Sunday, April 09, 2006
GAME 6: ATHLETICS 3, MARINERS 0
In 25 words or less: On Dan Wilson Night, the Mariners had a nice pregame ceremony and then realized their bats were still missing since Thursday night.
One day after being shut out by Joe Blanton, the Mariners had to face Barry Zito. Zito was matched up against Jamie Moyer, he of the 10-0 record at Safeco Field in 2005. The pregame ceremonies for Dan Wilson even brought Lou Piniella to town since he's not managing those Tampa Bay Devil Rays anymore.
I pretty much went through my whole Dan Wilson deal at the end of last season, and I'll basically reiterate what I said then. I'd slammed Wilson in recent years for not being able to hit and being an automatic out or a double play whenever he hit a ground ball on the infield, but once the three-billion catchers rolled through the revolving door behind the plate last season, you realized just how much of a rock Dan Wilson was back there. Also, you realized just how well he could block a ball since Miguel Olivo in particular was a zoo when it came to blocking balls in the dirt.
Anyway, three cheers for Dan. That Erik Hanson trade didn't turn out too badly after all. You just have to forget that Bobby Ayala part.
TOP 1ST
Mark Kotsay worked a 1-2 count full before flying out to centerfield. Marco Scutaro lined out to Lopez at second. Bobby Crosby grounded a hard one-hopper to Betancourt, who gloved it and got knocked down, but stayed with it, making the play at first. Moyer threw 17 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Ichiro popped a 2-2 curve lazily to leftfield. Jose Lopez popped the first pitch to Kotsay in leftcenter. Raul Ibañez flew out high to Payton in leftfield. Zito threw 15 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Eric Chavez got way under one and popped out to Sexson on the infield dirt. Frank Thomas took strike three low and over the inside corner. Milton Bradley bounced the second pitch up the middle for a single. With Jay Payton at the plate, Bradley took off for second and was gunned down by Johjima. Moyer threw 13 pitches and had 30 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Richie Sexson nearly put a high changeup over the centerfield fence but didn't quite get enough; Kotsay had the ball go off the end of his glove on what would have been a great catch running from the field of play. Sexson stood at second with a double. Adrian Beltre watched a curve go into the dirt and get away from Kendall, enabling Sexson to move to third. Beltre foul-tipped an inside 1-2 pitch into Kendall's glove. Carl Everett fell behind 0-2 and hung around before whiffing on a full-count change. Kenji Johjima was ahead 2-0 but ended up bouncing out to third. Horrific inning. Zito threw 22 pitches and had 37 through two.
TOP 3RD
Jay Payton tapped back to the mound for an easy out. Jason Kendall rolled a 1-2 pitch back to Moyer for another mound-out. Dan Johnson flew out to centerfield. Moyer threw 12 pitches and had 42 through two.
BOTTOM 3RD
Willie Bloomquist got under one and flew out to Payton in left. Yuniesky Betancourt popped a high-and-tight pitch to Johnson on the infield grass. Ichiro bounced a 2-2 curve to second. Zito threw 14 pitches and had 51 through three.
TOP 4TH
Kotsay dropped the bat head on the first pitch he saw, a pitch down over the inside corner which he cranked about ten rows back into the rightfield seats.
»» ATHLETICS 1, MARINERS 0
Scutaro got ahead 2-0 and slapped a double down the rightfield line. Crosby fell behind 0-2 and took a 1-2 pitch in the dirt that got away from Johjima, enabling Scutaro to move to third. Crosby later foul-tipped a low full-count change into Johjima's glove for a much-needed out. After he thought he drew a walk on the 3-1 pitch, Chavez hit the next pitch past a drawn-in Lopez for a single to score Scutaro.
»» ATHLETICS 2, MARINERS 0
Thomas was ahead 3-1 and nubbed the full-count pitch to Moyer's left, where he came off the mound and underhanded to first as Chavez moved to second. Bradley was ahead 3-1 and popped up high to Johjima on a full count. Bradley's at-bat marked the fourth straight three-ball count for Moyer. Moyer threw 30 pitches and had 72 through four. Dave Niehaus and Ron Fairly managed to drop Ben Grieve and Carney Lansford references in the same half-inning.
BOTTOM 4TH
Lopez got ahead 2-0 and popped to Crosby moving back onto the leftfield grass. Ibañez was also ahead 2-0 and bounced a curve to second. Sexson worked an 0-2 count full before popping to Chavez halfway between third and home, though it was kind of sketchy as he reached back over his head to catch it. Zito threw 13 pitches and had 64 through four.
TOP 5TH
Payton was behind 0-2 and ended up whiffing on a 2-2 dirtball down and in. Kendall walked on four pitches. bounced into a 6-3 double play, though Betancourt's throw nearly went wide of Sexson, who fell down after he caught the throw. Moyer threw 15 pitches and had 87 through five.
