Game 21, Mariners at Rangers

DMZ · April 27, 2005 at 4:28 pm · Filed Under Game Threads 

Ryan “Good luck, hard luck” Franklin v Kenny Rogers.
5:05, TV: FSN

The .500 Mariners face the just-slightly-below-.500 Rangers. It’ll be interesting to see what lineup Hargrove runs out against the lefty. Do we get to see Bloomquist again?

And how many times tonight will we hear “It’s okay to give up home runs, as long as they’re solo shots” (include variants)? Or “you’ve got to keep the ball down in this ballpark.”

Comments

118 Responses to “Game 21, Mariners at Rangers”

  1. Lefty on April 27th, 2005 8:02 pm

    Hello Friends at USS Mariner. I wondering if any of you can give a longtime lurker at bit of Ticket advice. I am coming down to Seattle from Vanc. BC for the Mariners – BoSox series. I need tickets for the Friday and Sat. games. As this is a special treat I am wondering how an out of towner might pick up some seats behind home plate in the lower sections? Do scalpers hang around outside? Does the team release tickets just before game time? Do people sell seats in the local papers? Any help or advice very much appeciated.
    Pete

  2. Jim Thomsen on April 27th, 2005 8:05 pm

    I think Choo’s headed for the 15-day disabled list for “loss of blood circulation in gluteal region.”

  3. DMZ on April 27th, 2005 8:06 pm

    Oooooh, ooh

    Behind home plate in the lower section:
    check ebay
    check the Mariner scalp-o-matic ticket exchange on their web site

    Then–
    yes, scalpers hang around outside
    yes, the team does release tickets shortly before game time. Hard to time that, though.
    yes, people sell tickets in the paper, but ebay’s much more common

  4. eponymous coward on April 27th, 2005 8:07 pm

    Hmm, looks like Bad Franklin showed up tonight.

    It looks like he needs to keep the ball down…

  5. argh on April 27th, 2005 8:08 pm

    I came late to this debacle and watched a lot of it on TiVo fast forward because there seemed to be so few moments to savor after that first, painful inning. Nonetheless, I had to like Ichiro’s samurai 9th inning effort. Unfortunately, the track record for that samurai thing, aside from being brave, dashing, bold and heroic is: not so good. Ah well.

    On the vaguely positive side it does seem to me that both Sexson and Olivo have not been fishing for low, outside pitches the way they did earlier in this still-young season. Perhaps it’s my imagination, but if not, even though they’re still not hitting, they’re at least causing the opposing pitcher to wear out a little earlier in the game. Sufficient unto the day I guess.

    As for Franklin? Like I’ve never had an off day….

  6. Jim Thomsen on April 27th, 2005 8:15 pm

    Pete: I almost always buy my tickets off the street in the last 30 minutes before game time … usually I get good tickets at a good price. But I guess if I were traveling a long distance instead of walking over on the ferry, I wouldn’t 100 percent put my faith in that. Check the Web site first.

  7. Ivan on April 27th, 2005 9:00 pm

    Isn’t anybody going to mention that the Mariners have a guy playing LF who can’t throw out a runner going from second to third on a fly ball hit right to him?

  8. BDA on April 27th, 2005 9:17 pm

    Question: Two Atlanta Braves scouts attended the game tonite (one of them former Mariners GM Balderson), and they were there last night too. The question is who they were scouting – the Mariners or Rangers?

    The first thought that came to mind is that they were evaluating Randy Winn. With Jones, Jordon and Mondesi all htting poorly in the Braves outfield, Winn could help the Braves. Presumably the Braves would give up pitching in return – but who?

  9. Lefty on April 27th, 2005 9:24 pm

    Thanks for the info DMZ and Jim. Think I will give the Ebay a shot first to see if I can safely pick up tics for the Friday Bosox / Mariners game and check out the street scene for Saturday seats. But, if anyone on here knows someone selling, my email address is pfl4@hotmail.com.

    If the site managers don’t mind perhaps I could post similar message during game threads when the Mariners are on TV here in Vancouver.

    Thanks again

  10. DMZ on April 27th, 2005 9:28 pm

    Red Sox tickets… you may be in trouble.

  11. Dave on April 27th, 2005 9:36 pm

    Question: Two Atlanta Braves scouts attended the game tonite (one of them former Mariners GM Balderson), and they were there last night too. The question is who they were scouting – the Mariners or Rangers?

    The role of scouts is just so misunderstood among fans. Just because there are scouts in the stands does not mean that the their organization is talking trade with the Mariners. In fact, I would say that assignment scouting of that sort is rare, especially this early in the year.

    Don’t read too much into it. They’re scouts. They travel around the country and evaluate talent. It’s what they do for a living.

  12. Lefty on April 27th, 2005 9:37 pm

    Yes, I know the games sold out. To be perfectly honest I wouldn’t care if it was the Royals in town that weekend. Its the days my girlfriend managed to swing. She wants the Edgewater Inn and is gracious enough to make it a baseball weekend.

  13. Evan on April 27th, 2005 9:43 pm

    Those games are sold out?

    Makes me glad I bought mine way early. I’m in town for exactly those two games.

  14. Kelly on April 27th, 2005 10:59 pm

    Given the news about Armando Benitez tearing his hammy, and the Cubs in desperate need of a closer as well, then Proven Closer(tm) Eddie Guardado’s value has to be quite high.

    If the Giants call, I’d gladly swap Proven Closer(tm) Guardado for Matt Cain. Not sure I would do that deal if I were them though. Foppert, Lowry, and Williams are also options worth consideration.

    If the Cubs call, I’d swap Proven Closer(tm) Guardado and Randy Winn for Corey Patterson. Not sure this is a great deal for the Cubs, but then weirder things have happened.

    I guess the real point of my post isn’t to just speculate about specific trades (that will never happen.) The point I want to make is that a Prover Closer ™ like Guardado will have great value. And a re-building team like the Ms should seriously consider what a Proven Closer ™ like Guardado will fetch as they try to build a contender in ’06. I also think Putz could fill that role just as well.

  15. jc on April 28th, 2005 1:52 am

    The problem is eddie was a proven closer he no longer is and everyone knows this except baxasai and his henchmen aka boles and evans.Ihear looper and gillick are out next year like jongward and kerfeld.What else is new no more baseball guys……

  16. JeffF on April 28th, 2005 9:28 am

    My own favorite diatribe: the Ron & Dave moronic cliche show. How many times, how many games, do we have to hear this scouting report: “[insert pitcher’s name] is going to have to keep it down”? Hmmmm.

    Or, last night’s gem: “If the Mariners can score in the first inning, they can play add-on ball for the rest of the game.” What a great strategy? Why do you suppose no one else has ever thought of that? Genius, really. Scores runs early and keep scoring runs. If only the Mariners had tried that last night . . . and every other game.

    This morning’s coverage of the game in the Oregonian (apparently an AP piece) must have been written by Franklin’s agent. The entire article is about Kenny Rogers and how he’d finally gotten run support. Not a word about the pitcher who gave up five runs in the bottom of the first.

    I’m going back to bed.

  17. Brett Farve on April 28th, 2005 9:55 am

    Remember back when Franklin was with the Olympic team? Tommy Lasorda would’ve traded a plate of linguini for him! I wonder if Tommy Boy has any pull with DePo?

  18. Evan on April 28th, 2005 9:59 am

    I like the idea of moving Eddie. Mostly because it would let us stamp the Proven Closer label on Putz so we can trade him for value next season.