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Game 131, Angels at Mariners
Felix day! Felix versus the currently-better of the two Weavers! With Broussard at first!
1:35, FSN
Get ‘em! Get ‘em Mr. B!
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Twittah

Happy Broussard Day!
Well the rally Chipotle burrito didn’t work last night. Maybe I’ll try something else.
Going to miss the first half of the game because of class. Hope I return to a Felix 1 hitter 6K’s in the 5th! With a lead of course.
Im skipping class for this. Please make it worth it King Felix!
4 – that might not be such a good idea haha.. This is about as big a must win as we have had in awhile. I don’t even wanna think about what would happen if we lose and the Yanks win today to pull even. The good thing is we generally go on a roll after a losing streak. Maybe that roll will start today? Hopefully! GO BB! GO FELIX! GO MARINERS!
Please, spare us one game of the series. One small game. Is that too much to ask?
ps please DFA Whitey.
still at work and recording the game…have fun watching…hopefully i’ll have something good to watch when i get home!
Bummer – No HD broadcast today.
My hope is that the umpire calls SOMEBODY on the Angels out at second base this game.
9: Meals should be at first today.
8 – So much for “all home games being broadcast in HD”. Poop.
Its funny that McLaren is making the right choice by accident. Broussard is in the lineup because he is 0 for 9 against Weaver. That should not be the reason McLaren takes him out of the lineup. 0 for 9 against one pitcher means absolutely nothing. But, he should be taken out of the lineup anyway so I’m glad it worked out that way. The bad news is even if Broussard jacks 4 bombs and goes 6 for 6 with 12 RBI he will be back on the bench tomorrow.
Or rather, all home games that *are* broadcast also being available in HD. Clearly, some day games @ home aren’t even on the telly.
throw a few more fastballs, felix, I’m sure the only reason you gave up that leadoff single is because you haven’t established it yet.
13: They picked up this game a few days ago, so I’m guessing that has something to do with it.
Oooh boy. This is already scary.
According to Gameday, Felix hasn’t thrown anything but fastballs to Cabrera. Someone break out the open letter to Raffy Chavez again.
First two hitters:
FB, CB, FB, FB, FB, FB, FB, FB, FB, FB
All fastballs.
wow, and then he throws a 3 sliders and strikes out vlad. weird.
Wow, he really got him to nibble away.
How do you spell “swinging strike”? O-F-F-S-P-E-E-D
Throw that curve more often please, Mr. Felix.
Probably the best anyone has pitched to Vlad this series.
So I just purchased mlb.tv won’t let me past an upgrade page when I click on the 400k link. Any advice before I punch my laptop?
(and it)
If you’re going to throw a FB, throwing it 101 is a good idea. According to Gameday anyway.
I think Felix should trust Jo more. I always smirk when a pitcher shakes off his catcher 3~ times and then gives up a hit.
That single on a slider
So much for the reverse jinx. It’s 80 degrees and Greenlake is beckoning.
mlb.tv’s customer service reps are pretty helpful; you actually talk to a human being right off the bat. I’d call the 800 number on their site and get it figured out
Rick has been saying the speeds about 3 mph slower than gameday. Then again, it is Rick
Gawd.
Swell. Looks like I’ll be washing my car sooner than I thought. And the radio shan’t be on while I’m doing so.
I’ve got to go with Geoff Baker on this one. Blow this game and you can kiss the AL West goodbye.
Bartolo Colon doesn’t catch that.
well. That inning could have been worse.
4 ground balls. 4 singles. Felix has such poor luck this year. It’s infuriating.
our turn to make a comeback after a 1st inning deficit.
I know it’s a small sample size, but the only good thing I can see right now is that the Angels have a .800 BABIP, and 3 out of their 4 hits have been ground balls. That seems like a good sign if Felix can hang in their for 5 or 6 more innings.
er, i mean, all 4 hits were GBs
Yeah…I doubt EVERY grounder will be just inches from our grasp. I’m skeptical about our hitting.
At least we can’t blame McLaren for this one.
We’re going to have to really beat up on the Yankees and the Tigers to have a chance at the wild card.
We hammered Weaver last time we faced him.
Who’s the home plate umpire today? I swear if it’s Meals I’m going to turn off Gameday.
Meals is at first
I never thought we’d win the west. But for a while I really believed we’d get the wild card, though now I have serious doubts. The Yankees are a superior team with a softer schedule, and Detroit shouldn’t keep up this losing trend for the rest of the season. What a great time for a 4+ game losing streak and a total pitching collapse!
Excellent. So every blown call will be at First today.
Are we trying to see how quickly we can get Felix back on the mound?
Its too bad the M’s believe if you beat your head against a wall long enough the wall will fall down. They never try and switch anything up in order to win a game. I bet McLaren is nervous as all hell because of his high rick move of putting Broussard in there.