BOTTOM 5TH
Beltre whiffed on a high full-count fastball. Everett popped out to leftfield. Johjima was beaned above the left elbow with a full-count pitch. Bloomquist was beaned on the first pitch to move Johjima to second. Betancourt took a 1-2 pitch across the outside corner. Zito threw 21 pitches and had 85 through five.
TOP 6TH
Kotsay hit an 0-2 fly ball in front of Bloomquist that he foolishly dove for (yes, Reed would have had that), and the ball rolled to the wall as Kotsay coasted in with a triple. Scutaro grounded the second pitch to short to score Kotsay.
»»ATHLETICS 3, MARINERS 0
Crosby dumped a 2-2 single into shallow centerfield. Chavez worked an 0-2 count full before watching strike three across the outside corner.
Rafael Soriano came in for Moyer. Thomas walked on four pitches. Bradley took an 0-2 pitch across the outside corner. Soriano threw seven pitches.
Moyer's line: 5 2/3 innings, 3 runs, 6 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 103 pitches (59 strikes)
BOTTOM 6TH
Ichiro got ahead 2-0 and ended up whiffing on a full-count dirtball, but at least it was the tenth pitch of the at-bat. Lopez whiffed on a full-count fastball down and in (2-3 putout). Ibañez worked a 1-2 count full before bouncing out to second. Zito threw 24 pitched and had 109 through six.
Zito's line: 6 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 6 strikeouts, 109 pitches (66 strikes)
TOP 7TH
Payton popped high to Lopez moving back into shallow rightfield. Kendall took the second pitch off the left shoulder. Johnson popped the second pitch high to Beltre on the left side. Kotsay watched an 0-2 pitchout as Johjima double-clutched trying to nail Kendall at first, but he took off and beat Sexson's throw to second. Kotsay hit a low line drive to Ibañez. Soriano threw 11 pitches and had 18 total.
BOTTOM 7TH
Kiko Calero came in for Zito. Sexson thought he fouled off a low 2-2 pitch, but the umpire ruled it a clean whiff and he was tagged out. Beltre popped to Bradley in front of the stands along the rightfield line. Everett got ahead 3-1 and ended up flying out to Payton in fairly deep centerfield. Calero threw 15 pitches.
TOP 8TH
Scutaro popped high to Beltre halfway in near the third-base line. Crosby took a 1-2 pitch for strike three. Chavez bounced the second pitch to second. Soriano threw nine pitches and had 27 total.
Soriano's line: 2 1/3 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 27 pitches (19 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Johjima grounded the second pitch hard to third. Bloomquist took a full-count pitch barely down and in.
Joe Kennedy came in for Calero. Joe Borchard, hitting for Betancourt, bounced the second pitch into a 5-4-3 double play. Ichiro served a 2-2 pitch right into the glove of Crosby at short.
Calero's line: 1 1/3 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 23 pitches (12 strikes)
Kennedy's line: 2/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 7 pitches (5 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Eddie Guardado came in for Soriano. Borchard stayed in the game to play centerfield while Bloomquist played short. Thomas flew out to Ichiro a step from the rightfield wall. Bradley got ahead 3-1 and took a full-count fastball low and down the pipe. Payton popped to Sexson in foul ground.
Guardado's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 14 pitches (8 strikes)
BOTTOM 9TH
Huston Street came in for Kennedy. Lopez foul-tipped a full-count pitch up and in into Kendall's glove. Ibañez was ahead 3-1, but later flew out to Payton a few steps short of the track in leftfield. Sexson crushed the second pitch down the rightfield line, but it went foul by inches. He whiffed on the next pitch, low and over the outside corner.
Street's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 16 pitches (10 strikes)
---
Gameball: Rafael Soriano.
Didn't take too long to think about this one. The gameball sure wasn't going to anybody on the offense. Soriano gave up zero hits and allowed one baserunner (walk) while getting seven outs (two strikeouts). When we thought we were seeing greatness back in 2003, it appeared Soriano would be the eighth-inning dynamo. Thusly, it was a bit weird to see him come on the mound in this game and basically be a middle reliever and a long man. Then again, the game on Friday night saw Julio Mateo suffer a burnout, leaving him all but useless for the rest of the series. The only alternatives were Jeff Harris, who threw an inning the night before, or Jake Woods, who threw 2 1/3 innings two nights earlier and was terrible. Soriano was used out of necessity and came through, no-hitting the A's through one turn of the lineup. The only hit with him on the mound came when he beaned Jason Kendall. It's early, yes, but Soriano hasn't given up a run in four innings spanning over three appearances. If JJ Putz falters a bit more, and if Soriano keeps this going, who knows what happens then?
