Game 9, Twins at Mariners
DMZ · April 17, 2007 at 6:01 pm · Filed Under Game Threads
RHP Ramon Ortiz v BP Jeff Weaver. 7:05
Twins offer
2B-B Castillo
LF-L Tyner
C-L Mauer
RF-R Cuddyer
1B-L Morneau
CF-R Hunter
DH-L Kubel
3B-B Rodriguez
SS-R Bartlett
M’s offer their standard.
Can a team that bats Jason Tyner second really be serious about winning baseball games?
I think I am starting to like this Jose Vidro fella! WoW!
Seriously, I don’t know half the dudes in that lineup
I know we all think it’s a fluke that the M’s are in first place, but they’ve got the best RS/RA in the AL West (I think they’re already “one game lucky” by my eyeball pythagenport analysis. Interesting that 6 of the M’s eight games have been “blowouts” so far as well, and 5 of 6 home games being blowouts.
btw, isn’t the twins CF Torii “T” Hunter, not “R” Hunter?
Jason Tyner’s been around for a while. He’s no worse than Vidro.
Umm…look closely at the lineup fellow and you will be enlightened to know it means he bats Right. L=Left R=Right S=Switch.
I know we’re all glad that ERA does’t mean dog doo-doo because otherwise the difference between the Ortiz and Weaver numbers would make strong men weep and strong women slap the weeping strong men.
On the downside, the weather looks pretty good. No prospects for Michael “Cunctator” Hargrove tonight.
Actually,6, B=Both. S=Sean
Can someone explain to me why the reigning AL MVP is batting 5th in this lineup, especially with Weaver on the mound tonight?
Lends some credence to the idea that maybe he shouldn’t have been the MVP …
This is going to be a fun game. I sure hope Weaver can come back and throw a good game.
So 3-6 is pretty good for the Twins, but does anyone even come close to being as bad from 7-2 as the Twins are? That’s a collection of AAAA and maybe even AAA hitters.
We’re talking about Jason “I’ve Never Hit A Home Run In The Majors” Tyner, right? Jason “.272/.308/.316 For My Career” Tyner?
He strikes me as one of those misplaced “bat control” guys from the 1970s and 80s. Like Manny Castillo or Bruce Benedict or John Wathan.
Eh, he had a nice year last year. We’ve hit Bloomquist second, and Bloomquist is less than Vidro.
er…less than Tyner
#6 That is insulting….I know you hate Vidro but comparing him and Tyner is like comparing Reggie Sanders to Alex Diaz.
Hey, at least he is fielding now. I believe it was during the recent postseason that Tyner was DHing. There had to have been someone on the bench who could hit a tick better.
That has to be the closest Rizzs has been to a female in atleast 20 years
HAPPY FELIX DAY EVE!!!
The other J Weaver takes the mound against Oakland tonight…
If Rizzs hadn’t mentioned that Blowers had a goatee I wouldn’t have even noticed. I’ve seen 11 year old girls with more facial hair than that.
Today is like the ugly weather day before the sun breaks! Weaver before Felix
wow..anyone see Wily Mo Pena’s bomb!? wow
Doyle 2-2 w/BB and triple, OPS = .958
Lincecum dominating Rainiers through 3.
The Nationals wore Virginia Tech hats for tonight’s game. That’s way cool.
Don’t worry fellas, I didn’t forget about ya
Is it to early to trade Weaver? How bout bringing up Morse to play short where he belongs?
Is it to early to trade Weaver? How bout bringing up Morse to play short where he belongs?
Weaver would bring nothing in a trade, but that’s a joke right? Because the statement about Morse was clearly a joke.
Pregame interview with Grover about why he bats Kenji 7th — Grover believes strongly in the concept of protection in a lineup. Even though it has never been shown to exist, Grover is certain that it is the most important thing he can consider in his lineup.
That explains a lot.
Is it normal for a veteran pitcher to be hyperventilating at the top of the first inning?
OK, the close tag didn’t get in there somehow. Only the first line should be in italics.
If you can’t catch up with an 89 MPH fastball, you have problems. Yes, Luis Castillo, you have problems.
“Good high fastball”…85 mph..not GOOD!
“Good high fastball. Blew it right by him”
85 MPH right in the batting champ’s wheelhouse.
How does Joe Mauer compare to John Olerud in terms of hitting style, they seem kind of similar.
Jeff “Batting Practice” Weaver getting roughed up already. Shocking.
How much more do the Mariners need to see before Weaver is put on the DL for some mysterious injury?
Good god Jeff Weaver is good.
Limp-wristed strikeout, double, double, triple.
I’m concerned about the hyperventilating gentleman.
