Tuesday, May 31, 2005
GAME 50: MARINERS 4, BLUE JAYS 3
Mariners 4, Blue Jays 3
In 25 words or less: A game that looked to be a pitchers' duel luckily gave way to the Mariners being able to scratch out some runs and hold on.
This one featured Ted Lilly against Jamie Moyer, still looking for his 131st win as a Mariner to become the winningest pitcher in franchise history. It also didn't feature Miguel Olivo in the dugout, as he was optioned to Tacoma. Rene Rivera was called up from San Antonio to be the backup catcher once again, which of course makes me wonder once again if they just want Ryan Christianson to rot in Tacoma. The big club better give him a look sooner or later while he's healthy.
I should note that here in Bremerton as I was watching the game on FSNNW, every channel came in clear except for FSNNW. It was like I was watching scrambled baseball on HBO for the first three innings of the game. It was fixed by the bottom of the 4th. The top of the 4th was weird though, since there was intermittent four-second airings of static interlaced with one-second teases of the game. Of course, it was later solved and everything was nice thereafter.
TOP 1ST
Grade: A
Moyer started out nicely. Reed Johnson flew just short of the track in leftfield. Alex Rios (no longer Alexis...I would have done the same thing) grounded out to third. Aaron Hill grounded out to short to end the inning. Moyer threw nine pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Grade: C-
The Mariner bats wouldn't wake up just yet. Ichiro fouled off an 0-2 pitch before bouncing out to short. Randy Winn rolled an 0-2 pitch to short. Adrian Beltre fouled off a 2-0 pitch before harmlessly popping out to first baseman Eric Hinske in foul ground. Lilly threw 11 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Grade: A
Moyer was in an early groove. Shea Hillenbrand rolled out to second. Vernon Wells fouled off a couple of 1-2 pitches before whiffing at a low changeup. Eric Hinske fell behind 0-2 before hitting a high fly that came down to Willie Bloomquist behind the mound. Moyer threw 16 pitches.
BOTTOM 2ND
Grade: C
The bats remained in slumber. Richie Sexson got down 0-2 and chased a 1-2 changeup low and outside. Raul Ibañez bounced out to second. Bret Boone took a four-pitch walk. Jeremy Reed rolled the first pitch to second to end the inning. Lilly threw 11 pitches.
TOP 3RD
Grade: B
Moyer's inning would be a little more dicey. Frank Menechino fouled off a couple of 1-2 pitches before rolling out to short. Gregg Zaun had a 2-0 count degenerate into taking a 2-2 breaking ball over the outside corner. John McDonald worked back from an 0-2 count to line a 2-2 pitch into leftfield for a single, breaking Moyer's streak of retiring the first eight Blue Jays to start the game. McDonald took second on the first pitch to Johnson, who fell behind 0-2 and ended up bouncing out to Bloomquist. Moyer threw 23 pitches.
BOTTOM 3RD
Grade: C-
One time through the lineup, and nothing had happened. Willie Bloomquist flew out to centerfield on an 0-2 pitch. Pat Borders bunted the first pitch foul, fouled off an 0-2 pitch high and outside, and took a curve over the outside corner. Ichiro chopped one to second to end the inning. Lilly threw nine pitches.
TOP 4TH
Grade: B
Moyer wasn't cruising like in the first two innings, but still got through okay. Rios popped the 3-1 pitch to Sexson in foul ground. Hill flew out to Winn in leftfield. Hillenbrand worked a 1-2 count for a walk. Wells hit a 3-1 pitch in the air to centerfield, and Reed ran backward and made the catch at the track. Moyer threw 19 pitches.
BOTTOM 4TH
Grade: A
It makes scoring runs a snap. Winn lined a low 0-2 pitch into centerfield for a leadoff single. Beltre hit a hard grounder on the 0-2 pitch that one-hopped Lilly's shin and bounced right to Hinske, who stepped on the bag at first as Winn moved in to second. Sexson took a huge healthy hack at the first pitch, but whiffed. He took another healthy hack at the next pitch, and absolutely clobbered it, a 428-foot shot into the leftfield bleachers about five rows deep and near one of the aisleway openings. Man, do I hope we get a Royal Brougham shot from somebody this year.
