Thursday, June 30, 2011

June Swoon...

June Totals
  • 11 wins - 16 losses 
  • 3.06 ERA - FIRST in the AL (and yet second to last in WINS)
  • 191.1 IP by the starters - FIRST in the MAJORS
  • .227 BA - LAST in the MAJORS
  • -4 run differential for the month, -14 overall


AT THE PLATE
Well, at least the pitchers hit pretty well during Interleague ;-)
The offense as a whole continues to sputter - those whose batting average had started to creep up a bit in May either had significantly reduced playing time (Cust, Wilson) or started/continued to spiral downward (Ryan, Kennedy, Smoak) in June. What to make of Miggy - he only had 17 hits in the month of June and 8 of them were home runs.  The lone bright spot?  Dustin Ackley.  Called up and in the starting line up for the first time on June 17th vs. the Phillies, Dustin collected his first hit in his first at bat and has reached base safely in every game he has played since - 10 hits in 12 games, including 2 homers, 2 triples a double and 4 walks.  Welcome to the Show, Dustin.  Welcome to the Show.


ON THE MOUND
Overall, the starters continued their splendid ways...
Well, Felix and Michael had rough months going 3-3 and 1-3 respectively and Felix gave up 5 earned runs, twice!  And then there was Mr. Fister who continued to garner the least run support in the majors so his 0-3 record was in NO way reflective of his performance (7IP twice and 8IP three times while lowering his ERA 30 points).  Jason was only 2-2 but, those two wins were pretty spectacular - both complete game shutouts (one vs. the Phils and one vs. the Rays). And, saving the best for last, despite another paltry recore (1-2) he was nearly lights out in June. Unfortunately, just before the calendar turned to July, he was placed on the 15-day DL with a knee sprain.


IN THE PEN
Not a super stellar month, but...
Could very likely be due to lack of use. Only follows that the starting staff with the most innings in the majors for the month would also have the bullpen with the fewest innings.  They also posted the fewest walks per nine innings in the majors. Here's to a little more use for the 'pen - just enough to keep 'em sharp and the rotation fresh.


OF BASE PATHS AND LEATHER WORKS
Dustin gets a gold star in this category as well...
His defense has been a very pleasant surprise.  He seems to have no problem turning the double-play - even with a runner bearing down on him.  Dustin's base-running has been pretty flawless as well.  No one will forget his run from 3B to home plate on a wild pitch during an INTENTIONAL walk vs. the Marlins.

Other than that, some great outfield catches and no real guffaws (well, if you don't count Figgy, who leads teh team in errors) and some nifty double plays.



JUNE STARS
Erik Bedard  pitched 32 innings in June, struck out 33, allowed only 6 walks and 8 runs - but only posted a 1-2 record.  Most believe he has WAY exceeded expectations and is definitely in line for the Comeback Player of the Year.  Here's hoping the DL stint will be short-lived (at least it's not his arm/shoulder). 

Dustin Ackley has been a breath of fresh air! Mostly, cuz he doesn't act like a rookie at all. He is poised and confident at the plate, even when facing tough lefties (for which he is 6 of 8 with a homer, a triple, a double and a walk). And, in the field it is to the point everyone is really rooting for him to turn the most difficult of DP's instead of fearing it.



Honorable Mention
Brandon League has gone 17.2 scoreless innings since that mid-May debacle and for June, he pitched 9.2 innings and allowed 7 hits and 1 walk. Way to bounce back, Brandon!


Wednesday, June 29, 2011

g81 | swept at home at the half way point

Mariners 2 | Braves 5

Short and mostly sour...

Prior to the game, Erik Bedard and Chris Gimenez were placed on the 15-day DL
Josh Bard and Jose Yepez were recalled from AAA Tacoma
  • Unhappy Felix day 7.2IP - 10H - 5ER - 3BB - 6K
  • Dustin homered and drove in two
  • Josh, fresh up from AAA, for DL'ed Gimenez, doubled and drove in one
  • Eric Wedge was tossed in the 2nd inning (first ejection as Mariners skipper)

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

g80 | Braves braver...

Mariners 4 | Braves 5

Unfortunately, I missed some of the good stuff...
Like Ichiro's first homer of the season on the first pitch of the game!
And, a Jack Cust RBI double and solo shot in his first start, in like, forever!

Getty Images


I also missed some bad stuff...
Like the M's leaving the bases loaded in the 2nd - really coulda used a couple more runs.
Miggy out with leg cramps (after a double and a run scored)
Justin's error that allowed a run to score.

I was catching up on the box score as I settled down on the couch for the bottom of the 7th...
It seemed that Michael had pretty much cruised through the first six innings.  He allowed a couple of walks but the only run was a solo shot by Uggla and, talk about efficiency!  He had only thrown 66 pitches going into the 7th ~and no wonder~ he retired EIGHT different batters on ONE pitch (and one of those was a double-play!).  Unfortunately, he lost command, control and everything else in the 7th when he walked the first two batters, struck out the third out and then walked the fourth to load the bases.  His pitch count was up to 90 and he was out of the game.

