Monday, May 09, 2005
GAME 30: RED SOX 6, MARINERS 3
Red Sox 6, Mariners 3
In 25 words or less: The Mariners had the lead for about 10 minutes or so until the starting pitcher got into trouble -- the latter as usual of late.
This one featured Joel Piñeiro, the last Mariner starting pitcher to have a good start (last Sunday), against Jeremi Gonzalez.
TOP 1ST
Grade: B-
The Mariners would get their lead. Ichiro had a nice at-bat to lead off, fouling off four 2-2 pitches before singling into leftcenter. Randy Winn bunted the first pitch foul, got down 0-2, and eventually was the whiffer. Ichiro stole second on an 0-1 count to Adrian Beltre, and moved to third on Doug Mirabelli's wild throw. Beltre walked on a full count. Richie Sexson hit a fly ball to Johnny Damon in centerfield on the first pitch, deep enough to score Ichiro and get the Mariners a rare lead.
»» MARINERS 1, RED SOX 0
Bret Boone got down 0-2 and flew out three pitches later to Damon to end the inning. Gonzalez threw 26 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Grade: C-
Well hey, there goes that lead. Johnny Damon hit a broken-bat single to leftcenter on Piñeiro's first pitch. Trot Nixon hit a weak pop to short on the first pitch. Others were more patient. Manny Ramirez got down 0-2 and worked the count full before taking a ball to the thigh (he later left the game). David Ortiz walked on a 3-1 pitch to load the bases. Kevin Millar then doubled on a full count off the wall in centerfield, clearing the bases.
»» RED SOX 3, MARINERS 1
Kevin Youkilis was caught looking, and Bill Mueller grounded to Beltre, who tagged out Millar to end the inning. Piñeiro beat Gonzalez, throwing 28 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Grade: C-
Bring forth the futility. Raul Ibañez had a 2-0 count, but he watched the 2-2 pitch go right down the pipe. Jeremy Reed took two strikes and swung through the third. Willie Bloomquist popped an 0-2 pitch to Bill Mueller (second baseman) on the rightfield grass to end the inning. Gonzalez threw 11 pitches.
BOTTOM 2ND
Grade: C+
Boston would play a small measure of add-on. Doug Mirabelli hit a high fly to centerfield, but it appeared Reed might have given up on it too soon, and it hit the bottom of the wall. What debatably could have been a flyout ended up instead as a leadoff double. Ramon Vazquez hit a slow roller down the third-base line that Beltre tried to barehand and throw, but it was a tough play to begin with. Sexson dove to stop the wide throw, and Vazquez got the infield single. Damon flew out to Ichiro on the first pitch, but it was hard hit and shallow, so Mirabelli held at third. He would come to the plate on Nixon's second pitch, which was sent to the track in front of the Monster.
»» RED SOX 4, MARINERS 1
Ramirez got down 0-2 in his count and watched a 1-2 pitch over the outside corner that looked like strike three to me. He eventually bounced to Beltre for a 5-4 fielder's choice. Piñeiro threw 17 pitches.
TOP 3RD
Grade: C-
Sigh. Miguel Olivo hit a low line drive out to the track in leftfield to lead off. Ichiro walked on four pitches, then stole second on the first pitch to Winn. Beltre worked a 1-2 count full before fouling the full-count pitch to Millar bear the tarp along the rightfield line. Gonzalez threw 17 ptiches.
BOTTOM 3RD
Grade: B
Piñeiro would settle down a bit. Ortiz got a 3-1 count, but later flew out foul to Beltre on a basket catch in front of the third-base dugout. Millar dumped a hanging curve into centerfield for a single. Youkilis smoked his second pitch into center. Mueller helped everyone out, grounding into a 6-4-3 double play. Piñeiro threw 12 pitches.
TOP 4TH
Grade: C-
A 1-2-3 inning. Sexson grounded out to Mueller. Boone got down 0-2 and later whiffed on a slider over the plate. Ibañez had the hitters counts, and flew out to the leftfield track on 3-1. Gonzalez threw 15 pitches.