»» MARINERS 2, BLUE JAYS 0
Ibañez kept it going, singling through the right side on the first pitch. Boone took a full-count pitch down and in for a walk. Reed stung his second pitch past the third baseman for a single to score Ibañez and move Boone to second...that's some skilled opposite-field hitting right there from Reed. Toronto pitching coach Brad Arnsberg went to the mound to see what the frick was going on with Lilly. I'll tell you what it was: the Mariners had him solved. Ha!
»» MARINERS 3, BLUE JAYS 0
Bloomquist ripped the first pitch right at the shortstop McDonald (lineout), who nearly was able to throw to second and double off Boone. Borders pulled a low-and-outside curve over to McDonald, who threw to third to complete the weird 6-5 fielder's choice. Lilly threw 19 pitches.
TOP 5TH
Grade: C+
Moyer would stumble a bit with his newfound lead. Hinske smoked a 2-0 pitch through the right side for a single. Menechino hit a slow roller to Beltre at third, and that was enough to kill the possibility of a double play. Beltre did get the out at second, a 5-4 fielder's choice. Zaun had a 2-0 count and later roped a high 2-2 pitch down the leftfield line and toward the corner. Oddly, Menechino stopped at third instead of testing Winn's arm. He would wait until the next pitch, when McDonald flew out to Winn on the first pitch. Even though it was right to Winn, and it wasn't deep, Beltre cut off the throw which, let's face it, was probably too slow or off-line anyway.
»» MARINERS 3, BLUE JAYS 1
Johnson flew out to Borders in front of the first-base dugout. Moyer threw 14 pitches.
BOTTOM 5TH
Grade: B
They got it back. Ichiro got ahead 2-0 and ended up serving a single into centerfield. Winn took a four-pitch walk. Beltre flew out to centerfield, a few steps short of the track, and Ichiro was able to tag and go to third. Sexson poked the first pitch into centerfield to score Ichiro and move Winn to second.
»» MARINERS 4, BLUE JAYS 1
Ibañez took a 1-2 curve that was just barely low and away. Four seconds later, plate umpire Larry Vanover called it a strike. Talk about a delayed call, sheesh. I'm trying to think of the umpire that's the king of the delayed calls, but I can't place his name right now. All I'm coming up with is Don Denkinger, Terry Tata, and Ken Kaiser, who I think had the forward-punching strike call back in the day.
Vinnie Chulk came in for Lilly. Boone popped the 2-2 pitch into foul ground, where Hillenbrand came down with it.
Lilly's line: 4 2/3 innings, 4 runs, 6 hits, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, 65 pitches (47 strikes)
TOP 6TH
Grade: B-
Moyer's final inning would be sketchy. Rios singled to center to lead off. Hill flew out to Winn near the track in leftfield. Hillenbrand flew out to Winn. Wells took a high 3-1 pitch for a walk, bringing the tying run to the batter's box. Hinske grounded down the line to Sexson, who underhanded to Moyer for the out.
Moyer's line: 6 innings, 1 run, 4 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, 98 pitches (60 strikes)
BOTTOM 6TH
Grade: C-
The bottom of the lineup did their thing. Reed lined one just short of the track to leftfield, but that went for an out. Bloomquist popped shallow to rightfield, and Rios made a running catch. Borders worked a 1-2 count full, fouling off a couple of two-strike pitches before grounding up the middle to short, and McDonald made a nice play to end the inning.
TOP 7TH
Grade: C-
Julio Mateo came in for Moyer. Pinch-hitter Orlando Hudson crushed the 1-1 pitch high in the air to rightfield and barely over the rightfield wall for a solo shot.
»» MARINERS 4, BLUE JAYS 2
Zaun flew out to centerfield on the second pitch. McDonald whiffed at a slider low and away. It looked like the homer hand't shaken Mateo. Johnson then smashed his second pitch into the visitors' bullpen beyond the leftfield wall. This had gotten a bit too interesting.
