Wednesday, July 27, 2005
GAME 100: MARINERS 9, TIGERS 3
Mariners 9, Tigers 3
In 25 words or less: The Mariners got the lead in weird ways, and the Tigers giftwrapped the win for them. Not that Jamie Moyer needed it given to him.
This one featured Mike Maroth going up against Jamie Moyer. Since there was a lefty on the mound, the unjust practice of benching Jeremy Reed against lefties continued. I can only tolerate that if they're trying to ramp up Willie Bloomquist's trade value in an attempt to trade him to anyone that wants him. There's got to be someone that could convince themselves that they need a Bloomquist, right?
TOP 1ST
Grade: A-
Moyer started with a solid first. Placido Polanco lined out on the second pitch gently to short. Carlos Guillen got ahead 2-0 and later flew out to leftfield. Chris Shelton whiffed on an 0-2 change outside.
BOTTOM 1ST
Grade: B
Can you think of a weirder way to score three runs? Ichiro got ahead 2-0 and later sliced a single past Guillen at short. Randy Winn lined out for a diving catch by Dmitri Young in leftfield on the second pitch. Raul Ibañez slapped a 2-2 pitch in front of Dmitri Young in leftfield for a single, moving Ichiro to second. Richie Sexson took a 3-1 pitch down and in for a walk, loading the bases. Adrian Beltre took an 0-2 pitch to the left thigh, scoring Ichiro. Incredible.
»» MARINERS 1, TIGERS 0
Willie Bloomquist gently chopped a 1-2 pitch over the mound, where Placido Polanco charged from second and barehanded, but the throw was late (Polanco's fresh off the DL as well). Ibañez scored.
»» MARINERS 2, TIGERS 0
Mike Morse took a 1-2 pitch barely off the inside corner, took the next pitch barely up and in, then took the next pitch high and outside for a walk, forcing in Sexson from third.
»» MARINERS 3, TIGERS 0
Jose Lopez grounded the second pitch into the hole on the left side, where Carlos Guillen went to second, and the throw to first just barely beat Lopez at first to finish off the 6-4-3 double play (I thought he was safe).
TOP 2ND
Grade: B+
Moyer didn't get into too much trouble. Chris Shelton dribbled the first pitch gently to third. Rondell White whiffed on a 1-2 change low over the outside corner. Ivan Rodriguez tagged the first pitch into rightfield for a single. Rodriguez swiped second on the 1-1 pitch to Dmitri Young, who lined the next pitch to leftfield, where Randy Winn reached down and slid to make the catch, which was nearly a trap.
BOTTOM 2ND
Grade: B
Christmas in July. Pat Borders flew out high to rightfield on the first pitch. Ichiro grounded the 1-2 pitch through Maroth's five-hole and into centerfield for a single. Winn slapped the first pitch through the left side for a single. Ibañez popped the second pitch to Brandon Inge in front of the camera well along the third-base side. Sexson got ahead 3-0, whiffed on 3-1, and took the full-count pitch low for a walk to load the bases. Beltre popped the 1-1 pitch high to Monroe on the track in centerfield, and he just plum dropped the ball, which hit the heel of the glove. Incredible. Catch with two hands, kids.
»» MARINERS 6, TIGERS 0
Bloomquist got behind 3-0 and took a 3-1 pitch high for a walk.
Chris Spurling came in for Maroth. Morse ripped a 2-1 pitch through the left side for a single, loading the bases. Lopez checkswung on a 1-2 pitch and nubbed back to the mound, where Sperling threw over to first.
Maroth's line: 1 2/3 innings, 6 runs (3 earned), 5 hits, 4 walks, 0 strikeouts, 55 pitches (29 strikes)
TOP 3RD
Grade: B-
Moyer got out of a moderate jam. Craig Monroe dropped the second pitch into rightcenter for a single. Brandon Inge dribbled the second pitch to Morse at short, who went to second for the force (6-4 fielder's choice). Polanco poked a single into centerfield, moving Inge to second. Guillen flew out to center, moving Inge to third. Shelton fouled off a trio of full-count pitches before flying out high to centerfield.
