ST16 | vs. Brew Crew

Mariners 4 | Brewers 5

PITCHING NOT THE SHARPEST
Pineda got knocked around a bit (TWO earned runs on SEVEN hits and ONE walk) but did record THREE strikeouts in his FOUR innings of work.   The rest of the staff combined for TWO earned runs on FIVE hits and ZERO walks.

OFFENSE NOT IN THE SWING
only SIX hits and if it weren't for Ryan's THREE-run home run there would have only been ONE run from Cust's double.

MIXED BAG OF RUNNING and "D"
with a stolen base and TWO double plays but, also TWO errors and a caught stealing and Milton suffered his first ejection of the spring for arguing balls and strikes.

NEWS AND NOTES

• Griffey returns | Larry Stone
• Bedard likely earns rotation spot | Larry Larue

g41 | happy, happy, joy, joy

Mariners 4 | Blue Jays 3

TED S. WARREN / The Associated Press   AP

12:30pm on a weekday is a crummy time for a baseball game to start.

But, Junior finally reminded us of how great one can end.

At last ... on the right side of a walk-off win!

Congratulations to Don Wakamatsu who notches his 100th win as Mariner Manager
(and gets tossed for the first time as a major league skipper in the process!)

g39 | lotsa good stuff, b u t . . .

Mariners 5 | Athletics 6

no "W" to show for it.

• Figgy with two hits! (including a double and a run and an rbi)
• Casey with two hits! (and two rbi)
• Robby with a homer! (apparently, he likes hitting vs. Sheets)
• Robby also throwing 2 runners out (we won't talk about his out on the basepaths ;-(
• Junior with a hit!
• Mike with a pinch-hit rbi (that tied the game at 5 in the 8th)
• Michael turns an AWESOME DP - shoes string catch and throws the runner out at 2B

10 total hits and 5 walks ... THAT's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

Now, the bad part...

• Felix wasn't Felix but, although he had to work darned hard for it, he did leave with the lead
• The pen, unfortunately, was "the pen" (as of late, they just can't hold it late)
• Guti hesitated on throwing to 2B on a long fly ball out that could have resulted in a DP
• Rob thrown out at 3B (OK, so I mentioned it)

g29 | what's with the crazy 8's??

Mariners 0 | Angels 8
0-8 two days in-a-row?

The Canadian Press

And one with Felix on the mound?

The walks were killer (and not necessarily all Felix's fault, seems there was NO help at all from the guy in "the other blue").  He settled down a bit after the brutal 4 run (34 pitch) first inning, but then gave up THREE home runs in the fourth... argh!

There was some speculation that Felix was still having back issues, but according to Shannon, it's nothing physical.  She went so far to say that "he's lost his mojo".  Basically, she said that, even prior to this losing streak, Felix has not had his normal swagger in the clubhouse this season and the lack of same, seems to be carrying over to the field.

Who knows.... maybe he just has to have the requisite requisite sucky game vs. the Halos in May before he really kicks it into gear.

Then there was the offense or, lack thereof. Jared Weaver had a no-hitter two outs into the 7th. Luckily, Junior singled to break it up.  Unluckily, they had only one other hit (double by Michael Saunders) and no runs.

The only positive was the bullpen - but, considering Mark Lowe is on the DL, that's a pretty important positive.  Jesus, Brandon and Tex combined for 5.2 hitless, scoreless innings.

Oh, there was one other positive from the game tonight.  I met a very nice lady (fellow Mariner fan, of course).  If you find your way here, Debbie - just wanted to say it was nice chatting with you!

Wak says no walks....

Now there's a man after my own heart!

The M's skipper obviously feels the way I do about pitcher's walks (NOT a good thing) and is willing to scrape a little to come up with a positive from a somewhat less than stellar performance.

Actually, looks like Lowe, Pauley and Cordero faired pretty well in relief (only one earned run in 5 innings) and Milton laid down a bunt single AND didn's get thrown out (well, not by the umpire at least)

OK - that's all the rosiness I can muster tonight ... been a long day.

Oh, just a couple other things...