Never mind…Guillen, after swinging at the first pitch is working the count pretty well
rick = risk when you are about to puke
More Free Talent Better Than Horacio Ramirez:
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers announced today that they have claimed two-time All-Star right-handed pitcher Esteban Loaiza off waivers from the Oakland Athletics, according to Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti.
At least Weaver threw more than ten pitches.
End.
No Bang.
Wimper.
“Get ‘em! Get ‘em Mr. B!”
Is that a Bioshock reference?
Awesome.
Leadoff man aboard. Again.
So were having trouble hitting, pitching AND fielding apparently
Other than that…
I swear, they are the dumbest team in baseball. If it weren’t for either a) overwhelming talent or b) players playing way above their heads they would be….well, a 90 loss team like last year.
Can I sue the Mariners front office? I’ve been off my anti-anxiety medications for a few months, and I’m about to call in a few refills.
oh good lord.
Well I guess I’m no longer sad about having to go in to work in 45 minutes.
Not watching this, so I’m asking – are all those singles seeing-eye grounders (AKA pussy hits) that the Angels are so well known for?
Oh well, another year of having to watch the fucking Yankees in the postseason. Gag!
I hate the fucking Angels!
The M’s kick the ball around while the Angels tune for October. Does anyone seriously think the M’s are better than this team?
YuBet makes sure we’re at least fielding correctly now.
Good to see not EVERY groudball finds a hole
I’m sad
Nice Adrian! w000000 an out!
I hope I spoke too soon.
Well well well.
The gloves are finally coming out to play.
Why didn’t Beltre simply touch the bag for the force out instead of waiting there for the runner?
McLaren nominates self for Manager of the Year Award
Riding high on his team’s five-game losing streak, Seattle Mariners John McLaren has publicly spoken out about his candidacy for Manager of the Year. Speaking to a group of reporters outside Safeco Field, McLaren said: “There are not a lot of managers out there that have the patience, the perserverence, and the dedication that I have shown this season. Take a look at other top teams. Yankees take Mike Mussina out of rotation just because he is struggling. Tigers trade Craig Monroe, a proven veteran. The Angels have completely lost their minds and have been starting rookies and second-year players for the entire season.” McLaren went on to a list a number of “crazy” moves, including the Yankees’ call-up of Joba Chamberlain and the Brewers’ call-up Ryan Braun.
McLaren continued: “Sure, a five-year old can make the easy decision to take Richie Sexson out of the line-up. But it takes a man of great strength, a true ‘manager of the year’ to keep him in there. And don’t even get me started on Rick White and John Parrish. Just because 29 other teams passed on their services does not mean I use them in whaddamacallit situations,” presumably referring to high-leverage situations, a term McLaren said he was unfamiliar with.
Wow…their ace throws a complete game shutout with strep throat…our ace, may or may not make it through 4 innings.
Getting Cabrera out on that GREAT play by Adrian is huge. Cabrera is hitting 14 for 24 off of Felix and well over .400 overall vs the M’s this year.
And to do so on ONE pitch is more than you could ask for
Now about this Vlad character…
Defense = Good, Pitching/Hitting = Bad
Good Felix.
Thanks trident, I called and they sorted it out. Now I just have to suffer the game.
I know that USSM isn’t the place for “intangibles”–but if the M’s CAN be motivated, perhaps getting out of that jam thanks to Yuni & Beltre can do it?
I may be pessimistic about our chances…but I’m still a fan. I want the M’s to win.
I want that end to come with a bang.
Anything but a wimper.
73 – Nice. I hope you didn’t spend too long on that one.
Well, that’s a nce response. Pick up the bats, guys.
Nice to spell correctly, too.
Okay Ben. Time for you to make Richie cry.
please don’t get the first base-runner picked off.
Yay, we don’t have an exclusive on sucky defense in this game.
Gee, I guess Mathis ISN’T superhuman afterall
Now get the dang run in from third w/ less than two outs. Something THEY have done quite well this series…unlike us during the losing streak
Beltre makes me happy
huh. The Dodgers apparently feel they have a weakness in their starting rotation, and chose to address it. Wacky.
Woo! Run!
Richie would have popped/struck out.
I thought Wells was their “savior”
Broussard makes me happy too
Loaiza > Wells >> HoRam. D’oh.
How many times do we have to be subjected to that stupid hockey players singing the itsy bitsy spider?
How many times do we have to be subjected to the Big Bob’s flooring commercial?
That’s the only way we can get Anderson out. I guess we’ll take it.
Good thing no Gerry Meals at third.
Ironically, if Guillen wouldn’t have taken a year and a half to get the ball, Anderson wouldn’t have foolishly tried for third in the first place
Thanks Garret! We finally found a way to get ya out
(And we even got a decent call on the bases too…are we allowed to have one of those?)
Well…at least the leadoff man isn’t aboard this inning.
felix is pitching worse now, but it’s more effective. I’m waiting for Rick to say how much Felix has improved since having a rough first.