BOTTOM 3RD
Grade: C-
The Mariners worked on their ground game. Borders reached outside and grounded the first pitch to third. Ichiro ripped the first pitch right to second for a groundout. Winn grounded the 2-0 pitch up the middle where Guillen plugged the hole and threw in time to first.
TOP 4TH
Grade: B-
Moyer got out of a slightly bigger jam. Ordoñez tagged a 1-1 pitch that Beltre knocked down at third, but it rolled past him, and it was scored a single. White grounded the first pitch down the line and behind the bag at third, but the throw was quite late, and Ordoñez moved to second. Rodriguez grounded to Beltre behind the bag at third, who threw to second, and Lopez looked to have dropped the ball, though the out was called on White (Ordoñez moved to third). Young flew out high to Morse in shallow leftfield on the first pitch. Monroe popped high to second on the first pitch.
BOTTOM 4TH
Grade: B
Fireworks display. Ibañez took a 3-0 strike before taking the next pitch inside for a walk. Sexson clobbered the 1-1 pitch just to the right of Jackie Robinson's number 42 in the leftfield bleachers above the scoreboard (448 feet).
»» MARINERS 8, TIGERS 0
Beltre grounded an 0-2 pitch into the hole on the right side, and Polanco covered it up, knocked the ball down and bobbled a bit, and threw from his knees to get Beltre. Bloomquist whiffed on an 0-2 pitch. Morse got behind 0-2 and later whiffed on a 2-2 offspeed pitch, though it was a nice eight-pitch at-bat with three foul-offs with two-strike counts.
TOP 5TH
Grade: A
The Tigers worked on their ground game. Inge reached for the 0-2 pitch and nubbed it in front of the plate, and Moyer threw in time to first. Polanco grounded the second pitch into the hole on the left side, and Morse went to his backhand and made the long throw in time to first. Guillen chopped out to short.
BOTTOM 5TH
Grade: C-
The ends of the lineup didn't do anything. Lopez popped an 0-2 pitch in front of the third-base dugout, where Inge made the catch. Borders flew out to fairly deep rightfield. Ichiro fouled off an 0-2 pitch but later lined the full-count pitch to rightfield.
Spurling's line: 3 1/3 innings, 2 runs, 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 50 pitches (34 strikes)
TOP 6TH
Grade: A
A scoring chance was thwarted. Shelton popped to shallow rightfield, where Lopez made an over-the-shoulder catch. Ordoñez flew the second pitch to the gap in rightcenter, where Ichiro caught the ball on the track. White whiffed on a 1-2 pitch.
BOTTOM 6TH
Grade: C+
Franklyn German came in for Spurling. Winn grounded the second pitch to second. Ibañez lined the second pitch toward the gap in rightcenter, and Ordoñez couldn't quite catch it on the fly in time, and it went for a double. Sexson took a 3-0 pitch inside for a four-pitch walk. Beltre smacked the first pitch past Inge and into rightfield for a single, and Ibañez rounded third and headed home. That proved to be a foolish move, as Ibañez was out by about five feet, and Sexson moved ahead to second. Bloomquist fouled a 3-1 pitch back before taking the next pitch over the outside corner.
TOP 7TH
Grade: B
Moyer got into minimal trouble, if any. Rodriguez lined the second pitch to Ichiro in right for the flyout. Young fell behind 0-2 and whiffed on 1-2. Monroe took a full-count pitch low and away for a walk. Inge sent the first pitch to the track in rightfield, where Ichiro came down with it.
BOTTOM 7TH
Grade: C+
The Mariners failed to pile on, though this was a good chance. Morse grounded a 2-0 pitch up the middle for a single. Lopez fouled the 0-2 pitch down the line, but Ordoñez couldn't make the catch. Lopez got behind 0-2 and nubbed a 2-2 pitch up the middle for a single, moving Morse to second. Borders grounded hard to second, where Polanco started the 4-6-3 double play, moving Morse to third. Ichiro fell behind 0-2 and eventually took a full-count pitch behind him and in the dirt for a walk.
