g104 | missin' the mark at Target Field

Mariners 3 | Twins 4



Good . . .
Doug improved, bullpen solid

Bad . . .
M's have bases loaded with only one out in the second and no runs ... argh!

Ugly . . .
M's commit two errors that lead to three runs ... ugh!

g99 | splittin' in Seattle

Mariners 4 | Red Sox 2

From "the Friday Fracas" to 2 wins-in-a-row ...
This was definitely a fun one to be at and the Chamber of Commerce weather had a lot to do with it (it's days like these I canNOT imagine living anywhere else!).  We had to wait a bit for the fun on the field, as the guys had plenty of chances early but Matsuzaka kept wigglin' off the hook.  When they finally did break out in the 8th inning it wasn't your typical barrage - singles (Jose, Michael, Justin), bunt singles (Casey and Milton) and even a butcher boy (Jack) - but when the inning was over, they had three more runs to add to the one they had scored in the 3rd.

TED S. WARREN / AP

On the mound ...
Doug wasn't super sharp and only went five innings, but all-in-all showed some signs of improvement - efficient early on and only walked one.  The BP was great (as it has been nearly all home stand).  Chris is impressing early, Brandon got the win even though he only faced one batter (struck out Youkilis for the third out in the 8th) and David notched his 18th save.

Seems most would have been happy with a split vs. the BoSox ...

But then you think about how close it came to a sweep - that first game where the M's came back from 1-6 down to tie it in the 9th (as disappointing as that game was in the end, I still found more to be ENcouraged about than DIS couraged) and then the next game to lose 2-1.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda.

On to the south side...

g94 | 2-hit, dang, danks

Mariners 0 | White Sox 4 

Congrats to Mr. Danks.  As Wak said, not the guy you want to face when struggling to score runs.

The positives of the evening, once again the pitching.  By far Doug's best outing since returning from the DL - a quality start against a good offense is nothing to sneeze at.  And Chris came in did a nice job for three innings (just one batter away from a scoreless outing).

M's base-running was .... ugh!

M's defense was decent.  WS defense was spectacular.

That's all I got ... 

g89 | was the break too long or not long enough?

Mariners 3 | Angels 8

The break certainly seemed to agree with the Halos ...
banging out 16 hits (5 for 9 w/RISP) to get their 8 runs

on the mound
Doug definitely was not Mister Fister tonight (giving up 12 of those 16 Halo hits for 6 of the runs)
Garrett had a clean 8th but, Brian and newly aquired Jamie Wright ... not so much

at the plate
things were looking up in the 5th when Joel lost it for a bit (we Mariners fans remember all too well that "big inning" that Joel was prone too) and the M's had 3 singles in a row and Ichiro comes up with a big double to score 3 - but that would be it

leatherworks
Ichiro made a great throw to nail Aybar at the plate in the 2nd
A nice DP as well but, also an "error that wasn't an error" by Jose that could have been the 3rd out but instead ended up being a 2-run double


Good news for the future ... Dustin Ackley homered in his first AAA Tacoma at bat tonight!

g84 | royal sweep

Mariners 3 | Royals 7

Just when ya think things might be looking up ...

Mister Fister posts his first quality start since returning from the DL and that, along with some awesome "D" from Jose and Michael and two homers from Casey would see Doug leave after six innings with a 3-1 lead.  Brian gave up his first run this season in the 7th via a wild pitch.  But, Brandon in the 8th was the death knell - walks to the first two batters and then gives up a homer.  Garrett came in and didn't fair much better, also allowing a homer.

Discouraging pattern...

~bases loaded (multiple times) and they can't score

~have a lead going into the 8th and they lose the game

All I can say is ....

g79 | down in the dumps in Detroit

Mariners 7 | Tigers 1

Apparently, Scherzer is the Tigers version of Cliff and/or Felix.

Doug was clearly not the Mister Fister we saw prior to his DL stint...

The offense was back to it's normal anemic self - with Guti's solo shot counting for the only run.

Tiggers also turn THREE double plays (including a pretty spectacular one in the 9th - with two on, Lopey hit a DEEP fly ball that was caught and thrown in to get Figgy at first.

We want those guys who scored FOURTEEN runs in two games at Yankee Stadium back!
(well, and Cliff and Felix w/ back-to-back complete games again would be nice too ;-)
photo courtesy Duane Burleson / AP

g74 | power and pen...

Mariners 5 | Brewers 4


There were lots of question going into this game...
~ How would Mister Fister be in his first start off the DL?
~ Who would step up in the pen (with Kelley to the DL and DA home to be with his newborn)?
~ Would the offense be able to get anyone in to make up for the possible pitching problems?

