Saturday, September 13, 2003
THE METHOD TO THE EARLY-SEASON MADNESS
The Mariners finally did what they do best in this game, which featured the main method with which they used to win night in and night out early this season. Moving baserunners, being patient at the plate, getting the hits when they needed them, and getting timely pitching and defense.
Steve Sandmeyer’s points include:
-Moyer got the job done with less pitches
-Lackey sucked
-Moyer had the circle-change going against lefties, which is good because opposing teams try to stack the lineup with lefties to take away the effectiveness on Moyer’s changeup
-Moyer’s early strikeouts (4 of first 5 batters) spurred some early Mariner momentum
-Moyer took advantage of an Angel team trying to be patient; he was more aggressive
-Moyer is slated to pitch only once against Oakland in the 6 games against them. Is this good or bad? Meche and Pineiro go twice each; Franklin and Moyer go once each.
-Rhodes was crap.
-Edgar got nailed by a foul ball in the toe in the 5th, hit an RBI sac fly, then was lifted for John Mabry (oh, how I loathe the Mariner bench)
-Ichiro may be showing signs of a breakout; he is giving more momentum to the top of the lineup.
-Starting pitchers in the past 8 games have a 1.72 ERA (10 ER in 52 1/3 innings). I believe the Mariners record in those games is 4-4.
-Moyer is 11-2 at the Safe this year and is 36-18 lifetime at the Safe (winning 2/3 of the time).
-Franklin may be the biggest part of this staff because he has been chewing up innings well.
-It’s no question that Edgar is the clubhouse leader.
Now, on to the game.
Top 1: Figgins took a first-pitch strike and fell back 0-2 before whiffing on a low-and-away change. Owens took a first-pitch ball and bounced out to Olerud. Anderson got ahead 3-0 before whiffing on a breaking ball (Moyer battles back beautifully). Moyer: 12 pitches, 8 strikes.
Bot 1: Ichiro took a first-pitch ball then flew out to second. YAY! Guillen took a first-pitch strike then flew out to short. YAY! Boone took a first-pitch strike then bounced out to second on 1-1. YAY! Friggin easy inning for Lackey: 6 pitches, 5 strikes.
Top 2: Salmon took a first-pitch ball then was caught looking on 2-2. Wooten whiffed at the first pitch, then whiffed on 0-2. Moyer had struck out four of five batters to start the game. Quinlan got ahead 2-0 before lacing a single to left. Eckstein took a first-pitch strike before flying out to Ichiro. An okay inning for Moyer: inn – 13 pitches, 9 strikes; tot – 25 pitches, 17 strikes.
Bot 2: The Mariner offense comes alive. This one’s a long inning. Edgar took a first-pitch ball then homered to right on 1-1 (SEA 1-0). The guy’s got a BROKEN DAMN TOE and he’s still contributing. Too bad Rhodes can’t do much with his injury. Olerud walked on four pitches. Cam took a first-pitch strike, got to 3-1 and full then bounced to third; Wooten threw to Kennedy at second but Olerud beat the throw, giving Cam and infield single. Winn took a first-pitch strike, fell behind 0-2 and 1-2 then doubled to right to score Olerud and move Cam to third (SEA 2-0). Mac got ahead 3-0 before falling to 3-1 and walking. Wilson was ahead 2-0 and 3-1 before hitting a sac fly to left to score Cam (SEA 3-0). Ichiro took a first-pitch ball and got ahead 3-1 before bouncing out to first, scoring Winn (SEA 4-0). Guillen took a first-pitch strike then got to 1-2 and full before flying out to center. Good inning for Seattle, crappy one for Lackey. And that’s the way it should be. Lackey: inn - 42 pitches (!), 20 strikes; tot – 48 pitches, 25 strikes.
Top 3: Moyer has a great inning. Kennedy takes a first-pitch strike and bounces out to short on 0-2. Gregorio takes a first-pitch strike before flying out to Winn. Figgins takes a first-pitch strike and falls behind 0-2 before whiffing on 1-2. Easy. Moyer: inn – 9 pitches, 8 strikes; tot - 34 pitches, 25 strikes.
Bot 3: Boone took a first-pitch ball before singling to left. Edgar took a first-pitch ball on which Boone stole second. Edgar bounced out to third on 1-1 and Boone held. Olerud fouled off the first pitch and was bounced out (3-1) on 1-1 as Boone went to third. Cam took a first-pitch strike and fell back 0-2 before striking out (2-3 putout on catcher drop). Decent inning for Lackey: inn – 11 pitches, 8 strikes; tot – 59 pitches, 33 strikes.
