Tuesday, April 25, 2006
GAME 21: MARINERS 4, WHITE SOX 3 (11 INNINGS)
[initial partial post]
In 25 words or less: No more losing streak. No more winless record in one-run games. An extra-inning win, even.
This one featured Jon Garland going up against Jamie Moyer. The Mariners were looking to snap a four-game losing streak. The problem was that the Chicago White Sox had won eight straight. They're the defending world champions and everything. The Seattle offense was rendered punchless by the Detroit Tigers in the three-game sweep. The Tigers weren't the defending world champions.
TOP 1ST
Pablo Ozuna ripped a 1-2 pitch down the leftfield line for a double. Tadahito Iguchi popped the second pitch out to Ichiro in rightfield, moving Ozuna to third. Jim Thome smacked a 2-0 single into centerfield to score Ozuna.
»» WHITE SOX 1, MARINERS 0
Paul Konerko flew out to Reed in centerfield on the first pitch. AJ Pierzynski cranked a double into leftfield to move Thome to third. Juan Uribe popped to Reed on a 2-0 pitch. Moyer threw 18 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Ichiro bounced the second pitch to short.
Jose Lopez got the hitters' counts and cranked a belt-high 3-1 fastball out of the yard to the Bullpen Market.
»» WHITE SOX 1, MARINERS 1
Raul Ibañez bounced a single through the right side. Richie Sexson fell behind 1-2 and popped to left on a full count. Carl Everett flew out to centerfield on a 2-0 pitch. Garland threw 22 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Alex Cintron rolled the first pitch out to second. Rob Mackowiak fell behind 0-2 and grounded the 1-2 pitch hard to third, but it ate up Beltre, who corraled it but Mackowiak barely beat out the throw. Moyer threw a 1-0 dirtball to Brian Anderson that got by Rivera and to the backstop to allow Mackowiak to move to second. Anderson bounced to first, moving Mackowiak to third. Ozuna walked on a full-count pitch inside. Iguchi took a pitch off Rivera's glove, and it got away from him as Mackowiak barreled down the line and scored. Rivera also botched the throw back to a late-covering Moyer as well as Ozuna moved to second.
»» WHITE SOX 2, MARINERS 1
Iguchi fell behind 0-2 and whiffed on a 1-2 pitch up and away. Moyer threw 22 pitches and had 40 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Adrian Beltre got ahead 2-0 and later blistered the second pitch through the left side for a single. Jeremy Reed was ahead 2-0 and rolled a ball up the first-base line to Konerko, who tagged Reed coming down the line as Beltre moved to second. Yuniesky Betancourt lofted a flyout to leftfield. Rene Rivera whiffed on an 0-2 pitch well off the plate outside. Garland threw 13 pitches and had 35 through two.
TOP 3RD
Thome took a getaway breaking ball off the front shoulder. Konerko popped a 1-2 pitch lazily to center. Pierzynski punched a 2-2 single through the right side to move Thome to second. Uribe bounced to Lopez in the right-side hole, whose only play was to first as the runners moved to third and second. Cintron fell behind 0-2 and popped the 1-2 pitch high to Beltre in foul ground on the left side. Moyer threw 20 pitches and had 60 through three.
BOTTOM 3RD
Ichiro bounced the first pitch to second. Lopez grounded a 2-2 pitch hard to third. Ibañez popped to Ozuna on the leftfield line, but it bounced off his glove and into the crowd for a ground-rule double. Sexson took a 1-2 fastball over the outside corner. Garland threw 14 pitches and had 49 through three.
TOP 4TH
Mackowiak took an 0-2 pitch for strike three. Anderson fell behind 0-2 and reached to pop a 2-2 pitch out to left. Ozuna grounded to short. Moyer threw 12 pitches and had 72 through four.
BOTTOM 4TH
Everett grounded the first pitch hard to first, and Konerko made the diving backhand stab at the ball and underhanded to first. Beltre was ahead 2-0 and fought a 2-2 high fastball off for a groundout to second. Reed bounced the first pitch to Iguchi's backhand side. Garland threw eight pitches and had 57 through four.
