Monday, May 01, 2006
GAME 27: MARINERS 8, TWINS 2
[initial partial post]
In 25 words or less: A third straight come-from-behind win. The second time in three games in which The Big Inning arrived.
This one featured Joel Piñeiro going up against Scott Baker. Also, it featured a rare appearance of Ron Fairly on the television side of the Mariner broadcast. Live MLB.tv feed for me was FSN North, while archived feed was Mariners TV Network.
TOP 1ST
Ichiro chipped a 1-2 pitch into shallow centerfield for a single. Jose Lopez watched a 1-1 pitch as Ichiro nabbed second base. Lopez ended up grounding deep into the hole at short, where Castro grabbed it and would have thrown to first, except he noticed Ichiro too far off the bag at second and threw in time to get him. Lopez got credited for a single on the play. Raul Ibañez ripped a hard double into rightfield, moving Lopez to third. Richie Sexson fell behind 0-2 and later whiffed on a 2-2 high fastball. Carl Everett popped the first pitch to Castro drifting back into shallow leftfield. Baker threw 21 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Shannon Stewart was nearly hit in the left elbow with a 1-2 pitch before dropping a 2-2 single into shallow leftfield. Luis Castillo bunted the second pitch out in front, and Piñeiro was tentative in going for the ball and blocked Beltre's throwing path. Ron Fairly said Castillo's right foot wasn't in the box when he bunted the ball, but it wasn't called as he got the single instead and moved Stewart to second. Joe Mauer bounced an 0-2 pitch to short to start a 6-4-3 double play, except Mauer was called safe at first (just barely). Stewart moved to third on the play. Torii Hunter popped the second pitch in foul ground along the rightfield stands, and Sexson didn't get to it, but it was probably good since Stewart probably would have tagged and scored easily if he did. Hunter fell behind 0-2 and wound up rolling the 2-2 pitch to short, where Betancourt threw home and Johjima put the tag down to nail Stewart (Mauer went to second and Hunter reached). Lew Ford bounced an 0-2 pitch past a diving Beltre and a diving Betancourt in the left-side hole for a single to score Mauer and move Hunter to second.
»» TWINS 1, MARINERS 0
Justin Morneau grounded the first pitch to second. Piñeiro threw 23 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Adrian Beltre took the first pitch and fouled off the next six before flying out to Ford in rightfield. Matt Lawton scooted a single through the hole on the left side. Kenji Johjima turned on a 2-0 pitch up in the zone and drove it inside the leftfield foul pole about eight rows into the seats.
»» MARINERS 2, TWINS 1
Yuniesky Betancourt chopped a 1-2 pitch to third. Ichiro grounded the second pitch hard to first for a 3-1 putout. Baker threw 21 pitches and had 42 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Tony Batista had the hitters' counts before rolling the 3-1 pitch to short. Rondell White grounded out to short. Juan Castro lined the second pitch into centerfield and the ball jumped on Lawton and bounced all the way to the wall for a triple. Stewart flew out high to center on the first pitch. Piñeiro threw 12 pitches and had 35 through two.
TOP 3RD
Lopez rolled over a 1-2 outside pitch, bouncing into the left-side hole, but Castro's off-balance throw was up the line and away from the bag. Ibañez cranked the first pitch that one-hopped the bag in rightfield to move Lopez to third as Ibañez went to second when Ford juggled the ball on the track. Sexson whiffed on a belt-high 1-2 pitch over the inner half. Everett flew out to Hunter drifting back in centerfield, enabling Lopez to tag and score and Ibañez to move to third.
»» MARINERS 3, TWINS 1
Beltre smeared a 2-2 pitch that would have been a double down the line had Morneau not dove and made a successful stab of the laser shot. Baker threw 18 pitches and had 60 through three.
BOTTOM 3RD
Castillo chopped to first. Mauer bounced the first pitch deep in the left-side hole, where Betancourt ranged over and made the long off-balance throw in time to first on a great play. Hunter lined a base hit into rightfield that didn't get to the wall, but Hunter had his mind made up to go to second, and Ichiro had him by ten feet at second. Not even close. Piñeiro threw only six pitches and had 41 through three.
TOP 4TH
Lawton was ahead 3-1 before flying out to the rightfield track on a full count. Johjima drilled a second-pitch single into rightfield. Betancourt whiffed on a 1-1 hit-and-run on an icky pitch as Johjima was gunned down at second by a long shot. Betancourt ended up flying out to Castro on a 2-2 pitch (the ninth of the at-bat) along the third-base line. Baker threw 17 pitches and had 77 through four.
BOTTOM 4TH
Ford rolled a 1-2 single up the middle into centerfield. Morneau grounded an 0-2 pitch to Sexson to start a 3-6-3 double play. Batista lined an 0-2 pitch to Betancourt. Piñeiro threw 11 pitches and had 52 through four.
TOP 5TH
Ichiro lined a ball to the rightfield track that Ford leapt for and caught in front of the rightfield baggie. Lopez was ahead 2-0 and wound up popping to Morneau near the first-base coaching box. Ibañez flew out high to left on a 1-2 pitch. Baker threw 14 pitches and had 91 through five.
