g24 | pitching duel fizzles for guys in grey

Mariners 2 | Rays 3

Still feeling for Felix...
another EIGHT innings ONE run FIVE hits (ok - so the FOUR walks weren't great)
at least this was a ND instead of a loss

THE GOOD (Felix doesn't count, cuz he was excellent)
Tommy B for two
~ a line out to start the 9th and a weird single (in which Miggy was injured and has to leave the game, Montero gets behind the dish and the M's lose the DH because Jaso had already pinch hit for Ryan and was then replaced in the field by Kawasaki who ran for Seager who was replaced at 3B by Liddi - but I digress) and then a DP to end it
~ with one out in the 10th he walked a batter who then advanced on an wild pitch but was able to get the next two hitters

Miggy's homer to take the early lead and Jesus's homer to break the late tie

Chris O'Meara | AP

THE BAD
BLT for a rare two...
He was far from sharp in the 11th when a lead off double comes around to score, tying the game at TWO and in the 12th, a walk and a couple of singles and that's all she wrote.

No lack of hits w/RISP, just plain lack of RISP

The two homers were great, trouble is the other NINE hits were all singles (maybe you just tip your cap to Hellickson?)

THE UGLY

Miggy's groin injury (he heard a "pop"). It comes just as his bat is heating up (EIGHT game hitting streak and his 3rd home of this road trip). From the post game show, DL sounds certain. It will be interesting to see what becomes of the catcher position .... Jesus? Jaso? combination? other?

EDIT: here's Greg John's story

Chris O'Meara | AP

THE STUFF THAT MAKES YOU GO, "huh?"
Saunders bunted with a runner on 3B and one out and Kawasaki was thrown out at the plate.
Wedge said in the post game that Michael had done it on his own and had already been "spoken to"

THE ENCOURAGING
Wedge was surprisingly up beat (considering the loss and the loss of his catcher)...
He seemed pleased that they were in it till the end and liked a lot of what he saw, even though there were mistakes. You could tell he felt he was seeing progress... "they are right on the cusp"

g23 | gettin' 'em ON, not gettin' 'em IN...

Mariners 2 | Blue Jays 7

Figgy and Miggy go yard...
Seemed like a good omen in the first when Figgins hit his second homer of the season

Frank Gunn | AP

but, despite double trouble...
Ackley, Saunders, Seager, Jaso all with doubles

the M's could go no where with runners on...
coming into this game, the M's ranked 4th in the AL w/RISP but, put up an 0 fer again today (going 0/22 the last two games)

't wasn't Varga's fault...

the Jay's first hit didn't come until the 4th (and that was on a fly ball that Figgy totally misread and it dropped in front of him) and Jason kept them in it through SIX giving up only TWO runs on FOUR hits

Ableimages | Getty Images

BP plumb tuckered?

~ they had the day off yesterday, thanks to Millwood's great SEVEN and Iwakuma's poor ONE

~ Delabar had a scoreless 7th but was lifted for Furbush after giving up a single and a HBP in the 8th

~ Charlie absolutely imploded and what was a close game all the way became a blowout

4-2 road trip so far...

Next up, Tampa Bay for four

g22 | one grand slam deserves another

Mariners 0 | Blue Jays 7

What a difference a day makes...
The grand slam giveth (yesterday) and the grand slam taketh away (today)

oh, and of course Morrow picks today to increase his strikeout rate...
by a LOT! That, or the M's just cooled off - likely a combination of both

hrumph!


bright side...

• old man Millwood hung in there on a day when he really needed to due to paper thin BP
• young guy Seager picked up where he left off after sitting for three days - 2/3 with a double
• continued good fielding overall on the turf - another DP and outfield assist from Figgy

Brad White | Getty Images

Jays looking rather "Bad News Bearish" on their own field...
I'm not sure if this is typical but, we have seen some pretty serious fielding miscues by the Jays. Miggy was safe on a pop-up for which there was extreme miscommunication when the second baseman knocked the first baseman (who was standing underneath it) out of the way in a failed attempt to get the pop-up. That left runners at 1B and 3B with only one out. Unfortunately, the M's weren't able to capitalize as the did multiple times last night.

