Saturday, July 29, 2006
GAME 103: MARINERS 3, INDIANS 1
In 25 words or less: Washburn didn't collapse on the road and the Mariners got the good side of the Hitting Against Former Teammates sweepstakes.
This one featured Jarrod Washburn going up against Jake Westbrook. Adam Jones was given a day off and Willie Bloomquist was given the start in center. Ben Broussard also got his Mariner debut as designated hitter against the righthanded Westbrook. Before the game, Rafael Soriano was placed on the 15-day disabled list and Sean Green was activated from said list after going onto it for back spasms. The Mariners looked to even their road series with the Indians and make it six wins in nine games overall. A win would also bring the Mariners to within three games of .500 before experiencing what probably would be a foregone conclusion and formality the next day, an afternoon loss to Cliff Lee, who absolutely owns the Mariners. Also not helping the Sunday plight to bring the Mariners within two games of .500 should they win this one -- Joel Piñeiro would be taking the mound for Seattle. Unless he gets into primo trade-showcase form, don't look for a Sunday win from the Mariners.
TOP 1ST
Ichiro hit a sinking line drive to left that was snared on a diving catch by Michaels. Jose Lopez whiffed on a low 1-2 offspeed pitch. Adrian Beltre hit the first pitch for a sinking liner, but it too was caught on a diving catch, this time by Sizemore. Westbrook threw ten pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Grady Sizemore fell behind 0-2 before flying out to left on a 2-2 pitch. Jason Michaels grounded the 2-2 pitch to Beltre behind the bag at third, who threw from foul territory to one-hop Sexson, who picked it and fell over afterward. Travis Hafner bounced the first pitch to second. Washburn threw 13 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Raul Ibañez drilled a full-count pitch but got too much air under it was Sizemore made the running catch in center. Richie Sexson fell behind 0-2 before whiffing on a 1-2 low offspeed pitch. Ben Broussard fell behind 0-2 and bounced a 1-2 pitch to the hole on the right side, where Belliard moved over and bobbled it and had no play (error). Kenji Johjima popped the first pitch to Belliard in foul ground down the rightfield line. Westbrook threw 16 pitches and had 26 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Victor Martinez was down 0-2 and rolled a 1-2 pitch to short. Casey Blake got down 0-2 and bounced a 1-2 pitch past Washburn and toward second, where Betancourt ranged over and threw to first in time. Ronnie Belliard popped high to right on a 2-0 pitch. Washburn threw 11 pitches and had 24 through two.
TOP 3RD
Yuniesky Betancourt shot the second pitch to the leftfield wall for a double. Willie Bloomquist fell behind 0-2 and took a 1-2 pitch in the dirt about a foot outside and to the backstop, moving Betancourt to third. Bloomquist ended up bouncing a 2-2 pitch softly to short, scoring Betancourt.
»» MARINERS 1, INDIANS 0
Ichiro dumped the second pitch into shallow right for a single. Lopez popped the first pitch to Martinez in foul ground halfway down the first-base line. Beltre rolled over on a 1-2 pitch, grounding out to third. Westbrook threw 14 pitches and had 40 through three.
BOTTOM 3RD
Jhonny Peralta scorched a line drive right to Ichiro. Andy Marte popped the second pitch to Lopez in shallow right. Kelly Shoppach slapped the second pitch into shallow center for a single. Sizemore had the hitters' counts and walked on a 3-1 pitch, moving Shoppach to second. Michaels smacked a 2-2 pitch over Beltre and down the leftfield line for a double, scoring Shoppach and moving Sizemore to third.
»» INDIANS 1, MARINERS 1
Hafner was up 3-1 before tapping back to the mound on a full count. Washburn threw 23 pitches and had 47 through three.
TOP 4TH
Ibañez pummeled the second pitch just over the wall in dead center.
»» MARINERS 2, INDIANS 1
Sexson bounced the first pitch to third. Broussard chopped an 0-2 pitch to first (3-1 putout). Johjima bounced to second on an 0-2 pitch. Westbrook threw nine pitches and had 49 through three.
BOTTOM 4TH
Martinez popped a 2-0 pitch to fairly deep left. Blake took a 1-2 pitch over the outside corner. Belliard took a 2-2 fastball over the outside corner. Washburn threw 13 pitches and had 60 through four.
TOP 5TH
Betancourt rolled the second pitch to short. Bloomquist shot a 2-2 pitch past Martinez and into right for a single. Ichiro was up 2-0 and hit a liner toward the wall in deep leftcenter and Sizemore turned the wrong way first and then recovered, making a diving catch away from the field of play on the track as Bloomquist held at first. Lopez popped the second pitch high to Peralta in shallow left. Westbrook threw 13 pitches and had 62 through five.
BOTTOM 5TH
Peralta grounded the first pitch to short. Marte popped to Sexson on the infield grass on the right side. Shoppach worked a 1-2 count full before whiffing on a pitch up in the zone on the inside corner. Washburn threw ten pitches and had 70 through five.
TOP 6TH
Beltre walked on four pitches. Ibañez slapped the second pitch into left for a single, moving Beltre to second. Sexson bounced the first pitch to short for a 6-4-3 double play, moving Beltre to third. Broussard flew out to deep left. Westbrook threw 11 pitches and had 73 through six.
BOTTOM 6TH
Sizemore popped the second pitch to Ibañez just on the foul side of the leftfield line. Michaels was jammed dumped a 2-2 pitch just barely past the reach of Betancourt trying to make an over-the-shoulder catch in shallow center. Hafner whiffed on a full-count pitch, and Michaels was gunned down trying to steal second on the play as well as Michaels appeared to have been injured on the play, but came out to play left the next half-inning. Washburn threw 14 pitches and had 84 through six.
TOP 7TH
Johjima smoked the first pitch back to Westbrook, who got a glove on it and got the ball rolling behind the mound, throwing to first in time. Betancourt rolled the second pitch to short. Bloomquist rolled the second pitch for a single up the middle into center. Ichiro watched a 1-2 pitch in the dirt and Bloomquist nabbed second without a throw (wild pitch, stolen base). Ichiro popped the 2-2 pitch to left. Westbrook threw ten pitches and had 83 through seven.
BOTTOM 7TH
Martinez ripped the second pitch through the left side for a single. Blake waved at a 1-2 pitch. Belliard rung a hanging 2-2 pitch off the wall in leftcenter for a double, moving Martinez to third.
Mark Lowe came in for Washburn. Peralta hit a weak popup to first on a 2-2 pitch. Todd Hollandsworth, hitting for Marte, was intentionally walked to load the bases. Shin-Soo Choo, hitting for Shoppach, popped an 0-2 pitch to Ibañez on the foul side of the leftfield line. Lowe threw 13 pitches.
Washburn's line: 6 1/3 innings, 1 run, 5 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts, 96 pitches (59 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Aaron Boone came in to play third, Hollandsworth stayed in to play right, Blake moved to first, and Martinez moved behind the plate. Lopez tapped back to the mound on a 1-2 pitch. Beltre popped a 1-2 pitch to Blake halfway in on the foul side of the first-base line. Ibañez had the hitters' counts before walking on an outside 3-1 pitch. Sexson got ahead 3-0 before whiffing on a full count (eighth pitch).
Westbrook's line: 8 innings, 2 runs, 6 hits, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, 104 pitches (69 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Sizemore whiffed on a 2-2 pitch. Michaels fouled the first pitch off of the inside of Johjima's right foot or ankle and walked it off for a few seconds as plate umpire Angel Hernandez gave Johjima quite a lot of time to get his bearings back. Michaels whiffed on an 0-2 fastball over the outside corner. Hafner whiffed on a 2-2 slider down and away.
Lowe's line: 1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, 26 pitches (16 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Brian Sikorski came in for Westbrook. Broussard belted a drive that just got over the glove of a leaping Hollandsworth and just over the rightfield wall for some insurance.
»» MARINERS 3, INDIANS 1
Johjima bounced an 0-2 pitch to Boone behind the bag at third. Betancourt slapped the second pitch into right for a single. Bloomquist hadn't taken a pitch when Sikorski picked Betancourt off of first (no slide). Bloomquist was down 0-2 and took a 1-2 pitch over the outside corner. Sikorski threw 12 pitches.
Sikorski's line: 1 inning, 1 run, 2 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 12 pitches (9 strikes)
BOTTOM 9TH
JJ Putz came in for Lowe. Martinez grounded the second pitch hard to first. Blake whiffed on an 0-2 splitter on the outer half. Belliard drove the second pitch to Bloomquist on the track in leftcenter.
Putz' line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 8 pitches (8 strikes)
---
Gameball: Mark Lowe.
I think it's pretty safe to say that Mariner fans are liking what they're seeing out of Lowe. I know I am. You'd have to really reach to dig up something bad about Lowe, and the only thing I can come up with is that he's walked one hitter in each of his last three appearances. Even that is mitigated by the fact that his walk today was an intentional one. Still, he hasn't given up a hit in any of his last five appearances. He gave up two hits apiece in his first two appearances and a single hit in his third appearance. He struck out two hitters in each of his first three appearances. Of course, the most important thing on Lowe's log so far is a pretty bold and simple fact -- he hasn't given up a run yet. I don't know how long this can possibly last, and with every time he goes out there, he's more and more due to finally give up a run, but I'm waiting to see how long this can possibly last. Though I hate how with MLB.tv you don't get a choice with which team's feed you get (with Gameday Audio you do), I had the Cleveland feed today and it was the first time their STO television crew had seen Lowe, and they came away very impressed. This isn't the first time I've seen non-Seattle feed and seen that happen (the YES folks were also impressed). Also, I'd like to thank Lowe for doing so well today in cleaning up Washburn's mess in the seventh and striking out the top three of the Cleveland lineup in the eighth because before he came, I almost thought about giving Willie Bloomquist the gameball, and I really didn't want to do that, although he had a pretty good game.