• Cliff Lee will throw tomorrow and be reevaluated
• Erik Bedard has some stiffness, M's say it's OK, they're just being cautious
• Time for someone, anyone, to step up....
• Junior knows he's needed for more than Kangaroo Court Judge...

Pricey batboys and rookie coaches

Yes it's early spring and the first intra-squad game has been played.
~ Pitchers got some work in (17 in all threw at least one inning)
~ Fielders made some plays (Figgy and Jose at their 'new' positions, Dustin looking like he belongs)
~ Hitters got some hits (Jose 2-2 w/a double, Jr with a bunt base hit - oops! who was covering 1st?)

And then, there were the bat boys complete with "BB" taped to the back of their jerseys.

                             courtesy Shannon Drayer's blog

Apparently today, Jr. and Sweeney will don whistles and carry clipboards for the role play of the day.

What a fun bunch.  Wish I was there.

The simultaneous encore and finale begin...

Larry LaRue's blog

So last October, we thought this was it. But, 't wasn't long into the off-season before we found out that there would be an encore to the finale.

Junior is back and he arrived in Peoria today.

Apparently, his presence in the clubhouse stirred quite the ruckus...

To new third baseman Chone Figgins: “You looked a lot bigger in red.” To center fielder Franklin Gutierrez, who signed a four-year, $20.25 million contract over the winter: “I’ll be getting some of your money now that you got that big contract.” Griffey is the judge of the team’s kangaroo court. Pointing to new pitcher Cliff Lee: “I’m going to throw bunting practice to pitchers this year. That guy might get one behind his back.” Six years ago, Lee was suspended for six games after throwing a pitch behind Griffey during an interleague game between the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds.

“It got a lot louder in there,” manager Don Wakamatsu said. “It’s amazing how one guy can change the karma of a room.”

And maybe, just maybe, the karma of a season.

One more year....

At the onset of his initial return, I dubbed it Real and Right as Rain. That is exactly how it ended up.

Okay, the true story book ending would have been World Series rings all around for the navy and teal. But, hey, you can't have everything ~ not in just one year anyway.

It really turned out better than anyone could have imagined. Sure, it would have been nice if Junior had been totally healthy and capable of playing like he did in his first ten years instead of the second ten. But, despite his limited playing time and declining ability, he was able to make a HUGE impact on what had previously been such a MARK HARRISON / THE SEATTLE TIMES

dysfunctional clubhouse. His mere presence - that smile and his unadulterated joy for game - acted as an elixir for all that ailed the young and scared, the old and injured and the just plain burnt out.

From all accounts it was, and is, all genuine. Junior truly cares about this entire organization, all his teammates and each and every person in it, from the clubhouse guy, to the PR people.Junior, by word and deed, made the game what it is supposed to be, for the players one through twenty-five and for the fans. He made if fun again.

There are those who think, from a baseball standpoint, this is not a move that should have been made. I can understand that view, I just don't happen to agree. Early indications, from reporters and even from his own agent, are that Junior is willing to play whatever role is best for the team - likely one more limited than even last season. This gives the M's flexibility from a financial and personnel standpoint and is only going to serve to further strengthen what was started last season. In other words, this move is not going to hinder other moves - Jack Z is just getting started!

I, for one, am so very glad that the fans will be able to give Junior a season long send off. He deserves it. So do they.

And so we have one more year...
One more year to bask in that contagious smile.
One more year to savor that presence at the plate.
One more year to admire that sweet, sweet swing.
One more year to revel in that unadulterated joy of the game.

One more year to say goodbye.

btw ~ the Seattle Mariners won 24 more games last season than the year before. Some may deem it a coincidence. I think not.

Going to take some time....

To put into words the experience of the last day of the 2009 season...

M's 4 | Rangers 3

I'll be back later to try...

G161 | Snowman doesn't get to eight, but finishes season strong

M's 2 | Rangers 1

Typical Mariner win in 2009...
~ SOLID starting
~ SHUT DOWN relief
~ JUST ENOUGH offense
~ GREAT defense


Fun to see Junior's 630th in person :-)


Ryan has grown SO much as a pitcher this season...
I'm starting to think that his injury early in the season was a blessing in disguise. Can't wait to see what he can accomplish next season (and beyond) if/when he is healthy and with the big club from day 1



AP Photo/John Froschauer

G158 | Talk about ending on a high note!

