Saturday, April 29, 2006
GAME 25: MARINERS 8, ORIOLES 6
[initial partial post]
In 25 words or less: Mariner fans were bored out of their gourds until the Mariner bats met a much-too-elusive friend -- the big inning.
This one featured Felix Hernandez going up against Bruce Chen.
TOP 1ST
Ichiro fell behind 0-2 and ended up bouncing a 2-2 pitch to Tejada in the hole on the left side. Willie Bloomquist bunted the second pitch along the left side where Chen got to it but his throw was wide and Bloomquist was too quick and got the single. Raul Ibañez rolled a 2-2 pitch right to short for a 6-4-3 double play. Chen threw 12 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Brian Roberts was ahead 2-0 and roped a full-count pitch to rightfield for a single. Melvin Mora ripped a second-pitch single to leftfield, moving Roberts to second. Miguel Tejada whiffed on a 1-2 breaking ball in the dirt. Jay Gibbons took an 0-2 pitch over the outside corner, but it wasn't called as such. Gibbons ended up bouncing to second on a 1-2 count, but Lopez bobbled the turn of the double the play and his only play was at first. Ramon Hernandez bounced the second pitch to short. F Hernandez threw 21 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Richie Sexson worked a 1-2 count for a walk. Carl Everett flew out to fairly deep centerfield. Adrian Beltre popped out to Roberts along the rightfield line. Kenji Johjima fell behind 0-2 and popped high to Roberts on the infield. Chen threw 17 pitches and had 29 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Kevin Millar fell behind 0-2 and took a 1-2 pitch off the right wrist. Corey Patterson popped the first pitch high to rightfield. Jeff Conine punched the first pitch through the left side for a single. Kevin Millar walked off the field due to his wrist and was replaced by Chris Gomez. Ncik Markakis watched the first pitch go very far outside and to the backstop, moving the runners to third and second. Markakis lined the next pitch through the left side for a single, scoring Gomez and moving Conine to third.
»» ORIOLES 1, MARINERS 0
Roberts had the hitters' counts and walked, moving Markakis to second. Pitching coach Rafael Chaves visited the mound. Mora fell behind 0-2 and waved badly at a 2-2 curve away in the dirt. Tejada tipped the first pitch in front of the plate, and Johjima pounced on it and threw to first. Hernandez threw 21 pitches and had 42 through two.
TOP 3RD
Lopez was ahead 2-0 and got under a 2-2 pitch, flying out to left. Yuniesky Betancourt popped high to short. Ichiro flew out to Conine in left. Chen threw 11 pitches and had 40 through three.
BOTTOM 3RD
Gibbons popped the second pitch to Ibañez in shallow left. R Hernandez was ahead 3-0 and walked on the 3-1 pitch high. Gomez just missed a double down the rightfield line before bouncing a hit-and-run single through the left side on a full count, moving R Hernandez to second. Patterson nearly put a ball onto Eutaw Street, but anyway it was good for a three-run homer over the rightfield scoreboard.
»» ORIOLES 4, MARINERS 0
Conine doubled into the rightfield corner on the second pitch. Markakis took a pitch and Chaves came to the mound. Markakis was ahead 2-0 and later rolled up the middle to Betancourt as Conine went to third. Roberts flew out high to Betancourt on a 1-2 pitch. Hernandez threw 28 pitches and had 70 through three.
TOP 4TH
Bloomquist popped a full-count pitch to R Hernandez behind the plate. Ibañez whiffed on a 1-2 breaking ball over the outside corner. Sexson bounced a full-count pitch to third. Chen threw 18 pitches and had 58 through four.
BOTTOM 4TH
Mora rolled the first pitch up the middle for a single. Tejada blistered the second pitch to rightfield for a single, moving Mora to second. Gibbons banged the first pitch through the right side for a single to load the bases. Chaves came out again to visit the mound. R Hernandez nubbed a 2-2 pitch in front of the plate, and F Hernandez had to go barehand it and shovel it home for the force, leaving the bases loaded. Gomez grounded an 0-2 pitch up the middle to Betancourt to start a 6-3 double play. Hernandez threw 13 pitches and had 83 through four.
TOP 5TH
Everett was ahead 3-0 and popped the 3-1 pitch the other way into the lower bullpen in leftcenter.
»» ORIOLES 4, MARINERS 1
Beltre was called out on a failed 0-2 checkswing on a ball in the dirt. Johjima bounced out to third. Lopez split his bat on a first-pitch dunker of a single into leftfield. Betancourt took an 0-2 pitch over the outside corner. Chen threw 16 pitches and had 74 through five.
BOTTOM 5TH
Patterson bounced the second pitch to second. Conine popped high to right. Markakis broke his bat on a low pop to Beltre. Hernandez threw eight pitches and had 91 through five.
F Hernandez' line: 5 innings, 4 runs, 10 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, 91 pitches (60 strikes)
TOP 6TH
Ichiro put a double into rightcenter. Bloomquist watched the first pitch as Ichiro nabbed third. Bloomquist punched a single under Roberts into centerfield to score Ichiro.
»» ORIOLES 4, MARINERS 2
Ibañez watched as Bloomquist nabbed second on a throw that was on the shortstop side of second base, though it seemed like Bloomquist's slide was a little long and Tejada nearly reached over in time with the tag. Ibañez hit a sinking liner toward leftcenter but was foiled by a diving and aged Conine on a 1-2 pitch.
Jim Brower came in for Chen. Sexson watched the second pitch go to the backstop as Bloomquist went to third. Sexson walked on a 3-1 pitch. Everett watched the first pitch go by and R Hernandez threw to try to pick Bloomquist off third, but it went off Bloomquist, who got spiked by Mora, and the ball went down the leftfield line as Bloomquist scored and Sexson went to second.
»» ORIOLES 4, MARINERS 3
Everett rolled to second as Sexson went to third. Beltre took a breaking ball very high and in for a walk. Pitching coach Leo Mazzone came out to the mound. Johjima split his bat and fisted the first pitch for a single over Mora at third to score Sexson and move Beltre to third. Incredible.
»» ORIOLES 4, MARINERS 4
Eddy Rodriguez came in for Brower. Lopez walked to load the bases. Betancourt singled the second pitch past Tejada up the middle to score Beltre and Johjima scored.
»» MARINERS 6, ORIOLES 4
Ichiro punched a single through the right side to score Lopez and move Betancourt to third.
»» MARINERS 7, ORIOLES 4
Bloomquist flew out to rightcenter. Rodriguez threw 15 pitches.
Chen's line: 5 1/3 innings, 3 runs, 5 hits, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, 87 pitches (53 strikes)
Brower's line: 1/3 inning, 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 18 pitches (8 strikes)
Rodriguez' line: 1/3 inning, 1 run, 2 hits, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts, 15 pitches (8 strikes)
BOTTOM 6TH
Rafael Soriano came in for Hernandez. Roberts dumped a 1-2 single into shallow centerfield. Mora watched the first pitch as Roberts took second without a throw. Mora nubbed the second pitch back to the mound as Roberts held at second. Tejada watched the second pitch high as Roberts nabbed third and the Orioles had the Major League record for steals to start a season without being caught (20) as Johjima's throw was high and Beltre had to leap for it. Tejada smacked the 2-2 pitch into rightfield for a single to score Roberts. Tejada was lifted for a pinch-runner, Luis Terrero. Roberts left the game as well.
»» MARINERS 7, ORIOLES 5
Gibbons whiffed on a high 2-2 fastball. R Hernandez watched as Terrero was gunned down at second by Johjima. Soriano threw 25 pitches.