BOTTOM 4TH
Grade: C-
Piñeiro would get touched up again. Mirabelli clubbed the first pitch just inches from clearing the Monster, and he had to make a hard turn and return to first after a relay throw. Vazquez ripped his second pitch into the glove of a diving Sexson at first, who nearly dove back to the bag to double off Mirabelli. Damon served a single into leftfield. Nixon hit a high fly to Bloomquist in shallow left (infield fly rule was called). Jay Payton pinch hit for Ramirez (now officially out of the game). Piñeiro dirtballed the first pitch, and the runners advanced. Payton sent the 2-0 pitch softly down the rightfield line to score Mirabelli and Damon.
»» RED SOX 6, MARINERS 1
Ortiz tapped one back to the mound to end the inning. Piñeiro threw 18 pitches.
TOP 5TH
Grade: C-
The not-goodness would continue. Reed popped to short. Bloomquist fouled the second pitch high behind the plate for an out. Olivo got down 0-2 and whiffed on a 2-2 pitch out of the zone. Gonzalez threw 11 pitches and was at 80 through five.
BOTTOM 5TH
Grade: A
Joel had an easy inning. Millar flew out to Ichiro (Rick Rizzs chimed in with the obligatory Area 51 reference, as all too usual). Youkilis grounded out to short. Mueller grounded the first pitch to Boone. Piñeiro threw nine pitches and was at 84 through five.
TOP 6TH
Grade: B
The Mariners would save a small amount of face. Ichiro got a 3-1 count and later laced a single into rightfield. Winn lined the first pitch past Mueller's glove at second for a single. Beltre thumped the 1-2 pitch just to the right of Damon and off the base of the wall in centerfield. Ichiro and Winn were about 15-20 feet away from each other heading toward third, but Winn got the stop sign as Ichiro scored.
»» RED SOX 6, MARINERS 2
Sexson grounded hard to short, and Winn scored on the play.
»» RED SOX 6, MARINERS 3
Boone hit the first pitch to the hole on the left side, but Youkilis made a dive and threw in time to first.
Mike Myers came in for Gonzalez. Ibañez grounded out to third to end the inning.
Gonzalez' line: 5 2/3 innings, 3 runs (2 earned), 4 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts, 100 pitches (65 strikes)
BOTTOM 6TH
Grade: A
Piñeiro was seemingly locked in. He got ahead 0-2 on the first two hitters. Mirabelli whiffed on a 2-2 high curve. Vazquez whiffed on a 1-2 curve in the dirt. Damon grounded to Boone to end the inning. Piñeiro threw 12 pitches and was at 96 through six.
TOP 7TH
Grade: C-
No balls out of the infield. Reed tapped back to the mound to lead off.
Matt Mantei, possibly known in Phoenix as Closer Not Named Byung-Hyun Kim, came on in relief of Myers. Bloomquist worked a 1-2 count full before bouncing out to third, and Olivo hit the first pitch back to the mound.
Myers' line: 2/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 7 pitches (5 strikes)
Mantei's line: 2/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 7 pitches (4 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Grade:
Pitch count be damned, Mike Hargrove apparently wanted to save the bullpen a bit for the latter half of the doubleheader. At least Piñeiro didn't get into too much trouble. Nixon rolled out to Boone. Payton had a 2-0 count, but later flew out to Ichiro. Ortiz doubled the first pitch past Sexson and down the rightfield line, but Millar took an 0-2 fastball over the inside corner.
Piñeiro's line: 7 innings, 6 runs, 10 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 109 pitches (69 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Grade: C-
Mike Timlin, who couldn't get anyone out when he was a Mariner, came in to face them. Ichiro fouled off an 0-2 pitch before looking at a slider over the outside corner. Winn flew out to left on the first pitch. Beltre laced an 0-2 pitch into rightfield for a single. Sexson had a 2-0 count, but grounded out to second two pitches later.