Getty Images


Aaron would come into extremely hot water...
and got burned.  He allowed and RBI single, got a strikeout and then a 2 RBI single. Braves up 5-3

David entered and got a ground ball out to end the inning.

Bottom 7 runners at 1B and 2B with one out and Justin at the plate...
a double steal attempt half fails - Ichrio gets to 3B but Adam is thrown out at 2B and Justin ends up walking.  Dustin comes through with an RBI single to score Ichiro but then the threat dies when Chris strikes out - after a bunt attempt? (after the game, we found out he had somehow strained his oblique in batting practice today - wow, talk about toughing it out!).

In the 8th...
David hit Uggla and allowed a single but was able to get out of it with no damage but, the M's were retired in order.

Things got dicey for Jamey in the top of the 9th...
after a ground out to the first batter, he allowed a walk and a single.  But then, shades of Ichiro's early years, a fly ball to shallow right is caught and thrown and caught at the plate to complete the double-play!

And oh-so-close...
Ichiro strikes out to lead off but, Brendan notches a base hit and gets to 2B on a wild pitch.  Alas, Adam and Justin aren't able to come through.

Not a total heart-breaker (like the 5-6 loss in Washington) but disappointing nonetheless.  A lot of good, but a lot of frustration as well.


Here's to salvaging a game with the King holding court tomorrow.



Monday, June 27, 2011

g79 | back to wearing white and batting last

Mariners 1 | Braves 3

Had some stuff to do, so didn't get to see much of this game.

I sat down in the top of the 7th as Aaron Laffey was coming into pitch in relief of Erik who put up another quality start, going seven innings and giving up only four hits - problem was two were homers (one solo shot, one 2-run).  Aaron retired two quickly then gave up a double and a single before getting the 3rd out via FC.

Dustin singled to start the bottom half of the 7th and Miggy hit one to deep center that the fielder made an awesome sliding catch for the first out.  Mike got aboard on a chopper that was muffed by the catcher but then Guti GDIP ... argh!  The score remained at 3-1 with the M's only run from Adam's lead-off home back in the 4th - his sixth of the season.

Chris Ray came in for the 8th and retired the side in order but the M's couldn't come up with any runs in the 9th and haven't won two in a row since June 17th.

Merry Michael Day tomorrow!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

g78 | series win on the road at home!

Mariners 2 | Marlins 1

I decided at the very last minute to attend this game (boy, am I glad I did!).  I had gone to the Sounders match earlier in the day (they won 2-1 as well!) and thought I'd spend the afternoon doing chores, etc. and settle down on the couch to watch the last "away game at home".  But, as the afternoon wore on and the Rangers lost and the Halos lost, I started feeling that I really wanted to see this one.  So, off I went.

I got the cheapest ticket left (last row in the left field bleachers...
one of the only places I had yet to sit in Safeco).  I spent the first couple innings watching from the rail in left field, then headed up to my seat for several innings and finally ended up on the main level in shallow left. Basically, I had lots of different perspectives on a very unique game.

My view from LF bleachers

Poor Mr. Fister....
8 innings - 8 hits - 1 earned run - ZERO walks - 3 strikeouts 
He not only pitched a gem but, through his eight innings, he was the only Mariner to score a run!
Through seven, Doug had given up NONE.  Then came the bottom of the 8th and an epic battle with Infante.  After old friend Jose Lopez singled with one out and was bunted to 2B, the Marlins SS put up a 12-pitch AB that would end with an RBI double to tie the game at one. Doug had FOUR innings that were under TWELVE pitches, so gotta give kudos to Infante.

Once again, Mr. Fister gets no run support and no win.  But, the team got the win and I'm sure he'd be the first to say that's what matters.

In fact, Doug's run would be the only one the M's scored until the top of the 10th... 
when Dustin doubled with one out, got to 3B on Miggy's sac-fly and then scored (are you ready for this?) on a wild pitch during an intentional walk.

Enter Brandon in the bottom of the 10th...
He gave up a hit, but was able to close it out for his 21st save.

After the heart-breaking outing in Washington, it was great to see David bounce back...
and with style - he retired the side in order in the 9th on six pitches.

The defense was absolutely superb (on both sides) tonight...
A couple of great double plays (including a nifty 3-6-3).  Adam has had NO problem at 3B, made a couple of great plays, including great fielding of a bunt play and throw to JS who had to stretch, but got 'em and one he bobbled a bit, but was able to recover on.  Dustin continues to impress (in more ways than one).  Brendan made an AWESOME try just to get to a grounder and spin and throw ON THE MONEY, but a tad late.  The Marlins made some really super plays as well (a couple outfield plays that definitely robbed XBH and an incredible diving play by their shortstop).

And, what can we say about Dustin Ackley, except...
He can really play baseball.  He was 3 for 5 tonight with a single (to first), a double (to deep left) and a triple (to deep center) and his line out was to right field.  Nice to see he can hit to all fields (and off quality big league pitching).  He was really just  t h i s  close to having THREE triples.

Lots of great photos captured in this game but, since I'm tired, I'll just leave you with this 1000 words...
Steve Cishek - the Florida pitcher who threw the wild pitch during an intentional walk that allowed the what would be the winning run to score in the top of the 10th.

