Saturday, August 06, 2005
GAME 108: MARINERS 4, WHITE SOX 2
Mariners 4, White Sox 2
In 25 words or less: It's fair to say that a game like this wasn't expected. The unexpected outcome from a pitching duel in a hitters' park. I'll be damned.
This one featured Joel Piñeiro going up against Freddy Garcia. Two years ago, I was hoping I'd never have to say something like that. Alas, here we are. The two pitchers aren't heading in completely opposite directions, but the one that's still in Seattle appears to be on a downward spiral. So, it isn't just the track of the two pitchers that seemed stacked against the Mariners, it was the fact that the third-worst team in the American League was going up against the team with the best record in baseball. Chances for a team that was 22-32 on the road going up against a team that was 34-21 at home didn't seem all that great. Of course, they still have to play the games, and this one was played to completion and everything.
TOP 1ST
Grade: C-
The usual first. Ichiro rolled out to second, making him 0-for-19. Willie Bloomquist grounded out to third. Raul Ibañez sliced a ball to leftfield, which was caught on the run by Scott Podsednik.
BOTTOM 1ST
Grade: B-
One costly pitch. Scott Podsednik got ahead 3-0 and eventually popped a full-count pitch high to Bloomquist behind the mound. Tadahito Iguchi got ahead 2-0 and fouled off a few pitches with a full count before whiffing on a pitch down and in. Aaron Rowand clubbed a 91-mph meatball that was left over the plate and went well over the leftfield wall by about six rows of seats.
»» WHITE SOX 1, MARINERS 0
Paul Konerko flew out high to leftfield on an 0-2 pitch.
TOP 2ND
Grade: B-
They at least got it back. Richie Sexson golfed an inside pitch just inside the leftfield foul pole and over the leftfield wall.
»» WHITE SOX 1, MARINERS 1
Adrian Beltre took a 1-2 pitch over the outside corner. Jeremy Reed dinked a single into rightfield. Yuniesky Betancourt popped the second pitch to Joe Crede near the plate. Reed took off for second on the first pitch to Chris Snelling, but he was gunned down via an AJ Pierzynski throw.
BOTTOM 2ND
Grade: B
Joel regained control after losing it a bit. AJ Pierzynski got behind 0-2 and later whiffed on a 1-2 curve. Jermaine Dye took a four-pitch walk. Joe Crede flew out high to Chris Snelling short of the track in leftfield. Geoff Blum got behind 0-2 and tapped a 2-2 pitch along the first-base line, where Piñeiro picked it up and ran it to the bag.
TOP 3RD
Grade: C-
Absolutely nothing here. Snelling flew out high to the track in rightfield on a full count. Yorvit Torrealba fouled off a couple of 0-2 pitches and eventually reached for a 1-2 pitch, grounding it out to short. Ichiro bounced a 2-2 pitch to second.
BOTTOM 3RD
Grade: B
Piñeiro held the fort. Juan Uribe tapped the second pitch back to the mound. Podsednik got behind 0-2 and later laced a 1-2 pitch down the rightfield line and toward the corner for a double. Iguchi got the hitters' counts and took a 3-1 breaking ball to the helmet, and came away laughing as the trainer attended to him. Rowand tapped back to the mound, where Piñeiro started the 1-6-3 double play.
TOP 4TH
Grade: B+
Hey, it's a lead! Bloomquist dumped a single into rightcenter. Ibañez got ahead 3-0, Bloomquist was naerly picked off, and Ibañez took a 3-1 pitch high and outside. Sexson whiffed on an 0-2 curve low and away. Beltre took a 1-2 pitch in the dirt, and the runners took off on the pitch, ending up on third (Bloomquist) and second (Ibañez). Beltre reached to poke the next pitch (offspeed) into rightfield, plating Bloomquist and moving Ibañez to third.
»» MARINERS 2, WHITE SOX 1
Reed took a 1-2 breaking ball barely inside, but then took the next pitch, a fastball, off the outside corner, but the umpire called it a strike anyway. Betancourt flew out to the track in centerfield on the second pitch.
BOTTOM 4TH
Grade: B-
Not as good this time. Konerko worked an 0-2 count full and flew out high to leftcenter. AJ Pierzynski popped the second pitch about six rows into the seats in leftcenter.
