Game 68, Pirates at Mariners
Weaver vs Maholm, 7:05 pm.
The Pirates are throwing a lefty, and after my rant last night about hitting Raul Ibanez clean-up against lefties, Mike Hargrove changed the line-up. Really. Ibanez isn’t hitting clean-up tonight.
He’s hitting third.
Sometimes, I feel like Grover does things just to give me the finger. “Hey, kid, you don’t like Ibanez hitting clean-up against lefties? Fine. Why don’t I move him up in the order? How do you like that, punk?” I know it’s not true, but man, he’s good at making it feel that way.
Anyways, here’s the line-up:
Ichiro The Awesome, CF
Lopez, 2B
Ibanez, Guy Who Watches Balls Land In Left Field Area
Guillen, Guy Who Watches Balls Land In Right Field Area
Johjima, C
Beltre, 3B
Sexson, 1B
Vidro, DH
Betancourt, SS
I should probably say something nice about Hargrove moving Vidro to the 8th hole. Do you think they finally realize that he sucks? No, probably not. Because if they did, Adam Jones wouldn’t have taken the field for the Tacoma Rainiers this afternoon.
Anyways, M’s try to end a 6 game losing streak. M’s send Weaver to the hill to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, at the same time, Juan Ramirez will be making his stateside debut up in Everett, and Pat Dillon is always fun to listen to. Yea, I don’t think I’m going to watch this.
Comments
178 Responses to “Game 68, Pirates at Mariners”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Speaking of defense, someone was positing that a large part of this was the positioning of players by the bench. Have something to it, or is it untenable?
It is positioning. They’re positioning Raul Ibanez in left field on a nightly basis.
Does Vidro being dropped that far in the order mean a Jones call-up is at least sliiiightly closer upon us? Give me some good news, Dave. I can’t handle this mess we’re in.
I’ve been entertained by how eagerly Fox has been pointing out how well Adam is doing lately — Daren Brown just opined that he is ready, and they ‘just have to keep him that way’ until he gets that call.
Weaver the stopper.
Have you seen enough Dave? Can you continue to not watch games and still give insight into the Mariner team?
I am thinking of just putting on my “rally cap” on at the start of the game.
Ramirez walks the first batter he faces as an Aquasox. Welcome to the states, kid.
I recall a graphic FSNW displayed a few weeks ago when Weaver was warming up on the mound, and one of the items read “Slump Buster”. What could that possibly have been based on? I assume they must have been referring to opposing teams busting out of their batting slumps.
I’m wearing my Ichiro jersey today. My team, right or wrong. Or VERY wrong.
Ramirez just hit the second batter of the game. Pat said he threw a couple pitches to the backstop during warmups. His command might need some work.
Tonight’s scouting report on Jeff Weaver was way less funny.
McLouth unnerves me. He looks like a 14-year-old me.
Ramirez just threw one to the backstop when it counts, too. Not much of a debut so far…
#11: Maybe he’s just a big “Bull Durham” fan.
Who is the guy in the Jeff Weaver costume?
It might be comical were Bob Uecker broadcasting Aquasox games.
Is Pat Dillon playing it straight, or is he embracing the comedy?
Jeff Weaver
Can’t be Jeff Weaver, even with the hair and no ass, because he just got through the first without giving up a run.
Old Man Weaver, unzipping Jeff Weaver costume to reveal Jeff Weaver’s face:
“And I might have gotten away with it if not for you meddling kids!”
Jeff Weaver’s back!
Well, someone DID say that most people connected with the Mariners read this blog.
So maybe Hargrove /is/ just doing his lineups to spite you, Dave.
Wasn’t the whole idea behind Weaver’s stint on the DL to improve his arm strength and velocity? Looks like he’s still heaving 86-mph junk to me.
Nice recovery.
Hooray Pirate defense!
Oooh, Vidro! I heart the DH.
Turbo! For a moment there I forgot what game I was watching.
Okay, Sammy Sosa FINALLY has 600 home runs. Stunt’s over. He should be released before his next at-bat.
Doesn’t it seem as if throwing errors come in bunches? The Pirates just started throwing as if they were in a beer league softball game all of a sudden.
#30: Thank God, huh?
Maybe the Rangers would be willing to trade Sosa straight-up for Ichiro.
They gave Mawhositsface 1 ER in that inning… but isn’t the theory that you should reconstruct what would have happened sans error?
So, Guillen grounds out.
Johjima infield single.
Beltre single, Johjima to second.
Sexson infield single, beltre to second and johjima to third.
Vidro GIDP.
Three hits, no runs. What am I missing?
And maybe I’d sell my soul for a Krispy Kreme variety pack.
Raul thinks he’s in the Metrodome
Is your soul tasty?
