g80 | 9th on thursday, 11th on saturday

Mariners 3 | Red Sox 2

wow - what a difference a day makes!

Erasmo was cruising...
no hits and 2 strikeouts in through 2-2, but then he had to come out of the game after leaping to catch a liner and throwing to first for the out.

Enter Charlie Furbush...
and then
Lucas Luetge
and then
Brandon League
and then
Oliver Perez
and then
Tom Wilhelmsen
and then
Shawn Kelley

EIGHT and ONE-THIRD innings of relief that allowed only ONE earned run

and the hitting stars?
the usual ... John Jaso doubled in the 6th score both Ichiro (on via hit) and Casper (on via walk)
the UNusual ... Dustin Ackley reached on a single in the 11th and then got to 3B via a single by Miguel Olivo and then SCORED via a sac-fly by Chone Figgins!!!

Ted S. Warren | AP Photo

And now, the chance to take the series!

hometown conundrum...

Has there ever been a team with such drastic home/road splits???


home

.197

.275

.291

.566

road

.259

.310

.420

.730

On the road, the M's are actually an above average offense. 
In fact, they rank at least top 5 in most major offensive stats... 2012 M's ROAD stats

Granted, some of the "counting stats" are due, in part, to the fact that the M's have played more road games than any other team but, the improvement over last year is vast...2011 M's ROAD stats
(e.g., the M's have hit 51 road homers so far this season - they hit 52 road homers ALL of last season)

g79 | b l e c h ...

Mariners 0 | Red Sox 5

Wedge said it all after the game

"We were horrible tonight,'' Wedge said. "We just stunk up the joint tonight. Nothing more to say. An 80-pitch complete game? Not taking anything away from that guy, but you can't make it that easy for him.'' 

"It was just brutal.'' 

When a media member asked Wedge whether he'd have liked to see his team go the other way with some of the sinkers Cook was throwing, Wedge gave a "Duh!'' look, eyes bulging. 

"Yeah, it's obvious,'' he said. "Hell, it's obvious to you (media) guys, it should be obvious to those guys. It's a step back today for me offensively and that's hard as hell to do with the way we've been swinging the bats at home.'' 

"I'm tired of watching it,'' Wedge said. "I'm patient and I believe that nine times out of 10 you're rewarded with patience. But there also has to be a sense of urgency with every player in that room. And you've got to be able to walk that line. Amd we've got too many people not doing it right now. We've got maybe a couple, or three guys swinging the bat OK right now and that's it. Out of what? Thirteen or whatever it is? 

"We just stunk up the joint tonight offensively.'' 

And he's not ready to let it carry on forever. He warned tonight that some players may see their stints with the club shortened if this continues. 

"We're going to figure this thing out,'' Wedge said. "We're going to hit at home like we hit on the road. We're not there yet. We're not even close yet. But it will happen. 

"Whether it's the same guys in the room or not, that's yet to be determined,'' he added. 

"That's up t them, But they're not getting it done now. And I'm tired of all the bulls--t with Safeco and everything. They've got to take full responsibility. 

"As I do for not getting them to where they need to be here offensively just yet. That's my job, the coaches' job. But rest assured, we'll get them there. It's up to them whether they want to be a part of it or not.''

g78 | "That wasn't human, man" --- David Ortiz

Mariners 1 | Red Sox 0

Yes, indeed. Felix was other-worldly tonight.

He posted a career high THIRTEEN strikeouts and allowed only FIVE hits and ONE walk.
Oh yeah - he threw 128 pitches in his first COMPLETE GAME SHUT-OUT this season.

There was some awesome D (especially in the late innings) and some super CLUTCH hitting from Casper Wells (a one-out double) and John Jaso (an RBI single) in the NINTH.

In other words, my favorite type of game with the very best result.

The sad part is... I missed it. 
I had planned to attend the game but, when the rumors of the starting pitching matchup in Tacoma were confirmed - Danny Hultzen (making his Cheney Stadium debut) vs. Jamie Moyer (now with AAA Las Vegas 51's after being picked up by Toronto) coupled with the fact that I've really wanted to get to Tacoma to see the newly remodeled Rainiers' digs - I decided to head south. It was fun (got to sit with some MC'ers for a bit) and the park is great! But, seeing Danny struggle with his control (even though he struck out 6 through 4) and Jamie go 5 (for the eventual 11-4 win) left a little to be desired for what I could have experienced.


