Wednesday, April 19, 2006
GAME 15: RANGERS 7, MARINERS 4
[initial partial post]
In 25 words or less: This one was over early. At least for the Mariners, there weren't many people there to see the ineptitude.
This one featured John Koronka going up against Felix Hernandez. In his third start, hopefully we would all see some improvement out of Felix, maybe more consistency and more moments where he looked like the big reason why all of us gave a crap about Mariner baseball for the last half of the 2005 season. Of course, the Mariners had the built-in excuse to lose this game because they'd never faced Paul Koronka before. People seem to forget that in these situations, the pitcher has never faced the hitters before, but damned if you ever hear that on the broadcasts. Add to this the fact that Mike Hargrove wants to stunt Jeremy Reed's growth at the plate by not starting him against lefties, which Koronka is. He started Willie Bloomquist in his place. I don't care what anybody says, Jeremy Reed needs to play every day. Bloomquist? He can spot start once a week, be a late-inning defensive replacement or a pinch-hitter. Reed had a hitting streak of how long and now Hargrove sits him two straight games? That's absolute crap.
TOP 1ST
Gary Matthews, Jr. whiffed on a 0-2 curve in the dirt. Michael Young ripped a 2-2 through the mound and into centerfield for a single. Mark Teixeira popped a 1-2 pitch high to centerfield. Phil Nevin was ahead 3-0 and golfed a 3-1 pitch that went off someone's hands in the first row behind Ichiro for a homer. Boo.
»» RANGERS 2, MARINERS 0
Hank Blalock bounced a 1-2 pitch to third. Hernandez threw 21 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Ichiro walked on four pitches. Jose Lopez fell behind 0-2 and waved at a 1-2 change outside. Raul Ibañez popped a 1-2 pitch high to centerfield. Richie Sexson had the count 1-0 when Koronka tried to pick off Ichiro and was called for a balk, advancing Ichiro to second. Sexson was ahead 3-1 before taking a full-count pitch in the dirt for a walk. Kenji Johjima took a 1-1 pitch and Ichiro took third without a throw. Johjima whiffed on a 3-1 pitch out and away before taking a full-count pitch for a walk. Carl Everett bounced the second pitch to second. Koronka threw 27 pitches.
TOP 2ND
D'Angelo Jimenez was ahead 2-0 and later poked a single into centerfield. Brad Wilkerson cranked a 3-1 pitch about eight rows back into the rightfield seats.
»» RANGERS 4, MARINERS 0
Rod Barajas whiffed on a 1-2 pitch in on the hands. Laynce Nix took a 2-2 curve over the inside corner. Matthews got ahead 2-0 and whiffed and lost his bat on a full count. Hernandez threw 29 pitches and had 50 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Adrian Beltre scorched the first pitch right to Jimenez at second on a line drive. Willie Bloomquist whiffed on a low 1-2 change. Yuniesky Betancourt stroked a 2-0 pitch into leftfield for a single. Ichiro blistered a 1-2 pitch right to a leaping Teixeira at first. Koronka threw 12 pitches and had 39 through two.
TOP 3RD
Young popped the first pitch to fairly deep centerfield. Teixeira drilled a full-count pitch into the rightcenter gap for a double on the eighth pitch. Nevin hit a hard 1-2 pitch to Bloomquist and threw home right away. Teixeira held at third, but Nevin runs too slow and couldn't take second base on that throw all the way home. If it's anyone else running, that's an ill-advised throw to airmail it like that. Blalock whiffed at a 1-2 curve on the inside corner. Jimenez got the hitters' counts and went full before taking a full-count change low. Wilkerson fell behind 0-2 and whiffed on 1-2 high cheese. Hernandez threw 29 pitches and had 79 through three.
