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...

g98 | guys not too far removed from T-Town shut down the sox

Mariners 5 | Red Sox 1

David Pauley made his third start tonight since "replacing" Cliff Lee in the rotation ...
He has now pitched to the Yanks, the White Sox and the Red Sox - no soft landings there.  While he pitched well in all three, he was tagged with the loss in the first two because of the bullpen.  Tonight, he took the no decision, as the bullpen was stellar but the offense didn't come to life till after he had departed.

Coming to life with a little bit of this and a little bit of that ...
It took awhile, but with one out in the 6th, Michael broke up Lester's no-hit bid with a home run after Patterson's error ruined the perfect game chance, allowing Jack to get to second base in the previous at-bat.  Then, in the 8th, Milton tripled and Jack executed a great bunt (eye-level pitch) to bring MB home.  Then a Michael single, Ichiro walked and Figgy doubled, for the second run of the inning.  A Guit walk loaded the bases and then Jose was hit by a pitch making the score 5-1

TED S. WARREN / AP

And how 'bout that pen?!?
While David did well holding the Red Sox to only one run (a solo shot to Big Papi, certainly no shame in that) on five hits - Chris, Jamey and Garrett held them HITLESS and SCORELESS through THREE+ innings.  Chris notched his first major league win and Garrett his first major league save.

Good night all round ... 
Save for one M who was still a bit surly in the clubhouse ~ been busy with some other things, but hope to post some comments on the whole "Figgy falderal"sometime tonight.

Now, it's off to Fenway Northwest ... er, Safeco Field!

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 ....

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)

g76 | talk about playin' to the level of your competition...

Mariners 7 | Yankees 4
Well, we knew what Clifton was capable of vs. the Yanks, so his complete game was certainly not a surprise (although the one walk and the 4 runs were pretty un-Cliff like)

SETH WENIG / AP

But how 'bout those bats?!?

TWELVE hits!
including FOUR doubles (Jose, Michael and Rob w/2) ONE Guti homer and an Ichi SF!

SETH WENIG / AP

g71 |

Mariners 8 | Cubs 1


Cliff was just ho-hum Cliff...
~ SECOND STRAIGHT complete game (his FOURTH of the season)
~ NINE more K's (0-2 on NINETEEN batters)
~ ZERO walks making his K's/BB/s ratio now 19/1

DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

And lookie here...
a little offense to go along with the pitching - again, in large part thanks to "the Condor"...

g68 | Happy Felix Day, indeed!

Mariners 5 | Reds 1

Yes indeedy - Felix rounding into form right on schedule....
9IP - 5H - 1ER - 1BB - 9K

Elaine Thompson / Associated Press

And a bit of run support for a change!
Double digit hits including 2 doubles (Guti and Loepy) and 2 homers (Ichiro and Michael)

AP photo/Elaine Thompson

g57 | ready, set, pitch!

Mariners 4 | Rangers 2

Talk about tempo.  Cliff sets it.

TONY GUTIERREZ / AP

I got home just in time to see the slightly dicey part . . .
after the Rangers had scored 2 runs in the 9th and had 2 on with 2 outs.  I got out of the car after Cliff's failed attempt to get the 3rd out when he dropped the ball he had caught bard-handed covering first base on a shovel pass from Casey.  Dave said that Aardsma was coming in, but by the time I got in the house and turned on the TV, Cliff was still pitching.  I was glad, because at that point, even if he had lost, at least it would not be the bullpen blowing it.  As it turned out, he got the last batter to pop up, sealing the victory AND the complete game - only the third Mariner ever to toss a complete game in Arlington (Randy Johnson and John Halama the other two).

The offense provided just enough, on a day where shake-ups were plenty . . . 
from the lineup - MB to 2nd, Figgy to 9th, Carp to 5th, Casey to the bench and a swap of 1st and 3rd coaches.  And, whether it be the line up change or not, the bottom of the order comes through providing 7 of the 10 hits and all 4 RBI (thanks to Michael's 3-run homer and Rob's rbi single)

AP

One down in the Texas heat . . .
Here's hoping it truly is a Happy Felix Day tomorrow (cuz there have been 10 Felix days so far, only three of which have been "happy")

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)

g34 | heartbreak at camden...

Mariners 5 | Orioles 6

How could a day where so many things went so RIGHT...