And answers during and after...

~ The good answer regarding Doug's start was that he was able to exceed his pitch count and still felt fine.  The bad answer was that 92 pitches only got him through four innings - giving up 4ER along the way (back- to-back homers in the 3rd) but, the Brew Crew is third in the majors in home runs, so not a lot of shame in that, especially for his first start off the DL.

~ The answer to the bullpen question was more resoundingly positive.  Wow - welcome back, Brian Sweeney!  Nice story here that details the timeline of Brian's career, from being drafted by the M's traded to the Padres and his time in Japan.  Anyway, back to the game and his part in it...
4IP - 1H - 0R - 0BB - 4K

~ The answer to the offense, well, for the most part they are still searching for that spark to "get 'em in" as another 11 were left on base.  BUT, at least a little pop showed in the form of a solo shot from MB and a 2-run jack from Lopey.  Also good to see it happen when it did, in the inning immediately following the opponents offensive burst.

And, don't look now, but Figgy has SEVEN hits and SEVEN stolen bases in his last SIX games....

Morry Gash   AP Photo

g45 | all is not lost ...

Mariners 5 | Tigers 3
I eagerly await the day when victory brings true joy instead of mere relief.
Tonight was a step, or five, in that direction.

DEAN RUTZ/SEATTLE TIMES/MCT

on the mound
They call him Mister Fister, but the should call him Mr. Stellar.
Seven of Doug's nine starts have been quality and, with just a smidge more offense he'd be 8-1 instead of 3-2 (two of his last three ND's and his last loss were all by 1-run).  He got into some trouble (although certainly not only of his own accord - his defense wasn't his friend tonight) in the second inning, but great to see him work through it and go 7+  but his ERA did balloon to just over 2.00 with the two runs given up ;-)  Keep up the good work, Dougie!

Nice work Shawn and David!!

at the plate
Wow - over half the hits were for extra bases!
~ Milton and Guti with homers - Chone and Josh with doubles
~ Milton had the single that scored Figgy for the go-ahead run in the 8th
~ And Lopey knocked in Guti with a sac-fly for a little insurance

"The way I was feeling, I needed to share it with my teammates," Bradley said. "It was a good feeling. I came through."

leather-works
Unfortunately, not a lot to crow about here ... save for a nice DP in the 3rd
I was only able to watch the last couple of innings, but on the radio it sure sounded like some of those hits in the 2nd inning should have been outs.  Here's hoping they can get that fundamental focus back.
.
.

g40 | at least the jays didn't leave the yard

Mariners 2 | Jays 3
Yes, it was another loss (5 in-a-row) but...
there really was a lot to be encouraged about in this game.

MARK HARRISON / THE SEATTLE TIMES

#1 - how 'BOUT that Mister Fister?!?!

Doug faced a very difficult test tonight going up against the number one homer team in the league and he passed with flying colors.  Really showing his mettle in the 2nd inning - two runs scored on a double, single, single, walk, HBP - but he managed to limit the damage and went on to pitch a full eight - not allowing a single base-runner the rest of the way.  Look up STUD in Webster's and no doubt Mister Fister's picture will be starin' back at ya ;-)

#2 - Figgy comin' 'round!
Another hit, an RBI and a stolen base.  Kinda fun to see him discussing hitting on the bench with Ichi ... you just get the feeling watching their interaction that things are really starting to turn and he's not letting it get him down


#3 - Offense in general
Second straight night of double-digit hits.  Now, getting more runs than the other team is still an issue.  But, come on, baby steps....


#4 - Solid fundamentals
I wasn't able to see the entire game, but from what I saw and heard, I don't believe there were any major mental lapses of the sort that were all to prevalent on the road trip - in fact, there was some very good defense and very good base running - keep it up boys (control those "controll-ables" as Shannon would say)


#5 Milton returns and goes 2 for 4


Early start tomorrow....
hopefully they can pick up the good things right where they left off tonight and get the split to start off the home stand.

g35 | whadaday in tampa bay!

Mariners 4 | Rays 3

Well, they seem to have mastered game "ones" on this road trip so far.  Here's hoping the can at least get game two as well the rest of the way.

Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images

on the mound
Mister Fister was not on top of his game today ~ 94 pitches in only 5 innings, a balk that scored a run, 3 walks (he had walked a total of 3 in his last 5 starts) ~ but hey, he got the win!
~ Tex was great, striking out the side in the 6th
~ Shawn got 3 quick outs in the 8th, but then the dreaded base on balls and a homer to Longoria
~ Enter the DA for a fairly rare 1-2-3 save

at the plate
Yowsa ~ who are these guys and what have you done with our Mariners?!?!
SIX home runs in the past 2 games?!?  Today = Guti, Adam and Sweeney
And Sweeney with a steal too - first one since August of 2006.  On the post game show, Shannon mentioned that the dugout security guy said the dugout went crazy when Mike got that SB - really seemed to ignite them.  Oh yeah, 3 doubles to go with the 3 homers.

leather-works
Already mentioned the not-so-good balk and MS had an error, but there was a DP.

Which leads me to the results of my little research project
I'm as far from a sabermetrician as possible, but I have had the feeling as the season has gone along that as Mariners DP's are turned, a W is more likely.  Since they have started hitting with some power (9 homers in the past 5 games, compared to 10 in their first 16) I thought it would be interesting to compare DP to homers . . .
~ In their 14 wins, the M's turned 20 DPs (1.4/game) and hit 6 home runs
~ In their 21 losses, the M's have only turned 15 DP's (.7/game) and hit 10 home runs

Does it mean anything?  Probably not, except to underscore how much I like defense.  But, I will admit, this recent power surge has been kinda fun ;-)


And now, for no other reason than this is just a GREAT photo....

Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images

g30 | progress?

Mariners 3 | Angels 4 (in 10)
OK, I may be reaching about the "progress".
     ~ Yes it was frustrating to see a dozen runners stranded
     ~ Yes it seems impossible that only ONE of NINE walkers scored
     ~ Yes the result was another "L"

ELAINE THOMPSON / AP

BUT.... hey, at least the bases had some company tonight!

Even that long elusive 4th base ~ AKA home plate!
Which is more than can be said for the past few games.

I'll just chose to take the rosy view, thank you very much.  It remains to be seen whether this little teeny, tiny bit of offense is enough to spark something bigger.

on the mound
Despite the end result, Doug's performance was a good one.  Obviously, his 7IP-8H-3ER-1BB performance goes down as a quality start but, more importantly, he passed the mettle test.  That rough 5th inning, in which he gave up the only walk and 2 of the runs, was really the first adversity he had faced so far this season.  It was nice to see he was able to rebound and get through seven.

Bummer that David gave up what would prove to be the winning run but, asking him to pitch 2 innings after not pitching for 6 days was a pretty tall order.

at the plate
good = patience is a virtue (NINE walks)
not so good = only one of them scored
bad luck = a couple HARD hit balls (Robs liner to 3rd and Josh's LONG fly to center come to mind)

leather-works
No spectacular plays and no double-plays (though lots of opportunity for them!)
Just good, solid "make the play" defense.

g25 | poor Mister Fister...

Mariners 1 | Rangers 3

MARK HARRISON / THE SEATTLE TIMES

on the mound

Another stunning and stellar performance from Mister Fister ... wasted.

Doug pitched EIGHT innings and did not allow the first hit until there was one out in the 6th (a fly ball that would have gone out, if it weren't for "Area 51").  He would end up allowing only three hits, NO runs and NO walks (I heard some crazy stat Rick quoted, I believe it was that Doug went to a 3 ball count on 7 batters, and retired all 7 - amazing).


The DA wasn't able to hold the slim 1-0 lead, but this isn't on him (even though those lead-off base on balls are extremely frustrating).  Closers, even great ones, are going to give up a run here and there.  Brandon did okay in the 10th, but it seems Mark and Rob were not on the same page at all - singles, a bunt, a wild pitch and passed ballS added up to another 2 runs for the Rangers.   It's just a shame that the lack of offense has to manifest itself as pressure on the pitchers and the defense - razor thin margins for error are not very conducive to instilling "confidence in your competence".

at the plate

Meanwhile, not a lot has changed with the bats - a grand total of 4 Mariner runs scored in this SERIES.  Today, only five hits in eleven innings ... one for extra bases (Jose double).  The few good swings that were had were "at 'em" balls or long, loud outs.  But hey, Figgy got a hit, walked twice and had two stolen bases and scored the M's only run (now, if we could just have more of that from him and from Ichiro - this whole manufacturing thing could work).

leather-works

Already addressed some of the mis-cues ... there also were no DP's turned

Apparently, earlier this evening there was a bit of a shake up...

They released outfielder Eric Byrnes, whose averaged dropped to .094 (3 for 32) with an 0-for-4 performance Sunday, and optioned Matt Tuiasosopo to Class AAA Tacoma so he could play every day.