Vic Darensbourg came in for German. Jeremy Reed came in to hit for Winn. Reed fell behind 0-2 and whiffed on a 1-2 breaking ball.
German's line: 1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 4 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 40 pitches (21 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Grade: C
Shutout spoilage. Polanco poked a 3-1 pitch down the rightfield line for a double. John McDonald whiffed on a 1-2 breaking ball low and off the outside corner. Shelton fell behind 0-2 but worked the count full. He fouled off another pitch before taking the next one just off the inside corner for a walk. Nook Logan looped a single to leftfield, scoring Polanco and spoiling the shutout, and moving Shelton to second.
»» MARINERS 8, TIGERS 1
White reached for a pitch outside and put it into the leftcenter gap, scoring Shelton.
»» MARINERS 8, TIGERS 2
Vance Wilson bounced a 2-2 pitch to short to start a 6-4-3 double play.
Moyer's line: 8 innings, 2 runs, 8 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, 106 pitches (71 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Grade: B-
Fireworks again, kinda like July 5th, when you try to burn off any remaining fireworks (if it's still legal where you are). Ibañez nubbed the second pitch toward the mound, where Darensbourg picked it up and threw to first. Sexson fouled off an 0-2 pitch and later walloped an up and away 1-2 pitch five rows into the seats in rightfield (412 feet).
»» MARINERS 9, TIGERS 2
Scott Spiezio came in to hit for Beltre. He whiffed on a 2-2 pitch up and in. Bloomquist fouled off an 0-2 pitch and later slapped another 0-2 pitch along the rightfield line for a single. Morse hit a first-pitch broken-bat groundout to second.
Darensbourg's line: 1 1/3 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 23 pitches (18 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Grade: C+
Shigetoshi Hasegawa came in for Moyer. Young gapped an 0-2 pitch into leftcenter for a double. Monroe took a 1-2 pitch just off the outside corner before reaching to line out to Lopez at second. Inge rocked a 2-1 pitch to the track in rightfield, where Ichiro ran back and made the catch. Young tagged and went to third. Polanco poked the first pitch through the left side for a single, scoring Young.
»» MARINERS 9, TIGERS 3
McDonald grounded the first pitch up the middle, where Morse underhanded to Lopez to force out Polanco. Ballgame.
Hasegawa's line: 1 inning, 1 run, 2 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 15 pitches (10 strikes)
---
Gameball: Raul Ibañez.
He hadn't had a multi-hit game since the middle game of the series in Toronto (20th). He dumped a single into leftfield in the first, walked to lead off the fourth (and scored on the first Sexson homer), and doubled into the gap in rightcenter in the sixth. All in all, it was good for a 2-for-4 night with a walk, in other words, reaching base three times. As much as I ripped on this guy last year as the face of all that was wrong with the Mariner brass' moves in that offseason, he's proved me pretty freakin' wrong this year. I do realize we haven't had to worry about The Leftfield Adventures of Raul Ibañez this season, but he's held up his end of the bargain at the plate, and I guess if you wanted to bash him for anything, it might be power, but not much else. He sits here after 100 games with a .291 average, 13 homers, and 53 RBIs. A solid average with a little power. Isn't it weird how a lot of other teams just rotate the DH slot to give a guy a day off in the field, yet even in the post-Edgar era, the Mariners have just handed the slot full-time to Raul Ibañez? That strikes me as really weird, but I guess it's almost necessary in a way to keep the defense shored up in leftfield.
Goat: Jose Lopez.
