Wednesday, June 28, 2006
GAME 78: MARINERS 11, DIAMONDBACKS 7
[initial partial post]
In 25 words or less: The team finally got back to .500. I hope it's not another 66 games until they climb any higher.
This one featured Jarrod Washburn going up against Brandon Webb. A win by the Mariners would finally get them back to .500, a place where they haven't been since they had a 6-6 record. A win would also give the Mariners seventeen wins in twenty-four tries.
TOP 1ST
Ichiro got ahead 2-0 and ended up walking on a full-count pitch off the plate inside. Adrian Beltre ripped a single through the left side to move Ichiro to second. Jose Lopez drove a 2-2 pitch the other way toward the rightfield corner, and Lopez skated into third with a triple after having plated Ichiro and Beltre.
»» MARINERS 2, DIAMONDBACKS 0
Raul Ibañez chopped up the middle off of Counsell's glove and into center, scoring Lopez.
»» MARINERS 3, DIAMONDBACKS 0
Richie Sexson took a 1-2 pitch over the inside corner, possibly a bit inside. Kenji Johjima fell behind 0-2 before cranking a 1-2 pitch into the third row of leftfield seats, scoring Ibañez.
»» MARINERS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 0
Jeremy Reed took a high strike on an 0-2 pitch. Yuniesky Betancourt whiffed on a 2-2 breaking ball over the inside corner. Webb threw 35 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Craig Counsell fell behind 0-2 and whiffed on a 1-2 breaking ball low and away. Eric Byrnes whiffed on a high 1-2 fastball. Chad Tracy fell behind 0-2 before doubling over Ibañez' head in left and off the wall on a 2-2 pitch. Conor Jackson got ahead 2-0 and ended up taking a full-count fastball inside. Luis Gonzalez crushed the second pitch into the pool in rightcenter, his first homer in 204 at-bats, scoring Tracy and Jackson.
»» MARINERS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 3
Johnny Estrada rolled the first pitch to short. Washburn threw 23 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Jarrod Washburn fell behind 0-2 and ended up whiffing on a 1-2 pitch up and away. Ichiro lifted the second pitch to shallow leftcenter, and it ended up dropping, giving Ichiro second base. Beltre took a first-pitch breaking ball for a strike, but Ichiro nabbed second without a throw. Beltre rolled the second pitch to third. Lopez was ahead 2-0 and ended up grounding hard to third. Webb threw 14 pitches and had 49 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Shawn Green walloped a homer about twelve rows back into the rightfield seats. Quite the shot.
»» MARINERS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 4
Orlando Hudson popped high to first. Brandon Webb knocked a fastball up the middle into centerfield. Counsell grounded the second pitch hard to first, where Sexson didn't come up with it cleanly and quickly, but threw to second for the force. Betancourt's throw back to first wasn't in time. Byrnes was up 2-0 before flying out to Sexson on the infield grass. Washburn threw 15 pitches and had 38 through two.
TOP 3RD
Ibañez whiffed on a 2-2 breaking ball down and in. Sexson bounced the 2-0 pitch to short. Johjima worked a 1-2 count for a walk (eight pitches). Reed slapped the first pitch through the left side for a single, moving Johjima to second. Betancourt bounced the second pitch to short, where Counsell tossed to second for the force. Webb threw 18 pitches and had 67 through three.
BOTTOM 3RD
Tracy fell behind 0-2 and poked a 1-2 pitch, lining out to second. Jackson punched a single through the left side. Gonzalez flew out to center on a hanging 2-0 breaking ball. Estrada flew out to shallow right on the first pitch. Washburn threw 11 pitches and had 49 through three.
TOP 4TH
Washburn chopped out to second on the second pitch. Ichiro flew out to right. Beltre reached and rolled a 2-2 pitch to short. Webb threw ten pitches and had 77 through four.
BOTTOM 4TH
Green took a 2-2 pitch over the outside corner. Hudson rolled the first pitch to short. Webb bounced the second pitch to Betancourt, who fielded the ball on the outfield grass. Washburn threw nine pitches and had 58 through four.
TOP 5TH
Lopez smacked a ball to third that Tracy dove for and stopped, then made the long toss to first in time. Ibañez slowly bounced a full-count pitch near the middle, where Hudson had a long way to go to get it, and it went as a single (no throw). Sexson bounced a 2-2 pitch to short to start a 6-4-3 double play. Webb threw 14 pitches and had 91 through five.
