Sunday, August 31, 2003
SWEEP
This is exactly what the Mariners needed, and I was hoping I'd be able to say that again this season after the brutal last couple of weeks.
(Side note #1: the Mariners added bleachers onto the LCF landing. I don't know if I like this idea at all. I don't think I do.
Side note #2: every time Jose Morban comes up, his last name reminds me of Fabius "Fab" Morvan of Milli Vanilli fame. Does anyone else have this problem?)
Moyer and Jason Johnson were locked in quite a duel, though Johnson had allowed baserunners in each of the first four innings, and the Mariners let him get away with it. Luckily the Mariners were able to hit the pay station twice in the 6th as Guillen and Olerud had RBI singles. Mac also had a bases-loaded single in the 8th off Kerry Ligtenberg to drive in the third run for insurance.
From there, it was all Moyer. He gave the Mariner bullpen a big break today, going 7 2/3 innings before yielding to Armando Benitez with two on and two out in the 8th. I was surprised Melvin ran Moyer out there for the 8th after having already thrown 103 pitches through 7. Melvin left Jamie in there as long as he possibly could, and he came out to a standing ovation.
Some questionable calls. Guillen bounced one to Olerud on which Olerud clearly was pulled off the bag at first, but the runner was punched out. Somewhat questionable call when Boone got nailed at 3rd on the Guillen RBI single, but Batista may have gotten Boone's hand. Luis Matos was hung out to dry on a pickoff throw from Olerud to Sanchez, but it looked like Matos beat the throw to second but was called out anyway. Other than those calls, Moyer was squeezed on at least seven or eight pitches trying to paint the corner. Moyer had the brunt of most of these squeezings, but the Orioles had their share too.
A quick look at the boxscore shows that the Mariners got one hit each from Sanchez, Edgar, Mac, and Wilson. The Mariners got two hits each from Boone, Guillen, and Olerud. Cameron hung up an 0-for-1, but walked three times. So who is the goat of the lineup, you ask? ICHIRO went 0-for-5 with a strikeout. Let's go over his at-bats: whiffed on a 1-2 pitch to lead off the game (1st inning); got ahead 2-0 in the count before flying out on a 3-2 pitch to left field with Wilson on first (3rd inning); bounced a ball right to Conine on a 2-1 pitch with one out (5th inning); grounded out to second on a 1-2 pitch in the 7th; flew out in foul ground (thanks to a diving catch on an 0-1 pitch with the bases juiced and two out (8th inning). The Mariners have won these last three games with most everything turning out right. Ichiro made one great contribution in yesterday's game. Other than that, there's gonna be a bunch of times from this point through the rest of the year where the Mariners are gonna need this Ichiro guy to jumpstart the offense like we expect him to. Ichiro has got to step up because time is running out and this team needs him to perform to his capabilities at the plate, and going 0-for-5 and stranding four runners on the bases is not the way to do it. Come on, Ichiro. Show us what you're made of.
Oakland won today, their 9th in a row, and it's entirely possible they may not lose a game for the rest of the season. Usually I'd be very ticked off about the fact that they're getting wins out of hacks like John Halama and Ted frigging Lilly. But after the horrible losing streak the Mariners were in, I'm just glad for now that the Mariners have found out how to win again. They're not completely out of it, but they're showing great progress, and this sweep today was a big step in the right direction. Here's to a 6-0 Tampa Bay/Baltimore road trip and taking back the division lead. Is it wishful? Yes. But we can dream, can't we?
(Side note #1: the Mariners added bleachers onto the LCF landing. I don't know if I like this idea at all. I don't think I do.
Side note #2: every time Jose Morban comes up, his last name reminds me of Fabius "Fab" Morvan of Milli Vanilli fame. Does anyone else have this problem?)
Moyer and Jason Johnson were locked in quite a duel, though Johnson had allowed baserunners in each of the first four innings, and the Mariners let him get away with it. Luckily the Mariners were able to hit the pay station twice in the 6th as Guillen and Olerud had RBI singles. Mac also had a bases-loaded single in the 8th off Kerry Ligtenberg to drive in the third run for insurance.
From there, it was all Moyer. He gave the Mariner bullpen a big break today, going 7 2/3 innings before yielding to Armando Benitez with two on and two out in the 8th. I was surprised Melvin ran Moyer out there for the 8th after having already thrown 103 pitches through 7. Melvin left Jamie in there as long as he possibly could, and he came out to a standing ovation.
Some questionable calls. Guillen bounced one to Olerud on which Olerud clearly was pulled off the bag at first, but the runner was punched out. Somewhat questionable call when Boone got nailed at 3rd on the Guillen RBI single, but Batista may have gotten Boone's hand. Luis Matos was hung out to dry on a pickoff throw from Olerud to Sanchez, but it looked like Matos beat the throw to second but was called out anyway. Other than those calls, Moyer was squeezed on at least seven or eight pitches trying to paint the corner. Moyer had the brunt of most of these squeezings, but the Orioles had their share too.
A quick look at the boxscore shows that the Mariners got one hit each from Sanchez, Edgar, Mac, and Wilson. The Mariners got two hits each from Boone, Guillen, and Olerud. Cameron hung up an 0-for-1, but walked three times. So who is the goat of the lineup, you ask? ICHIRO went 0-for-5 with a strikeout. Let's go over his at-bats: whiffed on a 1-2 pitch to lead off the game (1st inning); got ahead 2-0 in the count before flying out on a 3-2 pitch to left field with Wilson on first (3rd inning); bounced a ball right to Conine on a 2-1 pitch with one out (5th inning); grounded out to second on a 1-2 pitch in the 7th; flew out in foul ground (thanks to a diving catch on an 0-1 pitch with the bases juiced and two out (8th inning). The Mariners have won these last three games with most everything turning out right. Ichiro made one great contribution in yesterday's game. Other than that, there's gonna be a bunch of times from this point through the rest of the year where the Mariners are gonna need this Ichiro guy to jumpstart the offense like we expect him to. Ichiro has got to step up because time is running out and this team needs him to perform to his capabilities at the plate, and going 0-for-5 and stranding four runners on the bases is not the way to do it. Come on, Ichiro. Show us what you're made of.
Oakland won today, their 9th in a row, and it's entirely possible they may not lose a game for the rest of the season. Usually I'd be very ticked off about the fact that they're getting wins out of hacks like John Halama and Ted frigging Lilly. But after the horrible losing streak the Mariners were in, I'm just glad for now that the Mariners have found out how to win again. They're not completely out of it, but they're showing great progress, and this sweep today was a big step in the right direction. Here's to a 6-0 Tampa Bay/Baltimore road trip and taking back the division lead. Is it wishful? Yes. But we can dream, can't we?
/ Click for main page