Jerry. Jerry Meals.
Sorry, Jerry Meals.
Morales 7-11 this series. Gimme a freakin’ break. He’s not THAT great is he?
7 hits in 2.2 innings so far for Felix…uggh…this has danger signs written all over it.
Unhitch the plow Raul.
93 and 94: We need more of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym7h-pPB2is
A relatively painless inning. Glee!
#99– “it’s been a rough start for Felix”
Kotchman must like whiffle ball or something, judging by his last two times he’s put it in play
dave: another run?
but goo god how have we held them to just 2 so far
93- In Alaska all the CW games are on FSN. When they are, the commercials go on a repetitive loop. That piece of shit hockey player sings itsy bitsy spider AT LEAST once per inning break, usually at least twice. The Foundation for a Better Life can go have sexual relations with itself.
110
LOL…Beautiful post
Fwiw, my wife graduated from Cordova HS
106 – I like how giving up 2 doubles in an inning is relativley painless. Man…we must have been subjected to a lot of pain recently if that is relatively painless.
Just about every Angels’ player has some annoying physical trait that makes me hate the team even more, but I think Jered Weaver’s pushing himself to the top of the list with all this fussing with his hair. Tuck back behind the ears, ever so carefully, after every freaking pitch!
112
We have (In the last four games)
I have to insist that Ichiro! go yard here.
Meh.
107 – just you wait, if the score is still 2-1 after about 5 innings this will be “a good old fashioned pitcher’s duel”
#117
Until Johnny Mac decides to put in Rick White with the game on the line. Then it becomes a lopsided-slugfest.
I am thinking that we will see JJ in the sixth inning down 6-2 with no one on and the bottom of the Angles order coming up.
Argh
How do we let a guy like Mathis kill us AGAIN today?
I mean seriously…sigh
Blowers after 8 hits in 3 innings: “Felix has pretty good stuff today.” WTF?!?!
hmm. anybody check to see if Jered uses Brylcreem?
#122– Felix has good stuff.
He just doesn’t know where it is going.
Down by two again. Yippee.
Dear Mariners Offense,
Please come to the ballpark.
123
I’m sure he can borrow from the vat where Krueger keeps his
HONEST QUESTION GUYS…
How many innings since OUR last hr?
#117– I dunno, so far Rizzs has been crediting the defense with saving Felix …
#126– I think Krueger uses Shellac.
#127
Becoming too reliant on the home run is what got us into this mess.
Is that a joke?
It would be nice for our marginal players to step up in a big series and swat home runs off #1 starters…of course, that never happens, but it would be nice for a change.
130
Well we’ve definitely gotten FAR FAR away from it
123. Excellent point. I’m just not devious enough to be a ballplayer; that hadn’t even occurred to me. His hair is certainly darker and more controlled appearing than his brother, suggesting something’s on there.
Maybe he borrowed out of the vat that F.Rod uses on his hat.
#133
No freakin kidding.
preaching to choir but man, Turbo should have been on 2nd for his hit. Any Angel would be.
Come on Beltre, time to step up again.
123 – Should be superglue, then he’d only have to do it once.
Would we DARE score TWO straight runners from third w/ less than two outs?
Beltre’s going yard
#140
I’ll settle for Beltre not hitting into a DP.
i’ll take the sac fly
we need Big Ben to shove this one down Mac’s throat!
Why do I bother checking up on this game? Of all the Angels to hit a HR, it’s super-light hitting Mathis?
122 – Typical inane sycophantic remark from Mr. Blowers.
Unfortunately we don’t have an exclusive on good defense either.
136. Turbo’s baserunning: Was able to catch a few games while in Seattle recently, and I wanted to hurl my drink bottle at him when he’d just trot down to first after a hit, happy with that, then take his very conservative two step lead. This is what drives me mad about anyone pointing to his BA. So, f-ing what! Now we need TWO hits or a homer to get him to score!
I swear that’s why he’s one of the few Mariners willing to take a walk. Then he doesn’t even have to make the effort to run to first.
DON’T FUCKING PITCH TO VLAD
Oh come on!
Farking Vlad.
That’s it. I’m going outside.
I wish we’d signed Vlad when we had the chance, I really do.
(and apologies to for the caps and the French)
So THAT is what a number 3 hitter looks like, he strikes Fear in you.
The Angels have responded to EVERYTHING the M’s have done in this series. That’s how you win a pennant race.
I watched Vlad for many years in Montreal; Hasn’t chnaged his style one bit. Amazing that he hits the way he does with such an unorthodox, unrestrained style. And no batting gloves.
DMZ, if it makes you feel any better, I still remember your post about what you would do in the offseason between 2003 and 2004, and Vlad was on your list. Sadly, IIRC you offered him MORE money than the Angels got him for. Wait, there’s no way that makes you feel any better.
You couldnt have made an easier pitch for Guerrero
to homer. Underscoring along with Felix’s continuing
struggle to develop some control the frustrating years
of lost free agent opportunities by the Front Office.