And then there was Guti's unfortunate incident...
he was picked off 1B, literally! The pitcher threw over to first and the first baseman didn't even get a glove on it.  Thankfully, we heard after the game that while Franklin has a concussion (and could go on the 7-day concussion DL) nothing was broken.

g77 | another series loss

Mariners 1 | Athletics 2

The good news...
M's pitchers struck out another SEVEN A's and only allowed TWO hits (even League was great!)

The bad news...
those TWO hits were both solo homers and Millwood tweaked his groin (again) and the M's only had TWO more hits than the A's and ONE less run

Just your typical Safeco Feild series...
with a TOTAL of NINE runs scored in the series (yes - that's the COMBINED run total for both teams) and all THREE games decided by ONE run.

While it's good to see the pitching come back around...
but the bats have to figure things out, they are now 8-12 in one-run games (11 at home)

Wedge made no bones about it...

"They haven't been making any excuses, but we've got to do a better job of making adjustments," Wedge said. "Not just from game to game, but pitch to pitch. Young players have got to recognize what they're doing to get them out and how they're pitching them early, middle and late, and make the according adjustment.
"And veterans need to be doing more."

Tomorrow, something different...
While things will likely be pretty lively at The Safe on Thursday night, with King's Court rocking as Felix takes the mound against the Red Sox, I've decided to head south to T-town to take in a once in a lifetime pitching matchup at Cheney Stadium. The Mariners 2011 first round draft pick, Danny Hultzen, will be making his home starting debut for the Rainiers and opposing him ... none other than Jamie Moyer! (picked up yesterday by the Toronto Blue Jays - whose AAA club is the Las Vegas 51's)

Should be fun (but, you know I'll have one eye on my AtBat app keeping tabs on things up north).

g76 | K K K K K K K K K K again!

Mariners 3 | Athletics 2

back-to-back double-digit strikeouts for the starters for the first time since August of 1999 (Abbott and Garcia) way to go, Jason - nice bounce back.

League was the only M's pitcher who was less than stellar (allowed a couple of singles, and an inherited runner to score before recording the final out of the 7th).

Furbush, despite walking two (one intentionally) ending up striking out the side in the 8th and Wilhelmsen did his typical closing time thing: ground out, fly out, strike out.

Good to see Travis Blackley back in the league, even though it was with the opposition...
he held the M's to five hits and two runs in seven innings. But then, in the 8th, Wells singled and stole second which allowed him to score when Ryan (after a great AB) singled.

Rubber game early!

g75 | mini-Felix?

Mariners 0 | Athletics 1

So, if you hear the M's lost 0-1 and the starter's line was 8IP - 3H - 1ER - 1BB - 10K

you're thinking ... poor Felix, right?

WRONG ...
that would be tonight's line for young Erasmo Ramirez - good on ya, 'Rasmo! so sorry you got the typical "felix fate" of no run support but, just keep doin' whatcha do! 

The M's actually outhit the A's 7-3...
problem was, they scattered SEVEN singles and ONE of the A's THREE hits left the park

Both teams turned TWO double plays

And, obviously, both teams had AWESOME pitching...
Milone, Ballfour and Cook for the A's
and, the Bartender tossed a scoreless 9th after Erasmo exited.

g74 | so much for dominating Interleague play...

Mariners 0 | Padres 2

Well, like yesterday, the starting pitcher accounted for a good portion of the offense.
Unfortunately there were no runs, only hits and Noesi had TWO of the FIVE total.
Seager had the only extra base hit (a pinch hit double)

The good news is, Noesi pitched really well...
seemed to really take his experience to heart this time and put it to work for him.
He went SIX full, gave up SEVEN hits and THREE walks but only TWO runs and struck out SIX.

And how 'bout Charlie?!?
Furbush is on FIRE! He went another TWO scoreless/hitless innings and struck out TWO.
A stat-tweet from the M's says - since May 13th, Charlie has struck out 27 in 20.2 innings in 16 games, posting a 1-0 record and a 0 .44 ERA

M's finish Interleague play 4-8...
first time ever posting less than a .500 record vs. the senior circuit.

Back home they go for TEN (OAK, BOS, BAL)

g73 | finally, they beat the friars!

Mariners 5 | Padres 1

Felix was Felix... 
7IP - 6H - 1ER - 1BB - 10K


and then some...
helping his own cause by driving in TWO of the M's FIVE runs himself by hitting ONE of the only TWO extra base hits - a 2-run double (the other was a solo shot by Michael Saunders)

Getty Images

Granted, with as many chances as the O gave themselves...
SIX walks to go along with the SEVEN hits ~ they should have scored more than FIVE runs (although there were at least THREE fly-outs that would have been homer in most parks). But hey, a win is a win is a win ~ and glad Felix got this very well-deserved one.

