Wednesday, May 04, 2005
GAME 28: ANGELS 5, MARINERS 2
Angels 5, Mariners 2
In 25 words or less: Pretty much like the night before, and even with the same score, with the added twist of losing some catching depth.
This one featured Paul Byrd (4-0 lifetime against the Mariners coming into the game) against Aaron Sele.
TOP 1ST
Grade: D+
Sele got roughed up early, though his outing progressed more like that of Ryan Franklin two nights before rather than Gil Meche, who lasted eight innings the night before. Darin Erstad flew out to Randy Winn in leftfield. Chone Figgins fouled off a 3-1 pitch before walking. Vladimir Guerrero made quick work of an 0-1 pitch that got too much of the plate (pictured above) and did an impersonation of the Richie Sexson homer in the middle game of the series, putting the ball over the Nikon ad and into the throngs of beer-lovers beyond the fence.
»» ANGELS 2, MARINERS 0
Garret Anderson flew out to Jeremy Reed in centerfield on the first pitch, then Steve Finley gave Winn some more fly ball work, though in foul ground this time. Sele threw 16 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Grade: C-
Business as usual. Ichiro bounced the first pitch to Adam Kennedy at second. Randy Winn waited four pitches to do the same. Adrian Beltre mixed things up, hitting a 1-2 pitch off the end of his bat and rolling it to Erstad at first. Byrd threw 10 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Grade: B-
Sele would be unscathed, though not in the easiest of ways. Orlando Cabrera ripped a single into leftfield. Dallas McPherson had the hitters' counts, but Sele's 3-1 pitch was way outside, and he walked to first base while pitching coach Bryan Price walked out to the mound. Josh Paul couldn't get a bunt down, and then went down swinging. Sele fell behind 2-0 on Adam Kennedy, who lined out right to Winn. Erstad was jammed on his second pitch, grounding out to Bret Boone at second. Sele threw 17 pitches.
BOTTOM 2ND
Grade: B
They've got some fight in 'em! Richie Sexson fouled off a 3-1 pitch before whiffing. Bret Boone dropped a flare into rightcenter for a single. Raul Ibanez smoked one through the right side and almost nailed Boone. Jeremy Reed hit a popup to left on the first pitch. Dan Wilson singled down the rightfield line, though Guerrero cut it off before it could rattle in the corner, perhaps saving a run in the process. Boone scored.
»» ANGELS 2, MARINERS 1
Wilson Valdez then blooped a single into leftcenter over Cabrera, who was running backwards and was about halfway toward the outfield wall, it seemed like. This scored Ibanez to tie the score.
»» ANGELS 2, MARINERS 2
Ichiro then grounded out to short on the second pitch, and it appears the team-wide hitting slump may now even be affecting him. Byrd threw 18 pitches.
TOP 3RD
Grade: D+
Just as quickly as the Mariners got even, Sele gave it back. Figgins had a 2-0 count and whiffed on a 2-2 curve, but the worries would soon start. Guerrero fouled back a 3-1 pitch before walking on a pitch way outside. Anderson took Ichiro to the track in rightcenter for a long out. Finley fouled off a 3-1 pitch where Guerrero was running. He then drove a single over Boone's head to move Guerrero to third. Two pitches later, Guerrero scored on Cabrera's base hit to centerfield.
»» ANGELS 3, MARINERS 2
McPherson had the hitters' counts. On 3-1, he hit a ball to the right side that got under Boone's diving attempt. Finley scored, and Cabrera went to third.
»» ANGELS 4, MARINERS 2
On an 0-1 pitch to Paul, Wilson somehow gunned down McPherson trying to steal second. Sele threw 27 pitches.
BOTTOM 3RD
Grade: D+
A leadoff hit would go for naught this time. Winn poked one through the hole on the right side for a single before the offense did their thing. Beltre worked a 1-2 count full amidst a couple of foul-offs, eventually flying out foul to Guerrero down the rightfield line. Sexson drove his second pitch to Guerrero as well, who caught it near the wall. The 0-1 pitch to Boone was wild, and Winn advanced to second. He foueld off a couple 2-2 pitches before stinging one right at Anderson in leftfield. Byrd threw 20 pitches.
