Manager Don Wakamatsu rolled out his 45th different lineup Tuesday night, this time with slugger Russell Branyan batting second.
Why?
Why not?
The Mariners are last in the league with 231 runs and, besides leadoff hitter Ichiro Suzuki, Branyan has been the only other consistently productive hitter. Most of his at-bats have come from the No. 5 spot, but after Monday night’s two-hit shutout, Wakamatsu decided to stack his best hitters at the top of the lineup.
“Ichiro and Russell are the two best hitters on the club right now and the two hole has been a struggle for us,” Wakamatsu said. “We chose to take a look at this, getting the two best hitters up there and maybe getting him one more at-bat per game. Russell, with his power, he can put us up 2-0 early in the ballgame.”
Branyan leads the team with 11 home runs and, in his first big-league season as an everyday player, he’s batting a team-best .319.
“I batted second for one or two games when I was with Cincinnati under Bob Boone,” Branyan said. “He played around with the two spot a lot and he liked high on-base percentage guys there.
Branyan (.412) and Suzuki (.383) have the Mariners’ highest on-base percentages.
“I’ve hit a lot of places in the lineup — sixth, seventh, eighth — but never third, never leadoff,” Branyan said. “The biggest thing for me is, batting second, I might get another 100 to 150 at-bats in a season.”
Wakamatsu wouldn’t say how long he would try this alignment.
“It’s going to be a reflection on how well he does in that spot,” he said. “He’s got a lot of comfort in that fifth hole. Do you want to take him out of that? It’s going to depend on how well he does in the two hole.”
Branyan becomes the seventh player to bat second. Endy Chavez has played 19 games in that spot.
JOHJIMA NEEDS TIME
Despite some hope that catcher Kenji Johjima would return soon from the disabled list, Wakamatsu cast considerable doubt about that.
Johjima has been on the DL since May 26 because of a fracture big toe on his left foot. He has been feeling good and had hoped to hit off a tee on Tuesday, but the Mariners are holding him back for now.
“It’s not as painful as it was, but we’ve still got to make sure that bone has healed up right,” Wakamatsu said.
OF NOTE
The NCAA softball champion Washington Huskies will be honored before Friday’s game at Safeco Field. … Catcher Rob Johnson, who fouled a ball off his left shin Monday night, was bruised but well enough to start Tuesday. He fouled the ball off the same spot where he’d been hit by a bat while catching last week. … Entering Tuesday, Branyan was one of six American League players who hadn’t ground into a double play. … Monday night’s game was the 18th by a 1-0 score since Safeco Field opened in 1999. The only other ballparks with as many 1-0 games in that time were Dodger Stadium (21) and Shea Stadium (18). … Pitching matchups for the Minnesota series this weekend are Felix Hernandez vs. Francisco Liriano on Friday, Jarrod Washburn vs. Nick Blackburn on Saturday and Erik Bedard vs. Kevin Slowey on Sunday.
Kirby Arnold, Herald Writer
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