TOP 5TH
Iguchi grounded the second pitch hard to third, where Beltre came up with it and threw to first, error-free. Thome fell behind 0-2 and whiffed on a 1-2 cut fastball away. Konerko laced a single into leftfield. Pierzynski spanked the first pitch hard to Lopez in the hole on the right side, who came up with it and threw in time to first. Moyer threw 11 pitches and had 83 through five.
BOTTOM 5TH
Betancourt popped the 2-2 pitch to Konerko in foul ground on the first-base side. Rivera bounced the second pitch to short. Ichiro chopped the second pitch over the mound that Garland couldn't leap for, and Iguchi couldn't throw it over in time. Lopez watched as Ichiro took a pickoff throw off his right side and past Konerko, then he went to second, favoring it afterward. Lopez tapped a one-hopper to Garland, who had the ball slip behind him as he threw it, allowing Ichiro to scoot to third and Lopez to reach. Ibañez flew out to Cintron on the leftfield grass as Garland wriggled loose. Garland threw 15 pitches and had 72 through five.
TOP 6TH
Uribe whiffed on a 2-2 dirtball change low and away. Cintron fell behind 0-2 and popped the 2-2 pitch lazily to center. Mackowiak fell behind 0-2 and bounced the 2-2 offering to Sexson behind the bag at first. Moyer threw 16 pitches and had 99 through six.
BOTTOM 6TH
Sexson took Anderson to the track in rightcenter on the first pitch, getting under it. Everett walked on four pitches. Beltre whiffed on a 1-2 breaking ball. Reed whiffed on a 1-2 fastball outside. Garland threw 14 pitches and had 86 through six.
TOP 7TH
Anderson whiffed on a 1-2 pitch low and away. Ozuna popped to left. Iguchi flew to Sexson in foul ground on the right side on the second pitch. Moyer threw ten pitches and had 109 through seven.
Moyer's line: 7 innings, 2 runs (1 earned), 5 hits, 5 strikeouts, 109 pitches (73 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Betancourt poked the second pitch for a single past a sliding Uribe at short. Rivera bunted the first pitch successfully in front to move Betancourt to second. Ichiro served a single into leftfield to score Betancourt, but Ichiro got hung up between first and second trying to stretch it.
»» WHITE SOX 2, MARINERS 2
Lopez popped high to Cintron on the left side. Garland threw ten pitches and had 96 through seven.
TOP 8TH
George Sherrill came in for Moyer. Thome took Ibañez to the leftfield track.
Rafael Soriano came in for Sherrill. Konerko fell behind 0-2 and whiffed on a 2-2 fastball outside off the plate. Pierzynski worked a 1-2 count full before driving a single into centerfield. Uribe popped a 1-2 pitch lazily to centerfield.
Sherrill's line: 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 3 pitches (2 strikes)
Soriano's line: 2/3 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 17 pitches (11 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Ibañez golfed the first pitch high and just over the wall in rightcenter.
»» MARINERS 3, WHITE SOX 2
Sexson rolled out to short on a 1-2 count. Everett popped the first pitch high to Anderson in fairly deep rightcenter. Beltre fell behind 0-2 and flew out to right on the 2-2 pitch.
Garland's line: 8 innings, 3 runs, 8 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 110 pitches (73 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Eddie Guardado came in for Soriano. Joe Crede, hitting for Cintron, was behind 0-2 and popped the 2-2 pitch to Lopez on the infield. Jermaine Dye, hitting for Mackowiak, worked an 0-2 count full before whiffing on a full-count fastball. Anderson smacked a 1-2 line drive just over the manual scoreboard in leftfield.
»» WHITE SOX 3, MARINERS 3
Ozuna roped a single off the glove of a diving Sexson and into rightfield for a single. With Iguchi up, Ozuna took off on the delayed steal, but Rivera didn't fall for it this time as he did the day before, throwing to Lopez at second, who reached back to make the tag.
Guardado's line: 1 inning, 1 run, 2 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 20 pitches (14 strikes)
BOTTOM 9TH
Cliff Politte came in for Garland. Reed drove the first pitch just short of the rightfield track. Betancourt waved at an 0-2 pitch low and way off the plate outside. Rivera swung at a first pitch that was a foot outside and in the dirt. He later flew out to fairly deep centerfield.