Getty Images

I kinda feel bad for him but, not enough to dampen my joy of the M's win on a crazy night where the M's were visiting, wearing gray and batting first in their own park.  Their starting pitcher threw eight innings of one-run ball and scored the Mariners only run during those eight innings.  The offense left 12 on base, Dustin Ackley continued to prove he belongs and the defense was nothing short of superb.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

g77 | CG shutout hangover?

Mariners 2 | Marlins 4

Jason was in big trouble early...
allowing three straight singles, a ground-rule double and a sac-fly to put the M's in a 3-run hole in the 1st.  He was able to settle down and hold them there until the bottom of the 6th when the Marlins led off with a ground-rule double and most thought he'd be home free when he struck out the next two batters because the pitcher was up next.  Unfortunately, said pitcher hit an RBI single. Jason probably would have pitched at least one more inning if they weren't playing NL rules (his turn to bat just happened to come with the bases loaded, so Justin pinch hit for him).

Good to see Jamey bounce back after a few rough outings lately...
TWO innings - ONE hit - THREE strikeouts

A bloop and a blast weren't enough...
The bats were stymied by Volstad through three innings, as he retired the side in order the first time through the lineup.  Ichiro reached on an error and went to 2B on a balk in the 4th but he was stranded there via three ground ball outs.  Carlos got the M's on the board in the 5th with a line drive homer to right field.  The M's tried to rally in the 7th loading the bases with three straight singles but the only scoring that occurred was Figgy's sac-fly.  And, that would be all she wrote.


Another 1000 words...

Getty Images

Friday, June 24, 2011

g76 | So it's root, root, root for the AWAY team...

Mariners 5 | Marlins 1

I can take or leave Interleague play in general (hey, baseball is baseball) but, I've always thought that if the two leagues are going to continue to play each other under their own rules - why not give the home fans a chance to experience "the other rules"?  Well, thanks to a scheduling conflict with U2, in which the Florida Marlins were forced to move their home series with the Mariners to Seattle, some 15,000+ Mariners fans got just that chance.  For the first time ever, National League rules were played in an American League ball park.

And boy-oh-boy, was it fun!

The game, much like the weather, started out rather ominously...
Felix had a bit of a rough start to put it mildly.  He threw a TON of pitches in the first few innings - at one point, logging more balls than strikes.  But, I was just as confident in Felix's ability to settle down as I was in knowing the 'steel umbrella' would roll slowly but surely over the field to protect us as the trickle of raindrops turned to a torrent.

No question that Felix was a bit wild early on...
he walked one in the 1st and another in the 2nd and also hit back-to-back batters.  But, he didn't allow a hit or a run until the 4th after the lead-off batter singled and ended up scoring when the 3rd out was recorded as a strikeout, but a wild pitch sent the batter to 1B and the runner at 3B home.  But that would be that for The Fish.  Felix would allow another hit and another HBP but cruise the rest of the through eight innings.

Getty Images

Speaking of cruising, Nolasco retired the first EIGHT M's...
and then, leave it to Felix to break up the "no-hitter".  Needless to say, the sparse crowd was LOVING it. Later in the game, the top of the 9th to be exact, Felix got a standing ovation when he appeared in the on-deck circle as the crowd anticipated not only seeing him hit again, but realized that it meant he'd be going out to pitch in the bottom of the 9th, but after Guti's single he was called back and the boos rained down.

AP PHOTO


As for the rest of he offense, let's just say they made the most of a couple of innings...
Other than Felix's single in the 4th, there were only two other innings that the M's even had runners on base. In the 7th, after Brendan walked and Adam singled, Justin grounded into a FC but Brendan was able to stay in a rundown between 3B and home long enough to allow both Adam and Justin to move up a base.

Getty Images

Dustin recorded another first when he was intentionally walked and then Miggy hit into a FC and Adam scored. Carlos, believe it or not, had an infield single.  So, with the bases loaded and Guti at the plate, Jay Buhner (who was a guest announcer on the radio with Rick) played his best Mike Blowers prognosticator and called the next play BEFORE it happened - he said something to the effect of, "...good time for Guti to get right with a base hit up the middle to score two..." and that's EXACTLY what happened.  M's up 3-1.

AP PHOTO

Then, Miggy comes through with a little insurance in the top of the 9th...
After Justin flied out and Dustin walked, Miggy had an EIGHT pitch at bat, sending that eighth pitch over the hand-operated scoreboard to put the M's up, where they would stay, 5-1.  While home runs are always fun, this had a little extra special feeling, as the crowd, led by the King's Court, was chanting O-LEE-VO during Miggy's entire at bat.

Getty Images

Speaking of the King's Court...
As I tweeted after the game, it is the best thing since sliced bread.  They totally sparked a rather sparse crowd of 15k+ (which actually, considering it was all walk-up, wasn't bad).  Sporting their yellow t-shirts and holding up their "K" cards every time Felix got two strikes on a batter.  Then, when Felix was up to bat, they turned the cards around showing the "Hit it There -->" (pointing to left field fair territory).