»» MARINERS 4, BLUE JAYS 3
Rios hit one up the middle and through Mateo into centerfield for a single.
JJ Putz came in for Mateo. Rios took second on the first pitch by Putz, which was way outside and found its way to the backstop. Hill was the hitter, and he grounded out to short to end the inning.
Mateo's line: 2/3 inning, 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 15 pitches (11 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Grade: C+
The Mariners would have the most frustrating two-out rally ever. Ichiro bunted the first pitch too hard down the first-base line, but it went foul. He hit the 2-2 pitch quite well to centerfield, and Wells covered some ground, making a nice running snowcone catch. Winn poked a flyout into rightfield. Beltre ripped the 1-2 pitch over the second baseman for a single.
Jason Frasor came in for Chulk. It turns out Frasor's uncle was Rick Rizzs' good buddy on the south side of Chicago. I'll be damned. Nonetheless, Frasor fell behind 3-0 on Sexson and walked him on a full-count pitch that was barely up and in. Ibañez fouled off a 2-0 pitch, then took the 3-1 offering down and in. Suddenly the bases were loaded. Boone took a 2-0 strike over the outside corner at the knees and settled for a high pop to the shortstop on the outfield grass behind the bag at second.
Chulk's line: 2 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 30 pitches (19 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Grade: B-
Yay for the bullpen getting through it. Hillenbrand whiffed at a 2-0 pitch before lined the next pitch into leftcenter for a single. Wells took a 2-0 pitch over the outside corner before being jammed on a high pitch and flying out to Bloomquist on the grass in leftfield.
Matt Thornton came in for Putz, and I cringed. Hinske flew out to shallow centerfield. Hudson had the hitters' counts and took a full-count pitch just off the outside corner for a walk. Zaun hit a shallow flyout to leftcenter that was a 'tweener, but luckily Winn caught it without a collision.
Putz' line: 2/3 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 11 pitches (6 strikes)
Thornton's line: 2/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts, 12 pitches (7 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Grade: C-
No insurance from the bottom of the lineup. Reed bunted the first pitch high toward the right side, and a charging Hudson was able to pick it up quickly and make a backhand toss to first just in time. Reed nearly got away with it. Bloomquist bounced out to second, and Borders whiffed at a ball down and in.
Frasor's line: 1 1/3 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 2 walks, 1 strikeout, 27 pitches (14 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Grade: A-
Eddie Guardado came in to nail it down. McDonald took a 1-2 pitch over the outside corner. Johnson waved on an 0-2 pitch way off the plate outside. Rios hit a 2-0 pitch to rightcenter, where Reed made a nice running catch. Ballgame.
Guardado's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 10 pitches (7 strikes)
---
Gameball: Eddie Guardado.
Maybe it's because the Mariners this month haven't had many chances this month for Eddie Guardado to truly step into his role and perform it, but I can't remember the last time I had to complain about this guy. I think I saw a Greg Bailey sports segment on KING-5 the other day, and he said something along the lines of "the Mariners' most consistent performer has a torn rotator cuff." He's been consistent lately, and luckily for Mariner fans, it's been consistently good. I've said it since I first saw him take the mound with the Mariners last year, I like seeing this guy pitch. I just like the fearlessness that Eddie Guardado and Bobby Madritsch bring to the mound. I wish we could get the latter half too, but that won't happen for a long time. Okay, I guess I'm fearing any future era of JJ Putz as a closer too. I think all closers have to have some quirk about them, and Putz is just too boring. He's not a goggle-wearing freak like an Eric Gagne or a Francisco Rodriguez. He doesn't have a fiery personality like a lot of other closers have as well. I'm babbling.
Goat: Julio Mateo.