Goat: Jose Lopez.
Folks, your team's All-Star second baseman is 0-for-15 with no walks and three strikeouts since flying back from Venezuela to see his newborn son. Needless to say, everyone in Marinerville is hoping this hitlessness that Lopez is exhibiting disappears right quicklike. Those fifteen at-bats are over the span of four games, and it's dropped Lopez' season average from .279 to .268. I should note that before Mike Hargrove put him into the third slot in the lineup just before the month of June, Lopez had a slugging mark of .495. He slugged .449 in June to bring his slugging percentage down to .472. This month? He's slugged .214 to bring the season slug mark down to .425. Somewhere along the way, Lopez has found a way to chop 70 points off his slugging percentage in two months. Since Hargrove first moved him into the number-three slot in the lineup (I'm attaching his futility to that turning point) and put him back into second, Lopez has gone 44-for-168, good for a clip of .262. He hit .289 in May and .276 in June, so most of that dropoff is due to his July numbers. Let's just say if he warms up in August, it'll be a very good thing.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 74-29 .718 -- W2
2003 63-40 .612 11 W2
2002 62-41 .602 12 L1
2000 60-43 .583 14 W2
2006 50-53 .485 24 W1
2005 45-58 .437 29 W1
2004 39-64 .379 35 L2
Piñeiro. Lee. Tomorrow.
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GAME 102: INDIANS 1, MARINERS 0
[extras added Sat ~6:58p]
In 25 words or less: Felix loses on a solo shot by a former Mariner instead of having his half-dozen walks come back to bite him.
This one featured Felix Hernandez going up against Jeremy Sowers. Sowers had just come off of a complete-game four-hit shutout six days earlier against the Minnesota Twins. Also in the game was the Cleveland debut of former Mariner Shin-Soo Choo. Ben Broussard was on the bench for the Mariners, but wouldn't start until the Saturday game as Sowers is a lefty, so Eduardo Perez got the start in the Mariners' new platoon. The Mariners hoped to open the road trip with a win and make it six wins in eight games overall. A win would also pull the Mariners to within two games of .500, where they haven't been since they were 44-46 thanks to a win in the first game of the series at Toronto on July 14th, the first game after the All-Star break.
TOP 1ST
Ichiro bounced the second pitch to Blake at first, who had to evade Sowers coming over to cover as well as Ichiro and dive to the bag at first, but Blake was beaten by Ichiro, who had his 150th hit of the season. Jose Lopez bounced deep in the hole on the right side to second. Adrian Beltre smashed a 2-0 pitch past Peralta at short and into left for a single and Ichiro came around third, but Hollandsworth nailed Ichiro at the plate, which was blocked three feet down the line by Martinez. Beltre went to second on the throw home. Raul Ibañez fell behind 0-2 and whiffed on some 1-2 gas. Sowers threw 12 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Grady Sizemore whiffed on a 1-2 evil curve. Joe Inglett had the hitters' counts before shooting a full-count pitch past Lopez in the hole on the right side for a single. Travis Hafner had the count 1-1 when Inglett easily stole second on Johjima's bouncing inaccurate throw. Hafner got ahead 3-1 and took a full-count curve for strike three. Victor Martinez took a 2-0 pitch up and away that went off Johjima's glove (wild pitch, evidently) and to the backstop, moving Inglett to third. Martinez was up 3-0 and took ball four intentionally that nearly flew past Johjima. Pitching coach Rafael Chaves came to the mound for a visit. Casey Blake took a 2-2 breaking ball over the outside corner. Hernandez threw 25 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Richie Sexson grounded the second pitch to short. Eduardo Perez was down 0-2 before whiffing on a 2-2 change down and out of the zone. Kenji Johjima rode a 3-1 pitch to the track in center. Sowers threw 14 pitches and had 26 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Todd Hollandsworth lined out to center on the first pitch. Jhonny Peralta bounced the second pitch off the rightfield wall for a double. Shin-Soo Choo had the hitters' counts before walking on a full-count curve down and in. Andy Marte got ahead 3-1 before whiffing on a full-count change. Sizemore whiffed on an 0-2 fastball up and over the outer half. Hernandez threw 20 pitches and had 45 through two.
TOP 3RD
Yuniesky Betancourt popped to Marte on the left side near the mound. Adam Jones drilled a single into leftcenter. Ichiro hit a broken-bat looper into shallow center that was caught by Peralta moving back. Lopez lined an 0-2 pitch right to the feet of Peralta, who threw down the glove for the catch. Sowers threw 12 pitches and had 38 through three.
BOTTOM 3RD
Inglett grounded to short on the second pitch. Hafner shot a grounder off the mound, slowing it down just enough so Betancourt could range over and reach up to make the play to first. Martinez flew out to Ibañez on the track in left, who reached to make the catch and had a low-speed collision with the wall. Hernandez threw seven pitches and had 52 through three.
TOP 4TH
Beltre fell behind 0-2 and looped a 2-2 pitch down the rightfield line that was caught by Inglett. Ibañez was up 3-1 before bouncing out to second. Sexson grounded a 2-2 pitch to third. Sowers threw 18 pitches and had 56 through four.
BOTTOM 4TH
Blake bounced a 3-1 pitch to short. Hollandsworth bounced to second, but Lopez bobbled it and never got a handle on the easy grounder (error). Peralta walked on a low full-count pitch, moving Hollandsworth to second. Choo walked on a 3-1 pitch up and away, loading the bases. Beltre had a short talk with Hernandez. Marte took a hanger of a first-pitch curve, and pitching coach Rafael Chaves zoomed to the mound for a visit. Marte grounded hard to third on a 2-0 pitch, and Beltre stepped on the bag at third before throwing to first for the incredibly timely double play. Hernandez threw 22 pitches and had 74 through four.
TOP 5TH
Perez popped to right on the first pitch. Johjima bounced to short on a 2-2 pitch. Betancourt shot the first pitch off the glove of Marte at third and into left (error). Jones flew out to right on a 2-0 pitch. Sowers threw 11 pitches and had 67 through five.
BOTTOM 5TH
Sizemore worked an 0-2 count for a walk. Inglett watched a hail of pickoff throws to first before knocking a single into shallow left. Hafner lined out right to Betancourt at short on a 3-1 pitch, and Betancourt waited a fraction of a second to throw to Lopez at second, and Sizemore evaded getting doubled off. Martinez took the first pitch and it went off of Johjima's glove and to the backstop (passed ball), moving Sizemore and Inglett to third and second. Martinez was given the last three balls intentionally to load the bases. Blake was up 3-0 but bounced the 3-1 pitch toward the hole on the left side, but Beltre got to it and started the 6-4-3 double play. Hernandez threw 25 pitches and had 99 through five.
TOP 6TH
Ichiro lined the first pitch into right for a single, making it multi-hit game number 49 for him this season. Lopez bounced the second pitch right to short for a force on Ichiro, though Lopez beat out the throw to first. Beltre, however, made sure of it and grounded to short to start a 6-4-3 double play. Sowers threw five pitches and had 72 through six.
BOTTOM 6TH
Hollandsworth rolled the second pitch right to short. Peralta grounded the second pitch up the middle to Betancourt. Choo bashed his first big-league homer about four rows above the far right end of the in-wall scoreboard just to the left of center.
»» INDIANS 1, MARINERS 0
Marte grounded the first pitch right to third.
Hernandez' line: 6 innings, 1 run, 4 hits, 6 walks, 5 strikeouts, 108 pitches (53 strikes)
TOP 7TH
Ibañez rode the second pitch just short of the track in center. Sexson had the hitters' counts and walked on a 3-1 pitch up and away. Perez took an 0-2 cut fastball over the inside corner. Johjima lined the first pitch right to Inglett at second. Sowers threw 12 pitches and had 84 through seven.
BOTTOM 7TH
George Sherrill came in for Hernandez. Sizemore roped the first pitch down the rightfield line and it was barely foul. Sizemore ended up whiffing on a 1-2 fastball. Ronnie Belliard, hitting for Inglett, popped to Ibañez in shallow left. Hafner foul-tipped an 0-2 pitch into Johjima's glove behind the plate.
Sherrill's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 11 pitches (9 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Belliard stayed in the game to play second. Betancourt lined out to left on the first pitch. Jones grounded to Peralta in the hole at short. Ichiro chopped a 1-2 pitch to third. Sowers threw nine pitches and had 93 through eight.
BOTTOM 8TH
Julio Mateo came in for Sherrill. Martinez smacked an 0-2 pitch through the right side for a single. Blake ripped the second pitch into left for a single, moving Martinez to second. Hollandsworth popped high to center. Peralta popped high to center on the first pitch. Choo was ahead 2-0 before whiffing on a 2-2 curve down and in.
Mateo's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 14 pitches (10 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Lopez rolled right to third and Marte's throw pulled Blake off of first a bit, but Blake merely tagged Lopez coming down the line. Beltre reached down for an 0-2 pitch and singled into left. Ibañez grounded to second on a full count to nearly start a 4-6-3 double play, and though Beltre was out at second, the throw to first wasn't corraled by Blake at first, so Ibañez was safe. Manager Eric Wedge came out to the mound, but not with the hook as the crowd's boos turned to cheers. Sexson popped high to Choo in fairly deep right.
Sowers' line: 9 innings, 0 runs, 5 hits, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, 109 pitches (72 strikes)
---
Gameball: Adrian Beltre.