Goat: Adrian Beltre.
Since the offense was nonexistent in this game and no pitcher was outright bad, I had to dig a little to pick a goat. My first thoughts went toward Willie Bloomquist for the dive and the blatant miss on what should have been a Mark Kotsay single, but ended up as a triple instead. As tempting as it would have been to choose Bloomquist as the goat, no one player figured hugely into the defeat. Thus, I've gone with Adrian Beltre, not just because he was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. Okay, maybe that's part of it. In the second inning, Richie Sexson led off and nearly hit a homer, and Kotsay nearly made an incredible catch. Sexson was on second base with Beltre coming to the plate and nobody out. Within Beltre's at-bat, Sexson went to third on a wild pitch. Beltre had already fallen behind 0-2 in his at-bat, which wasn't good, and neither was the result, since he struck out on the next pitch. I know we're only six games into the season. I know hitting coach Jeff Pentland worked with Beltre in the offseason on his stroke. I know Beltre looked damned good in the World Baseball Classic. My question is, how long are we going to have to wait to see some results from Beltre as a Mariner? If Beltre just hit a deep-enough fly ball in the second inning to drive Sexson across, it could have changed the complexion of this game. For one thing, the Mariners would have had a lead. Who knows what happens then?
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 4-2 .667 -- L1
2000 4-2 .667 -- W1
2002 3-3 .500 1 L2
2003 3-3 .500 1 W1
2006 3-3 .500 1 L2
2005 2-4 .333 2 L2
2004 1-5 .167 3 W1
Well, possibly the most lopsided 3-0 game in recent memory means it's a second straight night with the bats not showing up, though it was even more so for this game. The lone hit of the game was the Sexson near-homer that was a double that was nearly an out. It would have taken a really picky scorer to tag Mark Kotsay with an error on that play since he had a long way to run to get it, even if he did get a glove on it. Of course, if somehow Kotsay was given an error on that play, then we're looking at three Oakland pitchers combining for a no-hitter against the Mariners. Such a feat would have definitely been a buzzkill on Dan Wilson Night, though I'm sure a 3-0 one-hitter was quite the buzzkill in itself. Can you guess the last time when the Mariners were shutout in back-to-back games? Think it was a long time ago? It was June 8th and 9th of 2004 in two home games against the Expos. Yes, it was less than two seasons ago. I wish we could get as far away from 2004 as possible, but it just hasn't been long enough, I guess.
For the third straight game, a Mariner starting pitcher failed to get past the sixth inning. Gil Meche went 5 1/3 on Thursday, Felix Hernandez went 5 on Friday, and in this game, Jamie Moyer went 5 2/3 innings. Meche and Hernandez are toward the back end of the rotation, and it's early in the season, so it's not horribly paramount that they throw seven and eight innings every time out this early in the season. Moyer, however, is the staff ace at this point, and I think the seventh inning even at this time of the year is a reasonable expectation for him to get to in each start. The point is that the Mariners can't have the front-end starters not getting deep into the games and then having Gil Meche's turn come up in the rotation (or Felix goes through some growing pains to compound the Meche badness). Julio Mateo won't last past June if that happens. Still, it's early, and I'm having to balance everything I'm saying or thinking six games into the season with that fact.
I beat this horse last year, but I have to do it again. I'm sick and tired of Jeremy Reed sitting against tough lefties or lefties considered that are considered by Mike Hargrove to be tough. If Reed is sitting every time there's a tough lefty on the mound, how on earth is he going to ever hit tough lefties? How does replacing him in the lineup with Willie Bloomquist help the team? Did Hargrove forget that Jarrod Washburn pitches for him now and not the other guys? He can't run Bloomquist out there against Washburn anymore, so what's the point? Start Joe Borchard in centerfield every four or five games, maybe, but if Bloomquist is out there, I can't realistically expect the same offense to come out of it, and if he's in centerfield, he's not half of what Reed is, and that dive and miss was living proof of that in this game. Last year on April 16th in Chicago, this happened. Even more infuriating for me was that late in the game, Hargrove pinch-hit for Yuniesky Betancourt with Borchard. Not sure why Bloomquist wasn't the guy who got lifted for the pinch-hitter, but whatever. It's "versatility" against the complete package, I guess. I say plug in Reed or Borchard into center and leave Betancourt and the wicked glove at short. Again, though, the simple solution is to start Jeremy Reed against the tough lefties or else he'll never learn how to hit them. Don't stunt the growth here.
The greatest part about all this is that the final game of the series has the Mariners going up against Rich Harden. Anyone up for three straight shutouts?
Harden. Piñeiro. Today.
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