g93 | 10 more to go vs. sox

Mariners 1 | White Sox 6

Six more against the white variety (2 at home 4 away) and four more against the red

~ David did a nice job going 6IP giving up 3 runs
~ Figgy with 3 walks and a hit
~ Justin with 2 more hits
~ Russell with an RBI double before leaving with a stiff back
~ Jamey .... not so good
~ Offense ... even worse (bases loaded twice and nothing to show for it)

I'm tired.

g83 | offense, where for art thou?

Mariners 2 | Royals 3


the good news ...
~ RRS posts his second quality start vs. a good lineup
~ David Pauley still lookin' good - another scoreless inning
~ two DP's
~ Michael with an outfield assist
~ finally got to ZG after 31 consecutive scoreless innings

the bad news ...
even when the M's get a little something goin', they can't catch a break.
In the 8th, Jack Wilson singled, went to second on an Ichi single, stole third and scored on a Figgy sac fly.  Ichiro was still on 1B (should he have been or was Jack's SB a boo-boo?) so he was unable to score when Russell hit what would be ruled a ground rule double due to fan interference (boo!!!).  Hard to know if Ichi would have scored anyway but, you just never know.

Tip o' the cap to Mr. Grenike.

Here's to sweep avoidance tomorrow...

g82 | bullpen is a royal pain

Mariners 4 | Royals 6

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see Felix, I only saw the bad parts ....

He threw way too many pitches (113) but, still managed to leave after the 7th with a 4-1 lead, thanks to a Figgy rbi single and a Russell 2-run homer that broke a 1-1 tie in the 5th.   KC got another off Felix in the 6th to make it 4-2, which would be the score going into the 8th when Brandon surrendered 2 runs and the offense came up empty, failing to score with runners at 2nd and 3rd with NO outs - they would eventually leave the bases loaded....argh!  The ninth passed fairly quickly, with David getting through unscathed, but the bats remaining silent.  Then came the 10th where it ended ... Chad gave up 2 runs off the bats of former M's Yuni and Scotty P, and that was all she wrote.

Poor Felix.

JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES

g81 | All Star Clifton slacking ... only 8 innings today ;-)

Mariners 8 | Tigers 1

He's "our" All-Star.
At least for the moment...

on the mound
~ Mr. Lee delivers as expected ... 8IP - 9H - 1ER - 1BB - 11K
Does he really have to go???
~ 't wasn't pretty, but Brandon managed to mop up the 9th, preserving the W for Cliff

at the plate
checking and double checking box score ... TWO 3-run homers?!?
     -one off Russell's bat (his second since returning to the M's and his 5th,6th and 7th RBI)
     -one off Casey's (now above the mendoza line after going 3/3 w/2 walks today)
Except for Josh (who has finally cooled a bit) EVERY starter had at least one hit and five (count 'em FIVE!) had multi-hit games.  Can we just be sure these guys get their Wheaties every day?!?

photos courtesy AP

g77 | EXTRA Happy Felix Day!!!

Mariners 7 | Yankees ZERO

This might just be my most favorite Mariner photos EVER.

Cliff's expression is oozing with pride at his young teammate's accomplishment and the Felix's appreciation of that emotion is fully evident.... 

Seth Wenig | AP

Well, okay.  This one is pretty good too...

Seth Wenig | AP

Where do I begin?

We shall soon see if there are enough superlatives to describe this game.

on the mound

If ever there was a game in which Felix lived up to his nickname "K'ing", I would say this would be it - that apostrophe becomes important (and understandable) in a game where "his highness" strikes out ELEVEN.  Not only did he dominate with the K, but essentially allowed ONE hit, even though the scorecard shows TWO (Figgy somehow lost an easy popup in the Bronx night sky).   Felix did allow THREE walks, but we'll forgive him, as none of them came around to score.  Can you say DOMINANT?  Granted, a game on the last day of June on a team with little hope of seeing the post season could hardly be considered "big" ... but that makes this performance from Felix all the more special and impressive.

at the plate

Who ARE these guys?!?  NINE hits, FOUR walks, FOUR home runs (Milton, Russell and Michael w/TWO) and SEVEN runs (for the second straight game).  

~Sure Michael isn't even hitting his weight but, 20rbi and 7hr in 39 game is certainly note worthy production - you go, Condor!  

~Nice to see Figgy coming around (it was bound to happen) with a hit, a run, a walk and another stolen base SB (that's TEN in his last NINE games - and he !).  He ended up batting .271 with 13 stolen bases for the month of June.

~Welcome back, Russell!