Timlin's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 12 pitches (10 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Grade: A-
Shigetoshi Hasegawa came in for Piñeiro. Youkilis grounded one to Bloomquist, who threw low to Sexson, who was able to pick it out of the dirt. Mueller was victim to a running catch in leftcenter by Winn. Mirabelli got the hitters' counts but flew out to Ichiro on the 3-1 pitch.
Hasegawa's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 15 pitches (8 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Grade:
Keith Foulke came in for Timlin, and the Mariners didn't care about his six-plus ERA. Boone flew out to Nixon just short of the track in rightfield. Ibañez had a 3-1 count and later singled hard into centerfield. Reed got down 0-2, and Ibanez stole second on a 1-2 pitch. Reed later flew out to left. Dave Hansen came on to pinch hit, and he immediately was down 0-2. He eventually whiffed on a change outside. Ballgame.
Foulke's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 19 pitches (14 strikes)
---
Gameball: Adrian Beltre.
2-for-3 with a double and a walk. It only raises his average to .233, but it raises the psyche(s) of a lot of fans out there. After the game the day before, it was nice to see him tag the ball again. Beltre's got a two-handed follow-through to his swing, and so does Sexson. I'm not saying I desperately need it, but I'd get a weird kick out of seeing a one-handed follow-through swing out of Beltre, though definitely not out of Sexson (please, no). The arm bone is connected to the shoulder bone, or something like that.
Goat: Joel Piñeiro.
Can we get one good start out of somebody for once? You might be asking what kind of start would hit the spot for me at this point. It's pretty simple. Go six, maybe get into the seventh, and give up four runs (preferably scattered, and not all in the first or second inning). That's all. If the guys in the rotation could do that 80% of the time, this team would be a lot better off. It was nice for the Mariners to have the lead before Joel took the mound, but it was equally horrific to see Joel give it right back. He had Manny Ramirez 0-2 in the first and then beaned him on a full count. That's never good, but neither is going 3-1 on Ortiz right after that, and then walking him. There's very few people in the Boston lineup who won't make you shake in your boots if you bring them to the plate with the bases loaded. Kevin Millar, well, he proved what he could do.
I didn't think of it at the time, but I should have listened to Iron Maiden's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album to observe the Mariners' seventh straight loss. It would have been immensely more enjoyable, and as it should be, since it's a very solid album. It has "The Evil That Men Do," for goodness sakes.
I'm not sure if I'm the only one who feels this way, but when I go to the strikeout column of the boxscore and see a number 6 next to the name of Jeremi Gonzalez, I'm dismayed at the fact that my team was on the bad end of that. Winn was the biggest culprit, striking out twice against him. Also, wasn't it just fitting that it was his first start of the season and his first win since 2003? Great times, really.
Anyway, let's pile onto the frustration. The Mariners lost despite a 2-for-3 game from Ichiro and a nice and long-awaited 2-for-3 outing from Adrian Beltre. What gives? How about one hit from the latter two-thirds of the lineup? 1-for-21 for starting hitters four through nine in this game, with the one hit from Raul Ibañez. The only semi-consoling factor was Richie Sexson driving in two runs despite his 0-for-2 performance. Needless to say, if two-thirds of the lineup is doing next to nothing, you pretty much hope that someone's driving in runs with the outs (Sexson) or the guys that are hitting are hitting homers (didn't happen).
I already touched on Piñeiro outing with the goat entry, but seriously. Seven innings is good, though I think his coming out for the 7th was Hargrove's doing. Ten hits is good if you're Paul Byrd and you own the Mariners, but if you're Joel Piñeiro against Boston and you give up six runs with those ten hits, it's nothing close to good. Hargrove trotted him out there for the 7th, but luckily it was so out of reach that the bullpen didn't have to chip in the extra inning (the 9th).
Lest we forget how this game started. The Mariners put up the one run in the first, and Piñeiro quickly gave up the bases-clearing double to Millar. The only real difference between that and any happenings of late is that the Mariners actually scored before the opposing team tacked on some early runs. The Mariners had a lead! Wow!! Who likes leads??! I do. It didn't last long, and those runs late in the game made the final score at least somewhat respectable, but hey...another loss. Sigh...