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson


M's 7 | A's 0

Now THAT is the Brandon we all knew existed...
Gone was the self-doubt replaced by confidence in abundance!

To record ONE hit and NINE strikeouts through SEVEN innings against one of the hottest September lineups was truly fabulous! And, to do it with less than 80 pitches and NO walks was simply icing on the cake. Brandon did allow a couple walks in the 8th, but was able to work out of trouble without incurring any damage and turn it over to Shawn, who kept the shutout in tact.

I'm hopeful that Brandon's direction (from himself and from the team) is more definitely defined now. No more 'flip-floppin' ... If that is the case, seems that this type of performance may be more the norm than what we saw earlier in the season - when he wasn't truly physically ready and mentally/emotionally conflicted for whatever reason.

other notes...
~ Junior hit his 629th career home run (another 3-run shot)
~ Adam Moore (who was 4 years old when Jr hit his first) hit his first major league homer :-)

G157 | Felix at less than his best is better than most all others...

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

M's 6 | A's 4

Felix wasn't at his best to be sure...
but Junior (with his 3-run homer in the 5th) and Mark Lowe (relieving Felix in the 8th with the bases loaded and two outs and getting a strikeout) were able to help ensure team victory and add to Felix's CY Award candidacy.

And, getting to .500 was no small feat for this team of 101-losses last year...

"It means a lot. ... Winning 81 games is pretty good for this team," Hernandez said. "It's way different. In the clubhouse and on the field it feels different. Last year it was kind of quiet. This year we just have fun."

G150 | Series win ... always sweet vs. da yanks

AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

M's 7 | Yankees 1


It's always great to beat the Yankees, no matter the time or circumstance of the season.

But, here are some things that made this one a little extra-special....
~ Alex, Johnny and Hideki were a combined 0 for 10
~ The Yanks clubhouse champagne was left corked (they will have to celebrate their playoff clinch somewhere else)
~ And, last but not least, Mariner Central was representin' :-)

Thanks, Lonnie!
It was great to finally meet you and some of the gang!

G114 | Peanut butter to go with that jam??

..
M's 1 | White Sox 0
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to start watching the game until about the 8th inning (little did I know, it was just getting started!)

Where do I begin? There was SO much to take in...
Obviously, Felix was AWESOME (I'm claiming the hi-socks were the ticket)
7IP - 6H - 0ER - 4BB - 10K
His outing was far from trouble-free (but from what I saw of the highlights, he was having an awful lot of fun getting out of jam after jam ;-)

Not enough superlatives for the defense...
Only two double plays, but LOTS of other fun stuff - including an outfield assist (Ichiro to Rob - OUT at the plate) an awesome pick-off at 3rd (Rob to Adrian) numerous great catches and throws - love, love, love it!!!

And then there was the BP....
definitely back to their old form - despite being banned from displaying their gladiator helmets, their warrior mentality still shines through. Sean, Shawn, Mark and Chris were fabulous - combining for 7 IP - 4H - 0ER - 2BB - 6K
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

Of course the Chi-Sox arms and leather weren't too shabby either...
BUT - they don't have JUNIOR anymore :-)

Game winning RBI w/2outs in the bottom of the 14th!!!!


AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

G104 | Felix and the Hit Parade!

.

AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

M's 7 | Rangers 2

Nice 'development' occurring with Felix..
Even when he's not got his best stuff - he pitches through it and more often than not, gets the W (for himself AND the team). No better example of that than tonight's game. He only had one 1-2-3 inning, walked 4 and hit a batter. He was the recipient of a couple of nifty double plays behind him (including an assit by Ichiro to get Vizquel out at the plate) and showed how well he can field his position by catching a liner right at him for the third out in the 7th.