He had a nice at-bat that resulted in a single in the seventh, but managed to leave six runners on base in the game. How? He hit into a double play with the bases loaded in the first, and he tapped back to the mound with the bases loaded in the second. That'll do it. Three runners here, three runners there. The growing pains with the young guys continues, as it will for a while. It looks like we'll be worrying about Mike Morse's glove and the bat of Jose Lopez. Of course, I have a feeling it'll be someone else at shortstop in future years, but who knows at this point. Also, Lopez is four days short of being two years younger than me, which therefore makes me feel old. I'm sure every baseball fan eventually goes through this. I guess the reason I don't feel comfortable with Lopez at the plate is because I can't help but think his stance is too wide, so he crouches maybe a little too low, then he maybe pops up and gets under some balls that he probably should rope for line drives. That's just me, though. I am often wrong.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 72-28 .720 -- L1
2002 61-39 .610 11 W1
2003 61-39 .610 11 W2
2000 58-42 .580 14 L2
2005 44-56 .440 28 W1
2004 38-62 .380 34 L3
After eight games away from it, the Mariners have gotten back to a six-game cushion above the pathetic pace of the 2004 Mariners. This series against the Tigers was the first series the Mariners had won since the sweep at Anaheim, which ended on the 10th of the month. Might things be looking up for the Mariners? Well, remember this -- Jamie Moyer can't be the starting pitcher every day. The offense might wake up a bit, though, since there's still some room for a hitter or two here and there to get warm.
I don't know how Jamie Moyer keeps doing this. He threw shutout ball for seven innings until finally caving a bit in the eighth. Slow, slower, and slowest have been the order of business for Jamie throughout his renaissance era (which has been kind of a while now). You all know the story though. Not a lot of heat, just spotting pitches and using deception, setting up the hitters correctly, and studying the crap out of hitters' tendencies. I'd pay good money just to sit next to Jamie Moyer when he totes the clipboard the day before he takes the mound. Though I have 11 years of grossly inferior baseball experience, I'd love to know what goes on those sheets of paper when Jamie's scrawling stuff about hitters. I mean, we know the basic gist of it all, but I'd like to see scans of it. It'd be awesome. I might even pay good money for it. What wouldn't I pay good money for? Jay Buhner's dip of chaw encased in bubble gum. The cellphone that Bret Boone flipped in the commercial a couple years ago. A video clip of the bullcrap walk-off obstruction call in Tampa Bay last year.
Richie Sexson done lost his mind. He's hit nine of his 26 homers since July 10th. He's driven in 19 of his 80 RBIs in the same span. It's a hot streak, folks. What makes this game especially crazy is that he only went 2-for-2. Of course, the two hits were homers. Furthermore, he walked three times. Yes, Richie reached base five times. He drove in three of the Mariners' runs and scored four of the Mariners' nine runs. Yes, Richie Sexson, with 26 homers, 80 RBIs, and a decent average of .272. It's jolly good stuff. I haven't talked about the placement of the homers yet, have I? The first one was a very healthy shot into the elevated leftfield bleachers, whereas the second homer was one of high arc, and to rightfield. I'm telling you, it's fun to have a hitter where if he looks like he makes good contact, I'm yelling "GET OUT!" at the ball when I see it get up into the air. Usually I throw in an expletive or two since I live alone and it's completely socially acceptable to curse when I'm alone in the house, but those are more likely when, say, Ron Villone drops down sidearmed to a rightie and gets taken yard.
Jamie Moyer pretty much was the pitching story of the night for the Mariners. Richie Sexson wasn't the only one hitting for the Mariners. Other multi-hit games belonged to Ichiro, Raul Ibañez, Willie Bloomquist, and Mike Morse, who all had two hits each. Sexson's homers and the Ibañez double were the only extra-base hits for the Mariners in the game. Pat Borders was the only Mariner starter that went hitless. The Mariners of course got credit for only six RBIs due to the bizarre error in the second that let runs four through six cross the plate. Sexson got his trio, and Beltre, Bloomquist, and Morse came away with single RBIs as well. Miguel Olivo didn't strike out in this game, which can be wholly attributed to the fact that he didn't play.
So, the Mariners win the series and press forth to host Cleveland for a four-game set. I'm just hoping for a split.
I hope everyone slept well on Wednesday night, and you should have if your name isn't Craig Monroe.