Getty Images


Great to see Brandon get back out there...
even though it wast's a save situation, he needed some work and a confidence boost - and got just that with a flyout, a strikeout and a ground out.

And, some of the best for last, sparkling DEE all around...
-Justin made a couple of nice plays on his own, as well as combining with Felix covering 1B (I have long thought that particular play is MUCH harder than it looks and Felix makes it look absolutely effortless).
-Adam made an awesome, charging play and a strong throw to 1B for the third out of the 5th.
-And Dustin just continues to instill confidence with his play in the field, making a couple routine plays as well as a great one to end the game.
-Carlos recorded ALL THREE outs in the 7th including a nice running catch to the warning track and another where he had to reach into the King's Court crowd to snag a foul ball.

DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Wearing gray, batting first, pitchers at the plate at Safeco Field...

This should be fun!
All thanks to U2 and their little scheduling conflict with the Marlins, the M's get to play a road game on their home field.  It's always a pleasure to watch Felix pitch.  Here's a little reminder of his capability at the plate...

Felix's grand slam off Johan Santana

Happy Felix Day!

Go, Mariners!



Thursday, June 23, 2011

g75 | spittin' bristles in the nation's capital

Mariners 0 | Nationals 1

I didn't see or hear any part of this one but, according to the box score...

Michael was his usual stellar self ~ 97 pitches - 7 innings - 0 earned runs - 1 walk - 9 strikeouts
but, NOT as usual, he collected his FIRST major league hit in his SECOND major league at bat that just happened to break up the Nat's Marquis's no-hitter in the 6th

Getty Images

~ Ichiro extended his hitting streak to ELEVEN games

~ Guti made a throw to Miggy to nail a runner at the plate

~ Justin had the other two hits and a walk but, also an error

~ Dustin had his first walk but, also his first game without a hit

But, the long and short of it is that the M's were swept outta the capital by the Nats...
in THREE one-run losses in which the starting rotation gave up exactly ONE earned run.

Here's hoping they put this series behind them and fast, so as not to drop below .500
The Fish come to Seattle to play a "home" series next - time to gain some ground!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

g74 | #WhatMoreDoTheStartersHaveToDo

Mariners 1 | Nationals 2

Erik's greatness was all for naught...
How often does a starter go SIX innings with only 87 pitches, NO earned runs and TEN strikeouts ...and get tagged with the loss?

In the past FIVE games, the M's rotation has combined for...
36 innings - 5 earned runs - 29 strikeouts and have only TWO wins to show for it.

Really sucks that the runs were unearned...
no excuse for bad defense.

Course, the offense wasn't much help either, but...
-Ichiro extended his hitting streak to TEN games
-Dustin didn't start, but added a pinch hit single to extend to the growing list of his early accomplishments, which also includes a FIVE game hitting streak to start his career

Gotta take the get-away game and come home on a good note for the "away" series with The Fish!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

g73 | Seriously?!?

Mariners 5 | Nationals 6

This will be brief...
#1 because I didn't see any of the game and, unfortunately, only heard the 9th inning
#2 because I just cleaned up from diner for nine and then walked the dogs and I'm tired
#3 because I have no desire to relive the heartbreak any more than absolutely necessary

So, the M's bats FINALLY give Mr. (lowest run-support in the league) Fister some runs...
FIVE of 'em!
Actually, he helped out his own cause, collecting an RBI single in the 4th.  Doug pitched an AWESOME game, basically picking up where Mr. Vargas left off on Sunday - only had 99 pitches through EIGHT but, Eric went with Brandon in the 9th (probably figured he needed work, since he hadn't pitched since Friday) and both he and David had meltdowns.

Going into the bottom of the 9th, the score was 5-1 M's...
the first batter got to 2B on an error by Justin and the next batter reached via a walk.  But then, the third double-play of the game was turned and, even thought there was now a runner at 3B, there was every reason to think it would soon be over and the M's would be celebrating in the nation's capital for the evening. But, 't was not to be.  Next an RBI single and the Nat's were a one step closer (5-2) with a runner on and one out.  Mike Morse, of all people, then singled off Brandon's leg and he had to leave the game.

Enter David Pauley, with runners at 1B and 2B with two outs...
He threw THREE pitches and FOUR runs scored - a single on the first pitch and a home run on the third.

And, it would appear that Mr. Fister is the hardest luck pitcher in all of baseball.

There was a LOT of good prior to the bottom of the 9th besides Doug's performance... 
-Dustin had another hit and TWO RBI and was a part of each of the THREE double-plays
-Guti had THREE hits, scored a run and stole a base
-Ichiro, Brendon, Adam and Justin combined to go 9 for 19 w/FOUR runs, FOUR RBI and ONE walk

One more thing...
if the old saying "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is true - Doug must be approaching bionic status by now.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

g72 | Viva la Vargas, indeed

Mariners 2 | Phillies 0

Nothing like a day at the ballpark with Dad on Father's Day...


The fact that the M's notched a thrilling victory was just icing on the cake!

Where to begin?

Well, how about with the M's starting pitcher? (who would also prove to be the closing pitcher)...
What an outing by Jason Vargas!  A complete game, 3-hit shutout of any team is pretty special, the fact that it happened to be against the team with the best record in baseball, with a typically potent offense (especially vs. lefties) made it even more so.

