Tuesday, July 31, 2012

g106 | Jason stayed. Jason won.

Mariners 7 | Blue Jays 2

I, for one, breathed a sigh of relief when the trade deadline passed and Jason Vargas was still a Mariner. He hasn't been a model of consistency and, many point out his home/road splits (though he did pitch very well, and win, his last three road starts) but, he's proven very durable and the M's are going to need someone along with Felix as they start to bring up their young guns in the next couple of years. 

Prior to the game, it was announced that Stephen Pryor and Carter Capps were called up from Tacoma to replace the traded ones: Brandon League and Steve Delabar. Then, to make room for the newly acquired Eric Thames, Carlos Peguero was optioned to Tacoma.

Dustin - first pitch - in the seats! 

Lookie here!
a POSITIVE run differential!!!

Jason started well ... striking out the side.
And finished even better ... locking down his 12th victory and marking first time a Mariner pitcher has posted FIVE wins in any one month since Felix did it in 2009

How 'bout Brendan Ryan? on May 2nd his average was at .125. Tonight, he got a beer shower for the Herculean effort it took to finally surpass the Mendoza line. Some extremely encouraging stats...
  • 44 of last 84 runs the M's have scored have come in the first two innings
  • Felix and Jason have combined to go 8-0 with a 1.83 ERA in July
  • over the last 13 games, M's starters have combined to go 9-1 w/ a 1.69 ERA and 12 QS


Monday, July 30, 2012

Best Wishes to Brandon League and Steve Delabar!


Immediately after the game, the Mariners announced a couple of moves...

Steve Delabar made the short walk to the visitors clubhouse as the M's traded him for (current) AAA outfielder Eric Thames.

Brandon League will be closer to his home in San Diego, as he was traded to the LA Dodgers for a couple of MiL'ers - RHP Logan Bawcom and OF Leon Landry.

More to come??



g105 | K K K K K K K K K K K K Kuma!

Mariners 4 | Blue Jays 1

WOW!
Where in the heck did THAT come from?
Nearly as unexpected as the 21-run salute by the offense in Texas...

Iwakuma's THIRTEEN strikeouts set the Mariners record for K's by a rookie pitcher...
surpassing the likes of Randy Johnson, Mark Langston and Freddy Garcia, who each had at least one TWELVE strikeout game in their respective rookie seasons.

Pretty impressive, especially when you consider...
the Toronto Blue Jays are the most prolific offense in the major leagues - go on ya, Hisashi!

Elaine Thompson | AP


And, those pesky bats scored some more runs early too!
43 of the M's last 80 runs have come in the 1st or 2nd inning
THREE more doubles (Ackley, Saunders and Ryan) and, of course, Seager with another RBI with RISP and 2-outs - Kyle leads the MAJORS in that category.

And, not to be lost in the shuffle of EIGHT innings and THIRTEEN strikeouts...
Josh Kinney struck out another TWO Blue Jays and then walked one.
Enter Lucas Luetge to induce a groundout and earn his first major league save.

oh, and then there was some player movement - details in the next post...


Sunday, July 29, 2012

g104 | royal sweep complete!

Mariners 7 | Royals 6

King's Court was rocKing when Felix struck out the side in order in the first...
Kevin P. Casey | AP
Then there was a bit of a let down..
as he allowed base runners in each of the next FOUR innings but only gave up ONE run. Despite needing 101 pitches to get through SEVEN, Felix finished strong - retiring the last SIX batters he faced
and, though probably disappointed in the chance for a personal victory - no doubt he was happy for the team "W".

The offense stayed true to their course of late when Felix pitches...
and actually scored some runs for him (they had scored 35 in his last 5 wins).
Carp, Seager and Saunders were on FIRE (with 3, 3, and 2 hits respectively, including THREE doubles). And, Trayvon added an RBI double and a great bunt (that made up for his throwing faux paux)

Unfortunately, he wasn't rewarded with the win...
as the bullpen (League and Perez) imploded in the 8th when the Royals scored THREE runs to tie it.

Fortunately, the bats showed a little spunk...
regaining the lead (by TWO) in the bottom half of the frame. And, good thing they got that insurance run, as the Bartender (maybe a bit distracted by his impending fatherhood ;-) ) gave up a run of his own - but, was able to hang on (striking out the last batter on three straight 98mph FB's to earn his 14th save.