He's 19-for-58 since the All-Star break, good for a .328 clip, which is better than his first half of July (5-for-31 and .161), leaving his average for the month at .270. Also coming after the break were seven of his nine doubles in the month, his only triple of the month, his only two July homers (one of them left the field of play), and ten of his 11 RBIs for the month. Also encouraging is that he's bumped his season average from .254 to its current .264 since the break. Another thing encouraging about that is that .264 is the highest that Beltre's batting average has been all season. He peaked in on-base average after the final game of the Boston series (.326). However, his slugging percentage is also at its highest point this season at .421. His season slugging percentage never reached .400 until June 29th at Arizona, when he hit a double and a triple. His slugging percentage has been at or better than .400 after all but six games since (five of those six were before the break).
Goat: Eduardo Perez.
Well, when they bring a player onto the team with the specific job of hitting lefthanders and then he goes 0-for-4 and strikes out twice against a lefty, well, that's not so good. It's especially magnified when the rest of the team only gets five hits. The 4-8 hitters in the Mariner lineup went a combined 0-for-16 with a walk (Sexson's) and three strikeouts (Ibañez had the other one) in this game. In any event, watching Perez go hitless against a lefthanded pitcher is a better and less costly alternative than having Carl Everett do it. My second choice for the goat here would have been Raul Ibañez, but that catch up against the wall was enough to exempt him from it. I was gonna use stuff like "he's hitting .220 for July" and stuff like that. After hitting nine homers and driving in 27 runs in June, he's hit four homers and driven in 16 runs in July. He hasn't homered since July 15th at Toronto in what some people know as The Evil 14-Inning Game. Ibañez is 9-for-50 (.180) since the All-Star break with three doubles, a triple, a homer, nine RBIs, three walks, and ten strikeouts. More shocking is that his on-base mark last month was .414 and he slugged .695. This month, he's .250 and .439 in those categories, respectively.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 73-29 .716 -- W1
2002 62-40 .608 11 W1
2003 62-40 .608 11 W1
2000 59-43 .578 14 W1
2006 49-53 .480 24 L1
2005 44-58 .431 29 L2
2004 39-63 .382 34 L1
--extras--
HERNANDEZ WITH RIVERA CATCHING (average line, four starts)
7 innings, 3 runs (2.5 earned), 6 hits, 1.5 walks, 7.3 strikeouts, 100 pitches (66 strikes)
3.25 ERA
HERNANDEZ WITH JOHJIMA CATCHING (average line, 16 starts)
6 innings, 3.7 runs (3.3 earned), 6.5 hits, 2.3 walks, 5.3 strikeouts, 100 pitches (62 strikes)
4.99 ERA
Washburn. Westbrook. Today.
/ Click for main page
Thursday, July 27, 2006
GAME 101: MARINERS 7, BLUE JAYS 4
[posted in full Fri ~12:10a]
In 25 words or less: I get it now. Moyer has to be really shaky for the offense to back him up with some runs.
This one featured AJ Burnett going up against Jamie Moyer. In a move that I think probably should have been made a while ago, Jose Lopez was moved back into the second spot in the lineup, and Adrian Beltre was moved into the third spot. The big news, however, were the transactions that went down earlier in the day. Carl Everett was designated for assignment, Chris Snelling was called up from AAA Tacoma, and Shin-Soo Choo and a player to be named later were traded to Cleveland for Ben Broussard and cash. I, for one, don't see how any of these moves hurt. Everett was Everett and I never saw that signing working in the first place just like I thought Scott Spiezio would never be able to start 140 games at third base in Seattle in 2004. I never saw Choo fitting in with the Mariners. Broussard has been good, and he can continue to be...if Mike Hargrove plays him and uses him correctly. For this game, however, a win would give the Mariners their fifth in seven games and bring them back to within three games of the .500 mark, where they haven't been since they were 42-42 after the game on July 3rd.
TOP 1ST
Reed Johnson flew out high to center on a 2-2 pitch. Aaron Hill dumped the second pitch barely out of Ichiro's reach in right for a single. Vernon Wells poked a 2-2 pitch through the right side for a single, moving Hill to second. Troy Glaus popped the second pitch high to Rivera on the dirt around home plate. Lyle Overbay bounced over the mound and past a diving Betancourt into center for a single, scoring Hill.
»» BLUE JAYS 1, MARINERS 0
Bengie Molina fell behind 0-2 before flying out just short of the leftfield track on a 2-2 pitch. Moyer threw 26 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Ichiro bounced over Glaus and to McDonald at short, and the throw was in time, but Ichiro was called safe. Jose Lopez whiffed on a 2-2 low breaking ball (eighth pitch of the at-bat), but Ichiro took off with the pitch and stole second. Adrian Beltre popped the second pitch to Molina in front of the rotating sign behind the plate. Raul Ibañez slapped an up-and-away change down the leftfield line for a double, scoring Ichiro.
»» BLUE JAYS 1, MARINERS 1
Richie Sexson stuck a hard single through the left side on a 2-2 pitch past a diving McDonald for a single, scoring Ibañez. The relay throw from Mottola in leftfield got past Molina, who wasn't backed up on the play by Burnett, who nearly screened the throw. Sexson moved to second as a result. Burnett was charged with the error on the play.
»» MARINERS 2, BLUE JAYS 1
Greg Dobbs fell behind 0-2 but stroked a 2-2 pitch for a line drive into right for a single, scoring Sexson. Hooray for Dobbs. Pitching coach Brad Arnsberg visited the mound.
»» MARINERS 3, BLUE JAYS 1
Yuniesky Betancourt flew out to fairly deep center. Burnett threw 31 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Chad Mottola was up 2-0 before flying out lazily to deepish center. Eric Hinske drove the second pitch nicely, but right to Ichiro in right. John McDonald lined a single into rightcenter. Johnson was down 0-2 and smacked a hanger of a 2-2 pitch (tenth pitch of the at-bat) off the base of the wall in the leftfield corner for a double, moving McDonald to third. Hill took a 2-2 fastball down over the inside corner. Moyer threw 25 pitches and had 51 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Rene Rivera one-hopped to Glaus behind the bag at third on the second pitch. Adam Jones flew out right to Johnson in center on a 2-0 pitch. Ichiro slapped a second pitch to deep left that Mottola reached back and got a glove on (he should have had it), but it went off his glove and to the wall for a double. Lopez was down 0-2 and whiffed on a 2-2 sinking fastball. Burnett threw 12 pitches and had 43 through two.
TOP 3RD
Wells barely missed a homer on a 1-2 pitch down the leftfield line, but it went foul. Wells ended up whiffing on the next pitch, a change in the dirt. Glaus was down 0-2 but worked the count full and bounced a single up the middle on the eleventh pitch of the at-bat. Overbay got ahead 3-1 but whiffed on a full count, and Glaus was hung up between first and second trying to steal. Moyer threw 22 pitches and had 73 through three.
BOTTOM 3RD
Beltre freakin' roped the second pitch into the visitors' bullpen in left for his first over-the-wall homer since June 20th at Dodger Stadium. That's more than a month, by the way.
»» MARINERS 4, BLUE JAYS 1
Ibañez fell behind 0-2 and whiffed on a 2-2 fastball in on the hands. Sexson grounded a 2-0 pitch to Glaus behind the bag at third. Dobbs spanked a 2-0 pitch up the middle for a single. Betancourt checked his swing on a 1-1 pitch, but Dobbs was gunned down trying to steal second. Burnett threw 17 pitches and had 60 through three.
TOP 4TH
Molina grounded right to third on the second pitch. Mottola flew out to center. Hinske bounced to short. Moyer threw eight pitches and had 81 through four.
BOTTOM 4TH
Betancourt dumped a single into shallow center. Rivera took the first pitch which got away from Molina and went to the backstop, moving Betancourt to second. Rivera poked the second pitch into the rightfield corner for a double after a wide turn at second (a triple attempt would have been "pure suicide" according to Dave Niehaus). Betancourt scored on the play.
»» MARINERS 5, BLUE JAYS 1
Jones laced an 0-2 pitch toward the rightfield corner that one-hopped over the wall for a double, scoring Rivera, who didn't read the ball well and may have had baserunning issues if not for the ball bouncing over the wall.
»» MARINERS 6, BLUE JAYS 1
Ichiro bunted the first pitch along the right side, where Hill charged and scoop-threw the ball to first with his glove in time as Jones moved to third (though Ichiro bunted for a base hit, it went as a sacrifice). Lopez grounded right to a drawn-in McDonald at short, and Jones had to hold at third. Beltre was down 0-2 before grounding to third on a 2-2 pitch (ninth pitch of the at-bat). Burnett threw 22 pitches and had 82 through four.
Burnett's line: 4 innings, 6 runs (5 earned), 10 hits, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 82 pitches (55 strikes)
TOP 5TH
McDonald lined out to third on an 0-2 pitch. Johnson drove the second pitch toward the corner in left, but Ibañez made a fine running catch. Hill rolled out to third. Moyer threw 11 pitches and had 92 through five.
BOTTOM 5TH
Scott Downs came in for Burnett. Ibañez whiffed on a 1-2 pitch. Sexson clubbed the second pitch so well it one-hopped off the hitters' backdrop beyond the centerfield wall.
»» MARINERS 7, BLUE JAYS 1
Eduardo Perez, hitting for Dobbs, grounded the first pitch to first. Betancourt rode a 2-0 pitch to Johnson a few steps short of the track in center.