TOP 4TH
Grade: B-
Sele somehow didn't get burned by the leadoff walk. Paul fouled off a 3-1 pitch before taking his free pass. Kennedy grounded out to Beltre, and Erstad blistered a line drive right at Beltre. Figgins flew out shallow to Ichiro. Sele threw 16 pitches and was at 76 through four.
BOTTOM 4TH
Grade: C-
Some rotten luck. Ibanez got the hitters' counts and lined a single into rightfield on 3-1. Reed tagged a 1-2 pitch right to Erstad at first, who had more than enough time to cover the short distance to the first-base bag to double off Ibanez. Wilson fouled off an 0-2 pitch before hacking at a slider to end the inning. Byrd threw 14 pitches.
TOP 5TH
Grade: C+
Sele would reach the end of his rope. Guerrero hit a deep fly ball to left, off the top of the wall to the left of the manual scoreboard, good for a double. Anderson flew out on the first pitch deep to center, ebavling Guerrero to get to third. Finley was intentionally walked.
Shigetoshi Hasegawa came in for Villone. Cabrera flew out to Ichiro at medium depth in rightfield, and Guerrero came running toward the plate. Ichiro's throw home was a bit up the line, but Wilson was able to get control of it and reach forward to tag Guerrero as he toward the plate. The score remained.
Sele's line: 4 1/3 innings, 4 runs, 6 hits, 5 walks, 2 strikeouts, 84 pitches (45 strikes)
BOTTOM 5TH
Grade: C-
It's just not going well for these bats right now. Valdez hit a ball to rightfield that Guerrero lost in the sun. It went over his head and Valdez scooted to second with a double. Ichiro tried to bunt his way aboard, but it went foul. Then he popped out to McPherson in foul territory. Winn lined the first pitch barely foul down the rightfield line. Winn hit the second pitch hard off Byrd's glove, and Kennedy couldn't come up with it, and it was too late before Cabrera got to it. Valdez went to third on the infield hit. Beltre tapped one back to the mound, and Byrd went to second, though ill-placed throw kept it from being a double play. Dave Niehaus and Rick Rizzs in the booth were befuddled as to why Valdez didn't try to score on the play. Sexson hit a high fly ball to Kennedy to end the inning. Byrd threw 14 pitches and was at 76 through five.
TOP 6TH
Grade: B
Hasegawa got through the inning unrattled. McPherson flew out to Winn in leftcenter. Paul got the hitters' counts and eventually took a full-count pitch outside. Kennedy tapped one back to the mound for what should have been a double play, but the throw to first by Valdez nailed the baserunner Paul in the thumb, foiling the double play and eventually knocking Paul out of the game. Erstad had the hitters' counts before bouncing one to Boone.
BOTTOM 6TH
Grade: C-
Byrd got 0-2 counts on every hitter in the inning. Unsurprisingly, he only faced three. Boone lined out to Kennedy, and Ibanez took the ground-ball route to Kennedy. Reed went down hacking. Byrd threw 10 pitches and was at 86 through six.
TOP 7TH
Grade: B-
The Mariner bullpen was able to avoid jams. Figgins bunted a ball along the third-base line that never went foul, good for a single.
Jeff Nelson then came on for Hasegawa. Figgins got a huge jump and stole on the first pitch to Guerrero. With the count 3-0, Nelson spun back and was able to get Figgins in a rundown, as he was picked off, 1-4-5-6 in the book. Guerrero whiffed at a slider low and away on 3-1, but then walked on a pitch low and away.
Ron Villone came on for Jeff Nelson. Anderson hit a deep ball off the rightfield wall near the Boeing sign, though he was held to a single. Guerrero moved to third on the play. Finley flew out to Ichiro on 0-2, and it was too shallow for Guerrero to tag up and score. Cabrera hit a ball to the hole on the left side, but Beltre made the out. Villone threw eight pitches.
Hasegawa's line: 1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts, 30 pitches (17 strikes)
Nelson's line: 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts, 6 pitches (2 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Grade:
Paul Byrd would finally leave the game, but it got worse for Mariner fans. Wilson got down 0-2 but twice fouled off 1-2 pitches before lining a single to centerfield. Valdez popped an 0-2 pitch behind the bag at first, and Erstad made the easy catch. Ichiro was victim to a running catch by Anderson, and he nearly nailed Dan Wilson, who lumbered back to first. Upon lumbering, Wilson was eaten up by his slide. More on this shortly.
