Saturday, June 03, 2006
GAME 56: MARINERS 4, ROYALS 0
[initial partial post]
In 25 words or less: The Mariners had no book on Bobby Keppel, and it took a while for them to solve him.
This one featured Bobby Keppel going up against Jamie Moyer. Keppel was making his first Major League start. The Mariners, however horrible, are generally better than the lowly Kansas City Royals, once a proud franchise. This one didn't take long, and that would be a good thing.
TOP 1ST
David DeJesus popped out to Betancourt on the leftfield line. Mark Grudzielanek tapped the second pitch back to the mound. Reggie Sanders bounced out to short. Moyer threw nine pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Ichiro was down 0-2 and tapped the 1-2 pitch in front to Keppel, who pounced on the ball and threw to first on a nice play. Adrian Beltre failed to check his swing on a 1-2 pitch way outside. Jose Lopez popped a 3-1 pitch to Mientkiewicz in foul ground on the right side. Keppel threw 13 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Emil Brown bounced out to second. Tony Graffanino nubbed along the first-base line, where Johjima got to it and threw in time to first. Esteban German worked a 1-2 count full before grounding to short. Moyer threw 13 pitches and had 22 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Ibañez dropped a full-count pitch along the leftfield line that hit the jutting part of the stands for a double. Richie Sexson bounced out to third as Ibañez held at second. Carl Everett flew out high to center on the first pitch. Kenji Johjima couldn't check a swing on a 1-2 breaking ball low and away. Keppel threw 12 pitches and had 25 through two.
TOP 3RD
Doug Mientkiewicz was hit in the right thigh with an 0-2 pitch. Angel Berroa grounded hard to Betancourt, who was knocked to his seat, but still started the 6-4-3 double play. John Buck rolled out to short. Moyer threw ten pitches and had 32 through three.
BOTTOM 3RD
Jeremy Reed grounded a full-count pitch hard to first. Yuniesky Betancourt popped the first pitch to left. Ichiro whiffed on a 2-2 pitch up and away. Keppel had 38 through three.
TOP 4TH
DeJesus popped the second pitch to Betancourt in shallow left. Grudzielanek was ahead 2-0 before whiffing on a 2-2 change. Sanders popped the first pitch high to Sexson near the mound. Moyer threw eight pitches and had 40 through four.
BOTTOM 4TH
Beltre rolled over on a full-count pitch and grounded to third. Lopez took a 2-2 slider over the outer half. Ibañez was up 3-0 and ended up taking a full-count pitch down and in for a walk. Sexson bounced to short for an easy 6-4 force of Ibañez at second. Keppel threw 22 pitches and had 60 through four.
TOP 5TH
Brown rolled the first pitch up the middle for a single, the first Kansas City baserunner of the game. Graffanino bounced a 1-2 pitch to Beltre on the left side, who threw to second to start a double play, except Graffanino beat out the throw on the back end. German grounded to short, where Betancourt tried to shovel to Lopez at second, but he misfired and it went into rightfield (error) and Graffanino reached second. Mientkiewicz nubbed the second pitch back to the mound, and Moyer didn't have time to go to second, and threw to first as Graffanino and German advanced to third and second. Berroa rolled the second pitch to short. Moyer threw 12 pitches and had 52 through five.
BOTTOM 5TH
Everett fell behind 0-2 and tapped the 1-2 pitch back to the mound. Johjima grounded hard to first on the first pitch, and Graffanino played the high hop and threw to first in time. Reed grounded a 1-2 pitch hard to Mientkiewicz behind the bag at first. Keppel threw 11 pitches and had 71 through five.
TOP 6TH
Buck rolled the first pitch to short. DeJesus took a low full-count pitch for a walk. Grudzielanek was down 0-2 and tapped a 2-2 pitch right back to the mound to start a 1-6-3 double play. Moyer threw 13 pitches and had 65 through six.
BOTTOM 6TH
Betancourt rolled the second pitch to second. Ichiro dug down to knock the second pitch for a single into leftcenter. Beltre tapped a 2-2 pitch right back to the mound to start a 1-4-3 double play. Keppel threw ten pitches and had 81 through six.
TOP 7TH
Sanders was down 0-2 and ended up flying out to Ibañez just short of the leftfield track on a 2-2 pitch. Brown took an 0-2 pitch over the inner half. Graffanino broke his bat on the second pitch, rolling the ball along the first-base line right to Sexson, who stepped on the bag. Moyer threw ten pitches and had 75 through seven.
BOTTOM 7TH
Lopez cranked the first pitch about twelve rows back into the leftfield seats above the manual scoreboard.
»» MARINERS 1, ROYALS 0
Ibañez drilled the first pitch on a rope, putting it just over the yellow line on the rightfield fence. Keppel got a visit from the pitching coach.
»» MARINERS 2, ROYALS 0
Sexson clubbed a 2-0 pitch off the manual scoreboard in left, but he was out by a mile trying to stretch it into a double. Everett grounded the second pitch to second. Johjima drilled a 2-2 pitch off the tip of the glove of a leaping Grudzielanek into right for a single.
Jeremy Affeldt came in for Keppel. Reed took a 2-2 fastball over the outside corner. Affeldt threw five pitches.
Keppel's line: 6 2/3 innings, 2 runs, 6 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 94 pitches (57 strikes)
TOP 8TH
German grounded a 1-2 pitch hard to a diving Beltre, who threw from a knee to make the out at first. Mientkiewicz smoked a line drive just over the glove of a leaping Lopez into right for a single. Berroa grounded the first pitch right to short for a 6-4-3 double play. Moyer threw nine pitches and had 84 through eight.
BOTTOM 8TH
Betancourt popped short of the rightfield track on the first pitch. Ichiro knocked a 2-0 pitch through the mound and into center for a single. Beltre singled through the left side on the second pitch, moving Ichiro to second. Lopez drove a 3-1 pitch into the leftfield corner and to the wall to score Ichiro and Beltre and Lopez coasted in with a double.
»» MARINERS 4, ROYALS 0
Ibañez lined a 2-2 pitch right to DeJesus in center.
Joel Peralta came in for Affeldt. Sexson whiffed on a 1-2 pitch way outside. Peralta threw four pitches.
Affeldt's line: 1 inning, 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 22 pitches (12 strikes)
Peralta's line: 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 4 pitches (3 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Buck grounded the second pitch into the hole at short, where Betancourt made the strong throw in time to first. DeJesus was ahead 3-0 and popped to Betancourt in shallow center on a 3-1 pitch. Grudzielanek lined the second pitch right to Ichiro.
Moyer's line: 9 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 93 pitches (57 strikes)
---
Gameball: Jamie Moyer.
Goat: Yuniesky Betancourt.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 44-12 .786 -- W12
2003 38-18 .679 6 W7
2002 36-20 .643 8 W2
2000 30-26 .536 14 L1
2005 25-31 .446 19 W3
2006 24-32 .429 20 W2
2004 22-34 .393 22 W3
Etherton. Piñeiro. Tonight.
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