»» WHITE SOX 2, MARINERS 2
Dye got under the second pitch, flying out to leftfield. Joe Crede got ahead 2-0 and grounded the 2-2 pitch into the hole on the right side, where Bloomquist threw at Piñeiro's feet at first. Blum got behind 0-2 and whiffed on a 2-2 pitch outside.
TOP 5TH
Grade: C
Ho hum. Snelling whiffed on a low 0-2 pitch. Torrealba got behind 0-2 and later reached on a 1-2 pitch, tapping to the mound. Ichiro walked on four pitches. Bloomquist grounded into a 4-6 fielder's choice.
BOTTOM 5TH
Grade: B+
Uribe worked an 0-2 count full, fouled off a pitch, then bounced out to short. Podsednik chopped a 1-2 pitch to a charging Bloomquist on the right side, who threw in time to first. Iguchi looped an 0-2 pitch just over Betancourt and into leftfield for a single. Rowand grounded to Beltre behind the bag at third.
TOP 6TH
Grade: B
The Mariners retook the lead. Ibañez rolled a 2-2 pitch past Garcia and up the middle for a base hit. Sexson smoked a 2-2 pitch down the leftfield line, scoring Ibañez thanks to an offline throw. The ball got away behind home plate, and Sexson tried to take third, but Garcia backed up the play and Sexson was out by about ten feet.
»» MARINERS 3, WHITE SOX 2
Beltre chopped out to second. Reed poked a 2-0 pitch back to the mound.
BOTTOM 6TH
Grade: B+
This one didn't get out of hand. Konerko roped a single into leftfield. Pierzynski tapped the second pitch to the mound for another 1-6-3 double play by the Seattle infield. Dye took a 1-2 pitch over the outside corner.
TOP 7TH
Grade: B
The Mariners widened the lead. Betancourt walked on four pitches. Snelling got ahead 2-0 and later poked a pitch into rightfield between Dye and the line for a double, but Betancourt didn't pick up the ball and/or the third-base coach right away, so he didn't score on the play. Instead, he moved only to third. Torrealba grounded the first pitch to short, but Uribe didn't have a chance at the plate, electing to get the out at first instead. Betancourt scored, and Snelling moved to second.
»» MARINERS 4, WHITE SOX 2
Ichiro flew out to Dye on the track in rightfield on a 2-0 pitch, and Snelling tagged and moved to third. Bloomquist chopped the first pitch to short.
Garcia's line: 7 innings, 4 runs, 7 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, 110 pitches (62 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Grade: B+
The relief corps helped out Piñeiro. Crede flew out very high to Betancourt on the outfield grass. Blum blooped a single into rightcenter, bringing pitching coach Bryan Price out to the mound. Uribe laced the first pitch up the middle for a single.
George Sherrill came in for Piñeiro. Podsednik failed to check a high swing on a 2-2 pitch.
Jeff Nelson came in for Sherrill. Iguchi lined out right to Sexson along the first-base line.
Piñeiro's line: 6 1/3 innings, 2 runs, 8 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 104 pitches (67 strikes)
Sherrill's line: 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 5 pitches (3 strikes)
Nelson's line: 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 4 pitches (2 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Grade: C-
Bobby Jenks came in for Garcia. Ibañez slapped a 1-2 pitch to short for a groundout. Sexson took a 1-2 fastball low over the outside corner for a strikeout. Beltre bounced out to short.
BOTTOM 8TH
Grade: A
JJ Putz came in for Nelson. Rowand grounded the first pitch out to second. Konerko fisted a grounder to the right side, and Sexson underhanded to a covering Putz. Pierzynski hit a checkswing nubber to third for a groundout on the first pitch.
Putz' line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeout, 7 pitches (5 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Grade: C-
Reed took an 0-2 pitch over the outside corner but maybe a bit low for strike three (he took umbrage with the plate umpire). Betancourt was nearly hit with the 0-2 pitch but later whiffed on a 1-2 dirtball. Snelling popped out to Crede along the leftfield line.
Jenks' line: 2 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 25 pitches (19 strikes)
BOTTOM 9TH
Grade: A
Eddie Guardado came in to shut the door. Dye fouled off a couple of 0-2 pitches before chopping out to third. Crede popped a 1-2 pitch into shallow leftfield, where Betancourt went back to make the catch. Pablo Ozuna hit for Blum. Ozuna whiffed on a 1-2 pitch. Ballgame.