I think this might have been the worst game Mateo had thrown all year, at least given the situation. A three-run lead became a lead of just one before he was given the hook. It'll happen from time to time. He gave up homers to a pinch-hitting second baseman and the leadoff hitter. The Mariners learned in more ways that one that the Long Ball makes scoring runs a snap. Mateo's ERA which had been hovering below 1.00 before he made the start for Joel Piñeiro on the 17th, now has an ERA of 3.00. Needless to say, relievers get their numbers skewed pretty quickly early in the season when they give up runs, but still, I think the one start may have thrown him off just a tiny bit.
Big congratulations to Jamie Moyer, who finally became the winningest pitcher in franchise history, now sporting a mark of 131-70 as a Mariner and 197-147 for his entire career. He's three wins away from 200. Not that it'll make him anywhere close to a Hall of Fame candidate or anything like that, but it'll be a big deal for him. I just hope he doesn't get stuck on 199 for as long as he was stuck on 130 or as long as Bret Boone was stuck on 999 RBIs. Also, from the AP wire article, it appears that Adrian Beltre is at 995 career hits, and Ichiro is at 989.
With career win number 197, Jamie Moyer closed a horrible month of May in 2005. He averaged about 4 2/3 innings and 88 pitches per start, and his ERA for the month was a scant 7.88. Of course, it was much higher before the 8-inning outing last time through on the 25th. Hopefully he can use his last two starts as a springboard for an awesome June. This team certainly needs a much better June out of Jamie Moyer to return to competitiveness.
Moyer's outing took the rotation's May ERA down 0.18 from the night before, and they stand at a mark of 5.76. An average start from the rotation this month has been 5.65 innings (5 2/3), 3.73 runs (3.62 earned), 6.3 hits, 2.5 walks, 2.8 strikeouts, and 95 pitches (57.4 strikes).
There wasn't a huge amount of hitting in this one, and it definitely wasn't Sunday in Tampa Bay again. Still, Richie Sexson brought the thunder with that mortar shot. It's nice to have some bashers at the Safe now, it really is. I'd love to know how that would look if I was standing out there in the leftfield bleachers seeing that come off the bat. If I'm watching television, I have a generally good idea over what's leaving the yard and what's not. However, if I'm at the ballpark, I'm out of my comfort zone of watching the games on television, and my crack-of-bat perception gets thrown out the window. Perhaps it's due to not being at the ballpark enough, but if I'm out there in the bleachers and see a fly ball, I'll be thinking, "is that coming back for us?" nearly every time even though 90% of the time it'll be a can of corn. I could just imagine my train of thought for that Sexson homer. "Hey, that one's high. It'll probably just be right to Winn. My, that thing's high, I can barely see it. HOLY CRAP! If only I was two sections over! Dammit!"
Sexson was the only Mariner with a multi-hit game. The other five hits were scattered among the top seven of the lineup, sans Bret Boone, who did manage to walk twice. Boone didn't strike out either, but he did leave five runners on base. Yes, the night after hitting career homer number 250 can be a fickle one. Pat Borders provided a Miguel Olivo-esque night at the plate, striking out twice with an 0-for-4 game, and Willie Bloomquist filled the Wilson Valdez quotient with an 0-for-4 night as well. Both left two runners aboard.
Though it did bring about some nail-chewing, the combination of JJ Putz and Matt Thornton (yes, Matt Thornton) got the ball from a struggling Julio Mateo in the 7th to Eddie Guardado in the 9th with the lead still intact. Granted, I'd like to see the tying run never have to get on base there in the 8th, and I'd also rather not have Matt Thornton issue a walk to put the go-ahead run on first. They didn't find the easiest way to do it, but Mike Hargrove did put Matt Thornton in a pressure situation, and he didn't gut the place this time. Maybe it'll be a confidence boost. If he's a viable lefty option in the pen other than Ron Villone, it'll be a good thing. I'm not banking on it, but it'd be nice.
Win number 21 on the 2005 season helps the Mariners keep a two-game cushion on the 2004 Mariners, who also won their 50th game. Can the 2005 Mariners distance themselves from the joke of 2004? Some wins in the next three games will do just that, since last year's team lost the next three games.
