Wednesday, May 05, 2004
SILVA MEDALISTS
Tonight, Carlos Silva joined the hallowed ranks previously held by such luminaries as Jorge Sosa, Doug Waechter, and Eric DuBose. Silva was absolutely brilliant, shutting out the Mariner bats. However, the sign of concern here is that Joel Pineiro still hasn't turned the corner.
You know what? If I ever hear "oh, we've never faced Silva before" as an excuse, I'm just going to puke. How come I never hear of other teams just crapping the bed whenever they face a pitcher they've never seen before? Surely you would figure the Mariners would get lucky once in a while, maybe take advantage of these youngsters because THEY'RE YOUNG and the Mariners ARE VETERANS, which by conventional wisdom means they're more experienced and should no how to handle no-name pitchers...
Discussion on KJR's Baseball's Best Postgame Show right now: they're discussing the Twins' offensive gameplan of sitting back in the count and waiting Joel Pineiro to make mistakes, and a couple of times, he did.
So went the end of the Mariners' big two-game winning streak...
top 1 -- Stewart 2-1 8; Guzman 0-1 2B RF (base of wall); Mientkiewicz 2-2...(PB Guzman 3rd) full DP 1-3-2
bot 1 -- Ichiro 1-0 6-3; Spiezio 3-0...3-1 4-3; Boone 2-1 9 (Niehaus tricked "deep rightfield")
>> A one-out Cristian Guzman double was the only Twin offense in the first. Guzman was then doubled off on the front end of a 1-3-2 double play. What have we learned the last two nights? Guzman runs hard, but he doesn't run smart. Dave Niehaus was tricked on Boone's fly to right, saying it went to "deep rightfield" even though it was far from that.
Oh God, Dick Fain is suggesting using Joel as the righty long man and flip-flopping him and Ron Villone in the rotation. Ugggghhhhh... Also being discussed, Joel concentrating on just having three pitches instead of trying to throw five. Joel STILL went 16-11 last year after LOSING six straight last year.
top 2 -- Koskie 2-2...lineout 4; Offerman 1-2...2-2...U3; Jones 2-0...2-1 1B RF; Ford 1-0 2B LF (scoreboard, MIN 1-0); Blanco 1-2...2-2...IF 1B (off Pineiro glove, no play); Rivas 0-2 9
bot 2 -- Ibanez 2-1 1-3; Edgar 1-0 9; Olerud 2-0...3-1...full IF 1B (hard off Koskie glove); Cabrera 1-2...look K
>> Joel fell off again with two out, as Jacque Jones singled and Lew Ford bashed one off the scoreboard that Raul went to the board for then had to run all the way back to the field after the ricochet. The opposition scored first once again. Joel Pineiro had another play where the ball went off his glove and the runner got aboard. John Olerud got aboard with two outs, and we all know where that went.
top 3 -- Stewart 0-2 IF 1B (3rd); Guzman 1-1 FC 6-4 (beat out DP); Mientkiewicz 1-1 7; Koskie 5-3
bot 3 -- Davis 1-2 look K; Winn 0-2...1-2 U3; Ichiro 1st-pitch 1B LF; Spiezio 1-0 7
>> Joel got the much-needed double play after Shannon Stewart got aboard. Ichiro got aboard with two outs again, but you know...
top 4 -- Offerman 0-1 1B CF; Jones 1-0 HR LF (MIN 3-0); Ford 1-2...full (E1 Pineiro hits runner, though inside restraining lane); Blanco 2-0...2-1 4-3; Rivas 1st-pitch 2B LF (MIN 4-0); Stewart (WP)...4-pitch BB; Guzman 1st-pitch SF 7 (MIN 5-0, Ibanez drops, no throw); Mientkiewicz 1st-pitch 4-3
bot 4 -- Boone 4-3; Ibanez 1-2...full 5-3; Edgar 1-0 8
>> A base hit and a blast spelled the wheels falling off the wagon, as Jacque Jones gave the Twins all the runs they would need. Also happening in the 4th, Joel Pineiro had a comebacker on Lew Ford and threw the ball into him. In a shrewd way, Joel Pineiro found a way to quell the ballooning of his ERA. The Mariners went 1-2-3.
top 5 -- Koskie 1st-pitch 8; Offerman 2-0 9; Jones 2-0 track 7 -- 1-2-3 for Joel
bot 5 -- Olerud 1-2 7; Cabrera 0-1 2B CF (OF sleeping); Davis 1-0 8; Winn 2-0 6-3
>> Pineiro mowed down the Twins 1-2-3. Jolbert Cabrera bounced a ball up the middle, and Cabrera caught Lew Ford napping in centerfield and snatched second. Ben Davis and Randy Winn then came to the plate afterward.