Guardado's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 13 pitches (11 strikes)
---
Gameball: JJ Putz.
Putz often comes out in the entry directly below this, but he more than came through in this game thanks to a 1-2-3 eighth inning. That inning came against the third, fourth, and fifth hitters in the Chicago lineup as well, so no slouches there. I sometimes forget that the White Sox amazingly do have the best record in baseball as well, further putting some light on the importance of what Putz did in this game. Did it help that two of three hitters he faced swung at the first pitch? Sure it did. Did he give up any untimely homers? No. He didn't even give up any untimely walks or hits. Just three up and three down for JJ Putz, who was holding a two-run lead in the eighth inning of a game against the meat of the order of the best team in baseball. That's no small feat. Of course, every team he has an outing like this, I just hope he gets some confidence from it and takes that into subsequent outings and dominates for the rest of his career as a Mariner. The odds of it all happening might be a total crapshoot, but sometimes all we have is hope.
Goat: Ichiro.
He'll be here until he gets a hit. He came into the game 0-for-19 going back to his final out in the middle game of the Cleveland series. He took a four-pitch walk in this game, but remained hitless, leaving him in an 0-for-22 chasm. I have to suggest that if Ichiro has one of those "I Know The Boone" tee-shirts still lying around from spring training, he should burn them immediately. It's bad luck. If Boone got sloppy with his hair highlighter when he was still in Seattle and splattered some of it on Ichiro's bag, bat(s), and/or locker, he should have those things discarded immediately. The Mariners need to clear all leftover things Boone in order to get Ichiro hitting again. The Mariners have won a couple of games without Ichiro doing anything, but it's just conventional wisdom that they're better when he's getting at least one hit a game and then raising hell on the basepaths. An 0-for-23 slump is one that is more than sizable. On the positive, it's everything you could possibly want in a slump. That doesn't mean it doesn't suck.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 78-30 .722 -- W2
2002 66-42 .611 12 W3
2003 66-42 .611 12 W3
2000 62-46 .574 16 L2
2005 47-61 .435 31 W1
2004 40-68 .370 38 W1
The posted MLB.tv feed for this game was what was broadcasted over Comcast SportsNet in Chicago. This means I had to subject myself to Ken Harrelson and Darrin Jackson for two hours and 37 minutes. A span of 2:37 is pretty short for a ballgame these days, but when you have Hawk and DJ over it, it's akin to knocking back some castor oil as an after-dinner drink. I knew about the "he gone" and everything, but I didn't know about the extraneous use of "we" by the duo as well as things like "come on, Jermaine, we need a hit here." It's absolutely intolerable. Couple all of this with the fact that it was Elvis day at the ballyard in Chicago. The opening montage rolled, and the camera showed Hawk and DJ in Elvis wigs and glasses. Brutal. They read off multiple emails during the broadcasts, which isn't too bad an idea, but also tells me that the broadcasters aren't good enough to fill more time during the telecast. Anyway, one of them asked them about the wackiest promotion ideas they'd seen. Hawk told some story about riding Charlie O. Finley's mule around Yankee Stadium. He fell off the mule and shallowed his chaw, then threw up afterward. Anyway, I'm hoping for any other feed on MLB.tv today. Of course, since it's a 4:05p start from Seattle, I don't think I have to deal with a Fox network blackout, so that's cool at least. But if I don't get the FSNNW feed today, I might throw something.
The only worthwhile thing I took out of the Comcast SportsNet broadcast was that the Mariners now have a record of 37-1 when leading after seven innings, good for second-best in the Majors, trailing only the Yankees (who else?). This showed up in its best form in this game, with the flawless and hitless final 2 2/3 innings out of the quarter of George Sherrill, Jeff Nelson, JJ Putz, and Eddie Guardado. It doesn't happen every day, sure, but it's good to know that if the Mariners take a lead into the eighth, they're doing okay in the eighth with whoever they want to trot out there, and we know Guardado is nuts, here converting his 25th straight save opprtunity, and 26 of 27 overall. What made this even better is that they were able to do this in a game where Ichiro did barely anything offensively, and Joel Piñeiro had the kind of start that's been more of the exception to the rule this year.
