Monday, August 09, 2004
HIT EXPLOSION
Not the band, mind you, but rather the Devil Rays on Sunday, who "exploded" for 15 hits after accumulating 61 over their ten previous games. Of course, the barrage of hits off Jamie Moyer was predominately singles (12 of 13, quite a few dinkers), but the Rays will take it.
The game started out ominously when Rob Bell struck out the side in the 1st, allowing a Bret Boone single (13-game hit streak) inbetween. Jamie Moyer got a key Aubrey Huff comebacker to the mound for an inning-ending double play.
The Mariners' first scoring chance came in the 3rd. Willie Bloomquist led off with a single and moved to second on an Ichiro single. Randy Winn was en route to an 0-for-5 day and bounced a ball to BJ Upton at short, who had trouble getting the ball out of his glove. There was still enough time to force Ichiro out, but Winn beat out the double play. Bret Boone came up with runners on the corners and one out. He stung one right at Upton, who threw to first trying to double off Winn (didn't get him). Randy Winn stole second on the first pitch to Bucky Jacobsen, who later whiffed. End of inning.
Jamie Moyer ran into some small ball in the Devil Ray half of the 3rd. Rey Sanchez led off with a single and moved to second on a Brook Fordyce bunt. Carl Crawford flied out to left, something that won't advance a runner from second. Julio Lugo then hit a two-out single to drive in Sanchez (TB 1-0). Aubrey Huff singled to move Lugo to second and amp up the pressure a bit, but then Tino Martinez bounced one to Spiezio at first.
But you know these Mariners...as Rick Rizzs would tell you, "these guys never quit!!" Jose Lopez bunted himself aboard and went to second on a Scott Spiezio single (cherish the single, Scott). Rob Bell knew Dan Wilson was up there to bunt and hurled two pitches up and in, and somehow Dan managed to get the second one down to move the runners into scoring position. Justin Leone then popped out to Upton (inopportune). Bloomquist hit a grounder to Huff at third that probably should have ended the inning. Huff hurried the throw and threw into the runner at first, allowing Lopez to score to tie the game at 1-1. Ichiro then got up and did exactly what we thought he'd do with runners on the corners and two out -- he bunted on the first pitch. That goes in the scorebook this time as a 1-3 putout.
The game remained tied and Moyer mostly cruised through the 4th and 5th before running into some danger in the 6th. It helps that Tampa Bay is a crappy hitting team, sure, but they do hit lefties better than righties. Not good for Moyer. Tino hit a leadoff single and went to second on Rocco Baldelli's bunt (would it be wrong to say Lou loves small ball if the five-hitter who hit third the night before just bunted?). Jose Cruz Jr. didn't get any runs in (flyout), but Upton (moved to second on the relay throw) and Sanchez followed with RBI singles to break the tie (TB 3-1). Did I forget to mention that the Mariners were done scoring their runs for the day?
Moyer would be chased in the 7th. Crawford led off with a single and went to second on Lugo's second bunt attempt. Crawford scored on a Huff single (TB 4-1). Singles by Tino and Baldelli to load the bases with one out chased Moyer. Who better to put out the fire than Shigetoshi Hasegawa? Cruz hit an RBI single to cap the scoring (TB 5-1), but Upton grounded into a double play on the first pitch to end the carnage.
The Mariners succumbed once again to the powers of Jesus Colome in their half of the 8th before Cha Seung Baek made his Major League debut for the Mariners in the bottom half of the inning. He pitched a scoreless 8th, allowing a one-out Fordyce single and a Crawford walk along the way.
Colome allowed a one-out single to Leone and got pinch-hitting Edgar Martinez to pop out. Ichiro hit a single to push Leone to third and bring the tying run to the on-deck circle (a stretch, I know). Lou Piniella freaked out and brought in Danys Baez to get the final out. Ichiro took second (indifference) on the first pitch. The result of the at-bat was a 12-pitch struggle ending in Winn stinging one into Tino's glove for the final out of the game.
Gameball: Dan Wilson. You won't see me do this many times, but if this guy bunts, I don't get ticked off because I'm not expecting him to come up with anything if he swings away, and he did manage to get a single along with a supplementary walk. 1-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout. It's not an 0-for-4, let's just put it that way. If you don't agree with this, yeah, I probably should have given it to Cha Seung Baek for throwing a scoreless inning for his debut.
Goat: Randy Winn. I'm probably being hard on him because he's been doing decent lately, but if the meat of the order is batting behind you and you don't get on base at all without making an out (fielder's choice in the 2nd), it's not a good thing, 12-pitch final at-bat be damned.
Before I end it here, I did get to see some Blue Angels action when I was at the Fry's Electronics store in Renton. Crazy aerial maneuvers, crazy electronics store. The place is freakin' huge, people. You know, one of those deals where they set up a coffee shop-type thing because they expect people to spend a long time in the place, a la Barnes and Noble? Kinda like that, except I can't find a Fry's experience to parallel reading through most of an entire book at Barnes and Noble and then putting it back on the shelf.
Yes, it's a split in Tampa Bay for the Mariners. Terry Mulholland let in the final runs in the 18th of Sunday's Oakland/Minnesota game and threw 19 pitches. The teams play on Monday, so I haven't heard anything as to whether Mulholland will still start against the Mariners on Tuesday in Seattle. Until then...