Politte's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 8 pitches (6 strikes)
TOP 10TH
JJ Putz came in for Guardado. Iguchi worked a 1-2 count but whiffed on a full-count fastball. Thome worked a 1-2 count full before taking Reed to the track in straightaway centerfield. Konerko roped a single into leftfield that eluded a diving Beltre. Pierzynski whiffed on a 1-2 high fastball.
Putz' line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 22 pitches (13 strikes)
BOTTOM 10TH
Neal Cotts came in for Politte. Ichiro got ahead 2-0 and bounced the 2-2 pitch to third. Lopez flew out to a running Anderson in centerfield on a 1-2 pitch. Ibañez whiffed on a very high 2-2 pitch.
Cotts' line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 17 pitches (12 strikes)
TOP 11TH
Julio Mateo came in for Putz. Uribe popped a 1-2 pitch to Sexson in foul ground on the right side. Crede got ahead 2-0 and later took Ichiro just short of the rightfield wall. Dye popped the first pitch to Beltre near the third-base line on the infield.
Mateo's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 10 pitches (7 strikes)
BOTTOM 11TH
Brandon McCarthy came in for Cotts. Sexson ripped a 2-2 pitch right into the glove of Crede at third. Everett lined a single through the hole on the right side. Willie Bloomquist ran for Everett. Beltre nabbed second on the 1-1 pitch as Pierzynski's throw was late and high, though McCarthy's delivery didn't help Pierzynski's prospects. Beltre popped high to Anderson in shallow leftcenter. Reed was intentionally walked. Betancourt singled an 0-2 pitch through the hole on the left side, and Bloomquist came around to score as the throw home was quite late.
»» MARINERS 4, WHITE SOX 3
McCarthy's line: 2/3 inning, 1 run, 2 hits, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts, 22 pitches (14 strikes)
---
Gameball: Jamie Moyer.
It wasn't a perfect start by any means, but it was Moyer's best start of the season so far. If you're really high on Gil Meche's last start, you could say that the entire last turn through the Mariners' starting rotation has been pretty good. Meche had a good start by his standards, but Jarrod Washburn got deep into his last start, and Felix Hernandez had his best start of the season on Sunday. As we know, the lineup of the White Sox isn't exactly chop liver. The addition of Jim Thome, especially given what he's done so far, has more than made up for Scott Podsednik's suck and the departure of Aaron Rowand. So for Moyer to hold the Chicago lineup to a mere two runs (one earned thanks to Rene Rivera's newfound appreciation of teh suck behind the plate), is no small feat. Moyer was 10-0 at the Safe last year and had that winning streak done away with in his second start of the season. It's time to get another one started. It would sure help the team to have one consistent starter. It'd be nice to have a dominant ace too, but hey, they haven't had once since Randy Johnson.
Goat: Rene Rivera.
Reader TypicalIdiotFan had a different opinion of my goat for Sunday, which went to Clint Nageotte. He said it should have gone to Rivera, who no doubt was a zoo that afternoon, no doubt about it. That was before either of us knew it was going to happen again. The best thing Rivera did today was bunt Yuniesky Betancourt over to third before Ichiro singled him to the plate. The next best thing was that he didn't fall for the delayed steal that got him on Sunday, so that's a plus. The bad things, of course, involved the balls that got past him, went off his glove, etc. The Mariners had seven catchers go through the revolving door last year, this year they have Guillermo Quiroz get a cup of coffee and bring up Rene Rivera, of course long beforehand they signed Kenji Johjima. The point is, I'm not too sold on these guys' defensive abilities, and definitely not Rivera's the last couple days. Johjima's got me kinda bewildered so far -- I need to see a highlight reel of the plays that got Johjima all those Japanese gold gloves, because I'm not really seeing the defense so far that got him those gloves, though maybe it's the thumb. That was an aside, yes, but did I add how badly Rivera was swinging at some pitches were badly out of the zone?
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 17-4 .810 -- W6
2002 17-4 .810 -- W4
2003 13-8 .619 4 W3
2000 12-9 .571 5 L2
2005 10-11 .476 7 L1
2006 8-13 .381 9 W1
2004 7-14 .333 10 L1
Vazquez. Piñeiro. Today.
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