TOP 7TH
Todd Williams (former Mariner, first appearance of the season) came in for Rodriguez. The bevy of injuries resulted in Raul Chavez coming in to catch, Mora moving to second, Terrero staying in to play left, Gomez moving to short, Conine moving to third, and R Hernandez moving to first. Ibañez was ahead 3-0 and bounced the 3-1 pitch to Mora at second. Sexson didn't hit the ball that hard, but it nonetheless took Terrero to the track in left. Everett popped the second pitch high to center. Williams threw 11 pitches.
Williams' line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 11 pitches (5 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
R Hernandez took a 1-1 pitch off the left elbow. Gomez fell behind 0-2 before flying out to Ichiro near the rightfield line as R Hernandez held.
George Sherrill came in for Soriano. Patterson singled the first pitch under Sexson and into shallow rightfield, and the ball was hit slowly enough to move R Hernandez all the way to third.
JJ Putz came in for Sherrill. Conine grounded to Lopez in the right-side hole, scoring Mora.
»» MARINERS 7, ORIOLES 6
Markakis looped the first pitch to Betancourt. Putz threw four pitches.
Soriano's line: 1 1/3 innings, 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 31 pitches (22 strikes)
Sherrill's line: 0 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 1 pitch (1 strike)
TOP 8TH
Sendy Rleal came in for Williams. Beltre bashed the first pitch four rows deep into the seats to the right of the hitters' backdrop for his first homer of the season.
»» MARINERS 8, ORIOLES 6
Johjima was up 2-0 but rolled over for a grounder to short. Lopez lined the first pitch to Terrero a few steps short of the leftfield track. Betancourt laced a 2-0 pitch into leftfield and tried to stretch it into a double, and was somehow successful even though it looked like the throw had him beat, but the tag didn't. Ichiro was intentionally walked. Bloomquist took an 1-2 breaking ball over the inside corner despite Chavez setting up over the outer half (i.e., Rleal missed his spot). Rleal threw 19 pitches.
BOTTOM 8TH
Chavez took a 1-2 pitch that caught the lower part of the zone. Mora whiffed on a 1-2 splitter down and in. Terrero broke his bat on an 0-2 pitch to Beltre, who knocked down the ball but was wary of the bat barrel hurtling toward him as well, enabling Terrero to beat out the throw to first (Beltre was tagged with an error). Gibbons chopped a 1-2 pitch to Lopez close to first base, who had to quickly shovel it over to first to barely get Gibbons as Sam Perlozzo came out to argue. Putz threw 15 pitches and had 19 total.
Putz' line: 1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 19 pitches (15 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Ibañez bounced a 2-0 pitch to short. Sexson popped high to right. Everett bounced the second pitch to first. Rleal threw eight pitches and had 27 total.
Rleal's line: 2 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 27 pitches (13 strikes)
BOTTOM 9TH
Eddie Guardado came in for Putz. R Hernandez punched a first-pitch single past Guardado into centerfield. Gomez had the hitters' counts and singled the 3-1 pitch into rightfield, moving R Hernandez to second. Patterson bunted the first pitch off himself, then bunted the second pitch to Guardado, who went to first because nobody covered third when Beltre charged; the runners were on third and second). Conine was ahead 2-0 and took a 2-2 pitch just off the plate inside before taking the full-count pitch in the dirt to load the bases and put the winning run on first. Markakis fell behind 0-2 and whiffed on a 1-2 pitch over the outer half. Chavez bounced to Lopez, who took it to the bag at second for the game-ending force.
Guardado's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 21 pitches (12 strikes)
---
Gameball: Yuniesky Betancourt.
It's different when Hargrove pulls Jeremy Reed from the lineup and puts in Willie Bloomquist like he has lately. He's put Bloomquist behind Ichiro and bumped Jose Lopez down to the eighth slot in front of Betancourt. It's a bit intriguing considering how well Lopez has hit this season. You could say it adds more punch to the bottom of the lineup. You could also say that maybe Hargrove knows the middle of the lineup is going to suck, so maybe moving Lopez to eighth is good because he and Betancourt can hit, and lately Ichiro's been warming up as well. They're putting ducks on the pond for Ichiro, who's a good hitter. It is sad to have to punt the middle third of the order, sure, but I'm trying to reach for some goodness here. Betancourt may not be a world-beating hitter, but down in the ninth slot this year, he's been doing quite well. If Hargrove wanted to be really crazy, he could slot Betancourt second and see what happens. What you do with Lopez then is a mystery though, but that's not my concern. Maybe Hargrove should make the bottom and middle thirds of the lineup swap places.
Goat: Raul Ibañez.
Only Richie Sexson and Ibañez failed to join the hit parade today in the Mariner lineup, but Sexson walked twice and scored. Ibañez never reached base. He grounded into a double play to end the first, struck out in the fourth, was robbed of a double by Jeff Conine's diving catch in the sixth, and grounded out in the seventh and ninth. That's an 0-for-5 day, of course. On the other hand, Ibañez has been one of the few consistent bats in the Mariner lineup in this near month-old season. Despite the 0-for-5, he's sitting with a .286 average, which looks great compared to just about any combination that Mike Hargrove has put in the three lineup slots behind him. One other problem for the Mariners is the absolute lack of power hitting, and Ibañez doesn't lead the team in homers -- that's Jose Lopez and Carl Everett with a whopping four each. Ibañez has three, but he times them nicely. Still, more would be nice out of everyone, not just him. I think what we need to do is take wagers (1) who will lead the Mariners in homers at the end of the year, (2) how many that leader will have, and (3) how many homers the team will amass. Bonus points if you nail their team rank among the rest of baseball.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 20-5 .800 -- L1
2002 18-7 .720 2 L1
2003 16-9 .640 4 W1
2000 14-11 .560 6 L1
2005 12-13 .480 8 L2
2006 10-15 .400 10 W1
2004 9-16 .360 11 W1
Moyer. Murray. Tomorrow.
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GAME 24: ORIOLES 5, MARINERS 2
[initial partial post]
In 25 words or less: At this pace, the Mariners will end the year having hit like they've faced Pedro in 110 games.
This one featured Gil Meche going up against Daniel Cabrera. The Orioles wore their putrid black jerseys. An opening graphic on the TV broadcast showed that Meche averaged 19 pitches per inning coming into the game, the third-highest rate in baseball. The archived MLB.tv feed for this game was fun since they didn't cut to commercials and you could hear Niehaus/Rizzs and Valle talking during the breaks. This included a genuine reaction from Valle when hearing the news that the Houston Texans would not be selecting Reggie Bush. Also heard was a couple of post-inning clarifications on how many pitches Daniel Cabrera threw every inning.
TOP 1ST
Ichiro bounced a 2-2 pitch up the middle to Roberts at second. Jose Lopez whiffed on a 2-2 belt-high fastball over the inside corner. Raul Ibañez foul-tipped a 2-2 megafastball into the catcher's glove. Cabrera threw 15 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Brian Roberts shot an 0-2 groundout to third. Melvin Mora was ahead 2-0 before rolling over a 2-2 pitch to Beltre down the line at third, but he made the play. Miguel Tejada split his bat in half and dumped a second-pitch (down and away) single into shallow rightcenter. Jay Gibbons poked a 1-2 single into center, where Reed was caught between diving for the ball and shorthopping it, and the ball ate him up and went past (error), allowing Tejada to score from first as Ibañez ran over to field the ball. Niehaus did begin a sentence with "for cryin' out loud" during this sequence. Gibbons got credit for a single.
»» ORIOLES 1, MARINERS 0
Ramon Hernandez walekd on four pitches. Kevin Millar popped high to Lopez in shallow rightfield. Meche threw 21 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Richie Sexson smacked a 2-0 grounder to Mora at third. Carl Everett poked a ball off the dirt for a grounder to short. Kenji Johjima popped to left. Cabrera threw nine pitches and had 24 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Corey Patterson slapped an up-and-away second pitch off the leftfield foul pole for a solo shot. That's a Camden Yards homer.