Jake Woods came in for Byrd. With the count 2-0 on Winn, Rick Griffin came out to check on Wilson at first. Miguel Olivo came in to run for him. Later during the game, it was revealed that Wilson had a sore knee. In the hours after the game, it was revealed that Wilson had torn his ACL. Winn whiffed on a full count to end the inning.
Byrd's line: 6 2/3 innings, 2 runs, 9 hits, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 97 pitches (72 strikes)
Woods' line: 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 7 pitches (4 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Grade: B+
Villone made fairly quick work of the bottom of the Angels' lineup. The first three hitters faced 0-2 counts. McPherson worked his count full and fouled one off befire grounding a two-hopper to Boone. Molina took a pitch barely outside and fouled off a 1-2 pitch before getting the whiff. Villone hung a breaking ball to Kennedy, who singled to leftcenter. Erstad grounded out to Boone to end the inning.
Villone's line: 1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 28 pitches (21 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Grade: C
Brendan Donnelly came in for Woods. Beltre hit a high fly ball to Guerrero. Sexson hit a long single to centerfield on the first pitch. Boone grounded to Cabrera at short for a 6-4 fielder's choice. Ibanez whiffed on a 2-2 pitch that might have been a screwball, according to our esteemed radio crew.
Donnelly's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 11 pitches (8 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Grade: C
Eddie Guardado came on for Villone to get some work. Figgins worked a walk from a 1-2 count. Guerrero popped a 2-0 pitch to Sexson in foul ground. Figgins stole second on the 0-2 pitch to Anderson, and went to third when Olivo threw low and into centerfield trying to get him. Anderson fouled off a 1-2 pitch before singling into leftcenter.
»» ANGELS 5, MARINERS 2
Anderson went to second on the 0-1 wild pitch to Finley. Finley fouled a 1-2 pitch into the first row of seats, but Sexson was able to lean over and make the catch. The Mariners pitched out on Cabrera before making the walk intentional. McPherson had a 2-0 count, but whiffed on a 2-2 pitch.
Guardado's line: 1 inning, 1 run, 1 hit, 2 walks, 1 strikeout, 28 pitches (14 strikes)
BOTTOM 9TH
Grade:
Francisco Rodriguez came in for Donnelly. Reed bunted the second pitch to the mound. Olivo watched a couple of sliders before hopelessly missing on the third. Dave Hansen was officially back on the team, pinch-hitting for Valdez. He bounced a 1-2 pitch to Cabrera at short. Ballgame.
Rodriguez' line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 9 pitches (8 strikes)
---
Gameball: Dan Wilson.
One for the road. I'll get into a Wilson spiel below, but for this day, he went 2-for-3 and drove in a run. He also put the tag down on Vladimir Guerrero when the Ichiro throw was a bit up the line.
Goat: Aaron Sele.
I'm not going to try to say I told you so or anything, but when the Mariners brought Aaron Sele into spring training, I thought he'd be cranking out more starts like this once he got onto the roster. I thought he'd throw about 80 or 90 pitches and maybe get out of the 5th once in a while. He's had a couple good starts this year, don't get me wrong, but I think those were definitely the top of his game, and we might be seeing more of a gravitation towards the mean.
First and foremost, whenever a guy tears his ACL, it's big news. The fact that it's been one of the stalwarts of the breakthrough era of Mariner baseball makes it a bit sad. I won't deny I've ragged on his hitting and speed since I was in high school, but Dan Wilson has been a large part of any pitching success the Mariners have had in the last decade. He got to the point where he could call a good game by himself behind the plate, and though Miguel Olivo is younger, he definitely hasn't gotten to that point yet since he's still looking to the dugout to see what sign he should throw down. The other thing was the blocking. Aaron Sele knows now and I'm sure he knew the first time around with Seattle that he could throw that curve in the dirt and know it wouldn't get past Dan. Kazuhiro Sasaki probably owes many a save to Dan, and probably is still thankful for all the runners that didn't advance from first to second with two out in a one-run game after he threw the Thang in the dirt. And when Jeff Fassero lost control that last year and couldn't throw a basketball over the plate, Dan had to catch that too.