Let's take the series!

g21 | of opportunities, comebacks and grand slams

Mariners 9 | Blue Jays 5

Close game, see-saw game all the way (until the end!)
M's kept coming back and were able to take advantage of some very costly Jays boo-boos.

Jesus started the first rally in the 7th...
with a one-out, solo shot (to deep center field, of course!) and Casper collected his first RBI with a ringing double to score Miggy and tie the game at THREE

The Jays came roaring back in the bottom of the 8th on The Bartender's worst ever inning... 

he got a quick ground out but, gave up solo shot and the lead and then made a bad toss to Justin at 1B that allowed the runner to get all the way to 3B and eventually score on a sac fly.

and then came the 9th...
~ with one out, Michael hit a solo shot on the 9th pitch of his AB
~ Kyle pinch hit for Casper and was safe at 1B on a freaky hop
~ Kawasaki pinch ran for Wells and with Dustin batting the catcher threw the ball into right field trying to pick off Kawasaki who then got all the way to 3B
~ Dustin was intentionally walked and
~ Jaso pinch hit for Ryan and singled home Kawasaki
~ Ackley was thrown out at the plate trying to score from 1B thanks to a weird play by the CF (he dove for the ball, missed it and it bounced off his bare hand which prevented it from rolling all the way to the wall for a double)

the Bartender and the Rabbits foot preserve the chance for extries...
~ good on Tom for coming in and retiring the only batter he faced in the 9th after that awful 9th
~ and kudos to Charlie for another great outing as he retired both batters he faced

and you thought the 9th was exciting...
after Ichiro grounded out, Smoke, Montero and Liddi loaded the bases for Michael Saunders, who launched one to deep right for a GRAND SLAM!

Frank Gunn | AP

Brandon League then checked in (in a non-save situation) to record 3-straight ground ball outs

woot! woot! FOUR in-a-row!!!

Not to be over-looked in the excitement, M's fielders looked darned good on that darned turf...
* Casper and Ichiro both showed off their guns...
   ~Caspers a l m o s t worked
   ~Ichiro's connected beautifully with Miggy's glove and he made a great reach to tag the runner out
* Ryan made a nice play to knock down a ball that kept the runner from advancing from 2B to 3B
* Saunders made a really nice running grab with two on for the third out with in the 6th
* Liddi made a lovely hot shot play at 3B by to get Bautista at 1B in the bottom of the 9th

g20 | sweeping back to .500

Mariners 5 | Tigers 4

Apparently, Justin owns MoTown...
3-run homer in the 1st ('t was his 5th home in 7 games at Comerica Park!)

Paul Sancya | AP

Hector cruised through 4 innings...
the first base hit for the Tiggers didn't come until the second batter in the 5th inning and then three straight singles resulted in a run. Hector escaped further damage that inning via the pitcher's best friend but, in the 6th the wheels came off - a lead-off triple, a single and a Cabrera homer tied the game at 4 and Hector's day was done.

Beautious BP combined for 3 hits - 1 walk - 0 runs - 3 K's
~ Charlie was impressive in his one inning - 2K's and a tapper to 1B
~ Delebar gave up a single and a sac bunt
~ Luetge had his most challenging inning to date but, was able to escape preserving the 1-run lead
~ The Bartender with a perfect 8th - 2 flyouts and a K (of Fielder!)
~ BLT notched his 7th save

Figgy and Miggy pick it up a bit...
Figgy 3/4 with a run scored and Miggy with his first homer of the season

Sliders...
couple of really nice sliding catches by Saunders and Ichrio

g19 | Felix gets a wee bit of support

Mariners 9 | Tigers 1

Well, it would have been nice if the bats could have found just a bit of this recent offensive production back at home but, I guess we'll take it when we get it and hope it sets them on a roll.