»» ORIOLES 2, MARINERS 0
Jeff Conine walked on four pitches. Nick Markakis whiffed on a 1-2 fastball up in the zone and in. Roberts fell behind 0-2 and wound up whiffing on a 1-2 breaker in the dirt away. Mora chopped a 1-2 pitch to third. Meche threw 20 pitches and had 41 through two.
TOP 3RD
Adrian Beltre fisted a sinking fly into leftcenter where Tejada missed an over-the-shoulder catch and the ball fell for a single. Jeremy Reed swung weirdly at a high pitch, fighting it off his hands and bouncing to the mound to move Beltre to second. Yuniesky Betancourt popped the second pitch to Markakis in leftcenter, who had Patterson very close to a low-speed collision with him. Ichiro flew out to center on the second pitch. Cabrera threw ten pitches and had 34 through three.
BOTTOM 3RD
Tejada shot the first pitch to the right-side hole, where Lopez dove for it and threw from his knees on the outfield grass to get Tejada at first. Gibbons laced the second pitch into rightfield for a single. Hernandez worked an 0-2 count full before popping out to center. Millar flew out to Reed a couple steps in front of the track in centerfield. Meche threw 12 pitches and had 53 through three.
TOP 4TH
Lopez took a 1-2 fastball over the outside corner. Ibañez worked a 1-2 count full before grounding up the middle to Roberts, who made the play on the backhand and threw off balance in time to first. Sexson got under another one, flying out to center. Cabrera threw 14 pitches and had 48 through four.
BOTTOM 4TH
Patterson grounded hard to first, and it handcuffed Sexson for a second, but he came up with it and walked it over to first. Conine got ahead 2-0 and whiffed on a 2-2 knuckle-curve. Markakis grounded hard to left on the second pitch. Meche threw 11 pitches and had 64 through four.
TOP 5TH
Everett popped to Mora running down the leftfield line on a play where Tejada tripped up and experienced some knee discomfort but stayed in the game after precautionary attention from the training staff and manager Sam Perlozzo. Johjima worked an 0-2 count full before popping a high pitch to Mora in foul ground beside the third-base line. Beltre poked a 1-2 breaking ball for a single into rightfield. Reed popped a 2-0 pitch to left. Cabrera threw 18 pitches and had 66 through five.
BOTTOM 5TH
Roberts dug for a 2-2 pitch and flew out to center. Mora bunted the second pitch along the left side, catching everyone off guard as Meche tried an off-balance throw but they really had no play and luckily Sexson leaped to grab the wide throw as Mora had first base. Tejada walked on four pitches to move Roberts to second, attracting pitching coach Rafael Chaves for a mound visit. Gibbons lined out on the first pitch to a running Ichiro as the runners held. Hernandez ripped a single through the left side and Mora came around and tried to score, but the throw by Ibañez from left was a good one, as was the tag by Johjima at the plate as Mora was called out. Meche threw 14 pitches and had 78 through five.
TOP 6TH.
Betancourt whiffed at a 2-2 letter-high fastball inside. Ichiro doubled off the rightfield wall. Lopez wedged the first pitch just over the wall and Markakis' glove in leftfield to score Ichiro.
»» ORIOLES 2, MARINERS 2
Ibañez worked a 1-2 count full before whiffing on a low fastball over the inside corner. Sexson took a 3-1 pitch inside and off the dirt for a walk. Everett chopped the first pitch to short and was barely out. Cabrera threw 25 pitches and had 91 through six.
BOTTOM 6TH
Millar fell behind 0-2 but was bailed out on a 1-2 pitch that nicked him off the inside corner. Patterson bunted nicely out in front, and Beltre's best effort and throw to first weren't in time as the runners were safe at second and first. Chaves visited the mound. Conine poked a second-pitch single through the right side to load the bases.
George Sherrill came in for Meche. Markakis fouled off four 1-2 pitches, took the next pitch up and in and nearly was hit, then whiffed on a breaking ball on the next pitch. Roberts lined the first pitch to Ichiro drifting backward, and Millar scored. Patterson tagged and went to third.
»» ORIOLES 3, MARINERS 2
Julio Mateo came in for Sherrill. Mora watched the second pitch go off the fingers of Johjima's glove and to the backstop, scoring Patterson from third and moving Conine to second.
»» ORIOLES 4, MARINERS 2
Mora ended up chopping to third, and Beltre's threw appeared to mess with Sexson a bit, though he came up with it.
Meche's line: 5 innings, 4 runs (2 earned), 8 hits, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, 85 pitches (49 strikes)
Sherrill's line: 2/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 10 pitches (8 strikes)
TOP 7TH
Johjima rolled out to third. Beltre fell behind 0-2 and would whiff on a 1-2 pitch in the dirt that bounced away from Hernandez behind the plate, but Beltre was able to reach first base safely. Reed bunted the second pitch nicely along the left side to move Beltre to second. Betancourt watched the second pitch go by as Beltre nabbed third and Hernandez behind the plate couldn't transfer the ball to his throwing hand cleanly. Betancourt was ahead 3-0, took what he thought was ball four, then rolled out to short. Cabrera threw 14 pitches.
Cabrera's line: 7 innings, 2 runs, 4 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, 105 pitches (61 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Tejada lined a full-count knee-high fastball down the pipe four rows into the rightfield seats just to the left of the scoreboard.
»» ORIOLES 5, MARINERS 2
Gibbons bounced to short. Hernandez whiffed on a 2-2 pitch. Millar worked a 1-2 count for a walk and needed nine pitches to do so. Patterson grounded the second pitch up the middle to a diving Lopez on the outfield grass, who looked to first but could have had a play at second -- both runners were safe as he never got off a throw. Conine rolled to short for a 6-4 fielder's choice.
Mateo's line: 1 1/3 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 32 pitches (18 strikes)
TOP 8TH
LaTroy Hawkins came in for Cabrera. Chris Gomez came in for Tejada at short, and Luis Terrero came in to play left as Markakis moved to right as Gibbons was lifted. Ichiro blistered a 1-2 pitch through the mound and into centerfield for a single. Lopez never took a ball on five pitches, whiffing on the fifth, a dirtball away. Ibañez grounded hard to Roberts in the right-side hole, who nicely started a 4-6-3 double play.
Hawkins' line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 12 pitches (10 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Jake Woods came in for Mateo. Markakis took an 0-2 breaking ball over the outside corner. Roberts got the hitters' counts before whiffing on a full-count fastball over the outside corner. Mora lined the second pitch into shallow leftfield for a single. Gomez was ahead 3-1 and wound up grounding hard to Beltre behind the third-base bag.
Woods' line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 18 pitches (12 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Chris Ray came in for Hawkins. Sexson was ahead 3-1 but eventually grounded hard to third on a full count. Everett chopped to Gomez up the middle. Johjima rolled over on a groundout to third.
Ray's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 13 pitches (7 strikes)
---
Gameball: Ichiro.
You can't pin this loss on him. He did his job at the top of the lineup. His hits were hard-hit balls. He doubled off the wall then lasered a single through the box. When he was deep in the slump, I remember saying that he needed to pick it up to not only set the table for the rest of the lineup, but to help out the bottom third of the lineup, which was producing at the time. A few more Ichiro hits with the bottom of the lineup on base, and who knows what record they could have now? Ichiro pulled an 0-for-4 on Wednesday, but his last 0-fer before that was the first game of the Texas series. After that game, he was sitting at a paltry .177. In the nine games since, Ichiro has gone 16-for-37 (.432) and had the batting average jump to .273. Of course, the only extra-base hit he's had in that span was the double from this very game, and he's only walked once and hasn't stolen a base in the nine games. However, he's only struck out once in the same stretch, as opposed to nine strikeouts before that. In any event, he did his job in this game. Others didn't, but I'll get to that later.
