Randy Messenger News

The California League always has been a hitter's paradise as warm, dry conditions collide with talented young hitters at the advanced Class A level.

The Portland Beavers are no Reno Aces and for that, the Tacoma Rainiers are thankful.

RENO Randy Messenger had a brutal homecoming, Chris Shelton bailed him out with some ninth inning heroics.

All four are pitchers who began the season with Tacoma, got off to good starts and were promoted to the Seattle Mariners.

Still unable to catch because of his troublesome left knee, Jeff Clement has continued to hit for the Class AAA Tacoma Rainiers.

Scoring runs haven't been a problem for the Rainiers. So much that when they were down 3-0 early it didn't even seem like an obstacle.

Remember when the Seattle Mariners drafted Josh Fields with their first pick last June and there was talk that he'd be in the big leagues before the season was over? Agent Scott Boras' signing demands not only took care of that, it cost Fields all of last season after the College World Series.

With a two-run seventh-inning rally and a stunning run-saving catch by Prentice Redman in the eighth, the Tacoma Rainiers gave themselves a chance to win a game in which their pitchers walked a season-high 10 hitters.

Friday 08 May Friday, May 8, 2009 at 04:21PM V SEATTLE MARINERS MINOR LEAGUE REPORT Games of May 6, 2009 Last Night's Result Standings Winner/Loser/Save Tacoma 8, at Salt Lake 6 12-14, 4th, -6.0 W-Hernandez /S-Messenger at West Tennessee, Huntsville 10-14, 3rd -3.0 RAINED OUT at High Desert 12, Inland Empire 10 19-8, 1st, +4.0 W-Richard at Dayton ...

ENHANCED VIEWING. Seeing Triple-A baseball at Cheney Stadium just got a lot better with the two new scoreboards shown in this rendering.

One hit an hour. That's all it took for the Rainiers to pick up a 1-0 series-opening victory over the Fresno Grizzlies on Monday night.

A day of players sent down, sent out and moved up -- not to mention wind-blown home runs against pitchers who will be thrilled to leave Arizona -- has ended with a Mariners roster that is taking a fairly solid form.

On a gusty day in Arizona Wednesday, the Seattle Mariners hit four home runs, the Cleveland Indians hit three and no pitcher was safe in what became a 14-14 Cactus League tie.

In several of his previous major-league springs, Miguel Batista has wondered whether he would break camp with a ballclub.

It appears the Seattle Mariners will start the season without a left-handed pitcher in their bullpen after placing Cesar Jimenez on the 15-day disabled list and optioning Garrett Olson to Triple-A Tacoma.

All Chris Shelton did the past five weeks was lead the Mariners with a .460 batting average, hit four doubles, three home runs and play a nice first base.

Sorry, I had to do the headline at least once this spring. Truth is, Randy Messenger had pitched too well for me to do much with his name.

Casey McGehee blasted a two-run homer off Randy Messenger in the bottom of the ninth inning to propel Milwaukee to a 9-7 spring training win over the Seattle Mariners.

The Los Angeles Angels pounded Carlos Silva early and Randy Messenger late, and beat the Seattle Mariners, 16-9, in a Cactus League game Saturday.

For nearly three weeks at spring training, Seattle Mariners fans have seen the Ken Griffey Jr.