Gaudin. Franklin. Tonight.
In 25 words or less: A game that looked to be a pitchers' duel luckily gave way to the Mariners being able to scratch out some runs and hold on.
This one featured Ted Lilly against Jamie Moyer, still looking for his 131st win as a Mariner to become the winningest pitcher in franchise history. It also didn't feature Miguel Olivo in the dugout, as he was optioned to Tacoma. Rene Rivera was called up from San Antonio to be the backup catcher once again, which of course makes me wonder once again if they just want Ryan Christianson to rot in Tacoma. The big club better give him a look sooner or later while he's healthy.
I should note that here in Bremerton as I was watching the game on FSNNW, every channel came in clear except for FSNNW. It was like I was watching scrambled baseball on HBO for the first three innings of the game. It was fixed by the bottom of the 4th. The top of the 4th was weird though, since there was intermittent four-second airings of static interlaced with one-second teases of the game. Of course, it was later solved and everything was nice thereafter.
TOP 1ST
Grade: A
Moyer started out nicely. Reed Johnson flew just short of the track in leftfield. Alex Rios (no longer Alexis...I would have done the same thing) grounded out to third. Aaron Hill grounded out to short to end the inning. Moyer threw nine pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Grade: C-
The Mariner bats wouldn't wake up just yet. Ichiro fouled off an 0-2 pitch before bouncing out to short. Randy Winn rolled an 0-2 pitch to short. Adrian Beltre fouled off a 2-0 pitch before harmlessly popping out to first baseman Eric Hinske in foul ground. Lilly threw 11 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Grade: A
Moyer was in an early groove. Shea Hillenbrand rolled out to second. Vernon Wells fouled off a couple of 1-2 pitches before whiffing at a low changeup. Eric Hinske fell behind 0-2 before hitting a high fly that came down to Willie Bloomquist behind the mound. Moyer threw 16 pitches.
BOTTOM 2ND
Grade: C
The bats remained in slumber. Richie Sexson got down 0-2 and chased a 1-2 changeup low and outside. Raul Ibañez bounced out to second. Bret Boone took a four-pitch walk. Jeremy Reed rolled the first pitch to second to end the inning. Lilly threw 11 pitches.
TOP 3RD
Grade: B
Moyer's inning would be a little more dicey. Frank Menechino fouled off a couple of 1-2 pitches before rolling out to short. Gregg Zaun had a 2-0 count degenerate into taking a 2-2 breaking ball over the outside corner. John McDonald worked back from an 0-2 count to line a 2-2 pitch into leftfield for a single, breaking Moyer's streak of retiring the first eight Blue Jays to start the game. McDonald took second on the first pitch to Johnson, who fell behind 0-2 and ended up bouncing out to Bloomquist. Moyer threw 23 pitches.
BOTTOM 3RD
Grade: C-
One time through the lineup, and nothing had happened. Willie Bloomquist flew out to centerfield on an 0-2 pitch. Pat Borders bunted the first pitch foul, fouled off an 0-2 pitch high and outside, and took a curve over the outside corner. Ichiro chopped one to second to end the inning. Lilly threw nine pitches.
TOP 4TH
Grade: B
Moyer wasn't cruising like in the first two innings, but still got through okay. Rios popped the 3-1 pitch to Sexson in foul ground. Hill flew out to Winn in leftfield. Hillenbrand worked a 1-2 count for a walk. Wells hit a 3-1 pitch in the air to centerfield, and Reed ran backward and made the catch at the track. Moyer threw 19 pitches.
BOTTOM 4TH
Grade: A
It makes scoring runs a snap. Winn lined a low 0-2 pitch into centerfield for a leadoff single. Beltre hit a hard grounder on the 0-2 pitch that one-hopped Lilly's shin and bounced right to Hinske, who stepped on the bag at first as Winn moved in to second. Sexson took a huge healthy hack at the first pitch, but whiffed. He took another healthy hack at the next pitch, and absolutely clobbered it, a 428-foot shot into the leftfield bleachers about five rows deep and near one of the aisleway openings. Man, do I hope we get a Royal Brougham shot from somebody this year.