Good to see LLW with more scoreless relief...
Luetge, League and Wilhelmsen combined for TWO innings giving up only THREE hits and striking out THREE

Rubber match tomorrow...

g72 | pads continue to have the M's number...

a thousand words and all...

Getty Images

I didn't see much of the game but, seems there was some shaky D on both sides and there was this
"a l m o s t" play by Brendan.

M's took the early lead and then Millwood imploded in the 4th

Ichiro and Guti remain red-hot, accounting for SEVEN of the M's NINE hits
(including Guti's second homer in as many games)

Felix Day tomorrow!

News and Notes on the off-day

M's first round draft pick, Mike Zunino racking up the awards...

• Dick Howser Trophy (College Baseball's Player of the Year)
• Baseball America Player of the Year
• Florida Gator's Triple Crown Winner (.322BA, 67RBI, 19HR)

Going into the series with AZ, the Mariners bullpen had not allowed a run since June 10th...
Then, in the 3-game series, they gave up a combined NINE runs, including Luetge's first in his 26th appearance. Lucas's 25 scoreless appearances to start his major league career ranks as the SECOND BEST in major league HISTORY!



News from the farm...

• Mike Wilson earns PCL Player of the Week
• Oliver Perez up to the big club
• Steve Delbar down to AAA
• Danny Hultzen and Nick Franklin promoted to Tacoma some video here

Everett Aqua Sox had their home opener Wednesday and are off to a great start (currently 5-2)
They also announced that they will honor Greg Halman on Saturday by retiring his "Frog" number 26.

courtesy Aqua Sox website

g71 | slugfest in the desert

Mariners 10 | Diamondbacks 14

If you tell me the M's are going to score 10 runs in a game and I'm going to tell you they will win.

So much for what I tell ya.

FOURTEEN hits, including TWO doubles and TWO homers, weren't enough to overcome Jason's struggles. He had his worst start this year ... didn't make it through FIVE and gave up TEN runs.

Sorta glad this one was on early...

Off to San Diego they go - definitely worse places to spend an off-day :-)

g70 | THERE's our road warriors!

Mariners 12 | Diamondbacks 9

Yowsa ~ a little bit of everything in this one that went 10!

We'll get it over with and start with the bad...
Erasmo didn't fair much, if any, better in his second ML start than his first - he went one less inning (4) gave up one less run (4) allowed same amount of walks (1) and struck out two more (5)

Long relief failed...
Iwakuma had his roughest outing since late May

The back end of the BP faired much better...
though Luetge now has an ERA - he gave up his first run of the season.
League and Furbush and Wilhelmsen were great - NO hits and SEVEN strikeouts between 'em!

The bats seemed to have finally remembered they were on the road...
THREE homers - Justin got it started in the 2nd with a solo shot and then Seager and Ryan added a PAIR of 3-run bombs in the 5th!
There was also a good share of singles for RBI, a couple of steals and a sac-fly

Ichiro marks a milestone ...
2500th hit of his ML career (4th fastest to that total behind Al Simmons, Ty Cobb and George Sissler)
and then he goes out and hits three more for four total plus two runs and two rbi

g69 | hey, it's the road guys ... where's the win?

Mariners 1 | Diamondbacks 7

ah Hector...
took a couple of steps forward in his last start but, a few steps backward tonight.
He's still got a lot to learn. Apparently, not as much about pitching as about determination, focus and reverence for the game... Shannon's blog

"When it comes to being a big-league starter, and this is a guy we feel like can be that for a long time once he gets more consistent, you have to bring it 30 to 35 times," Wedge said. "And you aren't going to always have your best stuff but you have to have a strong base to work off to give yourself a chance to win." 

It is a matter of mindset and focus, both in game and in preparation. I think we have seen a lapse in both from time to time. It is not a matter of fixing a pitch or a mechanic. He has those. Wedge is looking for more in focus and aggressiveness particularly when he gets into 0-2 counts. Noesi better find it quickly or he could soon hear Danny Hultzen's footsteps sneaking up behind him.

In the post game, Shannon also mentioned that Hector and Jesus were "clowning around" before the game (something, she noted, that veterans like Felix or Millwood would never do). She also pointed out that in interviews with both players after their last start together (a 0-1 loss to the Padres) you would have never known the team lost because they were so happy about their individual performances. Maybe time for one of the vets to have a little heart-to-heart...

I mean, I'm all for them having fun (heck, one of the M's most revered players was known as much for his love and respect of the game as his talent) but, they need to remember that their job is work, even though it's called play, and that comes first and foremost.