Yes, Piñeiro did pretty well and failed to implode. The way I ended the last game post, I said the pitching matchup was horribly lopsided in Freddy Garcia's favor. That was before I knew about Garcia's home record, but it was still tilted toward Freddy. Mechanically, though, Piñeiro looked a bit different when winding up. He didn't get into any huge jams, and faced more than four hitters in an inning only once, and that was in the fourth, the inning that included the AJ Pierzynski solo shot. Piñeiro also got the benefit of two ground balls right back to him that he was able to turn into double plays. In an interesting note, none of the Chicago hitters had a multi-hit game. What's more, Piñeiro only walked one batter in the game, which is way less than what we've grown accustomed to over the last few months. Yes, this start is good for Piñeiro's second win in his last 17 starts. He's got to start somewhere, I guess.
Richie Sexson had the only multi-hit game in the Mariner lineup by virtue of his solo shot in the second inning and his RBI double down the leftfield line in the sixth to offset his two strikeouts. Richie is now hitting .269 with 27 homers and 84 RBIs. The double was his 24th of the season. Sexson is slugging at a .551 clip. He is also tall. He also gives us a damper to some high throws from Mike Morse at short, turning some of them into outs, but also lets us know just how high Morse is throwing the ball when it ends up going over him. By the way, a Morse error is the type of thing that would kill a game like this. If Morse's defense was a little bit better, I'd consider taking him over Betancourt, who has looked pretty freakin' awesome in the field at short in his short time there. Back to hitting, the hitless games belonged to Ichiro, Yuniesky Betancourt, and Yorvit Torrealba. Those three weren't completely inept; Ichiro walked, Betancourt walked once and scored, and Torrealba came through with an RBI groundout.
Once again, I'm left asking...can the Mariners pull off a series win in the middle game of the series?
I know this one's late, but hey, I was out having a life last night. Just a note to anyone that comes out here, if you reserve a table at Duke's (bottom of the Outrigger) on a Friday night for a party of seven, you'll be guaranteed a table with four chairs, but you have to be sly to get the other three chairs, i.e., looking for the black book with the check in it on other tables to signify that the patrons have left, then taking the chairs from the table. I guess I'm trying to say they don't have enough chairs. Also, since that's Waikiki on a Friday night, it can get pretty crowded.
Moyer. Buehrle. Today.
In 25 words or less: It's fair to say that a game like this wasn't expected. The unexpected outcome from a pitching duel in a hitters' park. I'll be damned.
This one featured Joel Piñeiro going up against Freddy Garcia. Two years ago, I was hoping I'd never have to say something like that. Alas, here we are. The two pitchers aren't heading in completely opposite directions, but the one that's still in Seattle appears to be on a downward spiral. So, it isn't just the track of the two pitchers that seemed stacked against the Mariners, it was the fact that the third-worst team in the American League was going up against the team with the best record in baseball. Chances for a team that was 22-32 on the road going up against a team that was 34-21 at home didn't seem all that great. Of course, they still have to play the games, and this one was played to completion and everything.
TOP 1ST
Grade: C-
The usual first. Ichiro rolled out to second, making him 0-for-19. Willie Bloomquist grounded out to third. Raul Ibañez sliced a ball to leftfield, which was caught on the run by Scott Podsednik.
BOTTOM 1ST
Grade: B-
One costly pitch. Scott Podsednik got ahead 3-0 and eventually popped a full-count pitch high to Bloomquist behind the mound. Tadahito Iguchi got ahead 2-0 and fouled off a few pitches with a full count before whiffing on a pitch down and in. Aaron Rowand clubbed a 91-mph meatball that was left over the plate and went well over the leftfield wall by about six rows of seats.
»» WHITE SOX 1, MARINERS 0
Paul Konerko flew out high to leftfield on an 0-2 pitch.
TOP 2ND
Grade: B-
They at least got it back. Richie Sexson golfed an inside pitch just inside the leftfield foul pole and over the leftfield wall.
»» WHITE SOX 1, MARINERS 1
Adrian Beltre took a 1-2 pitch over the outside corner. Jeremy Reed dinked a single into rightfield. Yuniesky Betancourt popped the second pitch to Joe Crede near the plate. Reed took off for second on the first pitch to Chris Snelling, but he was gunned down via an AJ Pierzynski throw.