There’s almost no difference between Weaver’s stuff this year and Pineiro’s stuff last year. 86-89 MPH fastballs just aren’t good enough for 99% of major league pitchers.
Is anyone else missing Meche?
Not to give any credit to Weaver for the almost-homer, but that “play” by Ibanez was nearly at Canseco levels. Awful.
Everything they hit was absolutely smashed.
Did anyone notice Weaver sporting the same facial hair as Spezio? Coincidence that they both suck? I think not.
37- I prefer saving that money and spending it on Vidro and Weaver…ughh
86-89 MPH fastballs just aren’t good enough for 99% of major league pitchers.
Jamie Moyer and Tim Wakefield would be in the 1%. Anyone else?
Lincecum v. Tacoma, 5 ip, 8 K, 0 BB, 3 H, 0 R
I love FSN’s “analysis”
First line under Weaver was “rough first outing”
About Ibanez playing that double into a triple “great effort by Raul.”
Next thing they’ll tell us how “nice” Weaver’s first inning was. Which sadly enough, compared to last time, might be accurate.
Never mind, Ichiro goes deep, so all is well, lol
What’s Japanese for Funk Blast?
lol, deja vu
time for a vidro bomb
Ichiro!
Thank you Ichiro!
FUNK BLAST
Ichiro!
Vidro!!!
DP DP DP DP
THANKS DMZ :/
Happy now Derek
Derek, could you ban yourself?
DP DP DP DP
But you gotta give Raul and assist on that one. Ichiro couldn’t have beaten it out.
I’ve done it before.
Ok, so this year’s meme is “funk blast”? Seriously?
I still don’t get why we passed on Lincecum. He’s from around here and is a pitcher. Isn’t that an automatic draft pick for the M’s? Anyone know the reasons for passing on him?
Hey, Weaver lowered his ERA. Good show.
Money?
DMZ was simply chanting “Death to Pitching”..DP..give him a break.
Weaver’s basically lost 3-4mph on his FB from last year, how fortunate for us.
58, he’s 5-9 (listed at 5-11) has this crazy full body windup that scares scouts.
“Funk blast” sounds like the world’s biggest fart. It’s the worst catchphrase for a home run I’ve ever heard.
Lincecum’s command was also horrible in college, and not very good in his pro debut last year. There are a significant amount of scouts who think he’s going to end up in the bullpen.
Weaver hasn’t established any pitch yet, so there’s no way he’s going to get batters to go for his junk stuff. He’s sort of aggravating to watch.
Didn’t WFB have some theory about swinging softer to hit for more power during spring training? Maybe Weaver is trying to apply the same theory to his pitching?
Weaver = a (foolish) rich man’s Paul Abbott.
Jeff Weaver = groundball-repellent pitching at it’s finest.
I think when Weaver gives up homeruns we should call them “Junk Blasts”
He’s established the Fly Ball though. Should be an interesting night.
Another note, Ibanez slid in an attempt to catch a foul ball in the first (I think from Mauer?) and came up a few feet short. Someone with slightly better range or reads would have made the play. The inning could have turned out a lot differently.
Those two plays and his DP… Not a good game so far.
weaver has lowered his ERA 10 points in only 2 innings.
People like to plunk Jose Guillen.
64 — yeah, farting sounds about right. And how does “funk” differ from “funky”? And what if the scoreboard electronics-type person makes a typo like I just did (left index finger bottom row instead of right index finger bottom row) and then throws it up on the big screen.
Re: game: Ouch, sorry, Guillen. But let’s not start another hissy fight…
Boy I’d hate to be on the bad end of one of J-Weav’s 86 mph retaliation pitches.
“Sometimes with your hand wrapped around the bat that can kind of help you a little bit.” – Blowers
Yeah, it’s nice to have a hard surface behind your hand when the ball hits it. Having extra tension from gripping the bat is a nice addition, too.
What is the over/under tonight on how many innings Weaver will last? Given the Twins offense, I am going with 3.5.
Tuned in a little late…
Looks like someones been in the Ice Cream again…
I suppose I just missed another Inning-Ending Double Playâ„¢ since commercials were on when I went back to the TV.
Alright….Ortiz has thrown 18 pitches in two innings, just letting Weaver get out on the mound even faster
sigh. I remember when desperate Buc fans convinced themselves that Guillen was going to be the 2nd coming of Clemente.
(hey, how ya feeling now, Derek?)
uh… no.
“Guillen has an arm.”
I’ve got two.
æ怖ã®é€é¢¨ is the translation of FUNK BLAST from babelfish
I love the sarcastic smattering of applause when Weaver throws a strike… And then the double happens and nobody has to put down their drinks to clap.