Kelley gave up his usual (of late) earned run

The real surprise of the night was ~ Oliver Perez...
He goes 1.1 giving up a hit, a walk and recording a strikeout but hitting 95 regularly with his sinker!


The O had their share of hits...
9 total, including doubles by Wells and Guti, but they just couldn't string 'em together


Maybe tomorrow they'll remember they are on the road ;-)

g68 | frolicking on Father's Day...

Mariners 2 | Giants 1

Definitely one of the best games all season!

Despite a little issue in the first inning (which had him throwing so many pitches, I wasn't sure he would make it through FIVE, let alone SEVEN) Felix appears to be back on track...
7 IP - 7H - 1ER - 1BB - 7K ... that's the type of Felix line we are used to!

Once again, the 'pen came through...
though they showed their "bend but don't break" side as opposed to their "lock-down" version.
~ League gave up a couple of hits but got through 8th unscathed thanks, in part, to a great play by Smoak on a Sanchez ground out.
~ In the 9th, Wilhelmsen loaded the bases (with one out) on a single and back-to-back walks but then got Cabrera to strike out and the pinch hitter, Schierholtz, to ground out to ... Smoak.

And, we still had a tie, until Justin (having already helped with the glove) came through with the bat...
Seager and Montero hit back-to-back singles and were replaced by pinch runners Figgins and Kawasaki respectively. Saunders muffed a bunt and Figgy was thrown out at 3B and then, Justin came up with the hit that would garner him a shaving cream pie...

walk-off VIDEO

Awesome! And, even better than I got to see it all in person ... with my dad!
Happy Father's Day!!!

At least the homestand from hell ended on a good note...
whodathunk the M's would be swept by the Pads and take the series from the Giants?

Oh, and how sweet is this?!?

twitpic

and his reaction ...

M's twitpic

g67 | Timmy comes home and, so do M's... FINALLY!

Mariners 7 | Giants 4

Millwood's first start since leaving in the SIXTH during the No-No-No-No-No-No...
Definitely a different performance (gave up NINE hits in FIVE innings after NO hits in SIX) but, he battled and kept 'em in it, kept 'em close enough.

Another STELLAR performance by the pen...
Iwakuma + Furbush + Wilhelmsen = FOUR innings of scoreless relief
In fact, they didn't give up a single hit. walked only ONE and struck out FIVE

John Froschauer | AP Photo

And, finally, what we've been waiting not-so-patiently for, some OFFENSE!

A little bit of everything...
TWO solo shots by Casper and Jesus in the first inning gave the M's the early lead.

Otto Greule, Jr | Getty Images

John Froschauer | AP Photo

Then in the 5th...
small ball nets them a couple of runs (to tie the game) when they record a couple of singles, a walk, a bunt and take advantage of a wild pitch


And in the 6th...
they would "single them to death" - FIVE singles nets them THREE more runs

John Froschauer | AP Photo

Chance to win the series tomorrow ...
going with my Dad and our record is pretty good on Father's Day!

g66 | hOme woes continue

Mariners 2 | Giants 4

Jason pitched well and long (8 full)...
despite giving up a solo shot to Posey early and a 2-run homer to Melky late (who, btw, is hitting FOUR-TWENTY vs. lefties!)

Otto Greule, Jr | Getty Images

Ted S. Warren | AP Photo

The O couldn't catch a break...
with a questionable DP turned against them - Larry Stone re-tweeted someone's classification of one of the call as "in the zip code" (as opposed to "in the neighborhood")

And, they broke themselves...
Jesus getting doubled off 3B after a lead off double seemingly got something started

The D was back to it's usual self (after a bit of a letdown last night)...
THREE dp's (2 via Ryan-Ackley-Smoak, 1 via Ackley-Ryan-Smoak)

Otto Greule, Jr | Getty Images

g65 | swept. at least I got a cool t-shirt...

Mariners 2 | Padres 6

It was Italian Heritage Night at the Safe...
and, what better way to spend it than with some Italians :-) which I did...

Not a real stellar Major League starting debut for Erasmo Ramirez...
It started out about as well as you could hope, striking out the first batter he faced on three pitches.
Then, the next batter worked him for a 13-pitch walk and it was pretty much downhill from there.
His final line = FIVE innings EIGHT hits SIX runs ONE walk TWO strikeouts

Guti is back!
Hit by the first pitch he sees, then walks and scores and adds a hit and an RBI

g64 | prevention = AOK, production = not so much

Mariners 0 | Padres 1

This will be short and not very sweet...