Top 4: Moyer gets into some trouble. Owens gets ahead 2-0 and singles into leftcenter. Anderson takes a first-pitch ball then flies out to Boone. Salmon takes a first-pitch ball then flies out to Winn on 1-1. Wooten gets ahead 3-0 (Owens stole third on the 1-0 pitch; nice arm, Wilson) and falls to full before singling to left to score Owens (SEA 4-1). Quinlan took a first-pitch strike then bounced out to Moyer. Moyer: inn – 16 pitches, 9 strikes; tot – 50 pitches, 34 strikes.
Bot 4: Lackey gets an easy inning again as the bats cool off. Winn took a first-pitch ball before skying a ball to second on 1-2. Mac took a first-pitch strike and fell back 0-2 before bouncing out to second on 1-2. Wilson took a first-pitch strike and whiffed. No arm and no bat for Wilson. Good job, Danno. Lackey: inn – 13 pitches, 11 strikes; tot – 72 pitches, 44 strikes.
Top 5: Decent inning here for Moyer. Eckstein took a first-pitch strike then got to 1-2 and full before flying out to Ichiro. Kennedy flew out to Winn on the first pitch. Gregorio took a first-pitch strike and got to 1-2 before being beaned. Figgins flew out to Cam on the first pitch. Moyer: inn – 12 pitches, 7 strikes; tot – 62 pitches, 41 strikes.
Bot 5: More trouble for Lackey and some pain for Edgar. Ichiro turned on the first pitch and homered to right (SEA 5-1). Guillen took a first-pitch ball then got to 1-2 and full before walking. Boone hit a first-pitch bloop single to center. Edgar took a first-pitch ball and the runners moved to second and third on the passed ball. On the next pitch, Edgar took a foul ball off his toe and fell to the ground. It was hard to watch. He stayed in. Edgar got to 1-2 and full before hitting an RBI sac fly to left to score Guillen (SEA 6-1). Edgar still forced a 9-pitch at-bat. Olerud took a first-pitch strike before bouncing out (1-3). Cam got ahead 2-0 and flew out to right. Lackey: inn – 24 pitches, 15 strikes; tot – 96 pitches, 59 strikes.
Top 6: A sort-of-rough inning for Moyer. Owens got ahead 2-0 before flying out to Cam. Anderson took a first-pitch strike and got to 1-2 and 2-2 before bouncing out to Boone. Salmon took a first-pitch strike before getting to 2-2 and full and walking. Wooten took a first-pitch ball and flew out to Cam. The Salmon and Anderson at-bats took a combined 15 pitches. Moyer: inn – 20 pitches, 11 strikes; tot – 82 pitches, 52 strikes.
Bot 6: Chris Bootcheck takes the mound for the Angels. Winn took a first-pitch strike and fell back 0-2 before singling up the middle. Mac singled to right (huh?) on the first pitch. Wilson flew out to right on the first pitch on an Owens diving catch to his right. Ichiro got ahead 3-0 AND SWUNG ON 3-0 TO FLY OUT TO SHORT. WHAT THE HELL?!!?! Guillen flew out to left on the first pitch. Some trouble, but a quick inning for Bootcheck: 11 pitches, 8 strikes.
Top 7: A little trouble again for Moyer. Quinlan took a first-pitch strike and fell back 0-2 before flying out to Winn on the warning track. Eckstein took a first-pitch strike and singled to center on 1-1. Kennedy took a first-pitch strike and flew out to Winn. Pinch-hitter Riggs whiffed at the first pitch and singled on 0-2. Figgins took a first-pitch ball and THE ANGELS PULLED A DOUBLE STEAL ON THE NONEXISTENT ARM OF DAN WILSON. Figgins hit a ball along the third-base line that Moyer had to run to get and throw to first. Not in time (SEA 6-2). Owens lined out to Ichiro on the first pitch. Moyer: inn – 15 pitches, 13 strikes; tot – 97 pitches, 65 strikes.
Bot 7: Jose Molina came in to catch for the Angels with Bootcheck still on the mound. Boone took a first-pitch strike and fell back 0-2 battled to full before bouncing out to second. Mabry got ahead 2-0 before grounding out to first (YAY FOR THE BENCH!). Olerud got ahead 2-0 and 3-1 before falling full and walking. Cam took a four-pitch walk. Winn singled to left in the first pitch to score Olerud and cap the Mariner scoring (SEA 7-2). Mac took a first-pitch strike and flew out to center on 1-2. Bootcheck: inn – 24 pitches, 10 strikes; tot – 35 pitches, 18 strikes.