Lee. Meche. Tomorrow.
In 25 words or less: The Mariners got the lead in weird ways, and the Tigers giftwrapped the win for them. Not that Jamie Moyer needed it given to him.
This one featured Mike Maroth going up against Jamie Moyer. Since there was a lefty on the mound, the unjust practice of benching Jeremy Reed against lefties continued. I can only tolerate that if they're trying to ramp up Willie Bloomquist's trade value in an attempt to trade him to anyone that wants him. There's got to be someone that could convince themselves that they need a Bloomquist, right?
TOP 1ST
Grade: A-
Moyer started with a solid first. Placido Polanco lined out on the second pitch gently to short. Carlos Guillen got ahead 2-0 and later flew out to leftfield. Chris Shelton whiffed on an 0-2 change outside.
BOTTOM 1ST
Grade: B
Can you think of a weirder way to score three runs? Ichiro got ahead 2-0 and later sliced a single past Guillen at short. Randy Winn lined out for a diving catch by Dmitri Young in leftfield on the second pitch. Raul Ibañez slapped a 2-2 pitch in front of Dmitri Young in leftfield for a single, moving Ichiro to second. Richie Sexson took a 3-1 pitch down and in for a walk, loading the bases. Adrian Beltre took an 0-2 pitch to the left thigh, scoring Ichiro. Incredible.
»» MARINERS 1, TIGERS 0
Willie Bloomquist gently chopped a 1-2 pitch over the mound, where Placido Polanco charged from second and barehanded, but the throw was late (Polanco's fresh off the DL as well). Ibañez scored.
»» MARINERS 2, TIGERS 0
Mike Morse took a 1-2 pitch barely off the inside corner, took the next pitch barely up and in, then took the next pitch high and outside for a walk, forcing in Sexson from third.
»» MARINERS 3, TIGERS 0
Jose Lopez grounded the second pitch into the hole on the left side, where Carlos Guillen went to second, and the throw to first just barely beat Lopez at first to finish off the 6-4-3 double play (I thought he was safe).
TOP 2ND
Grade: B+
Moyer didn't get into too much trouble. Chris Shelton dribbled the first pitch gently to third. Rondell White whiffed on a 1-2 change low over the outside corner. Ivan Rodriguez tagged the first pitch into rightfield for a single. Rodriguez swiped second on the 1-1 pitch to Dmitri Young, who lined the next pitch to leftfield, where Randy Winn reached down and slid to make the catch, which was nearly a trap.
BOTTOM 2ND
Grade: B
Christmas in July. Pat Borders flew out high to rightfield on the first pitch. Ichiro grounded the 1-2 pitch through Maroth's five-hole and into centerfield for a single. Winn slapped the first pitch through the left side for a single. Ibañez popped the second pitch to Brandon Inge in front of the camera well along the third-base side. Sexson got ahead 3-0, whiffed on 3-1, and took the full-count pitch low for a walk to load the bases. Beltre popped the 1-1 pitch high to Monroe on the track in centerfield, and he just plum dropped the ball, which hit the heel of the glove. Incredible. Catch with two hands, kids.
»» MARINERS 6, TIGERS 0
Bloomquist got behind 3-0 and took a 3-1 pitch high for a walk.
Chris Spurling came in for Maroth. Morse ripped a 2-1 pitch through the left side for a single, loading the bases. Lopez checkswung on a 1-2 pitch and nubbed back to the mound, where Sperling threw over to first.
Maroth's line: 1 2/3 innings, 6 runs (3 earned), 5 hits, 4 walks, 0 strikeouts, 55 pitches (29 strikes)
TOP 3RD
Grade: B-
Moyer got out of a moderate jam. Craig Monroe dropped the second pitch into rightcenter for a single. Brandon Inge dribbled the second pitch to Morse at short, who went to second for the force (6-4 fielder's choice). Polanco poked a single into centerfield, moving Inge to second. Guillen flew out to center, moving Inge to third. Shelton fouled off a trio of full-count pitches before flying out high to centerfield.