GOOD
Noesi ~ solid outing of 7 full innings, 5 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts and only 1 run - a SOLO shot
Infield ~ TWO nice DP's (including a 5-2-3 to end the 9th with the bases-loaded)
Montero ~ threw Amarista out trying to steal 2B TWICE! And, he had THREE of the EIGHT hits

Elaine Thompson | AP Photo

BAD
EIGHT hits and FOUR walks but... only ONE double and ZERO runs
0/9 with RISP ... argh! so frustrating after they were getting hits w/RISP in their SLEEP on the road


a thousand words...

Elaine Thompson | AP Photo

EDIT:
despite the loss, Jesus was REALLY happy for his pitcher in the post game interview and REALLY excited about their improvement together.

the moves, as expected...

tweet from the M's...

Mariners

Franklin Gutierrez, Erasmo Ramirez, Steve Delabar, Casper Wells join #Mariners. Carp & Pryor to DL, Beavan & Liddi to AAA Tacoma.

Heal fast and well, Mike and Stephan!
Good luck, Blake and Alex!
Welcome back to the Show, Guti, Erasmo, Steve and Casper!

g63 | rusty Felix, prolific Pads, injured Pryor and moves coming

Mariners 4 | Padres 5

FELIX
Missed a start due to a back issue and not sure if his struggles tonight against the Padres have to do with continue issues or what but, he was anything but Felix like. Skip mentioned that he actually looked strong and healthy so ... maybe just a little rusty?

Otto Greule, Jr | Getty Images

PRYOR
Speaking of injuries ... Stephen suffered some sort of groin pull in the 9th. He got the first batter to pop out and then was attempting to beat the second batter to the bag when he suffered the injury. Severity unknown - MRI tomorrow

AWESOME PLAY IN THE TOP OF THE 9th
Not that it really mattered at this point in the game but, it was still a nice play. Furbush had replaced the injured Pryor and had walked a batter an allowed a couple of stolen bases, so there were runners at 2B and 3B with one out.  He recorded a strikeout but, the ball got passed Miggy - he was able to field it and throw from his knees to Charlie at home plate who tagged out the runner (in PLENTY of time) trying to score from 3B. Anyhoo, it was a nice recovery from a very shaky start to the inning.

SAUNDERS KEEPS ON HITTING
3 more hits tonight (including a double and a homer) have his BA up to .281 (not too shabby considering when the left on the last road trip is was about .224). Oh, he also stole THRID base

AND, IN THE BOTTOM OF THE 9th
A miracles a l m o s t  occurred. Though, as they say, almost only counts in horse shoes.
Saunders hit a solo shot with one out, Figgy doubled and then Kawasaki and Ichiro each hit singles to get the game within TWO with ONE out. Then a strikeout to Ackley and a wild pitch by Street got the game to within ONE run - then, Montero grounded out.

WEDGE WAS A BIT LATE TO THE POST GAME
Apparently, the injury to Pryor (and maybe that was just the "straw") is about to trigger "a series of moves".  Shannon reported seeing goodbyes being said to Beavan and Liddi and also mentioned that Carp has not been 100% and could be headed to the DL

Could be an interesting morning tomorrow...

catchin' up after the day off

Been a little pre-occupied, since my youngest graduated from high school yesterday, but on my last day off thought I'd take the opportunity to catch up a bit on some of the more noteworthy M's stuff...

JACKSON GENERALS ~ DARLINGS OF THE ORG
*they have "the big three" (Hultzen, Paxton and Walker)...
and while Paxton is on the DL, Maurer and Carraway have been more than picking up the slack
*they have some young hitters who seem to be progressing fast and well...
Franklin, Sucre, Almonte and Dunigan, to name a few
*they will send a league most EIGHT representatives to the Southern League All Star Game
*for the second consecutive week, Pitcher of the Week Award goes to Danny Hultzen (aka: the Incredible Hultz as he has come to be known on twitter)
*AND they have clinched the first half division title

MEANWHILE, DOWN IN T-TOWN
Adam Moore has been reinstated from the DL
Franklin Gutierrez continues his rehab assignment (as speculation abounds as to what move(s) will be made upon his return to Seattle in a matter of weeks/days)

FINAL TALLY FOR THE DRAFT
20 pitchers (6 LH)
2 catchers
13 infielders
5 outfielders
26 college players, 15 high schoolers

Larry Stone published the transcription of M's first-rounder, Mike Zunino's conference call here...

a rather humorous tweet from Shannon on draft day...
  On the Mariners pick Felix yelled "hey Montero, you are going back to Pulaski!"


