Sunday, September 18, 2005
GAME 149: RANGERS 8, MARINERS 6
Rangers 8, Mariners 6
In 25 words or less: It's amazing how Ryan Franklin can test positive for steroids, and it turns out all that appears juiced are the homers he gives up.
[This will be finished at a later time. What, you thought I'd rather do a recap of a baseball team 20 games under .500 than a football team that still has a chance with their season? Also, I had to do some laundry, cook food, etc. Seahawks took priority over the Mariners on Sunday, I won't lie.]
This one featured Ryan Franklin going up against RA Dickey, now a knuckleballer. If I say "pitch" in the Mariner half-inning where Dickey is pitching, it's a knuckleball.
TOP 1ST
Grade: C-
Preliminary results sketchy. Ichiro whiffed on a 1-2 pitch. Yuniesky Betancourt looped an 0-2 pitch to leftfield. Raul Ibañez had his helmet fly off while whiffing at the first pitch. He fell behind 0-2 and popped a 2-2 pitch high to Alfonso Soriano in shallow rightfield.
BOTTOM 1ST
Grade: B
Long time. David Dellucci tapped a ball along the right side, and Franklin got the ball and raced toward Dellucci, tagging him in front of the bag. Michael Young whiffed on a 2-2 pitch that Miguel Ojeda behind the plate had go off his glove as Young got aboard. Mark Teixeira took a 3-1 pitch up and in. Hank Blalock got behind 0-2 and foul-tipped a full-count pitch into Ojeda's glove, and he caught it this time. Alfonso Soriano got behind 0-2 and looped a 2-2 pitch to Jose Lopez in shallow rightfield.
TOP 2ND
Grade: C-
Not a good start. Richie Sexson grounded the first pitch out to short. Adrian Beltre bounced an 0-2 pitch to third. Greg Dobbs fell behind 0-2 and fouled a 1-2 pitch into the catcher's glove.
BOTTOM 2ND
Grade: B
Getting through. Kevin Mench fell behind 0-2 and held up on a full-count pitch low and away for a walk. Mark DeRosa popped the first pitch to short. Gary Matthews, Jr. flew out to shallow centerfield. Rod Barajas got ahead 2-0 and grounded out to Sexson beside the bag at first.
TOP 3RD
Grade: B-
Something. Jose Lopez got the hitters' counts before driving the 3-1 pitch off the leftfield wall for a double. Shin-Soo Choo got ahead 3-1 and bounced the full-count pitch to first, moving Lopez to third. Miguel Ojeda dumped a second-pitch single into centerfield, scoring Ibañez.
»» MARINERS 1, RANGERS 0
Ichiro popped the first pitch to Teixeira in front of the camera well on the right side. Betancourt got ahead 3-1 and grounded the full-count pitch hard off of Blalock's glove near the line at third, and all he could do was knock it down as Ojeda went to second. Ibañez grounded the first pitch hard to first.
BOTTOM 3RD
Grade: C-
Big flies. Dellucci cranked a line drive about eight rows into the rightfield seats.
»» RANGERS 1, MARINERS 1
Young got ahead 3-0 and took a 3-1 pitch outside. Teixeira whiffed oddly at a high 0-2 pitch. Blalock popped the first pitch high to Lopez on the infield grass. Soriano lined the first pitch barely foul beside the leftfield foul pole, and it would have been a homer. He cranked an 0-2 pitch the other way, reaching the third row in rightfield, scoring Young.
»» RANGERS 3, MARINERS 1
Mench popped the seconds pitch to Sexson in foul territory.
TOP 4TH
Grade: A-
What's this? Sexson got ahead 3-0 and walked on a full-count pitch down and in. Beltre bounced the first pitch through the right side, and Sexson moved to second. Dobbs flew out to centerfield on the first pitch, and Sexson tagged and went to third. Lopez poked an 0-2 pitch into the rightfield corner for a double, scoring Sexson and moving Beltre to third.
»» RANGERS 3, MARINERS 2
Choo took a full-count pitch down and in for a walk, loading the bases. Ojeda got ahead 3-0 and took a 3-1 pitch barely down and in for a walk, scoring Beltre and luring pitching coach Orel Hershiser to the mound.