Goat: Kenji Johjima.
I know he's not Miguel Olivo back there behind the plate or anything like that. I know he had a bunch of Gold Glove equivalents back in Japan. Is his thumb really that screwed up or did the Mariners get duped? One way or the other, we've been seeing a ton of passed balls involving this guy. The best thing he did in this game was make the tag at the plate on the other end of the Raul Ibañez throw. That ended the fifth with the Mariners down 2-1. In the sixth, what turned out to be the game-winning run for the Orioles got on base via Gil Meche hitting Kevin Millar with a pitch. That run scored to make it 3-2, then the second pitch after that went off of Johjima's glove and to the backstop, and another run came across. That misplay of a completely catchable ball made it 4-2 for Baltimore. Of course, Johjima's not just the goat here for his defensive purposes. He also had an 0-for-4 day at the plate and has really cooled off since anchoring the bottom third of the lineup for a decent portion of the month of April. He hasn't had a multi-hit game since the 19th, the middle game of the Texas series. He's gone hitless in all but one game since.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 20-4 .833 -- W9
2002 18-6 .750 2 W1
2003 15-9 .625 5 L1
2000 14-10 .583 6 W1
2005 12-12 .500 8 L1
2006 9-15 .391 11 L1
2004 8-16 .333 12 L1
Hernandez. Chen. Tonight.
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Thursday, April 27, 2006
GAME 23: MARINERS 5, WHITE SOX 1
[initial partial post]
. In 25 words or less: Rejoice, for the Mariners accomplished a rare feat -- they had complete control of this game. If only every game were this quick.
This one featured Mark Buehrle going up against Ryan Franklin. Also, Ephratan/Everett schoolteacher/Husky grad Mike Muchlinski made his Major League plate umpire debut, though Washburn didn't much care at one point in the seventh. As pointed out by Dave Niehaus during the game, after today, the Mariners don't have an off-day in Seattle on the schedule until June.
TOP 1ST
Scott Podsednik bounced a full-count pitch to second to end the nine-pitch at-bat. Tadahito Iguchi whiffed on a high 2-2 fastball. Jim Thome fell behind 0-2 before taking a 1-2 breaker over the outside corner. Washburn threw 19 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Ichiro rolled a 2-2 pitch to Iguchi in the hole on the right side. Willie Bloomquist grounded the 2-2 pitch deep in the left-side hole to Uribe. Raul Ibañez popped the second pitch to Uribe in foul ground down the leftfield line. Buehrle threw 13 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Paul Konerko whiffed on an 0-2 belt-high fastball. Jermaine Dye took a 2-2 pitch over the inside corner but wasn't sent to the dugout, but then lined a full-count pitch to Ichiro. Joe Crede got ahead 2-0 and popped the full-count pitch to Lopez moving into shallow rightfield. Washburn threw 16 pitches and had 35 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Richie Sexson smeared a single past a diving Konerko at first. Carl Everett lined the second pitch into rightfield for a single, moving Sexson to second. Kenji Johjima was drilled in the back leg by the 1-2 pitch to load the bases. Adrian Beltre chopped the second pitch to short, and luckily it was too slow for Uribe to turn the double play, though he could have had Sexson at the plate. In any event, Sexson scored and Everett and Johjima went to third and second.
»» MARINERS 1, WHITE SOX 0
Jose Lopez took a close 1-2 pitch low and away, reached on a 2-2 pitch up and six inches off the plate, then rammed the next 2-2 up-and-away pitch into the rightcenter gap for a single, scoring Everett and Johjima.
»» MARINERS 3, WHITE SOX 0
Yuniesky Betancourt Dye to the rightfield track on the second pitch, advancing Lopez to third. Ichiro fell behind 0-2, fouled off the next three pitches, and worked the count full before grounding out to first. Buehrle had 42 through two.
TOP 3RD
Juan Uribe fell behind 0-2 and rolled over a 2-2 pitch to third. Chris Widger drilled a single into centerfield for his first hit of the season. Brian Anderson flew out to left. Podsednik slapped a high second pitch for a flyout to left. Washburn threw 14 pitches and had 49 through three.
BOTTOM 3RD
Bloomquist dropped a single into shallow centerfield and was most of the way to second, but Anderson threw the ball in quickly to Iguchi, who completed the relay to first to nail Bloomquist trying to retreat. Ibañez got ahead 2-0 and later chopped a ball up the middle and beat the off-balance throw by Iguchi. Sexson popped the second pitch high to center. Everett flew out to left on a 2-2 pitch. Buehrle threw 15 pitches and had 57 through three.
TOP 4TH
Iguchi popped an 0-2 pitch to Sexson in foul ground on the right side. Thome mashed a pitch right to Betancourt, playing to the other side of the second-base bag, who had the ball handcuff him and roll into centerfield for a single. Paul Konerko worked a 1-2 count for a walk, moving Thome to second. Dye got ahead 2-0 and later flew out high to center, shallow enough to hold Thome at second. Crede fell behind 0-2 before flying out to Betancourt in shallow center on the 1-2 pitch. Washburn threw 22 pitches and had 71 through four.
BOTTOM 4TH
Johjima grounded a 3-1 pitch to Crede behind the bag at third. Beltre popped the 3-1 pitch into the rightfield corner. Lopez rolled out to short. Buehrle threw 14 pitches and had 71 through four.
TOP 5TH
Uribe grounded the first pitch deep in the hole on the left side where Betancourt got to the ball and threw low to first, but it was dug out nicely by Sexson. Widger popped high to Beltre on the infield grass. Anderson bounced the 1-2 pitch to third. Washburn threw only nine pitches and had 80 through five.
BOTTOM 5TH
Betancourt shot the second pitch to third, where Anderson bobbled it completely but had enough time to stay with it and throw to first. Ichiro smoked a ball right into Konerko's glove. Bloomquist flew out to left on a 2-0 pitch. Buerhle threw only eight pitches and had 79 through five.
TOP 6TH
Podsednik got ahead 3-0 and bounced the 3-1 pitch to second. Iguchi popped the first pitch to Ichiro in the rightfield corner. Thome whiffed on a full-count offspeed pitch down and away. Washburn threw 12 pitches and had 92 through six.
BOTTOM 6TH
Ibañez laid the wood out on a 3-1 pitch low and away, putting it into the visitors' bullpen in leftfield.
»» MARINERS 4, WHITE SOX 0
Sexson flew out very high to center. Everett squirted the second pitch down the rightfield line into the corner for a double. Johjima popped the second pitch to Konerko behind the bag at first. Beltre took Anderson to fairly deep centerfield on the first pitch. Buehrle threw 14 pitches and had 93 through six.
TOP 7TH
Konerko was ahead 2-0 and wound up sending a single into shallow centerfield. Dye got the hitters' counts and laced the 3-1 pitch through the left-side hole for a single to move Konerko to second. Crede got ahead 2-0 and wound up hitting a sinking liner on which Bloomquist made a diving catch in rightcenter. Konerko tagged and went to third on the catch. Uribe bopped a 2-0 pitch to Bloomquist on the track in leftcenter, scoring Konerko and moving Dye to second.
Rafael Soriano came in for Washburn. Widger got ahead 3-0 and popped the 3-1 pitch to Betancourt just past the infield dirt. Soriano threw five pitches.
Washburn's line: 6 2/3 innings, 1 run, 4 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 108 pitches (66 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Lopez was foiled on a 1-2 pitch by a diving Crede at third, who threw to first and had it picked by Konerko. Betancourt flew out to center on the second pitch. Ichiro bounced an 0-2 pitch to short, where Uribe had to hurry but made the play. Buehrle threw nine pitches and had 102 through seven.