BOTTOM 5TH
White lined the first pitch to Beltre's immediate right that he dove for and caught. Castro bounced a 1-2 pitch to short. Stewart grounded the second pitch very hard to third that Beltre gathered and threw to first. Piñeiro threw seven pitches and had 59 through five.
TOP 6TH
Sexson blasted a belt-high flat breaking ball on the first pitch for a homer about fourteen or so rows back into the leftfield seats for his 1000th career hit and his first homer since April 12th.
»» MARINERS 4, TWINS 1
Everett worked a 1-2 count full before taking a full-count pitch up in the zone and over the outside corner. Beltre smashed a ball a few inches short of clearing the baggie in rightcenter, and he cruised into second with a double.
Jesse Crain came in for Baker. Lawton stung the first pitch up the middle and off Castro's glove for a single to move Beltre to third. Johjima lined a 1-2 pitch to the wall near the rightfield line for a double to score Beltre and move Lawton to third.
»» MARINERS 5, TWINS 1
Betancourt chopped the second pitch past a drawn-in left side of the Minnesota infield with the ball going off Castro's glove and slowing it down enough so Betancourt got to second since Stewart in leftfield had so far to run to get the ball. Lawton and Johjima scored on the play.
»» MARINERS 7, TWINS 1
Ichiro chopped a 1-2 pitch to a charging Batista at third, who went to first as Betancourt ran behind him to third base. Lopez had the hitters' counts before smoking a full-count triple to the wall in centerfield to score Betancourt.
»» MARINERS 8, TWINS 1
Willie Eyre came in for Crain. Ibañez was ahead 3-0 before rolling out to short. Eyre threw six pitches.
Baker's line: 5 1/3 innings, 5 runs, 10 hits, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 100 pitches (72 strikes)
Crain's line: 1/3 inning, 3 runs, 4 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 18 pitches (12 strikes)
BOTTOM 6TH
Castillo was ahead 2-0 before grounding a 2-2 pitch to first. Mauer laced the first pitch into centerfield for a single. Hunter popped the first pitch to Ichiro in rightcenter. Ford was ahead 2-0 and grounded hard to Beltre behind the bag on a 2-2 pitch. Piñeiro threw 14 pitches and had 73 through six.
TOP 7TH
Sexson grounded the second pitch to third. Everett grounded a 1-2 pitch to Castro on the outfield grass, who threw over in time to first. Beltre had the hitters' counts and doubled to the leftfield wall on a full count. Lawton ripped a second-pitch single to rightfield and Ford came up throwing as Beltre tried to score. Ford's throw got to Mauer ten feet up the third-base line from the plate, and Mauer tagged Beltre as the latter had the most direct route to the plate blocked.
Eyre's line: 1 1/3 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 20 pitches (12 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Morneau laid the wood on the second pitch down in the zone over the outer half and managed to put it over the centerfield fence past a slightly lateral-to-the-ball Reed.
»» MARINERS 8, TWINS 2
Batista hit a 1-2 low liner that was caught by Lopez up the middle. White lined the second pitch to center. Castro chopped out to third. Piñeiro threw 11 pitches and had 84 through seven.
TOP 8TH
Matt Guerrier came in for Eyre. Johjima got the hitters' counts before popping to left on a full count. Betancourt chopped a 2-0 pitch into the left-side hole where Castro ranged to his backhand, but Betancourt legged out the single. Ichiro whiffed on a 1-2 dirtball. Lopez bounced back to the mound. Guerrier threw 17 pitches.
BOTTOM 8TH
Stewart chopped a first-pitch shorthopper to Beltre, who got it out of the air and gunned in time to first. Castillo chopped a ball fair down the first-base line that hopped to Sexson right by the bag, barely fair. Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire came out to argue, got miffed about the home plate umpire not making the call due to the ball not getting past the bag, dropkicked his cap and was thrown out. Mauer popped the first pitch to left. Piñeiro had 90 through eight.
TOP 9TH
Ibañez chopped the second pitch to first. Roberto Petagine, hitting for Sexson, stroked an 0-2 single into leftfield. Everett lined out to left as Petagine held at first. Beltre popped a high first pitch to centerfield on which Hunter got a late break, and it somehow dropped for a single, moving Petagine to third. Reed bounced the first pitch to first. Guerrier threw ten pitches and had 27 total.
Guerrier's line: 2 innings, 0 runs, 3 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 27 pitches (19 strikes)
BOTTOM 9TH
Hunter punched a 2-0 single through the left side. Ford smoked a 2-2 liner right into Beltre's glove at third. Morneau fell behind 0-2 and bounced a 1-2 pitch to first. Batista popped the second pitch to center. Piñeiro threw 16 pitches.
Piñeiro's line: 9 innings, 2 runs, 9 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 106 pitches (77 strikes)
---
Gameball: Joel Piñeiro.
Goat: Carl Everett.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 21-6 .778 -- W1
2002 18-9 .667 3 L3
2003 17-10 .630 4 L1
2000 15-12 .556 6 W1
2005 12-15 .444 9 L4
2006 12-15 .444 9 W3
2004 10-17 .370 11 L1
Washburn. Santana. Tuesday.
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