One broom, one duster | Home Highlights

.


3-3 from the Snakes
2-3 from the Pads



Bright Sights...

~ Junior's flair for the dramatic
a 3-run shot that tied a game vs. the D-Backs in the 8th inning - a game the M's would eventually win) and a solo shot (in a losing cause) vs. the Padres that was the 5000th in M's franchise history
~ Ichiro = hot, hot, hot
he continues to lead the majors in BA on his way to another 200+ hit season. He also recorded the 1900th hit in his major league career
~ Russell continues to muscle
picked up right where he left off after returning from his grandfather's funeral
~ So far so good, with the bat AND the glove for Wladdy filling in for Endy
~ Starters, for the most part were bright - Jarrod had two QS (and actually got one win!), Felix was Felix, Jason was good again and Brandon's making baby steps in improvement
~ Bullpen was sure and steady as per usual

And look, ma! An 11+ run differential for the home stand ;-)



Bleak peeks...

~ losing Endy (due to the outfield collision) for the season
~ losing Yuni (just when he was improving a few things) for a couple of weeks to hamstring strain

Mariner M*A*S*H Unit

They're baaaaack. Adrian's bone spurs....

The issue isn’t “if” Beltre will need an operation to remove bone spurs that have regrown in the same place, it’s “when.”

“It’s the same thing I had last year, bone spurs, only it’s worse. I had X-rays (Tuesday) and they’ve grown back, in the same place,” Beltre said. “I think they’re worse this year.

“I’m going to need surgery, now or later. It’s a matter of how long I can play with the pain.”

Team trainer Rick Griffin acknowledged the inevitability of taking care of the spurs.

“If he had surgery today, he wouldn’t miss the whole season,” Griffin said, “but it wouldn’t be a short rehab, either. Can he play through it? He couldn’t the other day. We’ll have to see.

“It’s Adrian’s call.”

The Gold Glove infielder, in the final year of his contract and considered a valuable entity as the trade deadline approaches, may now be untradable.

“If I lift my arm, it’s there. If I raise my arm over my head, it’s there. If my swing raises my arm, it’s there,” Beltre said. “Any time I dive for a ball, the pain is there.

“I want to keep playing. I’m going to keep playing and see what happens.”

Hurting heart. Jose didn't make it home in time...

Mariners second baseman Jose Lopez's older sister passed away late last week after a lengthy battle with cancer.

The team did not actually find out the details until his agent contacted GM Jack Zduriencik on Monday. It turns out Lopez's sister actually passed away before he could make it down to Venezuela to see her. But he did make it down in time for her funeral.

Hammy whammy. Yuni on the DL...

The Seattle Mariners placed starting shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt on the 15-day disabled list Thursday after he pulled his hamstring running out a ground ball the previous night.

Betancourt injured the lower part of his right hamstring after hitting a ground ball in the eighth inning in Wednesday night's 4-3 win over San Diego. Betancourt was on crutches in the Mariners' clubhouse before Thursday's game and manager Don Wakamatsu said it will be at least 15 days before Betancourt is recovered.

He won't be eligible to come off the DL until July 10, just three games before the All-Star break.

Shoulder still not ready. Erik's return delayed...

The Mariners are also delaying the return of Bedard. Expected to return in New York next week, Wakamatsu said it's now likely Bedard won't start again until July 4 in Boston.

Bedard was placed on the DL on June 17, retroactive to June 8, with inflammation in his left shoulder.

Collision in the outfield. Endy's season ended...

Mariners left fielder Endy Chavez is done for the rest of this season and possibly part of 2010 after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), as well as his medial collateral ligament (MCL). He also tore part of his lateral meniscus, which acts as a protective coating to the knee itself. There were no fractures, but he does have a deep bone bruise.

Chavez was injured in the fifth inning Friday when he collided with teammate Yuniesky Betancourt trying to catch a shallow pop fly.

Mariners medical director Dr. Edward Khalfayan's preliminary guess is that Chavez will be out nine to 12 months, which means he might not be ready to start 2010 on time. Khalfayan said Chavez "would be limited to what he could do" in spring training.

"It's not just a simple, straightforward ACL tear that doesn't have any other damage," he said. "He has a very severe injury to the MCL. And those can be Grade 1, 2, and 3 sprains and his is a Grade 3 sprain which is a complete tear."

Surgery won't be performed for two to three weeks until the swelling subsides and Chavez gets some range-of-motion back. After that, it will be four months before he can try running again.

