Game 119, Mariners at Tigers
DMZ · August 18, 2009 at 3:05 pm · Filed Under Mariners
Felix Day! Felix Day! Felix Felix Felix Dayyyyyyyyy!
4:05.
The Tigers, if you didn’t notice, picked up Huff from the Orioles for a song a week ago, so look out for that bat.
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Speaking of picking up guys, I noticed Woodward was released from the Red Sox a couple of days ago. Beltre is hurt again…. hmmm. (Apologies if this got discussed to death in one of the game threads — I was travelling this past week and didn’t get a chance to check USSM, or watch much baseball).
Meanwhile… yay Felix Day!
Plus Jack Wilson won’t be back until Friday at the earliest, and is rapidly approaching the point at which he should have just been put on the disabled list in the first place.
They could put him on the DL retroactive, and pick Woodward up again.
They are hoping Beltre meets them in Cleveland– according to Wakamatsu, he still isn’t supposed to fly yet, because the swelling is still going down.
Must. Resist. Straight. Line.
oh, and Larue has an update on the most recent Silva bullpen
And JJ Hardy is pouting in the minor leagues…
Speaking of which, if there ever was a good case to be made for interviewing Mrs. Beltre, this would be it. I nominate Shannon Drayer for the job.
Which opens with “Tortured pitcher Carlos Silva…” and I got my hopes up, before I realized the phrasing was metaphorical. Of course what he’s done to those of us watching his starts has been very real, so I was kind of hoping some fan had snapped and gone all “Misery” on him.
FSN comparing this year to last year as the Mariners already have as many wins (61) as they did all of last year. They are talking about how Jack Zduriencik and Don Wakamatsu have turned the Mariners around. That would mean the team had previously been going in the wrong direction, but FSN is not going to say anything bad until the previous regime is already gone and that’s why they can never be taken seriously.
Interesting parallels on the Ackley signing:
Last year, the M’s won their 61st game in game 162 – this gave them the 2nd pick in the draft.
This year, the M’s won their 61st game in game 118, the day before they signed the 2nd pick in the draft.
Carlos Lopez???? 5 minutes through the game and Dave has already mixed up like 3 people.
Dave Niehaus speaking on the ‘The Jack Wilson All-Stars’
A fan in Pittsburgh was listening to the Mariners game on Sunday and got upset that Dave kept calling our shortstop Josh Wilson.
How’s Felix look? I am mournfully looking at my GameCast window. I mean, two hits isn’t good, but maybe they were weak hits…
It is pretty confusing. I was following the games purely through box scores while on holiday and had no idea which “J. Wilson” was playing in the games (especially since the darn boxscores don’t offer UZR !)
Ugh. Too. Many. Pitches.
That was soooo interference. Good ol’ fashioned human error. That’s what baseball is all about.
Johnson just can’t play catcher. If we’re going to play someone like that at C, at least put a premium bat back there.
Johnson didn’t get him. I’m not sure I can remember that last time I saw Rob throw a baserunner out.
That throw just missed by a mile… Oh wait wait he actually made up for dropping that one.
Where did Rob Johnson learn to play catcher? And who was the coach that told him he wasn’t aloud to go to his knees to block a ball every now and then?
That was “good hustle” by Rob Johnson on the ball he didn’t catch….Niehaus said so.
Dave I love ya, but 85 mph from Felix is not a fastball
Josh Wilson looking like Jack Wilson, but way, way less ugly.
Is it just me, or does the new look Maddon resemble Tom Arnold?
I used to think he looked exactly as if Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn had gotten old, retired, and started managing, but now…. shudder.
Mrs. Jack Wilson didn’t marry Steve-O for looks
Yeah, Dave has lost a step or two. But I’d much prefer to listen to him than Ricky Rizzsbang any day.
Y’know, I’m ok with Ichiro striking out on the tenth pitch.
Podsednik at third to preserve the shut-out in the 14 inning affair against the White Sox the last time Felix pitched.
Granted, that was a pick-off, but still. I’m not a fan of Rob Johnson (or his fielding) either, but c’mon — that was pretty memorable. I remember it and I didn’t even see the game.
Much better than watching Lopez grounding out on the first pitch?
It sounds like a fistfight is about to break out in the press box.
Blow is a bit worked up. Sims should probably get over it.
I think Blowers should have just summed his argument up as “Listen, MLB umps are octogenarians who can barely figure out which town they’re in. You can’t really expect them to make a difficult call like that.”
Josh Freaking Wilson
“Carlos Lopez” just made an appearance on the radio.
Dave said Carlos Lopez again!
Whoa! Is Porcello falling apart here or what?
Nah, not falling apart. The Ichiro hit was a ground ball with eyes, and the Branyan hit wasn’t much to write home about.
But the Griffey walk wasn’t the brightest thing to do.
Joltin Josh, the Hammerin Man.