STILL REVELING IN THE NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO
taking lots of promotional shots, figuring out what to send to the HoF, etc

M's twitpic

Relievers reliving it --> video 
the Bartender talks to MLBN--> video

HOW MANY SPENT THE DAY OFF
27th annual Mariners Care Golf Tournament

THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS
exM's scouting director Roger Jongewaard dies 

g62 | slammed.

Mariners 2 | Dodgers 8

The first inning started out great for Beavan... 
He gave up a hit but was able to record THREE outs with only TEN pitches and all was rosy when Seager hit a solo shot in the bottom of the frame.

Elaine Thompson | AP Photo

Elaine Thompson | AP Photo

Then came the second inning...
which would be Blake's last for the game, where he gave up SIX runs (including a grand slam to Ethier) on FORTY-TWO pitches. I'm thinking he may not be long for the rotation - in his last 8 starts, he has given up 31 runs and averaged only 4+ innings per start.

The lately very reliable 'pen posted some mixed results...

Elaine Thompson | AP Photo

despite lack of control (3 walks) Iwakuma posted 2.1 scoreless and Furbush added another 2.2 scoreless AND hitless frames. Luetge kept his 0.00ERA in tact but, League, who had been coming back around, had a pretty severe set-back, giving up FOUR hits and TWO runs in the 8th 







The D was sparkling today...
a couple of nice DP's by Ackley-Ryan-Smoak as well as a caught stealing for Olivo

The O, not so much...
another LOW hit, HIGH ebh ratio - FIVE hits, ONE homer (Seager), ONE double (Saunders)

Here's to their day off, at home - should do them a world of good.

g61 | Jerry Hairston day

Mariners 3 | Dodgers 8

I guess the Dodgers decided to make up for their no-hitter all in one day...
from NO hits to FOURTEEN hits and EIGHT runs

Good news is: Dodgers only had THREE extra base hits
Bad news is: they ALL counted (Hairston with FIVE rbi on ONE homer and TWO doubles)

Good news is: M's had 50% extra base hits
Bad news is: they only had FOUR total hits (ONE double, Jesus, ONE homer, Miggy)

Kinda worried about Kelley...
seems to be on the "every other outing plan, giving up runs every other time out
(runs in outing since May 27th: 1, 0, 3, 0, 2, 0, 2)

Rubber game tomorrow: Beavan vs. Billingsley

g60 | it took a village to throw a no-no

Mariners 1 | Dodgers 0

ZERO as in...
ZERO runs AND ZERO hits!!!

The Mariners recorded the THIRD no-hitter in their history by recording the TENTH "combined" no-hitter in Major League Baseball HISTORY!!!
(unfortunately, due to a social engagement, I missed most of the game - in fact, watched from the time Millwood had to come out of the game)

Congratulations to...
Kevin Millwood
Charlie Furbush
Stephen Pryor
Lucas Luetge
Brandon League
Tom Wilhelmsen

Congratulations to...
Jesus Montero ~ who was the "glue" between the SIX ~ man, was he excited, and rightly so!

Elaine Thompson | AP Photo

Elaine Thompson | AP Photo

Elaine Thompson | AP Photo

Elaine Thompson | AP Photo

Congratulations to...
Chone Figgins and Brendan Ryan ~ without their spectacular defensive plays in the 8th and 9th we may not even be talking about a win, let alone a no-hitter

Congratulations to...
Ichiro Suzuki ~ who had one of the few hits AND stole a money bag to get into SP with 2-outs and ended up scoring the winning (and only) run

Elaine Thompson | AP Photo

Congratulations to...
Kyle Seager ~ with yet ANOTHER 2-out RBI hit (he leads the majors in that category with 21)

Otto Greule, Jr | Getty Images

Congrats to the entire team...
Wish I coulda been there.

Elaine Thompson | AP Photo 

Otto Greule, Jr | Getty Images

M's twitpic

M's twitpic

g59 | series win in the land of Disney

Mariners 8 | Angels 6

Not Hector's best effort...
things tend not to go well when you give up more walks (5) than hits (4) like allowing more runs (6) than either and, all in only FOUR innings (and another homer on an 0-2 pitch!)

But, what are teams for? but, to pick one another up, of course!
And, the bullpen did just that - going FIVE scoreless innings in relief of Hector
with The Bartender recording his second career save.