»» MARINERS 2, BLUE JAYS 0
Ibañez kept it going, singling through the right side on the first pitch. Boone took a full-count pitch down and in for a walk. Reed stung his second pitch past the third baseman for a single to score Ibañez and move Boone to second...that's some skilled opposite-field hitting right there from Reed. Toronto pitching coach Brad Arnsberg went to the mound to see what the frick was going on with Lilly. I'll tell you what it was: the Mariners had him solved. Ha!
»» MARINERS 3, BLUE JAYS 0
Bloomquist ripped the first pitch right at the shortstop McDonald (lineout), who nearly was able to throw to second and double off Boone. Borders pulled a low-and-outside curve over to McDonald, who threw to third to complete the weird 6-5 fielder's choice. Lilly threw 19 pitches.
TOP 5TH
Grade: C+
Moyer would stumble a bit with his newfound lead. Hinske smoked a 2-0 pitch through the right side for a single. Menechino hit a slow roller to Beltre at third, and that was enough to kill the possibility of a double play. Beltre did get the out at second, a 5-4 fielder's choice. Zaun had a 2-0 count and later roped a high 2-2 pitch down the leftfield line and toward the corner. Oddly, Menechino stopped at third instead of testing Winn's arm. He would wait until the next pitch, when McDonald flew out to Winn on the first pitch. Even though it was right to Winn, and it wasn't deep, Beltre cut off the throw which, let's face it, was probably too slow or off-line anyway.
»» MARINERS 3, BLUE JAYS 1
Johnson flew out to Borders in front of the first-base dugout. Moyer threw 14 pitches.
BOTTOM 5TH
Grade: B
They got it back. Ichiro got ahead 2-0 and ended up serving a single into centerfield. Winn took a four-pitch walk. Beltre flew out to centerfield, a few steps short of the track, and Ichiro was able to tag and go to third. Sexson poked the first pitch into centerfield to score Ichiro and move Winn to second.
»» MARINERS 4, BLUE JAYS 1
Ibañez took a 1-2 curve that was just barely low and away. Four seconds later, plate umpire Larry Vanover called it a strike. Talk about a delayed call, sheesh. I'm trying to think of the umpire that's the king of the delayed calls, but I can't place his name right now. All I'm coming up with is Don Denkinger, Terry Tata, and Ken Kaiser, who I think had the forward-punching strike call back in the day.
Vinnie Chulk came in for Lilly. Boone popped the 2-2 pitch into foul ground, where Hillenbrand came down with it.
Lilly's line: 4 2/3 innings, 4 runs, 6 hits, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, 65 pitches (47 strikes)
TOP 6TH
Grade: B-
Moyer's final inning would be sketchy. Rios singled to center to lead off. Hill flew out to Winn near the track in leftfield. Hillenbrand flew out to Winn. Wells took a high 3-1 pitch for a walk, bringing the tying run to the batter's box. Hinske grounded down the line to Sexson, who underhanded to Moyer for the out.
Moyer's line: 6 innings, 1 run, 4 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, 98 pitches (60 strikes)
BOTTOM 6TH
Grade: C-
The bottom of the lineup did their thing. Reed lined one just short of the track to leftfield, but that went for an out. Bloomquist popped shallow to rightfield, and Rios made a running catch. Borders worked a 1-2 count full, fouling off a couple of two-strike pitches before grounding up the middle to short, and McDonald made a nice play to end the inning.
TOP 7TH
Grade: C-
Julio Mateo came in for Moyer. Pinch-hitter Orlando Hudson crushed the 1-1 pitch high in the air to rightfield and barely over the rightfield wall for a solo shot.
»» MARINERS 4, BLUE JAYS 2
Zaun flew out to centerfield on the second pitch. McDonald whiffed at a slider low and away. It looked like the homer hand't shaken Mateo. Johnson then smashed his second pitch into the visitors' bullpen beyond the leftfield wall. This had gotten a bit too interesting.