33. Johjima single, to second on throw. Beltre single, Joh scores, Beltre to third on throw.
Sexson single, Beltre scores, Turbo sucks.
Sosa: .241/.298/.448. That’s what the Rangers are jamming in the middle of their lineup, night after night. No wonder they’re losing, and losing, and losing.
Ichiro! He’s slap-a-licious!
My soul is jelly-filled. I believe it’s boysenberry.
Wow … what is that, six errors for the Pirates so far?
Looks like the Pirates need to hire a team optometrist.
Wow, Ibanez hits a lefty!
How is a ball hit right in front of the center fielder “sliced into the gap”?
Its the gap between the second baseman and the shortstop
Let’s see if Beltre can slice one into the bullpen.
Sammy Sosa hasn’t been good. But the list of players who’ve been worse isn’t short, “stunt” or no. There is no rational reason to say he shouldn’t be playing.
47, I agree. I’d trade our designated double-play grounder-into for Sosa in a heartbeat.
#48: I’d trade him for a ham sandwich. On rye, but I’d be willing to settle for cheap mustard.
I wonder what the typical workout routine is for a full-time DH. Probably doesn’t involve many triathalons.
No, seriously, I think Jeff got his brother to sneak into town and wear the Jeff Weaver costume tonight.
Raul Ibanez has the knack for making any catch look awkward.
Speaking of Juan Ramirez, he’s seems to have settled down nicely after the 1st inning with 5 strikeouts in the following 3 innings and the last 8 batters retired.
#47: Good point. It could be Craig Biggio hitting cleanup.
I couldn’t imagine being a Pirates fan. Having Adam Laroche as your clean-up hitter must be demoralizing.
Sliced into the FUNK GAP!
Funk Blast!
Richie sliced it into the left field stands!
Way to go, Richie. Gorman Thomas and Rob Deer would be proud.
So what exactly is this performance by Weaver? Is he really throwing shutout baseball, or is this just evidence of how bad the Pirates really are? And Funk Blast Richie? Two nights in a row? Pigs CAN fly!
Rob Deer would draw more walks.
Hmmmm… Weaver through 4 without surrendering a run. This is either another Roswell conspiracy, or he hates looking at the stat line every day with that BIG FAT FREAKIN’ GOOSE EGG in the win column. What a turd, I don’t care how good he’s pitching…..
Oh yeah, and FUNK BLAST!!!
I see Richie as more of a Ron Kittle or Greg Luzinski.
What does “Funk Blast” mean? I don’t get it.
I am shocked every time Ichiro doesn’t get a base hit.
Richie just needs the Ron Kittle nerd glasses.
So how many more runs do we need before this game is Weaver/Hargrove/Morrow proof? I’d say we need at least a touchdown.
Mmmm. It’s a nice night, isn’t it? By the way, the Angels are 2 runs behind.
63: Do not question the Funk Blast.
I can’t believe I am saying this, but did you see those two Curves Weaver chucked at Nady? Man, those were actually pretty nasty…. Two pitches outta 900 on the season isn’t bad
66 pitches, 46 strikes, 5 innings, 2 hits …. ladies and gentlemen, World Series hero Jeff Weaver.
Weaver’s ERA is below 10. The man is on fire.
it would be fun to calculate how many more scoreless innings Weaver has to pitch to get his ERA down below 4.00
I’m questioning the Funk Blast. What is it?
I imagine Jim Thomsen could fill you in on the “Funk Blast”.
#72: About 51 more IP. He’d need 88 IP total with 39 ER to be at 3.99.
If Weaver pitches a CG shutout I’ll buy everyone here a beer at Sluggers.
I imagine he couldn’t, as he am I and I am he.
4 K’s… Weaver inching his way to a pretty nice game. He’s starting a lot of people off offspeed, huh?
Uh, four out of the last six are strikeouts for Weaver? 11 in a row? I looked out my window and I don’t see any pigs flying.
Down to only 50 more scoreless IP!
Thom Jimsen: I think a “funk blast” is evidence that the marketing guy is still wearing platform shoes and bell bottoms.
Okay, who are you and what did you do to the real Jeff Weaver?!
#80: I agree. It’s just such an inane term. “Home run” is quite sufficient.
Dude, no more K’s for Weaver… Next thing you know, the dude is going to get cocky and start tossing belt-high fastballs to Jason Bay.
Sexson above the Mendosa line is also nice to see
After all of my crying, lamenting, and realizations after the last six games that, yes these are the same Mariners I have a love hate relationship with…. if Weaver can keep this up, and pitch like he belongs at #5, do we have a chance?
No.
Kenji forgot he isn’t Ichiro after getting that infield hit.
Oh, good. Now Turbo gets to lead off the next inning.
And on another cheerful note: Rockies are beating the Yankees. Again. Oops, sorry. Make that “Rockies beat the Yankees. Again.”
