Friday, September 03, 2004
DEEP SIX
Cha Seung Baek had his first Major League start in the first game of the series and had a start he would like to forget. Matched up tonight against an enigmatic Jon Garland, Bobby Madritsch made his first start in his hometown. Most likely, it's a start Bobby would like to forget.
Once again, the spectrum...
Mariners on defense/pitching (bad to good)
massacre < terrible inning < some damage < fighting out of jam < decent inning < 1-2-3
Mariners on offense
I hate this team < come on, y'all < ho, hum < minimal damage < some damage < big inning
TOP 1ST -- ho, hum
Amazingly, Ichiro didn't lead off the game with a single. Nothing eventful took place in the inning other than a one-out single by Randy Winn.
BOTTOM 1ST -- decent inning
Madritsch beaned Aaron Rowand with the second pitch of the game, but got Roberto Alomar to bounce into a double play. Carlos Lee flew out.
TOP 2ND -- come on, y'all
Edgar Martinez drew a leadoff walk. Jolbert Cabrera whiffed. Scott Spiezio managed to draw a walk. Miguel Olivo whiffed. Jose Lopez flew out to Ichiro. Two walks in the inning before there were two out, and nobody scores. I'm not saying I'm surprised; it was up to the bottom of the lineup to drive in those runs, and I know better than to expect that to happen with these guys.
BOTTOM 2ND -- terrible inning
Madritsch had Paul Konerko 0-2 before yielding a single on 1-2. He was bunted over to second by Juan (not Jose) Uribe. With Jamie Burke at the plate, Madritsch balked (someone please tell me what happened in the comment box) to send Konerko to third. Then it all went downhill. Madritsch had Burke down 0-2, but he fouled off a couple pitches and watched a couple to work the count full. A wild 2-2 pitch made the count full, but was also wild, allowing Konerko to score (CHW 1-0). Joe Borchard hit a triple into rightcenter to plate Burke (CHW 2-0). Madritsch had Jose Valentin 2-2 and lost him. Joe Crede singled on the first pitch to score Borchard (CHW 3-0). Aaron Rowand would fly out to Winn for the second out, but Alomar would hit a double to score two runs (CHW 5-0). On the same play, Alomar was gunned down trying to stretch it into a triple. Five runs on five hits and 31 pitches, if anyone was wondering.
TOP 3RD -- minimal damage
Ichiro doubled to centerfield and took third when Rowand muffed the play. Winn singled him in (CHW 5-1). Bret Boone followed with a nicely placed grounder to the shortstop, who rolled a double play. Add a Raul Ibanez nondescript groundout, and what an inning it was.
BOTTOM 3RD -- 1-2-3
Madritsch used four pitches total to get through Lee and Konerko, but needed six to get through Uribe. Weird indeed.
TOP 4TH -- come on, y'all
Edgar doubled to rightfield to leadoff. Jolbert Cabrera bounced out to second (the right side), so that yes, even Edgar could get to third on the play. A well-placed fly ball from Spiezio could net the Mariners another run. A hack on the first pitch resulting in a groundout to the shortstop, though, did not. Olivo was also happy to swing at the first pitch, grounding out to Konerko at first.
BOTTOM 4TH -- 1-2-3
Madritsch settled down considerably, retiring Burke, Borchard, and Valentin (looking) in order.
TOP 5TH -- minimal damage
Lopez doubled to lead off the inning, and Ichiro grounded out to second to move Lopez to third. Winn picked up his second RBI of the night, with an ever-so-authoritative groundout to second (CHW 5-2). Boone hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning.
BOTTOM 5TH -- decent inning
It was okay for Madritsch other than a nine-pitch at-bat by Alomar that resulted in a two-out walk.
TOP 6TH -- ho, hum
Ibanez, Edgar, and Cabrera make it easy on Garland, bowing down 1-2-3.
BOTTOM 6TH -- some damage
Madritsch got Konerko to ground out to Lopez. At that point, Madritsch had retired 10 of 11 (the 11th was a walk), and hadn't allowed a hit since Alomar's double on the last play of the 2nd. Then Uribe popped a homer to left (CHW 6-2). Then a guy ran across the outfield and was chased down by 11 security guards, today's ADT Securities Requisite White Sox Crazy-Ass Fan of the Series. Madritsch would set down Burke and Borchard to end the inning, but that'd be it for him.
Madritsch's line: 6 innings, 6 runs, 6 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, 100 pitches (75 strikes). To add to this whole "six" theme, this was the sixth Major League start for Madritsch.
TOP 7TH -- minimal damage
Olivo hit a one-out double to rightfield and moved to third on a single by Lopez. Ichiro hit a sufficiently deep fly ball to centerfield to score Olivo (CHW 6-3).
BOTTOM 7TH -- 1-2-3
Shigetoshi Hasegawa failed to lose his mind, in fact doing quite the opposite. Valentin was caught looking, and Crede and Rowand flew out.