As for the bats...
a rare 16-hit barrage including 7 for extra bases! ~ Jose and Junior* each a triple shy of the cycle ~ Jack W with 2 doubles ~ Ryan with a triple

*Junior's #622 career homer and Tommy Hunter became the 400th pitcher to surrender a homer to him

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

G70 | too little, too late

M's 7 | Padres 9

Well, the arms were bound to come down to earth eventually (and doesn't if figure it would happen against another struggling offense). Garrett was good for a few innings and had the bats come through for more than a run with the bases loaded in the second inning, it could have been a whole different game. But they didn't and Roy totally blew up in the sixth (though some thought he was getting squeezed and showing his emotions with this particular umpire didn't help his cause)

As anemic as this offense has been, it was nice to see that they didn't lay down upon an 8 run deficit and battled back to make it close and had a darn good shot to at least tie it in the 9th.

But, 't was not to be.




Milestone Mariner Moment...
Junior's home run was the 5000th in the M's history!

G67 | That's the sweet swing we remember!

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AP Photo/John Froschauer

M's 4 | Diamondbacks 3

I wasn't able to attend the game tonight as I usually do on Friday nights when the M's are at home, as I was honored to attend my God-Daughter's college graduation party (yes, the slide show her mother, my BFF, created brought more than a tear ;-)

Anyway, I did occasionally take a peek at my BlackBerry to check on the score. Seems Jarrod and the M's were down 3-0 fairly early and despite a decent amount of hits, just couldn't get anything going. And then came the 8th ....

I glanced down at my BB and saw that the M's had scored a run, there was a man on second base and Junior was at bat. A minute or so later I glanced down and saw the score was tied - I didn't even need to check the play-by-play, it was obvious what had happend. I could hardly contain my excitement (during whatever conversation I was having at the time). Then I looked down and saw that the M's had a one run advantage - yesssss! I thought to myself!

"Today was special," Griffey said, grinning over his 618th career home run, the hugs he got from nearly every giddy teammate and then the fans' curtain call he answered by emerging from the dugout and tipping his batting helmet.

"Just a little chance of giving back, appreciating all the things they've done for me over the years," Griffey said of the people who have loved him since he was a 19-year-old rookie star here two decades ago.

Johnson thinks Griffey is special, too. His locker neighbor shared heartfelt condolences with him Friday, after Johnson returned from being gone five days to Texas following the death of his mother-in-law. Griffey told the young catcher how he got through losing loved ones -- including his best friend, Frank King, who died 13 months ago at the age of 38 of cancer.

Johnson called his wife, who is still in Houston with their son, before he took batting practice. Hours later he watched Griffey's heroic moment in awe -- and then became a hero himself.

"I couldn't think of a better situation. So many of us wouldn't be here in this stadium if it wasn't for him," Johnson said of Griffey.

good stuff...

• Awesome to see Junior starting to really contribute on the field as we all can see the difference he has made off the field
• Russell, despite just returning from his grandfather's funeral, picked up right where he left off.
  
• And what about Robby? First day back from bereavement leave (lost his mother-in-law to a car accident) and he hits a run scoring triple ~ don't see THAT everyday from a catcher ~ and, it would prove to be the game winner
• Another QS from Jarrod (shame he didn't get the win) and solid performance from the pen

scary stuff...
Collision course between Endy and Yuni proved to be disastrous for poor Endy...
MRI today and early indications are not good... heal fast and well, Endy!


AP Photo/John Froschauer


AP Photo/John Froschauer


AP Photo/John Froschauer


AP Photo/John Froschauer


AP Photo/John Froschauer


Off to work for a bit and then to the game tonight ...
Here's hoping they have some "good stuff excitement" saved for tonight!

G65 | series win in Sunny SD!

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AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi


M's 4 Padres 3

16th one run victory ... but we will take it!

~ Garrett with his second straight victory
~ bullpen looking more like the bullpen (instead of the comedy of errors at Mile High)
~ Jose staying hot (another multi-run homer!)
~ Mike Carp with a walk in his first big league AB (Welcome to the Show, Mike!)
~ Junior coming around (ever so slowly) with another run-scoring double (and he caught a ball in LF! ;-)

Speaking of Jr...
Shannon mentioned on the post game how he is truly, far and away, THE best teammate she has ever seen in her 11 years of covering baseball. Here's to his on field contribution reaching half the epic proportions of his clubhouse presence.