Seattle at Toronto

DMZ · August 31, 2004 at 1:42 am · Filed Under Mariners 

Boy… this’ll be a thrilling confrontation, won’t it? An active team with a plan suffering a huge setback from injuries hosts a team that implemented a disastrous plan and is also now racked by injuries.

Reasons to watch the remaining Mariners games

  • Ichiro!
  • Can Melvin forge a rotation that must include at least one pitcher from a set of guys that haven’t seized opportunity yet?
  • Can Melvin patch together a bullpen with the pieces he’s given?
  • Is Meche’s arm going to fall off while he’s on the mound, or on the side during warm ups?
  • Is Jose Lopez overmatched, or unlucky?
  • What in the world is this team going to do for September call-ups? Tacoma’s already been gutted and we’re already seeing the team have second thoughts about exposing these pitchers to ML hitting.
  • Does Melvin get fired?
  • Does Bavasi get fired?
  • Where do the Mariners wind up in next year’s draft?

Comments

22 Responses to “Seattle at Toronto”

  1. tede on August 31st, 2004 2:00 am

    EDGAR!!!

    That’s a reason to watch this team, especially on October 2nd and 3rd.

  2. Jeremy on August 31st, 2004 3:58 am

    Also: Dreamwrecking. (Will the Mariners ruin the Angels’ postseason dreams by going 2-5 against them and 0-3 and 0-7 against the Red Sox and Athletics?)

  3. Kevin on August 31st, 2004 8:04 am

    I’m watching tonight to see if the Optimist will be back. One more win to make it five in a row!

  4. tp on August 31st, 2004 8:07 am

    can you provide a top five list for replacements to Bavasi?

  5. Dave on August 31st, 2004 8:22 am

    Well, Bavasi isn’t going anywhere, so this is moot. But, just for fun;

    1. Chris Antonetti, Assistant GM, Cleveland
    2. Chris Antonetti, Assistant GM, Cleveland
    3. Chris Antonetti, Assistant GM, Cleveland
    4. Chris Antonetti, Assistant GM, Cleveland
    5. Chris Antonetti, Assistant GM, Cleveland

  6. Trent on August 31st, 2004 8:36 am

    ~Ichiro!
    ~It’s not looking good. Can anyone say Cha Seung Baek five times fast?
    ~See above.
    ~Little bit of both. Definitely not ready for a starting role in 2005, but 2006 he second base should be his.
    ~Jeremy Reed, AJ Zapp, Greg Dobbs.
    ~Yes.
    ~If there is a God.
    ~Third overall.

  7. Trent on August 31st, 2004 8:45 am

    Grady Fuson, Antonetti, Ned Colletti are good prospects. Mike Arbuckle and Dan Jennings are known for their talent evaluation skills.

  8. David J Corcoran on August 31st, 2004 9:02 am

    Lopez seems to be looking better. He is hitting with RISP, but rarely any other time. His OBP is climbing, slowly, but it is, nonetheless, climbing.

    I just ask you to look at Miguel Tejada. Would it have been better to put Tejada in AAA his second year of his career (where he hit .233 in Majors), or expose him to big league pitching?

  9. Dave on August 31st, 2004 9:23 am

    Trent,

    Zapp isn’t going to get a September callup. The Rainiers last game is almost certainly his last with the organization. He’s going to sign elsewhere as a minor league free agent. The September callups are Dobbs (yech), Taylor, and Reed. They may wait until Tacoma is officially eliminated from the playoffs to callup Reed and Dobbs.

  10. Trent on August 31st, 2004 9:51 am

    I understand allowing Reed and Taylor to play in the playoffs, but at least reward Zapp with a call-up too. The guy can play despite his high strike out rate.

  11. DMZ on August 31st, 2004 10:25 am

    On possible GM candidates, if Bavasi gets fired, which he probably won’t (man… there was a point this season when it really looked like it was going to happen, too)–

    The M’s need to clean more people out with Bavasi if a new GM is to make a significant difference. This is a stubborn organization, deeply committed to the path they’ve chosen. There are a lot of people who flat need to be fired, so they can go work for the Devil Rays or wherever. Without doing that, bringing in a new GM’s a lot like putting a new hood ornament on a clunker.

  12. G-Man on August 31st, 2004 10:56 am

    Is Meche’s arm going to fall off while he’s on the mound, or on the side during warm ups?

    Neither, silly man. He is going to keep pitching 110+ pitches/game until season’s end, despite an increasingly sore arm. The winter’s rest will be used to bring him around. Then, at his spring training physical, they’ll see that the old wing hasn’t come around and put him under the knife.

    Yes, I hope I’m kidding, too.

  13. Ralph Malph on August 31st, 2004 11:32 am

    Other than his ridiculously high pitch counts of late, does anyone have any actual evidence that Meche’s arm is bothering him?

  14. Sane on August 31st, 2004 11:36 am

    I believe that Villone is still going to be the 5th guy in the rotation. It would’ve been his day to pitch yesterday, had their been a game. But their wasn’t, so Melvin could use him in relief on Sunday. Now the rotation starts back at the front with Moyer today, and Villone will take the mound again in five days. Unfortunate, but true (I think).

  15. Jim Thomsen on August 31st, 2004 11:52 am

    Would Jamal Strong not be a September callup under any circumstances? Or is he not likely to be recovered enough to play the rest of the way?

  16. Dave on August 31st, 2004 11:53 am

    Strong is out for the year.

  17. G-Man on August 31st, 2004 12:38 pm

    I admit that I haven’t seen any specific problems with Meche reported. I’m working off his past history and the pitcher abuse studies I have seen. The season is gone; there is no reason to risk this. Don’t want to use the bullpen or any other young starters more than we are already? Go get any old arm off the scrap heap and give him a uniform. It beats an appointment with a surgeon.

  18. Sergey on August 31st, 2004 12:49 pm

    G-Man, if I remember correctly, both Meche and Piniero are both very high on the list of abused pitchers (high pitch counts) 5 and 20, respectively.

    A realistic comparison is an injured a knee or elbow that keeps hurting. Say, a work environment requiring very precise, strenuous, and repetitive motion will test your pain threshold and mental toughness. A fully reconstructive surgery may remove most physical damage, but will not heal your psyche. That door, once opened, always effects you.

  19. Sergey on August 31st, 2004 12:51 pm

    Comment 18 was a response for Comment 12.

  20. Dan on August 31st, 2004 4:06 pm

    They have both slid due to injury time:
    2004 Pitcher Abuse Points at baseballprospectus

    However, looking at the previous year is relatively telling:
    2003 Pitcher Abuse Points

    By my count, 5 of the top 11 in PAP for 2003 missed starts this year due to arm related issues.

  21. Paul on August 31st, 2004 4:18 pm

    Doesn’t anyone think that Madritsch can pitch? I like his attitude. He has earned more starts. Can’t say that for a few of the others.

  22. Dan on August 31st, 2004 4:24 pm

    I like Madritsch too. I think he has a lot of potential; he has recovered from bad innings (all two of them) well. All of his starts have been quality. There are a couple of flags though:
    – His starts have not been against high quality teams
    – The teams he has faced twice have gotten to him (for 3-4 runs) the second time, indicating he may not be mixing things up enough
    – He walks too many batters

    I haven’t seen him pitch, only followed box scores, but at the very least he has been more consistent than anyone else on the mariners staff.