BOTTOM 2ND
Grade: B
Joel regained control after losing it a bit. AJ Pierzynski got behind 0-2 and later whiffed on a 1-2 curve. Jermaine Dye took a four-pitch walk. Joe Crede flew out high to Chris Snelling short of the track in leftfield. Geoff Blum got behind 0-2 and tapped a 2-2 pitch along the first-base line, where Piñeiro picked it up and ran it to the bag.
TOP 3RD
Grade: C-
Absolutely nothing here. Snelling flew out high to the track in rightfield on a full count. Yorvit Torrealba fouled off a couple of 0-2 pitches and eventually reached for a 1-2 pitch, grounding it out to short. Ichiro bounced a 2-2 pitch to second.
BOTTOM 3RD
Grade: B
Piñeiro held the fort. Juan Uribe tapped the second pitch back to the mound. Podsednik got behind 0-2 and later laced a 1-2 pitch down the rightfield line and toward the corner for a double. Iguchi got the hitters' counts and took a 3-1 breaking ball to the helmet, and came away laughing as the trainer attended to him. Rowand tapped back to the mound, where Piñeiro started the 1-6-3 double play.
TOP 4TH
Grade: B+
Hey, it's a lead! Bloomquist dumped a single into rightcenter. Ibañez got ahead 3-0, Bloomquist was naerly picked off, and Ibañez took a 3-1 pitch high and outside. Sexson whiffed on an 0-2 curve low and away. Beltre took a 1-2 pitch in the dirt, and the runners took off on the pitch, ending up on third (Bloomquist) and second (Ibañez). Beltre reached to poke the next pitch (offspeed) into rightfield, plating Bloomquist and moving Ibañez to third.
»» MARINERS 2, WHITE SOX 1
Reed took a 1-2 breaking ball barely inside, but then took the next pitch, a fastball, off the outside corner, but the umpire called it a strike anyway. Betancourt flew out to the track in centerfield on the second pitch.
BOTTOM 4TH
Grade: B-
Not as good this time. Konerko worked an 0-2 count full and flew out high to leftcenter. AJ Pierzynski popped the second pitch about six rows into the seats in leftcenter.
»» WHITE SOX 2, MARINERS 2
Dye got under the second pitch, flying out to leftfield. Joe Crede got ahead 2-0 and grounded the 2-2 pitch into the hole on the right side, where Bloomquist threw at Piñeiro's feet at first. Blum got behind 0-2 and whiffed on a 2-2 pitch outside.
TOP 5TH
Grade: C
Ho hum. Snelling whiffed on a low 0-2 pitch. Torrealba got behind 0-2 and later reached on a 1-2 pitch, tapping to the mound. Ichiro walked on four pitches. Bloomquist grounded into a 4-6 fielder's choice.
BOTTOM 5TH
Grade: B+
Uribe worked an 0-2 count full, fouled off a pitch, then bounced out to short. Podsednik chopped a 1-2 pitch to a charging Bloomquist on the right side, who threw in time to first. Iguchi looped an 0-2 pitch just over Betancourt and into leftfield for a single. Rowand grounded to Beltre behind the bag at third.
TOP 6TH
Grade: B
The Mariners retook the lead. Ibañez rolled a 2-2 pitch past Garcia and up the middle for a base hit. Sexson smoked a 2-2 pitch down the leftfield line, scoring Ibañez thanks to an offline throw. The ball got away behind home plate, and Sexson tried to take third, but Garcia backed up the play and Sexson was out by about ten feet.
»» MARINERS 3, WHITE SOX 2
Beltre chopped out to second. Reed poked a 2-0 pitch back to the mound.
BOTTOM 6TH
Grade: B+
This one didn't get out of hand. Konerko roped a single into leftfield. Pierzynski tapped the second pitch to the mound for another 1-6-3 double play by the Seattle infield. Dye took a 1-2 pitch over the outside corner.
TOP 7TH
Grade: B
The Mariners widened the lead. Betancourt walked on four pitches. Snelling got ahead 2-0 and later poked a pitch into rightfield between Dye and the line for a double, but Betancourt didn't pick up the ball and/or the third-base coach right away, so he didn't score on the play. Instead, he moved only to third. Torrealba grounded the first pitch to short, but Uribe didn't have a chance at the plate, electing to get the out at first instead. Betancourt scored, and Snelling moved to second.