Franklin. Miller. That recap's pretty much written up.
In 25 words or less: The Mariners had the lead for about 10 minutes or so until the starting pitcher got into trouble -- the latter as usual of late.
This one featured Joel Piñeiro, the last Mariner starting pitcher to have a good start (last Sunday), against Jeremi Gonzalez.
TOP 1ST
Grade: B-
The Mariners would get their lead. Ichiro had a nice at-bat to lead off, fouling off four 2-2 pitches before singling into leftcenter. Randy Winn bunted the first pitch foul, got down 0-2, and eventually was the whiffer. Ichiro stole second on an 0-1 count to Adrian Beltre, and moved to third on Doug Mirabelli's wild throw. Beltre walked on a full count. Richie Sexson hit a fly ball to Johnny Damon in centerfield on the first pitch, deep enough to score Ichiro and get the Mariners a rare lead.
»» MARINERS 1, RED SOX 0
Bret Boone got down 0-2 and flew out three pitches later to Damon to end the inning. Gonzalez threw 26 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Grade: C-
Well hey, there goes that lead. Johnny Damon hit a broken-bat single to leftcenter on Piñeiro's first pitch. Trot Nixon hit a weak pop to short on the first pitch. Others were more patient. Manny Ramirez got down 0-2 and worked the count full before taking a ball to the thigh (he later left the game). David Ortiz walked on a 3-1 pitch to load the bases. Kevin Millar then doubled on a full count off the wall in centerfield, clearing the bases.
»» RED SOX 3, MARINERS 1
Kevin Youkilis was caught looking, and Bill Mueller grounded to Beltre, who tagged out Millar to end the inning. Piñeiro beat Gonzalez, throwing 28 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Grade: C-
Bring forth the futility. Raul Ibañez had a 2-0 count, but he watched the 2-2 pitch go right down the pipe. Jeremy Reed took two strikes and swung through the third. Willie Bloomquist popped an 0-2 pitch to Bill Mueller (second baseman) on the rightfield grass to end the inning. Gonzalez threw 11 pitches.
BOTTOM 2ND
Grade: C+
Boston would play a small measure of add-on. Doug Mirabelli hit a high fly to centerfield, but it appeared Reed might have given up on it too soon, and it hit the bottom of the wall. What debatably could have been a flyout ended up instead as a leadoff double. Ramon Vazquez hit a slow roller down the third-base line that Beltre tried to barehand and throw, but it was a tough play to begin with. Sexson dove to stop the wide throw, and Vazquez got the infield single. Damon flew out to Ichiro on the first pitch, but it was hard hit and shallow, so Mirabelli held at third. He would come to the plate on Nixon's second pitch, which was sent to the track in front of the Monster.
»» RED SOX 4, MARINERS 1
Ramirez got down 0-2 in his count and watched a 1-2 pitch over the outside corner that looked like strike three to me. He eventually bounced to Beltre for a 5-4 fielder's choice. Piñeiro threw 17 pitches.
TOP 3RD
Grade: C-
Sigh. Miguel Olivo hit a low line drive out to the track in leftfield to lead off. Ichiro walked on four pitches, then stole second on the first pitch to Winn. Beltre worked a 1-2 count full before fouling the full-count pitch to Millar bear the tarp along the rightfield line. Gonzalez threw 17 ptiches.
BOTTOM 3RD
Grade: B
Piñeiro would settle down a bit. Ortiz got a 3-1 count, but later flew out foul to Beltre on a basket catch in front of the third-base dugout. Millar dumped a hanging curve into centerfield for a single. Youkilis smoked his second pitch into center. Mueller helped everyone out, grounding into a 6-4-3 double play. Piñeiro threw 12 pitches.
TOP 4TH
Grade: C-
A 1-2-3 inning. Sexson grounded out to Mueller. Boone got down 0-2 and later whiffed on a slider over the plate. Ibañez had the hitters counts, and flew out to the leftfield track on 3-1. Gonzalez threw 15 pitches.