BOTTOM 3RD
Grade: C-
The Mariners worked on their ground game. Borders reached outside and grounded the first pitch to third. Ichiro ripped the first pitch right to second for a groundout. Winn grounded the 2-0 pitch up the middle where Guillen plugged the hole and threw in time to first.
TOP 4TH
Grade: B-
Moyer got out of a slightly bigger jam. Ordoñez tagged a 1-1 pitch that Beltre knocked down at third, but it rolled past him, and it was scored a single. White grounded the first pitch down the line and behind the bag at third, but the throw was quite late, and Ordoñez moved to second. Rodriguez grounded to Beltre behind the bag at third, who threw to second, and Lopez looked to have dropped the ball, though the out was called on White (Ordoñez moved to third). Young flew out high to Morse in shallow leftfield on the first pitch. Monroe popped high to second on the first pitch.
BOTTOM 4TH
Grade: B
Fireworks display. Ibañez took a 3-0 strike before taking the next pitch inside for a walk. Sexson clobbered the 1-1 pitch just to the right of Jackie Robinson's number 42 in the leftfield bleachers above the scoreboard (448 feet).
»» MARINERS 8, TIGERS 0
Beltre grounded an 0-2 pitch into the hole on the right side, and Polanco covered it up, knocked the ball down and bobbled a bit, and threw from his knees to get Beltre. Bloomquist whiffed on an 0-2 pitch. Morse got behind 0-2 and later whiffed on a 2-2 offspeed pitch, though it was a nice eight-pitch at-bat with three foul-offs with two-strike counts.
TOP 5TH
Grade: A
The Tigers worked on their ground game. Inge reached for the 0-2 pitch and nubbed it in front of the plate, and Moyer threw in time to first. Polanco grounded the second pitch into the hole on the left side, and Morse went to his backhand and made the long throw in time to first. Guillen chopped out to short.
BOTTOM 5TH
Grade: C-
The ends of the lineup didn't do anything. Lopez popped an 0-2 pitch in front of the third-base dugout, where Inge made the catch. Borders flew out to fairly deep rightfield. Ichiro fouled off an 0-2 pitch but later lined the full-count pitch to rightfield.
Spurling's line: 3 1/3 innings, 2 runs, 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 50 pitches (34 strikes)
TOP 6TH
Grade: A
A scoring chance was thwarted. Shelton popped to shallow rightfield, where Lopez made an over-the-shoulder catch. Ordoñez flew the second pitch to the gap in rightcenter, where Ichiro caught the ball on the track. White whiffed on a 1-2 pitch.
BOTTOM 6TH
Grade: C+
Franklyn German came in for Spurling. Winn grounded the second pitch to second. Ibañez lined the second pitch toward the gap in rightcenter, and Ordoñez couldn't quite catch it on the fly in time, and it went for a double. Sexson took a 3-0 pitch inside for a four-pitch walk. Beltre smacked the first pitch past Inge and into rightfield for a single, and Ibañez rounded third and headed home. That proved to be a foolish move, as Ibañez was out by about five feet, and Sexson moved ahead to second. Bloomquist fouled a 3-1 pitch back before taking the next pitch over the outside corner.
TOP 7TH
Grade: B
Moyer got into minimal trouble, if any. Rodriguez lined the second pitch to Ichiro in right for the flyout. Young fell behind 0-2 and whiffed on 1-2. Monroe took a full-count pitch low and away for a walk. Inge sent the first pitch to the track in rightfield, where Ichiro came down with it.
BOTTOM 7TH
Grade: C+
The Mariners failed to pile on, though this was a good chance. Morse grounded a 2-0 pitch up the middle for a single. Lopez fouled the 0-2 pitch down the line, but Ordoñez couldn't make the catch. Lopez got behind 0-2 and nubbed a 2-2 pitch up the middle for a single, moving Morse to second. Borders grounded hard to second, where Polanco started the 4-6-3 double play, moving Morse to third. Ichiro fell behind 0-2 and eventually took a full-count pitch behind him and in the dirt for a walk.