Stephan Dunn | Getty Images

Of course the smoking O "pitched-in" a bit as well...
~ all EIGHT runs came with TWO outs
~ Saunders continued his torrid run with another THREE hits and TWO runs
~ Ichiro popped his THIRD homer of the trip
~ Seager and Carp both had TWO run doubles (each after getting the green light 3-0)

Day off at home and then...
the Dodgers, the Padres and the Giants come to town

g58 | too much Trumbo, not to mention Richards

Mariners 1 | Angels 6

The Angels did it with homers and they did it with singles and the did it with stellar pitching.

The M's had ONE homer and ONE double and ONE run and ONE rbi....
and it all came from ONE player ~ Michael Saunders
(who, by the way, is hitting WELL over .400 on this trip and has raised his BA nearly 50 points)

Beavan hasn't really been lighting it up as of late (only 4 of his last 7 has he gone more than 5IP)

Stephen Dunn | Getty Images

Iwakuma, on the other hand, has been steadily improving as he gets the chance to pitch (the crazy blow-out in Texas, where he gave up 3, aside). Good on ya, Hisashi!

g57 | no sweep for you!

Mariners 8 | Angels 6

A funny thing happened on the way to Anaheim from Texas and Chicago...
The Mariners scored runs. A lot of runs. 49 in SIX games to be exact.

Normally, if you knew the Angels were going to score SIX, you would think, surely, the M's will lose.
Instead, they continued their excellent production and stunned the Halos a bit by scoring EIGHT - just a smidgen under their average per game (8.16) on this trip.

Lots of batting contributors in this one - though not necessarily the usual suspects...
ONE homer from Seager (more about the rest of his day later)

Lisa Blumenfeld | Getty Images

THREE doubles ~ including a bases-loaded, bases-clearing variety by, none other than, Kawasaki!

Christine Cotter | AP

As for the mound presence - Vargas's was much less than stellar...
it took him 106 pitches to get through 5.2 giving up NINE hits, TWO walks and FOUR runs
but, it was enough to keep 'em in it.

The 'pen was a bit "Jekyll and Hyde-ish"...
* League relieve Vargas in the 6th and allowed an inherited runner to score but then followed up by striking out the side in the 7th
* Kelley was all outta sorts - struck out the first batter and then was unable to get out of the inning.
* In comes the Bartender, not only does he finish off the 8th with runners at 2B and 3B and ONE out, but comes in to finish out the game and preserve the M's victory and his first ever career save!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Prior to the game, the guys were gathered 'round watching the draft...

M's twitpic

...especially Kyle, whose little brother was awaiting a call.

M's twitpic

Turns out, he didn't have to wait long, drafted by the Dodgers (#18 overall)


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Felix has a sore back so, he's skipping his Wednesday start...
Noesi will take his place on short rest (but he only threw 60 pitches in his last outing)

Draft Day and this week's recognition...

With the third pick in the 2012 First Year Player Draft, the Seattle Mariners select...

Mike Zunino, Catcher, University of Florida 

Jack Z and Tom M discuss the selection

shannondrayer

On the Mariners pick Felix yelled "hey Montero, you are going back to Pulaski!"

I'm thinking Felix and Jesus must have a pretty good relationship :-)

Organizational Awards!

• Southern League Hitter of the Week = SS Nick Franklin
• Southern League Pitcher of the Week = LHP Danny Hultzen
• Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week = RHP Erasmo Ramirez
• American League Player of the Week = 1B Justin Smoak

FUN FACT...

going into the series with the Halos, the M's are averaging 8.1 games per game on this road trip

News and Notes on the road....

So, here they go to Anaheim...
The Halos swept them back at home, here's hoping the M's can put up a bit better showing on the road.

So far on this trip they are 3-3 but have outscored their opponents 49-34.  When you consider that 5 of their last 6 losses have been by 2 runs (and, over the course of the season so far, 17 of their 32 losses have been by 2 or fewer runs) it's very encouraging for the future.

* Brendan Ryan named the Best Defensive Player for the Month of May see some great highlights here

* Franklin Gutierrez began his rehab assignment with Tacoma last night (going 0/3 w/2 walks as the DH)

* Big day tomorrow... Draft Day!!!

Seattle's pick this year will likely depend on what Minnesota does at No. 2 and whether the Twins take high school star Byron Buxton. The consensus from draft pundits is that Houston will take Stanford pitcher Mark Appel at No. 1, but then comes the debate. Most mock drafts have Buxton going to the Twins. 

McNamara said taking a high school player usually means a longer wait for a pro debut. But hitting on a high school star can be a massive infusion for the franchise.

"When it clicks in it does something to the whole organization," McNamara said. "You get a special one, you have control of the player, but the fans identify with that a lot. You take a high school guy, the fans can grow with that kid, and when he gets to the big leagues and he becomes a star it's a great thing." 