»» MARINERS 4, WHITE SOX 2
Ichiro flew out to Dye on the track in rightfield on a 2-0 pitch, and Snelling tagged and moved to third. Bloomquist chopped the first pitch to short.
Garcia's line: 7 innings, 4 runs, 7 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, 110 pitches (62 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Grade: B+
The relief corps helped out Piñeiro. Crede flew out very high to Betancourt on the outfield grass. Blum blooped a single into rightcenter, bringing pitching coach Bryan Price out to the mound. Uribe laced the first pitch up the middle for a single.
George Sherrill came in for Piñeiro. Podsednik failed to check a high swing on a 2-2 pitch.
Jeff Nelson came in for Sherrill. Iguchi lined out right to Sexson along the first-base line.
Piñeiro's line: 6 1/3 innings, 2 runs, 8 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 104 pitches (67 strikes)
Sherrill's line: 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 5 pitches (3 strikes)
Nelson's line: 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 4 pitches (2 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Grade: C-
Bobby Jenks came in for Garcia. Ibañez slapped a 1-2 pitch to short for a groundout. Sexson took a 1-2 fastball low over the outside corner for a strikeout. Beltre bounced out to short.
BOTTOM 8TH
Grade: A
JJ Putz came in for Nelson. Rowand grounded the first pitch out to second. Konerko fisted a grounder to the right side, and Sexson underhanded to a covering Putz. Pierzynski hit a checkswing nubber to third for a groundout on the first pitch.
Putz' line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeout, 7 pitches (5 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Grade: C-
Reed took an 0-2 pitch over the outside corner but maybe a bit low for strike three (he took umbrage with the plate umpire). Betancourt was nearly hit with the 0-2 pitch but later whiffed on a 1-2 dirtball. Snelling popped out to Crede along the leftfield line.
Jenks' line: 2 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 25 pitches (19 strikes)
BOTTOM 9TH
Grade: A
Eddie Guardado came in to shut the door. Dye fouled off a couple of 0-2 pitches before chopping out to third. Crede popped a 1-2 pitch into shallow leftfield, where Betancourt went back to make the catch. Pablo Ozuna hit for Blum. Ozuna whiffed on a 1-2 pitch. Ballgame.
Guardado's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 13 pitches (11 strikes)
---
Gameball: JJ Putz.
Putz often comes out in the entry directly below this, but he more than came through in this game thanks to a 1-2-3 eighth inning. That inning came against the third, fourth, and fifth hitters in the Chicago lineup as well, so no slouches there. I sometimes forget that the White Sox amazingly do have the best record in baseball as well, further putting some light on the importance of what Putz did in this game. Did it help that two of three hitters he faced swung at the first pitch? Sure it did. Did he give up any untimely homers? No. He didn't even give up any untimely walks or hits. Just three up and three down for JJ Putz, who was holding a two-run lead in the eighth inning of a game against the meat of the order of the best team in baseball. That's no small feat. Of course, every team he has an outing like this, I just hope he gets some confidence from it and takes that into subsequent outings and dominates for the rest of his career as a Mariner. The odds of it all happening might be a total crapshoot, but sometimes all we have is hope.
Goat: Ichiro.