Felix and Jesus!
This was the first time Jesus caught Felix in a regular season game.  Things were a bit shaky in the first inning when Felix walked THREE (a rare occurrence over the course of a game for Felix, unheard of in ONE inning). But, one of the reasons Felix is one of the elite pitchers in baseball is for his ability to push through adversity - and, he did just that. Over the next SIX innings, Felix only gave up ONE run (a solo shot in the 3rd) and THREE singles and NO more walks. Jesus did have a passed ball but, it was in that crazy first inning, so we'll give him a mulligan (besides - Felix isn't exactly a breeze to catch!)

shannondrayer

               Montero on catching Felix "I think he throws the invisible ball. Nobody can hit those 
               pitches." 

Gregory Shamus | Getty Images

How 'bout those bats?!?
~ another FIFTEEN hits including THREE doubles and a homer (Liddi's second in as many games!)
~ FIVE hitters with multiple hits (Ackley, Ichiro, Montero, Liddi and Saunders)
~ THREE with multiple RBI (Ackley, Montero, Liddi)

~ All but ONE scored at least ONE run

Paul Sancya | AP 

Paul Sancya | AP

Paul Sancya | AP

Gloves and Legs...
~ Saunders with his second SB in as many games
~ TWO more DPs

Gregory Shamus | Getty Images

dare I dream? ....  s  w  e  e  p

g18 | M's have bats... who knew?

Mariners 7 | Tigers 4

dang 4pm starts. I was only able to follow this one late and then in only bits and pieces...
~ I silently cheered on the train on the way home when Liddi homered
~ I held my breath as I descended the escalator at the station as Young's long, loud out vs. The Bartender (with TWO on and NO out) descended into Ichrio's glove up against the right field wall
~ I sighed with huge relief as The Bartender got out of his own jam by K'ing the last two batters as I drove out of the Park 'n' Ride
~ I let out a little "woot!" while awaiting my take out order at Ivar's when Ichiro stole 3B in the 9th
~ I let out a double "woot!!" when I got into the car just as Saunder's doubled Ichi home for a little insurance run (even though Wells was out at the plate)
~ And then, an audible, "Yes!" when Brandon notched his 6th save just as I was leaving the dollar store

But, I'll certainly take a great win that I'm not able to witness over a loss that I don't miss a pitch for :-)

Some fun facts...

FIFTEEN hits ~ they had SEVENTEEN in the entire series with the White Sox

SEVEN runs ~ the same amount they scored in the White Sox series

Montero, Seager, Liddi and Saunders all had multiple hits and at least one RBI

M's only have 9 SB's (even with tonight's 2) but, 2 are of 3B (be nice to see them running more!)

Delebar's been an "every other inning guy" so far this season (one good, one bad) so this is the first time he's had back-to-back scoreless appearances (he walked one batter but, it was his first of the season)

Nice way to begin the road trip...
Happy Felix Day, tomorrow!

g17 | great weekend weather-wise, dismal one baseball-wise

Mariners 4 | White Sox 7

as the M's are swept for the first time this season...

and their losing streak runs to four.


On the mound...
~KM improved a bit from his last start in that he made it through 5+ innings but, he still gave up 5 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks.
~As for the bullpen, Furbush, Delebar and League (who just needed some work) combined for 2.2 scoreless innings. Problem was, in the middle of that (the 8th) The Bartender uncharacteristically gave up 2 runs that, for all intents and purposes put the game out of reach.

At the plate...
Well, EIGHT hits and FOUR walks is better than ZERO of either ;)
Unfortunately, not enough of them came around to score (Liddi RBI double)

Of base paths and leather works... 
~TWO outs at home - Ichiro's laser throw from RF and nice play on a FC by Brendan (and an even better job by Miggy to hang on to the throw!)
~TWO DP's (Ryan-Ackley-Liddi, Seager-Ackley-Liddi)

g16 | a perfect day at Safeco Field...

Mariners 0 | White Sox 4

Perfect for Philip Humber, that is.
As in, throwing the 21st perfect game in Major League Baseball history ... wow.

Lost in the quagmire that was the M's offense on this sunny Saturday at Safeco...
was another QS by Blake Beavan. Granted, he's not lighting the world on fire but, he HAS been giving innings (has pitched at least 6 in each of his 3 starts) and has limited batter's opportunity and damage.

As for the pen, another rather Jekyll and Hyde outing...
Luetge still has no ERA after a scoreless inning
Delbar's ERA went down, even though he gave up a run

OK - so there's obviously nothing to say about the bats, so let's just savor history...