Downs' line: 1 inning, 1 run, 1 hit, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 11 pitches (7 strikes)
TOP 6TH
Wells reached down an served a 1-2 pitch into center for a single. Glaus was up 3-0 before walking on a low 3-1 pitch, moving Wells to second. Overbay lasered the first pitch over the glove of a reaching Sexson at first and to the rightfield wall, scoring Wells and moving Glaus to third. The ball was hit so hard Overbay only got a single out of it.
»» MARINERS 7, BLUE JAYS 2
Julio Mateo came in for Moyer. Molina fell behind 0-2 and flew out to center on a 2-2 pitch, scoring Glaus from third.
»» MARINERS 7, BLUE JAYS 3
Frank Catalanotto, hitting for Mottola, dumped a single into shallow center, moving Overbay to second. Hinske grounded to first where Sexson started what should have been a 3-6-1 double play. The 3-6 part went fine, but Mateo had Betancourt's throw go off the tip of his glove and into foul territory (error), scoring Overbay.
»» MARINERS 7, BLUE JAYS 4
McDonald had the count 1-1 and plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth didn't signal time until Mateo had already delivered the pitch. McDonald shot the next pitch past Betancourt and into center for a single, moving Hinske to second. Johnson looped an 0-2 pitch near the rightfield line that was caught by a running Ichiro. Mateo threw 20 pitches.
Moyer's line: 5 innings, 4 runs, 8 hits, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, 103 pitches (71 strikes)
BOTTOM 6TH
Brandon League came in for Downs, and Catalanotto stayed in to play left. Rivera took a 1-2 breaking ball for strike three. Jones stung a line drive right to a leaping Overbay at first. Ichiro popped a 1-2 pitch to Hill moving back into shallow right. League threw 11 pitches.
TOP 7TH
Hill whiffed on an 0-2 pitch. Wells flew out a few steps short of the track in center on the second pitch. Glaus fell behind 0-2 and shot a 1-2 pitch up the middle for a single.
George Sherrill came in for Mateo. Overbay popped out to left. Sherrill threw four pitches.
Mateo's line: 1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 3 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 29 pitches (23 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Lopez was up 2-0 and hit a 2-2 pitch for a hard grounder to the mound, and League made the play to first. Beltre took an 0-2 highish slider for strike three. Ibañez grounded the second pitch hard to second, where Hill ranged to his right, backhanded the ball, dove, and threw to first in time. League threw ten pitches and had 21 total.
TOP 8TH
Molina ripped a single into center. Catalanotto whiffed on an 0-2 fastball up and in. Hinske walked on a full-count fastball away, moving Molina to second.
Mark Lowe came in for Sherrill. McDonald walked on a 3-1 fastball inside, loading the bases. Johnson took a first-pitch strike and Russ Adams came in to pinch-run for Molina at third. Johnson took an 0-2 fastball barely outside before grounding a 1-2 pitch up the middle that led Lopez to the bag at second, where he stepped on the bag and threw to first for the double play.
Sherrill's line: 2/3 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 17 pitches (10 strikes)
Lowe's line: 2/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts, 10 pitches (5 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Gregg Zaun came in to catch. Sexson one-hopped the second pitch back to the mound. Perez fell behind 0-2 and whiffed at a 2-2 fastball down and away. Betancourt shot a 2-0 pitch up the middle for a single. Rivera bounced the first pitch to third.
League's line: 3 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 32 pitches (23 strikes)
TOP 9TH
JJ Putz came in for Lowe. Hill fell behind 0-2 but knocked a 1-2 high splitter into center for a single. Wells punched the second pitch through the left side for a single, moving Hill to second. Glaus whiffed on a 1-2 fastball. Overbay couldn't check his swing on a high 2-2 fastball. Zaun flew out near the leftfield corner on a 2-2 pitch.
Putz' line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 20 pitches (14 strikes)
---
Gameball: Ichiro.
I goated Ichiro after the first game of the series, a game where he went 0-for-4 and his July average sat at .299. In the final two games of the series, Ichiro hit a combined 5-for-8 with a double, an RBI, and two steals. In two days, Ichiro's July average went from .299 to .329. The .329 is better than Ichiro's April mark of .287, but far behind his .371 May and .386 June. I've finally remembered to talk about it, but I remember the last couple years I and quite a few other people would complain that Ichiro wasn't running enough on the basepaths. He stole 56 bases (70 attempts) way back in 2001, but his best mark since that season was in 2004, the crazy 262-hit season, in which he stole 36 bases (47 attempts). With 61 games left, Ichiro is on pace for the following (with rankings against his other season totals, of which this would be his sixth season): 593 at-bats (6th), 102 runs (5th), 205 hits (6th), 15 doubles (6th), 8 triples (t-2nd), 8 homers (t-3rd), 48 RBIs (6th), 261 total bases (6th), 48 walks (t-3rd), 58 strikeouts (fifth-most), 47 steals (2nd), and three times caught stealing (least). It's weird looking at those numbers, because in a lot of statistical categories, Ichiro is on pace for his worst year, yet to me it seems like he's having a great year.
Goat: Jose Lopez.
Lopez went 0-for-4 in this game out of the two-hole, his first game in the second slot in the lineup since May 29th. May 30th was the day Mike Hargrove finally shook up the lineup and moved Adrian Beltre up to second and batted Lopez third. From that day to July 25th, Lopez had the following numbers before being moved back out of the third slot: 44-for-163, ten doubles, two triples, one homer, 18 RBIs, 10 walks, 26 strikeouts, 1 stolen base, 61 total bases. That works out to a .270 batting average and a .374 slugging percentage. The weird dichotomy is that even as the Mariners got hot after Hargrove shuffled the lineup, they did their damage in June. If you ask me, Lopez got his ticket punched to the All-Star Game based on his month of May, before he was moved into the third slot. I thought originally that the move might not be fair to Lopez, and I think everyone was willing to turn the other cheek if it meant Beltre could finally heat up at the plate. Beltre did just that, but meanwhile Lopez struggled. I know he's not a home-run hitter, but just one homer when he was hitting third? Ouch. He had seven homers at the end of May.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 72-29 .713 -- L2
2002 61-40 .604 11 L1
2003 61-40 .604 11 L1
2000 58-43 .574 14 L3
2006 49-52 .485 23 W1
2005 44-57 .436 28 L1
2004 39-62 .386 33 W1
Hernandez. Sowers. Tomorrow.
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Wednesday, July 26, 2006
GAME 100: BLUE JAYS 12, MARINERS 3
[posted in full Fri ~4:34a]
In 25 words or less: It looked a tiny bit competitive in the very beginning, but the game out progressively out of hand.
This one featured Roy Halladay going up against Gil Meche. A win in this game would give the Mariners a four-game winning streak and five wins in six games. It would also put them within two games of .500. Jose Lopez thankfully started at second base for the first time in a few games after flying to Venezuela to see his newborn son. Of course, Adrian Beltre had been hitting okay in the three-hole with Lopez gone, but Mike Hargrove returned the lineup to what it was, batting Beltre second and Lopez third and the rest of the lineup how it was, etc. Nothing surprising. Of course, Mariner fans were looking forward to this, thinking it was going to be a nice pitchers' duel. Unfortunately, the game still had to be played. The main motive in this whole thing, of course, is for Meche to go crazy and get his trade value through the roof so the Mariners can get great returns in a trade.
TOP 1ST
Reed Johnson fell behind 0-2 before punching a hanging 1-2 curve into shallow left for a single. Frank Catalanotto grounded the second pitch hard to a drawn-in diving Beltre at third, who threw from his knees straight to second for the out on the lead runner Johnson, and Lopez had a nice effort trying to throw in time to first, but Catalanotto reached. Lyle Overbay was up 3-0 before bouncing right to short on a full count to start an easy 6-4-3 double play. Meche threw 12 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Ichiro hit a sinking liner to shallow left that was caught by a running Catalanotto. Adrian Beltre grounded to third. Jose Lopez walked on a 3-1 pitch down and away. Raul Ibañez looped to shallow center, but Johnson ran in to catch it. Halladay threw 15 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Troy Glaus rung a 2-2 pitch off the track and wall in left for a double. Gregg Zaun drilled the second pitch into center for a solid single to move Glaus to third, but Zaun got hung up between first and second on the relay throw back to the infield, possibly trying to lure the defense into forgetting about Glaus at third, who had the stop sign up anyway. Eric Hinske whiffed on a 1-2 mother of a curve inside. Bengie Molina walked on an outside pitch. Aaron Hill grounded quite hard to second. Meche threw 18 pitches and had 30 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Richie Sexson whiffed on a 1-2 breaking ball in the dirt away. Carl Everett fell behind 0-2 before whiffing on a 1-2 slider. Yuniesky Betancourt fouled the first pitch off his shin and down the first-base line before flying out to shallow left on the first pitch. Halladay threw 13 pitches and had 28 through two.
TOP 3RD
John McDonald fell behind 0-2 and took a 1-2 evil curve for strike three. Johnson roped the second pitch past a diving Beltre down the leftfield line for a double. Catalanotto laced the first pitch into the gap in rightcenter, scoring Johnson easily.
»» BLUE JAYS 1, MARINERS 0
Overbay took a 2-2 pitch up and away and Johjima nailed Catalanotto by five feet trying to steal third. Overbay whiffed on the next pitch, a full-count curve down and away. Meche threw 13 pitches and had 43 through three.
BOTTOM 3RD
Adam Jones fell behind 0-2 and couldn't check his swing on a 1-2 breaking ball down and away. Ichiro flew out to left. Beltre fell behind 0-2 before whiffing on a 2-2 fastball at the knees. Halladay threw 12 pitches and had 40 through three.