BOTTOM 5TH
Counsell was up 2-0 and bounced a 2-2 pitch to short, where Betancourt had to stay back and make a throw (high), which was picked by the vertically-inclined Sexson at first. Byrnes fell behind 0-2 and whiffed on a 2-2 breaking ball away to end an eight-pitch at-bat. Tracy worked a 1-2 count full before taking a pitch over the outside corner. Washburn threw 20 pitches and had 78 through five.
TOP 6TH
Johjima popped a 1-2 pitch to center. Reed popped the first pitch high to deep left. Betancourt bounced the second pitch to Hudson moving back into shallow right. Webb threw eight pitches and had 99 through six.
BOTTOM 6TH
Jackson popped high to shallow center on a 2-2 pitch. Gonzalez popped a 2-0 pitch high to Betancourt in front of the second-base bag. Estrada grounded out to short.
Washburn's line: 6 innings, 4 runs, 5 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts, 89 pitches (58 strikes)
TOP 7TH
Roberto Petagine, hitting for Washburn, roped the second pitch into the rightfield corner for a double. Ichiro bounced high to second, where Hudson thought he had a play on Petagine at third, and he threw somewhere past the third-base bag, scoring Petagine and moving Ichiro to second.
»» MARINERS 6, DIAMONDBACKS 4
Beltre punched the second pitch for a double near the rightfield line, scoring Ichiro. Pitching coach Bryan Price came out to the mound for a visit.
»» MARINERS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 4
Lopez tapped the second pitch back to the mound, where Webb put a glove on it and stopped it, but threw to first as Beltre held at second. Ibañez shot a full-count grounder to the right side which was stopped by a diving Jackson (3-1 putout) as Beltre moved to third. Sexson split his bat on the first pitch, grounding out to third as Tracy had to dodge the bat barrel flying over his head. Webb threw 16 pitches and had 115 through seven.
Webb's line: 7 innings, 7 runs, 9 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, 115 pitches (74 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
George Sherrill came in for Washburn. Green bounced a 1-2 pitch slowly along the right side, where Lopez charged and tried the glove-flip to first and nearly got Green at first. Hudson walked on a 3-1 pitch down and in. Damion Easley, hitting for Webb, took the first pitch off of Johjima's glove (passed ball), moving both runners into scoring position. Pitching coach Rafael Chaves visited the mound. Easley ended up taking a 2-2 pitch across the knees over the inside corner. Counsell took an 0-2 fastball over the outside corner.
Julio Mateo came in for Sherrill. Byrnes worked an 0-2 count full before doubling the eighth pitch of the at-bat to the wall in the leftfield corner, scoring Green and Hudson.
»» MARINERS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 6
Tracy took the first pitch, and it went off Johjima's glove and behind the plate, but Byrnes didn't take off for third. Tracy rode the 2-2 pitch to the rightfield wall, nearly missing a homer, scoring Byrnes easily.
»» DIAMONDBACKS 7, MARINERS 7
Jackson took a 1-1 pitch way inside that hit him.
Eddie Guardado came in for Mateo, a.k.a., a no-win situation. Gonzalez couldn't hold a checkswing on a 1-2 pitch way outside. Guardado threw four pitches.
Sherrill's line: 2/3 inning, 2 runs, 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 17 pitches (10 strikes)
Mateo's line: 0 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 16 pitches (9 strikes)
Guardado's line: 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 4 pitches (3 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Brandon Medders came in for Webb. Johjima tapped back to the mound. Reed got ahead 2-0 and rolled out to second. Betancourt got ahead 3-0 and wound up taking a full-count breaking ball in the dirt and way outside. Carl Everett, hitting for Guardado, flew out to Byrnes running into rightcenter.
Medders' line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts, 17 pitches (8 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Jake Woods came in for Guardado. Estrada flew out to shallow right on the second pitch. Green crushed a 3-1 fastball high off the centerfield wall for a double. Hudson rolled the second pitch to short, where Betancourt threw to third and Beltre ran down Green running toward second for a huge out. Jeff DaVanon, hitting for Medders, took a 1-1 pitch barely low before bouncing to short for a 6-4 force at second. Woods threw 13 pitches.
TOP 9TH
Brandon Lyon came in for Medders. Ichiro lined a 2-0 pitch to Green just short of the rightfield track. Beltre rocketed the second pitch to the wall in rightcenter for a double. Lopez looped a fly ball to shallow center, where Byrnes called off the middle infielders for the catch. Ibañez was intentionally walked. Price visited the mound. Sexson lashed the first-pitch breaking ball along the leftfield line for a double, scoring Beltre and moving Ibañez to third.