Getty Images

Whodathunk that Jason would out-pitch BOTH Michael AND Felix in this series?

Well, that be why they play the games!
And, that be why they play nine innings cuz, early on, most were probably wondering if Jason would even make it far enough to qualify for a decision.  He got three outs on fourteen pitches in the 1st, except that the third out (second strikeout) ending up being a passed ball and the batter was safe at 1B.  The next batter singled and in the following AB a wild pitch sent the runner at 2B to 3B.  Thankfully, due to the center fielder who was playing left (that would be Mr Greg Halman) a sinking line drive was caught instead of dropping to drive in at least one run and extending the inning.


Getty Images

Over the next two innings, Jason would allow a single and two walks and then go on a run to retire 15 batters in-a-row.  He gave up a single to Ryan Howard with two outs in the 9th  at which point Eric Wedge went out to the mound and returned to the dugout to thunderous applause having left the game in the very capable hands (er, arm) of his starter.  The last batter flied out to Guti in center.  INcredible!


Getty Images

Oh, and remember that "Mariner-killer" I mentioned in the previous game post?
Well, turns out OUR Mr. V easily beat THEIR Mr. V ~ Vargas held Victorino to 0 /4 with a strikeout.

So how did the runs score?

Despite the fact that only two runs scored - the offense was pretty darned interesting.  It all started with Ichiro -  who is now 16 for 34 since his day off with an 8-game hitting streak and has multiple hits in 7 of the last 8 games.  Oh, and he also scored 4 of the 7 total runs scored by the M's in this series.

Getty Images

But hey, he's a veteran (and a future hall-of-famer) kind of to be expected - what about the kids?

Glad you asked!
Justin was the one to knock Ichiro in after he singled with one out in the 6th for the first run of the game.

Dustin hit his first major league triple and scored when wise old Wedge pinch hit Adam Kennedy for Mike Carp despite the fact that Adam was 0-7 off Hamels.  Adam just needed a fly ball, but he got a hit. 


AP PHOTO

AP PHOTO
Dustin also made his presence known and appreciated many times over in the field - making 5 total put-outs - some routine and some not-so-routine (like the back-handed grab of a ball that got past Justin and then an effortless toss to Jason covering 1B or a grounder that he bobbled a bit, but stayed with it and threw to Justin in plenty of time for the out).

Wedge Words [paraphrased]

on what he "asked" Jason when he went to the mound with 2 outs, one on in the 9th...
"I didn’t ask him anything. I let him know this was his game .... that he needed to focus pitch-to-pitch and finish it off."
on what this team has shown him...
"...that they can dig deep when the need to..."

Getty Images



p.s.  I like the fact that the Phillies are 8-2 in their past 10 and the 2 losses are to ...
Our beloved Mariners!!!

p.p.s  thanks to the Rangers loss in Atlanta today, along with the M's win...
Said beloved Mariners are only ONE HALF game out of first place!

Off to "the other Washington" they go....



Saturday, June 18, 2011

g71 | Dustin's solo shot sole "O"

Mariners 1 | Phillies 5

Congrats to Dustin Ackley on his first major league home run!
Very cool to see the kid go deep in only his fifth major league at bat - and on a 3-2 pitch that tied the game, no less!

AP PHOTO

We were even treated to a curtain call...

Getty Images

That was in the bottom of the 2nd, it seems the top of the first was an omen of things to come... 
Rollins singled on Felix's first pitch of the game, took 2B on a wild pitch, advanced to 3B on a fielder's choice and scored on a sacrifice fly.  Felix seemed to be using a little of Doug Fister's Houdini act over the next few innings - there were Philly base-runners everywhere (including at 3B twice) that weren't able to score.  Going into the 7th, it was a deadlock with five hits and one run each - then Felix allowed a single, a double and a walk to load the bases and Victorino (aka: Mariner killer) hit a ground rule double literally ON the left field line (we are talking chalk flying) that scored two to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead.

The M's bats had their chances...
and made Worley throw a ton of pitches early on (he was at 50+ pitches after two innings and was out of the game by the 5th).  In the 1st inning, Adam singled with two outs and Justin's double was just inches from a homer and a 2-1 score (and who knows what that kind of momentum would have meant) but then Miggy grounded out.  In the 2nd inning, Mike walked after Dustin's homer, took 2B on a wild pitch, Greg singled and Mike moved to 3B, but Ichiro hit into a fielder's choice and Mike was out at home and then Brendan struck out.  Worley settled down, working through the 3rd, 4th and 5th farily easily.  Stutes came in and retired the side in order in the 6th, but the M's appeared to have life again in the 7th when Greg walked with one out and stole 2B and Ichiro grounded out sending Greg to 3B and then Brendan walked but, with runners at the corners, the Phillies made a pitching change and Adam was rung up by the ump on three pitches, the second of which was clearly WAY inside.  Adam doesn't argue very often, so when he does he has legitimate beef.

