Friday, September 23, 2005
GAME 153: BLUE JAYS 7, MARINERS 5
Blue Jays 7, Mariners 5
In 25 words or less: Joel Piñeiro had a bad first inning as usual, but this time it was especially bad. It wasn't completely over though.
[to be finished]
This one featured Joel Piñeiro going up against Gustavo Chacin.
TOP 1ST
Grade: C
Squandered. Ichiro fell behind 0-2 before tapping a 2-2 pitch hard back to the mound (tenth pitch of the at-bat). Yuniesky Betancourt broke his bat on a second-pitch single to leftfield. Raul Ibañez got ahead 3-0 before watching Betancourt get picked off of first with the count full. Ibañez took ball four barely up and away. Richie Sexson drilled a 1-2 pitch through the mound and into centerfield for a single, moving Ibañez to second. Adrian Beltre whiffed on a 2-2 fastball off the plate outside, the ninth pitch of the at-bat. Chacin threw 30 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Grade: F
Bad. Russ Adams grounded the second pitch toward the first-base line, where Sexson made a diving stop, but had trouble coming up with the ball and didn't throw to first. Frank Catalanotto slapped the second pitch into leftfield for a single, moving Adams to third on the hit-and-run. Vernon Wells rolled a single up the middle, scoring Adams and moving Catalanotto to second.
»» BLUE JAYS 1, MARINERS 0
Corey Koskie golfed an 0-2 curve to the wall in leftcenter for a double, scoring Catalanotto and moving Wells, who nearly passed Catalanotto on the basepath, to third.
»» BLUE JAYS 2, MARINERS 0
Shea Hillenbrand grounded a full-count pitch hard to Beltre, who threw home to get Wells in a rundown (5-2-5-3), though Hillenbrand got to second on the play (Koskie replaced Wells at third). Alex(is) Rios took the first pitch in the dirt and to the backstop, but the ball bounced quickly back to Yorvit Torrealba behind the plate, and Koskie held at third. Rios got ahead 3-1 and stuck a full-count single into centerfield, scoting Koskie and moving Hillenbrand to third. Pitching coach Bryan Price visited the mound.
»» BLUE JAYS 3, MARINERS 0
Gabe Gross chopped a single over Sexson and into rightfield, scoring Hillenbrand and moving Rios to third.
»» BLUE JAYS 4, MARINERS 0
Aaron Hill clubbed a first-pitch line drive right to Ibañez. Rios tagged from third and scored on the play.
»» BLUE JAYS 5, MARINERS 0
Guillermo Quiroz cranked a line-drive double to the leftfield wall, moving Gross to third. Adams whiffed on an 0-2 low curve.
TOP 2ND
Grade: C-
Quick. Mike Morse popped an 0-2 pitch to rightfield just short of the track. Jeremy Reed looped a 2-0 flyout to shallow leftfield. Jose Lopez took a 1-2 pitch on the outside corner.
BOTTOM 2ND
Grade: B+
Weird 1-2-3 inning. Catalanotto fell behind 0-2 before bouncing the full-count pitch to first. Wells got ahead 3-0 before whiffing on a full-count low curveball. Koskie bounced a 1-2 pitch to second.
TOP 3RD
Grade: C
Nothing much. Yorvit Torrealba got ahead 2-0 and looped a 2-2 pitch back to the mound. Ichiro chopped the second pitch to a charging Koskie at third. Betancourt took a 3-1 pitch outside. Ibañez fell behind 0-2 and whiffed on a 1-2 fastball.
BOTTOM 3RD
Grade: B+
Getting weird. Hillenbrand popped a 2-0 pitch to Lopez on the right side. Rios whiffed on an 0-2 breaking ball. Gross fell behind 0-2 and whiffed on a full-count breaking ball.
TOP 4TH
Grade: B+
Glimmer. Sexson got ahead 2-0 and walked on a full-count slider down and in. Beltre popped an 0-2 pitch to the track in leftfield, just missing a homer. Morse drilled the first pitch for a single into rightfield, moving Sexson to second. Reed slapped the first pitch barely fair down the leftfield line, and a fan grabbed the ball as it went near the stands (ground-rule double). Sexson scored, and Morse went to third.
»» BLUE JAYS 5, MARINERS 1
Lopez swatted a 2-2 high fastball to the wall in leftcenter for a double, scoring Morse and Reed.
»» BLUE JAYS 5, MARINERS 3
Torrealba grounded the first pitch to third as Lopez held at second. Ichiro got ahead 2-0 but rolled slowly to the right side, where Hill charged and made the play.
BOTTOM 4TH
Grade: A-
Could it be a roll? Hill got ahead 2-0 but foul-tipped a 2-2 pitch into Torrealba's glove. Quiroz took an 0-2 pitch above the kneecaps and down the pipe, Piñeiro's fourth straight strikeout and fifth of six batters. Adams grounded a 1-2 pitch to second.
TOP 5TH
Grade: B
Betancourt walked on four pitches (ball four inside). Ibañez chopped to second, forcing Betancourt out at second but not getting the double play. Sexson clubbed the second pitch into leftcenter, not quite reaching the wall as Ibañez was held at third on Sexson's double. Beltre smoked the first pitch down the leftfield line for a double, scoring Ibañez and Sexson.