»» MARINERS 4, BLUE JAYS 3
Rios hit one up the middle and through Mateo into centerfield for a single.
JJ Putz came in for Mateo. Rios took second on the first pitch by Putz, which was way outside and found its way to the backstop. Hill was the hitter, and he grounded out to short to end the inning.
Mateo's line: 2/3 inning, 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 15 pitches (11 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Grade: C+
The Mariners would have the most frustrating two-out rally ever. Ichiro bunted the first pitch too hard down the first-base line, but it went foul. He hit the 2-2 pitch quite well to centerfield, and Wells covered some ground, making a nice running snowcone catch. Winn poked a flyout into rightfield. Beltre ripped the 1-2 pitch over the second baseman for a single.
Jason Frasor came in for Chulk. It turns out Frasor's uncle was Rick Rizzs' good buddy on the south side of Chicago. I'll be damned. Nonetheless, Frasor fell behind 3-0 on Sexson and walked him on a full-count pitch that was barely up and in. Ibañez fouled off a 2-0 pitch, then took the 3-1 offering down and in. Suddenly the bases were loaded. Boone took a 2-0 strike over the outside corner at the knees and settled for a high pop to the shortstop on the outfield grass behind the bag at second.
Chulk's line: 2 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 30 pitches (19 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Grade: B-
Yay for the bullpen getting through it. Hillenbrand whiffed at a 2-0 pitch before lined the next pitch into leftcenter for a single. Wells took a 2-0 pitch over the outside corner before being jammed on a high pitch and flying out to Bloomquist on the grass in leftfield.
Matt Thornton came in for Putz, and I cringed. Hinske flew out to shallow centerfield. Hudson had the hitters' counts and took a full-count pitch just off the outside corner for a walk. Zaun hit a shallow flyout to leftcenter that was a 'tweener, but luckily Winn caught it without a collision.
Putz' line: 2/3 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 11 pitches (6 strikes)
Thornton's line: 2/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts, 12 pitches (7 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Grade: C-
No insurance from the bottom of the lineup. Reed bunted the first pitch high toward the right side, and a charging Hudson was able to pick it up quickly and make a backhand toss to first just in time. Reed nearly got away with it. Bloomquist bounced out to second, and Borders whiffed at a ball down and in.
Frasor's line: 1 1/3 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 2 walks, 1 strikeout, 27 pitches (14 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Grade: A-
Eddie Guardado came in to nail it down. McDonald took a 1-2 pitch over the outside corner. Johnson waved on an 0-2 pitch way off the plate outside. Rios hit a 2-0 pitch to rightcenter, where Reed made a nice running catch. Ballgame.
Guardado's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 10 pitches (7 strikes)
---
Gameball: Eddie Guardado.
Maybe it's because the Mariners this month haven't had many chances this month for Eddie Guardado to truly step into his role and perform it, but I can't remember the last time I had to complain about this guy. I think I saw a Greg Bailey sports segment on KING-5 the other day, and he said something along the lines of "the Mariners' most consistent performer has a torn rotator cuff." He's been consistent lately, and luckily for Mariner fans, it's been consistently good. I've said it since I first saw him take the mound with the Mariners last year, I like seeing this guy pitch. I just like the fearlessness that Eddie Guardado and Bobby Madritsch bring to the mound. I wish we could get the latter half too, but that won't happen for a long time. Okay, I guess I'm fearing any future era of JJ Putz as a closer too. I think all closers have to have some quirk about them, and Putz is just too boring. He's not a goggle-wearing freak like an Eric Gagne or a Francisco Rodriguez. He doesn't have a fiery personality like a lot of other closers have as well. I'm babbling.
Goat: Julio Mateo.