TOP 4TH
Glaus had a 3-0 count go full before walking on a low curve, the eighth pitch of the at-bat. Zaun worked a 1-2 count full only to get the front foot out a bit and whiff on a change down and away, falling to the ground as a result. Hinske punched the first pitch through the right side for a single, moving Glaus to second. Molina worked a 1-2 count full before whiffing on a fastball. Hill fell behind 0-2 before smacking a 1-2 pitch (belt-high down the pipe) into the rightcenter gap just past Ichiro's reach for a double, scoring Glaus and Hinske.
»» BLUE JAYS 3, MARINERS 0
McDonald popped to Sexson halfway down the first-base line on a 2-0 pitch. Meche threw 28 pitches and had 71 through four.
BOTTOM 4TH
Lopez popped an 0-2 pitch just short of the track in left. Ibañez was ahead 2-0 and bounced a full-count pitch to a charging Hill at second, who had to throw off balance to get Ibañez at first. Sexson was up 2-0 before rolling a 2-2 pitch along the right side, where Halladay picked it up and tagged Sexson halfway down the line. Halladay threw 14 pitches and had 54 through four.
TOP 5TH
Johnson push-bunted the first pitch along the right side, but once Meche took the underhand toss from Sexson, he lost the footrace to the first-base bag. Catalanotto bunted to the left side, where Beltre made the charge-and-throw move to first like he always does, moving Johnson to second. Overbay took a 2-1 pitch in the dirt which was blocked by Johjima, who tried to catch Johnson coming too far off the bag at second, and Johnson was safe on the close play. Overbay walked on a 3-1 pitch inside. Glaus lasered a full-count pitch over a leaping Lopez into rightcenter for a single, scoring Johnson and moving Overbay to second.
»» BLUE JAYS 4, MARINERS 0
Zaun had the hitters' counts before walking on a fastball down and in, loading the bases. Hinske roped a 1-2 pitch into the rightfield corner for a double, scoring Overbay and Glaus and moving Zaun to third.
»» BLUE JAYS 6, MARINERS 0
Jake Woods came in for Moyer. Molina flew out to right, where Ichiro gunned home right away to hold Zaun at third. Hill was intentionally walked to reload the bases. McDonald took the first pitch for a ball and plate umpire Tim McClelland tossed Mike Hargrove from the game. Johjima also jawed a short bit with McClelland as well after Hargrove was tossed. McDonald had the hitters' counts before walking on a 3-1 pitch, forcing Hinske across the plate and keeping the bases loaded.
»» BLUE JAYS 7, MARINERS 0
Johnson grounded to third. Woods threw 21 pitches.
Meche's line: 4 1/3 innings, 7 runs, 10 hits, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts, 98 pitches (55 strikes)
BOTTOM 5TH
Everett rolled to short, where McDonald booted it and then threw wide of first, enabling Everett to reach safely. Johjima fell behind 0-2 before poking a full-count pitch into shallow center. Betancourt ripped the first pitch off the manual scoreboard, scoring Everett and Johjima. The ball ricocheted toward the infield on Catalanotto, but he picked it up and threw to third, where Betancourt unsuccessfully tried to stretch it into a triple.
»» BLUE JAYS 7, MARINERS 2
Jones whiffed on a 1-2 pitch way low and away. Ichiro served a looping single into shallow right. Beltre took the first pitch as Ichiro nabbed second. Beltre grounded the second pitch hard to first. Halladay threw 20 pitches and had 74 through five.
TOP 6TH
Catalanotto golfed an 0-2 pitch just over the wall in right.
»» BLUE JAYS 8, MARINERS 2
Overbay grounded the second pitch to first. Glaus drilled a first-pitch single into shallow center. Zaun fell behind 0-2 before flying out to Ibañez in shallow leftcenter on a 1-2 pitch. Hinske flew out to the track in center on the second pitch. Woods threw 12 pitches and had 33 total.
BOTTOM 6TH
Lopez bounced a 2-2 pitch to a charging McDonald at short. Ibañez bounced to the left side, where Glaus charged and came up empty on the barehand attempt as Ibañez got the single. Sexson ripped a single into center. Everett flew out to shallow center on the first pitch. Johjima bounced the second pitch to first. Halladay threw 15 pitches and had 89 through six.
TOP 7TH
Molina fell behind 0-2 before bouncing out to third on a 1-2 pitch. Hill fell behind 0-2 before whiffing on a 1-2 pitch. McDonald rolled out to second. Woods threw 11 pitches and had 44 total.
BOTTOM 7TH
Betancourt grounded up the middle, where Hill dove for the ball and stopped it, but Betancourt is fast and legged out the single. Jones once again whiffed on an 0-2 breaking ball way the hell outside. Ichiro drove the second pitch into right for a single, moving Betancourt to second. Beltre was jammed and looped the second pitch into shallow center for a single, scoring Betancourt and moving Ichiro to second.
»» BLUE JAYS 8, MARINERS 3
Lopez popped the first pitch to Overbay in foul ground on the right side. Ibañez popped to McDonald backing into shallow left.
Halladay's line: 7 innings, 3 runs (2 earned), 9 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, 103 pitches (71 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Johnson grounded hard to first on an 0-2 pitch, and Sexson had the ball go off of him and had to stay with it to underhand to a sprinting and covering Woods for the out at first. Catalanotto bounced the second pitch to first. Overbay worked a 1-2 count full before taking a fastball over the outside corner. Woods threw 11 pitches and had 55 total.
BOTTOM 8TH
Justin Speier came in for Halladay. Sexson whiffed on a 1-2 fastball low and away. Everett flew out to McDonald in shallow left on the first pitch. Johjima grounded to short. Speier threw eight pitches.
Speier's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 8 pitches (6 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Glaus worked an 0-2 count for a walk, which is always a great sign for the pitcher. Zaun popped the first pitch high to center. Hinske looped a fly ball to Beltre in foul ground on the left side. Molina broke his bat on a 1-2 pitch, dumping it into shallow center for a single, moving Glaus to second.
Emiliano Fruto came in for Woods, which to me was pretty pointless. Hill walked on a full-count pitch way inside. McDonald got a hold of the second pitch (fastball up in the zone), putting it into the Mariners' bullpen. Yeah, that's a slam.
»» BLUE JAYS 12, MARINERS 3
Johnson whiffed on a 2-2 splitter down and in.
Woods' line: 4 1/3 innings, 3 runs, 3 hits, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts, 68 pitches (42 strikes)
Fruto's line: 1/3 inning, 2 runs, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 15 pitches (8 strikes)
BOTTOM 9TH
BJ Ryan came in for Speier, which is another pointless move. Betancourt popped to Overbay toward the foul line on the right side. Jones whiffed on an 0-2 pitch in the dirt. Ichiro served an 0-2 pitch into left for a single. Beltre popped the first pitch to Johnson in leftcenter.
Ryan's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 10 pitches (9 strikes)
---
Gameball: Yuniesky Betancourt.
This guy's got himself up to a steady .300 at the plate. I can't say I expected that from this guy. I expected some crazy defensive skills and maybe some hitting every once in a while, but this? He's hitting .302, for goodness' sake. Of course, the perspective has changed a bit over the last week or so as Adam Jones was brought up and took the ninth slot in the lineup from Betancourt, who now hits eighth, or seventh if Rene Rivera is in the game. So far this month, Betancourt is hitting 27-for-73, a torrid .370 clip. Who misses the black-hole bottom third of the Mariner lineup from past years? Who misses their Wilson Valdez? Their Dan Wilson? Their guys that they wanted to hit in the middle of the lineup but they sucked and got moved to the bottom third and still sucked? Of course, back then the Mariners had offense in the other two-thirds of the lineup to get the team their offensive identity and support. For now, though, there's a shortstop for the Mariners that hits .300 with a wicked glove out there.
Goat: Gil Meche.
What an absolute buzzkill. I try not to get juiced up about many things Mariner since I've been conditioned to expect failure or letdown scenarios after the many years of futility. Still, I was going into this game possibly expecting a nice pitchers' duel. Is there a such thing as a pitchers' single? How do you chop "duel" in half? One-man show? Monocle? It wasn't just the fact that Meche got rocked and stunk it up and that the Mariners had no chance -- it was the fact that going into this game, the trade value for Meche was probably the highest that it's ever been. Of course, there's nothing like giving up seven runs on ten hits in 4 1/3 innings to leave Meche's trade value mangled and tattered in the wind. If they could have only traded Meche after his previous outing and traded Joel Piñeiro after his game in the Bronx, everything just might be a little more hunky-dory. I really don't think that the Mariners' rotation can step forward toward the future until Meche and Piñeiro are out the door. Moyer will stay because he's Moyer, but to me, the Mariners have to almost get rid of the last vestiges of the Bryan Price era, as good as that era was. I think he probably hit the wall with Meche and Piñeiro, and that probably one of the biggest reasons he left the Mariners after one year under Hargrove.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 72-28 .720 -- L1
2002 61-39 .610 11 W1
2003 61-39 .610 11 W2
2000 58-42 .580 14 L2
2006 48-52 .480 24 L1
2005 44-56 .440 28 W1
2004 38-62 .380 34 L3
Burnett. Moyer. Tonight.
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Tuesday, July 25, 2006
GAME 99: MARINERS 7, BLUE JAYS 3
In 25 words or less: When you spot Joel Piñeiro a four-run lead early, it gives him more room for error, and he'll use that room to varying degrees.