Saturday, July 28, 2012

Welcome to the Hall, Big Unit and Dan the Man!

The M's know how to do "pomp and circumstance"...
The ceremony for Randy Johnson and Dan Wilson was fabulous!

The M's photos are better (and from a better vantage point) than mine but, I'm sure glad I was in attendance. It was great to relive the awesome careers of these great Mariners and remember how much they meant to the entire community, let alone the team. Here's the M's video as well.

Fun Fact:
the Mariners were 75-29 (.721 winning percentage) with the battery of Johnson and Wilson

Congratulations, Randy and Dan
on your well-deserved induction into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame











My favorite quotes from the ceremony...
"To my wife, Annie - there is no me without you. I knew that in the 3rd grade when we met and it is still true today." --Dan Wilson 
"I had a bad haircut, I could throw really hard but, I couldn't throw strikes." --Randy Johnson
These quotes were from the luncheon...
"Nobody knows how much I love this city except my wife."--Randy Johnson
"I had no problem throwing a ball in the dirt with the winning run on 3rd. I know Dan would catch it."

g103 | old man winner....

Mariners 4 | Rays 3

Keepin' 'em in it...
It took him 106 pitches to get through 6+ but Kevin did what he's been doing with regularity of late (with the exception of his last start against the Royals) - kept them in it. He also did something he hasn't done with regularity all season - earn the victory.

Bats a triple short of the cycle in the third...
Nice to see a bit of a crooked number posted in an inning - and with a bit of a power display: Jesus mashed his 10th homer, Kyle followed up with a double and was singled in by Miggy.


Elaine Thompson | AP Photo

Bullpen bends but doesn't break...
  • League, who has been pitching really well for the past six weeks or so, allowed a run in the 8th (on a double and a triple). Thankfully, the bats were able to rally with a little small ball and got the run back via a couple of walks, a steal, a sac-bunt and a sac-fly to keep the lead at two heading into the 9th. 
  • "Closing time" got a bit interesting when the Bartender, after getting two quick outs, allowed a run on a single and a triple but, was able to get the third out via a ground out.

Friday, July 27, 2012

g102 | well, they are no Dan and Randy but...

Mariners 7 | Royals 1

The Battery of John and Blake faired pretty darned well tonight...
  • Beavan went 6.2 innings limiting the Royals to only ONE run on FOUR hits with only ONE walk and SIX strikeouts.
  • Jaso was responsible for FOUR of the SIX runs, including a 3-run homer
And, what did I tell you 'bout Ackley??
another TWO hits tonight, including a ringing RBI double
(Montero, Carp and Ryan also with TWO hits each and THREE runs scored between them)

I think they may be getting Safeco out of their head...
OK, maybe it's just that caliber of pitching they are facing but, a little confidence could go a long way!




Thursday, July 26, 2012

g101 | the mendozas hit Mendoza

Mariners 4 | Royals 1

The bottom of the order ~all hitting under .200 coming into the game tonight~ produced well...
Carp, Olivo, Peguero and Ryan combined for SEVEN hits, FOUR rbi, TWO runs.

Also good to see Ackley coming around...
TWO hits (including a double) and TWO walks. Something tells me he is  t h i s  close to breaking out.

Billy Butler's double in the 4th was the only hit surrendered by Jason Vargas.
Billy Butler's double in the 9th was the Royals only other hit of the game.

Vargas was great (was it his last start as a Mariner???)
Jason walked THREE but only gave up the ONE run and struck out FIVE
He certainly did nothing to damage his potential trade value. Though I fall in the "keep Vargas" camp - there has to be another veteran starter, besides Felix, going forward, at least until all the young arms settle in. While Jason has had his road homer woes, he has also proven to be very durable and is obviously a perfect fit for Safeco Field.

courtesy ESPN.com

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Sayonara Ichiro and thanks for the memories!

So, I finally have a moment to contemplate the era that was Ichiro.