Weaver’s fastball is slower than Moyer’s.
Feel so bad for Tyner. He can’t even hit a HR off of Weaver. Getting mighty close though. At least we don’t have a huge RF wall ala Minnesota so if he gets another shot, the next one might go.
* æ怖 ã€ãょã†ãµã€‘ (n,vs) fear; dread; dismay; terror; (P); EP
* é€é¢¨ ã€ãã†ãµã†ã€‘ (n,vs) ventilation; ED
Lincecum through 7 against Tacoma, 12 K, 0 BB, 3 H, 0 R
The pitch before the strikeout was closer to the strike zone than the “K” pitch was. Has been a very odd few innings of strike/ball calls.
speaking of Tyner, there was a nice salute to him from Batgirl sunday. oh, and (hooray!) the first Lego reenactment in months yesterday.
(Batgirl has been a tad busy lately.)
correction on 89, 6.2, 11K
We’re great at grounding out.
Anyone know why Lincecum was taken out? 6 2/3, relieved by Atchison after getting LaHair looking.
Gotta love the ol’ first pitch out that Lopez and many others are so deft at. (Eyes rolling)
Luis Rodriguez is apparently a gold glover…against the M’s
Nice play. Ichiro looks pretty dialed in though.
Anyone else think Betancourt and Jose Lopez both are taking steps back this year? .250-.270…8-12 HR each…50-60 rbis?
The opposing third baseman is making plays. We’re in trouble.
Jones got a single off of him and was only punched out once.
Ahh, Dave Sims: The Guy Who Ruined Felix’s No-Hitter Because He Wouldn’t Shut Up About It. First rule of the no-hitter: You do not talk about the no-hitter…
I don’t think anyone uses the shift more often than Mike Hargrove. It seems to work more often than not, though.
Another crushed ball hit off Batting Practice.
Don’t worry, Felix’ll have 32 more chances, what are the odds he doesn’t throw a no hitter
Or, maybe Torii Hunter just didn’t want to talk to you, Dave.
Lincecum 93 pitches that was his limit
Minnesota is crushing the ball..everyone…line drive outs included…Weaver is just lucky right now
Weaver’s ERA continues to plummet. It must be around 12 now.
DreamWeaver is through 4 as his ERA continues to plummet – Now at 13.50
Ortiz: 10 GO – 0 FO. Season ratio? 0.67. Career? 1.41.
Jinxed him. Ha! First FO.
Nice 8 pitch inning for the bats. We wouldn’t want our defense to get too cold sitting on the bench for too long.
111 – Same 8 pitch inning that occurred to start the game in the first inning…
39 pitches through 4.
Perhaps Bavasi has a brilliant strategy. The Twins will wear themselves out taking 9 innings of batting practice against Weaver and will be too tired to even see the ball tomorrow against Felix.
Get someone up in the bullpen.
Smart having Lopez cover instead of Yubet, I mean everyone knows lefties never pull Weaver
The way were hitting, I’m starting to worry the Twins already have enough runs. Ortiz should start tiring about the 12th inning at this pace
When Tyner is murdering you, you may have to re-think what you’re doing. Decent odds of Tyner breaking is ONE THOUSAND plus at bat streak of no homers if he sees Weaver again.
Everyone sings:
Ooooooooooooh, Jeffffff Weaaaaaaaaaaaaver,
I believe your pitching is not riiii-iiiighhhhhhhhhhhhht
Ooooooooooooh, Jeffffff Weaaaaaaaaaaaaver,
I believe that’s a line drive taking fliiiii-iiiiggghhhh
why would the defending AL batting champ lay down a sac bunt with two on and nobody out???
I like Mauer. I’ll have to say that was Gardenhire telling him to bunt against a horrible, struggling pitcher when there was already a runner in scoring position and he’s a better hitter (and a lefty) than the one after him.
Sac bunt from Joe Mauer with nobody out against a batting practice pitcher who’s given up three straight singles?
The combination of sheer stupidity with screwing with my fantasy team is producing a state of homicidal rage in me.
With that slider, I think he will end up being an $8 million Jeff Nelson.
This does not seem like a smart decision.
Smart having Lopez cover instead of Yubet, I mean everyone knows lefties never pull Weaver.
Someone needs to ask about this after the game. Every team I ever played on, standard protocol was SS covers the bag on a steal when a LH hitter is up, and 2B covers when a RH hitter is up. I know its Luis Castillo, but still, there’s no way Lopez should be the one covering there.
Wow, this Weaver is really working out. Like Herpes.
MOUND CONFERENCE THEATER
–
Chaves: Do you think you could pitch faster?