This one featured Casey Janssen going up against Joel Piñeiro. For hopefully the final time, Willie Bloomquist started at second base again for Jose Lopez, who was in Venezuela for the birth of his son. Vernon Wells was scratched from the lineup, which is good for the Mariners but incredibly bad for my fantasy team. The Mariners hoped to win their third straight and fourth in five games, easily their best stretch since the latter half of June that had all of that interleague play and that jazz. Also, I have a confession to make -- I really like the fronts of those Blue Jay road uniforms. There might be a couple people out there who have read my rants about uniforms and stuff and know how particular I am about them. The font and the way the word Toronto is styled on the fronts of their road tops is great. However, I never dug the whole "Jays" thing, as in doing away with the word Blue. Also, as nice as the fronts are, the number font on the back is a little odd. Going back in time, I had no problem with the uniforms Toronto wore when they repeated as world champs, and I think those uniforms, had they kept them, would hold up today. Then they tried to mix red as another color on the uniform (Clemens era), and I liked it much less. Did I mention I'm weird? I could probably write a couple paragraphs on why I hate the Texas Rangers' Alex-and-after era of uniforms (in a rare case in sports, their alternate tops work the best).
TOP 1ST
Reed Johnson laced a base hit down the leftfield line for what looked to be a double but it was hit pretty hard and Ibañez one-hopped a throw to Bloomquist at second, and Johnson was beat by about four feet with the throw, though replay showed that Johnson pulled his left arm out of the way of Bloomquist's tag and reached around with the right arm to touch second base. Frank Catalanotto took first two pitches for strikes and whiffed on the third, a high fastball. Lyle Overbay drove the second pitch off the track and over the wall into the Mariners' bullpen in leftcenter for a ground-rule double. Troy Glaus got ahead 3-1 before whiffing on a full-count fastball up and in. Piñeiro threw 16 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Ichiro was ahead 2-0 but chopped to third on a 2-2 pitch. Willie Bloomquist rolled out to second. Adrian Beltre chopped the first pitch high over the mound to McDonald at short. Janssen threw nine pitches.
TOP 2ND
Gregg Zaun whiffed on a 2-2 low breaking ball away. Bengie Molina doubled (really) off the base of the wall in right on an 0-2 pitch. Eric Hinske grounded to first, moving Molina to third. Aaron Hill worked a 1-2 count fulll before failing to check his swing on a breaking ball down and away (nine pitches). Piñeiro threw 21 pitches and had 37 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Raul Ibañez was ahead 3-1 before walking on a low full-count pitch. Richie Sexson had the hitters' counts before walking on a full-count pitch. Carl Everett tried bunting the second pitch and Ron Fairly wondered what the heck he was doing. Everett was down 0-2 as a result and ended up getting jammed on a 1-2 pitch and looped a single into shallow right, loading the bases as Ibañez didn't get a great read on the ball. Kenji Johjima spanked the first pitch into shallow rightcenter for a single, scoring Ibañez and Sexson and moving Everett to third (he beat a relay throw). Pitching coach Brad Arnsberg came to the mound for a visit.
»» MARINERS 2, BLUE JAYS 0
Yuniesky Betancourt took an 0-2 pitch in the dirt away that went off Molina's glove and to the backstop, scoring Everett and moving Johjima to second.
»» MARINERS 3, BLUE JAYS 0
Betancourt worked an 0-2 count full before whiffing on a pitch up and in. Adam Jones drilled an 0-2 pitch into leftcenter for a single, scoring Johjima easily for his second Major League RBI.
»» MARINERS 4, BLUE JAYS 0
Ichiro watched Jones nearly get picked off before seeing a pitch. Ichiro saw the first pitch before Jones was nearly picked off again. Ichiro fell behind 0-2 before looping a 2-2 pitch into very shallow center, but Johnson sprinted a long way and made a great diving catch as Jones was around second base and Johnson one-hopped a lazy throw to first for the double play. Janssen threw 36 pitches and had 45 through two.
TOP 3RD
John McDonald was up 2-0 and ended up looping a 2-2 pitch to Ichiro along the rightfield line. Johnson fell behind 0-2 and spanked an outside 1-2 pitch near the rightfield line for a single. Catalanotto hit a 2-2 pitch for a sinking line drive to left that was caught by a sliding (semi-awkwardly) Ibañez. Overbay grounded the first pitch up the middle for a single, moving Johnson to third. Glaus blistered the second pitch over the reach of a leaping Betancourt at short for a single, scoring Johnson and moving Overbay to second.
»» MARINERS 4, BLUE JAYS 1
Zaun was ahead 3-0 and grounded a 3-1 pitch hard to first. Piñeiro threw 24 pitches and had 61 through three.
BOTTOM 3RD
Bloomquist bunted the first pitch a bit too hard (or soft) along the left side, where Janssen picked it up and threw to first in time. Beltre was up 2-0 and grounded a 2-2 pitch to third, where Glaus threw to first (throw picked nicely by Overbay). Ibañez flew out high to shallow left on the second pitch. Janssen threw eight pitches and had 53 through three.
TOP 4TH
Molina popped an 0-2 pitch in Ichiro along the stands in foul ground down the rightfield line. Hinske just destroyed a high-hanging 1-2 breaking ball about fourteen rows or so into the rightfield seats.
»» MARINERS 4, BLUE JAYS 2
Hill grounded hard to third. McDonald had the hitters' counts and walked on a 3-1 pitch down and away. Johnson popped out to right on the second pitch. Piñeiro threw 19 pitches and had 80 through four.
BOTTOM 4TH
Sexson fell behind 0-2 before reaching down on a below-the-knees 2-2 pitch, bouncing it off the track and over the centerfield wall for a double. Everett grounded the first pitch to second, moving Sexson to third. Johjima had a 1-1 count when Arnsberg visited the mound again. Johjima ended up jumping on a 2-2 pitch, hitting a high-arcing moon shot four rows deep above the manual scoreboard in left just inside the foul pole. Sexson also scored on the play. Johjima was later attended to by the training staff in the dugout after fouling a ball off of a leg during the at-bat.
»» MARINERS 6, BLUE JAYS 2
Brian Tallet came in for Janssen. Betancourt fell behind 0-2 before grounding right to third on a 1-2 pitch. Jones was down 0-2 before whiffing at a sweeping 1-2 breaking ball. Tallet threw eight pitches.
Janssen's line: 3 1/3 innings, 6 runs, 5 hits, 2 walks, 1 strikeout, 65 pitches (41 strikes)
TOP 5TH
Catalanotto looped a 1-2 pitch to Piñeiro still on the mound. Overbay ripped the second pitch through the mound and into center for a single. Glaus blistered a low fastball for a single into center, moving Overbay to second. Zaun whiffed on a 2-2 change down and away. Molina grounded the first pitch hard to Beltre, who waited for Overbay to move toward him before tagging him for the third out. Piñeiro threw 16 pitches and had 96 through five.
BOTTOM 5TH
Ichiro chopped the second pitch to third. Bloomquist got ahead 3-1 before popping to Hinske at the sliver of foul dirt in the rightfield corner next to the stands. Beltre popped the second pitch foul to Overbay on the right side. Tallet threw ten pitches and had 18 total.
TOP 6TH
Hinske got the arms extended on a 1-2 outside pitch, mashing it in front of the hitters' backdrop over the centerfield wall.
»» MARINERS 6, BLUE JAYS 3
Hill rode the second pitch to Jones on the track just to the right of center. McDonald lined the second pitch to center. Johnson fouled off his first four pitches before rolling to third on the fifth.
Piñeiro's line: 6 innings, 3 runs, 10 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts, 109 pitches (73 strikes)
BOTTOM 6TH
Ibañez slapped the second pitch into left for a single into left. Sexson walked on four pitches, moving Ibañez to second. Everett (not Perez against the lefty) fell behind 0-2 before spanking a 1-2 pitch through the left side for a single, scoring Ibañez, though the cutoff throw to the infield got right to Glaus, who was very close to Sexson and tagged him.
»» MARINERS 7, BLUE JAYS 3
Jeremy Accardo came in for Tallet. Johjima got ahead 3-1 and whiffed badly on a full-count pitch, and Everett was out by a mile at second after going on the pitch. Accardo threw seven pitches.
Tallet's line: 2 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeouts, 28 pitches (17 strikes)
TOP 7TH
George Sherrill came in for Piñeiro. Catalanotto bounced an 0-2 pitch to short. Overbay lined a 1-2 pitch to rightcenter, but Ichiro caught it on the run. Glaus whiffed on a 1-2 pitch. Sherrill threw 12 pitches.
BOTTOM 7TH
Betancourt grounded hard to second on the first pitch. Jones popped the second pitch high to center. Ichiro scorched a 2-2 pitch, sending a laser beam right into the glove of Hill at second.
Accardo's line: 1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 15 pitches (9 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Zaun got ahead 3-0 and walked on a 3-1 pitch. Molina got a hold of a 1-2 pitch, but it went to Jones on the warning track in center. Hinske popped to Ibañez in leftcenter on a 3-1 pitch.
Emiliano Fruto came in for Sherrill. Hill was up 2-0 and popped high on a full count to center. Fruto threw six pitches.
Sherrill's line: 1 2/3 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 26 pitches (16 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Scott Downs came in for Accardo. Bloomquist grounded to third on the second pitch. Beltre got ahead 2-0 before mashing a 2-2 pitch to the leftfield wall for a double. Ibañez fell behind 0-2 and whiffed on a 2-2 pitch. Sexson took a 2-2 pitch down and in that got away from Molina behind the plate, moving Beltre to third. Sexson worked the 1-2 count full before lining out to Glaus, who made a shoestring catch. Downs threw 20 pitches.