top 6 -- Ford 2-2...5-3; Blanco 1st-pitch F5; Rivas 1-2...2-2...swing K
bot 6 -- Ichiro 1-1 4-3; Spiezio 1-0 4-3; Boone 0-2 half-wave low/away K (looked like idiot)
>> Pineiro went 1-2-3 again and had mowed down 8 straight. It looked incredibly grim at the beginning, but Joel did manage to get through six innings after having 73 pitches through 4. Carlos Silva was still slicing through the Mariners, including Bret Boone to end this inning. Silva struck out Boone on three pitches, getting him to wave awkwardly on a low and away breaking ball.
top 7 -- Stewart 0-2...1-2...1B CF; Guzman 2-2...full...BB (Joel 110); PUTZ IN; Mientkiewicz 1-1 7; Koskie 0-2...swing K; Offerman 0-2 1-3
bot 7 -- Ibanez 2-0...2-1 7; Edgar 0-2 4-3 (Fairly "they're not taking good swings"); Olerud (best-hot ball may be Spiezio's line drive out --Niehaus) 0-2...1-2 U3
>> Pineiro yielded a single and a walk and was yanked after 110 pitches. JJ Putz came in and slammed the door shut. The Mariners went away 1-2-3 in the 7th again. When Edgar was up, Ron Fairly noted that the Mariners weren't taking any good swings tonight. Dave Niehaus noted that the hardest-hit ball all night was a Spiezio lineout to an outfielder. Yikes. Silva had retired 8 straight, and had thrown a mere 80 pitches.
top 8 -- Jones 1-1 6; (HASEGAWA WARMING) Ford 2-0 1B LF; Blanco 0-2...1-2 swing K; Rivas 1-0 9 -- Putz solid
bot 8 -- Cabrera 0-2...1-2...look K (tie inning career-long Silva); PH HANSEN (train whistle stuck) 2-2...full...BB (1st runner since Cabrera); Winn bouncer 1-0 U3 down line; Ichiro 1-1 looper 1B LF; Spiezio 2-0...(FULTZ WARMING) 3-1 1B RF (MIN 5-1); Boone 1-2 swing K
>> JJ Putz was solid, setting the Twins down 1-2-3 in some long work. Dave Hansen drew a pinch-hit walk and scored when Scott Spiezio decided to be a bastard and spoil Silva's shutout. You gotta love the not-good-enough comeback, don't you?
top 9 -- HASEGAWA, WILSON IN; Stewart 1-1 2B LF line off stands jut; Guzman 1-0 6-3 (fast, not smart); Mientkiewicz 0-2...full 6-3 (hard); Koskie 0-2 swing K
bot 9 -- FULTZ IN; Ibanez 3-1 4-3; Edgar 1-2...full BB; Olerud 1-1 track 8; Cabrera 0-2 swing K
>> Jeremy was bellowing over Melvin not leaving Putz in and then burning Hasegawa's arm when down 4 runs in the 9th. A KJR caller brought up a great point: Dan Wilson had caught 16 innings the night before and if anyone deserved the night off, it was him. So why did Melvin pinch-hit for Davis (16/124 since last year's break) down four runs in the 9th with one out and nobody on? Anyway, Hansen gets on and Wilson has to get the gear on one night after catching the longest game in the Majors this season.
Discussion on KJR right now: Is Joel Pineiro feeling pressured after signing the big contract in the offseason and after basically being named the number two starter on this team? Steve Sandmeyer himself is saying he didn't like Pineiro's body language after giving up the homer to Vlad Guerrero earlier in the year (threw arms up helplessly).
Most of the talk on KJR right now is centering around the worries of Joel Pineiro, which certainly has ramifications going into the rest of the year. But we can't forget about the offense here. They were absolute crap tonight. The Mariners 3-4-5 hitters tonight (Boone/Ibanez/Edgar) were 0-for-11.
Another sick KJR stat: Ben Davis is 16-for-124 since last year's All-Star break. Can we all agree that he's better off getting four at-bats every day in Tacoma trying to get his swing back than he is being a black hold in the bottom third of the lineup? Yes, this would mean Pat Borders would come up, and yes, I would never bring up Wiki Gonzalez. If Borders pulled something, Raul Ibanez could catch. Before you question the rationale of Raul Ibanez catching, keep in mind the exact same rationale is being used by the Mariners to justify playing Scott Spiezio at third.
Gameball: JJ Putz. Two very good innings in relief, which would have been three if Jeremy was managing the Mariners. He struck out two.
Goat: Bret Boone. 0-for-4, striking out twice and stranding two. Carlos Silva had Bret Boone incredibly off-balance all night, and it came to a peak on the strikeout where Boone sort of waved at the ball.
Radke. Garcia. Tomorrow.