BOTTOM 4TH
Grade: C-
Piñeiro would get touched up again. Mirabelli clubbed the first pitch just inches from clearing the Monster, and he had to make a hard turn and return to first after a relay throw. Vazquez ripped his second pitch into the glove of a diving Sexson at first, who nearly dove back to the bag to double off Mirabelli. Damon served a single into leftfield. Nixon hit a high fly to Bloomquist in shallow left (infield fly rule was called). Jay Payton pinch hit for Ramirez (now officially out of the game). Piñeiro dirtballed the first pitch, and the runners advanced. Payton sent the 2-0 pitch softly down the rightfield line to score Mirabelli and Damon.
»» RED SOX 6, MARINERS 1
Ortiz tapped one back to the mound to end the inning. Piñeiro threw 18 pitches.
TOP 5TH
Grade: C-
The not-goodness would continue. Reed popped to short. Bloomquist fouled the second pitch high behind the plate for an out. Olivo got down 0-2 and whiffed on a 2-2 pitch out of the zone. Gonzalez threw 11 pitches and was at 80 through five.
BOTTOM 5TH
Grade: A
Joel had an easy inning. Millar flew out to Ichiro (Rick Rizzs chimed in with the obligatory Area 51 reference, as all too usual). Youkilis grounded out to short. Mueller grounded the first pitch to Boone. Piñeiro threw nine pitches and was at 84 through five.
TOP 6TH
Grade: B
The Mariners would save a small amount of face. Ichiro got a 3-1 count and later laced a single into rightfield. Winn lined the first pitch past Mueller's glove at second for a single. Beltre thumped the 1-2 pitch just to the right of Damon and off the base of the wall in centerfield. Ichiro and Winn were about 15-20 feet away from each other heading toward third, but Winn got the stop sign as Ichiro scored.
»» RED SOX 6, MARINERS 2
Sexson grounded hard to short, and Winn scored on the play.
»» RED SOX 6, MARINERS 3
Boone hit the first pitch to the hole on the left side, but Youkilis made a dive and threw in time to first.
Mike Myers came in for Gonzalez. Ibañez grounded out to third to end the inning.
Gonzalez' line: 5 2/3 innings, 3 runs (2 earned), 4 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts, 100 pitches (65 strikes)
BOTTOM 6TH
Grade: A
Piñeiro was seemingly locked in. He got ahead 0-2 on the first two hitters. Mirabelli whiffed on a 2-2 high curve. Vazquez whiffed on a 1-2 curve in the dirt. Damon grounded to Boone to end the inning. Piñeiro threw 12 pitches and was at 96 through six.
TOP 7TH
Grade: C-
No balls out of the infield. Reed tapped back to the mound to lead off.
Matt Mantei, possibly known in Phoenix as Closer Not Named Byung-Hyun Kim, came on in relief of Myers. Bloomquist worked a 1-2 count full before bouncing out to third, and Olivo hit the first pitch back to the mound.
Myers' line: 2/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 7 pitches (5 strikes)
Mantei's line: 2/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 7 pitches (4 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Grade:
Pitch count be damned, Mike Hargrove apparently wanted to save the bullpen a bit for the latter half of the doubleheader. At least Piñeiro didn't get into too much trouble. Nixon rolled out to Boone. Payton had a 2-0 count, but later flew out to Ichiro. Ortiz doubled the first pitch past Sexson and down the rightfield line, but Millar took an 0-2 fastball over the inside corner.
Piñeiro's line: 7 innings, 6 runs, 10 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 109 pitches (69 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Grade: C-
Mike Timlin, who couldn't get anyone out when he was a Mariner, came in to face them. Ichiro fouled off an 0-2 pitch before looking at a slider over the outside corner. Winn flew out to left on the first pitch. Beltre laced an 0-2 pitch into rightfield for a single. Sexson had a 2-0 count, but grounded out to second two pitches later.
Timlin's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 12 pitches (10 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Grade: A-
Shigetoshi Hasegawa came in for Piñeiro. Youkilis grounded one to Bloomquist, who threw low to Sexson, who was able to pick it out of the dirt. Mueller was victim to a running catch in leftcenter by Winn. Mirabelli got the hitters' counts but flew out to Ichiro on the 3-1 pitch.
