Week #14 in Review
Didn’t we just tear down this roster a year ago?
Vital Signs
On this Friday we find the Mariners 33-44. And like a selfish 3-year-old eyeing his favorite Hot Wheels car at play time, they have know violently wrenched last place away from Oakland. “Mine!” They drop three more notches in the standings, now 13.5 back of Anaheim. According to Baseball Prospectus’ adjusted standings, the M’s are underperforming by two and a half games, now. Only the Royals and Devil Rays have fewer third-order wins than the Mariners.
The Mariners have scored 322 runs. Last in the American League. They are hitting .256/.315/.386 compared to the AL average of .266/.329/.420. Their on-base percentage is last in the American League. Their slugging percentage is tied with Oakland for last. Are we sensing a theme yet? They have hit 57 homers: last. Their 211 walks are tied with Baltimore for 10th in the league. Their .255 EqA ranks 26th in all of baseball, tied with the Pirates.
The defense has allowed 349 runs, which makes them the 8th best team in the American League at keeping runs off the board. The gloves are turning 71.3% of balls in play into outs, which is the 3rd best rate in all of baseball. The overall the pitching staff ERA is at 4.36. They have struck out 401 batters (last in the league), walked 265 (3rd highest total in the league) and allowed 82 home runs (the 4th highest total in the league, Safeco Field be damned). The starters are allowing 4.95 runs per nine innnings (12th in the AL), while the relievers are at 3.15 (5th in the AL).
Not a pretty week. The less said the better. They Mariners went 1-5 and were outscored 38-28. Take out last Friday’s lopsided victory, and they were outscored 33-14 in the five straight losses. They were outplayed across the board–out-homered 12-8, out-walked 25-12.
Heroes
Turning it around after two horrid weeks, and just in time for the trade deadline, is Bret Boone, who went 8-for-22 on the week (.364/.417/.773). The shared the team league in hits, home runs (2), walks (2) and RBI (5) and led the team in total bases (17). Maybe the Don Baylor transmogrifier works after all. Or maybe its coincidence.
Hmm… pass.
Not-so-much Heroes
Pat Borders: 2-for-12 with a walk (.167/.214/.167).
Saturday was just a rough day for Aaron Sele. There’s only so many balls one can put in play before they start falling in places they really shouldn’t. Sele allowed 8 Padre runs in 4 innings, including 3 home runs. And this was Petco Park, of all places.
Coming to a stadium near you
So if the Mariners get swept by the team with the worst offense not in Seattle, what happens when the hottest offense in the league comes to town? I shudder at the thought.
Seven of the Rangers starters have double digits in home runs. The Mariners have two. Only Boston has scored more runs than the Rangers. But only the Devil Rays, Yankees and Royals have surrendered more runs. So perhaps all is not as nightmarish for the Mariners as it sounds. The Rangers are 4-8 over the last two weeks against the likes of the Angels, Astros and Nationals.
Freak stat of the day: Since 2002, Chan Ho Park has made 6 starts against the Mariners and compiled a 2.29 ERA. Against all other teams since 2002, his ERA is 6.37.
On Monday, the Mariners travel to Kansas City, where the Royals have scored a measly 12 runs more than Seattle, and their pitching staff is 13th in the league in runs allowed. Will 15,000 show up to any of those three games?
BP/USSM at the Park Update
The outing we mentioned yesterday is now official. Details are below. Seriously, this is going to be an awesome event. Sign up pronto.
Oh, and its not included in the little blurb below, but Jeff Shaw will be there too. He’s reason enough to come. So sign up already.
Come talk baseball, listen to guest speakers and enjoy a day at the
ballpark! Baseball Prospectus author Jonah Keri, BP alums and USS Mariner
authors Derek Zumsteg and Dave Cameron, and a few well-known surprise
guests are hosting a Ballpark Feed at Safeco Field, Saturday July 16 vs.
the Orioles. The event will start at 5 p.m., featuring a sit-down and Q&A
with featured speakers inside the Interview Room at Safeco Field. The game
will follow at 7:05 p.m.Tickets cost $17.50 each, and seats will be located in Section
326, Rows 20-24, in the View Reserved (upper deck) section just to the
first-base side of home plate. The ticket price includes a service charge
for Group Ticket Window, an online system that will enable you to buy and
print your tickets from your home computer.There may be an additional charge for room rental at the park–if there
is, we’ll let you know ASAP.Please RSVP to seattlefeed@yahoo.com if you’d like
to attend. Please indicate the following in your e-mail:1) With a clear number (i.e. 2, 3, 4 etc.), indicate *exactly* how many
people will be going.2) Full names of each attendee (for nametag purposes).
Tickets are limited to 65 total, so please RSVP ASAP. If you’ve already
e-mailed to express initial interest, we will count that e-mail as an RSVP
(requiring payment for tickets), unless we receive a cancellation notice.
We will provide details on how to obtain your tickets once we’ve reached
our limit of 65. We will also provide instructions on how to get to the
Interview Room and other details a few days before the game.