»» MARINERS 8, DIAMONDBACKS 7
Johjima crushed the second pitch about twelve rows back into the leftfield seats to sorta make up for that passed ball and other issues behind the plate. It also scored Ibañez and Sexson.
»» MARINERS 11, DIAMONDBACKS 7
Reed bounced the first pitch to second. Lyon threw 17 pitches.
BOTTOM 9TH
Counsell flew out to Reed in leftcenter on the second pitch. Byrnes was ahead 3-0 and bashed a 3-1 pitch off the base of the wall in leftfield, where Ibañez gunned over to second and was called safe and may have been out (hand on the bag before tag on the face). Tracy bounced a 2-2 pitch to second, moving Byrnes to third. Jackson took a 3-1 pitch way inside.
JJ Putz came in for Woods. Gonzalez flew out to Ibañez in left.
Woods' line: 1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts, 30 pitches (15 strikes)
Putz' line: 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 4 pitches (2 strikes)
---
Gameball: Adrian Beltre.
Sure, Kenji Johjima hit two homers and drove in five runs, but he'd be too obvious a choice of a gameball. Plus, Johjima had a particularly untimely passed ball in the seventh which was instrumental in helping the Diamondbacks to tie the game. That was also very instrumental in screwing Jarrod Washburn out of a win after he settled down bigtime after the first couple innings. Still, this is supposed to be about Beltre. In just nine games, he has raised his season batting average from .231 to .255 thanks to this .306 June. Even more amazingly, his slugging percentage has jumped from .300 coming into the month to its present .386 thanks to his .561-slugging June. Granted, .386 for a slugging percentage isn't exactly mindblowing since his career slugging percentage is .451. Needless to say, the 2004 mark was nuts (.629). June has been the only month in which Beltre has hit more than one homer. His five this month are accompanied by ten doubles for a combined fifteen extra-base hits, accounting for half of his base hits this month. This comes after seven extra-base hits in the month of May. Can you guess how many extra-base knocks Beltre had in April off the top of your head? Try two. One homer, one double. Not that we have to remember just how bad his April was.
Goat: Julio Mateo.
I came into this year thinking Mateo would be able to do roughly the same job as in recent years, but now it seems like we might have another Guardado in our midst. The worst thing George Sherrill did in the seventh was walk Orlando Hudson with Shawn Green already on first. Sherrill got the ground ball from Green that he wanted, so the infield hit was passable. Also, with Damion Easley up, Kenji Johjima let the passed ball by. Then Sherrill struck out Easley and Craig Counsell. Mateo only needed one out. He faced three hitters. He had an 0-2 count on Eric Byrnes and a 1-2 count on Chad Tracy. Byrnes worked his count full and doubled, and Tracy doubled on a 2-2 pitch. The game was already tied, but Mateo took it one step further and hit Conor Jackson with a way-inside pitch. To rub it in, Mateo was tagged with a blown save as a result of this outing. At least Mateo can't hide behind a phony guise of effective wildness. Mateo has given up runs in four of ten games this month. He's walked four batters, struck out two, and given up fourteen hits in 8 1/3 innings. Using simple math, he gives up 0.48 walks per inning and 1.68 hits per inning. Folks, that's bad.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 57-21 .731 -- W1
2003 52-26 .667 5 W2
2002 49-29 .628 8 W3
2000 46-32 .590 11 W1
2006 39-39 .500 18 W3
2005 33-45 .423 24 L6
2004 32-46 .410 25 L1
LINEUP SINCE THE TWEAK (May 30th)
Ichiro 47-for-110 (.427), 3 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homers, 12 RBIs, 11 walks, 8 strikeouts
Beltre 34-for-108 (.315), 10 doubles, 5 homers, 19 RBIs, 9 walks, 18 strikeouts
Lopez 25-for-96 (.260), 9 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 15 RBIs, 6 walks, 15 strikeouts
Ibañez 31-for-91 (.341), 6 doubles, 1 triple, 9 homers, 29 RBIs, 14 walks, 15 strikeouts
Sexson 25-for-96 (.260), 3 doubles, 8 homers, 25 RBIs, 11 walks, 22 strikeouts
Everett 14-for-63 (.222), 2 homers, 5 RBIs, 5 walks, 13 strikeouts
Johjima 28-for-83 (.337), 8 doubles, 5 homers, 14 RBIs, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Reed 18-for-76 (.237), 2 doubles, 3 homers, 5 RBIs, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Betancourt 25-for-86 (.291), 3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, 8 RBIs, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Hernandez. Gonzalez. Tonight.
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