Hasegawa's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 15 pitches (8 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Grade:
Keith Foulke came in for Timlin, and the Mariners didn't care about his six-plus ERA. Boone flew out to Nixon just short of the track in rightfield. Ibañez had a 3-1 count and later singled hard into centerfield. Reed got down 0-2, and Ibanez stole second on a 1-2 pitch. Reed later flew out to left. Dave Hansen came on to pinch hit, and he immediately was down 0-2. He eventually whiffed on a change outside. Ballgame.
Foulke's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 19 pitches (14 strikes)
---
Gameball: Adrian Beltre.
2-for-3 with a double and a walk. It only raises his average to .233, but it raises the psyche(s) of a lot of fans out there. After the game the day before, it was nice to see him tag the ball again. Beltre's got a two-handed follow-through to his swing, and so does Sexson. I'm not saying I desperately need it, but I'd get a weird kick out of seeing a one-handed follow-through swing out of Beltre, though definitely not out of Sexson (please, no). The arm bone is connected to the shoulder bone, or something like that.
Goat: Joel Piñeiro.
Can we get one good start out of somebody for once? You might be asking what kind of start would hit the spot for me at this point. It's pretty simple. Go six, maybe get into the seventh, and give up four runs (preferably scattered, and not all in the first or second inning). That's all. If the guys in the rotation could do that 80% of the time, this team would be a lot better off. It was nice for the Mariners to have the lead before Joel took the mound, but it was equally horrific to see Joel give it right back. He had Manny Ramirez 0-2 in the first and then beaned him on a full count. That's never good, but neither is going 3-1 on Ortiz right after that, and then walking him. There's very few people in the Boston lineup who won't make you shake in your boots if you bring them to the plate with the bases loaded. Kevin Millar, well, he proved what he could do.
I didn't think of it at the time, but I should have listened to Iron Maiden's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album to observe the Mariners' seventh straight loss. It would have been immensely more enjoyable, and as it should be, since it's a very solid album. It has "The Evil That Men Do," for goodness sakes.
I'm not sure if I'm the only one who feels this way, but when I go to the strikeout column of the boxscore and see a number 6 next to the name of Jeremi Gonzalez, I'm dismayed at the fact that my team was on the bad end of that. Winn was the biggest culprit, striking out twice against him. Also, wasn't it just fitting that it was his first start of the season and his first win since 2003? Great times, really.
Anyway, let's pile onto the frustration. The Mariners lost despite a 2-for-3 game from Ichiro and a nice and long-awaited 2-for-3 outing from Adrian Beltre. What gives? How about one hit from the latter two-thirds of the lineup? 1-for-21 for starting hitters four through nine in this game, with the one hit from Raul Ibañez. The only semi-consoling factor was Richie Sexson driving in two runs despite his 0-for-2 performance. Needless to say, if two-thirds of the lineup is doing next to nothing, you pretty much hope that someone's driving in runs with the outs (Sexson) or the guys that are hitting are hitting homers (didn't happen).
I already touched on Piñeiro outing with the goat entry, but seriously. Seven innings is good, though I think his coming out for the 7th was Hargrove's doing. Ten hits is good if you're Paul Byrd and you own the Mariners, but if you're Joel Piñeiro against Boston and you give up six runs with those ten hits, it's nothing close to good. Hargrove trotted him out there for the 7th, but luckily it was so out of reach that the bullpen didn't have to chip in the extra inning (the 9th).
Lest we forget how this game started. The Mariners put up the one run in the first, and Piñeiro quickly gave up the bases-clearing double to Millar. The only real difference between that and any happenings of late is that the Mariners actually scored before the opposing team tacked on some early runs. The Mariners had a lead! Wow!! Who likes leads??! I do. It didn't last long, and those runs late in the game made the final score at least somewhat respectable, but hey...another loss. Sigh...
Franklin. Miller. That recap's pretty much written up.
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