosopo). Guys are going to fight for positions and we will see."

What we most likely will not see is another Cliff Lee-like deal. In his tenure with the M's, Zduriencik has been able to build his farm system while still adding to his major league team. That could be tougher this offseason, according to Zduriencik. In the Lee deal he gave up players he did not feel would be able to help the major league club for at least two years. The two-year-out crowd has closed the gap quicker than many thought they would. These are the players other teams most likely will target and Zduriencik will be hesitant to give up. These are the players he hopes to build with.

While it may seem exciting to hear the possibility that names like Dustin Ackley, Moore, Saunders, Justin Smoak and Pineda could be on the field together early next season, Zduriencik warns that the transition to the big leagues is more than often not easy.

"The one thing about wanting a young kid to get to the big leagues, you don't always have instant success and that is the other factor," he sad. "And every kid is different. Typically a player has to get his feet wet. We are seeing that with Michael Saunders, with Adam Moore, any of these young kids who are going to get to play a lot. But it is nice to look and see that you have a high ceiling guy like a Michael Pineda, who like Justin Smoak can be a good player. We think that Ackley is a guy who is making very nice strides and doing very well in Triple-A. Again, every player has his own time frame. That is the one thing you have to be careful of. But the acquisitions like Danny Cortes, who is throwing up to 100 mph; like Justin Smoak, who has big league experience and you figure that next year he is going to have a chance to be in your lineup and then you have the experience with some of the other guys that they have gained this year and you can see where we are getting to where now we have young players who have the chance to be good players for a long time."

Assuming most of those prospects named make the club next year, how will they be protected? What if some of them stumble? What if it turns out they are not ready? Zduriencik feels it is important to surround them with good veterans, many who are already on this team. What about an impact bat next year? Does he still think that it is crucial to get the big bat that eluded them this year?

"I sure would like to," Zduriencik said. "I think we have the potential with some of the guys on our club. Can Smoak become a really productive player? Can Michael Saunders become a productive player? Can Adam Moore become a force where that's gong to help your club an awful lot? Then you still have to figure out other pieces. We have to make a decision on (Russell Branyan). We will see. It is hard to sit here with the start of next season eight months away and a lot happens in the wintertime. Whether another deal will present itself or we sign a free agent that fills a need we have, it is hard to say. You don't have the answers right now because you just don't know what is going to present itself. What you do know is that I can look at this group of players that is coming and feel that they have a chance to be pretty good players. They are just not guys to get their feet wet, they are going to be guys with playing time they will have a chance to be productive players for a long time."

Zduriencik will not only be looking for players this winter, there is a managerial vacancy to be filled as well. Tomorrow he addresses what he is looking for and what the No. 1 quality he wants to see in the next manager of the Mariners as well as what he felt the biggest challenge with the clubhouse was this season.