To take their roster spots, outfielder Ryan Langerhans and infielder Josh Wilson were selected from Tacoma. Both will be in uniform Tuesday when the Mariners open a three-game series with Tampa Bay.

"Tui didn't do anything wrong," general manager Jack Zduriencik said when reached by phone Sunday evening. "But he's a young player, and playing time is essential for his development. He'll go down and play every day at multiple positions."

Road Reflections | CHI, KC

Chicago was about as bad as it gets...
Three games, three heart-breaking losses, all by one-run (in fact, all but one of the games on this road trip were decided by one run, and that one by two).  To twist the knife a bit more, two were walk-offs and one was in the 8th.  RRS continued to struggle, Doug and Jason continued to shine.  While the bullpen's lapse was a bit concerning, the late surge by the offense in two of the three games was encouraging.  As for the "D", despite a couple of errors, there were five DP's turned.

Back on track in KC...
Felix took his first loss, but still put up a quality start (maybe not to "Felix quality", but quality nonetheless).  Ian's line wasn't great, but the way in which he was able to escape self-induced trouble was pretty impressive.  RRS was on his way to a solid start, looking good for five innings, but couldn't finish things in the 6th - apparently, April is not his month.  As for the rest of the pitching staff, right back up on that horse, er,  mound they got.  The pen as a whole pen recovered pretty darn well from their debacle on the South Side - pitching 8 scoreless innings in KC and the DA notched two more saves (of the one-run variety).  The offense, while certainly far from potent, showed a little spunk, especially in the last game, bunching some runs to go ahead early, losing the lead and then scratching out a run late to win.

Regarding Jose...
Something occurred to me the other day.  Many are concerned, understandably so, about the offense and there's already be quite a lot of mention about Jose ... his lack of patience, etc. This is nothing new and he's typically a slow starter.  The thing that struck me was the lack of concern about something that many had a fair amount of trepidation about going into the season... how would he perform at his new position?  Well, so far, question answered - in spades!  He has not only performed adequately, he has embraced the change and seems very comfortable in his new home at the hot corner.  Considering the shoes he had to fill, this is excellent, if seldom mentioned, news.

Milty = Mr Happy...
Some good signs from MB ... he was out of commission in Chicago, but back in action in KC and contributing.  Some nice gestures with the fans as well - like when he tried to toss a ball to a Mariner fan above the M's dugout in KC, but a Royals fan interviened and caught the ball - he went into the dugout, got another ball and personally handed it to the fan.  Love it.

g14 | and they call him Mister Fister

Elaine Thompson   The Associated Press

Mariners 8 | Orioles 2
Well this was quite the game to have missed!  We had dinner guests and had the radio with the game on in the background - paying just enough attention to know that the M's had gone up big, early.  It wasn't till after our guests left, when I sat down to watch from the bottom of the 8th, that I realized we'd missed something special.

on the hill
Mister Fister was on the mound and he had no-hit the O's through six innings.  Markakis (same guy who spoiled Jarrod's last season) broke it up in the 7th but, what a performance!  In the first, he allowed walk and hit a batter, then retired the next 16-in-a-row.  After the game, Wak said he was extremely impressed with Doug's composure and command and how he has learned from every start in his young ML career.

at the plate
7 runs in the 3rd! and one in 7th - you almost feel sorry for the O's ...
And it doesn't appear there were any cheapies either ~ we are talking FIVE doubles and a homer (one of each from Casey "with the bat" Kotchman!).  The rbi's were bunched in the middle of the order (even Jr. got into the scoring action with a 2-run single in that 3rd inning) while batters 1-2-3 accounted for 4 hits, all 5 walks and 5 of the 8 runs.

leather works
Rarely does a pitching performance such as the one Mister Fister turned in come without some outstanding defensive plays - and this one did not disappoint (even rated TWO of the top five ESPN WebGems) including a great DP by Jack and Doug helping out his own cause with a super pick at first of a snazzy spin and throw from Figgy.

g9 | you go, Mister Fister and Uncle Milty!