The bullpen wasn't it's usual lock-down self, but then these are the Phillies...
David was a little shaky in the 8th allowing a couple of hits but also induing a double-play.  It was Jamey's outing in the 9th that sealed the deal for the Phils.  After getting two quick ground outs, Rollins singled and Victorino homered and that would be all she wrote.

Getty Images

More encourage DEE though...
~Dustin was in the middle of another nice double play (Brendan-to-Dustin-to-Justin) in the 7th.
~Adam was playing 3B for the first time as a Mariner his first fielding chance at the hot corner was a nice backhand play right at the line (dare I say, I hope we see him there more often than not)
~Of course Felix always fields his position well and that was on display in the 2nd when they turned a nifty 3-6-1 double play - Felix even had to s-t-r-e-t-c-h at the bag.

As Eric has said repeatedly....
"they need to do a better job of finishing out innings"

Here's hoping they do just that in the rubber game tomorrow.

Happy Felix Day!

and Happy non-Figgy day ....

M's twitpic
As mentioned previously, I just don't want to hear the boos.  It's not helping him and it's not helping morale, that is otherwise pretty sky-high, on this team.

Friday, June 17, 2011

g70 | Dustin's Day

Mariners 4 | Phillies 2

W.O.W.....what a night!

No question there was an extra buzz in the ballpark prior to, during and after the game...  
I was about to say that all the excitement was about the anticipation of transition but, on second thought, it seems that transition is no longer impending and tonight, was the crescendo of the beautiful melody that is "let the kids play".  The fans in attendance, and those watching and listening from near and far, will forever cherish the indescribable feeling of real and true hope for the future of this franchise. 

There were long and loud cheers when Dustin Ackley was announced...
in the line-up, when he stepped to the plate and especially when he connected on his first hit - in that first at bat.  After watching the first two fast balls from Roy Oswalt go by (which he would later admit to "being memorized" by) and fouling the third pitch off, he ripped a solid single up-the-middle right between Oswalt's legs.

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It was really cool that timing worked out for Dustin's call up to occur on a day off so that his family had time to fly to Seattle to be in attendance for his debut.  And, no soft-landings for Dustin, as he faced one of the best pitchers in the NL in front of a crowd of more than 34k.


Dustin didn't disappoint in the field either...  
He made a total of five put-outs: three grounders, a pop-up and was the middle piece of a very nice double-play in which he showed he can pivot, throw and avoid the on-coming runner just fine.

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And, oh yeah, Michael was pretty swell too...
He faced the minimum through three innings, the highlight being his THREE-pitch strikeout to Ryan Howard. The Phils only base-runners through FIVE innings were aboard via a walk and a HBP.  After two quick outs in the 6th, Michael gave up a walk, two singles and another walk before striking out Polanco (for the SECOND time) to end the inning (supposedly one of the hardest batters in all of MLB to K).
Michael finished with 92P - 6IP - 2H - 1ER - 3BB - 5K and the WIN, of course!

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The bullpen did just enough...
Aaron retired the Phils 1-2-3 in the 7th, but ran into a little bump when Victorino ran into a pitch that landed in the bullpen.  Luckily, on the previous play, the double-play was turned, so while it made the margin narrower, the M's still had a 4-2 lead.  And, as has been the case in the past FOURTEEN straight games, Brandon did not allow a run and secured that lead by notching his TWENTIETH save.

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By the way, there was an effective and varied offense as well....
Ichiro and Brendan combined to go 5 for 7
~ Ichiro w/2 singles, a double and 2 runs scored (13 of 25 w/6 straight multi-hit games since his day off)
~Brendan w/an RBI triple, an RBI single, a walk and a stolen base
~Justin, in his bran-new clean-up spot, collected a hit an, sac-fly RBI and 2 walks
~Miggy came through with a HUGE homer that put the M's up 2-0 at the time

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Guti looks as good as ever in the field....
Gliding effortlessly under balls that seem sure to drop but, is struggling mightily at the plate.  Hopefully, with Greg to spell him, he'll get back into the swing of things (literally) sometime soon.

And then there's the unfortunate Figgy factor...
Really hope he sits for a couple of days, as much as I understand the emotion and frustration behind the boos and cat-calls he's receiving - I don't want to hear it.  It seems counter-productive to all the good things that are happening with this team right now (and seems like bad ju-ju for the young ones).  Figgy's confidence is obviously shot and the boos are not helping matters - it's not like he doesn't know he's sucking right now.

It was great to finally meet up with some of the Mariner Central peeps!
Dr Naka, Huindekmi, Vidya (and his son) and xarmyguy78 - I'm thinking this will be a game we remember forever :-)

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

g69 | a W and a day off at home after 20-straight

Great outing by EriKKKKK...
NINTY-SIX pitches - SEVEN innings - THREE hits - NO earned runs - NO walks - FIVE strikeouts

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David had a rare shaky inning but got out of it with limited damage...
Two walks and a single scored ONE but then he was able to get the third out on a K (Abreu)
Brandon with save number...
NINETEEN (league-leading btw)

And, how 'bout Ichi-Fig?!
They combined for 4 for 7 (including 3 doubles!) with 2 runs scored, 2 walks and 2 stolen bases and Ichiro had his 5th multi-hit game (10 for 21 overall) since his day off.