»» BLUE JAYS 5, MARINERS 5
Dustin McGowan came in for Chacin. Morse whiffed on an 0-2 dirt curveball away. Reed failed to hold a 2-2 breaking ball down and in, or so the plate umpire thought. Reed didn't like it.
Chacin's line: 4 1/3 innings, 5 runs, 7 hits, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts, 92 pitches (59 strikes)
BOTTOM 5TH
Grade: A-
Still smokin'. Catalanotto chopped the second pitch up the middle into centerfield, snapping Piñeiro's streak of ten straight retired Blue Jay hitters. Wells rolled the second pitch to short for a quick 6-4-3 double play. Koskie got ahead 3-1 and whiffed on a full-count breaking ball.
TOP 6TH
Grade: C
Yuck. Lopez took a 2-2 curve over the inner half. Torrealba fell behind 0-2 and nearly was nailed in the head with a 2-2 pitch. He rolled the full-count pitch up the middle for a single. Ichiro grounded right to short for a 6-4-3 double play.
BOTTOM 6TH
Grade: A
En fuego. Hillenbrand popped a 2-2 pitch high to rightfield. Rios popped the second pitch high to shallow leftfield. Gross popped an 0-2 pitch to leftfield, making it 15 of 16 retired for Piñeiro.
TOP 7TH
Grade: C-
Quick again. Betancourt grounded the second pitch hard to second. Ibañez popped a 2-0 pitch to leftfield. Sexson bounced the first pitch to third.
McGowan's line: 2 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 31 pitches (19 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Grade: B+
Who's pitching? Hill popped high to Beltre in foul ground on the left side. Quiroz whiffed on an 0-2 curve in the dirt (2-3 putout). Adams got ahead 2-0 and later chopped a grounder to th eright-side hole that went off the heel of Lopez' glove and landed at his feet (error). Catalanotto flew out to Reed in leftcenter. Piñeiro had thrown 105 pitches.
TOP 8TH
Grade: C
Justin Speier came in for McGowan. Beltre got ahead 2-0 and beat out a 2-2 chopper that to third (yes, he reached on the pitch). Greg Dobbs, hitting for Morse, roped the second pitch right to second, where Adams threw to first since Beltre was in front of him, then the rundown get Beltre as well. Reed bounced a 1-2 single up the middle. Lopez watched the 0-2 pitch as Reed took off on a delayed steal that caught the Blue Jays by surprise. Lopez nonetheless flew out to rightfield on a 1-2 pitch.
BOTTOM 8TH
Grade: C
Bubble burst. Wells popped the first pitch into shallow rightfield as Piñeiro had retired 19 of the last 21 Blue Jay hitters. Koskie got ahead 3-0 and walked on a 3-1 curve low and away. Hillenbrand fell behind 0-2 and lined a 1-2 pitch to Reed in fairly deep centerfield. Rios cranked the second pitch off the screen of the leftfield foul pole.
»» BLUE JAYS 7, MARINERS 5
Gross doubled the first pitch past Ichiro to the wall in rightcenter.
Rafael Soriano came in for Piñeiro. Hill popped a 1-2 pitch to Ichiro on the rightfield line.
Piñeiro's line: 7 2/3 innings, 7 runs, 10 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts, 118 pitches (79 strikes)
Soriano's line: 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 4 pitches (3 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Grade: C
Speier had warmed up to start the inning.
Scott Schoeneweis came in for Speier. Ramon Santiago, hitting for Torrealba, just missed a double down the rightfield line (foul) and was later nailed with a 2-2 pitch to the left elbow as trainer Rick Griffin came out to assess the damage. Ichiro rolled a 2-2 pitch right to short that would have resulted in a double play if it wasn't Ichiro that had hit the ball.
Miguel Batista came in for Schoeneweis. Dave Hansen, hitting for Betancourt, got ahead 2-0 and watched Ichiro scamper to second on the next pitch (indifference). Hansen flew out to the rightfield corner on a 2-2 pitch, and Ichiro tagged and moved to third. Ibañez flew out high to leftfield on a 2-0 pitch. Ballgame.
Speier's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 17 pitches (12 strikes)
Schoeneweis' line: 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 10 pitches (5 strikes)
Batista's line: 2/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 8 pitches (4 strikes)
---
Gameball: Jeremy Reed.
Goat: Ichiro.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 109-44 .712 -- W3
2002 88-65 .575 21 L1
2003 87-66 .569 22 L1
2000 86-67 .562 23 L1
2005 66-87 .431 43 L1
2004 59-94 .386 50 W3
With the 0-for-5 game, Ichiro has 192 hits on the season and sits with a .299 batting average. If he gets at-bats at the same pace he's been getting them for the season (642 at-bats in 153 games, 4.20 at-bats per game, which leaves him with about 38 at-bats)...
-- he needs 8 hits to reach 200 for the season; he'd need to hit .212 for the remainder of the season, and that'd leave him with a .294 season average.
-- he needs 12 hits to finish with a .300 average for the season; he'd need to hit .318 for the rest of the season, and he'd end up with 204 hits.
-- he needs 26 hits to finish with a .320 (.321) average for the season; he'd need to hit .688 for the rest of the season, and he'd end up with 218 hits.
Franklin. Douglass. Tonight.
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