[Edit Thu ~9:38a -- The KJR stat that I had floating loose in the recap was this (I jotted it down quickly, but I'm pretty sure it's correct): Joel Pineiro is 4-10 with a 6.49 ERA over 94 1/3 innings in 16 starts dating back to last year.]
You know what? If I ever hear "oh, we've never faced Silva before" as an excuse, I'm just going to puke. How come I never hear of other teams just crapping the bed whenever they face a pitcher they've never seen before? Surely you would figure the Mariners would get lucky once in a while, maybe take advantage of these youngsters because THEY'RE YOUNG and the Mariners ARE VETERANS, which by conventional wisdom means they're more experienced and should no how to handle no-name pitchers...
Discussion on KJR's Baseball's Best Postgame Show right now: they're discussing the Twins' offensive gameplan of sitting back in the count and waiting Joel Pineiro to make mistakes, and a couple of times, he did.
So went the end of the Mariners' big two-game winning streak...
top 1 -- Stewart 2-1 8; Guzman 0-1 2B RF (base of wall); Mientkiewicz 2-2...(PB Guzman 3rd) full DP 1-3-2
bot 1 -- Ichiro 1-0 6-3; Spiezio 3-0...3-1 4-3; Boone 2-1 9 (Niehaus tricked "deep rightfield")
>> A one-out Cristian Guzman double was the only Twin offense in the first. Guzman was then doubled off on the front end of a 1-3-2 double play. What have we learned the last two nights? Guzman runs hard, but he doesn't run smart. Dave Niehaus was tricked on Boone's fly to right, saying it went to "deep rightfield" even though it was far from that.
Oh God, Dick Fain is suggesting using Joel as the righty long man and flip-flopping him and Ron Villone in the rotation. Ugggghhhhh... Also being discussed, Joel concentrating on just having three pitches instead of trying to throw five. Joel STILL went 16-11 last year after LOSING six straight last year.
top 2 -- Koskie 2-2...lineout 4; Offerman 1-2...2-2...U3; Jones 2-0...2-1 1B RF; Ford 1-0 2B LF (scoreboard, MIN 1-0); Blanco 1-2...2-2...IF 1B (off Pineiro glove, no play); Rivas 0-2 9
bot 2 -- Ibanez 2-1 1-3; Edgar 1-0 9; Olerud 2-0...3-1...full IF 1B (hard off Koskie glove); Cabrera 1-2...look K
>> Joel fell off again with two out, as Jacque Jones singled and Lew Ford bashed one off the scoreboard that Raul went to the board for then had to run all the way back to the field after the ricochet. The opposition scored first once again. Joel Pineiro had another play where the ball went off his glove and the runner got aboard. John Olerud got aboard with two outs, and we all know where that went.
top 3 -- Stewart 0-2 IF 1B (3rd); Guzman 1-1 FC 6-4 (beat out DP); Mientkiewicz 1-1 7; Koskie 5-3
bot 3 -- Davis 1-2 look K; Winn 0-2...1-2 U3; Ichiro 1st-pitch 1B LF; Spiezio 1-0 7
>> Joel got the much-needed double play after Shannon Stewart got aboard. Ichiro got aboard with two outs again, but you know...
top 4 -- Offerman 0-1 1B CF; Jones 1-0 HR LF (MIN 3-0); Ford 1-2...full (E1 Pineiro hits runner, though inside restraining lane); Blanco 2-0...2-1 4-3; Rivas 1st-pitch 2B LF (MIN 4-0); Stewart (WP)...4-pitch BB; Guzman 1st-pitch SF 7 (MIN 5-0, Ibanez drops, no throw); Mientkiewicz 1st-pitch 4-3
bot 4 -- Boone 4-3; Ibanez 1-2...full 5-3; Edgar 1-0 8
>> A base hit and a blast spelled the wheels falling off the wagon, as Jacque Jones gave the Twins all the runs they would need. Also happening in the 4th, Joel Pineiro had a comebacker on Lew Ford and threw the ball into him. In a shrewd way, Joel Pineiro found a way to quell the ballooning of his ERA. The Mariners went 1-2-3.
top 5 -- Koskie 1st-pitch 8; Offerman 2-0 9; Jones 2-0 track 7 -- 1-2-3 for Joel
bot 5 -- Olerud 1-2 7; Cabrera 0-1 2B CF (OF sleeping); Davis 1-0 8; Winn 2-0 6-3
>> Pineiro mowed down the Twins 1-2-3. Jolbert Cabrera bounced a ball up the middle, and Cabrera caught Lew Ford napping in centerfield and snatched second. Ben Davis and Randy Winn then came to the plate afterward.