Without question, Ichiro brought a new excitement and unique style of play to major legue baseball and Mariners fans were lucky to call him their own for nearly 12 seasons. From his burst on to the stage winning the MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2001 to his shattering of George Sissler's single season hit record to his ten consecutive seasons with 200 hits and countless other records and milestones (more listed here), it was quite a ride.

Unfortunately, despite all his individual successes through the years, the team failed to make the playoffs since that first magical season. Many blame the FO for the floundering, in their mind not spending enough and/or not spending wisely. Others think the brass cares more about attendance and the bottom line than winning. Some, believe it or not, actually place partial blame on Ichiro for being "selfish" - caring more about his individual accolades than the team's success.

Of these reasons noted above, the only one I really buy into for the lack of success this decade is the lack of spending wisely (well that and a couple of ill-fated trades, mostly in the Bavasi-era).

All that being said, I believe that Ichiro's departure will prove to be a win-win-win...
~ a win for Ichiro, as he will be finally playing for a contender
~ a win for the Yankees, as his skill set, even in a slightly diminished capacity, can help a potent lineup offensively and is still an upgrade for them defensively
~ a win for the Mariners, as they can finally turn the page and focus fully on their young talent evaluation and have more freedom in both tactical and financial realms, as they move forward with their rebuilding plan.

Sayonara Ichiro...

courtesy From the Corner of Edgar and Dave

g100 | scored early, not often

Mariners 2 | Yankees 5

't was 2-1 M's by the end of the first.
The Yanks wouldn't score again until the 8th - the M's wouldn't score again at all.

Likely it was a pretty strange feeling for those at the game to know it might be the last time they would see Ichiro at Safeco Field - for sure for this year, as this was the Yanks one and only visit to Seattle this season.

Aaron Lavinsky | Seattle Times

Aaron Lavinsky | Seattle Times



Tuesday, July 24, 2012

g99 | the King vs. the Chief and goodbye to Area 51

Mariners 4 | Yankees 2

OK, the minor intrigue of Felix pitching against his long-time idol and good friend, Freddy Garcia, for the first time was over-shadowed (just a bit) by the whole Ichiro is now a Yankee deal... I was extra glad I already planned to attend, even before the news broke.


Oh, a couple of roster moves to mention between last night and game time tonight...
Justin Smoak and Trayvon Robinson switch places between Seattle and Tacoma and Mike Carp is activated from the DL.


The jerseys were still regular price...





But most other Ichiro-related items were on sale...


I'll admit to being a little wistful...



There he was, in his old familiar place, except he had run out of the other dugout and was wearing a different uniform....


So, the first at bat that I saw Ichiro take as a Yankee...


was against Felix Hernandez (a pop-up to 3B)...


I took a little walk around the concourse, as the M's were taking the lead in the third...


Felix won without his best stuff (in fact, the 8th inning was kinda scary as he hit a couple of batters, including A-rod (who we heard immediately after the game had suffered a broken hand and was going to be put on the DL). Lucas and Tom were awesome (as per usual!) and the offense was able to do just enough against Freddy and the seemingly endless bullpen arms that Girardi cycled through.

On my way out of the ballpark, I lingered a bit longer than normal, knowing some things would be a bit different next time I visited...




Still collecting some thoughts....



Monday, July 23, 2012

g98 | end of an era

Mariners 1 | Yankees 4

first there was this...

Elaine Thompson | AP
and then this...

Elaine Thompson | AP

and this...
Elaine Thompson | AP

Pretty surreal....
gonna take a minute to sink in...





Sunday, July 22, 2012

g96 and g97 | takin' the series in Tampa


Neither saw, nor heard.
from the looks of things, not too much hitting and just enough pitching got the job done...

Mariners 2 | Rays 1

Mariners 2 | Rays 1

All-in-all a great roadtrip (5-2)
~ scored and gave up lots of runs in KC and lost ONE game by ONE run
~ scored and gave up few runs in Tampa and lost ONE game by ONE run


Saturday, July 21, 2012

Rosy OoO...

Time to go play with my grade school friends...

the second annual gather of "the Dieringer Girls"!

last year it was the ocean..
this year the mountain...

Go, M's beat those Rays!


Friday, July 20, 2012

g95 | Bonus Baseball Bummer...

Mariners 3 | Rays 4

bats cool off in Tampa Bay...

