Game 134, Angels at Mariners
Day game for Felix Day!
Jose Lopez is at first base. Last year, when he was shifted over to first, it was on the one hand a relief from the agony of watching Sexson or the futility that was Miguel Cairo. On the other hand, it was terrifying to think that the front office might be seriously thinking of Lopez as the future at first base. That would have made him into a worthless asset, all so the team could try to fill a different hole instead, and at second base you don’t have Russ Branyans to easily plug in.
This year, I can handle Lopez at first base with equanimity. I know it’s not a glimpse of the future, just a temporary expedient. Next year I could see Lopez back at second, or replacing Beltre at third (less likely now given the other moves that have been made), or playing for another team altogether. Regardless of which it turns out to be, I have a lot more confidence that it will have happened because Zduriencik determined that was the best way to allocate his resources.
RF-L Ichiro
CF-R Gutierrez
1B-R Lopez
DH-R Sweeney
3B-R Beltre
UT-R Hall
SS-R J. Wilson (real helpful, I know)
C-R Johnson
LF-L Saunders
Comments
141 Responses to “Game 134, Angels at Mariners”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
And continuing the new 710 tradition, Shannon Drayer wishes us a Happy Felix day, as she hosts her first pregame show.
Rob Johnson aside, I wonder where this lineup ranks among the best single game defensive units in recent memory?
Well, I firmly believe that Mike Sweeney’s defensive skills at DH have been greatly undervalued.
Rob! what a surprise!
I love you Jack Wilson. No cigar, but I love the hustle and thought.
How many web gems will this game have?
Bill Hall 2B ’10?
We have real defenders, whooo.
By the way, this defensive lineup looks like it might be the best in baseball.
It can’t hit for shit, but defensively it looks as solid as anything else out there.
Well, if ESPN even notices that it has been played …
Okay, Rob, now work on your pitch-blocking as well as your throwing arm.
I especially like Hall at UT. Hook ‘em horns!
Is anyone else getting a black screen for FSN?
What would be more improbable, Felix no-hitting the Angels, or a guy like Fister no-hitting the Mariners?
Hrmph. I have to say, being at work and having USSM up, the constantly scrolling Twitter feed is irksome. Is there a way to halt it?
Lauren – Just ask your IT folks to block all such Tomfoolery…. like mine has.
Ichiro! Coming back with a vengeance. At this pace he will have 200 hits by next week.
It wasn’t scored a hit according to Gameday.
Fangraphs says Ichiro had a single.
And Sweeney takes a called third strike with the bases loaded.
If the Angels get out of this Jam, only Felix will be more pissed than me…
Fixed.
I understand the value of Beltre, Hall, and (previously) Cameron. I really do. But really, strikeouts piss me off.
Is anyone else tired of the Mariners not scoring runs with RISP? Count me as someone who is pissed (with Dirk and Felix).
Well, their strikeouts were less harmful than Sweeney’s.
Frick. Bases loaded, no outs, and they get exactly jack shit accomplished. I’m a little tired of this scenario…
I didn’t add him in because I’m having difficulty finding and understanding his value, though his designated hugger quotient is off the charts.
This is why, as great as defense is, and however equal a great-defense/below-average-offense player is to a great-offense/below-average-defense player, I’d rather they add wins through offense than defense — all things being equal.
I fell like I’m being overly negative here, but….
God Dammit!
Does anyone know what Hall’s & Wilson’s averages are since they came over?
Yeah, because that has worked out so well thus far.
I’ve just assumed that Griffey’s (besides the merchandise and ticket side) and (especially) Sweeney’s value is to make the clubhouse a place where guys enjoy coming to work, such as 23-year-old aces who are a couple years away from free agency and might have to decide whether to take a 4- or 5-year deal or wait it out and cash in big-time. Is Mike Carp that good?
Or, I should say, have fun overpaying for those players.
I’d rather they do a little of both. I get just as irked watching the opponent score because of bad defense as I do watching my team fail to score because of bad offense.
I know you can’t have it all, but I think they’ll get there – they have room to add offense without taking away from the defense. Beltre’s had a tough year with injuries, Branyan’s out right now, their DH slot has been useless, and they’ve got a rookie LF who’s still acclimating and hasn’t shown any power yet… I’m hoping against hope they keep Beltre, then upgrade a few of those other slots, and all of the sudden things are looking much better.
Positive spin – Kazmir has thrown 47 pitches after two innings
killer – That’s why I said all things being equal. If the defense is cheaper, then fine.
Phew–Twitter scrolling issue solved as soon as comments went beyond one page length.
Bases loaded, no outs, THREE strikeouts? Argh.
Yeah, and I think it’s pretty clear that all things aren’t equal, which makes it all hypothetical.
Also, that’s in the context of this team. Given their offensive deficiencies, I’d just rather watch more offense. I’d rather they have more offensive outbursts. I don’t mind 2-1 games, as long as that’s not THE ONLY THING THEY EVER DO!
Me too, but I think if we’re even going to be any better next year, there will be more 2-1 games, rather than less.