Buehrle's line: 7 innings, 4 runs, 7 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 102 pitches (62 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Anderson fell behind 0-2 and flew out to Betancourt in shallow center on the 1-2 pitch. Podsednik took a 2-2 slider over the inside corner. Iguchi whiffed badly on a 1-2 breaking ball. Soriano threw 18 pitches and had 23 total.
Soriano's line: 1 1/3 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 23 pitches (16 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Bobby Jenks came in for Buehrle. Bloomquist chopped the first pitch to a charging Iguchi. Ibañez grounded the second pitch up the middle where Uribe got to the ball at the edge of the outfield grass, but couldn't get a hold of it as it went for a single. Sexson stuck a 2-2 single into leftcenter, moving Ibañez to third. Everett popped the 1-2 pitch to Anderson in centerfield, and Ibañez scored without a relay home.
»» MARINERS 5, WHITE SOX 1
Johjima popped the second pitch to Dye in shallow right. Jenks threw 17 pitches.
Jenks' line: 1 inning, 1 run, 2 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 17 pitches (13 strikes)
TOP 9TH
JJ Putz came in for Soriano. Thome walked on a 3-0 pitch barely inside. Konerko dropped a second-pitch single into shallow center, moving Thome to second. Dye fell grounded an 0-2 pitch to the hole at short (solid play by Betancourt) to start a 6-4-3 double play as Thome advanced to third. Crede worked a 1-2 count for a walk on a full-count pitch high and away. Uribe fell behind 0-2 and fouled off the next five pitches including a mega-smash that didn't wind around the foul pole, then flew out to Bloomquist near the track in rightcenter.
Putz' line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts, 23 pitches (15 strikes)
---
Gameball: Jarrod Washburn.
Two great starts in a row for Washburn. In the last one, Hargrove left him in much too long, but he got one out away from a complete game, though the Mariners of course had little offense in that game and Washburn lost. I've said it before, but if Washburn likes throwing letter-high fastballs to get hitters out, and if he can't top out over about 92 with it and does a lot of high 80s with it...how can he keep getting away with that? ESPNews showed me a crazy stat tonight that showed the home-road split in Jarrod Washburn's ERA. Let's just say he's using Safeco Field to his advantage. His road ERA is terrible. I know this is after just five starts, but who knows? If he carries this whole good-at-home thing too far, we'll end up having to compare him to 2005 Jamie Moyer. For those with the lefthanded Ryan Franklin comparison, I was glad that this game didn't go grossly long and went pretty quick. Not like Franklin/Buehrle from last year, but still nice and short. I was hoping for an hour and fifteen.
Goat: Kenji Johjima.
I guess you can't argue too much with the fingers he was throwing down in this game, but he only got on base in this game when he was hit by a pitch. That's how he scored one of the Mariners' five runs, but he was 0-for-3 otherwise. That's not really the point I'm making. Though he didn't start on Sunday or Monday (and didn't play at all on Monday) due to the thumb injury and/or Mike Hargrove's perception of said injury, Johjima has exactly one hit in his last six games, though to be fair, one of those games on the log had him as a defensive replacement. In any event, he has a hit in just one of his last five games in which he has an at-bat. Call it a mini-slump. I obviously expect him to get a hit here and there, sure, but I don't expect him to tear it up like he was earlier in the season. Hargrove had him batting sixth in this game between Everett and Beltre. I'd elaborate on the whole lineup thing except that when Bloomquist is in there at all, it clouds my thinking, and it does so even more when Bloomquist is batting second.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 19-4 .826 -- W8
2002 17-6 .739 2 L2
2003 15-8 .652 4 W5
2000 13-10 .565 6 L1
2005 12-11 .522 7 W2
2006 9-14 .391 10 W1
2004 8-15 .348 11 W1
Meche. Cabrera. Tomorrow.
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Wednesday, April 26, 2006
GAME 22: WHITE SOX 13, MARINERS 3
[initial partial post]
In 25 words or less: I'd do some football score analogy here if I wasn't so convinced the Bears wouldn't beat the Seahawks anytime soon.
This one featured Javier Vazquez going up against Joel Piñeiro.
TOP 1ST
Scott Podsednik popped a 3-1 pitch to leftfield. Tadahito Iguchi popped up the middle to Lopez on the centerfield grass. Jim Thome lined a 2-0 single into rightcenter. Paul Konerko walked on a 3-1 pitch down and in, moving Thome to second. Jermaine Dye fell behind 0-2 before taking a 2-2 breaking ball over the outside corner. Piñeiro threw 22 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Ichiro rolled a 1-2 pitch to a charging Uribe at short, but it got enough grass so Ichiro could leg it out for a single. Jose Lopez fell behind 1-2 and was nearly hit by an inside 2-2 pitch before hitting a full-count soft liner to shallow centerfield that a charging Anderson caught on the fly. Ichiro had come around to second as the catch was made and was hopelessly doubled off of first. Raul Ibañez worked a 1-2 count full before failing to check a swing on a full-count breaking ball, though replays were a bit inconclusive. Vazquez threw 20 pitches.
TOP 2ND
AJ Pierzynski bounced a 1-2 pitch to first. Joe Crede bounced out to third. Juan Uribe fell behind 0-2 and popped a 1-2 pitch lazily to Ichiro in shallow right. Piñeiro threw 12 pitches and had 34 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Richie Sexson took a full-count pitch inside. Carl Everett flew out to centerfield on an 0-2 pitch. Adrian Beltre fell behind 0-2 and grounded a 1-2 pitch hard to short to start a 6-4-3 double play. Vazquez threw 17 pitches and had 37 through two.
TOP 3RD
Brian Anderson got ahead 3-0 and wound up walking on a 3-1 pitch inside. Podsednik slapped a 3-1 single into leftfield to move Anderson to second. Iguchi whiffed on a 1-1 pitch and Johjima threw high trying to nail Anderson at third on the front end of a double steal, which was successful. Iguchi cranked the 2-2 hanging pitch to the leftfield wall in front of the manual scoreboard to plate Anderson and Podsednik.
»» WHITE SOX 2, MARINERS 0
Thome grounded the second pitch to Lopez in the right-side hole, moving Iguchi to third. Konerko fell behind 0-2 before crushing a 2-2 pitch off the leftfield not-manual scoreboard above the bullpens to score Iguchi and himself.
»» WHITE SOX 4, MARINERS 0
Dye flew out high to Lopez on the first pitch. Pierzynski popped high to Betancourt moving into shallow leftfield. Piñeiro threw 26 pitches and had 60 through three.
BOTTOM 3RD
Kenji Johjima took a 2-2 pitch off the back elbow. Jeremy Reed bunted the first pitch out in front, but Vazquez pounced on it and threw to second in time to nail Johjima. Yuniesky Betancourt rolled over an 0-2 pitch and bounced to short for a 6-4 forceout on Reed. Ichiro took the second pitch and watched as Pierzynski threw down and Lopez was caught in a rundown between first and second to end the inning. Vazquez threw 11 pitches and had 48 through three.
TOP 4TH
Crede walloped the first pitch into the visitors' bullpen in leftfield.
»» WHITE SOX 5, MARINERS 0
Anderson flew out to leftfield on the 3-1 pitch. Podsednik chopped a 2-2 pitch up the middle to Lopez, who might have made the play at first but double-clutched trying to grip the ball as Podsednik reached safely. Iguchi grounded hard to Beltre on the left side. Piñeiro threw 21 pitches and had 81 through four.