The pile after the perfecto

Otto Greule, Jr | Getty Images

the ZEROS on the board

Otto Greule, Jr | Getty Images

Traditional ice water shower

Otto Greule, Jr | Getty Images

It's not everyday the grounds crew at Safeco Field gets to pose with the opposing pitcher

Here's hoping the M's aren't spitting bristles this afternoon...
't would be nice for them to head out on the road with a win.

g15 | starter struggles, relievers shine

Mariners 3 | White Sox 7

Had a dinner date, so didn't see the game, just as well, I guess.

Noesi wasn't too nifty tonight...
ok, that's a bit of an understatement, as he didn't even make it through 2 innings (but, I think we'll give hm a mulligan)

Sale was super...
He gave up 3 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks in his 6.2 innings but he struck out ELEVEN
(and the M's weren't done K'ing ~ they struck out FOUR more times after Sale departed)

A loss is a loss is a loss but, nice to see some more than capable long relief...
Ramirez and (yes, finally!) Iwakuma combined for 7.2IP - 2H - 1ER - 1BB - 2K

AP Photo

Jesus not only hit his second homer to dead center field at Safeco Field but...

 ~ stop the presses! ~

he threw a runner out at 2B!!!

:-)

g14 | lotta heart, lotta heartbreak...

F


E


L


I


X

was

Elaine Thompson | AP Photo

O

U

T

S

T

A

N

D

I

N

G







but, in shades of last season, he has absolutely NOTHING to show for it.
(shown below after he got through the 8th inning - strikeout, single, single, single, strikeout, strikeout)

Otto Greule, Jr | Getty Images

EIGHT innings ~ FIVE hits ~ ZERO runs ~ ONE walk ~ TWELVE strikeouts

GregJohnsMLB

Felix Hernandez: “It was a great game, both sides. The other guy threw a pretty good game, too.”

BLT was 5 for 5 in save situations so far ... 
it's very unfortunate that his one stumble so far had to come after an outing such as Felix had tonight.

That said, it probably should have never gotten to the point that it was only a 1-0 game...
the offense only had FIVE hits ~ FOUR doubles ~ and were only 1 for 9 w/RISP

argh!!!! 

In the 14 games they have played so far, the M's have ...
~ been shutout twice
~ scored one run twice
~ scored three runs twice
~ scored four or more runs EIGHT times


Why oh why tonight?



Early on there were some good plays that showed heart and hustle...

Ackley with a hustle double | Elaine Thompson AP Photo

Saunders up ends Kipnis in an attempt to breakup the DP
(Kipnis made the throw) | Elaine Thompson AP Photo

And, I guess I would be remiss if I didn't post a photo of the lone RBI guy...

John Jaso, Mr. RBI | Otto Greule, Jr. Getty Images

g13 | Vargas and the, unlikely, power bats!

Mariners 4 | Indians 1

Viva La Vargas!

Elaine Thompson | AP photo

Talk about being ON...
Jason was s l i g h t l y better than first game he pitched vs. the Tribe last season :-)
He went SEVEN, allowed only ONE run on FOUR hits, walked THREE and struck out SEVEN and escaped a bases-loaded one out jam in the 4th. Not too shabby, especially considering that coming into this game, the Indians had the highest scoring offense in the majors.

Short of a complete game, things were set up just as you'd write it up...
The Bartender in for the 8th struck out TWO
BLT in the 9th = FIVE 4 FIVE

And, how 'bout the POWER SHOW?!?
~ on the 8th pitch of the game... Figgy goes yard!
~ and, not to be out done... Ichiro solo shot too!
~ Seager added a double to the XB total tonight

A bit of a strange lineup...
Smoak was out with a minor leg issue so Ackley borrowed a 1B glove from Liddi and Kawasaki was at 2B

All the production came from the top of the lineup ... 
1 thru 4 each with one

There was a base-running blunder but....
nice, hard slide to break up a DP that put a smile on Figgy's face...

Otto Grule | Getty Images

and speaking of smiles, I don't think I've ever seen Munenori without one...