»» RANGERS 3, MARINERS 3
Ichiro got the hitters' counts and chopped the 3-1 pitch behind the second-base bag, where Soriano stepped on the bag at second, and Ichiro beat out the double play. Lopez scored.
»» MARINERS 4, RANGERS 3
Betancourt fell behind 0-2 and popped a 1-2 pitch to shallow rightfield.
BOTTOM 4TH
Grade: D
Good gracious. DeRosa rolled a 1-2 pitch up the middle for a single. Matthews grounded to second for an easy 4-6-3 double play. Barajas cranked the second pitch barely over the fence in front of where the Target sign used to be in leftcenter to the right of the scoreboard.
»» RANGERS 4, MARINERS 4
Dellucci took a full-count pitch outside. Young popped a 2-0 pitch to shallow centerfield, and Choo dove and had the ball go off his glove, moving Dellucci to third. Teixeira blasted the second pitch a few rows beyond the fence in rightcenter, 427 feet away, scoring Dellucci and Young.
»» RANGERS 7, MARINERS 4
Blalock fell behind 0-2 and took a 2-2 fastball over the outside corner.
Franklin's line: 4 innings, 7 runs, 6 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts, 83 pitches (49 strikes)
TOP 5TH
Grade: C-
Boring. Ibañez grounded the second pitch up the middle to short. Sexson got ahead 3-1 and later grounded hard to third on a full count. Beltre reached for an outside pitch and flew out to centerfield on the second pitch.
BOTTOM 5TH
Grade: A-
Scott Atchison came in for Franklin. Soriano whiffed on a 1-2 breaking ball. Mench whiffed at a full-count pitch up and in. DeRosa took a 1-2 strike.
TOP 6TH
Grade: B
A case of the runs. Dobbs lined the second pitch just beyond the grasp of a diving Matthews for what turned out to be a triple. Lopez rolled an 0-2 pitch to second, scoring Dobbs.
»» RANGERS 7, MARINERS 5
Choo walked on four pitches. Ojeda grounded the first pitch into the hole at short, and DeRosa ranged way over to nail him at first as Choo went to second on the play. Of course, it's different because replays show Ojeda was visibly safe on the play. Like it matters.
Joaquin Benoit came in for Dickey. Ichiro ripped a 2-2 single to rightfield, scoring Choo. A bad throw home enabled Ichiro to move to second.
»» RANGERS 7, MARINERS 6
Betancourt whiffed on a 1-2 slider.
Dickey's line: 5 2/3 innings, 6 runs, 6 hits, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts, 99 pitches (59 strikes)
BOTTOM 6TH
Grade: B+
Spelling relief. Matthews struck out on three pitches. Barajas got ahead 2-0 and wound up looping a single to shallow centerfield.
George Sherrill came in for Atchison. Dellucci got behind 0-2 and whiffed on a 2-2 fastball. Young fell behind 0-2 and grounded the full-count pitch to a barehanding Beltre, who threw over in time.
Atchison's line: 1 1/3 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 4 strikeouts, 24 pitches (17 strikes)
TOP 7TH
Grade: C-
Fizzle. Ibañez poped an 0-2 pitch high to centerfield. Sexson whiffed on a 1-2 pitch. Beltre got ahead 3-1 and whiffed on a full count.
Benoit's line: 1 1/3 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 24 pitches (16 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Grade: B-
Teixeira crushed the second pitch well out of the yard to rightfield.
»» RANGERS 8, MARINERS 6
Blalock took a 1-2 strike as well as a seat.
Rafael Soriano came in for Sherrill. Alfonso Soriano bounced the second pitch to second. Mench popped a 2-2 pitch to first.
Sherrill's line: 1 inning, 1 run, 1 hit, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 18 pitches (11 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Grade: C
CJ Wilson came in for Benoit. Dobbs bounced an 0-2 pitch to short. Lopez walked on a 3-1 pitch low. Rene Rivera, hitting for Choo, watched an 0-2 wild pitch as Lopez went to second. Rivera bounced out to short on a 2-2 pitch. Ojeda bounced the first pitch to short.