He'll be here until he gets a hit. He came into the game 0-for-19 going back to his final out in the middle game of the Cleveland series. He took a four-pitch walk in this game, but remained hitless, leaving him in an 0-for-22 chasm. I have to suggest that if Ichiro has one of those "I Know The Boone" tee-shirts still lying around from spring training, he should burn them immediately. It's bad luck. If Boone got sloppy with his hair highlighter when he was still in Seattle and splattered some of it on Ichiro's bag, bat(s), and/or locker, he should have those things discarded immediately. The Mariners need to clear all leftover things Boone in order to get Ichiro hitting again. The Mariners have won a couple of games without Ichiro doing anything, but it's just conventional wisdom that they're better when he's getting at least one hit a game and then raising hell on the basepaths. An 0-for-23 slump is one that is more than sizable. On the positive, it's everything you could possibly want in a slump. That doesn't mean it doesn't suck.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 78-30 .722 -- W2
2002 66-42 .611 12 W3
2003 66-42 .611 12 W3
2000 62-46 .574 16 L2
2005 47-61 .435 31 W1
2004 40-68 .370 38 W1
The posted MLB.tv feed for this game was what was broadcasted over Comcast SportsNet in Chicago. This means I had to subject myself to Ken Harrelson and Darrin Jackson for two hours and 37 minutes. A span of 2:37 is pretty short for a ballgame these days, but when you have Hawk and DJ over it, it's akin to knocking back some castor oil as an after-dinner drink. I knew about the "he gone" and everything, but I didn't know about the extraneous use of "we" by the duo as well as things like "come on, Jermaine, we need a hit here." It's absolutely intolerable. Couple all of this with the fact that it was Elvis day at the ballyard in Chicago. The opening montage rolled, and the camera showed Hawk and DJ in Elvis wigs and glasses. Brutal. They read off multiple emails during the broadcasts, which isn't too bad an idea, but also tells me that the broadcasters aren't good enough to fill more time during the telecast. Anyway, one of them asked them about the wackiest promotion ideas they'd seen. Hawk told some story about riding Charlie O. Finley's mule around Yankee Stadium. He fell off the mule and shallowed his chaw, then threw up afterward. Anyway, I'm hoping for any other feed on MLB.tv today. Of course, since it's a 4:05p start from Seattle, I don't think I have to deal with a Fox network blackout, so that's cool at least. But if I don't get the FSNNW feed today, I might throw something.
The only worthwhile thing I took out of the Comcast SportsNet broadcast was that the Mariners now have a record of 37-1 when leading after seven innings, good for second-best in the Majors, trailing only the Yankees (who else?). This showed up in its best form in this game, with the flawless and hitless final 2 2/3 innings out of the quarter of George Sherrill, Jeff Nelson, JJ Putz, and Eddie Guardado. It doesn't happen every day, sure, but it's good to know that if the Mariners take a lead into the eighth, they're doing okay in the eighth with whoever they want to trot out there, and we know Guardado is nuts, here converting his 25th straight save opprtunity, and 26 of 27 overall. What made this even better is that they were able to do this in a game where Ichiro did barely anything offensively, and Joel Piñeiro had the kind of start that's been more of the exception to the rule this year.
Yes, Piñeiro did pretty well and failed to implode. The way I ended the last game post, I said the pitching matchup was horribly lopsided in Freddy Garcia's favor. That was before I knew about Garcia's home record, but it was still tilted toward Freddy. Mechanically, though, Piñeiro looked a bit different when winding up. He didn't get into any huge jams, and faced more than four hitters in an inning only once, and that was in the fourth, the inning that included the AJ Pierzynski solo shot. Piñeiro also got the benefit of two ground balls right back to him that he was able to turn into double plays. In an interesting note, none of the Chicago hitters had a multi-hit game. What's more, Piñeiro only walked one batter in the game, which is way less than what we've grown accustomed to over the last few months. Yes, this start is good for Piñeiro's second win in his last 17 starts. He's got to start somewhere, I guess.
Richie Sexson had the only multi-hit game in the Mariner lineup by virtue of his solo shot in the second inning and his RBI double down the leftfield line in the sixth to offset his two strikeouts. Richie is now hitting .269 with 27 homers and 84 RBIs. The double was his 24th of the season. Sexson is slugging at a .551 clip. He is also tall. He also gives us a damper to some high throws from Mike Morse at short, turning some of them into outs, but also lets us know just how high Morse is throwing the ball when it ends up going over him. By the way, a Morse error is the type of thing that would kill a game like this. If Morse's defense was a little bit better, I'd consider taking him over Betancourt, who has looked pretty freakin' awesome in the field at short in his short time there. Back to hitting, the hitless games belonged to Ichiro, Yuniesky Betancourt, and Yorvit Torrealba. Those three weren't completely inept; Ichiro walked, Betancourt walked once and scored, and Torrealba came through with an RBI groundout.
Once again, I'm left asking...can the Mariners pull off a series win in the middle game of the series?
I know this one's late, but hey, I was out having a life last night. Just a note to anyone that comes out here, if you reserve a table at Duke's (bottom of the Outrigger) on a Friday night for a party of seven, you'll be guaranteed a table with four chairs, but you have to be sly to get the other three chairs, i.e., looking for the black book with the check in it on other tables to signify that the patrons have left, then taking the chairs from the table. I guess I'm trying to say they don't have enough chairs. Also, since that's Waikiki on a Friday night, it can get pretty crowded.
Moyer. Buehrle. Today.
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