BOTTOM 3RD
Lopez fell behind 0-2 and bounced a 1-2 pitch up the middle and Jimenez had a way to go to get it, it went off his glove, and Lopez would have had the single anyway. Ibañez looped a fly ball to shallow centerfield and Nix ran in and caught it, then Lopez was caught too far off of first and was gunned down by Nix. Sexson worked an 0-2 count full before whiffing on a low full-count pitch and slamming down his helmet in disgust immediately after. Koronka threw 16 pitches and had 55 through three.
TOP 4TH
Barajas popped the second pitch to the track in centerfield. Nix whiffed on a 1-2 change away. Matthews fell behind 0-2 and later whiffed on a 2-2 curve. Hernandez had 12 pitches and had 91 through four.
BOTTOM 4TH
Johjima grounded the second pitch hard to short. Everett dumped the second pitch into centerfield for a single. Beltre walked on four pitches to move Everett to second. Bloomquist put the 1-1 pitch down the line but foul. Bloomquist dumped a 2-2 pitch into leftfield for a single, scoring Everett and moving Beltre to second.
»» RANGERS 4, MARINERS 1
Yuniesky Betancourt watched as Beltre and Bloomquist pulled a double steal successfully on the second pitch. Betancourt popped a 3-1 pitch high to Teixeira along the first base line on the infield. Ichiro weakly popped to the gap in rightcenter. Koronka had 23 pitches and had 78 pitches through four.
TOP 5TH
Young hit the second pitch hard to third. Teixeira whiffed on a 1-2 curve. Nevin popped out to right. Hernandez threw eight pitches and had 99 through five.
Hernandez' line: 5 innings, 4 runs, 6 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts, 100 pitches (65 strikes)
BOTTOM 5TH
Lopez bounced a 1-2 pitch just fair in the rightfield corner and it bounced into the stands for a double. Ibañez bounced the second pitch right to first, moving Lopez to third. Sexson took an 0-2 pitch across the outside corner. Johjima popped high to Nix in shallow centerfield. Koronka threw 14 pitches and had 92 through five.
Koronka's line: 5 innings, 1 run, 5 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts, 92 pitches (52 strikes)
TOP 6TH
Jake Woods came in for Hernandez. Blalock walked on four pitches. Jimenez walked on a 3-1 pitch up and away, moving Blalock to second. Wilkerson was ahead 2-0 and walked on a full-count pitch just below the elbow to load the bases. Barajas fell behind 0-2 and wound up whiffing on a 2-2 pitch down and in. Teixeira grounded the first pitch past the backhand glove of Sexson, allowing Blalock and Jimenez to score.
»» RANGERS 6, MARINERS 1
Matthews flew out to rightfield on the second pitch, allowing Wilkerson to score.
»» RANGERS 7, MARINERS 1
Young walked on a 3-1 pitch up and away. Teixeira whiffed on a 2-2 pitch and lost his bat. At least the inning was over. Woods threw 33 pitches.
BOTTOM 6TH
Rick Bauer came in for Koronka. Everett worked an 0-2 count full before doubling onto the track in leftcenter on the tenth pitch. Beltre worked a 1-2 count full before singling into rightfield to move Everett to third. Bloomquist fell behind 0-2 and flew out to fairly deep rightfield to score Everett.
»» RANGERS 7, MARINERS 2
Betancourt hit a 1-2 pitch down the rightfield line that Matthews had some trouble with, and Betancourt ended up on third as Beltre scored.
»» RANGERS 7, MARINERS 3
Ichiro bounced the first pitch to third, and the throw went to first, but Betancourt somehow took off for home and got away with it.
»» RANGERS 7, MARINERS 4
Lopez grounded the first pitch to third. Bauer threw 28 pitches.
Bauer's line: 1 inning, 3 runs, 3 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 28 pitches (21 strikes)
TOP 7TH
Nevin got the hitters' counts and whiffed on a full-count pitch low and away. Blalock poked the 2-2 pitch back to the mound. Jimenez walked on four pitches, meaning Woods was still human. Wilkerson waited a few seconds before Hargrove came out.