Looks like King Felix is starting to deal.
When is Wak going to put in Jose? This new guy Carlos Lopez is 0-3.
Do we really have to spend half of every game thread now pointing out Niehaus’s mistakes?
We’re all aware he screws up a lot these days.
Jeff, you don’t find it even a little funny that he has called our 2B for several years in a row the wrong name twice in one game?
Just be thankful we don’t have to listen to John Sterling.
3 strikeouts in a row. Bummer. But lookout, the .500/homerun hitting J. Wilson will lead off the top of the 8th.
Tough draw for Aubrey Huff in his Detroit debut. I would have taken the bus from Baltimore rather than facing King Felix.
I wonder how the Edgar double would come out if the Niehaus of today was calling it.
Detroit has some decent pitching, I have to say. Oh, and I heart Josh Wilson.
Wilson en fuego.
The .667 hitting J. Wilson. BTW, let’s start passing the hat around for the King Felix extension.
Another Branyan bomb in Detroit to give Felix a win would be nice.
My mom used to call me by my brother’s name all the time. And she was a lot younger than Dave is now. It’s not a big deal. Dave’s a lot more coherent than Harry Caray was his last few years.
I realize that’s a low bar, though.
[find your shift key]
Carlos Lopez played for the Mariners in 1977. Maybe he is just having flashbacks?
God, what a weird crowd. There seems to be a decent size but we can hear individual angry drunks and there’s that weird hum on the mics.
This is getting ugly
I totally heart Dave N. But calling our longtime second baseman by the wrong first name two or three times is pretty hilarious. I wonder if Rizzs just doesn’t have the heart to correct–Dave is a HOFer after all.
Dave’s wife apparently told LincStrong a few years agho that if Dave retired, it would kill him a lot faster than if he were to keep working. I really hope he dies behind the microphone (many years from now). It would only be fitting. This guy loves his job, and is very, very good at it. I can’t listen to Blowers and Simms when compared to Niehaus. There’s just no comparison.
Seay is not getting the job done for Detroit.
You’re probably right. He calls Lopez “Jose Cruz” sometimes, too.
God is it painful to watch Rob Johnson hit with the bases loaded.
I love after Dave makes a mistake how his booth companion doesn’t say a thing. There’s just a long silence until someone must whisper in his ear.
What the hell. I can see the score/know who’s playing/know the count. He’s more entertaining than mere facts!
There was a game earlier this year that was radio only, and Niehaus forgot to hand off to Rizzs in the 3rd inning. Niehaus did the play-by-play for a while in the 3rd before he either realized or someone got in his ear and told him that it was Rizzs’s inning. He apologized on the air and Rizzs was really nice about it, saying something like “Hey, you’re the hall of famer, you can do whatever you want!”
But, Rizzs is great at giving listeners important information about the game that Niehaus doesn’t mention without being obvious about it.
Uh oh, not the bad Mark Lowe…not today
A good general rule, I think.
Arrrrgh no
Josh, Josh, Josh.
Talk about going from a hero to a goat.
You all probably already noticed that Freddy Garcia’s pitching for the White Sox today. Royals have scored three in four innings against him.
It’s like watching a car wreck in slow motion.
I’m cussing like an old cartoon, with all those symbols over my head.
Okay, now I’m in full Yosemite Sam mode.
Based loaded, Miguel Cabrera coming up. Over-under on runs is 1.5
It isn’t fair!!! It isn’t fair!!!
And that’s all folks.
This is probably the game where the M’s playoff chances go <1%.
Can we please release Sweeney and Batista and move on, so we can prepare for the 2011 season?
I’m sorry but when is Wak going to quit with the kid gloves and Felix. He’s twenty-three, built like a horse and he had an extra day of rest since his last start. If ever there was a day to let him throw 115-125 pitches it was today.
Wow that was a heads up play Branyan.
Risk injuring or really tiring a pitcher in a game that doesn’t matter in the slightest?
The M’s are just playing for draft picks now.
Way to block the plate, ROB.
Learn how to play catcher, jackass.
I hate you, Rob Johnson, from the depths of my tiny, dark soul.
That was ugly. Branyan screwed up.
I think Zduriencik needs to get Felix some offense for Christmas.
And a catcher who can cover the plate.
Now that was pathetic.
According to Niehaus, Felix’ calf is still bothering him, and he limped off the mound several innings.
heh, ok Niehaus has decided Jose Lopez’s name is Carlos Lopez. I’ve yet to hear him say Jose and have now heard “Carlos” 7 times.
Well to be fair, the dirt all around home is actually shaped like home plate, so Johnson probably felt he was literally sitting on it.
(seriously, the throw was wide and I don’t know if he could have caught it and blocked the plate at the same time)
Throwing an extra fifteen to twenty pitches after an extra day of rest is not risking injury. It is right in line with what should be expected.
