Tacoma Rainiers manager Daren Brown gets the call to lead Mariners

Sometime after 11 Sunday night, Daren Brown received a call to catch a plane to Seattle to become the Mariners' interim manager.

Forgive the 43-year-old if he doesn't remember the exact time of the call. After all, he had just finished watching his first-place Tacoma team lose 4-3 in Omaha, Neb., despite having hard-throwing right-hander Michael Pineda on the mound.

So while trying to process a Class AAA loss, Brown had to instead start sorting out his new position as Don Wakamatsu's replacement in Seattle.

Brown, who was in his fourth season as the Rainiers' skipper, caught a flight to Seattle at 6:30 a.m. Monday and met with reporters shortly after 4:15 p.m.

"As far as today, obviously it's been a quick turnaround for me, getting here and not having a whole lot of sleep in the last 24 hours, but we're trying to get the team prepared as best we can to play tonight and prepare to put together a nice 49 games that we've got to end the season and play (the best) baseball we can," he said.

After arriving at Safeco Field, Brown held a brief team meeting.

"These guys know where they are at and what needs to be done," he said. "I mainly wanted to share with them the same things I'm sharing with you. I don't think there's a magic formula or magic potion to come in here and flip a switch and it changes."

As he answered questions, he joked about his accent, speaking with the drawl of someone who makes his offseason home in Amarillo, Texas.

Over 10 years in the Mariners' organization, Brown has developed relationships with many players on the Seattle roster, which he expects to help ease the transition.

"He's a hard worker," third baseman Matt Tuiasosopo said. "Every day, whether it's early work or offense and defense, he's out there working. That's Brownie."

Before he became a manager, Brown was chosen in the 29th round of the 1989 amateur draft and spent five seasons pitching in the Blue Jays' system, including two years with Class AA Knoxville.

The son of former Philadelphia pitcher Paul Brown, Daren got his start as a manager with Amarillo in the independent Texas-Louisiana League and has also made stops in the California, Midwest, Texas and Pacific Coast leagues with the Mariners. He led the Rainiers to the PCL's North Division title in 2009.

"I feel like it is an opportunity, even coming in with the situation as it is," Brown said. "I think we are heading in the right direction. I know they took two out of three in the last series, so that's a plus going into tonight.

"I've been here 10 years with the Mariners organization and I care deeply about the Mariners organization. They've been really good to me. Anything I can do and, hopefully, get us to continue to head in the right direction I'm more than happy to do it."

When asked if he looked at this opportunity as an audition for the permanent job, Brown said he's more of a "day-to-day guy."

"I tend to look at it as: I'm going to do the best job I can tonight, then worry about tomorrow," he said. "If it turns out to be that way at the end of the seven weeks, then that's what it was."

Brown said Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik told him to manage the club the way he would any other team, and Brown wouldn't have it any other way.

"I am who I am, and that's kind of the way I plan to go about it," he said.

Mason Kelley: 206-464-8277 or mkelley@seattletimes.com