Weaver: No, sorry coach, that’s as good as it gets.
Chaves: What about better, do you think you could get better movement?
Weaver: No, I don’t think I could.
Chaves: Okay, location — can you hit any spot but the middle of the strike zone with anything but the fastball?
Weaver: I’m not sure, but probably not.
Johjima: No.
Chaves: Okay, go ahead and walk this next guy then, and I’ll go re-read your contract to see if there’s an escape clause or something.
89 MPH four seamer down the middle for strike one. What was Torii looking for?
123
That is why I hate fantasy sports. You should feel nothing but pleasure that they would pull that kind of move against us.
Bartender, did you let DMZ have some MD 20-20 again? He always starts singing when you do that.
strike one… strike two… grandslam
nice
128 – nice, the sad part is, I can actually see that happening with weaver having a glazed over look in his eyes
Game…set…match…career
Torii Hunter is over-rated!
That’s our Weaver.
That was a funk blast.
Saw that come off the bat, groaned.
I know that pitch was a little off the plate perhaps…but Weaver just isn’t good enough to have to get ANOTHER pitch borderline.
This is the “BAD M’s line up” tonight. You know? Like the one vs Millwood, where we didn’t show up in game one vs Texas.
So Weaver could allow three or thirteen…its still gonna be a loss imho.
Does this kill the dream of a Weaver v. Weaver matchup Monday?
Gardenhire makes a bad decision by having Mauer bunt. Hargrove brilliantly counters with an intentional walk.
that was a junk blast
I said it in his last start, and I’ll say it again – if Weaver can’t figure out how to get his fastball over 90 MPH any more, he’s off the roster by June. He’s just throwing meatballs.
damn, all of that hard work lowering weaver’s era is done, now it’s back at 18.90
Jeff Weaver is not a major league pitcher. I hope the front office can figure that out and just take the $8M loss.
Get. Him. Off. The. (Expletive). Mound.
How many starts before he’s gone?
Good. I had lots of other TV I wanted to watch tonight.
130: Honestly, I prefer to see good baseball all around.
Also, somewhere Joe Morgan is *censored* *censored* *censored* over the sheer grittiness and determination to play the game the right way that having the defending batting champion and best hitter on his team sac bunt against a lousy pitcher brings to the game. And that’s worth stopping at any price.
Weaver’s ERA just reversed course and is now at 18.
128
I especially liked that Jo got one line in it.
Lead off hit. Typical…NOW they start hitting.
Is anybody asking questions about the WS? Were the Tigers on the take? Were they out partying till dawn every night? Was Weaver’s performance an illusion? Did his brother take his place?
I just saw Sanjaya sing and that wasn’t as painful as watching Weaver pitch
Ah the return of the letup.
Forget scoring after a lead off double…lets just see if we can get him to THIRD!
Jered must be taking off season lessons from his older crappier bro. He’s down 5-0 to the A’s early in that one.
Weaver’s brother gave up a 3-run dinger at almost the same moment. A’s up 4-0.
153 – Ditto. Though it may have been a photo finish. It was definitely rough having to watch it back to back.
Oh God, I take a break (it was 2-1) to read the latest from firejoemorgan.com and I come back and see this.
How the hell did this piece of S ever beat the Tigers in the World Series? If I were managing the team and had to put up with him in the lineup, I would leave him in for 9 innings and hope he would have the decency to quit after giving up 18 runs (if he can hold them to that).
…Aaand I’m done with Mr. Christian Rock Facial Hair and his Junk Blasts for the night. Switching to Planet Earth and the soothing dulcetones of Sigourney.
Good “adjustment” Yubet. Swing at TWO CONSECUTIVE pitches below your ankles after being up 1-0 in the count
Fire Bill Bavasi. Release Weaver. Now. They’re sunk costs.
Ortiz should be cut from his team if manages to walk Yubet
162. Firing and releasing is too moderate.
Nope…couldn’t even get our LEAD OFF double to third
Our middle infield stinks offensively…its going to be a long year with Yubet and Jose….Anyone else thinks Jose Lopez needs to lose some weight/hit the weight room?
Looking at Betancourt’s AB and pitch location… man, don’t swing when the pitch is both outside low and outside on either side. Really. You’re not Vlad.
Someone who understands the nuances of the game better than I needs to explain to me why the Mariners consistantly swing athe the worst pitches imaginable. I swear sometimes it looks like they are playing golf out there.
Maybe Weaver’s arm will fly off during a pitch..
Don’t give up on Jose. He’ll be just fine at the plate. Been solid on defense thus far also.
Where the hell did Ortiz learn to pitch? I don’t like our chances in game 3, so it looks like we will lose our firt series of the year.
