Russell Branyan

The Weekly Wire: The Week’s Recommended Events

Mariners vs. Texas Rangers

Jack Zduriencik Is Threatening to Become Baseball's Joe Dumars

​Former basketball star Joe Dumars is to Detroit as Edgar Martinez is to Seattle. But unlike Martinez, the former Piston works for his onetime employer in the very important position of general manager. Despite dubiously passing on Carmelo Anthony in the draft, he acquired Ben and Rasheed Wall ... More >>

The Case for Keeping Cliff Lee

Should such happiness be forgotten so soon?​For baseball purists, the Mariners home sweep of the heavy-hitting Cincinnati Reds this past weekend, in which Seattle's pitchers yielded a total of one run over three games while scoring a mere seven, was as good as it gets, and provided a glimpse o ... More >>

And Now a Few Words From the One Pundit Who Doesn't Have a Raging, Mega-Huge Hard-On Over the Cliff Lee Trade

Vladi-dadi, he likes to party -- and the M's had best sign him.​Cliff Lee's an easy guy to fall in love with. He's a throwback lefty with at least four pitches, amazing control, and a tendency to actually complete games. He's good-looking, charmingly candid, and comes to the M's at the insanel ... More >>

What To Do With Jose Lopez?

​One of many key decisions the Mariners will face this off-season is what they want to do with Jose Lopez. A second baseman with limited defensive range but a potent bat, the M's have lined him up at first base more and more as the season has progressed, a move made possible by an injury to Ru ... More >>

M's Shouldn't Wait to Call Up Tui

​ While Trader Jack and Wak have indeed done a sensational job holding the M's roster together with Scotch tape and gum, we'd like to take this opportunity to debunk one notion that's gained some traction in the media: Namely, that players such as Jack Hanahan and Ryan Langerhans -- both of wh ... More >>

So Far, So-So for French, and How 'Bout That Cat on the Field?

With a fastball that tops out in the high 80s, French could use a little more mustard.​In the first installment of small sample size theater, Jarrod Washburn was disappointing for the Detroit Tigers. In the second installment, former Tiger Luke French was merely underwhelming. He went 5 inning ... More >>

Once Again, and This Time With Feeling: Russell Branyan Should Not Bat Second

When we argued that the so-called experiment of strikeout-prone slugger Russell Branyan batting second should come to an end, we'll admit we didn't have a great solution for who should hit there instead. But with the acquisition of contact-hitting shortstop Jack Wilson, we do now. And yet, Wilson re ... More >>

Another Night, Another Lopsided Loss for M's

The Mariners got shellacked at home again, this time 11-4 at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays, whose fans outnumbered the Mariners' at the Safe. (We knew about Red Sox Nation, but Blue Jay Nation?) But the M's were actually up 4-3 after 5-2/3 innings, until a two-out, no-on, four-run rally by the ... More >>

The Kingdome Returns to Safeco Field

Sadly missing: celebratory cannon blastsYesterday's Mariners game was a blast from the past. Normally a power-hungry team--i.e. a team that doesn't have any power, and could really use it--the M's scored three of their four runs on dingers, beating the Twins 4-2. Jose Lopez--who admitted the other ... More >>

Not Keeping Up With the Joneses

Remember how before last season, the Mariners traded Adam Jones, George Sherrill, a hot prospect named Chris Tillman, and the rights to all future Bavasi children to the Baltimore Orioles for Erik Bedard? The trade sucked at the time and continued to suck through last season, as Ichiro rightly noted ... More >>

The M's Are Stuck in the Middle

Granted, the M's best power hitter, Russell Branyan (never thought I'd type those words), was given the day off at Oakland yesterday, but a gander at the batting averages for the middle of the team's order should tell you all you need to know about why the M's have struggled this year. In the thre ... More >>

Griffey vs. A-Rod, Cheers vs. Boos

Ken Griffey Jr. received a standing ovation every time he strode to the plate in yesterday's Mariner home opener, which marked the return of the M's prodigal son to the team he began his storied career with as a teen 20 years earlier. His reception during pregame introductions was on par with how B ... More >>