George Sherrill came in for Woods. Wilkerson grounded the 0-2 pitch right to Sexson at first.
Woods' line: 1 2/3 innings, 3 runs, 1 hit, 5 walks, 3 strikeouts, 49 pitches (20 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Antonio Alfonseca came in for Bauer. Ibañez split his bat on a 3-1 pitch, grounding right to second. Sexson mashed a 2-0 pitch off of Blalock at third and into leftfield for a single. Johjima fell behind 0-2 and took a 1-2 floater over the outside corner. Everett fell behind 0-2 and shot a 2-2 pitch up the middle for a single, moving Sexson to second though Everett had lost his bat and thrown in into the crowd. Beltre whiffed on a low 0-2 pitch, looking a bit too aggressive.
Alfonseca's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 22 pitches (14 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Barajas got ahead 3-0 and popped to Lopez on the rightfield grass on a full count. Nix whiffed on an 0-2 breaking ball way outside. Matthews whiffed on an inside 1-2 pitch.
Sherrill's line: 1 1/3 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 18 pitches (14 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Akinori Otsuka came in for Alfonseca. Bloomquist popped the second pitch to Teixeira in foul ground on the right side. Betancourt took a 1-2 fastball over the inside corner. Ichiro popped the first pitch to shallow rightfield.
Otsuka's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 7 pitches (6 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Rafael Soriano came in for Sherrill. Young walked on a full count. Teixeira fell behind 0-2 and lined the 2-2 pitch right to Lopez. Nevin bounced the 2-2 pitch to short to start the 6-4-3 double play.
Soriano's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts, 18 pitches (10 strikes)
BOTTOM 9TH
Francisco Cordero came in for Otsuka. Lopez grounded the 0-2 pitch to short. Ibañez was ahead 3-1 and was jammed reaching down on a pitch, popping it to Teixeira near the first-base coaches' box. Sexson whiffed on a 1-2 pitch low and away.
Cordero's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 14 pitches (10 strikes)
---
Gameball: Yuniesky Betancourt.
I thought about giving Carl Everett the gameball here since I more than likely won't be giving to him that often. While Everett did have a three-hit game, I don't feel like giving him the gameball even though his only job is to be the designated hitter, and when he hits, he's doing his job. However, Betancourt is now 2-for-4, and to do that in the ninth slot of the lineup is great. He helped the bottom third of the lineup go 4-for-10 with three RBI. The triple he hit just got away from Matthews in rightfield, but he had the speed to make that double a triple. Couple this with Betancourt's usual defense, and it works like gangbusters. Betancourt is sitting on a .250 average. He doesn't have to hit .290 or hit 30 homers, but a few days like this here and there make Betancourt all the more valuable thanks to his crazy defensive prowess.
Goat: Jake Woods.
He face eleven batters. He struck out three. He gave up one hit. The crowning achievement was the five walks. It was almost a shame since Woods hadn't done too badly in the early going, but today he was just atrocious. In a way, Mike Hargrove knew exactly what I was thinking after the sixth. With Hernandez out after five, and with Woods coming in having thrown an inning, you didn't send Woods out there to suck, you sent him out there to eat some innings. I looked at it in a couple of ways. First, I'm probably not going to want to use Woods too much in the rest of the series. Secondly, I don't think this team is going anywhere this year, so Hargrove was right -- leave Woods out there to rot, and let him lie in the bed he made with all those walks and everything. Whenever you come out of the bullpen and get five outs but walk five guys along the way, well, that's bad. If you're Jake Woods, though, that was a day at the office. Barrels o' baserunners.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2002 12-3 .800 -- W9
2001 11-4 .733 1 L1
2000 9-6 .600 3 W1
2003 8-7 .533 4 L1
2005 8-7 .533 4 W2
2004 6-9 .400 6 L1
2006 6-9 .400 6 L3
Millwood. Moyer. Tonight.
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