Vic Darensbourg came in for German. Jeremy Reed came in to hit for Winn. Reed fell behind 0-2 and whiffed on a 1-2 breaking ball.
German's line: 1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 4 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 40 pitches (21 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Grade: C
Shutout spoilage. Polanco poked a 3-1 pitch down the rightfield line for a double. John McDonald whiffed on a 1-2 breaking ball low and off the outside corner. Shelton fell behind 0-2 but worked the count full. He fouled off another pitch before taking the next one just off the inside corner for a walk. Nook Logan looped a single to leftfield, scoring Polanco and spoiling the shutout, and moving Shelton to second.
»» MARINERS 8, TIGERS 1
White reached for a pitch outside and put it into the leftcenter gap, scoring Shelton.
»» MARINERS 8, TIGERS 2
Vance Wilson bounced a 2-2 pitch to short to start a 6-4-3 double play.
Moyer's line: 8 innings, 2 runs, 8 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, 106 pitches (71 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Grade: B-
Fireworks again, kinda like July 5th, when you try to burn off any remaining fireworks (if it's still legal where you are). Ibañez nubbed the second pitch toward the mound, where Darensbourg picked it up and threw to first. Sexson fouled off an 0-2 pitch and later walloped an up and away 1-2 pitch five rows into the seats in rightfield (412 feet).
»» MARINERS 9, TIGERS 2
Scott Spiezio came in to hit for Beltre. He whiffed on a 2-2 pitch up and in. Bloomquist fouled off an 0-2 pitch and later slapped another 0-2 pitch along the rightfield line for a single. Morse hit a first-pitch broken-bat groundout to second.
Darensbourg's line: 1 1/3 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 23 pitches (18 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Grade: C+
Shigetoshi Hasegawa came in for Moyer. Young gapped an 0-2 pitch into leftcenter for a double. Monroe took a 1-2 pitch just off the outside corner before reaching to line out to Lopez at second. Inge rocked a 2-1 pitch to the track in rightfield, where Ichiro ran back and made the catch. Young tagged and went to third. Polanco poked the first pitch through the left side for a single, scoring Young.
»» MARINERS 9, TIGERS 3
McDonald grounded the first pitch up the middle, where Morse underhanded to Lopez to force out Polanco. Ballgame.
Hasegawa's line: 1 inning, 1 run, 2 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 15 pitches (10 strikes)
---
Gameball: Raul Ibañez.
He hadn't had a multi-hit game since the middle game of the series in Toronto (20th). He dumped a single into leftfield in the first, walked to lead off the fourth (and scored on the first Sexson homer), and doubled into the gap in rightcenter in the sixth. All in all, it was good for a 2-for-4 night with a walk, in other words, reaching base three times. As much as I ripped on this guy last year as the face of all that was wrong with the Mariner brass' moves in that offseason, he's proved me pretty freakin' wrong this year. I do realize we haven't had to worry about The Leftfield Adventures of Raul Ibañez this season, but he's held up his end of the bargain at the plate, and I guess if you wanted to bash him for anything, it might be power, but not much else. He sits here after 100 games with a .291 average, 13 homers, and 53 RBIs. A solid average with a little power. Isn't it weird how a lot of other teams just rotate the DH slot to give a guy a day off in the field, yet even in the post-Edgar era, the Mariners have just handed the slot full-time to Raul Ibañez? That strikes me as really weird, but I guess it's almost necessary in a way to keep the defense shored up in leftfield.
Goat: Jose Lopez.