~Lopey extends his hitting streak to THIRTEEN

~Milty doing his best to catch up with Russell.

leather-works

Oh yeah - "the Condor" can field his position pretty darned well too - TWO very nice grabs in left.

Felix = 117 pitches (76 strikes)

Yankees = 187 pitches (118 strikes)

g75 | no O

Mariners 0 | Brewers 3

Jason's start wasn't quite up to his normal standards, but it should have been good enough to notch a win - a bit difficult to do when your team scores no runs (guess Russell got to see first hand why the M's need him).  Kudos to the Brewers' starter, Narveson - he was stellar - 8 innings of 4-hit ball.

David Pauley made his first appearance as a Mariner - he did OK - didn't give up any runs, struck out two and allowed three walks in two innings.  Sean also pitched a scoreless inning.

Off day in NY tomorrow ... and then three games at the Stadium (Cliff, Felix and RRS)

Rosy's Ramblings ~ Russell's back....

That's Russell IS back (not to be confused with the possessive "Russell's back" - which proved to be a bit of an issue last season and was a large part of why he wasn't re-signed with the M's in the off-season).


Anyhoo...
Seems this deal caught everybody by surprise.  I first heard via a tweet from Shannon Drayer last night around 9pm and shortly after that, the tweets and other reports were flying fast and furious.  Many were puzzled because given the M's current record, they seem to fall in the "sell" category and this move was definitely more of a "buy".  But, after listening and reading comments from several within the organization, it seems that it was as much a move for the future as it is for the present.  Some quotes from Jack Z via Shannon's blog here.  Tony Blengino expressed similar thoughts (paraphrased), "We were able to deal from depth and give our young guys more support in order to continue their development in a positive light."

So, if Russell can stay healthy (granted, a big IF) there's no question that he immediately improves the team at basically no cost, as the M's were able to deal from a position of organizational depth to add a player at a position that was clear need (yes, the Kotchman era was over before it began and Carp was apparently not the answer either).  It won't likely be enough improvement to matter much in the standings for this season (the hole the M's have dug for themselves is too deep even for Branyan's shovel) but if he can help put a few more wins on the board it could give some of the young kids a little confidence going into next season and provide a stop-gap at 1B for 2011 as well. 

G111 | Sunny Safe, Primo Pitching, Hot Hitting

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AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

M's 11 | Rays 2

What a day at The Safe!

I took my Dad for a belated Father's Day celebration
(he was out of town on the actual day)
and we had a fabulous time in our "fancy Terrace Club seats" :-)

"Hyphen" didn't disappoint - way to go, Ryan!
No doubt he'd like to cut down the 4 walks (seems to be an epidemic lately)
but he got through 6.2 innings, striking out 6 and only giving up the 2 runs on Navarro's homer in the 2nd.

And then there was the offense...
~ another 14 hits and 11 runs - who ARE these guys?
~ 2 doubles and two homers
~ Russell's first grand slam as a Mariner
(which was also his first grand slam since 2003 and his first homer to left field since 2006)

And the defense just keeps getting "niftier"...
A couple great DP's and nice outfield catches

Hanging with the best | Road Reflections

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2-1 vs. Dodgers
1-2 vs. Yankees
2-1 vs. Red Sox


ROAD RHYTHM

~ Felix being Felix (not quite as strong in BOS as he was in LA) but definitely coming into his "ace-hood"
~ Super kudos to the bottom of the order who started to take off with the salvage game in Yankee Stadium and continued rolling on into Fenway (in 5 games the 5-9 hitters were 35 of 52 in hits, 16 of 27 in RBI and 17 of 27 in runs scored)
~ the D.A. added two more saves to his total
~ JR hit his 620th career homer in LA and his 621st in the new Yankee Stadium
~ Russell hit a MOON shot in new YS
~ Red Sox fan catches a foul ball in his cap (preventing Youks from catching it) and the inning extends and the M's get three on a double and a homer
~ Comin' from behind is always fun, but doing it in Fenway is sweet! (and on the 4th of July, no less!)



ROAD RUBBISH

~ Jason continued his road woes in LA
~ Sean struggles mightily for the first time all season (in NY and BOS)
~ Some critical errors spoil comeback in NY and BOS
~ Bullpen implosion in Fenway prevents M's from sweeping the Sox
~ Adrian decides he can no longer play through the pain - the Dodger series is his last prior to surgery

One broom, one duster | Home Highlights

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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

They say these things come in 3's....

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Let's hope to heaven it really stops there.

THREE Mariners grieving...