I think this might have been the worst game Mateo had thrown all year, at least given the situation. A three-run lead became a lead of just one before he was given the hook. It'll happen from time to time. He gave up homers to a pinch-hitting second baseman and the leadoff hitter. The Mariners learned in more ways that one that the Long Ball makes scoring runs a snap. Mateo's ERA which had been hovering below 1.00 before he made the start for Joel Piñeiro on the 17th, now has an ERA of 3.00. Needless to say, relievers get their numbers skewed pretty quickly early in the season when they give up runs, but still, I think the one start may have thrown him off just a tiny bit.
Big congratulations to Jamie Moyer, who finally became the winningest pitcher in franchise history, now sporting a mark of 131-70 as a Mariner and 197-147 for his entire career. He's three wins away from 200. Not that it'll make him anywhere close to a Hall of Fame candidate or anything like that, but it'll be a big deal for him. I just hope he doesn't get stuck on 199 for as long as he was stuck on 130 or as long as Bret Boone was stuck on 999 RBIs. Also, from the AP wire article, it appears that Adrian Beltre is at 995 career hits, and Ichiro is at 989.
With career win number 197, Jamie Moyer closed a horrible month of May in 2005. He averaged about 4 2/3 innings and 88 pitches per start, and his ERA for the month was a scant 7.88. Of course, it was much higher before the 8-inning outing last time through on the 25th. Hopefully he can use his last two starts as a springboard for an awesome June. This team certainly needs a much better June out of Jamie Moyer to return to competitiveness.
Moyer's outing took the rotation's May ERA down 0.18 from the night before, and they stand at a mark of 5.76. An average start from the rotation this month has been 5.65 innings (5 2/3), 3.73 runs (3.62 earned), 6.3 hits, 2.5 walks, 2.8 strikeouts, and 95 pitches (57.4 strikes).
There wasn't a huge amount of hitting in this one, and it definitely wasn't Sunday in Tampa Bay again. Still, Richie Sexson brought the thunder with that mortar shot. It's nice to have some bashers at the Safe now, it really is. I'd love to know how that would look if I was standing out there in the leftfield bleachers seeing that come off the bat. If I'm watching television, I have a generally good idea over what's leaving the yard and what's not. However, if I'm at the ballpark, I'm out of my comfort zone of watching the games on television, and my crack-of-bat perception gets thrown out the window. Perhaps it's due to not being at the ballpark enough, but if I'm out there in the bleachers and see a fly ball, I'll be thinking, "is that coming back for us?" nearly every time even though 90% of the time it'll be a can of corn. I could just imagine my train of thought for that Sexson homer. "Hey, that one's high. It'll probably just be right to Winn. My, that thing's high, I can barely see it. HOLY CRAP! If only I was two sections over! Dammit!"
Sexson was the only Mariner with a multi-hit game. The other five hits were scattered among the top seven of the lineup, sans Bret Boone, who did manage to walk twice. Boone didn't strike out either, but he did leave five runners on base. Yes, the night after hitting career homer number 250 can be a fickle one. Pat Borders provided a Miguel Olivo-esque night at the plate, striking out twice with an 0-for-4 game, and Willie Bloomquist filled the Wilson Valdez quotient with an 0-for-4 night as well. Both left two runners aboard.
Though it did bring about some nail-chewing, the combination of JJ Putz and Matt Thornton (yes, Matt Thornton) got the ball from a struggling Julio Mateo in the 7th to Eddie Guardado in the 9th with the lead still intact. Granted, I'd like to see the tying run never have to get on base there in the 8th, and I'd also rather not have Matt Thornton issue a walk to put the go-ahead run on first. They didn't find the easiest way to do it, but Mike Hargrove did put Matt Thornton in a pressure situation, and he didn't gut the place this time. Maybe it'll be a confidence boost. If he's a viable lefty option in the pen other than Ron Villone, it'll be a good thing. I'm not banking on it, but it'd be nice.
Win number 21 on the 2005 season helps the Mariners keep a two-game cushion on the 2004 Mariners, who also won their 50th game. Can the 2005 Mariners distance themselves from the joke of 2004? Some wins in the next three games will do just that, since last year's team lost the next three games.
Gaudin. Franklin. Tonight.
/ Click for main page