Top 8: Moyer comes out for the 8th. Empty seats have appeared in the Diamond Club on camera behind the plate. Anderson singled to right on the first pitch. Salmon drove a first-pitch single to left to move Anderson to third. Moyer was yanked, but rightfully so. No complaints from me: inn – 2 pitches, 2 strikes; tot – 99 pitches, 67 strikes. Soriano in. Wooten got ahead 2-0 but whiffed on a 2-2 pitch. Pinch-hitter Spiezio took a first-pitch strike but was beaned hard on the arm with an 0-2 fastball. Brian Sweeney is warming up in the bullpen at this point. With bases juiced and one out, Eckstein took a first-pitch ball then fell to 1-2 and 2-2 before bouncing into a 6-4-3 double play in which he was BARELY out at first. Soriano gets out of the jam. Soriano: 13 pitches, 8 strikes.
Bot 8: Brendan Donnelly pitches for the Angels. Wilson fouled off the first pitch, battled from 1-2 to full then flew out to right. Ichiro took a first-pitch ball and fell to 1-2 before grounding out to second. Guillen hit a line drive speared by Kennedy, diving to his right. Donnelly was money: 12 pitches, 8 strikes.
Top 9: After Sweeney was warming up in the bullpen in the 8th and was ready for some more Major League action, RHODES INEXPLICABLY COMES IN FOR THE 9TH. Results? Kennedy takes a first-pitch ball and gtes to 2-2 before singling to left. Molina gets 2-0 and 3-1 counts and walks. Figgins takes a first-pitch strike, gets down 0-2, gets to 1-2 (wild pitch moves the runners into scoring position) and grounds out to Boone (SEA 7-3). Owens singled to center on the first pitch (SEA 7-4). Anderson flew out to left on the first pitch. SIDE NOTE: on the TV broadcast, Dave Valle was saying that perhaps Melvin wanted to leave in Rhodes and give Arthur a little confidence by letting him get the final out. Rhodes was yanked for Shig, and Valle’s hypothesis was soundly rebuked. HILARIOUS!! Rhodes: 18 pitches, 11 strikes. Salmon flew out to Cam on the first pitch. End game. Shig: 1 pitch, 1 strike.
I’ll come up with the Rhodes-and-first-batters-he-faces stat shortly.
Hudson goes for the A’s on Saturday against RA Dickey…not really expecting the Mariners to gain ground here.
Steve Sandmeyer’s points include:
-Moyer got the job done with less pitches
-Lackey sucked
-Moyer had the circle-change going against lefties, which is good because opposing teams try to stack the lineup with lefties to take away the effectiveness on Moyer’s changeup
-Moyer’s early strikeouts (4 of first 5 batters) spurred some early Mariner momentum
-Moyer took advantage of an Angel team trying to be patient; he was more aggressive
-Moyer is slated to pitch only once against Oakland in the 6 games against them. Is this good or bad? Meche and Pineiro go twice each; Franklin and Moyer go once each.
-Rhodes was crap.
-Edgar got nailed by a foul ball in the toe in the 5th, hit an RBI sac fly, then was lifted for John Mabry (oh, how I loathe the Mariner bench)
-Ichiro may be showing signs of a breakout; he is giving more momentum to the top of the lineup.
-Starting pitchers in the past 8 games have a 1.72 ERA (10 ER in 52 1/3 innings). I believe the Mariners record in those games is 4-4.
-Moyer is 11-2 at the Safe this year and is 36-18 lifetime at the Safe (winning 2/3 of the time).
-Franklin may be the biggest part of this staff because he has been chewing up innings well.
-It’s no question that Edgar is the clubhouse leader.
Now, on to the game.
Top 1: Figgins took a first-pitch strike and fell back 0-2 before whiffing on a low-and-away change. Owens took a first-pitch ball and bounced out to Olerud. Anderson got ahead 3-0 before whiffing on a breaking ball (Moyer battles back beautifully). Moyer: 12 pitches, 8 strikes.
Bot 1: Ichiro took a first-pitch ball then flew out to second. YAY! Guillen took a first-pitch strike then flew out to short. YAY! Boone took a first-pitch strike then bounced out to second on 1-1. YAY! Friggin easy inning for Lackey: 6 pitches, 5 strikes.
Top 2: Salmon took a first-pitch ball then was caught looking on 2-2. Wooten whiffed at the first pitch, then whiffed on 0-2. Moyer had struck out four of five batters to start the game. Quinlan got ahead 2-0 before lacing a single to left. Eckstein took a first-pitch strike before flying out to Ichiro. An okay inning for Moyer: inn – 13 pitches, 9 strikes; tot – 25 pitches, 17 strikes.