~ Rob lost his mother-in-law to a car accident in Arizona several days ago (has been on bereavement leave since)

~ Russell's grandfather passed away two days ago (not on actual leave, but was excused from the team to attend the funeral in Georgia)

~ Jose has gone home to Venezuela to be at his dying sister's side (after losing his brother just two years ago)

Thoughts and Prayers to all ;-(

Mike Carp got his first big league start today in Russell's stead and Chris Woodward may see some time at 2B while Jose is out.

In tune in June | Home Highlights

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Home Sweet Home

2 of 3 from the Orioles
2 of 3 from the Twins

I'm not sure if having the best record in one-run games (15-12) is a GOOD thing or a BAD thing. All I know is that with the amount of Tums I've consumed in the late innings recently, I've surely compensated for any calcium deficiency I might have had :-)

When one ponders upon the multitude of times that just a couple more runs would have been the difference between W and L, it is indeed exasperating. But, but this rosy one also sees it as hopeful ~ for as bad as the offense has been, it only needs to be a little bit better to make a HUGE difference. (provided that the pitching can stay the course - and that may be a tall order)



Bright Sights...

• After losing 6 of 9 series in May, the M's are off to a winning start in June, having won their first 2 series of the month and posting the 2nd highest BA and SLG so far in June.
  
• Overall team ERA of 3.74 is good enough for #1 in the league
• FEWEST runs ALLOWED in the league
• 2 pitchers in the top ten in the league in strikeouts (Felix #5, Erik tied at #9)
• 2 players in the top ten in the league in average (Ichiro at #1, Russell at #9)

Bleak peeks...

• In April, the M's had the highest BA w/RISP in the AL - it is now the lowest (.234)
• FEWEST runs SCORED in the league
• The ERRORS continue to mount - 45 is the MOST in the AL

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

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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)

AROUND the HORN

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courtesy Kirby Arnold| HeraldNet



RUSSELLbranyan
FIRST BASE
.250 | 12 HR | 20 RBI
It has been a while since the Mariners had a left-handed-hitting first baseman with consistent home-run potential for the reachable right-field seats at Safeco Field (John Olerud was the last, in 2004). Branyan definitely isn't here for his defense; he has played only 50 of his 601 career games at first base and spring training has been a learning experience. However, as long as he hits and hits for power, the Mariners will roll him out there and take their chances in the field.



JOSElopez
SECOND BASE
.297 | 17 HR | 89 RBI
Lopez's range has been criticized, but he has made himself into an average-at-worst defender who'll neither make the highlight reels on a consistent basis nor be an embarrassment in the field. However, there's no doubt he's an offensive second baseman, having become the seventh second baseman in American League history to record 40 doubles, 15 home runs and 80 RBI in a season.



ADRIANbeltre
THIRD BASE
.268 | 25 HR | 77 RBI
Beltre won his second straight Gold Glove in 2008 and was rated by The Fielding Bible as the best third baseman in the major leagues. His fearless approach, quick hands and strong arm helped him lead American League third basemen with 272 assists and the fourth-best fielding percentage at .964. He made three errors after July 3, and he did all that on a bad left shoulder and left thumb. Beltre had surgery on both the shoulder and thumb in September and, despite some soreness during spring training, seems determined to play another 150-plus games at full bore, of course.



YUNISKEYbetancourt
SHORTSTOP
.279 | 7 HR | 51 RBI
On the way to becoming what fans thought would be next Omar Vizquel at shortstop, Yuniesky Betancourt took a step in the other direction. Maybe two steps. The kid with the great range, quick glove and strong arm has not progressed.

After that promising beginning to his first full season in the majors _ in May, 2006, Betancourt became the first Mariners shortstop since Alex Rodriguez in 2000 to play an entire month without making an error he hasn't gotten better.

His 21 errors last year were the most in the American League, and his .968 fielding percentage was the lowest among any AL shortstop with 125 or more games. Many of Betancourt's defensive mistakes have come from a simple lack of focus clanks off his glove on routine ground balls and bad throws on basic plays.

"Everybody in the game knows what he can do defensively," said manager Don Wakamatsu, who didn't necessarily offer that as an endorsement. "You talk about the defense helping the pitching staff or hurting it."

Betancourt's work ethic was questioned last year when he could be found on the clubhouse couch while other players were outside doing early work. Even this year at spring training, under a new manager and coaching staff hoping to see a more motivated player, Betancourt often fielded ground balls in practice with more flair than focus.

"Yuni's a talent, and we're going to see how much we can get him to give us," Wakamatsu said. "You can't help but like him. His teammates love him. But there's some frustration along with that. We're working on it."

The hope, of course, is that Betancourt will understand that a stronger work ethic off the field and focus on it will make him a better player. In turn, it will help make the Mariners a better team.