This is a weird, weird team. They either look WS quality
or like lost little lobotomized kittens. There is no middle
ground.
Unhitch the plow Kenji.
Slooooow Mooootion Joooooo
Kenji apparently forgot that he is slower than molasses in january
was Joh thinking his bunting for a hit would startle & stun them so much that he’d make it to first?
The Angels are following one of Michael Jordan’s blueprints – never let your opponent get close enough that they think they can win.
it is starting to become comical…
sigh. Nice time to go into another tail spin M’s.
should be first and second, one out with runners on 1st and 2nd. FOR ICHIRO! damnit
LMAO at Lopez. . .it’s not as if the Angels
need help to beat us, but we’ve been generous
all series about offering it to them.
#161– I thought that was the Angels blueprint.
The one good thing about this debacle: We’ll never hear “lollablueza” ever again.
How many different ways can we throw away this game?
Does Lopez just have his head up his ass lately or what?
You can’t blame Lopez
Since the ASB he’s gotten on base so few times, he probably wasn’t sure what was going on
Unbelievable
Now people will be talking about how it was “lollabLOSEa”
I hate the Angels. Even more than the Yanks. I hate their silly, self-important “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim” title. I hate their dopey red uniforms. I hate their idiotic, holier-than-thou nickname. I hate Orange County. I hate their disproportionately fairweather fanbase.
I don’t expect my announcers to be total homers (although, I did grow up listening to Bob Uecker, so maybe I do…)…but it is very odd to hear how excited Dave Sims gets when the other team does something good.
Here’s his reaction to the last out of the inning:
“Awwww, yeah. Great play by the Angels. Beautiful…”
(pause)
“Tough break for the M’s, though.”
171: heh, one of the guys in my office just mentioned that too =)
Close game has me sadly wondering how McClaren will blow it today. I vote he pinch hits Sexson at a crucial come back opp and he hits into a game ending DP.
I’d still like us to hit at least ONE hr before this series is done
The M’s are melting faster than the Kilimanjaro glaciers.
Or he could have Sexson pitch for the save with a fake
“Rick White” platinum goatee.
175
I just hope we’re even in a position to have McLaren screw us again. I’m guessing we have our usual amount of zero walks…again
176 – The M’s hit HRs? What, where, when??!!
And my respects to your senior Senator.
From the box score I am guessing FB 1st inning for Felix. Super…
The boos might come early today!
Misspelling I meant Booze.
Well, it worked for David Wells.
why is Richie moving his legs? Like he is getting ready to get loose to come in the game.
180
No kiddin’ LOL
I’ll have to watch myself the next time I need to drop a deuce in the airport bathroom
Everyone on this blog who has expressed the hope that the M’s flaws be exposed by a big failure or a regression to pythagorean performance, thinking it will somehow make them get smarter, well, this week you’re getting at least the first part of your wish. I hope that’s satisfying, on some level.
I want them to get smarter and be better in the future too, but I can live without the part where they get bludgeoned to death in the highest leverage series of the year so far. I just don’t agree that a bad experience like this is going to teach this FO any kind of lesson, so rooting for an instructive failure really seems silly and pointless to me.
you just know Richie is going to pinch hit soon…
Who on this blog has expressed a hope that the M’s flaws are exposed by a big failure or a regression to pythatorean performance?
186:
Well he is hitting .250 in august I believe, so that means he is on FIRE.
Pinch hit? No, Mac is thinking of putting Sexson out in RF as a defensive replacement for Guillen after having Adam Jones pinch run for Guillen. That’s the genius that is Johnnie Mac.
Boy the M’s sure picked a bad time to turn up the suck.
Lets go wild-card lets go. *clap clap*
According to the rally fries recepients, we’re “red hot!” Man, that must be some good stuff they’re on! They actually sounded like they meant it.
Not you, DMZ.
Wow. Bad Felix, the possibility of getting swept at home, and that ghastly, earsplitting rally fry cheer. The season has hit a new low.
Does anyone know where Blowers can stick his rally
fries?
question of the night:
Who will Sexson pinch hit for?
Despite the M’s commercial, NO, I really can’t feel the “Mojo rising” currently
The only thing I ever expressed on this blog is that Ritchie, JohnMC, Vidro and Bavasi land on the 60 day DL.
The way this game is going, I can see Johnny Mac pinch hitting Sexon for Ichiro.
We don’t even look like we’re playing the same sport as the Angels.
Why do people object to Rally Fries? They taste better than Rally Monkey, unless the monkey is prepared by Alton Brown.
THAT’s the question of the night? Anybody who doesn’t know that Broussard will be taken out with the game on the line vs. a RHP and men on base so that Richie can come in and strike out is either not a Mariners fan or in the early stages of Alzheimers
Well…
That’s now TWO at bats Broussard did something Sexson seems incapable of this year.