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MILESTONE:  Ichiro's steal of 3B in the 1st inning was his 17th of the season and the 400th of his major league career

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New ways to gather RBI...
After two strikes in the bottom of the 7th, Carlos worked the count to 2-2 before he hit a pitch up-the-middle and caught a HUGE break as the ball caught the corner of the 2B bag and bounced into centerfield allowing TWO runs to score.

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Another first!
Greg Halman with his FIRST BIG LEAGUE HOME RUN!
Always a bonus when you get a homer from your late-inning defensive replacement.  Extra bonus when his dad and brother were in attendance :-)

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Really lovely to see the clean, crisp D tonight...
Mike Carp made an AWESOME catch in left field - made a jump, braced himself on the wall and the ball fell into his glove like he'd been doing it forever (not bad for a DH/1B).  Guti made a great, diving catch (nothing new there) and Brendan had a nice play in the 9th to get a runner by his chinney-chin-chin. 

So they end a string of TWENTY straight games with a WIN (11-9 overall)...
Day off at home tomorrow and then come the Phillies.

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Oh yeah, apparently the M's will have a new player on their 25-man roster come Friday...

Dustin Ackley has (FINALLY) been recalled from Triple A

Luis the latest casualty (cuz he's got options).  Good Luck, Luis!  Hope you are back soon.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

g68 | Doug dug deep...

Mariners 0 | Angels 4

I didn't take any notes on the game, since it was a rare one that I had company for and wasn't in my usual seat but instead in the first row of Area 51.....
from Section 107 - it was fun gals!
Let me just say that Doug's performance, despite (and maybe because of) that nightmarish first inning was pretty impressive.  To say he "settled down" after the first would be the understatement of the year.  In said first, he threw 45 pitches (24 before he recorded an out) and gave up four runs and then went on to pitch seven full innings - at one point, retiring 18 of 20 batters.  Mr. Fister gave them a chance to hang in there, he gave them a chance to win.


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They, the bats, weren't able to do that - not against Jered Weaver.  He through a 128-pitch complete game shutout.  Buh-bye.

Too bad.  As the Rangers lost to the Yanks and so the M's blew a chance to pick up a game.  But, bright side, they didn't lose any ground.  Also, Ichiro had another two hits (5th multi-hit game since his benching) and made a couple of really nice catches.

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Speaking of nice catches, not that there was anything super spectacular but, Mike Carp looked solid in LF.  And, he also had two hits.

But, this one was all about the visting mound presence....
Mr. Weaver - consider the cap tipped.

Monday, June 13, 2011

g67 | got to Haren, couldn't get to the BP

Mariners 3 | Angels 6

The Good...
  • The bats made Haren work, getting THREE runs off him and making him throw 112 pitches through SIX innings.  
  • Ichiro posted his third straight multi-hit game (since the day off) and stole TWO bases
  • Jason was pretty much cruising till the 7th 
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The Bad...
  • ELEVEN strikeouts - Carlos, Mike and Miggy combined for EIGHT of those - too bad, Carlos seemed to be turning the corner a bit, after a rough start in the bigs - he had gone FIVE games without a strikeout, but had now K's at least once in his last three games.
  • Figures, the Angels hadn't hit a home run in 100 innings - they get two tonight, both by Vernon Wells.

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The Ugly...
  • A couple of errors (one by Figgy, one by Adam) though neither led to runs.  
  • But, a play at the plate, Miggy couldn't hold on to the ball even though the throw and the tag were in plenty of time.
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Rare early runs for the M's...
Ichiro led off with a single and then stole 2B and scored on a double by Adam to tie the game at ONE.  Then they took the lead in the 2nd when Carlos doubled, took 3B on a wild pitch and then scored on a Guti infield single.  The see-saw would continue when Wells hit a solo shot to tie the game at TWO.

With one out in the bottom of the 5th, Figgy doubled!
Ichiro laid down a PERFECT bunt for a base hit that got Figgy to 3B and then he scored on Brendan's fly ball to put the M's on top again, 3-2.

In the top of the 7th, the Halos hit Jason hard...
A lead-off double by Mathis, a grounder got him to 3B and a FC by Hunter got him home - the throw went to home plate and Miggy had it in plenty of time to get the runner, but the ball just squirted out of his glove.  Tie game at THREE.  Unfortunately, the Halos weren't done in this inning - Wells hit his second home run of the night w/Hunter aboard.  Halos lead 5-3.

Missed opportunities in the bottom of the 7th...
Brendan got aboard via an error, Justin singled (Jack W pinch ran), Brendan got to 3B on a FC by Adam, Jack out at 2B but, Miggy struck out.

Bit of a dagger in the 9th...
A single, a balk (by Ray) and a single gets the Halos their 6th run and that's all they would need as the M's went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning vs. Walden.

Here's hoping for better effort tomorrow (especially because I'll be in attendance!)

Sunday, June 12, 2011

M's Fab Five staying on turn

I was curious, so checked something out about 2 weeks ago....

I knew the M's were still with their original starting 5 and was wondering if that was an anomaly throughout the majors.  Turns out, at that time, only the Nats, the O's and the Tigers were still "taking turns with five".

