Well, that was fun. Its still far too early to hit the panic button, but this series pretty much exemplified the concerns we’ve had about the team composition:
1. The defense is significantly worse at critical positions.
2. The offense lacks power.
3. The contact pitchers are going to have an impossible time duplicating their 2003 performances.
4. There is no depth to withstand injuries to any pieces, much less the important players.
We saw some awful outfield defense, an offense that can only score when stringing together singles, Shigetoshi Hasegawa blowing as many saves in ’04 as he did in ’03, and an inability to pinch hit for poor players in key situations. These three losses don’t end the Mariners chances, but they do magnify the problems the team will have to overcome.
Fun quotes from the Anaheim feed.
“Freddy is rolling. He’s retired seven in a row with a walk in between.”
So, he hasn’t retired seven in a row, then…
Freddy’s change-up is on today. It is still his best pitch, and when he’s got it moving like he does now, he’s tough.
Ridiculous minor league article of the day
Let’s hear it for the ridiculous minor league article of the day. Nothing like a little hype to get some fans ready for opening day of the minor league system, but this takes the hyperbole to another level. Comparing Adam Jones to Alex Rodriguez is, well, I don’t have words for how far off the mark it is. When talking to scouts about Alex Rodriguez as a high school player, the words “best I’ve ever seen” are common. Talk to the same scouts about Adam Jones, and you’ll hear things like “reach pick”, “I’m not sure he’s going to hit”, and “good arm, but I like him better on the mound”. Forget Alex Rodriguez; we should be happy if Adam Jones turns into Alex Arias.