Downs' line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 20 pitches (12 strikes)
TOP 9TH
Russ Adams, hitting for McDonald, popped an 0-2 pitch to Ichiro, who ran a long way to make the catch near the line. Johnson fell behind 0-2 before driving a 2-2 pitch to the wall in rightcenter just past Ichiro for a double. Pitching coach Rafael Chaves came to the mound for a visit. Catalanotto popped the second pitch to Ibañez in shallow leftcenter. Overbay lined the second pitch to a running Ichiro near the rightfield corner.
Fruto's line: 1 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 22 pitches (17 strikes)
---
Gameball: Carl Everett.
Jose Lopez and Everett have one thing in common -- May was the best month of the season for both. Lopez hit .289 with three doubles, three triples, and four homers and 25 RBIs in the month. Though this seems like long ago, Everett in the month of May hit .291 with a double and three homers and drove in 11 runs. He had a 30-hit month. That's great and all, but when you consider he's amassed 22 hits in all since (nearly two months), that's not so good. He's hit 22-for-119 (.185) since the month of May. He's hit four homers and driven in nine runs in that span. This game tonight was Everett's 16th multi-hit game of the season. Eight of his multi-hit games came in May. The fact that he got a multi-hit game was pretty much the impetus behind the gameball entry tonight. He had a multi-hit game on the 16th in Toronto, but that was his first since June 15th in Oakland, though interleague play had a lot to do with that. Someone could conceivably make an argument that interleague play messed up Everett, though I wouldn't be rushing to buy such an argument. He was 4-for-26 with two homers and four RBIs in interleague play. If you subtract 4-for-26 from his totals for the year, you get 66-for-258, good for a .256 average. However, he's 9-for-48 (.188) since interleague play ended.
Goat: Ichiro.
I'm bypassing the possibility of bagging on Willie Bloomquist (10-for-60 combined in June and July) hanging up an 0-for-4 and getting on Joel Piñeiro for giving up ten hits in the game and throwing 80 pitches in the first four innings just so I can have more fun with the when-Ichiro-goes-hitless material. The Mariners played their 99th game of the season, and Ichiro has now gone hitless in 22 of those games. The rarity in this game is that the Mariners won despite Ichiro going 0-for-4. In the 22 hitless Ichiro games, the Mariners have a record of 5-17. So, other things have to happen with the team when Ichiro is busy going hitless. For instance, the 3-7 hitters in the Mariner lineup combined to go 7-for-16 with two doubles, a homer, three walks, two strikeouts, and five RBIs. Kenji Johjima was a big part of that with the 2-for-3 night with four RBIs and the homer. Ichiro started the season hitting .177 after 15 games. He went 20-for-46 (.435) to finish with a .287 average for the month of April. After hitting .371 in May and .386 in June, Ichiro is at a pedestrian .299 so far in July. He's lost 11 points off his season average since July 2nd. Since the break (including a seven-game hitting streak), he is 15-for-48, which is a .313 clip, but if you're Ichiro, that's enough to sink your numbers.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 72-27 .727 -- W4
2002 60-39 .606 12 L3
2003 60-39 .606 12 W1
2000 58-41 .586 14 L1
2006 48-51 .485 24 W3
2005 43-56 .434 29 L1
2004 38-61 .384 34 L2
Halladay. Meche. Tonight.
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Sunday, July 23, 2006
KABLOOIE!
Okay, this is just me having fun here. The photo isn't Richie Sexson's walk-off blast from the Sunday afternoon game. It's actually one of the wire photos from Sexson's first game as a Mariner, the two-homer game against the Twins. Basically this was something I quickly drew up with Corel Paint Shop Pro X, which in some ways is a poor man's Photoshop, but rooting back to Computer Cartography class back at Central (winter 2004), I'm used to the Corel stuff. Back then it was CorelDRAW 11 that we were using, which could be used a lot like a GIS except without having to align stuff to coordinate systems and datums (datii?) and you wouldn't be running queries on cells and stuff.
Anyway, it's one of Sexson's first two blasts as a Mariner combined with some Corelness combined with some random font I downloaded from the Internet.
By the way, the Mariners are 98 games through their season right now, which means they're 60.5% of the way through the season, which means there's less than 40% of the season left. Time's flying.
This of course means the Seahawks will be starting their season very soon. The regular season's only a month and a half away. Incredible.
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GAME 98: MARINERS 9, RED SOX 8
In 25 words or less: The Mariners had to go through an iffy start by Washburn, the Adam Jones Learning Experience, and a Putz blown save. They somehow won.
This one featured Jon Lester, Tacoma guy pitching in front of friends and family, going up against Jarrod Washburn. Jose Lopez was still out due to family matters, and Willie Bloomquist started at second base once again. The MLB.tv live feed was the Boston (NESN) feed, but that's not the important thing -- what was important was on-screen graphics and commercials. Them's good stuff. So is seeing replays that the broadcasters are referring to over the course of the telecast. MLB.tv can block out local commercials and I'd at least understand the motive, but to go with raw ballpark feed with no on-screen graphics does a disservice to anyone watching the game live and especially to anyone watching an archived game because rare is the day when I get through more than ten minutes of an archived game without having it stop on me, and then I have to go refresh the feed and try to find out where I was in the game before it cut out. That's freakin' hard without on-screen graphics. I know MLB.tv has the hop-to-an-inning feature now, but even that's bullcrap because every time I seem to use it, it jumps in three batters into the half-inning, which is no good. I jumped back into the bottom of the first in this game because my live feed cut out during the game, and I used the jump feature and two guys were already on base with Adrian Beltre at the plate. Come on. Anyway, my argument is that on-screen graphics are great for MLB.tv users whether they're writing too-detailed game posts or not.
Oh, and a win here would give the Mariners three wins in four games, easily their best stretch since late June, the last time you could have weird wacky dreams about them having meaningful baseball in September.
TOP 1ST
Kevin Youkilis popped the second pitch to Sexson at the first-base coaches' box. Mark Loretta got ahead 2-0 before walking on a high full-count pitch. David Ortiz whiffed on a 2-2 breaking ball down and away. Manny Ramirez grounded hard to short, where Betancourt bobbled it but gathered for the toss to second to force out Loretta. During the at-bat, Ramirez had a problem with one of the calls by plate umpire Larry Poncino. As he hit the grounder to Betancourt, he flipped the bat back in the general direction of the plate and possibly Poncino. Washburn threw 17 pitches.
BOTTOM 1ST
Ichiro slapped a single through the mound and into center. Willie Bloomquist was ahead 2-0 before splitting his bat and punching a grounder through the left side for a single to move Ichiro to second. Adrian Beltre got ahead 2-0 before drilling a 2-2 off the base of the wall in leftcenter in front of the Mariners' bullpen for a double, scoring Ichiro and Bloomquist.
»» MARINERS 2, RED SOX 0
Raul Ibañez dropped a 1-2 pitch down the leftfield line between Lowell, Gonzalez, and a sliding Ramirez for a double, moving Beltre to third. Richie Sexson whiffed on a 2-2 slow breaking ball, his 100th strikeout of the season. Eduardo Perez popped the first pitch to Kapler in shallow rightcenter, scoring Beltre.
»» MARINERS 3, RED SOX 0
Kenji Johjima took the first pitch, a cut fastball, off the back leg. Lester got a visit from the pitching coach. Yuniesky Betancourt grounded the second pitch to Lowell behind the bag at third. Lester threw 27 pitches.
TOP 2ND
Jason Varitek whiffed on a high 2-2 fastball. Mike Lowell flew out to right. Coco Crisp drove the second pitch into the gap in rightcenter for a double. Gabe Kapler flew out high to Ichiro on a 2-2 pitch. Washburn threw 17 pitches and had 34 through two.
BOTTOM 2ND
Adam Jones whiffed on a full-count fastball. Ichiro tapped an 0-2 pitch past the mound to Gonzalez moving from short. Bloomquist whiffed badly on a 2-2 breaking ball way outside. Lester threw 14 pitches and had 41 through two.
TOP 3RD
Alex Gonzalez was down 0-2 before whiffing on a 1-2 inner-half fastball. Youkilis grounded hard off Washburn's glove, which slowed it down, but Betancourt dove and threw from the seat of his pants anyway, though he had no chance to get Youkilis at first (single). Loretta drove the second pitch to left for a single (Ibañez cut it off at the track), moving Youkilis to third. Ortiz slapped a double to the leftfield wall in front of the manual scoreboard, scoring Youkilis and moving Loretta to third.
»» MARINERS 3, RED SOX 1
Ramirez fell behind 0-2 before chopping a 1-2 pitch to short, where Betancourt went to first for the out. Loretta scored and Ortiz held at second.
»» MARINERS 3, RED SOX 2
Varitek fell behind 0-2 before crushing a 2-2 pitch to the leftfield wall below the manual scoreboard, scoring Ortiz. Pitching coach Rafael Chaves visited the mound.
»» RED SOX 3, MARINERS 3
Lowell popped high to Johjima in front of the plate. Washburn threw 28 pitches and had 62 through three.
BOTTOM 3RD
Beltre was ahead 2-0 and rolled over an outside 2-2 pitch, grounding out to third. Ibañez roped a double high off the leftfield wall in front of the visitors' bullpen, snapping an 0-for-11 stretch. Sexson popped to Kapler just foul of the rightfield line next to the stands on a 1-2 pitch. Perez got ahead 3-0 before golfing a 3-1 pitch for a high-arcing moon shot into the visitors' bullpen in left. I have to admit, I didn't think that one was leaving.
»» MARINERS 5, RED SOX 3
Johjima slapped the second pitch to first for a groundout. Lester threw 20 pitches and had 61 through three.