Lord, another first-pitch out.
Pittsburg must have no 2007 scouting report on JW. I’ll bet they’re working off ’06 World Series scouting reports that they bought secondhand on eBay.
How does that yankees lineup manage just a whopping 2 runs in 2 games *in* Colorado? Good lord.
49 innings to go.
Down to a mere 49 consecutive scoreless innings ’til Weaver goes sub-4.00 ERA.
Oh yeah – glad the M’s didn’t sign Jason Schmidt.
Wait a minute – won’t he break Orel Hersheiser’s record for most consecutive scoreless innings?
Weaver on his way to a shutout? It’s like Steven Segal nominated for best actor for “Snowball in Hell”
“Seagal”
Turbo Blast!
85: Remember that post Dave did about Washburn not really being better when he shut down the A’s and ChiSox triple A teams? Pirates OPS+ = 91, we’re in Safeco.
Hershiser’s streak is 59 IP, so that’d be safe.
Weaver’s pitch counbt through 7 = 81.
Can we move to the NL Central?
#96
Sorry. I’m in shock. It always disturbs my spelling.
Remember, the Cubs and Astros play in the NL Central.
Dude, if Jeff Weaver breaks the scoreless IP streak, I” buy everyone in the house a beer.
(My wife’s the only one here, she hates beer, and she’s pregnant. I think I’m safe.)
Weaver reminds me of a employee evaluation I saw once, “This employee works well when trapped like a rat in the bottom of a bucket.”
The M’s should threaten his job EVERY FIFTH DAY.
“Retired 15 in a row” … how can this possibly be JFW?
Weaver’s regularly in the low 90s with good movement on the fastball, and his breaking stuff has been snappin’. Time warp back to 2004 with the Dodgers.
#105: The answer is: The Pittsburgh Pirates. Weaver’s throwing the same old slop. THe other team’s hitting it. Just not for base hits.
107 – don’t hate the playa… Hate the GM
Hmm… I think FSN is missing a 1 or a 2 in front of that 0 in the score… this can’t be right.
Crazy Weaver is pitching a shutout? A TWO HIT shutout? I’m in the bizarro world.
derek is never allowed to watch JFW pitch again
two hit three hit.
Boy, I just got in, and Weaver working on a 2- (now 3-) hitter was the last thing I ever expected to see, even if it is against the Pirates!
I so want to see JFW throw a 3 hit shutout just to watch how the beat writers and blogoshere react to the event (in opposite manner, of course).
113- Something like “I knew his turn around was coming…”?
Ah…so *that’s* what happened to Dan Kolb.
Forget what I said in #90 – I think they got the report on Jered Weaver instead, and they decided that aggressive approach was their only hope.
99 pitches. Do they take action on CG’s in Nevada sports books? I wonder what odds you could have gotten?
Ibanez homers again? Bizarro indeed.
Rauuuuuuuuuuuuuul!
kenshabby, you’re the free beer at sluggers guy, right ?
Someone save me. I keep trying to figure out the algebraic equation for working out the number of innings left for Weaver to get to 4.00 and my high-school math is totally failing me.
Stat from radion broadcast, according to Niehaus. Weaver has had five shutouts in his career. And he has had five complete games in his career. Can that be right?
13 complete games, 5 shut outs
121. He has five shutouts in his career (3 in ’02 with Tigers; 3 with Dodgers in ’05). He actually has 13 CGs in his career; 5 were in ’01 with Tigers.
Yeah, that did not sound plausible. And his ERA is now below 9.
If ERA=ER*9/IP, then to get his ERA down to 4, he needs to throw C innings, so:
4=ER*9/(IP+C)
Rearrange to:
C=RS*(9/4)-IP
Hope that helps, Lauren.
er, 2 ShOs with Dodgers in ’05)
Wow. Jeff “Meatball” Weaver going into the 9th trying for a complete game shutout to stop a 6 game losing streak. And I thought the extra-innings game in Chicago was weird!
I’m buying a lottery ticket!
119: Yes, that’s me. The offer stands. But it has to be on July 14, the next (and likely last) time I attend a Mariners game this year. I’ll be the guy wearing a Tigers jersey and cap.
121: Weaver’s had 13 CGs and 5 CGSHOs.
Well, eight good innings isn’t too bad.
Ooooh! Beltre!
To extend 125, Lauren:
He’s let in 39 ER in 32 IP before this game. So:
C=39*9/4-32=351/4-32=55.75, about 56 IP.
GAME!
Can someone tell me again why Bavasi looked at Weaver’s AL record and NL record from 2006 and decided it was a good idea to put him back in the AL West? Is Bavasi dyslexic?
Weaver! – I thought the first time I’d write that was when we got rid of him.
Did that crash USSM?
75 – ruh-roh…
Wow. There’s something you shouldn’t have expected to see before the game started.