Bot 2: The Mariner offense comes alive. This one’s a long inning. Edgar took a first-pitch ball then homered to right on 1-1 (SEA 1-0). The guy’s got a BROKEN DAMN TOE and he’s still contributing. Too bad Rhodes can’t do much with his injury. Olerud walked on four pitches. Cam took a first-pitch strike, got to 3-1 and full then bounced to third; Wooten threw to Kennedy at second but Olerud beat the throw, giving Cam and infield single. Winn took a first-pitch strike, fell behind 0-2 and 1-2 then doubled to right to score Olerud and move Cam to third (SEA 2-0). Mac got ahead 3-0 before falling to 3-1 and walking. Wilson was ahead 2-0 and 3-1 before hitting a sac fly to left to score Cam (SEA 3-0). Ichiro took a first-pitch ball and got ahead 3-1 before bouncing out to first, scoring Winn (SEA 4-0). Guillen took a first-pitch strike then got to 1-2 and full before flying out to center. Good inning for Seattle, crappy one for Lackey. And that’s the way it should be. Lackey: inn - 42 pitches (!), 20 strikes; tot – 48 pitches, 25 strikes.
Top 3: Moyer has a great inning. Kennedy takes a first-pitch strike and bounces out to short on 0-2. Gregorio takes a first-pitch strike before flying out to Winn. Figgins takes a first-pitch strike and falls behind 0-2 before whiffing on 1-2. Easy. Moyer: inn – 9 pitches, 8 strikes; tot - 34 pitches, 25 strikes.
Bot 3: Boone took a first-pitch ball before singling to left. Edgar took a first-pitch ball on which Boone stole second. Edgar bounced out to third on 1-1 and Boone held. Olerud fouled off the first pitch and was bounced out (3-1) on 1-1 as Boone went to third. Cam took a first-pitch strike and fell back 0-2 before striking out (2-3 putout on catcher drop). Decent inning for Lackey: inn – 11 pitches, 8 strikes; tot – 59 pitches, 33 strikes.
Top 4: Moyer gets into some trouble. Owens gets ahead 2-0 and singles into leftcenter. Anderson takes a first-pitch ball then flies out to Boone. Salmon takes a first-pitch ball then flies out to Winn on 1-1. Wooten gets ahead 3-0 (Owens stole third on the 1-0 pitch; nice arm, Wilson) and falls to full before singling to left to score Owens (SEA 4-1). Quinlan took a first-pitch strike then bounced out to Moyer. Moyer: inn – 16 pitches, 9 strikes; tot – 50 pitches, 34 strikes.
Bot 4: Lackey gets an easy inning again as the bats cool off. Winn took a first-pitch ball before skying a ball to second on 1-2. Mac took a first-pitch strike and fell back 0-2 before bouncing out to second on 1-2. Wilson took a first-pitch strike and whiffed. No arm and no bat for Wilson. Good job, Danno. Lackey: inn – 13 pitches, 11 strikes; tot – 72 pitches, 44 strikes.
Top 5: Decent inning here for Moyer. Eckstein took a first-pitch strike then got to 1-2 and full before flying out to Ichiro. Kennedy flew out to Winn on the first pitch. Gregorio took a first-pitch strike and got to 1-2 before being beaned. Figgins flew out to Cam on the first pitch. Moyer: inn – 12 pitches, 7 strikes; tot – 62 pitches, 41 strikes.
Bot 5: More trouble for Lackey and some pain for Edgar. Ichiro turned on the first pitch and homered to right (SEA 5-1). Guillen took a first-pitch ball then got to 1-2 and full before walking. Boone hit a first-pitch bloop single to center. Edgar took a first-pitch ball and the runners moved to second and third on the passed ball. On the next pitch, Edgar took a foul ball off his toe and fell to the ground. It was hard to watch. He stayed in. Edgar got to 1-2 and full before hitting an RBI sac fly to left to score Guillen (SEA 6-1). Edgar still forced a 9-pitch at-bat. Olerud took a first-pitch strike before bouncing out (1-3). Cam got ahead 2-0 and flew out to right. Lackey: inn – 24 pitches, 15 strikes; tot – 96 pitches, 59 strikes.