Do we ever hit and run with Kenji DP Jojima?
Bram, you are an idiot. Who the hell would spend their time following the M’s to the point they are reading about them on this here blog, and root against them?
Use some rationale, for f*#$’s sake.
Broussard! Hot Streak!
Actually four at bats.
First at bat he got an RBI. Second AB he hit a solid lineout. Third at bat he got a base-hit.
Richie’s line would look like this: K, weak groundout, K.
Maybe this will convince McLaren to keep Sexson on the bench to pinch run.
sorry, three ABs.
With all this talk, you’d think we were down by more than 2.
Unhitch the plow Ben.
Great baserunning by the M’s today. At lease Sexson wouldn’t have gone to 3rd.
Kilimanjaro’s snow pack isn’t melting. It’s a drought. Which could be an equally amusing analogy.
Broussard was clearly out.
How many innings in this series have we run ourselves out of?
It’s amazing. . .
Sexson, McLaren, White, Garcia, and all walk onto a baseball field. The fan says “Is this a joke?”
No… sadly not, it is the sad reality of your Seattle Mariners.
Sadly that play probably ensures Sexon will be back in the lineup.
I hate to complain about umpires having an impact on the game. But they have. Alot.
When was Lopez’s last home run? I think he’s o-for the second half two years running.
Season’s over….you can just see it
# 172
Hating anyone more than the Yankees is difficult to comprehend.
Gameday says “on-field delay” after Broussard getting thrown out at third. Did McLaren get run again?
220
Amen to that.
#217
The umpires haven’t come close to having as much of an impact on the outcome of these three games as the Angels have.
221 – Garcia moaned and stomped. McLaren flustered. No one got ran. And by the way, Broussard was out easily.
Wow.
It is just that simple for the Angels to score a run, isn’t it?
Did Broussard have a chance for third? Does anyone know if he was signalled to go for it or if he decided to go on his own?
152 at-bats without a home run for Lopez, none since the all-star break.
Broussard was out easily.
Garret Anderson was safe easily.
The umps aren’t losing this game for us.
Nice throw Ich!
Rally Beer time/ Damn Mariner pre drink time! I hope for the first, but I also hoped for a sweep.
Is this a break in the game for Angels BP?
the season’s not over. The Mariners have gone on longer losing streaks than this 3 times already this year. Yes, it’s a bad time and yes it’s the end of the division race, but the Mariners will be at worst tied for the Wild Card lead after today, and if they can play well for the final few weeks of the season, they’ll make the playoffs. It will be difficult with the schedule, but it’s stupid to say that the season’s over just because the team has looked awful for the last three days, especially when they still hold at least a share of the wild card lead.
227
But he makes up for it by not walking or stealing
Is it time for Rick White to pitch yet?
Ohhhh, they’re going with GS52.
Only a day late and a pennant short.
pg
PS–What has to happen for the M’s to launch a comeback here? Is there a move to be made? Someone to yell at? Some coaching insight that can be unleashed at the perfect moment? Are we better off against their Weaver or their bullpen?
/sigh
225- Pretty much. Anderson’s face said it all, he looked bored of scoring runs. I am tired of watching them score runs.
And by getting caught stealing and by failing to tag runners at second.
And by throwing home instead of getting the double play.
The Angels have been relentless. Evenn if one concedes their offense isn’t supposed to be as good as the M’s by the methods of analysis employed around here, they’ve more than made up for it by executing almost flawlessly.
It pains me to say it as a fan – but the Angels are better right now – they deserve to win the AL West. Time to focus on the Wild Card.
One pitch and they pull him for White? What the…
Was that White?
Really?
Sweet. Finally Rick White comes in.
Bwahahahaha
They REALLY are going to put White in. (As a faint cheer from the Yankee locker room is heard from outside of Yankee Stadium)
Seriously, I was kidding about Rick White being put in this game…
Fuck you John McLaren, you are the worst manager ever. That is not an exaggeration.
When I go to my AA meetings in the future I will pinpoint this moment as to why I am there.
That’s not Rick White, it’s Sexson in a fake Rick White beard, I’m telling you!
You have got to be shitting me.
I thought that McClaren was with the team before they put him in charge? How on earth he thinks that Sherrill is such a scrub is beyond me.
This towel brought to you by Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Wow. Nice job, Joh. You don’t see that too often.
Could we just let Johjima pitch?
The Angels were laughing so hard at Rick White pitching that
they finally made a mistake. Too bad it’s when they’re ahead
by 4 in the 8th. Oh well.
I think I need some sort of pharmaceutical to understand the way this team is managed. Alcohol obviously doesn’t alter my brain chemistry enough.
Long time lurker here. Does anybody know if Garcia was responsible for sending Ben to 3rd? Of all the incompetence that we are all frustrated with, I think Carlos Garcia is the most underrated in terms of how much he hurts this team. The 3rd base coach for Angels actually assess how hard the ball was hit, how many outs there are, how strong the outfielder’s arm is, etc. and sometimes ….gulp…. holds the runner at 3rd. Besides the worst vs. the best manager, I think there is a huge gap in 3rd base coaches too.