Nope, just slowed it down.
Dream Weaver!
E-to-the-freakin’-gads.
Congrats Weaver. You’re our savior.
Whooa-oa, Dream Weaver….!
Wow.
Beer, Beer, Beer, Weaver the stopper. See 5.
Weaver CG shutout? Bavasi is a genious afterall.
I noticed Ichiro GIDP tonight
Don’t worry 75, I’m in Minneapolis. So there’s one less beer you have to buy.
The game July 14 is a Saturday game, 7:05 start time. Before or after the game? Sluggers or another place? I don’t hang around that area too often – more of a U-District guy I am.
Amazing.
Hrm, thanks, ro(multiple b’s). That seems like it should help but the specifics are still eluding me somehow. I’m assuming that RS in the rearranged equation should be ER?
Yay win! Although, shit, Angels just tied it up.
Angels tie the game on two straight bases-loaded walks.
What just happened?
What just happened?
Dogs and cats sleeping together…
Did tonight’s performance just earn Weaver another month?
It’s BIZARRO Weaver.
#153: No, but it earns him one more start. If he does well against the Red Sox then he definitely earns another 2-3 weeks here.
Geez
With Weaver’s most unlikliest of performances, there must be something in the air today. In the same INNING of the SAME GAME, Soriano allowed three earnies for the Braves and Pineiro pitched a scoreless inning.
I wonder how many other opposite sort of performances are out there if we look hard enough
SHIT. Now 8-4 Angels.
/whew…
I wonder if Sluggers serves Manny’s Ale.
So me and my friend were watching the game. In the ninth inning she said “This is like Christopher Reeve walk again. You know. If he was still alive.” I said “No. This is like watching Christopher Reeve walk now. Any old quadriplegic might walk again. Watching Jeff Weaver throw a shutout is like watching a dead quadriplegic man rise from the grave and go for a jog.” That was utterly bizarre.
Vlad goes yard vs that loser Borkowski.
Folks, that’s what you’re SUPPOSED to do to Wandy effin’ Rodriguez and that no name reliever.
Naturally we were utterly hopeless vs those same two pitchers
my loss kenshabby, i’m walking into sluggers in about 5 minutes. didn’t think i’d make that walk in day light though.
“Did that pick-off get you going?” Another interviewer from the School of Inane Sports Broadcasting.
By the way, how long have they been waiting to bust out that “Dream Weaver” sign? Oh right…2 months 18 days.
Nice pitching, Dorkowski. Three walks, a sac, and a blast. Wheee!
so the Astros choked two games to the come-from-behind Angels, huh?
Just couldn’t do that for us, nope nope nope.
of, course, we don’t have Vlad.
Anyway, as soon as the game ends on Saturday, July 14 I’ll be headed to Sluggers. Find a 6’2″ 30-ish white guy wearing a Tigers shirt and cap and mention the secret code word “Dreamweaver”. If the guy doesn’t punch you out it’s me and I’ll buy you a beer.
Its not nice to see the Angels losing 2-4, only to click refresh and see the score change to 8-4…
#75
See you in an hour?
Me am in hate with tonight’s Bizarro Mariners.
#75 send my beer south to Oregon!LOL
Ryan Franklin once threw a complete game with less than 100 pitches. Gil Meche looked unbeatable in early games for Kansas City. This was a game against a bad national league team. We shouldn’t expect more from Weaver than we ever did before.
M’s will win some and they’ll lose some. Probably 81 of each. Did we really think this team was capable of putting together a serious run? Of course there is always a possibility, that’s why we watch, but there is the reality that it’s not probable and we hate ourselves for selling the idea to ourselves. Don’t blame the M’s.
Who has more career complete games and shutouts between Johan Santana and Jeff Weaver?
Here’s a hint. That thing you’re thinking right now is wrong.
#174: Good one! Santana’s been so dominant over the last three seasons that some folks forget he was in and out of the bullpen during the early part of his career — and that Weaver actually threw a heck of a lot more innings back in those days.
Though I was still looking up at the sky around 9.20 or so tonight to see if the next cataclysmic asteroid was blazing its way toward a collision course with earth!
So the Mariners’ six game losing streak is ended with a complete game shut out pitched by … Jeff Weaver.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Non statistical analysis:
Weaver cut by Angels 2006 because he sucked. Wobbles through the rest of the year with the Cards, showing some life. Big time WS performance. 2007 he sucks, starts showing some life, junk balls a bad team, get’s CGSO. Good for him. Conclusion, he can do it every so often, but not consistantly. So could Spiroid, Meche and don’t forget Pitcher of the Week, May 2006 our own Joel. Not a keeper.
uh, “guy who watches ball land in right field area” is one of the funniest things I’ve seen all week. Thanks for the laugh.