Prediction: Tyner doubles, and Gardenhire has the defending AL batting champ sac bunt Tyner to 3rd for the (an?) insurance run. Then Cuddyer and Morneau both double. Later, on Baseball Tonight, Joe Morgan talks about what a gamer Mauer is for laying down two great bunts for his team.
J Lo!
170 Touche…haha…Lopez yardwork
169
So heartfelt, but probably not going to happen, lol
LOPEZ!!!
Good thing Yubet swung at enough crap to ensure NO ONE was on base
we are witnessing something rare and special
I just want to point out that that is exactly what Lopez does well, and exactly what Hargrove’s been encouraging him not to do for the last year or so. He’ll probably get a stern lecture about the need to go the other way and not pull the ball.
If the next two guys get on base, this game might be remotely interesting all of the sudden
171, what do you mean, both teams have crafty lefties, but ours is more veteran
My mlb.tv has gone on the blink, but by reading the posts I think JL just went yard.
177
I totally agree regarding what Grover would likely say.
Someone should say to Grover what my wife will sometimes say to me when were together in public: “Please don’t speak”
On that ground out, Beltre evidently got the “swing no matter where the pitch is” sign from the third base coach.
This is just too hilarious: Matt Cain leaves after 7, leading 3-0. Colorado wins 5-3. I hate the Giants.
Lopez could do worse than to turn into Jose Valentin.
Vidro…..yeah I care alot….yeah right
this would be a good time for ibanez to wake the f**k up.
WTF..how did Vidro not score? (rhetorical question)
Oh, hey, Vidro hit that one up instead of down. Tubro!
Why does it matter that Vidro “had his eye on the play all the way”? There are two outs, Mr. Sims.
Good to see Josey Lope get a homer, remember when he led the team in homers with 10 last year then whent two months without hitting another one?
And all you Vidro haters need to give the guy a chance. Red hot coming out of spring training. I am OK with him hitting third because Sexson cannot handle clean-up if we move Ibanez up.
Big Richie (Big Richie)!
Wow. Single most negative thread I’ve ever come across on this fine sight.
Couple points:
Lopez doesn’t blow. At all.
The home plate ump seems inconsistent. Thoughts?
Mariners are in first. Angels are overrated.
I hate that third baseman with a passion
191
Vidro may yet help the team, but he’s surely no #3 hitter
Sexson again earns the 7 figure salary with a big at bat…ugh
193. I’m not scared of the Angels, I’m worried about the A’s, especially if Harden’s shoulder stiffness turns out to be nothing.
Where is Kata when we need him? We should have pulled a 3-way trade with Texas and Minn yesterday.
How about we not comment on everything Sims says?
193
The home plate up is committing the cardinal sin imho…NOT being consistent. At least if you’re going to miss pitches, miss CONSISTENTLY & not randomly. I wondered if anyone else had noticed.
OMG…look at that over 90 fastball by an M’s pitcher other than Felix or JJ
The way Luis Rodriguez keeps picking up the baseball and throwing it to other players is really keeping us from staging the comeback we need.
195 – That’s why he put on some lbs this year… so he could produce in the # 3 spot. jk
our OF looks as slow as the SF outfield with Alou and Bonds last year..horrid to watch.
Oh, man. Did someone sneak out and tie Raul’s laces together?
Hate relievers.
Ibanez is truly horrible in LF.
Has anyone thought of DHing Ibanez and getting a better LF?
Wow, Weaver just had his best inning of the game, what with White pitching, and all.
Solution that doesn’t cost money or roster moves: Put SWhite into Weaver’s spot, let Weaver go all out for an inning or two and see if he can’t hit 92. How much worse could it be?
Raul looked like he needed a field sobriety test on that one.
Ibanez is truly horrible in LF.
As opposed to mildly horrible?
207
He fields like Will-Blow hits & Nightmare Weaver pitches
Weaver’s ERA is 31.50
no 214, he cut that in half today.
er, wait… that’s not current, ignore
“First-pitch swinging…. popped it up…”
That is this year’s meme. Not “funk blast”.
208
Maybe we can find ANOTHER hitter who swings at the first pitch regularly named Jose. We only have three right now.
Has anyone thought of DHing Ibanez and getting a better LF?
They tried that until Crazy Carl’s bat was considered more valuable than any random free agent LF (or, Snelling) + the ability to keep Ibanez at DH.
Now if Ichiro can just find a way to get on…
The twins always have some untalented pitcher that dominates us, it used to be Joe Mays, then Carlos Silva, and now Ramon Ortiz. Hopefully not still Silva.
I get it now…our hitters only try to hit with 2 outs and one one on is don’t hit with runners in scoring position.