top 6 -- Ford 2-2...5-3; Blanco 1st-pitch F5; Rivas 1-2...2-2...swing K
bot 6 -- Ichiro 1-1 4-3; Spiezio 1-0 4-3; Boone 0-2 half-wave low/away K (looked like idiot)
>> Pineiro went 1-2-3 again and had mowed down 8 straight. It looked incredibly grim at the beginning, but Joel did manage to get through six innings after having 73 pitches through 4. Carlos Silva was still slicing through the Mariners, including Bret Boone to end this inning. Silva struck out Boone on three pitches, getting him to wave awkwardly on a low and away breaking ball.
top 7 -- Stewart 0-2...1-2...1B CF; Guzman 2-2...full...BB (Joel 110); PUTZ IN; Mientkiewicz 1-1 7; Koskie 0-2...swing K; Offerman 0-2 1-3
bot 7 -- Ibanez 2-0...2-1 7; Edgar 0-2 4-3 (Fairly "they're not taking good swings"); Olerud (best-hot ball may be Spiezio's line drive out --Niehaus) 0-2...1-2 U3
>> Pineiro yielded a single and a walk and was yanked after 110 pitches. JJ Putz came in and slammed the door shut. The Mariners went away 1-2-3 in the 7th again. When Edgar was up, Ron Fairly noted that the Mariners weren't taking any good swings tonight. Dave Niehaus noted that the hardest-hit ball all night was a Spiezio lineout to an outfielder. Yikes. Silva had retired 8 straight, and had thrown a mere 80 pitches.
top 8 -- Jones 1-1 6; (HASEGAWA WARMING) Ford 2-0 1B LF; Blanco 0-2...1-2 swing K; Rivas 1-0 9 -- Putz solid
bot 8 -- Cabrera 0-2...1-2...look K (tie inning career-long Silva); PH HANSEN (train whistle stuck) 2-2...full...BB (1st runner since Cabrera); Winn bouncer 1-0 U3 down line; Ichiro 1-1 looper 1B LF; Spiezio 2-0...(FULTZ WARMING) 3-1 1B RF (MIN 5-1); Boone 1-2 swing K
>> JJ Putz was solid, setting the Twins down 1-2-3 in some long work. Dave Hansen drew a pinch-hit walk and scored when Scott Spiezio decided to be a bastard and spoil Silva's shutout. You gotta love the not-good-enough comeback, don't you?
top 9 -- HASEGAWA, WILSON IN; Stewart 1-1 2B LF line off stands jut; Guzman 1-0 6-3 (fast, not smart); Mientkiewicz 0-2...full 6-3 (hard); Koskie 0-2 swing K
bot 9 -- FULTZ IN; Ibanez 3-1 4-3; Edgar 1-2...full BB; Olerud 1-1 track 8; Cabrera 0-2 swing K
>> Jeremy was bellowing over Melvin not leaving Putz in and then burning Hasegawa's arm when down 4 runs in the 9th. A KJR caller brought up a great point: Dan Wilson had caught 16 innings the night before and if anyone deserved the night off, it was him. So why did Melvin pinch-hit for Davis (16/124 since last year's break) down four runs in the 9th with one out and nobody on? Anyway, Hansen gets on and Wilson has to get the gear on one night after catching the longest game in the Majors this season.
Discussion on KJR right now: Is Joel Pineiro feeling pressured after signing the big contract in the offseason and after basically being named the number two starter on this team? Steve Sandmeyer himself is saying he didn't like Pineiro's body language after giving up the homer to Vlad Guerrero earlier in the year (threw arms up helplessly).
Most of the talk on KJR right now is centering around the worries of Joel Pineiro, which certainly has ramifications going into the rest of the year. But we can't forget about the offense here. They were absolute crap tonight. The Mariners 3-4-5 hitters tonight (Boone/Ibanez/Edgar) were 0-for-11.
Another sick KJR stat: Ben Davis is 16-for-124 since last year's All-Star break. Can we all agree that he's better off getting four at-bats every day in Tacoma trying to get his swing back than he is being a black hold in the bottom third of the lineup? Yes, this would mean Pat Borders would come up, and yes, I would never bring up Wiki Gonzalez. If Borders pulled something, Raul Ibanez could catch. Before you question the rationale of Raul Ibanez catching, keep in mind the exact same rationale is being used by the Mariners to justify playing Scott Spiezio at third.
Gameball: JJ Putz. Two very good innings in relief, which would have been three if Jeremy was managing the Mariners. He struck out two.
Goat: Bret Boone. 0-for-4, striking out twice and stranding two. Carlos Silva had Bret Boone incredibly off-balance all night, and it came to a peak on the strikeout where Boone sort of waved at the ball.
Radke. Garcia. Tomorrow.
[Edit Thu ~9:38a -- The KJR stat that I had floating loose in the recap was this (I jotted it down quickly, but I'm pretty sure it's correct): Joel Pineiro is 4-10 with a 6.49 ERA over 94 1/3 innings in 16 starts dating back to last year.]
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