• 3 homeruns??  Ichiro, Mike and Michael
• When was the last time the M's hit three  in one week, let alone one game?!?
• Hits, Runs, RBI from the top, middle and bottom of the order
• Felix was Felix again ~ 7IP - 5H - 1Er - 2BB - 7K
• a nice 4-run lead heading to the bottom of the 8th...

 end so WRONG?

• solo shot - ok, no biggie, but 5 batters later...
• the dagger - no breaking out of rye bread and mustard out for this one though
• but wait - can they come back in the 9th?!? 
• ground out, HBP, walk, strike out, single .... and ..... OUT at the plate to end the game

g32 | nap-gate, schmap-gate - they got a win!

Mariners 5 | Orioles 1
Seems the topic of the day was much ado about nothing.
Now, on to baseball - and another win!

AP

The east coast timing sucks, as the game's just getting over as I get home from work (plus, we had a family dinner tonight, so didn't get to hear the post game show) so all I've got to go by is the box score but ... it looks pretty darned good!

• Double digit hits (including two doubles and a homer!)  
• Figgy had an error - but he also had a hit (and an RBI walk) and was involved in two DP's!
• Cliff was Cliff and finally got his first win!
• Brandon was great in relief

The "new guys" seem to be providing a much needed spark.  
In the past two games, Ryan, Josh and Michael have combined for . . .
3homers, 1triple, 1double, 9hits, 7rbi, 8runs and 3walks

g31 | exhaaaaaaaaale!

Mariners 8 | Angels 1
And, a Happy Mother's Day it was!

AP Photo/Kevin P. Casey

Especially for Michael Saunders mom . . .

"Getting one today was really special, with my mom in the stands," Saunders said. "She's been through a lot for the last 11-12 years, battling cancer and everything. So not only was it special for me to hit a home run, it was more special that she was here to see it."  Jane Saunders has been battling various forms of cancer since Michael was 11. She's had four different stints with the disease, which recently returned again.

on the mound
Jason was great again - through seven, he  gave up only four hits, walked on and struck out four.  The lone earned run he allowed came after he walked the lead-off batter in the eighth and Brandon came in and struck out the next batter, suffered an error behind him and then threw a wild pitch.  Shawn pitched a scoreless ninth.

at the plate
wow - 12 HITS!  2 doubles, 1 triple and 2 home runs! (not to mention 4 stolen bases - 2 of which scored).  And, the most important thing .... more runs than the other team
Whodathunk that when the M's finally hit back-to-back home runs, it would be Josh Wilson and Michael Saunders?!?  The M's needed a spark in the worst way and they finally got it.  Now, here's hoping they can keep that spark stoked on the off-day travel to Baltimore.

If there was a negative about the game, it was that the M's could have easily had 3 more runs - two runners were thrown out at the plate and one was picked off 3B (with one out).

leather-works
Despite the Josh's error and Adam's passed ball, the "D" overall has looked MUCH better the past couple of games.  They even managed a double-play yesterday.

Meanwhile, Alan Cockrell is the scapegoat for M's quiet bats.

In other news, Congrats to Dallas Braden!
Perfect game vs. the Rays - wow.  Guess he can answer A-Rod's question about "what has he done..." now with - "something only 19 players in HISTORY have done".

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!

Bits and pieces...

RRS still up beat, despite being beat up, "No worries, mate."
http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100318&content_id=8834222&vkey=news_sea&fext=.jsp&c_id=sea

Keepin' Kanekoa - Rule 5'er at the very least making the decision difficult
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2011383271_mari19.html







Saunders sent down
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/03/19/1115549/saunders-sent-down-to-continue.html

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.

G152 | oh those base on balls....

M's 4 | Rays 5

Five Rays got a free pass.

Only three of them were issued by Brandon...
(which is pretty good for him) it's just that two of them came to the first two batters in the bottom of the 6th, just when it seemed like he might get over that "fifth inning hump".

The other two were issued by Mark...
(who I was surprised to hear come into the game - after the long flight yesterday and a 27 pitch save last night) along with a FC and a couple of singles and before you know it the Rays had a one-run lead in a game that the M's once had a 4-0 advantage.

Tomorrow is Felix Day...
so hopefully the bullpen will get a much needed rest from their long flight and two games of much too much work.



AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

Nice to see "Condor" (Michael Saunders) in there...
3 for 3 (including a triple!) and a stolen base (double steal w/Ichiro)