Oh, by the way, can Ben field at 2nd very well? Lopez earning the triple crown of horrible hitting, fielding and base running today.
Ok, I feel 1 percent better now.
This towel brought to you by Bed, Bath, and Beyond
Unfortunately, McClaren’s eyesight isn’t so good and he thinks this towel is a washcloth.
I think I’ve wandered into the Bizarro World. Hello, A.L. West Championship!
Being an M’s fan is excruciating. Why couldn’t I have grown up in Boston?
Can you prove to me that this guy is not on the mound?
http://www.larrythecableguy.com/
231 et al. You are correct, this is not the end of the season. However, in this terrible seris the Ms have revealed themselves for what they–a team with mediocre starting pitching at best (hidden all year by a great bullpen), a very poor manager, and hitting that is prone to disappearing in big games.
Simply, the Ms can’t win the big one. That’s why they will lose 2 of 3 to the Yanks next week. And even if they win that series, they aren’t going to the playoffs. Sorry, please come again.
Yech.
254 – You don’t want to be a Red Sox fan. Trust me. I’ve lived there, they are the most annoying fans alive. Slightly worse than Yankee fans. For real.
255- I think he looks more like Tank Abbott. If he was fatter and a lot weaker.
At any moment I expect there to be some kind of pro-wrestling twist, where McLaren goes out for the mound conference and when Kenji shows up, he and White tear off their uniforms to reveal they’re in Angels gear, and then they start to beat Kenji up as the dugouts clear.
Over under on Ms losing streak is 10 games . . . .
Who is this Rick White of whom you speak?
Can he start?
Wow, Rick White comes into a jam and prevents any more runs from scoring this inning.
This will surely reaffirm McLaren’s faith to use White in future crucial situations. (gag)
258 – But with about the same pitching ability, no doubt.
Rick White deals, baby
Gritty, gouty performance by Rick White.
262- Thanks to Kenji’s toss to 2nd, McLaren won’t see it that way.
On radio they are hawking a disaster readiness kit. Should we send a few to the Mariners?
Looks like Jered Weaver has oral herpes. What is on his lip?
#256 Say Hey Says:
“Simply, the Ms can’t win the big one. That’s why they will lose 2 of 3 to the Yanks next week. And even if they win that series, they aren’t going to the playoffs. Sorry, please come again.”
Can’t win the “big one?” Sorry, that’s just baseless. You might end up being right about the Yankees series, but there’s no evidence that what happened here this week is about anything other than the Angels being better than the M’s.
So, is Rick White our 2nd or 3rd best pitcher now?
The fact that my family is all from st. louis is really killing me right now. They have real fans, everyone wears red, they understand baseball and games are AWESOME to go to. It is difficult to watch a game at Safeco when %90 of the people there don’t know what is going on.
Rick White came in with the Ms four down. That’s the garbage relief he’s supposed to do.
[sarcasm off]
Disagreement in the broadcast booth! (boggle)
Now that’s how you start a rally.
What was the diagreement in the broadcast booth?
Ok the season is not over for the M’s, but the pennant race and wild card race is over for this team. To think I just paid for a flight from Norfolk, VA to Seattle and bought a game ticket for Sep 29th. I was hoping there would be a celebration of some sorts that night or a good vibe at least, now it looks to be another going through the motions meaningless game.
2271- Know what causes that in aa fanbase? Winning.
Blowers reveals the secret to the Angels strategy: “they like to get lead-off walks and hits”.
This no doubt contrasts with those craftier strategists who like to give the opposition a couple of outs and lull them to sleep before launching their attack.
#269–THESE were big ones. We couldn’t win them. QED, I’m afraid.
We were going to sweep.
We were going to win the series.
We were going to salvage one win.
pg
PS–I repeat my earlier question. Are we simply resigned to our fate or is there ANYTHING that can be done to stop us from the whimper that we’re being treated to…
What was the diagreement in the broadcast booth?
Sims said the Angels has a lot of “pop.”
Blowers reminded him that they’re second-to-last in the AL in homers.
I will sum up the TV-side disagreement.
Sims: old Dodgers blah blah blah, but this Angels team has some POP!
Blowers: not really. They’re last in home runs, it’s essentially just Guerrero, maybe Anderson if he’s healthy, and so forth.
Ugh. “the Angels have . . .”
I’m a mess today.
I’m going to start a support group for East Coast Mariners fans. Not that I expected much this year, but geez the last 5 games have been painful to watch. The worst was that after being up 3-0 on Texas in that first one, you could just watch all the bad things about this team come up again again and again and just snowball and get worse and worse with each game.
