An update to when Brandon Morrow will be making his first start for the Rainiers. It will be Wednesday (August 6th -- as in tomorrow Snydro) at 11:30 a.m. at Cheney Stadium against the Albuquerque Isotopes. He will be on a 35-pitch limit.

We will obviously have somebody there covering the game.

If you are looking to go to the game as a cheaper alternative to the Mariners' game. Here's a link to buy tickets.

A quick programming note: I have been pulled from the line-up for tonight's game coverage because of a tender left elbow and I must finish this Rays story. Of course, all this stuff happens on a day when I'm not up there. It's like the McLaren tirade. Anyway, our prep guru Doug Pacey is at the game. Since he doesn't have access to this blog (one of the few guys that doesn't) he's going to email some of the reaction to the moves today and I'll post it on here.

An update from Doug: Wlad is starting tonight at DH

A quick poll question: Where does today rank in the best days of the season for the Mariners?

The other contenders would have to be opening day, Richie's release, McLaren's rant and Bavasi's firing.

It says something about the season the Mariners are mired in, that a player being sent down and another player being designated for assignment ranks among the best days.

But really it's important for this reason - the Mariners finally showed some notion that they need to start focusing on 2009 and beyond. Sure they've been saying this for the last month, but they hadn't made the significant moves to signal that change in thinking. That ended today with Morrow being sent down to be stretched out and Vidro being shipped.

With Vidro gone, there is no excuse for Balentien, Clement and LaHair not to be getting a plethora of at-bats. Even when there are left-handers on the mound for Clement and LaHair.

I watched Balentien hit a home run last night. Teams are still pitching him the same away, offspeed away and then busting him in on his hands with fastballs. Balentien is still susceptible to some ugly swings where he's back on his heels and just waving at pitches away. But he has been been a little better about laying off those pitches consistently, especially with two strikes.

I won't lie and say that I'm convinced he's going to be a better hitter at the major league level the second time around this season. One of the scouts at the Rainiers game last night was not impressed with Wlad's swing or his on-field antics (throwing helmets and bats and saying things to fans). But Balentien will go in more prepared and with a better idea of what he needs to do to be successful. Besides he has proven he can hit at the Triple A level, he needs to do so with at the big league level.

I expect him to play left field or DH, he played in center field on Tuesday night, but I don't know that I would use him there extensively.

As for Morrow, I talked with the Rainiers and manager Daren Brown hasn't slotted Morrow into the rotation. Sean White was just placed on the seven-day disabled list and he started on Saturday. It looks as though Morrow would most likely make his first start either Saturday or Monday in Tucson. Ryan Feierabend is scheduled for Friday, Saturday is a TBD (to be determined), Ryan Rowland-Smith is set for Sunday (though hopefully he's up in Seattle pitching instead of Miguel Batista), and Monday is listed as a TBD.

It will be interesting to see how Morrow handles his pitch count. Remember because he throws so hard, hitters tend to take more pitches and foul off more pitches, which will drive up his pitch count quickly. He must be able to throw his slider and changeup a little more often and consistently for strikes. It will also be interesting to see what his velocity is like early in games and late in games.

Either way it's a good move for the Mariners. They know Morrow has the ability to be a closer, but they didn't draft him for that. They needed to at least give him an extended look as a starter and see if its a role he would not only be comfortable in, but succeed in.

Feel free to post any other moves you think they should make ... logical ones, please.

Now let's get to some links...

* Here's Larry's gamer from last night's crazy comeback win.

* Larry actually spoke with Erik Bedard. That doesn't happen often, but here's his notebook with Bedard's comments about his injury.

* Here's the game story from the Minneapolis Star Tribune. And here's the gamer from the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

* Matt Tuiasosopo's grand slam and Rowland-Smith's solid pitching propelled the Rainiers to their seventh straight win.

* Former Mariner Greg Dobbs has become a pinch-hitting star with the Phillies

* Adam Jones' season could be done. Apparently he broke his foot during his series with the Mariners. He has been placed on the DL and will be out at least four to six weeks.

* Charlton Jimerson hooked up with another team. Good luck to him.

* Joba Chamberlain is going to see Dr. James Andrew about his sore left shoulder. That has to be scary for Yankee fans. Could Jarrod Washburn become valuable to the Yankees again?

* ESPN Page 2's Jim Caple has a story on closers being the most overrated position in baseball.

* Prince Fielder has sort of apologized for the altercation between him and Manny Parra in the Brewers dugout during last night's game.

Another big roster move for the Mariners today as they just sent out a release saying Jose Vidro has been designated for assignment by general manager Lee Pelekoudas. He will be replaced on the 25-man roster by Wladimir Balentien, who has been called up and is available to play tonight.

Seattle now has 10 days to trade, release, option or assign Vidro outright to the minors.

"We appreciate all of Jose's hard work and professionalism," Pelekoudas said in the release. "We wanted to have every opportunity to try and trade him. Even though that opportunity may still exist, now that we've passed the July 31 deadline it was important for us to continue our transition into a club that is looking towards the 2009 season, even as we try to win as many games as possible this season."

This will be Balentien's second stint with the Mariners this season. He batted .196 (21x107) with 4 doubles and 4 home runs in 32 games from April 30-June 16. In 44 games after being optioned back to AAA Tacoma, Balentien batted .270 (46x170) with 12 home runs and 35 RBI. He leaves Tacoma with a current 8-game hitting streak (.333/11x33, 3 HR), including a solo home run last night.

Vidro, 33 (turns 34 Aug. 27), was batting .234 (72x308) with 11 doubles, 7 home runs and 45 RBI in 85 games. Acquired prior to the 2007 season from Washington, Vidro combined to hit .285 (244x856) with 13 home runs and 104 RBI in 232 games as a Mariner.

The Mariners just announced they have optioned right-handed pitcher Brandon Morrow to Triple-A Tacoma to stretch him out so that he can become a starter. To take Morrow's spot on the roster, right-handed pitcher Jared Wells from the Rainiers was recalled.

"We have long viewed Brandon as a starter," acting GM Lee Pelekoudas said. "He pitched his way onto the team in 2007, giving us an opportunity to acclimate him to the majors in a relief role and, at the start of this season, we thought his greatest value to the team in 2008 was in the bullpen.

"However, as our season progressed and it became obvious we were not going to reach the goals we had entering this year, we began internal discussions on the best time to convert Brandon back to a starting role. We believe that giving him time to stretch out in Tacoma and then, hopefully, make some starts for the big league club before spending the 2008 off-season preparing to come to camp as a starting pitcher for 2009 is the best route for his development."

Morrow, 24, made 40 appearances in relief this season. He compiled a 1-2 mark with 10 saves and a 1.47 ERA, striking out 47 in 36.2 innings. Morrow, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2006 draft, is third in the American League in ERA among relievers. He did not allow a run in 35 of 40 appearances this season, and converted 10 of 12 save opportunities.

Wells, 26, was recalled from Tacoma on July 10 but did not appear in a game for the Mariners before being optioned back to Tacoma on July 11. Wells has 18 combined saves in AAA, tops in the Pacific Coast League.

He was acquired by Seattle from San Diego in exchange for RHP Cha Seung Baek on May 28 of this season. Wells was 0-3, 6.83 with nine saves in 25 relief appearances with the Rainiers since joining the club after the trade.