Otto Grule | Getty Images

on as exMariner note...
quite the pitcher's duel in SanFran tonight - Cain went the full NINE but Cliff Lee went TEN
(and neither got the win)

Ezra Shaw | Getty Images

and, on a totally unrelated note...
R.I.P. Dick Clark

g12 | tribe trounces, so what else is new?

Mariners 8 | Indians 9

I was treated to some entertainment of a different sort tonight .... CATS!

So, other than listening to the 9th inning on the train, just as I was passing by Safeco Field on the way home after the show, I missed all the excitement of getting a large, early lead and all the frustration of losing it. Apparently, Justin Smoak had his first ever 4-hit night, Jaso had a homer and Millwood had better games..

oh and some M's milestones...

• Kyle Seager's single in the 4th was the 50,000th hit in Mariner history
• Brendan Ryan's bases-loaded walk in the same inning, scored the 25,000th Mariner run

Can't let this cool record go unmentioned....
Congratulations Jamie Moyer ~ now the oldest pitcher to ever win a major league baseball game!

AP photo

PeteCarroll

Jamie Moyer... 49 years old... 0 ER in 7 IP... oldest pitcher to get a W in MLB history... epitome of a great competitor!

Some injury updates from last Friday (better late than never)...
~ Carlos Peguero (sore knee) joins Mike Wilson and Darron Ford as outfielders on the DL for Tacoma ~ ~ Adam Moore was activated from the 15-day DL and optioned to TacomaMike
~ Carp started his rehab assignment with Tacoma in Fresno
~ George Sherrill placed on the 15-day DL, Charlie Furbush called up just in time for the Home Opener

g11 | series win and over .500

Mariners 5 | Athletics 3

A surprise visit from my daughter who lives in Lake Tahoe precluded me from watching the game so I'll beg off on the full fledged game post as well.

In perusing the box score, looks like the pitching was pretty much as you would write it up...

• 7 innings from your starter (Beavan)
• 1 inning setup (Wilhelmsen)
• 1 inning save (League)
• FOUR of the SIX hits were of the extra base variety
• TWO doubles - Ichiro and Kyle
• TWO homers - Justin and Brendan

A few less hits than you'd like to see from the offense but, a nice power ratio...

g10 | a little taste of things to come?

Mariners 4 | Athletics 0

Seems 't was the Hector and Jesus show!
Nice pairing for Jesus's first time behind home plate at home.

I was lucky to see the homer live (on TV) but unlucky in that social obligations prevented me from seeing the rest of the game (thank heavens for 'condensed game' on At Bat!)

It all starts with the starter ~ and Hector dazzled..
105p - 8ip - 5h - 0er - 1bb - 6k
of the 16 fly balls, NINE were pop-up caught by infielders and FIVE were flys caught by outfielders
His manager gave him high praise...

''Hector did a great job of mixing all of his pitches, of using all of his pitches,'' Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. ''He did a nice job when he was ahead but he did a nice job when he was behind, too. He was a complete pitcher out there.'' 

Stephen Brashear | Getty Images

Jesus was pretty darned dazzling himself...
recording his first two extra base hits as a Mariner:  a solo shot to straight away center field in the 2nd inning and a 2-run double in the 6th. Even he was impressed...

''It was cool. It was exciting for me to hit a home run in this field. It's a huge field,'' Montero said. ''I was impressed.''

Stephen Brashear | Getty Images

Stephen Brashear | Getty Images

the rest of the offense was less than impressive with only SIX total hits but, some nice ratios...
~ 3 of the 6 hits were for extra bases:  Jesus with the homer and the double and Ackley with a double that, apparently was pretty impressive as well

@Mariners: Dustin Ackley just crushed a double off the right field wall. Seriously, we're suprised the wall is still standing. #Power 

~ all but one (Wells) who had hits also scored (and, at least Wells got that first hit)

the D had it pretty east, with all the pop-ups but...
Liddi-Ackley-Smoak turned a nifty DP on Cespedes to end the 4th

Stephen Brashear | Getty Images

g9 | Baseball came home, the Mariners could not...