If Buxton is off the board, then Seattle could be choosing from a group that includes Florida catcher Mike Zunino, Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa and high school outfielder Albert Almora. Most mock projections have Seattle taking Zunino, who was the 2011 SEC player of the year and is a two-time semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award given to the top college player. 

McNamara said he's not alone in seeing some of the top options - general manager Jack Zduriencik has gotten out on the road and seen most of the top prospects as well.

"The top five guys we've seen a lot. ... I think it's a good group of top guys this year," McNamara said. "You have some high school athletes, pitchers, college guys. It's been fun."

Larry Stone's pre-draft report
       
MLB Mock Draft = Mike Zunino

g56 | M's "Saled" today

Mariners 2 | White Sox 4

Not quite "Humbered" but, the M's were sure "Saled" today...
gotta tip your cap to the youngster - he was terrific, as he has been for the Sox all season (last month's AL Pitcher of the Month, as a matter of fact). The only O mustered came from Olivo's 2-run homer in the 2nd (which, by the way, was the longest homer by an opponent in USWC Field since 2004)

Jonathan Daniel | Getty Images

"old man Millwood" was somewhat less than stellar today...
FIVE walks and a hit batter to go along with the SEVEN hits but, it could have been SO much worse than the FOUR runs in the FOUR innings - Kevin definitely limited damage

AWESOME job by the 'pen...
Pryor + Luetge + Kelley = FOUR scoreless innings, struck out FOUR, TWO hits, TWO walks
Good to see Stephen get right out there again
Lucas continues to sport a 0.00ERA
Shawn was the only one NOT to pitch yesterday and he gets TWO K's in the 8th

g55 | M's end on the "up side" of the see-saw

Mariners 10 | White Sox 8 (in 12)

I kept one eye on this one via the little TV (sans sound) at our table at Emerald Downs.
Quite an up, down and all-around extra inning marathon!

EIGHT homers in the game, FOUR for each team....
You know it's bound to be an interesting game when Ichiro leads off and inning (TWICE!) with a homer.
In fact, the M's led off their first THREE innings with a home run (Justin added one in the 2nd) and, for good measure, Saunders launched a 2-run shot in the 4th.

SIXTEEN pitchers were used in this TWELVE inning affair...
~ there were only FOUR innings where neither team scored: 6th, 9th, 10, 11th
~ both starters were out before the 6th (Noesi went only 4.1 and Floyd a full 5)
~ Stephen Pryor made his major league debut and struck out the first batter he faced (Paul Konerko) on a 100mph fast ball for the third out of the 7th inning. In the 8th, he struck out one, gave up a homer and got two ground outs.
~ Wilhelmsen was the standout BP guy, going THREE full innings allowing only ONE hit and recording FOUR strikeouts and getting the win
~ Iwakuma came in and struck out ONE, walked ONE and got TWO groundouts for the SAVE

FIFTEEN hits to get TEN runs...
~ Ackley and Seager (hot going into this game) were the only starters w/o a hit
~ Saunders redeemed himself from yesterdays error by going 4/6 with homer, 2 runs, 2 rbi and a SB
~ Justin added another hit besides his homer but, also saw his 78-game errorless streak come to an end
~ Montero had TWO hits, including a lead-off double in the 12th and Kawasaki ran for him and scored on Jaso's double and then Jaso score on Figgin's single and, wahlah!, the M's were on top to stay.

Extra inning victories on the road are pretty special ... something to savor

AP Photo

g54 | hard lessons in ChiTown

Mariners 4 | White Sox 7

Well, so, anything after the 21-run barrage was bound to be a bit of a disappointment...
But, I doubt many expected the struggles would start with Felix (despite his last poor outing - he rarely throws back-to-back stinkers) and end with poor center field defense (Saunders - who has been great in CF all season, had a fly ball bounce off his cheek in the 8th that allowed the lead-off batter to reach base - he, and two others, would eventually score).

Felix only gave up FIVE hits and struck out SIX...
trouble is, he only pitched FIVE innings and THREE of the FIVE hits were homers.
He also walked FOUR and hit ONE.
The UNhappy Felix days appear to be mounting.

the bats battle back...
Ichiro is back at lead-off had a hit and scored a run but, it was the NC connection ~batting second and third, just like in college~ and Smoak who electrified the order:  5/9 with 3 runs scored and 4 driven in

League goes 1+...
good to see Brandon retire the side in order for an inning and then come out and get a couple more batters  (via a nice outfield assist by Saunders)

Yes, it was another loss...
but, not one without good lessons and good work.