Wilson's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts, 14 pitches (8 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Grade: B
In the field, Jaime Bubela took over in centerfield. DeRosa whiffed on a 1-2 pitch. Matthews grounded a 1-2 pitch softly past the mound, and Lopez' toss to first wasn't quite in time. Barajas popped a 1-2 pitch out to Lopez barely on the outfield grass. Dellucci got the hitters' counts and took a low full-count pitch for a walk, moving Matthews to second. Young was caught looking at an 0-2 pitch.
Rafael Soriano's line: 1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 34 pitches (24 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Grade: C
Francisco Cordero came in for Wilson. Ichiro bounced the second pitch inside the first-base line where Teixeira won a footrace to the bag. Dave Hansen, hitting for Betancourt, grounded the full-count pitch to second. Ibañez got the hitters' counts and lined a 3-1 single into rightfield. Sexson popped a 2-2 pitch to second. Ballgame.
Cordero's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 18 pitches (10 strikes)
---
Gameball: Scott Atchison.
Goat: Ryan Franklin.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 106-43 .711 -- L3
2003 86-63 .577 20 L1
2002 85-64 .570 21 W1
2000 83-66 .554 23 W5
2005 64-85 .430 42 L4
2004 56-93 .376 50 L2
With the 1-for-5 game here as a DH, Ichiro has 188 hits on the season and sits with a .302 batting average. If he gets at-bats at the same pace he's been getting them for the season (622 at-bats in 149 games, 4.17 at-bats per game, which leaves him with a bit over 54 at-bats)...
-- he needs 12 hits to reach 200 for the season; he'd need to hit .221 for the remainder of the season, and that'd leave him with a .296 season average.
-- he needs 15 hits to finish with a .300 average for the season; he'd need to hit .276 for the rest of the season, and he'd end up with 203 hits.
-- he needs 29 hits to finish with a .320 (.321) average for the season; he'd need to hit .534 for the rest of the season, and he'd end up with 217 hits.
Moyer. Downs. Tonight.
In 25 words or less: It's amazing how Ryan Franklin can test positive for steroids, and it turns out all that appears juiced are the homers he gives up.
[This will be finished at a later time. What, you thought I'd rather do a recap of a baseball team 20 games under .500 than a football team that still has a chance with their season? Also, I had to do some laundry, cook food, etc. Seahawks took priority over the Mariners on Sunday, I won't lie.]
This one featured Ryan Franklin going up against RA Dickey, now a knuckleballer. If I say "pitch" in the Mariner half-inning where Dickey is pitching, it's a knuckleball.
TOP 1ST
Grade: C-
Preliminary results sketchy. Ichiro whiffed on a 1-2 pitch. Yuniesky Betancourt looped an 0-2 pitch to leftfield. Raul Ibañez had his helmet fly off while whiffing at the first pitch. He fell behind 0-2 and popped a 2-2 pitch high to Alfonso Soriano in shallow rightfield.
BOTTOM 1ST
Grade: B
Long time. David Dellucci tapped a ball along the right side, and Franklin got the ball and raced toward Dellucci, tagging him in front of the bag. Michael Young whiffed on a 2-2 pitch that Miguel Ojeda behind the plate had go off his glove as Young got aboard. Mark Teixeira took a 3-1 pitch up and in. Hank Blalock got behind 0-2 and foul-tipped a full-count pitch into Ojeda's glove, and he caught it this time. Alfonso Soriano got behind 0-2 and looped a 2-2 pitch to Jose Lopez in shallow rightfield.
TOP 2ND
Grade: C-
Not a good start. Richie Sexson grounded the first pitch out to short. Adrian Beltre bounced an 0-2 pitch to third. Greg Dobbs fell behind 0-2 and fouled a 1-2 pitch into the catcher's glove.
BOTTOM 2ND
Grade: B
Getting through. Kevin Mench fell behind 0-2 and held up on a full-count pitch low and away for a walk. Mark DeRosa popped the first pitch to short. Gary Matthews, Jr. flew out to shallow centerfield. Rod Barajas got ahead 2-0 and grounded out to Sexson beside the bag at first.