I finally remembered to check again today and ...
The M's are now the only team in the majors who have only used five starters so far this season.  I would expect that at some point this season, the M's will need to insert at least one other starter, maybe two  (especially considering Michael rookie season and Erik back after 18 months off). But, it is fun while it's lasting to see them all staying healthy, making adjustments from inning-to-inning, start-to-start and jut being generally efficient and effective.  By the way, the M's starting five is currently tied with Oakland's staff for the lowest ERA in the AL (3.26).



The last time the M's were able to "stay on turn" throughout the entire season was 2003...
Moyer, Garcia, Franklin, Pineiro and Meche helped carry them to 93 wins, which was only good for 2nd in the AL West (behind the A's) and 2 games out of the wildcard (behind the BoSox).

EDIT: as confirmed by a tweet from Larry Stone - the only other team in major league history to accomplish this feat was the 66 Dodgers.



g66 | the BATTERY that takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'!

Mariners 7 | Tigers 3

A seemingly ominous start for today's Mariner battery...
Felix was touched up from the mound in the early innings and Miggy was roughed up (literally) behind the plate but, they gutted it through together.  Felix was rewarded with the win and Miggy was there for him behind the plate and AT the plate (with TWO home runs).

Should you need a reminder of the definitions of ACE...
Look no further than the reigning American League Cy Young, aka: King Felix.  The name of the game early on was "damage control", after that it was SHUT.THEM.DOWN.  Felix's recovery from the shaky start only served to emphasize how how special he is ~ his stuff and his guts and his smarts are truly second to none.

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Despite walking the second batter in the 1st inning, Felix got off the mound quickly via a double-play. The 2nd inning was quite a different story - even though he only allowed ONE run, it took Felix THIRTY-FIVE pitches to get through it. The the lead-off hitter was aboard in the 3rd via a double and took 3B on an error by Carlos and he eventually scored on a single after Felix got two quick outs.

Over the next FIVE innings, Felix allowed three singles, one double, two walks and only ONE run (in the 8th).  
Felix started the 6th having thrown 91 pitches and got a quick pop-up for the first out.  Then, on a 3-2 pitch, Brendan lost his footing trying to field the ball right on the cut of the infield grass and was charged with the M's second error of the game.  Thankfully, a fly-ball to Carlos doubled the runner off 1B saved the inning for Felix and allowed him to start the 7th in which the lead-off hitter was safe by a WHISKER on a bunt base hit. Said runner was beautifully erased at 2B when Felix fielded the bunt by the next hitter and then a fabulously turned Wilson-to-Ryan-to-Smoak DP enabled Felix to exit the inning with the S L I M one-run lead.

Wedge stuck with his horse and out came Felix for the bottom of the 8th after the M's had added to their lead in the top of the inning.  Miggy got his bell rung during the first batter's AB but stayed in the game.  The first batter walked and the second singled with Felix at 115 pitches.  Felix struck out then next batter (his 6th K) and then induced a flyout.  With two outs and runners at the corners, a run scored on a single up the middle. Wedge ran out for a quick chat with Felix and was satisfied with what he heard, as he stayed with his ace (126 pitches at that point) who got a ground ball out on the first pitch.

Brandon had the 9th (despite the non-save situation) and, as easy as pie, retired the side in order: strikeout, groundout, strikeout.

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For the first four innings, it was the same-old, same-old for the O...
Then Miggy's lead-off homer in the 5th ignited a little spark that led to THREE runs and the lead.  Figgy walked, stole 2B and scored the tying run on Ichiro's single and Ichiro scored the go-ahead run on Justin's single.

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The the M's were retired fairly meekly over the next couple of innings, Brendan's single in the 7th the only hit. Then came the 8th - with one out, Carlos walked and Greg pinch ran and scored on Miggy's SECOND HOME RUN OF THE GAME!  Guti walked but was caught stealing and Figgy struck out.

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Justin added a LOT of insurance with his home run in the 9th that scored Ichiro (who had gotten aboard via his second hit of the game).

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Little stat courtesy of the Tigers broadcasters...
In 61 combined at bats for Justin and Miggy vs. the Tigers they have hit NINE home runs.

Occasionally, I listen to the opposing broadcasters to get their perspective on my team.  I really enjoyed listening to the Tigers announcers.  Of course, like most, they root for their team, but I was impressed by the copious amounts of information they shared with their audience regarding the Mariners players and their season thus far.  They gave just the right amount of reverence to their accomplishments while not totally disparaging them with the less attractive parts of the stat sheet.


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Long Division
The M's are doing a good job vs. the East (11-8) and keeping pace in the West (8-7) but the Central is GIVING. THEM. FITS.  Even with the victory today vs. the Tigers, the M's are a paltry 12 - 17 vs. the teams in the middle of the map.  Thankfully, there are not many games left with them: one 3-game series with the Tribe and a couple of make up games with them (due to the usual Cleveland rain-outs) and one 3-game series with the Twins.


Wedge Words

"I wanted to look into his eyes and look into Miggy's eyes and see where they were."

"I'm really please with the way these guys played and how they have been battling."