I didn't get to see any or hear much of this one.
(due to the early PT start and the fact that I'm preparing for a little weekend get-away)

Looks like Iwakuma had one of his best starts...
SIX innings - SIX hits - TWO runs - ONE walk - SEVEN strikeouts
Problem was, it took SIX more pitchers to get through the game and The Bartender ended up surrendering the winning run.

Heard tell Peguero's home run was a monster!

Kudos to Montero for catching a marathon like this.

and yes, another two double plays!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

g94 | Crazy Eights!

Mariners 6 | Royals 1

Felix was the epitome of efficiency...
he gave up EIGHT hits in EIGHT innings and only threw EIGHTY-nine pitches


And, the Mariners runs in a Felix start...
a trend we could really grow to love.

A Montero Mash, a double, a single and a sac-fly accounted for FOUR RBI

ESPN.com
oh - and another TWO double plays

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

g93 | runs scored again but, one too many given up

Mariners 7 | Royals 8

Another barrage of hits (14 each side) and extra base hits...
M's with FOUR:  a double, a(other!) triple and two homers (Seager and Wells)
- Royals with FIVE: three doubles and TWO homers, including one in the 9th to break the 7-7 tie

Kevin Millwood didn't have his best night...
giving up SEVEN of the Royals EIGHT runs.

the bullpen was stellar...
Steve Delabar (back from AAA without even going there, as Charlie Furbush was placed on the DL w/ a strained left tricep), Oliver Perez and Josh Kinney combined for 2-2 scoreless innings - until that third pitch in the 9th inning, from from Josh to Billy Butler, that didn't come back.
"He was the guy," manager Eric Wedge said. "We had League and Luetge down. We were going to stay away from both those guys. Josh has been throwing the ball well in the short period of time he's been up here and did a nice job getting out of the inning before."It just looked like a pitch that was up. Butler's a pretty good hitter and he got to it."
Felix with the early start tomorrow!

As of this writing, they are still playing baseball in Tacoma...
Danny Hultzen went SIX and gave up ONE run on THREE hits with ONE walk and EIGHT strikeouts vs. Sacramento tonight. Little did everyone know, that wasn't even the HALF of it - now tied 1-1  Go, R's!!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Zoo-NEE-no


So far, professional baseball agrees with Mr. Zunino...

7/15 with a double and THREE homers in his first FOUR games as a Frog

.467 / .500 / 1.133 / 1.633

courtesy Aqua Sox website

Keep up the good work, Mike!

g92 | NINE ... again!

Mariners 9 | Royals 6


Loving the extra base hits (SEVEN) to hits (FOURTEEN) ratio


Loving that it is mostly the young ones that have been struggling...
-Smoak with his second homer is as many games
-Ackley with a triple
-Saunders with a double and a homer
-Montero, Seager and Ryan all with doubles


Orlin Wagner | AP Photo


Beavan wasn't exactly stellar in his first start back from AAA...
he allowed his share of XBH (2 doubles, 2 triples - what IS it with this park in triples anyway? 4 in two games!) but, no walks. And, two of the runs he was charged with were of the inherited variety. In any case, he got the win.


The bullpen, as a whole, hasn't been as lights out as they were at home...
but, Lucas and Tom were both awesome tonight!


oh, and two more DP's!



Monday, July 16, 2012

g91 | bats! bats! and more bats!

Mariners 9 | Royals 4

Nice that Vargas was able to adjust...
he wasn't sharp from the get-go, allowing hits and walks in innings 1-4 even though the 3rd was the only one he got hurt in (when he allowed two homers that kept his unfortunate streak going - now at 12). But, Jason ended up retiring the last six batters he faced. Wedge, on the postgame, said if it hadn't been so hot he might have stayed with him for one more inning but, didn't want to negate the extra rest he'd just logged by doing so.

They are on the road, the runs will come...
And come they did, in bunches!
Hitters 1-5 were responsible for all NINE rbi (1 double, 2 triples and 2 home runs)

owie...
Brendan took a foul ball off his knee (after taking one off the foot in BP) before singling and eventually scoring in the 2nd but then had to come out of the game with a pretty nasty bruise.