AP

Mariners 3 | Athletics 0
Save for the error ('s okay Jose, even Adrian made a few) this game seemed to be a microcosm of what I thought the M's would show us this season...
SOLID pitching, SPARKLING defense and JUST ENOUGH offense
(ok - thought they'd run a bit more, but Ichiro's a slow starter, so come May, watch out for the Ichi-Fig!)

on the hill
What a performance from Mister Fister!
8 full innings, 100 pitches, 3 hits, 4 strikeouts, 0 runs and ZERO walks for the M's first "starter W"
And the DA came in and, as per usual, made things a bit interesting, but got the job done for his 3rd Save

at the plate
Now, there WERE several frustrating moments - er, at bats, er innings, leading up to the 8th inning.  But, at least there were occasional base-runners and the frustration was gettin' 'em over and in as opposed to Opening Day, when they couldn't even get them on.  Then, the break through - Jose singled, Mike walked and, after showing bunt, Milton homered.  Relief from M's fans everywhere was audible.

AP

leather-works
2 DP's! and JW looking more like the defensive wiz that JZ traded for

The spark has been lit, can the roaring flames be long behind?

It's official, the Mariners have entered...

The bad news started this afternoon with the news that Cliff Lee was headed back to Seatte for rest/diagnosis/treatment of abdominal strain. Then, as the evening progressed into the game against the Reds, things continued to go down hill ... fast.

• Doug Fister was hit on the arm by a batted ball in the first inning and had to leave the game (x-rays to come)
• Jason Vargas replaced him and looked great for about 3 innings and then came the Reds home run barrage (including an inside-the-parker)
• Milton Bradley was ejected -AGAIN- and this time, sounds like he deserved it
• Jack Wilson was thrown out on an outfield assisted double-play when he lost track of the number of outs in the 9th inning

So, in a matter of hours...

• the M's have lost one ace and one potential starter to injury for an unknown amount of time
• Milton is becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy
• M's lost another ST game (6th in-a-row)

Here's hoping this too shall pass ...
it's only spring training .... right?

UPDATE:  Wak none too happy with the recent Milty tossings

UPDATE:  Hey, Wak's reading my blog :-)
from Kirby's blog...

"What do they say? This too shall pass?" Wakamatsu said. "Hopefully."

Happy First Felix Day!

Yep, Felix's first start of the spring is today in Tucson vs. the Rockies, with Adam Moore behind the plate.

Sounds like things were a little rough yesterday...
giants 8 | mariners 4

• Doug Fister had a rough outing (although only one of the four runs he allowed was earned and Wak said he saw some positives and they are still working on some things (it is only March 14th)
• As for the unearned runs, Chone Figgins, very uncharacteristically, made two errors in one inning (not totally excusing things, but Wak did mention the field was a bit hard)
• Eric Byrnes slid into second base (literally) and banged up his face a bit.  That guy seemingly has no 'take it easy' mode - it's either full bore or off because full bore resulted in injury
• Looks like Garrett Olson is swiftly losing his shot at the 5th spot in the rotation

On the happy side of the ledger...

• Jose made a GREAT play at third base, prompting Dave to say, "He looks like a third baseman!"
• Jose and Eric both had doubles
• Michael Saunders hit his first springtime home run
• Nice DP turned 

Even though I was at work, I got to listen here and there as there was finally a game broadcast on the radio.  I'll be listening from work again today ...

Go Felix!
Well, mostly go just enough to get your work in and work on whatever you need to work on and gradually get ready for the season.

G159 | Sweep complete.

M's 4 | A's 2


Good to see Mr. Fister back on track...
Should be an interesting battle for the rotation come spring.


Congrats to Adrian...
going out on a good note with a home run
(man alive, will I miss that D at the hot corner!)










AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

G154 | "Doc - tored"

AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Fred Thornhill


M's 0 | Blue Jays 5

Despite 4 doubles, the M's couldn't get on the board vs. Halladay...
In what may have been his last start as a Jay in Rodgers Centre, he certainly gave the fans something to remember - a 7 hit complete game shutout

Encouraging though, that for the first 5 innings, Doug was matching him pretty well...
in fact, Mr. Fister had a perfect game through 5, then gave up a single and then Hill homered for the Jays first 2 runs and it went downhill from there.

G149 | CC shows his Cy stuff

M's 1 | Yankees 10

Well, this isn't the Mister Fister we have come to know and love, or at least like...
The last time he faced the Yanks, it ended in a 10-3 victory. Such is the life of a young pitcher - obviously the Yanks, having seen him just last month, made adjustments - he will have to learn to do the same.

Suffice it to say, it wasn't too fun to be at...
(especially compared to the thrilling 9th inning victory the night before)
The bats couldn't get anything going vs. CC and the arms were pretty out of sync individually and as a whole.

Still a chance for the series win tomorrow...
and the possibility to keep the Yanks from clinching a playoff berth on our turf.




AP Photo/Ted S. Warren