It is a mistake to be a Mariners fan. If you are a Yankees fan, you know they might not make the playoffs this year, but if they don’t, they will be right back in contention next year. If you are a Mariners fan, and you are honest, you know that the Mariners’ success this year has been flukish, and that they have done remarkably well given the marginal talent they have (particularly up and down the rotation); you also know that the same people who brought you HoRam and Turbo will be calling the shots in the offseason, and that 3/5 of our rotation is set (Felix, Washburn and Batista), and they love Weaver will probably make him an offer as well. In other words, it could easily be any number of years before the Ms have a shot at the playoffs again, which makes their meltdown all the more painful.
ok can we start an official DFA rick white campain? he’s no better than Parish, or Davis.
Rick White gives up hits with the poise of a gritty veteran.
FUCK. I can’t take much more of this team. I might take a day or two off.
The Angels do have a lot of “pop”
…against us
Most critical series of the year, and the linescore for our best pitcher?
JJ Putz, 0 IP.
Rick White, our freaking waiver claim from Tacoma, got more action than JJ, and in high-leverage innings, too. Way to manage a bullpen, Mac.
But, but, I thought that Rick White pwned Vlad? The numbers even said so!
hmm. 115 years of baseball tradition vs 30 years of baseball tradition.
anybody want to subpoena Rick White’s financial records, and see if he is still on the Y*nks payroll?
Nice that we can offer the Angels some BP here.
See, it’s all about the AL West love–we’re setting them up to take it to the Sawx and the Yanks in the playoffs.
And we can say we helped!
269. This was a big series. Huge. Everyone said so. The front office hyped it like it was the world series, “Wear blue” and all that. Then they go out and get swept. That’s what I mean by choking when you face a big game. Sure, the Angels have played better, but we had a big lead and we choked it away last night. We should have won at least one game in this series. The fact that we didn’t shows me that we are not going to make the playoffs. (Even if we did, we wouldn’t make any noise).
As an aside, I was just wondering the last time Guillen and Ichiro were the only ones in the lineup to be held hitless in a game.
Maybe Dave meant that the Angelsliked some pop.
#254: Gross.
Reading the Cheater’s Guide during this series I can’t help but think Johnny Mac is the anti-Billy Martin. He’s been out there yelling every single game and calls keep going against us. I take it he’s not that intimidating.
Watching Rick White muddle through the Angels line-up seems a fitting conclusion to the last 5 games. How have we been reduced to this? Man. . .
Let’s go Red Sox…..they have to snap out of this….they’ve done too much this year to just toss it away..
Wow, McLaren must have some inside info about a 9-run rally they’ve got planned for the bottom of the 9th. I mean, why else would he purposely give up more runs? It’s gonna be exciting, isn’t it? Can’t you just taste the rally? Maybe K-Rod’ll finally break his leg coming off the mound, like he always seems to be trying to do.
Or maybe Mac’s a drooling vegetable. Just putting that out there…
What is McLaren thinking? Talking about blowing his one chance to ever prove he can manage. Did he ever learn anything from Lou? Or anyone?
There needs to be one great ‘wave’ of booing from the fans there when the game ends to let this team know just how poorly they performed over three very crucial games. Would they have made an effort to win, they would deserve some positive spin, but they do not. A standing boo-vation please.
The Angels have SEVENTEEN hits. And the bases loaded.
Kill me now.
is it wrong to hope RR-S gives up White’s runs, just so he doesn’t look too good to Mac?
Fire McLaren, fire Bavasi, fire everyone in this front office right now. This is the series these dopes in the front office were building up for since 2004, and this is how they respond.
This is the results of a 3 year rebuilding project people, a team that doesn’t come anywhere close to playing with the Angels, and now I hear about Jose Guillen getting a hefty contract extension that will force this team to trade at least Wlad.
Just please, fire everyone right now. McLaren has had his chance this year to manage and he has badly blown it, and don’t get me started about Bavasi.
Come October 1st, it’s time to get Joe Girardi and Chris Antonetti on the phone.
#300- huh? they didn’t make an effort?
Let’s start a fight since we look like total crap.
279, 293
When I hear stuff like “can’t win [the big one, when it counts, in the clutch, etc.}” I wonder if I’m reading USSM. Better check my browser.
304
Not in my opinion. Oh, is that sarcasm?
I hate the f**&N Mariners.
Well, in St. L they pride themselves on giving standing ovations to right-side groundouts and sacrifice bunts, love David Eckstein more than Rizzs loves WFB, and usually don’t bother with AL scores during broadcasts due to the inferiority and irrelevance of the American League. I’ve lived there and it gets pretty wearying. If you want trad baseball in every sense, StL is your place. They mock Moneyball regularly (and inaccurately, of course) in the media.
I’ve also never understood the fans to go to afternoon games in the humidity and heat of July and August in StL. If you’ve never experienced a StL summer, well, there is a reason why beer sales are very good indeed. Drinking oneself into a stupor is about the only activity one can conduct in 90 percent humidity and 95 degrees. Give me Safeco any day.