THREE DEE PEEs!
and, an awesome throw from left to nail a runner at 3B
Love, love, lovin' that :-)

Good to see Jesus behind the dish for the first time since his Independence Day bonk...
and, of course he checks in with a couple of hits (including a double) and a walk

Player of the game?
No question - Casper the Friendly RBI Guy with a homer and a triple good for FIVE rbi

Orlin Wagner | AP Photo

it appears Blake Beaven will get the start tomorrow... no word yet on the corresponding move






Sunday, July 15, 2012

g90 | wOe is O at hOme...

Mariners 0 | Rangers 4

Wedge mentioned in his post game that he felt progress was made, but luck was hard. There were several hard hit "at 'em" balls and only a couple strikeouts. Baby steps.

And, it's not like they were up against some schlub.

but, riddle me this batman... what's more impressive?
Felix shutting out the Rangers
-or-
Harrison shutting out the M's

thought so :-)

How 'bout that bullpen?!?
They held the Rangers scoreless for the ENTIRE series.
Today's version: FOUR combined innings from Delebar, Furbush, League and Wilhelmsen

Iwakuma didn't have a super stellar outing but, all things considered (like the fact that they are still stretching him out to start AND he was up against one of the toughest lineups in baseball) he did OK.

And now off to KC and Tampa Bay they go.
Here's hoping their road warrior bats continue to be effective and their starting arms step it up.


All that said...
HAPPY 13th BIRTHDAY, SAFECO FIELD
Mariners Instagram

Saturday, July 14, 2012

g89 | twelve swinging strikeouts and seven runs of support!

Mariners 7 | Rangers 0

and a partridge in a pear tree :-)

Yu Darvish now has a 9.00 ERA in three starts against the Seattle Mariners.
He has a 3.09 ERA vs. the rest of the major leagues.

Go figure - that's baseball.



Man, I wish I'd made a different decision re: attending the game tonight ;-(

But, so glad to see a game like this (even if it was only on TV) ... they needed it.
  • They needed their ACE to be their ACE against one of the top teams in the league.
  • They needed to give him the support he so richly deserves.
  • They needed to show how their home can be a house of horrors ... for visitors.
  • They needed to prove that their home can give them comfort and confidence credibility.

And so, all of the above (and more) was accomplished tonight.
Felix with a complete game shutout - 12 strikes (all swinging!)
The offense with 8 hits (2 doubles and a homer), 5 walks and 7 runs

Rubber match tomorrow (for this season AND the season series so far)


Friday, July 13, 2012

g88 | too little, too late ... once again

Mariners 2 | Rangers 3

Millwood scattered hits (he gave up 8 of the Rangers 9 total) but kept them in it.
The bp, as per usual of late, was great.

Holland, as per usual (except for that 21-run salute back in May) had them stymied - giving up only FOUR hits over SEVEN plus innings. The M's had SEVEN hits to the Rangers NINE - trouble was, TWO of theirs were for extra bases and NONE of the M's hits were.

The rally was good to see but, a convergence of mis-cues on a Saunders grounder that flummoxed Michael Young accounted for only one run scoring with two outs, instead of two runs scoring with only one out. You can't assume that if one play is executed differently that the rest of the game would play out the same but, had Smoak and Datz been confident that he would score (which, in hind sight, they both agree he would have) then Jaso would have been the one to score on the subsequent wild pitch and the result, at worst, would have been extries.

woulda, coulda, shoulda.

M's have a 5-6 record in the season series with the Rangers, but have outscored them by 59-45. Granted, the 21-run rout skews those totals but, even if you remove it from the equation, the M's are hanging with them scoring 38 to the Rangers 37....

in M's losses to the Rangers - one by 6, three by 2 and two by 1
in M's wins over the Rangers - one by 13, one by 7, one by 5, one by 2, one by 1

M's re-signed David Pauley...
he joined the Rainiers today.





M's acquire power!



courtesy Key Arena at Seattle Center


Well, had to come from SOMEWHERE!

Here's to a greatly improved second half :-)


Thursday, July 12, 2012

First Half Reflections...