TOP 3RD
Grade: B-
Something. Jose Lopez got the hitters' counts before driving the 3-1 pitch off the leftfield wall for a double. Shin-Soo Choo got ahead 3-1 and bounced the full-count pitch to first, moving Lopez to third. Miguel Ojeda dumped a second-pitch single into centerfield, scoring Ibañez.
»» MARINERS 1, RANGERS 0
Ichiro popped the first pitch to Teixeira in front of the camera well on the right side. Betancourt got ahead 3-1 and grounded the full-count pitch hard off of Blalock's glove near the line at third, and all he could do was knock it down as Ojeda went to second. Ibañez grounded the first pitch hard to first.
BOTTOM 3RD
Grade: C-
Big flies. Dellucci cranked a line drive about eight rows into the rightfield seats.
»» RANGERS 1, MARINERS 1
Young got ahead 3-0 and took a 3-1 pitch outside. Teixeira whiffed oddly at a high 0-2 pitch. Blalock popped the first pitch high to Lopez on the infield grass. Soriano lined the first pitch barely foul beside the leftfield foul pole, and it would have been a homer. He cranked an 0-2 pitch the other way, reaching the third row in rightfield, scoring Young.
»» RANGERS 3, MARINERS 1
Mench popped the seconds pitch to Sexson in foul territory.
TOP 4TH
Grade: A-
What's this? Sexson got ahead 3-0 and walked on a full-count pitch down and in. Beltre bounced the first pitch through the right side, and Sexson moved to second. Dobbs flew out to centerfield on the first pitch, and Sexson tagged and went to third. Lopez poked an 0-2 pitch into the rightfield corner for a double, scoring Sexson and moving Beltre to third.
»» RANGERS 3, MARINERS 2
Choo took a full-count pitch down and in for a walk, loading the bases. Ojeda got ahead 3-0 and took a 3-1 pitch barely down and in for a walk, scoring Beltre and luring pitching coach Orel Hershiser to the mound.
»» RANGERS 3, MARINERS 3
Ichiro got the hitters' counts and chopped the 3-1 pitch behind the second-base bag, where Soriano stepped on the bag at second, and Ichiro beat out the double play. Lopez scored.
»» MARINERS 4, RANGERS 3
Betancourt fell behind 0-2 and popped a 1-2 pitch to shallow rightfield.
BOTTOM 4TH
Grade: D
Good gracious. DeRosa rolled a 1-2 pitch up the middle for a single. Matthews grounded to second for an easy 4-6-3 double play. Barajas cranked the second pitch barely over the fence in front of where the Target sign used to be in leftcenter to the right of the scoreboard.
»» RANGERS 4, MARINERS 4
Dellucci took a full-count pitch outside. Young popped a 2-0 pitch to shallow centerfield, and Choo dove and had the ball go off his glove, moving Dellucci to third. Teixeira blasted the second pitch a few rows beyond the fence in rightcenter, 427 feet away, scoring Dellucci and Young.
»» RANGERS 7, MARINERS 4
Blalock fell behind 0-2 and took a 2-2 fastball over the outside corner.
Franklin's line: 4 innings, 7 runs, 6 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts, 83 pitches (49 strikes)
TOP 5TH
Grade: C-
Boring. Ibañez grounded the second pitch up the middle to short. Sexson got ahead 3-1 and later grounded hard to third on a full count. Beltre reached for an outside pitch and flew out to centerfield on the second pitch.
BOTTOM 5TH
Grade: A-
Scott Atchison came in for Franklin. Soriano whiffed on a 1-2 breaking ball. Mench whiffed at a full-count pitch up and in. DeRosa took a 1-2 strike.
TOP 6TH
Grade: B
A case of the runs. Dobbs lined the second pitch just beyond the grasp of a diving Matthews for what turned out to be a triple. Lopez rolled an 0-2 pitch to second, scoring Dobbs.