The point is this -- if that was Dan Wilson's swan song in a Mariner uniform, I've enjoyed what he's done for this pitching staff, this team, and this community. If this was the end, I'm glad he had a great day at the plate, too. It reminded me a lot of Tom Lampkin's final game in a Mariner uniform before he was done for the season. You know, the grand slam against Baltimore.
As for this offense, I'm not sure there's really anything new to say. I know Paul Byrd owns this team, but it's still frustrating to see 10 hits on the board and only two runs come across. Everybody's pressing. I know things will look up, they're entirely much better than all the elements that the team depended on to go right last year. In a related story, how many times are we going to be able to say that Ichiro struck out three times in one game, and went 0-for-4 and stranded four runners the next game? You've got to believe the team's going to at least have a bit more of a chance if/when he warms up at the plate.
So when you think about this team, just remember that they'll return to playing competitive ball again, and there's still the chance of seeing Felix Hernandez and Jose Lopez at the Major League level soon enough. Just remember that this season will still be infinitely more watchable than last year, and remember that even if you know that these 12-16 Mariners are only one game better than the Mariners after 28 games last year.
Of course, what better time than to schedule nothing but the Yankees and Red Sox for nearly two weeks? I've already complained about the Yankees not being in town for a weekend series, but oh well, I guess they replaced that with the Red Sox. Wear your Yankees Suck tee-shirts with pride, because this time it might actually apply based on standings. It's kind of a double-edged sword, though. You might be getting the Yankees and Red Sox when they aren't that good, but that doesn't mean they can't get hot at a moment's notice and find their groove against you. Though it's hockey, I remember the Toronto Maple Leafs were almost ready to fire Pat Quinn and the media in Toronto was all over them, but they had their first good game (part of a very good home-and-home series) in a while, and it was against the Canucks. Then Toronto caught fire and Quinn's job was a lot more safe, and the Leafs got a new lease on their season. I'm not saying the Yankees and Red Sox will get off the launching pad against the Mariners, but there's always that chance.
If I learned one thing from Metallica's Behind the Music episode, it's that Loser's Lunch is bologna on hand. Turkey is way better.
Moyer. Clement. Tomorrow.
In 25 words or less: Pretty much like the night before, and even with the same score, with the added twist of losing some catching depth.
This one featured Paul Byrd (4-0 lifetime against the Mariners coming into the game) against Aaron Sele.
TOP 1ST
Grade: D+
Sele got roughed up early, though his outing progressed more like that of Ryan Franklin two nights before rather than Gil Meche, who lasted eight innings the night before. Darin Erstad flew out to Randy Winn in leftfield. Chone Figgins fouled off a 3-1 pitch before walking. Vladimir Guerrero made quick work of an 0-1 pitch that got too much of the plate (pictured above) and did an impersonation of the Richie Sexson homer in the middle game of the series, putting the ball over the Nikon ad and into the throngs of beer-lovers beyond the fence.
»» ANGELS 2, MARINERS 0
Garret Anderson flew out to Jeremy Reed in centerfield on the first pitch, then Steve Finley gave Winn some more fly ball work, though in foul ground this time. Sele threw 16 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Grade: C-
Business as usual. Ichiro bounced the first pitch to Adam Kennedy at second. Randy Winn waited four pitches to do the same. Adrian Beltre mixed things up, hitting a 1-2 pitch off the end of his bat and rolling it to Erstad at first. Byrd threw 10 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Grade: B-
Sele would be unscathed, though not in the easiest of ways. Orlando Cabrera ripped a single into leftfield. Dallas McPherson had the hitters' counts, but Sele's 3-1 pitch was way outside, and he walked to first base while pitching coach Bryan Price walked out to the mound. Josh Paul couldn't get a bunt down, and then went down swinging. Sele fell behind 2-0 on Adam Kennedy, who lined out right to Winn. Erstad was jammed on his second pitch, grounding out to Bret Boone at second. Sele threw 17 pitches.
BOTTOM 2ND
Grade: B
They've got some fight in 'em! Richie Sexson fouled off a 3-1 pitch before whiffing. Bret Boone dropped a flare into rightcenter for a single. Raul Ibanez smoked one through the right side and almost nailed Boone. Jeremy Reed hit a popup to left on the first pitch. Dan Wilson singled down the rightfield line, though Guerrero cut it off before it could rattle in the corner, perhaps saving a run in the process. Boone scored.