“To Mariners broadcaster Dave Sims, there was never a moment of hesitation. “I was all over it,” Sims said Thursday. “I’m looking at the line score while we were going to breaks, and it said no hits, so you talk about it. I’m a reporter, too.”
His decision to mention the pending no-hitter apparently irked a few viewers — some of whom e-mailed The Seattle Times to complain. They thought Sims should have adhered to the baseball tradition of not mentioning a no-no.
“It’s one thing in the clubhouse or the dugout that they don’t want to talk about it,” Sims said. “Great. But my job, I have to tell the audience what’s going on. If a guy’s getting pounded, I say it. So if a guy’s throwing a no-no, I have to report it.”
Sims is in his first year doing Mariners play-by-play. Dave Niehaus has been there from the beginning, and he says he has always maintained the same philosophy regarding no-hitters.
“I have to be a reporter,” echoed Niehaus, who estimates he has called “13 or 14″ no-hitters in his long career. “From, say, the fifth inning on, certainly the sixth inning on, I’ve got to keep reminding people they might be sitting in on a piece of history. I’ll take the wrath of people calling up. And believe me, there will be some wrath. If I don’t report it, I’m not doing my job. People might tune in and think it’s just another ballgame. You’ve got to let them know what’s going on.”
Sims pointed out that legendary Dodgers announcer Vin Scully has no reservations about mentioning no-hitters in progress.
“If it’s good enough for Vin Scully, it’s damn sure good enough for Dave Sims,” he said.
Weaver’s ERA is 31.50
He cut it in half – 15.75 now.
Reyes warming up…looks like he was faithful to the Rich Garces/Mike Hargrove “diet”
Goddamit, Lopez keeps pulling the ball and hitting line drives. This is no way to tire out Luis Castillo’s throwing arm!
reyes makes guardado look trim
Ichiro’s last two ab’s:
3-0 count, eventually pops out
2-0 count & promptly lines out
What’s Japanese for I don’t need no stinkin’ walks?
I have heard before that not mentioning a no-no applies in the dugout and elsewhere, but not to sports announcers covering the game.
*the tradition of
Gaudin (Go-dan) for the A’s has allowed 2 hits into the 8th. Where do they keep getting these guys? Hardin, Haren, Blanton, Gaudin. The A’s announcers just commented Hardin’s MRI came back fine. They may push him back a few days.
228: Actually, the Japanese word for ‘aggressive high-average hitter with low walk totals’ is ‘ichirosuzuki’. Been that way for almost a decade now, to tell the truth.
229
Lets just pray that isn’t an “issue” when Johan pitches
well, there’s a reason he got named Dennys Sampler Reyes….
Hey! Raul didn’t suck on that hit to the corner! Granted, most wouldn’t be slow enough to need to slide, but a nice play nevertheless.
4-1 A’s. Gaudin exits in the eighth, man on second.
“If it’s good enough for Vin Scully, it’s damn sure good enough for Dave Sims,†he said.
I knew Vin Scully. Vin Scully was a friend of mine. Dave Sims, you’re no Vin Scully.
You guys realize Lou used to use Raul as a defensive replacement late in ballgames. He’s had a rough game tonight, but he is a solid LF. Go look at the other LF’s in baseball who put up his kind of numbers at the plate last year. If you can find a few, let’s take a look at them defensively. I would bet they are inferior fielders, or are perennial all stars.
Ibanez doesn’t read the balls too well, now does he?
Mauer killing the M’s
Weaver sucking
M’s hitters not walking
Water is wet
The sun comes up in the morning
Is that our Rule 5 guy? This is not a good sign.
238
Lou also used to continually put out some guy named Bobby Ayala for the ninth for multiple years
How close was Mauer’s 2b to being over the fence? Gameday claims that it aaaaaalmost made it.
Jeff Weaver + Sean White. Not a recipe for success.
You guys realize Lou used to use Raul as a defensive replacement late in ballgames. He’s had a rough game tonight, but he is a solid LF. Go look at the other LF’s in baseball who put up his kind of numbers at the plate last year. If you can find a few, let’s take a look at them defensively. I would bet they are inferior fielders, or are perennial all stars.
He’s legitimately bad in LF. Many of the other poor fielding corner outfielders are in the NL where they can’t be put at DH. Those that are in the AL are mostly blocked by a worse or incapable fielder at DH (like Manny & Ortiz in Boston).
Ibanez is also a lot older than he was when he was in his first stint with the M’s.
He had a great season with the bat last year. If he does again this year, that’ll be good. He’s just not good in the field though.