TOP 4TH
Crisp grounded hard off of Beltre's glove, and it rolled slowly into foul territory toward the stands, enabling Crisp to stretch it to a double. Kapler failed to check a swing on an 0-2 fastball. Gonzalez whiffed on a 1-2 breaking ball. Youkilis got ahead 3-0 and walked on a full-count pitch outside as Crisp took third without a throw. Loretta rolled the second pitch to second for a 4-6 force on Youkilis. Washburn threw 18 pitches and had 80 through four.
BOTTOM 4TH
Betancourt lined out to center on the first pitch. Jones drilled a full-count pitch for a single into rightcenter. Ichiro looped a flyout to third. Bloomquist watched the 2-0 pitch as Jones easily stole second for Major League stolen base number two. Bloomquist walked on four pitches. Beltre got way under the second pitch, flying out to Youkilis in foul ground near the plate on the right side. Lester threw 17 pitches and had 78 through five.
TOP 5TH
Ortiz ripped a double into the rightfield corner. Ramirez dumped a 1-2 pitch along the rightfield line past Sexson and out of the reach of Bloomquist for a single, moving Ortiz to third. Varitek grounded the second pitch to third, where Beltre tried turning the double play but got only the out at second as Bloomquist was a tiny bit slow getting the ball out of his glove before the throw to first. Ortiz scored.
»» MARINERS 5, RED SOX 4
Lowell flew out to Jones in leftcenter on a 2-2 pitch. Crisp whiffed on an 0-2 pitch. Washburn threw 18 pitches and had 98 through five.
BOTTOM 5TH
Ibañez lined out to Ramirez in left. Sexson whiffed on a 1-2 pitch. Perez flew out to center on a 2-2 pitch. Lester threw 12 pitches and had 90 through five.
TOP 6TH
Kapler popped the second pitch to Sexson behind the mound. Gonzalez got ahead 3-0 and walked on a 3-1 pitch down and in. Mike Hargrove came out to the mound for a visit, but it turns out he came with the hook too.
Julio Mateo, who really looks weird with the high socks, came in for Washburn. Youkilis popped an 0-2 pitch high to center, but lost the ball in the sun and it dropped to his left for a single, moving Gonzalez to second. Ichiro wasn't too far to Jones' left, which might be here or there. Loretta looped an 0-2 pitch into shallow center between three fielders for a single, scoring Gonzalez and moving Youkilis to second.
»» RED SOX 5, MARINERS 5
Ortiz lashed the second pitch into rightcenter for a single, scoring Youkilis easily and Jones got a glove on the ball and overran it (error), enabling Loretta to scoot to third.
»» RED SOX 6, MARINERS 5
Ramirez lined the first pitch right to Ibañez, who threw straight home as Loretta tagged and barely scored.
»» RED SOX 7, MARINERS 5
Varitek chopped to second. Mateo threw 13 pitches.
Washburn's line: 5 1/3 innings, 5 runs, 8 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts, 105 pitches (69 strikes)
BOTTOM 6TH
Johjima lined the second pitch along the leftfield line for a single.
Craig Hansen came in for Lester. Betancourt broke his bat on an 0-2 pitch, slowly lining toward short where Gonzalez leaped high to snowcone the ball. Jones was ahead 3-0 and singled into rightcenter on a 3-1 pitch, moving Johjima to second. Ichiro grounded hard behind the bag at third, where Lowell bobbled it a tiny bit and dove straight for the third-base bag to force out Johjima as Jones moved to second. Bloomquist got ahead 3-0 before walking on a 3-1 pitch way inside, loading the bases. Hansen got a visit from Al Nipper. Beltre whiffed badly on a low 0-2 breaking ball (surprise).
Hansen's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 21 pitches (13 strikes)
TOP 7TH
Lowell grounded to short on a 1-2 pitch. Crisp flew out to Ichiro in rightcenter on the second pitch. Kapler reached for an outside second pitch and took Ibañez to the leftfield track.
Mateo's line: 1 2/3 innings, 2 runs (1 earned), 3 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts, 21 pitches (18 strikes)
BOTTOM 7TH
Manny Delcarmen came in for Hansen. Ibañez was ahead 2-0 and whiffed on a belt-high 2-2 curve. Sexson kinda tomahawked a full-count pitch through the left side for a single (eighth pitch). Perez fell behind 0-2 and ended up whiffing on a 2-2 curve. Johjima ripped a hit into leftcenter on which Ramirez slid to stop in and it merely redirected the ball toward center, though more slowly. Sexson scored and Johjima ended up on second with the double.
»» RED SOX 7, MARINERS 6
Betancourt smacked the first pitch into left for a single, scoring Johjima. I'll be.
»» RED SOX 7, MARINERS 7
Jones was ahead 2-0 and took a 2-2 breaking ball for strike three.
Delcarmen's line: 1 inning, 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 26 pitches (17 strikes)
TOP 8TH
Mark Lowe came in for Mateo. Gonzalez fell behind 0-2 before whiffing on a 1-2 slider in the dirt away. Youkilis was ahead 2-0 before walking on a full-count fastball outside. Loretta grounded a 2-0 pitch right to third, where Beltre started the incredibly timely 5-4-3 double play.
Lowe's line: 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 14 pitches (7 strikes)
BOTTOM 8TH
Mike Timlin came in for Delcarmen. Ichiro fell behind 0-2 before chopping a 1-2 pitch high to Lowell, who leaped to spear the ball, then threw to first in time. Bloomquist drilled right into the glove of Gonzalez at short. Beltre walloped the first pitch deep to leftcenter, where Crisp didn't look like he saw the ball but he leaped against the wall, but the ball bounced off the wall behind him (toward center), where it bounced to Ramirez, who slapped the ball with his bare hand back toward Crisp so the latter could throw it in. Crisp relayed back to the infield, but Beltre came around third as a Crisp's throw bounced weakly toward third, and Beltre ended up scoring, amazingly, on a headfirst slide. Wow.
»» MARINERS 8, RED SOX 7
Ibañez whiffed on an 0-2 fastball away. Timlin threw 13 pitches.
TOP 9TH
Mark Lowe came out to warm up, though it was pretty much a foregone conclusion and a plot to get JJ Putz some more warmup pitches in the bullpen since the Mariners took the lead so suddenly. That's probably the smartest move Hargrove's made all season.
JJ Putz came in for Lowe. Ortiz whiffed on a 1-2 moving fastball over the outer half. Ramirez fell behind 0-2 before whiffing on a 2-2 splitter in the dirt. Varitek crushed a thigh-high second-pitch slider off the windows of the Hit it Here Cafe in right. Boo. Just boo.
»» RED SOX 8, MARINERS 8
Lowell flew out to shallow right on a 3-1 pitch.
Putz' line: 1 inning, 1 run, 1 hit, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 18 pitches (11 strikes)
BOTTOM 9TH
Sexson fell behind 0-2 and crushed a 1-2 pitch into the visitors' bullpen to spare the Mariners and their fans from what would have been the fourth extra-inning affair in their last eight games. Hooray! Jerry Remy noted that Jonathan Papelbon was warming up in the bullpen at the time of the homer.
»» MARINERS 9, RED SOX 8
Timlin's line: 1 inning, 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout, 18 pitches (13 strikes)
---
Gameball: Richie Sexson.
He ended this game with a godsend of a homer as well as a .227 batting average, which sadly is the highest it's been since July 2nd, when it was also .227. He also was hitting .227 after the game on April 23rd. Basically any batting average I refer to before that is kinda hokey since it was the beginning of the season and he didn't have enough at-bats. Point is, if he just went 1-for-4 tomorrow, he'd effectively have a season high in batting average. Very technically, he'd have the highest average he's had since April 21st, or more than three months. Sexson hit .255 last month and is hitting .250 so far in July. He hit eight homers and drove in 26 runs in June. He has six longballs so far this month, so that pace is still going, but he's only driven in 11 runs in July. Why? Ichiro, Adrian Beltre, and Raul Ibañez hit .386, .324, and .326, respectively in June. In July, the same three guys are hitting .315, .264, and most damagingly, .224. Them's some big reasons. Sexson struck out 28 and 36 times in April and May, but heavily curtailed that pace with a 21-strikeout June. With seven games left in July, he has 16 strikeouts so far this month in 17 games. He'll probably break 21, but at least it won't be 28 and it sure won't be 36.
Goat: Jarrod Washburn.
I'd call this a bad start for him. The good thing, of course, is that he hasn't had too many of these lately. This was the first time since June 15th that he failed to get out of the sixth inning. He went six or more innings in five straight starts. Even with giving up the five runs in this game, he still has an ERA of 3.28 in four starts in the month of July. Still, he hasn't won a game since the 9th of June. Before this start, he'd given up four earned runs in his first three starts in July and gone 0-2. He gave up a single earned run in each of those two losses. By the same token, he had an ERA of 7.57 in the month of June over five starts, but went 1-2, not suffering more than the two losses. Go figure. I guess if there's one thing I see that sticks out in Washburn's game log, it's related to home runs. He gave up four round-trippers in April, five in May, and six in June. He has one start left this month, but he's only given up one July homer. Of course, all he has to do is have a day like Jamie Moyer did on Friday night and he can tie his own June mark. However, Washburn hasn't given up more than two homers in a game this season, so I think he has a good chance to finish with a low amount of homers given up this month.
Yr W-L Pct GB Stk
2001 71-27 .724 -- W3
2002 60-38 .612 11 L2
2003 59-39 .602 12 L3
2000 58-40 .592 13 W1
2006 47-51 .480 24 W2
2005 43-55 .439 28 W1
2004 38-60 .388 33 L1
Janssen. Piñeiro. Tomorrow.
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