Can’t wait for McLaren to blame the bullpen for this loss. Hey Mac, you are the one who puts them in the damn game!!
At least Sims and Blowers are not babbling too much or trying to sugar-coat it. This whole series has been pathetic.
Clownshoes. Fucking clownshoes.
283…good idea…i wonder how many East Coast Mariner fans are out there. yes, it’s been painful too watch and sometimes i choose not to watch. in fact, the screensaver just came on my computer during the mlb.tv broadcast, it’s a good thing because i heard Dave Sims mention another run was walked in..in the words of the beastie boys “something’s got to give”.
I don’t have access to the clubhouses, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the attitude in the M’s clubhouse this week was “boy are we tired,” whereas in the Angels clubhouse it was “let’s snuff the M’s for good and win this thing now.”
I guess RRS’s wobbly control from his days in the minors has not magically disappeared after all.
To quote a wise man, “Fuck armageddon, this is hell.”
BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
$sql = ‘use database AmericanLeagueWest;’;
$sql .= ‘drop table Mariners’;
mysql_query($sql);
Man this whole series has been pathetic. M’s are also on a 5 game losing streak. No wonder fans are booing.
Hope they got a drink special across the street…
276: Me too. I am flying up from SoCal on the 28th to see them play that weekend. I was hoping for the same thing. My fondest memory is 1995 and I couldn’t go. I guess I was hoping for something awesome and I have fears I will be let down.
Argh…btw DFA White.
306 – Not EVERYONE that posts to this blog worships at the altar of statistics.
Come on Adrian K so all the folks can go home.
No way to sugarcoat it, we just got thrashed. I get the feeling that if we played the Angels three more games in Safeco they’d sweep those, too. Other than for one inning yesterday, the M’s have just looked totally outmatched this series.
Back from Greenlake. Not much eye candy today, sad to say. So did I miss anything?
Oh yeah, 321, we all pray to the mathematical gods every night before we go to bed. Give me a break.
You’re on a lot of drugs if you think these guys aren’t “trying hard enough.” Effort is not the problem here.
Strike out, strike out, foul out. Wow. A perfect ending to a perfectly disgusting series performance by your Seattle Mariners.
Time to go to the Tap House and sample all 100 beers.
Did we do this last year?
We get all wrapped up in the possibilities when our overachieving team gets close being considered a contender…and then we pancake and have a momentum destroying losing streak that sucks all the wind out of our sails?
“Playoffs? Wh–PLAYOFFS? Are you kidding me? Playoffs??? I just hope we can win a game.”–Jim Mora (and every Mariners fan catching a “Mojo Rising” ad)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwq7BYOnDrM
I guess we now focus on keeping up with the Yanks. I can’t believe I will be rooting for the Bosox to win
[nope]
And so 3 years of “rebuilding” and talks about “team in transition” come to this. . .
In-fucking-credible.
As I said before, I don’t think the FO or the field managment is going to learn any larger lessons from this, but hopefully the players will. Fatigue might have been a factor, but you simply can’t come into a series like this as poorly prepared and unfocused as the M’s obviously were.
They had NOTHING this week.
#328: Don’t bother, they’ll sweep us on Labor Day week, I guarantee it.
329 Please be civil and respectful and talk ideas instead of talking about how you talk about ideas.
I’m going to back away again from my long-distance fan status, People here on this blog are great, but until I see Jones starting regularly, or hear of a smart pitching acquisition (or a new manager takes over because McLaren steps into an open manhole because he was trying not to) I have plenty of frustration in my real life.
Go M’s (players) !
Bye for a while!
So THAT’S what a legitimate baseball team looks like…
Fire John McLaren.
With 30 or so games left the question isn’t are the Ms improved. Of course they are. They are in the thick of the playoff race. The question is, are they the best team in the west?
Answer: No.
I love the future of this team.
But I hope it is a future without McLaren.
I didn’t say they didn’t try hard. I merely said they choked. You can’t argue with that. This game just isn’t all about numbers. As they say, “That’s why they play the game.”
Not to sound like Mr. Obvious, but it seems that the Angels played to win, while the M’s played not to lose this series. The Angels executed with calm precision, and the M’s appeared shaken most of the time.
As for John F**king McLaren, his managing was just plain schizophrenic.
Hmmm… How could we make this team better in the last 30 days? How, how how???
I thought pitching to Vlad with first base open was asinine enough, but the use of Rick White in this series really takes the cake. How can McClaren even face the press, knowing that 100 percent of those reporters would have managed better than he did in this series.
I just don’t get it.
340 – By claiming David Wells and Esteban Loaiza off wa–err, scratch that. I know, by signing another over-the-hill veteran relief pitcher! Say, what’s Eric Plunk up to these days?
#340: How ’bout leaving McLaren and Bavasi out in the cold.
I want my Hargrove back.
Loaiza >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ramirez