White sure snuffed out that rally
243
It was well hit, but didn’t ever look like it was going to be a homer
How close was Mauer’s 2b to being over the fence? Gameday claims that it aaaaaalmost made it.
It wasn’t that close.
242 That’s how Ibanez got so good out there. He had a lot of opportunities with that exceptional bullpen.
238: Ibanez is slow, doesn’t take good routes. I don’t know if there is a worse fielding OF not playing for the Reds or Giants.
249: There’s a LF plays for Boston that wants to have a word with you.
Anybody notice that everybody has a new Gameday picture?
At least, for the Bosox, the LF’s overall defense at Fenway is not nearly as important as at Safeco.
Ibanez in Safeco is more of a liability than Manny in Fenway. Considering Manny on the road though, he might overall be worse.
249 – Manny Ramirez. Garrett Anderson. I would take Raul over these two out there. Look at the LF’s around baseball. It’s not a position with defensive stand-outs.
Wonder if the Braves would still want White back.
that doesn’t mean we can’t find a better fielder who would allow ibanez to move to DH. What are the chances that this new guy hits worse than Turbo?
252: Fair point. Safeco’s LF is where HRs go to die.
Hmmm….so Weaver gives up 7 earned runs and his ERA is cut in half? Awesome.
Boston fans are talking as if they already have Ichiro signed for next season. I can’t say as I would blame him for making that wish come true.
A’s win.
Alright boys let’s get those rally caps going.
Willie Ballgame sighting!
252: Fair point. Safeco’s LF is where HRs go to die.
Yeah, and with our defense, they turn into 2B and 3B.
A’s beat Angels, 4-1. Vlad supposed to be back by Friday, though Jose Guillen demonstrated last year the potential problems with hitting with a sore wrist.
You guys should have been watching the Rainiers game instead. It was awesome. Props to Morse for one hell of an at-bat in the bottom of the ninth, sparking the rally, to Balentien for walking (even he looked surprised) and to Clement for bringing them in.
Lincecum was fun to watch and a lot of fans turned out for him. First 3 innings he was totally dealing and Curto said he was hitting 99 once in a while. You could really hear the ball pop in the catcher’s mitt. Next 3 innings he still dominated but I think must have slowed down a fair bit, as the slaps in the glove weren’t as sharp and the Rainiers started looking way better in their ABs against him. Plus, he slowed down dramatically between pitches. Sure is a little guy for throwing that hard though. Sweet game. Nice to see Rohn back.
256 Have you already seen enough of Vidro? I think a lifetime 300 hitter deserves more than 9 games.
watching the 9th inning of an 11-2 defeat is worth it just to see Neshek pitch.
Speaking as a Boston fan, I am meh on Ichiro. I am very pessimistic about Ichiro aging gracefully, and the Sox aren’t deeply in need of more outfielders.
Rally time!
Pat Neshek is a freak.
263: Just so.
266: If Vidro were still the player he was when he was hitting 300, he’d be on a longer leash. Very, very few people think that he’s that player anymore.
Is it the lack of pressure in a blowout like this that permits Sexson to not swing at pitches two feet out of the zone? Earlier in the game, all those near-wild pitches would have been too tempting for him.
Vidro hasn’t been an average hitter since 2003. He’s slow. He doesn’t hit for power. His knees aren’t healthy. His lethal double play propensity saps any benefit a decent average might have. That said, he might not even put up a decent average.
Not too sure it’s good to assume Broussard will PH for Betancourt. Joh hit into a triple play against the Twins last year…
Nice to see Guillen get involved.
Whew! Kenji almost broke the team rule of “no walks” by fouling that pitch at his shoulders
Vidro got 2 more hits tonight. Keep bashing and I’ll offset it by keeping the faith.
that was a pretty filthy 84mph pitch, whatever it was.
way to get the extra base guys. that nine runs will be made up in no time.
and as Deanna would mention, Neshek has a swell blog of his own.
273… but he’s got veteran presence. And Willie has grit. Between them, nothing will stop the Mariners*!
* from being 4th place in the AL West.
Why don’t they play some of Broussard’s music before his ABs? Maybe they figured it wasn’t worth the effort since he’ll get one or two every series.
278
Neshek has filthy stuff…all the more reason to go ahead and take ball four the three or four times he had the chance.
Well, that game certainly sucked.
Good night. We’re still in first place, baby!
Wait until our offense shows up for all three games of a series!
My prediction is that Jeff Weaver won’t lose more than 5 games for the Mariners this year.
Because he’ll be released.
265 – You know Lincecum’s final stat line?
Last week’s excuse for the poor pitching: rust.
Tonight’s excuse for the poor pitching: inconsistent strike zone.
Sunday’s: Overwork in previous outing (96 “pitches”).