Mulholland. Meche. Tuesday.
The game started out ominously when Rob Bell struck out the side in the 1st, allowing a Bret Boone single (13-game hit streak) inbetween. Jamie Moyer got a key Aubrey Huff comebacker to the mound for an inning-ending double play.
The Mariners' first scoring chance came in the 3rd. Willie Bloomquist led off with a single and moved to second on an Ichiro single. Randy Winn was en route to an 0-for-5 day and bounced a ball to BJ Upton at short, who had trouble getting the ball out of his glove. There was still enough time to force Ichiro out, but Winn beat out the double play. Bret Boone came up with runners on the corners and one out. He stung one right at Upton, who threw to first trying to double off Winn (didn't get him). Randy Winn stole second on the first pitch to Bucky Jacobsen, who later whiffed. End of inning.
Jamie Moyer ran into some small ball in the Devil Ray half of the 3rd. Rey Sanchez led off with a single and moved to second on a Brook Fordyce bunt. Carl Crawford flied out to left, something that won't advance a runner from second. Julio Lugo then hit a two-out single to drive in Sanchez (TB 1-0). Aubrey Huff singled to move Lugo to second and amp up the pressure a bit, but then Tino Martinez bounced one to Spiezio at first.
But you know these Mariners...as Rick Rizzs would tell you, "these guys never quit!!" Jose Lopez bunted himself aboard and went to second on a Scott Spiezio single (cherish the single, Scott). Rob Bell knew Dan Wilson was up there to bunt and hurled two pitches up and in, and somehow Dan managed to get the second one down to move the runners into scoring position. Justin Leone then popped out to Upton (inopportune). Bloomquist hit a grounder to Huff at third that probably should have ended the inning. Huff hurried the throw and threw into the runner at first, allowing Lopez to score to tie the game at 1-1. Ichiro then got up and did exactly what we thought he'd do with runners on the corners and two out -- he bunted on the first pitch. That goes in the scorebook this time as a 1-3 putout.
The game remained tied and Moyer mostly cruised through the 4th and 5th before running into some danger in the 6th. It helps that Tampa Bay is a crappy hitting team, sure, but they do hit lefties better than righties. Not good for Moyer. Tino hit a leadoff single and went to second on Rocco Baldelli's bunt (would it be wrong to say Lou loves small ball if the five-hitter who hit third the night before just bunted?). Jose Cruz Jr. didn't get any runs in (flyout), but Upton (moved to second on the relay throw) and Sanchez followed with RBI singles to break the tie (TB 3-1). Did I forget to mention that the Mariners were done scoring their runs for the day?
Moyer would be chased in the 7th. Crawford led off with a single and went to second on Lugo's second bunt attempt. Crawford scored on a Huff single (TB 4-1). Singles by Tino and Baldelli to load the bases with one out chased Moyer. Who better to put out the fire than Shigetoshi Hasegawa? Cruz hit an RBI single to cap the scoring (TB 5-1), but Upton grounded into a double play on the first pitch to end the carnage.
The Mariners succumbed once again to the powers of Jesus Colome in their half of the 8th before Cha Seung Baek made his Major League debut for the Mariners in the bottom half of the inning. He pitched a scoreless 8th, allowing a one-out Fordyce single and a Crawford walk along the way.
Colome allowed a one-out single to Leone and got pinch-hitting Edgar Martinez to pop out. Ichiro hit a single to push Leone to third and bring the tying run to the on-deck circle (a stretch, I know). Lou Piniella freaked out and brought in Danys Baez to get the final out. Ichiro took second (indifference) on the first pitch. The result of the at-bat was a 12-pitch struggle ending in Winn stinging one into Tino's glove for the final out of the game.
Gameball: Dan Wilson. You won't see me do this many times, but if this guy bunts, I don't get ticked off because I'm not expecting him to come up with anything if he swings away, and he did manage to get a single along with a supplementary walk. 1-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout. It's not an 0-for-4, let's just put it that way. If you don't agree with this, yeah, I probably should have given it to Cha Seung Baek for throwing a scoreless inning for his debut.
Goat: Randy Winn. I'm probably being hard on him because he's been doing decent lately, but if the meat of the order is batting behind you and you don't get on base at all without making an out (fielder's choice in the 2nd), it's not a good thing, 12-pitch final at-bat be damned.
Before I end it here, I did get to see some Blue Angels action when I was at the Fry's Electronics store in Renton. Crazy aerial maneuvers, crazy electronics store. The place is freakin' huge, people. You know, one of those deals where they set up a coffee shop-type thing because they expect people to spend a long time in the place, a la Barnes and Noble? Kinda like that, except I can't find a Fry's experience to parallel reading through most of an entire book at Barnes and Noble and then putting it back on the shelf.
Yes, it's a split in Tampa Bay for the Mariners. Terry Mulholland let in the final runs in the 18th of Sunday's Oakland/Minnesota game and threw 19 pitches. The teams play on Monday, so I haven't heard anything as to whether Mulholland will still start against the Mariners on Tuesday in Seattle. Until then...
Mulholland. Meche. Tuesday.
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