»» ANGELS 2, MARINERS 1
Wilson Valdez then blooped a single into leftcenter over Cabrera, who was running backwards and was about halfway toward the outfield wall, it seemed like. This scored Ibanez to tie the score.
»» ANGELS 2, MARINERS 2
Ichiro then grounded out to short on the second pitch, and it appears the team-wide hitting slump may now even be affecting him. Byrd threw 18 pitches.
TOP 3RD
Grade: D+
Just as quickly as the Mariners got even, Sele gave it back. Figgins had a 2-0 count and whiffed on a 2-2 curve, but the worries would soon start. Guerrero fouled back a 3-1 pitch before walking on a pitch way outside. Anderson took Ichiro to the track in rightcenter for a long out. Finley fouled off a 3-1 pitch where Guerrero was running. He then drove a single over Boone's head to move Guerrero to third. Two pitches later, Guerrero scored on Cabrera's base hit to centerfield.
»» ANGELS 3, MARINERS 2
McPherson had the hitters' counts. On 3-1, he hit a ball to the right side that got under Boone's diving attempt. Finley scored, and Cabrera went to third.
»» ANGELS 4, MARINERS 2
On an 0-1 pitch to Paul, Wilson somehow gunned down McPherson trying to steal second. Sele threw 27 pitches.
BOTTOM 3RD
Grade: D+
A leadoff hit would go for naught this time. Winn poked one through the hole on the right side for a single before the offense did their thing. Beltre worked a 1-2 count full amidst a couple of foul-offs, eventually flying out foul to Guerrero down the rightfield line. Sexson drove his second pitch to Guerrero as well, who caught it near the wall. The 0-1 pitch to Boone was wild, and Winn advanced to second. He foueld off a couple 2-2 pitches before stinging one right at Anderson in leftfield. Byrd threw 20 pitches.
TOP 4TH
Grade: B-
Sele somehow didn't get burned by the leadoff walk. Paul fouled off a 3-1 pitch before taking his free pass. Kennedy grounded out to Beltre, and Erstad blistered a line drive right at Beltre. Figgins flew out shallow to Ichiro. Sele threw 16 pitches and was at 76 through four.
BOTTOM 4TH
Grade: C-
Some rotten luck. Ibanez got the hitters' counts and lined a single into rightfield on 3-1. Reed tagged a 1-2 pitch right to Erstad at first, who had more than enough time to cover the short distance to the first-base bag to double off Ibanez. Wilson fouled off an 0-2 pitch before hacking at a slider to end the inning. Byrd threw 14 pitches.
TOP 5TH
Grade: C+
Sele would reach the end of his rope. Guerrero hit a deep fly ball to left, off the top of the wall to the left of the manual scoreboard, good for a double. Anderson flew out on the first pitch deep to center, ebavling Guerrero to get to third. Finley was intentionally walked.
Shigetoshi Hasegawa came in for Villone. Cabrera flew out to Ichiro at medium depth in rightfield, and Guerrero came running toward the plate. Ichiro's throw home was a bit up the line, but Wilson was able to get control of it and reach forward to tag Guerrero as he toward the plate. The score remained.
Sele's line: 4 1/3 innings, 4 runs, 6 hits, 5 walks, 2 strikeouts, 84 pitches (45 strikes)
BOTTOM 5TH
Grade: C-
It's just not going well for these bats right now. Valdez hit a ball to rightfield that Guerrero lost in the sun. It went over his head and Valdez scooted to second with a double. Ichiro tried to bunt his way aboard, but it went foul. Then he popped out to McPherson in foul territory. Winn lined the first pitch barely foul down the rightfield line. Winn hit the second pitch hard off Byrd's glove, and Kennedy couldn't come up with it, and it was too late before Cabrera got to it. Valdez went to third on the infield hit. Beltre tapped one back to the mound, and Byrd went to second, though ill-placed throw kept it from being a double play. Dave Niehaus and Rick Rizzs in the booth were befuddled as to why Valdez didn't try to score on the play. Sexson hit a high fly ball to Kennedy to end the inning. Byrd threw 14 pitches and was at 76 through five.