Johnson gave him the entire plate. Cecil Fielder could have gotten in with plenty of room to spare. Even if that throw in on the money, he’s still safe.
I don’t really think that was Johnson’s fault. He got his hand with the ball down as fast as possible, but the high throw made it impossible.
115 to 125 is expected for a guy on an extra day’s rest? Maybe in the 1970s.
But for what purpose? So we can watch DA blow the save in the 9th? In a game that doesn’t matter a bit?
Every pitch is a risk for injury. And throwing him out there for an extra inning in this game is just stupid.
The only people we’re chasing down now are the bottom dwellers, in search of a better draft pick.
Why does the calf pain become intolerable at 100 pitches? Why can’t Felix give him 12 or 15 more pithes and 1 or 2 more outs? Wak has been babying the starters all year. You’d think a guy who worked with Nolan Ryan would demand more of his starters.
Ugh. Am I wrong to keep yelling at the screen “JUST A HIT. Not a home run. JUST A HIT!”
Really Branyan? Really? You’re looking more and more like Big Rich not Big Russ.
Johnson’s back foot was not only not in front of the plate, but also behind it. On that play, he should be in front of the plate at least a foot, and his back leg should be dipped to cut off more of the plate. If he’s in good position, the ball comes directly to him, and he can’t just be slid around.
Maybe the throw is going to be late, but Johnson doesn’t even give it the opportunity to get the guy.
Cmon Carlos!!!
J. Lo. Patience. Love it.
Ask Moises Alou how well this works.
That was really a clutch steal by Ichiro.
Sorry, I meant Dusty Baker.
Chasing down the Nationals. We CAN do it!
Gah! At least Carlos made it interesting in the end.
Branyan looked pretty good earlier this season, but lately it looks like he’s been channeling his inner Rob Deer.
Yeah, I mean he worked him for a lot of pitches so that might at least tire him down… Oh wait.
henryv,
What would Moises tell me?
Baker was right this morning. This team might not even finish with a winning record.
Our lineup is embarrassing.
Purely aesthetic I know, but I hate it when the last out ends up first pitch flailing with a weak dribbler to first ;D. Unless its the other team batting.
So, was the fan interference really as blatant as Rizzs made it sound?
Never mind, I saw it. I would say leaning three feet into the field of play should get a call by the ump regarding interference.
hamstring cramp, felt it in the 6th, gave them one more inning with cramp, and then was removed.
Regarding fan interference, why oh why can’t other teams’ fans interfere with their own players catching the ball, like those clueless guys at the Safe?
No reason to overwork Felix on games that don’t matter.
Just a thought:
If I were Felix’s agent, or Felix himself, I’d think seriously about signing a contract extension with the M’s, until the M’s get serious about building a winning playoff bound team. That means the team needs to bring in one or two major players to boost the sagging fortunes of this team. Better to win in Boston, New York, LAX, St Louis, or San Francisco, than tread water in Seattle. Doesn’t need to be that way; Seattle is as international and powerful as any of the cities listed above.
The Mariners organization has been spending money to build a winner, they just didn’t spend it wisely.
Lets face it when Felix refuses to negotiate an extension this winter the writing will be on the wall. Felix will not be a Mariner by this time next year. It sucks but it is the truth.
I notice that Jose Lopez has drawn 3 less unintentional walks than Yuniesky Betancourt this year in 112 more plate appearances. He’s really good at making contact, but how many strikes were thrown by Rodney during the last at bat before he finally struck out? Two? Three, maybe?
The only difference between Lopez and Betancourt, in my opinion, is that Betancourt was hitting .245 instead of .275 when we released him. Lopez has the same plate discipline, range, and overall defensive skills that Betancourt has.
I sure hope we have a different 2B next year.
Jose Lopez 14.0 runs above replacement
Yuniesky Betancourt -16.5 runs below replacement
Can Rob Johnson now take his rightful place as the BACK-UP catcher? I think he can do a very fine job as the BACK-UP catcher, really.
Yeah…but unfortunately, Faux Sports and ESPN don’t see it that way…simply because they are of the worldview that all “championship” teams should preferably be in metro areas with populations of at least 10 million in order to “maximize their ratings share.”
They’ve already started by bringing in Gutierrez. He’s been more valuable this year than Jason Bartlett, Justin Morneau, or Ian Kinsler. He’s been more valuable than last year’s MVP, Dustin Pedroia. Oh, but you mean a big name with a big contract attachd, like Mark Teixeira, Miguel Cabrera, or Troy Tulowitzki. Well, Gutierrez has been more valuable any of those guys… and he comes without the contract. Just because he hasn’t been noticed by the national media, and just because a lot of his value is tied up in his ability to prevent runs, doesn’t mean he’s not a “major player.” If Zduriencik can find a couple more guys like that, this team’s fortunes will be anything but sagging.