»» RANGERS 7, MARINERS 5
Choo walked on four pitches. Ojeda grounded the first pitch into the hole at short, and DeRosa ranged way over to nail him at first as Choo went to second on the play. Of course, it's different because replays show Ojeda was visibly safe on the play. Like it matters.
Joaquin Benoit came in for Dickey. Ichiro ripped a 2-2 single to rightfield, scoring Choo. A bad throw home enabled Ichiro to move to second.
»» RANGERS 7, MARINERS 6
Betancourt whiffed on a 1-2 slider.
Dickey's line: 5 2/3 innings, 6 runs, 6 hits, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts, 99 pitches (59 strikes)
BOTTOM 6TH
Grade: B+
Spelling relief. Matthews struck out on three pitches. Barajas got ahead 2-0 and wound up looping a single to shallow centerfield.
George Sherrill came in for Atchison. Dellucci got behind 0-2 and whiffed on a 2-2 fastball. Young fell behind 0-2 and grounded the full-count pitch to a barehanding Beltre, who threw over in time.
Atchison's line: 1 1/3 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 4 strikeouts, 24 pitches (17 strikes)
TOP 7TH
Grade: C-
Fizzle. Ibañez poped an 0-2 pitch high to centerfield. Sexson whiffed on a 1-2 pitch. Beltre got ahead 3-1 and whiffed on a full count.
Benoit's line: 1 1/3 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 24 pitches (16 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Grade: B-
Teixeira crushed the second pitch well out of the yard to rightfield.
»» RANGERS 8, MARINERS 6
Blalock took a 1-2 strike as well as a seat.
Rafael Soriano came in for Sherrill. Alfonso Soriano bounced the second pitch to second. Mench popped a 2-2 pitch to first.
Sherrill's line: 1 inning, 1 run, 1 hit, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 18 pitches (11 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Grade: C
CJ Wilson came in for Benoit. Dobbs bounced an 0-2 pitch to short. Lopez walked on a 3-1 pitch low. Rene Rivera, hitting for Choo, watched an 0-2 wild pitch as Lopez went to second. Rivera bounced out to short on a 2-2 pitch. Ojeda bounced the first pitch to short.
Wilson's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts, 14 pitches (8 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Grade: B
In the field, Jaime Bubela took over in centerfield. DeRosa whiffed on a 1-2 pitch. Matthews grounded a 1-2 pitch softly past the mound, and Lopez' toss to first wasn't quite in time. Barajas popped a 1-2 pitch out to Lopez barely on the outfield grass. Dellucci got the hitters' counts and took a low full-count pitch for a walk, moving Matthews to second. Young was caught looking at an 0-2 pitch.
Rafael Soriano's line: 1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 34 pitches (24 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Grade: C
Francisco Cordero came in for Wilson. Ichiro bounced the second pitch inside the first-base line where Teixeira won a footrace to the bag. Dave Hansen, hitting for Betancourt, grounded the full-count pitch to second. Ibañez got the hitters' counts and lined a 3-1 single into rightfield. Sexson popped a 2-2 pitch to second. Ballgame.
Cordero's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 18 pitches (10 strikes)
---
Gameball: Scott Atchison.
Goat: Ryan Franklin.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 106-43 .711 -- L3
2003 86-63 .577 20 L1
2002 85-64 .570 21 W1
2000 83-66 .554 23 W5
2005 64-85 .430 42 L4
2004 56-93 .376 50 L2
With the 1-for-5 game here as a DH, Ichiro has 188 hits on the season and sits with a .302 batting average. If he gets at-bats at the same pace he's been getting them for the season (622 at-bats in 149 games, 4.17 at-bats per game, which leaves him with a bit over 54 at-bats)...
-- he needs 12 hits to reach 200 for the season; he'd need to hit .221 for the remainder of the season, and that'd leave him with a .296 season average.
-- he needs 15 hits to finish with a .300 average for the season; he'd need to hit .276 for the rest of the season, and he'd end up with 203 hits.
-- he needs 29 hits to finish with a .320 (.321) average for the season; he'd need to hit .534 for the rest of the season, and he'd end up with 217 hits.
Moyer. Downs. Tonight.
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