TOP 6TH
Grade: B
Hasegawa got through the inning unrattled. McPherson flew out to Winn in leftcenter. Paul got the hitters' counts and eventually took a full-count pitch outside. Kennedy tapped one back to the mound for what should have been a double play, but the throw to first by Valdez nailed the baserunner Paul in the thumb, foiling the double play and eventually knocking Paul out of the game. Erstad had the hitters' counts before bouncing one to Boone.
BOTTOM 6TH
Grade: C-
Byrd got 0-2 counts on every hitter in the inning. Unsurprisingly, he only faced three. Boone lined out to Kennedy, and Ibanez took the ground-ball route to Kennedy. Reed went down hacking. Byrd threw 10 pitches and was at 86 through six.
TOP 7TH
Grade: B-
The Mariner bullpen was able to avoid jams. Figgins bunted a ball along the third-base line that never went foul, good for a single.
Jeff Nelson then came on for Hasegawa. Figgins got a huge jump and stole on the first pitch to Guerrero. With the count 3-0, Nelson spun back and was able to get Figgins in a rundown, as he was picked off, 1-4-5-6 in the book. Guerrero whiffed at a slider low and away on 3-1, but then walked on a pitch low and away.
Ron Villone came on for Jeff Nelson. Anderson hit a deep ball off the rightfield wall near the Boeing sign, though he was held to a single. Guerrero moved to third on the play. Finley flew out to Ichiro on 0-2, and it was too shallow for Guerrero to tag up and score. Cabrera hit a ball to the hole on the left side, but Beltre made the out. Villone threw eight pitches.
Hasegawa's line: 1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts, 30 pitches (17 strikes)
Nelson's line: 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts, 6 pitches (2 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Grade:
Paul Byrd would finally leave the game, but it got worse for Mariner fans. Wilson got down 0-2 but twice fouled off 1-2 pitches before lining a single to centerfield. Valdez popped an 0-2 pitch behind the bag at first, and Erstad made the easy catch. Ichiro was victim to a running catch by Anderson, and he nearly nailed Dan Wilson, who lumbered back to first. Upon lumbering, Wilson was eaten up by his slide. More on this shortly.
Jake Woods came in for Byrd. With the count 2-0 on Winn, Rick Griffin came out to check on Wilson at first. Miguel Olivo came in to run for him. Later during the game, it was revealed that Wilson had a sore knee. In the hours after the game, it was revealed that Wilson had torn his ACL. Winn whiffed on a full count to end the inning.
Byrd's line: 6 2/3 innings, 2 runs, 9 hits, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 97 pitches (72 strikes)
Woods' line: 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 7 pitches (4 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Grade: B+
Villone made fairly quick work of the bottom of the Angels' lineup. The first three hitters faced 0-2 counts. McPherson worked his count full and fouled one off befire grounding a two-hopper to Boone. Molina took a pitch barely outside and fouled off a 1-2 pitch before getting the whiff. Villone hung a breaking ball to Kennedy, who singled to leftcenter. Erstad grounded out to Boone to end the inning.
Villone's line: 1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 28 pitches (21 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Grade: C
Brendan Donnelly came in for Woods. Beltre hit a high fly ball to Guerrero. Sexson hit a long single to centerfield on the first pitch. Boone grounded to Cabrera at short for a 6-4 fielder's choice. Ibanez whiffed on a 2-2 pitch that might have been a screwball, according to our esteemed radio crew.
Donnelly's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 11 pitches (8 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Grade: C
Eddie Guardado came on for Villone to get some work. Figgins worked a walk from a 1-2 count. Guerrero popped a 2-0 pitch to Sexson in foul ground. Figgins stole second on the 0-2 pitch to Anderson, and went to third when Olivo threw low and into centerfield trying to get him. Anderson fouled off a 1-2 pitch before singling into leftcenter.
»» ANGELS 5, MARINERS 2
Anderson went to second on the 0-1 wild pitch to Finley. Finley fouled a 1-2 pitch into the first row of seats, but Sexson was able to lean over and make the catch. The Mariners pitched out on Cabrera before making the walk intentional. McPherson had a 2-0 count, but whiffed on a 2-2 pitch.