He had a nice at-bat that resulted in a single in the seventh, but managed to leave six runners on base in the game. How? He hit into a double play with the bases loaded in the first, and he tapped back to the mound with the bases loaded in the second. That'll do it. Three runners here, three runners there. The growing pains with the young guys continues, as it will for a while. It looks like we'll be worrying about Mike Morse's glove and the bat of Jose Lopez. Of course, I have a feeling it'll be someone else at shortstop in future years, but who knows at this point. Also, Lopez is four days short of being two years younger than me, which therefore makes me feel old. I'm sure every baseball fan eventually goes through this. I guess the reason I don't feel comfortable with Lopez at the plate is because I can't help but think his stance is too wide, so he crouches maybe a little too low, then he maybe pops up and gets under some balls that he probably should rope for line drives. That's just me, though. I am often wrong.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 72-28 .720 -- L1
2002 61-39 .610 11 W1
2003 61-39 .610 11 W2
2000 58-42 .580 14 L2
2005 44-56 .440 28 W1
2004 38-62 .380 34 L3
After eight games away from it, the Mariners have gotten back to a six-game cushion above the pathetic pace of the 2004 Mariners. This series against the Tigers was the first series the Mariners had won since the sweep at Anaheim, which ended on the 10th of the month. Might things be looking up for the Mariners? Well, remember this -- Jamie Moyer can't be the starting pitcher every day. The offense might wake up a bit, though, since there's still some room for a hitter or two here and there to get warm.
I don't know how Jamie Moyer keeps doing this. He threw shutout ball for seven innings until finally caving a bit in the eighth. Slow, slower, and slowest have been the order of business for Jamie throughout his renaissance era (which has been kind of a while now). You all know the story though. Not a lot of heat, just spotting pitches and using deception, setting up the hitters correctly, and studying the crap out of hitters' tendencies. I'd pay good money just to sit next to Jamie Moyer when he totes the clipboard the day before he takes the mound. Though I have 11 years of grossly inferior baseball experience, I'd love to know what goes on those sheets of paper when Jamie's scrawling stuff about hitters. I mean, we know the basic gist of it all, but I'd like to see scans of it. It'd be awesome. I might even pay good money for it. What wouldn't I pay good money for? Jay Buhner's dip of chaw encased in bubble gum. The cellphone that Bret Boone flipped in the commercial a couple years ago. A video clip of the bullcrap walk-off obstruction call in Tampa Bay last year.
Richie Sexson done lost his mind. He's hit nine of his 26 homers since July 10th. He's driven in 19 of his 80 RBIs in the same span. It's a hot streak, folks. What makes this game especially crazy is that he only went 2-for-2. Of course, the two hits were homers. Furthermore, he walked three times. Yes, Richie reached base five times. He drove in three of the Mariners' runs and scored four of the Mariners' nine runs. Yes, Richie Sexson, with 26 homers, 80 RBIs, and a decent average of .272. It's jolly good stuff. I haven't talked about the placement of the homers yet, have I? The first one was a very healthy shot into the elevated leftfield bleachers, whereas the second homer was one of high arc, and to rightfield. I'm telling you, it's fun to have a hitter where if he looks like he makes good contact, I'm yelling "GET OUT!" at the ball when I see it get up into the air. Usually I throw in an expletive or two since I live alone and it's completely socially acceptable to curse when I'm alone in the house, but those are more likely when, say, Ron Villone drops down sidearmed to a rightie and gets taken yard.
Jamie Moyer pretty much was the pitching story of the night for the Mariners. Richie Sexson wasn't the only one hitting for the Mariners. Other multi-hit games belonged to Ichiro, Raul Ibañez, Willie Bloomquist, and Mike Morse, who all had two hits each. Sexson's homers and the Ibañez double were the only extra-base hits for the Mariners in the game. Pat Borders was the only Mariner starter that went hitless. The Mariners of course got credit for only six RBIs due to the bizarre error in the second that let runs four through six cross the plate. Sexson got his trio, and Beltre, Bloomquist, and Morse came away with single RBIs as well. Miguel Olivo didn't strike out in this game, which can be wholly attributed to the fact that he didn't play.
So, the Mariners win the series and press forth to host Cleveland for a four-game set. I'm just hoping for a split.
I hope everyone slept well on Wednesday night, and you should have if your name isn't Craig Monroe.
Lee. Meche. Tomorrow.
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