TOP 8TH -- minimal damage
Boone got a 3-1 pitch he liked and smashed it into the bullpen in rightfield (CHW 6-4). JJ Putz caught the ball cleanly on the fly in the bullpen, as was noted on the replay, and giggled about by Rick and Ron. Former Mariner farmhand Damaso Marte came in and yielded a single to Ibanez. He was then pulled. Jon Adkins then came in and struck out the side: Edgar whiffed, and Cabrera and Spiezio looked.
BOTTOM 8TH -- some damage
JJ Putz came into the game for the Mariners. Carlos Lee finally got a hit in the game, doubling to leftcenter. Putz fell behind 3-0 on Konerko, but then got him to whiff five pitches later. Then Uribe singled on his second pitch (CHW 7-4). Burke flew out to end the inning.
TOP 9TH -- minimal damage
Olivo led off with a double and hung out at second when Crede muffed a Lopez grounder. Ichiro flew out deep enough to centerfield that Olivo taggedup and went to third. Winn doubled to score Olivo and send Lopez to third (CHW 7-5). The tying run was on second with one out. He'd already hit a homer in the game, but this was still bad timing for another 1-3 putout. Ibanez flew out to center to end the game.
Corey the Mariner Optimist doesn't go back into hiding if the Mariners lose five in a row, does he? They're two losses away from doing just that.
I really wish Bobby Madritsch could have had a start closer to the worst of his last five starts rather than the one he had tonight. 'Twas cool to see his family there, including his Larry Brown-looking dad, and Bobby's Boyz. Though Bobby's Boyz are great fun, they seem like a blatant ripoff of the Bordick Rulz crew from Oakland about a decade or so ago.
Gameball: Randy Winn. 3-for-5 with a double and 3 RBI. I have no idea what this guy did on defense tonight, so if he did make some horrendous gaffes out there, I don't know about it.
Goat: Jolbert Cabrera. 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, stranding three. Sometimes I think it's fitting that out of Carlos Guillen, Freddy Garcia, and Jolbert Cabrera, we got left with the latter out of the South American trio.
I have to relay one hilarious thing. I checked the P-I page for tomorrow's starters, and Ryan Franklin's 3-13 record didn't look so bad next to Mark Buehrle's record, which was listed as 12-80.
Franklin. Buehrle. Tomorrow.
[Edit Sat ~3:35p -- My goodness, I've been corrected by Farmer Brown. Cabrera's a Columbian, not a Venezuelan. Thus, the goat paragraph has been adjusted to be more inclusive.]
Once again, the spectrum...
Mariners on defense/pitching (bad to good)
massacre < terrible inning < some damage < fighting out of jam < decent inning < 1-2-3
Mariners on offense
I hate this team < come on, y'all < ho, hum < minimal damage < some damage < big inning
TOP 1ST -- ho, hum
Amazingly, Ichiro didn't lead off the game with a single. Nothing eventful took place in the inning other than a one-out single by Randy Winn.
BOTTOM 1ST -- decent inning
Madritsch beaned Aaron Rowand with the second pitch of the game, but got Roberto Alomar to bounce into a double play. Carlos Lee flew out.
TOP 2ND -- come on, y'all
Edgar Martinez drew a leadoff walk. Jolbert Cabrera whiffed. Scott Spiezio managed to draw a walk. Miguel Olivo whiffed. Jose Lopez flew out to Ichiro. Two walks in the inning before there were two out, and nobody scores. I'm not saying I'm surprised; it was up to the bottom of the lineup to drive in those runs, and I know better than to expect that to happen with these guys.
BOTTOM 2ND -- terrible inning
Madritsch had Paul Konerko 0-2 before yielding a single on 1-2. He was bunted over to second by Juan (not Jose) Uribe. With Jamie Burke at the plate, Madritsch balked (someone please tell me what happened in the comment box) to send Konerko to third. Then it all went downhill. Madritsch had Burke down 0-2, but he fouled off a couple pitches and watched a couple to work the count full. A wild 2-2 pitch made the count full, but was also wild, allowing Konerko to score (CHW 1-0). Joe Borchard hit a triple into rightcenter to plate Burke (CHW 2-0). Madritsch had Jose Valentin 2-2 and lost him. Joe Crede singled on the first pitch to score Borchard (CHW 3-0). Aaron Rowand would fly out to Winn for the second out, but Alomar would hit a double to score two runs (CHW 5-0). On the same play, Alomar was gunned down trying to stretch it into a triple. Five runs on five hits and 31 pitches, if anyone was wondering.
TOP 3RD -- minimal damage
Ichiro doubled to centerfield and took third when Rowand muffed the play. Winn singled him in (CHW 5-1). Bret Boone followed with a nicely placed grounder to the shortstop, who rolled a double play. Add a Raul Ibanez nondescript groundout, and what an inning it was.