Piñeiro's line: 4 innings, 5 runs, 6 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, 81 pitches (44 strikes)
BOTTOM 4TH
Ichiro bounced a 1-2 pitch back to the mound. Lopez waved at a 1-2 pitch off the plate outside and low. Ibañez chopped out to second. Vazquez threw 14 pitches and had 62 through four.
TOP 5TH
Bobby Livingston, making his Major League debut, came in for Piñeiro. Thome was ahead 3-0 and took a full-count hook over the outside corner. Konerko flew out to Reed in deep centerfield. Dye worked a 1-2 count full before reaching out to tag a homer into the first row in rightcenter.
»» WHITE SOX 6, MARINERS 0
Pierzynski poked the first pitch into leftfield for a single. Crede popped the first pitch up to Johjima in foul ground. Livingston threw 19 pitches.
BOTTOM 5TH
Sexson popped the second pitch quite high to center. Everett rolled a 1-2 pitch to Iguchi in the hole on the right side. Beltre fell behind 0-2 and took a 2-2 pitch to the right calf. Johjima lined the second pitch into rightfield for a single, moving Beltre to second. Reed popped the second pitch to Dye in rightcenter. Vazquez threw 18 pitches and had 80 through five.
TOP 6TH
Uribe bounced the second pitch to first. Anderson walked on a 3-1 pitch up and away. Podsednik chopped to second to move Anderson to second base. Iguchi walked on a 3-1 pitch down and in. Thome lined a single into rightfield just out of the reach of Ichiro, shorthopping and hitting his glove and bouncing away near the corner. Anderson scored.
»» WHITE SOX 7, MARINERS 0
Konerko fell behind 0-2 and crushed a 1-2 pitch off the track and over the wall in the vicinity of the Nikon sign for a double. Needless to say, Iguchi scored. Thome went to third.
»» WHITE SOX 8, MARINERS 0
Dye got ahead 2-0 and was given the last two balls intentionally. Pierzynski slapped a high 0-2 pitch into leftfield for a single, scoring Thome. Konerko went to third and Dye went to second.
»» WHITE SOX 9, MARINERS 0
Jake Woods came in for Livingston. Crede got ahead 3-0 and grounded hard to Lopez, who backhanded it up the middle and went to first. Woods threw six pitches.
Livingston's line: 1 2/3 innings, 4 runs, 5 hits, 3 walks, 1 strikeout, 48 pitches (25 strikes)
BOTTOM 6TH
Ross Gload came in to play first for Konerko. Betancourt bounced to third. Ichiro fell behind 0-2 and wound up stinging a 2-2 pitch past Vazquez and into centerfield for a single. Lopez grounded the first pitch to third, where Crede backhanded the ball to start a 5-4-3 double play. Vazquez threw 13 pitches and had 93 through six.
TOP 7TH
Matt Lawton came in to play right for Ichiro and Roberto Petagine came in to play first for Sexson. Uribe whiffed on a 2-2 pitch. Anderson took a 1-2 fastball at the knees. Podsednik stroked a 2-2 single into leftfield. Iguchi hit a fly ball that took Reed further and further back until it landed in the grass behind the centerfield fence.
»» WHITE SOX 11, MARINERS 0
Chris Widger, hitting for Thome, took a 2-2 pitch across the inside corner. Woods threw 22 pitches and had 28 total.
BOTTOM 7TH
Ibañez walked on a full-count pitch inside, the ninth pitch of the at-bat. Lawton got ahead 2-0 and bounced a full-count pitch up the middle for a single, moving Ibañez to third.
Boone Logan came in for Vazquez. Everett took a full-count pitch off himself, loading the bases. Beltre walked on a 3-1 pitch outside, scoring Ibañez and leaving the bases loaded.
»» WHITE SOX 11, MARINERS 1
Johjima popped an 0-2 pitch to fairly deep leftfield to score Lawton.
»» WHITE SOX 11, MARINERS 2
Willie Bloomquist, hitting for Reed, grounded the 3-1 pitch hard to third, moving Everett to third and Beltre to second. Betancourt took Anderson to the warning track in center on the second pitch. Logan threw 22 pitches.
Vazquez' line: 6 innings, 2 runs, 4 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, 108 pitches (74 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Gload tagged a full-count pitch off the centerfield wall that got past Bloomquist after the bank, who was way too close to the wall and Gload got a triple out of it by the time Ibañez raced over to get the ball back to the infield. Dye laid waste to a 2-2 pitch, depositing it two rows into the second deck in leftfield.
»» WHITE SOX 13, MARINERS 2
Pierzynski rolled a 1-2 pitch to second. Crede popped a 3-1 pitch to right. Uribe rolled the second pitch to short. Woods threw 23 pitches and had 51 total.
BOTTOM 8TH
Petagine took a pitch off a finger and took his base. Betancourt got ahead 2-0 and ripped a double into the leftfield corner to move Petagine to third. Ibañez took an 0-2 pitch over the outside corner. Lawton dumped an 0-2 single into shallow left to score Petagine and move Lopez to third.
»» WHITE SOX 13, MARINERS 3
Everett grounded the second pitch hard to third to start a 5-4-3 double play. Logan threw 16 pitches and had 38 total.
TOP 9TH
Anderson bounced a 1-2 pitch to second. Podsednik got ahead 2-0 and ended up popping to Beltre in front of the third-base dugout. Iguchi popped a 3-1 pitch to Bloomquist in shallow rightcenter.
Woods' line: 3 1/3 innings, 4 runs, 4 hits, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 63 pitches (36 strikes)
BOTTOM 9TH
Beltre chopped an 0-2 pitch to short. Johjima popped the second pitch high to first. Bloomquist poked a first-pitch single over Iguchi and into rightfield. Betancourt grounded the first pitch to short to start a 6-4 fielder's choice.
Logan's line: 3 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 45 pitches (27 strikes)
---
Gameball: Ichiro.
Goat: Joel Piñeiro.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 18-4 .818 -- W7
2002 17-5 .773 1 L1
2003 14-8 .636 4 W4
2000 13-9 .591 5 W1
2005 11-11 .500 7 W1
2006 8-14 .364 10 L1
2004 7-15 .318 11 L2
Buehrle. Washburn. Tonight.
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Tuesday, April 25, 2006
MOCK DRAFT, TAPPED OUT!
While I haven't been as active as in the past here at Sports And Bremertonians, I did have enough time to take part in the 2006 NFL Mock Draft over at Chicago Sports Blogs.com.
"With the 31st pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Darryl Tapp, defensive end, Virginia Tech"
Those aren't Paul Tagliabue's words, but my words, at least for the CSB's mock draft.
Over the last two months, I've agonized over who the Seahawks will take with their 31st pick. Should they go defensive line? Secondary? Guard? The Seahawks could go in either of those directions come Saturday when the 31st pick comes up.
Tapp (6'1", 258 lbs) comes from a successful program at Virginia Tech, led by Frank Beamer. Under Beamer, the Hokies have been known as a team that has excellent defensive and special teams units. This weekend alone, the Hokies defense could see two of their defensive stars from 2005 go in the first round.
I've seen several Virginia Tech games over the past couple of years and one thing that I've noticed is that Tapp always got to the quarterback. In his career in Blacksburg, Tapp had 21.5 sacks, including 10 in 2005, his senior season.
Tapp was a two-time All-ACC first team member in his junior and senior seasons. The last two seasons, the Hokies have been in the Sugar Bowl (2004) and the Gator Bowl (2005). Tapp was definitely a huge reason why the Hokies were 21-5 the last two seasons.
The Seahawks are the defending NFC Champions (yes it's true, East Coast Media). This business of selecting next-to-last in the 1st round is interesting to say the least. But it's a position that I'm sure Tim Ruskell doesn't mind being in.
Is Tapp the answer? We'll find out Saturday afternoon.
