NewsMariners, A's admire Wakamatsu
Seattle (81-76) vs. Oakland (75-82), 7:10 p.m. PT
By Doug Miller / MLB.com
09/30/09 1:05 AM ET
SEATTLE -- The Mariners' turnaround from a 101-loss team in 2008 to a postseason contender for a good portion of 2009 has been one of the bigger surprises in baseball this year. But Don Wakamatsu's success as a Major League manager? According to the Mariners and the visiting Oakland A's, it's no surprise at all. Wakamatsu served as the A's bench coach in 2008 and impressed the players with his calm demeanor, his knowledge of the game, and his emphasis on building trust and teamwork. That's why several A's say the man they call "Wak" deserves serious consideration for the American League Manager of the Year Award. "Oh, without question," said reliever Brad Ziegler. "First off, you just look at the numbers. They're going to be improved by over 20 games by the end of the season, so right there you've got credentials. But it's also the cohesiveness he's creating in that clubhouse, and a lot of that has to do with them bringing in veteran, good clubhouse guys like Mike Sweeney and Ken Griffey Jr., but it also says a lot about Wak. "He knows how to bring guys together and communicate with players, and he's got a great baseball mind, too. He's well on his way into helping make that team a serious contender." A's manager Bob Geren agreed, saying his right-hand man from last year has to be in the conversation for the AL honor, along with Ron Washington of Texas, Mike Scioscia of the Angels and Ron Gardenhire of the Twins. Geren, however, would not disclose who he will be voting for. "I called Wak recently and told him what a great job I think he's done this year," Geren said. "To compete in a tough division the way they did after a tough year last year, it's very impressive." Geren said he had no doubts that Wakamatsu would succeed as a Major League manager. "I thought he was the right man for the job when he was hired," Geren said. "And he's been great for that team." A's infielder Adam Kennedy got to know Wakamatsu a bit when both were in the Angels organization, Kennedy as the starting second baseman on the 2002 World Series championship team and Wakamatsu as a roving Minor League field coordinator. He says the best of Wakamatsu is yet to come. "This is only his first year, and already the team is improving and he's assembled a very good coaching staff," Kennedy said. "But I'll be interested in seeing what happens in two or three years once he's really had the time to put his mark on the organization and establish his way of playing. "That's when you'll really see how good he is." Mariners reliever Mark Lowe agrees, saying Wakamatsu's immediate installation of a winning attitude should lead to bigger and better things as general manager Jack Zduriencik continues to strengthen the weaker areas of the team. "Wak has gotten us all on the same page," Lowe said. "We're here to win ballgames and we're here to play as a team, and there haven't been any distractions off the field. If something needed to be done, something was done, and we had Griffey and Sweeney come in and just totally take the leadership role of this team. "And together, it's done something to this clubhouse that I've never seen before, and in talking to them, they've never seen it either. It's been a blessing to be in this locker room every single day with guys like that, and Wak has a lot to do with it." As for Wakamatsu, he says it's all part of an ongoing quest to make Seattle a perennial pennant contender. "Going back to what we tried to subscribe to all year is that we go into every single game with being prepared, with having a belief system that we can win games," Wakamatsu said. "I've told the fans from Day 1, I can count on one hand when we weren't ready to play this year, and that's what I can take out of this season so far." Pitching matchupSEA: RHP Brandon Morrow (1-4, 4.96 ERA)
Morrow makes his final start of the season, hoping to use it as a springboard into the offseason and beyond. He has shown flashes of being a top-of-the-rotation type of hurler at times since his return from the Minors, but he also loses his release point on occasion, leading to control lapses and head-scratching in the dugout. His overall performance has improved, however, and the organization believes the former first-round Draft choice eventually will be a quality starter. OAK: RHP Clay Mortensen (2-3, 6.07 ERA)
Mortensen wasn't sharp his last time out, and neither was the defense behind him. Mortensen gave up seven runs on six hits and a walk over 4 2/3 innings, but only three of the runs were earned, because the A's made three errors, including two in the visiting Rangers' four-run fifth inning. Mortensen, who had won his previous two starts, will be making his seventh big league appearance and sixth start against the Mariners, who beat him with four earned runs on six hits and three walks over seven innings on Sept. 4. Tidbits
Wakamatsu and Griffey went fishing on the off-day Monday, and the two managed a few strikes on fly rods, but the manager couldn't hook any answers out of Griffey about his plans for 2010. "He's pretty tight-lipped about it," Wakamatsu said. "That's Junior's decision, that's Jack's decision, and all I can speak on is my experience with him this season, and it's been an honor to be able to have a player of that caliber and get to know him as a person, and respect him all that much more." So how did the fishing go? "We caught a bunch of pink salmon yesterday," Wakamatsu said. "It was Juinor's first fly fishing trip and I thought at times I took my life in my own hands, but it was fun." ... Jose Lopez has a chance to become the fifth player in Mariners history to hit 25 home runs and 40 doubles in the same season. He needs one more double to accomplish the feat and join Edgar Martinez, who did it three times, plus Alex Rodriguez, Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson, who did it once apiece. ... Center fielder Franklin Gutierrez leads all Major League outfielders in putouts. Tickets
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• Thursday: Mariners (Doug Fister, 2-4, 4.50) vs. Athletics (Brett Anderson, 11-10, 4.12), 7:10 p.m. PT
• Friday: Mariners (Ian Snell, 7-10, 4.86) vs. Rangers (Brandon McCarthy, 7-4, 4.47), 7:10 p.m. PT
• Saturday: Mariners (Ryan Rowland-Smith, 4-4, 3.91) vs. Rangers (Tommy Hunter, 9-5, 4.10), 6:10 p.m. PT
Doug Miller is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