Guardado's line: 1 inning, 1 run, 1 hit, 2 walks, 1 strikeout, 28 pitches (14 strikes)
BOTTOM 9TH
Grade:
Francisco Rodriguez came in for Donnelly. Reed bunted the second pitch to the mound. Olivo watched a couple of sliders before hopelessly missing on the third. Dave Hansen was officially back on the team, pinch-hitting for Valdez. He bounced a 1-2 pitch to Cabrera at short. Ballgame.
Rodriguez' line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 9 pitches (8 strikes)
---
Gameball: Dan Wilson.
One for the road. I'll get into a Wilson spiel below, but for this day, he went 2-for-3 and drove in a run. He also put the tag down on Vladimir Guerrero when the Ichiro throw was a bit up the line.
Goat: Aaron Sele.
I'm not going to try to say I told you so or anything, but when the Mariners brought Aaron Sele into spring training, I thought he'd be cranking out more starts like this once he got onto the roster. I thought he'd throw about 80 or 90 pitches and maybe get out of the 5th once in a while. He's had a couple good starts this year, don't get me wrong, but I think those were definitely the top of his game, and we might be seeing more of a gravitation towards the mean.
First and foremost, whenever a guy tears his ACL, it's big news. The fact that it's been one of the stalwarts of the breakthrough era of Mariner baseball makes it a bit sad. I won't deny I've ragged on his hitting and speed since I was in high school, but Dan Wilson has been a large part of any pitching success the Mariners have had in the last decade. He got to the point where he could call a good game by himself behind the plate, and though Miguel Olivo is younger, he definitely hasn't gotten to that point yet since he's still looking to the dugout to see what sign he should throw down. The other thing was the blocking. Aaron Sele knows now and I'm sure he knew the first time around with Seattle that he could throw that curve in the dirt and know it wouldn't get past Dan. Kazuhiro Sasaki probably owes many a save to Dan, and probably is still thankful for all the runners that didn't advance from first to second with two out in a one-run game after he threw the Thang in the dirt. And when Jeff Fassero lost control that last year and couldn't throw a basketball over the plate, Dan had to catch that too.
The point is this -- if that was Dan Wilson's swan song in a Mariner uniform, I've enjoyed what he's done for this pitching staff, this team, and this community. If this was the end, I'm glad he had a great day at the plate, too. It reminded me a lot of Tom Lampkin's final game in a Mariner uniform before he was done for the season. You know, the grand slam against Baltimore.
As for this offense, I'm not sure there's really anything new to say. I know Paul Byrd owns this team, but it's still frustrating to see 10 hits on the board and only two runs come across. Everybody's pressing. I know things will look up, they're entirely much better than all the elements that the team depended on to go right last year. In a related story, how many times are we going to be able to say that Ichiro struck out three times in one game, and went 0-for-4 and stranded four runners the next game? You've got to believe the team's going to at least have a bit more of a chance if/when he warms up at the plate.
So when you think about this team, just remember that they'll return to playing competitive ball again, and there's still the chance of seeing Felix Hernandez and Jose Lopez at the Major League level soon enough. Just remember that this season will still be infinitely more watchable than last year, and remember that even if you know that these 12-16 Mariners are only one game better than the Mariners after 28 games last year.
Of course, what better time than to schedule nothing but the Yankees and Red Sox for nearly two weeks? I've already complained about the Yankees not being in town for a weekend series, but oh well, I guess they replaced that with the Red Sox. Wear your Yankees Suck tee-shirts with pride, because this time it might actually apply based on standings. It's kind of a double-edged sword, though. You might be getting the Yankees and Red Sox when they aren't that good, but that doesn't mean they can't get hot at a moment's notice and find their groove against you. Though it's hockey, I remember the Toronto Maple Leafs were almost ready to fire Pat Quinn and the media in Toronto was all over them, but they had their first good game (part of a very good home-and-home series) in a while, and it was against the Canucks. Then Toronto caught fire and Quinn's job was a lot more safe, and the Leafs got a new lease on their season. I'm not saying the Yankees and Red Sox will get off the launching pad against the Mariners, but there's always that chance.
If I learned one thing from Metallica's Behind the Music episode, it's that Loser's Lunch is bologna on hand. Turkey is way better.
Moyer. Clement. Tomorrow.
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