ESPN U "Campus Connection" with Tapp
Tapp biography at HokieSports.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------
In other Seahawks news, they have acquired safety Mike Green from the Chicago Bears for a sixth-round pick. Depth, baby. Can't have enough of it.
/ Click for main page
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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Sunday, April 23, 2006
GAME 20: TIGERS 6, MARINERS 4
In 25 words or less: You couldn't look to the final result to see the bright spots in this game.
This one featured Justin Verlander going up against Felix Hernandez. The Mariners had lost three straight coming into this matchup of great young pitchers. A loss in this game wouldn't only mean the first sweep of the year, it'd take away the chance to finish with an over-.500 month of April.
TOP 1ST
Curtis Granderson smacked a broken-bat single past Lopez up the middle into centerfield on the first pitch. Placido Polanco chopped the second pitch to a charging Betancourt at short, who threw to first since there was no play at second on Granderson. Omar Infante was plunked on a 1-1 breaking ball up and in that got him on the left bicep. Magglio Ordoñez whiffed on a full count as the runners took off and Rivera made a wide throw into centerfield, allowing Granderson to come around to score. Polanco moved to third.
»» TIGERS 1, MARINERS 0
Carlos Guillen watched a 1-1 fastball go off of Rivera's glove and to the backstop to allow Polanco to score. Guillen walked on an inside 3-1 pitch. Chris Shelton fell behind 0-2 and took a 2-2 wicked curveball for strike three. Hernandez threw 22 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Ichiro chopped the second pitch to a charging Polanco at second. Jose Lopez chopped a 2-2 pitch to a charging Infante at third, who threw a bit wide of first, but Shelton pulled it down without incident. Raul Ibañez hit a checkswing nubber off of Verlander coming off the mound, who made an errant toss past Shelton and into the tarp in foul ground on the right side as Ibañez moved to second. Richie Sexson worked an 0-2 count for a walk. Matt Lawton hit the first pitch hard, but only took Granderson to fairly deep centerfield. Verlander threw 18 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Craig Monroe rolled the second pitch to short. Ramon Santiago bounced the second pitch to Sexson, who ran the ball to first. Vance Wilson was drilled in an arm on a 2-2 pitch. Granderson whiffed on a low 1-2 fastball. Hernandez threw 16 pitches and had 38 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Adrian Beltre popped the first pitch quite high to Monroe in left. Jeremy Reed flew out high on a 2-2 pitch to Ordoñez in right. Rene Rivera took a full-count fastball outside. Yuniesky Betancourt bounced to third for a 5-4 forceout. Verlander threw 14 pitches and had 32 through two.
TOP 3RD
Polanco one-hopped the second pitch to second. Infante rolled an 0-2 pitch to second. Ordoñez whiffed on an 0-2 curve. Hernandez threw eight pitches and had 46 through three.
BOTTOM 3RD
Ichiro chopped the second pitch to short. Lopez bounced out to short. Ibañez flew out to center. Verlander threw ten pitches and had 42 through three.
TOP 4TH
Guillen bounced a 2-0 pitch off of Hernandez' hand up the middle to Lopez, who ranged over and nearly got Guillen at first. Despite being waved off, Mariner training staff came out for precautionary purposes. Shelton took an 0-2 curve across the inside corner. Monroe waved at an 0-2 fastball over the outside corner. Santiago watched the first pitch go by as Guillen swiped second base on a delayed steal. Santiago bounced out to first. Hernandez threw 22 pitches and had 65 through four.
BOTTOM 4TH
Sexson popped the second pitch high to Shelton on the infield. Lawton got ahead 2-0 and wound up grounding out to first. Beltre whiffed on a 2-2 dirtball outside. Verlander threw 11 pitches and had 53 through four.
TOP 5TH
Wilson bounced a 2-0 pitch past the backhand side on Lopez into centerfield for a single. Granderson laced the first pitch to rightfield for a single, moving Wilson to second. Polanco bunted out in front, and Sexson had no play but the one at first (3-4 putout) as Wilson and Granderson moved to third and second. Infante rolled the second pitch up the middle that a drawn-in Betancourt dove for and made a nice throw to first in time (very nice play). Wilson scored and Granderson went to third.
»» TIGERS 3, MARINERS 0
Ordoñez bounced the second pitch to third. Hernandez threw 11 pitches and had 76 through five.
BOTTOM 5TH
Reed got ahead 2-0 and wound up grounding to second. Rivera whiffed badly on a 1-2 change down and in. Betancourt stroked a single into leftfield for the Mariners' first hit of the game, ending a streak of nine straight retired Mariner hitters. Ichiro sliced the second pitch over Santiago at short and into leftcenter for a single, moving Betancourt to third. Lopez hit a 2-2 pitch down the leftfield line to easily score Betancourt, but Ichiro was sent around third, but the throw beat him and the plate was thoroughly blocked by Wilson. Ichiro never touched the plate with the initial slide/collision. Verlander 22 pitches and had 75 through five.
»» TIGERS 3, MARINERS 1
TOP 6TH
Guillen bounced the first pitch to first (3-1 putout). Shelton grounded a 2-0 pitch hard to Lopez. Monroe whiffed on an 0-2 breaking ball. Hernandez threw seven pitches and had 83 through six.
BOTTOM 6TH
Ibañez took the first pitch to Monroe, who made a running catch going backward onto the leftfield track. Sexson got behind 0-2 and flew out very high to left. Lawton dribbled a grounder to third. Verlander threw eight pitches and had 83 through six.
TOP 7TH
Santiago bunted the second pitch to Hernandez' glove side, and he came off the mound to field it. Wilson laced a 2-0 single into rightfield. Granderson got ahead 2-0 and later whiffed on a 2-2 curve. Polanco poked the second pitch to rightfield for a single, moving Wilson to second. Rafael Chaves came out to chat with Rivera and Hernandez. Infante nearly ripped the second pitch down the leftfield line, but it was barely foul. Infante waved and couldn't hold up on an outside 0-2 pitch. Hernandez threw 15 pitches and had 98 through seven.
Hernandez' line: 7 innings, 3 runs (1 earned), 6 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts, 98 pitches (68 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Beltre rolled the first pitch past a diving Santiago up the middle into centerfield for a single. Reed watched the second pitch off the ground and off Wilson's shin guard, enabling Beltre to move to second. Reed chopped to third and Beltre took third behind Infante, who had made the play. Rivera whiffed on a dirty 0-2 breaking ball, and Wilson had trouble coming up with it and threw to first in time as Beltre held at third. Betancourt popped to Ordoñez in foul ground down the rightfield line. Verlander threw ten pitches and had 93 through seven.
Verlander's line: 7 innings, 1 run, 4 hits, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, 93 pitches (63 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Clint Nageotte came in for Hernandez. Ordoñez whiffed on a 1-2 breaking ball. Guillen was ahead 3-1 and walked on a full-count pitch inside. Shelton took the second pitch (wild inside fastball) and it went off Rivera's glove and past, allowing Guillen to move to second. Shelton had a 2-0 count as a result and was intentionally walked. Monroe lofted a 2-2 pitch about twelve rows above the manual scoreboard in leftfield.
»» TIGERS 6, MARINERS 1
Santiago was ahead 2-0 and punched a single through the mound into centerfield. Wilson watched the first pitch and Rivera threw past second base and into centerfield, but Santiago didn't realize it soon enough and he held. Wilson ended up bouncing out to short. Granderson bounced the second pitch to a diving Sexson at first, who underhanded to Nageotte, who stepped on the bag at first to barely beat Granderson. Nageotte threw 30 pitches.