Mariners 0 | Athletics 4

I have grown accustom to the fabulous pomp followed by the disappointing circumstance that has been Mariners Opening Day of late. So, I'll concentrate on the lead-up as, unfortunately, it was the best part.

First of all, the weather could not have been better!
OK, it was a little chilly at game time but, I've felt WAY colder openers in Seattle. Nice that the guys who haven't been here before got to see that it's not always dark and dreary in the Emerald City.

my view from the train on my way to work

market shot on some errand running

yep - of COURSE I was sporting my M's jersey at work

A new tradition begins...
For over a dozen years (only missing the year 2000) my mother-in-law has been my Opening Day date. She didn't feel up to it this year so, my dad was my date. He and I have attended many games together but, this was his first ever M's Opener! We met at our usual spot (The Glove) although should have met at The 'Pen, as that's where we headed to get some food (yummy crepes - his turkey, mine beef!). It took awhile to wade through the sea of people (one disadvantage of a sold out game) from the Glove, to the 'Pen to our seats in section 344 but, we made it in plenty of time to eat before "the pomp" started.

Happy Opening Day!

The ceremony of it all...
Of course the red carpet introductions are always fun - especially for those who have never experienced it - players and fans alike (13 players running on the red carpet for the first time and Dad said, "It's just like football!")

Mune's just a little excited! | AP photo

 Ichiro still having fun after all these years... | AP photo

our view from section 344

Wish Wedge had this smile AFTER the game | AP photo

The tears flowed...
during the moment of silence for Frank Mattox and Greg Halman

courtesy MLB.com

Awesome National Anthem by a twelve-year-old...

Anna Graceman from Juneau, Alaska | AP photo

our view from section 344

Special guest and new retiree...
We had known, since it was announced weeks ago, that Mike Cameron would be throwing out the first pitch. What most didn't know until after the pitch was thrown (unless you follow the M's on twitter) is that, earlier in the day, Cammy signed a one-day contract with the M's so he could rightly, officially, retire as a Seattle Mariner. Awesome. (video here)

Mariners

Cammy: "My memories and my time here were a joy both on the field and with my family. I am pleased to make this happen."#MarinersHomeOpener

Cammy entering from CF | AP photo

Surprise at 2B
This actually happened between innings early in the game but, was a very touching moment. The "Steal-a-Base Contest" is typically only on Sundays during the season but, always a part of Opening Day. A kid runs out from CF to pick up the 2B bag and runs back with it as a souvenir. I'm always amazed at how fast they run, especially on the way back (some of the kids aren't much bigger than the base they are carrying - it must be pretty heavy!). Anyway, the base-stealer last night was surprised by the fact that the "umpire" that came over to assist him was ... his dad - a Sargent just back from his third tour of duty in Afganistan!

stealing the base | AP photo

the realization | AP photo

As for the game...
I don't have the energy and maybe that was the M's problem as well. True the Athletics also went to Japan but, at least they have been home since then. Not an excuse but, definitely a contributor and though there was a buzz early on, the adrenaline seemed to fade.

Felix started out on fire...
needing only 9 pitches to get 3 outs (2 via K which made the thongs in King's Court very happy!). The rest of the way, Felix was far from dominating but, getting through 7 innings (when at one point his pitch count was such that it seemed unlikely he'd get through 5) and allowing only 2 runs was certainly kept them in the game.

AP photo

The bullpen, on the other hand, did not keep up their end of the bargain...
allowing 2 runs in their combined 2 innings of work

Charlie after giving up the solo shot to Weeks | AP photo

Weeks quickly becoming as much of a pest as  FIggy was as an Angel | AP  photo

The defense made some nice plays...
including 2 double plays and a nice running catch by Ichiro that Felix appreciated.

AP photo

AP photo

And the offense?
well - 3 singles sort of says it all. But, good to see that one of the hits belonged to Jesus (his 7th straight game with a hit - just a matter of time...). I'd say that Bartolo has their number but, they hit him pretty hard in Oakland so, that's not really it.

It will be interesting to see the line up tomorrow.
In the meantime, we enjoyed the sunset over Elliott Bay...

view from the outer concourse as I was getting my hot chocolate

more view