A lot of the focus of the M's first half has been on the ungodly home/road splits ~ and for good reason! Take a gander at these unbelievable differences - as a team...
at home .195 / .273 / .289 / .562
on the road .256 / .305 / .410 / .715

Believe it or not, the M's scored the second most runs (220) IN THE MAJORS on the road and were at or above average in most major offensive categories (except OBP).


But, at home, it was the opposite (only worse - the FEWEST runs in the majors).
Something about that "home cooking" that just didn't resonate - here are a couple of real extremes...

at the plate


Michael Saunders
home .189 / .263 / .264 / .527
road .299 / .358 / .517 / .875

Kyle Seager
home .157 / .265 / .261 / ,526
road /313 / .343 / .548 / .891







As for the starting pitching, definitely not as strong as in previous years. They posted just a smidgen better (4.35) than AL average (4.39) in ERA and a whole lot worse (22) than AL average (32) in wins.


on the mound
Felix had a 'blip' but recovered well and was the lone Mariner representative at the All Star Game in Kasas City (though he didn't pitch)

Felix and Jason Vargas both recorded 11 quality starts and each have  a winning record (6-5 and 8-7 respectively)

Kevin Millwood suffered with a groin injury but, despite his record, has pitched very well when healthy.


Blake Beavan and Hector Noesi have both been sent to AAA Tacoma (Blake in early June, Hector in early July) as they both struggled mightily.

Erasmo Ramirez has been inconsistent to say the least. He started the year in the pen and was so-so but was sent down to build starting strength and has had mixed results since coming back up in mid-June and then suffered an elbow injury (not serious).

Hisahi Iwakuma only had one start ( a win vs. BAL) but will likely be used more to start the half (due to Hector's demotion and Erasmo's injury)


And the surprise of the first half (both good and bad) had to be the Bullpen!
Let's get the bad out of the way. Brandon League started out great - didn't allow an earned run till April 19th but, after that was the epitome of inconsistency (not a good quality in a ballplayer, especially a closer) and he lost his closing role toward the end of May. Originally, Wedge didn't name a closer ('t was going to be the preverbal "closer by committee") but, it didn't take long for one of the guys to take the bull (pen) by the horns...
in the 'pen
Since being installed as closer, Tom Wilhemsen (aka: The Bartender) was 2-0 with 7 saves and hadn't given up a run ... until the last game before the break in Oakland where he gave up 2 and blew his first save (but, hey, it happens, even to Mariano).

The lefties have been a nice surprise. Lucas Luetge and Charlie Furbush have really contributed nicely. Lucas didn't give up a run until well into June and Charlie posted the third longest scoreless streak (23 innings) in Mariners history

Oliver Perez, seldom used, was pretty effective until that last series in Oakland when he gave up three runs in two games.

Up and down/ In and out were the rest...
Shawn Kelley had a slow start back from rehab but, has pitched well lately - hasn't given up a run since June 20th.  Steve Delabar has already been sent down and called back and hasn't been real reliable. Stephen Pryor, called up in early June, was pitching well but, only appeared in six games before suffering a groin strain (began a rehab stint at the ASB). George Sherrill wasn't right from the start and we soon found out why - he's was out for the season on April 9th and underwent Tommy John surgery.  


Now THIS is where the Mariners shone brightly ~ their defense was OUTSTANDING. 


gold glove D
Brendon Ryan was the standout. While punchless with the bat he is an absolute wizard with the glove - web gem after web gem. The rest of the infield has been really good - at one point, Justin Smoak had a nice errorless streak going and the biggest surprise defensively was Kyle Seager at the hot corner.

As for the outfield, Michael Saunders did a bang up job filling in for Guti in CF, Casper Wells has really done well in his limited chances in LF (really strong, accurate arm) and Ichiro, clearly not what he used to be but seems he's performing a bit better defensively than he was last season.

Behind the plate - definitely an area of opportunity. Miguel Olivo still has his usual passed ball issues and Jesus Montero clearly has a lot of learning to do (though certainly not the disaster that many predicted) but he does have the "no-hitter" under his belt - a great accomplishment! 