Nageotte's line: 1 inning, 3 runs, 2 hits, 2 walks, 1 strikeout, 30 pitches (14 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Joel Zumaya came in for Verlander. Ichiro bounced the second pitch up the middle to Polanco, who reached and threw off-balance to first, but Ichiro was running, so it was a single. Lopez fell behind 0-2 and wound up popped the 2-2 pitch to third. Ibañez lined off the base of the wall in rightfield for what turned out to be a single as Ichiro moved to third. Sexson fell behind 0-2 and doubled the 1-2 pitch off the base of the wall in rightcenter, scoring Ichiro and moving Ibañez to third.
»» TIGERS 6, MARINERS 2
Lawton took a 2-2 breaking ball over the inside corner. Beltre dropped a single into rightcenter (what?!) to score Ibañez and Sexson (whaaaat?!!?!).
»» TIGERS 6, MARINERS 4
Reed got ahead 2-0 and watched Beltre scoot to second on the 2-1 pitch (they gave him a steal). Reed walked on the 3-1 pitch to load the bases.
Fernando Rodney came in for Zumaya. Carl Everett, hitting for Rivera, fouled a 3-1 pitch into Wilson's glove. Everett ended up taking the next pitch up and in for a walk to load the bases. Roberto Petagine, hitting for Betancourt, whiffed on a full-count high fastball.
Zumaya's line: 2/3 inning, 3 runs, 4 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 30 pitches (18 strikes)
Rodney's line: 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 12 pitches (5 strikes)
TOP 9TH
JJ Putz came in for Nageotte. Willie Bloomquist came in to play short and Kenji Johjima came in behind the plate. Polanco bounced a pitch past Beltre in the left-side hole, but Bloomquist backed up and made the play at first. Infante pounded the 2-2 pitch through the mound into centerfield for a single. Ordoñez popped a 2-0 pitch high to short. Guillen fell behind 0-2 and popped a slow liner that was caught by a leaping Bloomquist.
Putz' line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 16 pitches (9 strikes)
BOTTOM 9TH
Todd Jones came in for Rodney. Ichiro whiffed on an 0-2 pitch inside. Lopez grounded to short. Ibañez popped the second pitch to Monroe down the leftfield line.
Jones' line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 9 pitches (7 strikes)
---
Gameball: Adrian Beltre.
You gotta give him something when he triples his season RBI output in one game. He drove in half the Mariners' runs with that single in the eighth off of Joel Zumaya. Furthermore, his first single was up the middle and the RBI single was to rightcenter. His outs were a pop to left and a bad strikeout, but the two hits are encouraging because he found a way to hit the ball up the middle and the other way. Yes, that's how you raise your batting average from .167 to .186 in just one game. The other change had to do with his placement in the lineup, which was sixth this time as opposed to seventh the last few days. It's entirely possible he might remain there for the time being too, as Hargrove against righties could throw Kenji Johjima or Carl Everett into the five slot and Beltre into the sixth slot and keep his lefty-righty fascination intact to the most insane extent. Granted, the jury will still be very out on this until Beltre strings together a few games like this, followed by a couple weeks like this, followed by a month like this, followed by a season like this. The problem is that "this" is one game. Baby steps, baby steps.
Goat: Clint Nageotte.
The Mariners designated Joe Borchard for assignment to clear a 25-man roster spot for Nageotte before the game. Nageotte came out and did what he did, then he was sent back to Tacoma after the game. Not what Nageotte was hoping for, I'm sure. His house-of-horrors eighth inning didn't start out that way as he got Magglio Ordoñez swinging on a nice breaking ball. Then he fell behind Carlos Guillen and walked him. He started off 2-0 on Chris Shelton before Hargrove decided to give him first base. He was never ahead to Craig Monroe, but had a count of 2-2 before throwing an ill-fated belt-high curveball that went a very long way. In a related story, Jake Woods hadn't thrown since Tuesday. I'm not saying Jake Woods is great or that I'd even feel comfortable using him in the eighth inning rather than the middle innings, but if the choice comes down the Nageotte or Woods, well, I'd say it was a tossup. I'm not sure if the roster move seemed like one meant for Nageotte to pitch today no matter what (or unless Felix threw a complete game), but if it wasn't, could Hargrove have gotten him a soft landing first? Of course, I'm sure the Mariners couldn't have had both. If Nageotte shuts the Tigers down in the eighth, the Mariners probably lose 3-1 because that's just the way it's going right now. In addition, Julio Mateo, George Sherrill, and Rafael Soriano threw Saturday night, and Putz got one out on Friday night since Washburn was one out from a complete game. Putz throwing today wasn't surprising, but Woods was the most rested. He hasn't Kevin Jarvis sucked yet.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 16-4 .800 -- W5
2002 16-4 .800 -- W3
2000 12-8 .600 4 L1
2003 12-8 .600 4 W2
2005 10-10 .500 6 W2
2004 7-13 .350 9 W1
2006 7-13 .350 9 L4
These 2006 Mariners have a chance to finish with a .500 April, but they'll have to run the table over the final six games of the month. Given that the final six games are a three-game home series against the White Sox and three in Baltimore, it's probably not happening. The other thing about this year's team is that although they didn't start 0-5 like the 2004 abomination of a team, both teams have the same record after twenty games. I have more confidence in this team than I had for the 2004 team, sure, but it's still a bit frustrating. This team should be better than last year's team, since last year they were still trying to shed, well, Bret Boone, and Shigetoshi Hasegawa finally ran out of gas. Also, Matt Thornton was still getting innings. The 2005 Mariners were 12-12 to end April before hitting the wall with a May of a stunning 9-18 record. The 2004 Mariners, by the way, started with an April of 8-15. They had the 0-5 start and went 8-10 for the rest of the month, but as we all remember, the damage was more than done. Needless to say, we're expecting more out of this team, but there's more hope they can turn it around.
The best thing to take out of today's game is that Felix Hernandez had by far his best start of the season. What lost him the start was his shaky first and possibly the fourth as well. As an aside here, let's all breathe a sigh of relief that the pitching hand of Felix is okay after trying to stop that ball up the middle in the fourth with it. Let's hope he never does that again. Anyway, other than those more laborious innings, Felix did quite well and was immensely better than his three previous starts this season. I wish the Mariners would have been able to pull out the win for him if only to shut up Mario Impemba and Rod Allen on the FSN Detroit broadcast who were quite fixated more on Hernandez' shortcomings than his awesomeness, which I don't think they realized until they ran the reel of Felix and the strikeouts after he'd left the game. As for Justin Verlander, he looks like a guy with a smoother version of a Bronson Arroyo delivery, but it's still annoying. I'd rather watch the mega-violent delivery of Felix.
The multi-hit games in this one belonged to Ichiro and Beltre (gameball). Ichiro was 2-for-5 with singles. The two extra-base hits were doubles off the bats of Jose Lopez and Richie Sexson. In addition, Lopez and Sexson accounted for the half of the Mariner RBIs that weren't driven in by Beltre. As for the Mariners that went hitless in the lineup, they were Matt Lawton going 0-for-4, Jeremy Reed going 0-for-3, and Rene Rivera going 0-for-2. Lawton struck out once and never reached base, but Reed and Rivera both drew a walk each. Rivera struck out twice. Lawton left four runners on base. Though I like him way better than any pinch-hitter that the Mariners have had in years, Roberto Petagine came up empty once again, and he has only two hits this season. He had a home on Opening Day and a double eight days later. He's hitless in his last seven appearances (one walk). I hope he's with the big club long enough to get a chance to even out the badness.
But hoo boy, three against the White Sox. I'll put up with graphic-free MLB.tv feed with Niehaus and gang if I never have to see Hawk Harrelson and Darrin Jackson on the Chicago feed. I hope like hell I don't have to sit through that.
Garland. Moyer. Tomorrow.
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