BOTTOM 3RD -- 1-2-3
Madritsch used four pitches total to get through Lee and Konerko, but needed six to get through Uribe. Weird indeed.
TOP 4TH -- come on, y'all
Edgar doubled to rightfield to leadoff. Jolbert Cabrera bounced out to second (the right side), so that yes, even Edgar could get to third on the play. A well-placed fly ball from Spiezio could net the Mariners another run. A hack on the first pitch resulting in a groundout to the shortstop, though, did not. Olivo was also happy to swing at the first pitch, grounding out to Konerko at first.
BOTTOM 4TH -- 1-2-3
Madritsch settled down considerably, retiring Burke, Borchard, and Valentin (looking) in order.
TOP 5TH -- minimal damage
Lopez doubled to lead off the inning, and Ichiro grounded out to second to move Lopez to third. Winn picked up his second RBI of the night, with an ever-so-authoritative groundout to second (CHW 5-2). Boone hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning.
BOTTOM 5TH -- decent inning
It was okay for Madritsch other than a nine-pitch at-bat by Alomar that resulted in a two-out walk.
TOP 6TH -- ho, hum
Ibanez, Edgar, and Cabrera make it easy on Garland, bowing down 1-2-3.
BOTTOM 6TH -- some damage
Madritsch got Konerko to ground out to Lopez. At that point, Madritsch had retired 10 of 11 (the 11th was a walk), and hadn't allowed a hit since Alomar's double on the last play of the 2nd. Then Uribe popped a homer to left (CHW 6-2). Then a guy ran across the outfield and was chased down by 11 security guards, today's ADT Securities Requisite White Sox Crazy-Ass Fan of the Series. Madritsch would set down Burke and Borchard to end the inning, but that'd be it for him.
Madritsch's line: 6 innings, 6 runs, 6 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, 100 pitches (75 strikes). To add to this whole "six" theme, this was the sixth Major League start for Madritsch.
TOP 7TH -- minimal damage
Olivo hit a one-out double to rightfield and moved to third on a single by Lopez. Ichiro hit a sufficiently deep fly ball to centerfield to score Olivo (CHW 6-3).
BOTTOM 7TH -- 1-2-3
Shigetoshi Hasegawa failed to lose his mind, in fact doing quite the opposite. Valentin was caught looking, and Crede and Rowand flew out.
TOP 8TH -- minimal damage
Boone got a 3-1 pitch he liked and smashed it into the bullpen in rightfield (CHW 6-4). JJ Putz caught the ball cleanly on the fly in the bullpen, as was noted on the replay, and giggled about by Rick and Ron. Former Mariner farmhand Damaso Marte came in and yielded a single to Ibanez. He was then pulled. Jon Adkins then came in and struck out the side: Edgar whiffed, and Cabrera and Spiezio looked.
BOTTOM 8TH -- some damage
JJ Putz came into the game for the Mariners. Carlos Lee finally got a hit in the game, doubling to leftcenter. Putz fell behind 3-0 on Konerko, but then got him to whiff five pitches later. Then Uribe singled on his second pitch (CHW 7-4). Burke flew out to end the inning.
TOP 9TH -- minimal damage
Olivo led off with a double and hung out at second when Crede muffed a Lopez grounder. Ichiro flew out deep enough to centerfield that Olivo taggedup and went to third. Winn doubled to score Olivo and send Lopez to third (CHW 7-5). The tying run was on second with one out. He'd already hit a homer in the game, but this was still bad timing for another 1-3 putout. Ibanez flew out to center to end the game.
Corey the Mariner Optimist doesn't go back into hiding if the Mariners lose five in a row, does he? They're two losses away from doing just that.
I really wish Bobby Madritsch could have had a start closer to the worst of his last five starts rather than the one he had tonight. 'Twas cool to see his family there, including his Larry Brown-looking dad, and Bobby's Boyz. Though Bobby's Boyz are great fun, they seem like a blatant ripoff of the Bordick Rulz crew from Oakland about a decade or so ago.
Gameball: Randy Winn. 3-for-5 with a double and 3 RBI. I have no idea what this guy did on defense tonight, so if he did make some horrendous gaffes out there, I don't know about it.
Goat: Jolbert Cabrera. 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, stranding three. Sometimes I think it's fitting that out of Carlos Guillen, Freddy Garcia, and Jolbert Cabrera, we got left with the latter out of the South American trio.
I have to relay one hilarious thing. I checked the P-I page for tomorrow's starters, and Ryan Franklin's 3-13 record didn't look so bad next to Mark Buehrle's record, which was listed as 12-80.
Franklin. Buehrle. Tomorrow.
[Edit Sat ~3:35p -- My goodness, I've been corrected by Farmer Brown. Cabrera's a Columbian, not a Venezuelan. Thus, the goat paragraph has been adjusted to be more inclusive.]
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