No playoffs.

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So this gets a very different caption now.

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Adrian Beltre heads to the DL with an injured testicle. Josh Wilson recalled.

Poor Adrian.

Jeff's note: Beltre played several innings after suffering the injury and went on to single and score the winning run. If anyone asks "so hey, hear anything today that made you feel like a total pussy?" I now have a different answer than I would've given twenty minutes ago.

Incidentally, this would be pretty much the worst way imaginable for Beltre's Mariner career to come to a close, and that includes striking out on a low-away slider with the season on the line. You know how in college they tell you not to do homework on your bed because you'll start to associate it with stress? If Beltre doesn't come back from this before the end of the year, he'll forever associate playing for Seattle with stomach-churning nausea of what must be epic proportions. Any time I accidentally so much as get grazed in the crotch I'm down for the count and the world stops for three or four minutes. One of Adrian Beltre's testicles is torn and bleeding.

Our lineup today, via Baker:

RF Ichiro
1B Russell Branyan
2B Jose Lopez
LF Ken Griffey Jr.
DH Mike Sweeney
CF Franklin Gutierrez
3B Chris Woodward
C Kenji Johjima
SS Ronny Cedeno

Griffey's in left to make room for Sweeney at DH, who's playing because Wakamatsu wants to get his bat in the lineup more often. The only problem is that Mike Sweeney isn't a better hitter than Ryan Langerhans. At all. And by playing Griffey in the outfield instead of the new guy, we're shooting ourselves in the foot. Over a full season, Langerhans is probably 35-40 runs better than Griffey in the field. 35-40. You would literally have a hard time exceeding that difference. And yet here we are, as we kick off a series against one of the most prolific lineups in baseball. Unless there's a legitimately good reason for this (and as far as I know, there very well may be), Wak is making a decision that is mathematically more egregious than batting the pitcher cleanup.

This sucks. I don't like to overreact or sound impatient when it comes to these kinds of things, but now is not the time to dick around. Langerhans was acquired for a reason.

Tacoma Top 8th

Pitcher Change: Jose Marte replaces Seth Etherton.
Prentice Redman strikes out swinging.
Michael Saunders doubles (11) on a fly ball to left fielder Trent Oeltjen.
Injury Delay.
Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Jerry Owens replaces Michael Saunders.

Ruh-rohs. Please be nothing.

Update 2212: Apparently it's a strained hamstring which is a pretty happy outcome all things considered. He slid into second a little too hard and had to come out, but it didn't look too severe. H/T: nvn8vbryce at USSM

I'll update with a link when we get it, but for now. That's the scuttlebutt.

Update from Drayer, torn meniscus as well, estimated recovery time is 9-12 months.

Ryan Divish has the news:

Make it stop.

The never-ending saga of Brandon Morrow has taken another twist. The Mariners now appear inclined to continue his transition into a starter while having him remain in the majors -- and, for now, in the rotation.

Fresh off Morrow's struggling start Saturday, in which he walked four in three innings (but, in fairness, struck out four and gave up just one run), manager Don Wakamatsu just told us that Morrow will start Thursday's game in San Diego.

This is from last Wednesday:

Just got done talking with Brandon Morrow, who confirmed what's been known internally within the team for some time. He's off to Class AAA Tacoma to work on becoming a starting pitcher again as soon as the Mariners can call up pitcher Roy Corcoran from his injury rehab assignment. Might happen this week.

"It's going to be the long road this time,'' he said. "Last year, it was the month in AAA and everybody knew I was coming back.''

Four days after saying that, Morrow's penciled in for his second big league start in a row.

I get that Washburn's back is stiff. I get that they don't think RRS is ready yet. I get that Wakamatsu is a fan of Morrow's stuff. But for heaven's sake, just give Jakubauskas the start and let Morrow start learning in a more appropriate environment. This on-the-job training strategy just doesn't at all strike me as the right thing to be doing, certainly not with the team still trying for the playoffs.

How hard is it to just do what you said you would do?

Hit it, Larry!

Erik Bedard has been scratched from tomorrow's start with what Wakamatsu termed "slight shoulder inflammation."
...
The second part of the bombshell is that Brandon Morrow will make the start in Bedard's place.

Brandon Morrow has already thrown 42 and 52 pitches in separate appearances so far this year, so given his pitch count of 60 tomorrow, I'm not really concerned about that part of this thing. He's getting the nod out of necessity, and will be on his way to Tacoma shortly thereafter. With Bedard, though...the team says it's not serious, and that he could probably start, but when you combine "shoulder inflammation" with an already injury-prone starter and a cliff-diving rate of swinging strikes, it's impossible to stay calm. Impossible. Erik Bedard could run a marathon and tell me his legs were sore the next morning and I'd worry they were about to fall off.

I hate this. I hate having to agonize over every little ache. Please be nothing.