Top 6: A sort-of-rough inning for Moyer. Owens got ahead 2-0 before flying out to Cam. Anderson took a first-pitch strike and got to 1-2 and 2-2 before bouncing out to Boone. Salmon took a first-pitch strike before getting to 2-2 and full and walking. Wooten took a first-pitch ball and flew out to Cam. The Salmon and Anderson at-bats took a combined 15 pitches. Moyer: inn – 20 pitches, 11 strikes; tot – 82 pitches, 52 strikes.
Bot 6: Chris Bootcheck takes the mound for the Angels. Winn took a first-pitch strike and fell back 0-2 before singling up the middle. Mac singled to right (huh?) on the first pitch. Wilson flew out to right on the first pitch on an Owens diving catch to his right. Ichiro got ahead 3-0 AND SWUNG ON 3-0 TO FLY OUT TO SHORT. WHAT THE HELL?!!?! Guillen flew out to left on the first pitch. Some trouble, but a quick inning for Bootcheck: 11 pitches, 8 strikes.
Top 7: A little trouble again for Moyer. Quinlan took a first-pitch strike and fell back 0-2 before flying out to Winn on the warning track. Eckstein took a first-pitch strike and singled to center on 1-1. Kennedy took a first-pitch strike and flew out to Winn. Pinch-hitter Riggs whiffed at the first pitch and singled on 0-2. Figgins took a first-pitch ball and THE ANGELS PULLED A DOUBLE STEAL ON THE NONEXISTENT ARM OF DAN WILSON. Figgins hit a ball along the third-base line that Moyer had to run to get and throw to first. Not in time (SEA 6-2). Owens lined out to Ichiro on the first pitch. Moyer: inn – 15 pitches, 13 strikes; tot – 97 pitches, 65 strikes.
Bot 7: Jose Molina came in to catch for the Angels with Bootcheck still on the mound. Boone took a first-pitch strike and fell back 0-2 battled to full before bouncing out to second. Mabry got ahead 2-0 before grounding out to first (YAY FOR THE BENCH!). Olerud got ahead 2-0 and 3-1 before falling full and walking. Cam took a four-pitch walk. Winn singled to left in the first pitch to score Olerud and cap the Mariner scoring (SEA 7-2). Mac took a first-pitch strike and flew out to center on 1-2. Bootcheck: inn – 24 pitches, 10 strikes; tot – 35 pitches, 18 strikes.
Top 8: Moyer comes out for the 8th. Empty seats have appeared in the Diamond Club on camera behind the plate. Anderson singled to right on the first pitch. Salmon drove a first-pitch single to left to move Anderson to third. Moyer was yanked, but rightfully so. No complaints from me: inn – 2 pitches, 2 strikes; tot – 99 pitches, 67 strikes. Soriano in. Wooten got ahead 2-0 but whiffed on a 2-2 pitch. Pinch-hitter Spiezio took a first-pitch strike but was beaned hard on the arm with an 0-2 fastball. Brian Sweeney is warming up in the bullpen at this point. With bases juiced and one out, Eckstein took a first-pitch ball then fell to 1-2 and 2-2 before bouncing into a 6-4-3 double play in which he was BARELY out at first. Soriano gets out of the jam. Soriano: 13 pitches, 8 strikes.
Bot 8: Brendan Donnelly pitches for the Angels. Wilson fouled off the first pitch, battled from 1-2 to full then flew out to right. Ichiro took a first-pitch ball and fell to 1-2 before grounding out to second. Guillen hit a line drive speared by Kennedy, diving to his right. Donnelly was money: 12 pitches, 8 strikes.
Top 9: After Sweeney was warming up in the bullpen in the 8th and was ready for some more Major League action, RHODES INEXPLICABLY COMES IN FOR THE 9TH. Results? Kennedy takes a first-pitch ball and gtes to 2-2 before singling to left. Molina gets 2-0 and 3-1 counts and walks. Figgins takes a first-pitch strike, gets down 0-2, gets to 1-2 (wild pitch moves the runners into scoring position) and grounds out to Boone (SEA 7-3). Owens singled to center on the first pitch (SEA 7-4). Anderson flew out to left on the first pitch. SIDE NOTE: on the TV broadcast, Dave Valle was saying that perhaps Melvin wanted to leave in Rhodes and give Arthur a little confidence by letting him get the final out. Rhodes was yanked for Shig, and Valle’s hypothesis was soundly rebuked. HILARIOUS!! Rhodes: 18 pitches, 11 strikes. Salmon flew out to Cam on the first pitch. End game. Shig: 1 pitch, 1 strike.
I’ll come up with the Rhodes-and-first-batters-he-faces stat shortly.
Hudson goes for the A’s on Saturday against RA Dickey…not really expecting the Mariners to gain ground here.
/ Click for main page
