Michael Saunders News

Charlie Riedel / Associated Press Come spring training next February, Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu will remind his team that improving on the little things can make a big difference.

For a team that won 85 games and believes it can contend in 2010, the Seattle Mariners have as many holes to fill as any team in baseball uncertainties at third base, left field and catcher, for starters.

Right now, there are a lot of different theories out there, among fans, bloggers, beat writers, everyone, about how the Mariners should go about building this team for next season.

Happy Halloween, everyone. Ita s that one day of the year when ghosts and spooks of all kinds start coming out of the woodworks.

One of you wrote in to me earlier asking why Mariners left fielder Michael Saunders was replaced by a pinch-runner in his winter ball game in Venezuela yesterday.

Generating a ton of buzz right now in the desert is Castro, the 19-year-old shortstop who, after Tuesday's outburst, is now 12-for-23 in six games for the Solar Sox without a strikeout.

Vin Mazzaro, rhp, Sacramento 11. Bud Norris, rhp, Round Rock 12. Esmil Rogers, rhp, Colorado Springs 13.

They celebrated like a playoff-bound team, despite the fact that their season had just come to a close.

The grin still hadn't left Adam Moore's face. And the mere mention of his first big-league home run brought a wide smile.

Ken Griffey Jr.'s final at-bat of the season -- and possibly his Seattle Mariners' career -- culminated with a sharp single up the middle and a rousing ovation from the Safeco Field crowd Sunday afternoon.

Richard Griffin I n the next-to-last home game of the Jays' extremely disappointing '09 season, the ultimate warrior proved once again to be 26-year-old DH Adam Lind.

For the first time since being promoted from Triple-A Tacoma, left-handed-hitting left fielder Michael Saunders is showing signs of power.

A's right fielder Travis Buck picked a heck of a time to work his way back into the lineup.

Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu had indicated earlier this month that outfielder Michael Saunders would play minimally as the team retools his swing, but he was in the lineup Wednesday night and might get another start before the season is finished.

Brandon Morrow gets a chance to finish his rocky season on a positive note. And yes, Michael Saunders comes out of semi-hiding to make his 10th start in September -- on the last day of the month.

There was his outfield assist in the seventh, when Zobrist kept it a one-run game by throwing a one-hopper to get Michael Saunders at the plate on a potential sacrifice fly.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki was ejected from Saturday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays for arguing a called third strike in the fifth inning.

Yes, I know it means little as far as playing baseball beyond Oct. 4, but the Mariners should be given their due for reaching 80 wins last night with nine days remaining in the regular season.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Sitting on the bench after the fifth inning, Brandon Morrow was a contented man Wednesday he had shut out Tampa Bay on three hits, thrown only 64 pitches and was thinking he'd pitch seven innings.

Some of you have wondered about Bill Hall and why the Mariners insist on playing him every night.