289, 6.2ip 11k 0BB 3H 0R 93 pitches
I mean 288
Lincecum:
6 2/3 IP, 11 K, 0 BB, 3 H, 0 R.
93 pitches, 62 strikes.
7 GO, 2 FO.
FSN is unbelievable.
Krueger: “Weaver is still a little rusty. He has a proven track record.”
Blowers: “He was pitching pretty well”; “Got a bad bounce”, etc etc.
…and a few more “uh’s” and “um’s” when they realize they might say something negative about the team.
293: FSN, covering Vlad on bench: He had a good game, didn’t make any mistakes, was more patient than usual, did really get enough chances.
Thanks, and Wow. What will come first, Weaver released, or Lincecum to the majors?
On the one hand, Russ Ortiz is occupying a rotation spot. On the other hand, SF is and will be in last place.
#293-Leave Krueger and Blowers alone, they usually know what they are talking about. I know Krueger personally and I’ve listened to Blowers a lot on KOMO 1000, and they are a lot smarter than Dave Valle, that’s for sure.
I’m just pissed though, I just knew all along that it was going to end up being a stupid move to sign Jeff Weaver (even for 1 year).
He’s came here only to pitch to get a larger contract in free agency rather than to be committed with this team and this group of players long term. In other words, he only came here playing for himself, not the Seattle Mariners. And now as it turns out, we are paying $8 million for the Anaheim version of Jeff Weaver that struggled last year, and you think he pitches this bad in Safeco, wait until the weather gets warmer and he gets into more flyball parks (like Anaheim this weekend).
Nice job Bavasi. Nice job. Don’t let the (fill in the blank) door hit you on the way out.
DFA Weaver’s butt. And if Brandon Morrow really is good enough to pitch in the big league level right now, then put him in as the #5 starter in a month or two and lets see if he really can help us right now and in 2008, 2009, 2010, etc. The years when Jeff Weaver will be somewhere far away from here.
Krueger on Weaver: “He just made one bad pitch.”
Oh sorry, you’re friends with Krueger so he’s above criticism on this blog. My bad.
This remains the most negative thread I’ve ever seen on this fine site.
We are supposed to suck, be the cellar dwellers, generally blow and get walked over by any team that swings a wooden bat.,well, we don’t. We got screwed by the weather, as did the Indians, and now so did six other AL teams with games to make up.
Go Mariners!
I don’t think anyone’s above criticism on USSM.
And this is, without question, not the most negative comment thread ever.
Mr. (Great book “Cheaters Guide to Baseball” available on amazon.com)Zumsteg,
why do you think it’s so negative?
I don’t recall the ‘We traded Snelling for who?’ thread at all, but I have to assume it was worse than this.
This wasn’t a negative thread, it was realistic. The Mariners are a very bad team with one good pitcher and that’s about it. They’ll continue to let Weaver pitch and continue to bat Vidro third and on and on and on … 90 losses, here we come.
Cool tip for Dereks book:
If you can’t buy it request it online from your local library. If there are enough requests, say 200 or so in King County, they will buy 1/2 copy each library to parcel out. I’ve done my part in Issaquah,
It’s funny how the threds fluctuate depending on how the Mariners do on a given day, if we win tomarrow we will hear about how the Mariners will win the west again.
Um, do you expect to be sunlight and roses after this kind of game?
Oh, PLEASE.
If Jeff is allowed to keep pitching like this I’m going to start hating all Weavers, including those that make baskets.
For the record, this team won’t lose 90 games. Will they throw 8 million in the landfill with the rest of the garbage they eventually toss out? Probably.
Maybe this team wont lose 90, but it is hard to expect anything better than 3rd place at this pace. Felix has been even better than we expected, but most of the new aquisitions have been performing as bad as we expected.
Funku Burastu, of course.
Guys, in 1995 we had the following:
Salomon Torres: 3-8, 6.00 ERA, 13 starts
Dave Fleming, 1-5, 7.50 ERA, 7 starts
Weaver’s well on the way to Piñeirofication if he doesn’t find some more feet on his fastball, but it’s Game 9, fergawdsake.
you mean Pirates closer Salomon Torres?
I think everything that can be said on Weaver has been said.
I am to the point already in the season where I am starting to watch his starts, just to see how big the train wreck really is and to see if the cameras can find some funny team/crowd reaction to Jeff’s horrible pitching display. Brutal.
Chris Snelling is so damn good, even his baseball cap is in the Hall of Fame.
Nice to see the Nats wearing the Virginia Tech caps. An idea emailed to the front office by a fan.
Here’s a pic.
Oh noes. How terrible that Weaver may be hurt!