Really hard to find stars among this young group who is dying for some veteran leadership (IMHO). The hitters show flashes of brilliance (especially on the road) but can't seem to bring it with any consistency. Their travel schedule has been brutal - from the Japan trip and back to playing on the road a good 5 - 10 more times than most teams for a good majority of the first half. Not an excuse but, a definite contributor.
first half stars
I would probably give the first half star to a couple of the pitchers...
Felix, of course but, not for the usual reason. He had a period of adversity and the fact that he was able to recognize the issue and fix it shows his maturity and character.

Wilhelmsen, Luetge and Furbush deserve at least an honorable mention - all with ERAs under three (Lucas under 2!) and as many (or more!) strikeouts as innings pitched.

Saunders and Seager deserve some recognition. Even though they both have been abysmal at home - Saunders has definitely found something in his new approach and Seager, despite his low BA, actually leads the majors in RBI with 2 outs and RISP (27)

oh, super kudos to John "Mr. Clutch" Jaso ... 7 game winning RBI's!



Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Our King was in KC and another (lumber)King was crowned in Clinton


Our King among Royals....
(all courtesy Mariners twit pics)





oh, and a little note from the minors...
Congrats to Jordan Shipers - he tossed a NO-HITTER for the Clinton Lumberkings tonight!!



Sunday, July 08, 2012

g87 | of unsupported aces, seagulls and wild pitches...

Mariners 1 | Athletics 2 (in 13)

Both starters pitched very well...
Felix went 7.2, Colon went 8.2
each only allowed ONE earned run and, obviously, neither received any run support

The A's committed 2 errors and were even more inept with RISP (1/12 compared to 1/6)... 
but still were able to come away with the win when Weeks (who is as pesky as Figgins was when he was with the Halos) singled and Reddick (who the Red Sox are lamenting having traded) doubled in the 13th for the walk-off win.

Couple of close calls with the gulls...
for instance, Michael Saunders was able to get to 2B on a hit that was "lost in the gulls"
and, Ackley never spotted a pop-up amid the birds that Ichiro was able to snag at the last minute

One of the scariest things was Charlie's WP while attempting an IBB...
especially since there was a guy (Weeks) on 2B who made it to 3B as Charlie was trying to throw 4-wide ones. What's even more scary is that this isn't the first time he has had a bit of a struggle to throw an intentional walk ... I hope he's not getting a version of the 'yips'. Shawn Kelley came in to strike out the next batter for the third out but, looking back, seems it was a fore-shadowing of the game's eventual outcome.


Break time ...
relax
regroup
refresh
rebound

Mariners FUTURE ... Hultzen and Walker


Danny Hultzen and Taijuan Walker set to participate in the 2012 All Star Futures Game

Mariners twitpic

Mariners twitpic

Larry Stone talks with Taijaun Walker
Here's what Pankovits said about Walker's struggles:
"I see a lot of positives, believe it or not. He has had a little bit of an up and down season. I've really liked how lately he's handled the adversity. He's shown his competitive side. That's something I hadn't seen up until that point, and I think it's great. I think on the flip side of that, you have someone who has a lot of success in the minor leagues, then they get to the big leagues and they struggle. I would rather have a prospect like that have to go through those ups and down and adversity in the minor leagues before they reach the big leagues. I think he'll benefit from it, and he's done everything we could ask.


Saturday, July 07, 2012

g86 | "Tonight's what we are looking for." --Eric Wedge

Mariners 7 | Athletics 1

Yes indeedy - more of THIS please!
  • steller starter
  • sparkling defense
  • hits and runs aplenty

VARGAS GOT IT STARTED AND FINISHED IT OFF
Way to go, Jason! 9IP - 7H - 1R - 1BB - 6K

Erza Shaw | Getty Images

HOW 'BOUT THAT DEE?!?

OFFENSE, WHO KNEW?
All kinds a ways: with none on, with some on, with RISP, with two out...
  • Seager + Ryan + Wells = 2 doubles, 1 home runs and 5 rbi
  • Ichiro + Jaso + Saunders + Smoak + Wells = 1 double, 1 homer 1 stolen base and 7 runs scored
  • Ichiro broke his career high hitless streak at 23, batting in the 2-hole for the first time in his career
  • more 2-out w/RISP RBI's for Kyle Seager (leads the AL with 27)

Erza Shaw | Getty Images

Jeff Chiu | AP Photo