Remember the "D" and find the bats | Home Highlights

.
Halos & Tiggers & Rays (5-4)

ROSY RAPTURE

The Mariners won...
~ the 1st game of every series
~ two of three series at home
~ five of nine games at home

Ichiro back, still showing a flair for the dramatic...
~ lead-off hit in his debut, and later in the game ~ a GRAND SLAM
~ lead-off home run in the last game of the stand ~ that would be the ONLY run of the game

Endy picked up at home where he left off on the road...
~ 1HR - 12B - 3RBI - 5BB
~ one of the few non-pitchers w/o an error

Overall offense struggling but, bottom-averages are still team contributors...
~ Jose team leader in RBI
~ Franklin team leader in runs scored
~ Junior team leader in BB
~ Adrian team leader in doubles, 2nd in runs scored

You just KNOW that, especially Adrian and Jose, are going to hit eventually ~ just look at the back of their baseball card

AND - - - M's may be hitting a paltry .250 as a team, but they DO lead the league in BA w/RISP



PALLID PONDERINGS

To say the D has been a disappointment is an understatement....
NINE errors on this home stand alone that accounted for FIVE unearned runs ~ TOTALLY unacceptable (the worst culprit? ... Yuni) Hope Wak gets a handle on that REAL quick.

The bats really need to pick it up...
Started out great, scoring 15 runs in the first series with the Halos, then only 8 v.s the Tigers and 7 against the Rays - for a total of 30 runs scored compared to 34 runs allowed.

Some minor, nagging injuries factored in to the bleaker side of things...
Russell tweaked his back on a sliding in safe at home in the first game with the Tigers. Then, Mike tweaked his back on a check swing in the second game against the Rays (after going 3 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI) which then necessitated Jamie Burke to play 2B in the last game of that series (since BOTH Russ and Mike were out)

G2 | all was rosy ~ until that elusive 3rd out in the 9th

.

AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid

M's 5 | Twins 6

There were SO many great things in this ballgame ~ it's hard to believe they lost :-(

EriKKKKKKKK
He appeared to be the pitcher everyone thought he was. He was absolutely dominant, allowing only two singles through four (and at one point, retiring 10 -in-row) and recording five strikeouts. It was looking like Erik would cruise to his first ever win against the Twins (the only AL club he has beat) but then came the 5th. Despite eventually striking out the side, a lead-off triple, a hit batsman, a steal and a couple singles were enough to get three Twins runs on the board.

manufacturing plant
~single, double, sac-fly (1)
~single, steal, walk, single (1)
~single, single, single (2)
~single, sac, single (1)
Endy is certainly filling in well for Ichiro ... 3 more hits and 2rbi tonight. Joh, Jr and Jose the were the only batters w/o hits, althought they did combine for 3 BB

no dp's
But the defense was solid including an awesome snare by Yuni ~ definite WebGem!

bullpen
Roy and David combined for 3.0 scoreless, hitless innings with 3 strikeouts and all was looking splendid ... then came the ninth. Brandon recorded 2 fairly quick outs (and was hitting 97 on the gun) and then walked the bases loaded. Miggy came in after Brandon was gassed from throwing so many pitches and promptly gave up two singles, the lead and the game.

FINE PINE

.
courtesy Kirby Arnold | HeraldNet


WLADIMIRbalentien
OUTFIELD
.202 | 7 HR | 24 RBI
Balentien won the spring training derby for the final outfield bench spot with Mike Morse; both were out of minor league options. Balentien hit three home runs and drove in 12 runs entering Thursday, and played well enough in the outfield to win the job over Morse, who cleared waivers and was outrighted to Class AAA Tacoma. Strikeouts have been Balentien's curse through his minor league career and it plagued him last year when he fanned 79 times in 243 at-bats with the Mariners. At spring training, he'd struck out only 13 times in his first 59 at-bats.



RONNIEcedeno
INFIELD
.269 | 2 HR | 28 RBI
Cedeno is another product of the J.J. Putz trade, in an indirect way. The Mariners traded pitcher Aaron Heilman, obtained from the Mets in the Putz deal, to the Cubs for Cedeno and pitcher Garrett Olson. Cedeno is a solid fielder with good range, and the Mariners used him to push shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt at spring training. Like Chavez, Cedeno has shown an ability to drop bunts and play an up-tempo game offensively.
*Hitting statistics with the Chicago Cubs in 2008



ENDYchavez
OUTFIELD
.267 | 1 HR | 12 RBI*
Chavez was a key acquisition in the three-team trade that sent closer J.J. Putz to the New York Mets. Chavez was in line to be the Mariners' starting left fielder before they signed Ken Griffey Jr. in February. He still may see considerable time in left, depending on Griffey's mobility in the outfield and how his legs hold up. Chavez started 56 games with the Mets last year, when he finally made an error for the first time since 2005, ending a 253-game streak without an error covering 394 total chances n the field. Chavez also has hit well in spring training, especially using his speed to beat out bunts and play the style that Wakamatsu is pushing.
*Hitting statistics with the New York Mets in 2008