This is why, as great as defense is, and however equal a great-defense/below-average-offense player is to a great-offense/below-average-defense player, I’d rather they add wins through offense than defense — all things being equal.
Last I checked, a 2-1 win counts exactly the same in the standings as a 7-4 one.
Also, all things are NOT equal. Quite often, the market overvalues certain skill sets (hitting balls over fences) and undervalues others (stopping balls from getting through infields) when it comes to salaries and contracts, and this creates inefficiencies. Granted, if you’re the Yankees, you can spend a bazillion dollars on 9 power hitters in your lineup- but the M’s aren’t the Yankees.
At least Felix won’t win the Cy Young with this offense. Less money to have to cough up later (like we will be able to keep him anyway).
The loss to the Angles the other night should have been our only loss for this 14 game streach if we think we are a playoff team. I hope Griffey/Sweeney/Wok are letting the guys know that.
I think most of us would be happy with more wins regardless of how we get there. It would be fun to see how many balls in play we could possibly turn into outs.
Who really thinks we are a playoff team?
Yes, but the entertainment value of having a team that will win 7-4 and 11-9 games in addition to 2-1 games is greater than a team that can’t win if they give up more than 4 runs. If it only mattered if they won or lost, I’d just read the score in the paper the next day and never watch a game.
If it costs a couple million more to add offense over defense, and they can afford to, then to hell with it. The Mariners are an upper-middle-class baseball team.
Hmmm, Gamecast thinks that ball was a strike.
Hey, maybe Rob is learning how to play defense.
But, no harm done!
So, pay millions for shits and giggles?
And they’re achieving “upper middle class” results after only months of having been run properly. If you want better results, you have to capitalize on market inefficiencies everywhere you can given a healthy, but finite budget.
Oh, and it looks like Gameday has updated the scoring to call that play in the first an Ichiro single.
Hell yes! Baseball is entertainment. I want the club to win, and I’ll take more wins over more offense. But in the end, it’s entertainment.
Not for me. I love watching this team. This defense is incredibly exciting.
Watching Jerry Mills umpire has made me realize that I have no idea what a strike is and even fewer ideas of how to come to that decision
Who are paying:
12.25 Mill to Silva
9.5 Mil to Batista
7.75 Mil to Bedard
7.67 Mil to Jojima
And who knows how much to guys who were cut or traded….
“Johjima” – rats
Time for another 13-pitch at-bat from Jose?
Never mind, jinxed him.
Speaking of Rats (or shitty umpires)… WTF was that called third strike to Ichiro? 6 inches off the plate?
Well, with 5 guys who are undervalued because of their defensive contributions, and a stable of cheap rotation pitchers, I just believe a club like the Mariners can afford to overpay for a little offense for a more diverse scoreline.
Obviously, crappy deals like Silva, Batista and Johjima hurt. But I’m not advocating $12 million going to some pitcher who is competing with four or five minimum salaried pitchers for the 5th spot in the rotation.
Actually, I like watching the sort of games that today’s Mariners play much better than the football-score affairs from the Kingdome days.
So your statement is hardly universal, and certainly not worth wasting budget dollars on.
You’re advocating overpaying for offense instead. The single-minded desire to overpay for one very specific thing is precisely what generated each of those contracts.
You what’s entertaining? Champagne showers and grown men pouring beer on each other next to a trophy with a bunch of flags on it while Bud Selig looks sheepishly on. That’s good times, I don’t care how Z adds wins to get us there, just get us there. Defense and other under-valued attributes? Great. Offense or other “old school” charms? Sweet.
You’re advocating we throw away what little progress the new FO has made, just so you can get off on a home run once in a while?
Hey, Adrian can swing through the low-and-inside slider from a lefty just as well as the low-and-outside slider from a righthander.
I thnk if we took the $30 Mil per season going to Bedilvasta and gave like half to Felix and the other half to bring in some offense would be a good thing.
Guys, I had this whole “wins are wins no matter what” vs. “you can shop for offense specifically” argument on here a few days back. It’s really not worth it.
In Z We Trust. Throw money at higher quality players and make sure each position is getting consistently upgraded, and the rest will take care of itself.
Hell no! I like a diversity of scores. A team that wins with offense, defense and pitching, and parts of each. I think the 2-1 games have more value as entertainment when they’re sprinkled with 9-8 games.
If we can add the same amount of wins through offense over defense for a couple more million at maybe two positions, then what is the big deal?
I think hockey is a much better game when the outcome can be 2-1 or 6-5 than if the outcome can be 2-1 or 3-2. And those 2-1 games are a lot more enjoyable when they’re not strung upon 2-1 after 2-1 games.
If you find “a diversity of scores” more valuable than just adding more wins, then I don’t know what to tell you.
Okay.
[lose the capslock and post better]
Did you know that that’s how every game is won?
Are we allowed to DFA commenters?
Is too much to ask the offense to do something once every five starts?
Hey, guess what everybody, Kazmir’s been perfect through five!
Actually, he’s been perfect through the last 18 outs.
Actually 15, but who’s counting?
Oops…
Well, maybe you were just being prescient.
Now it’s 18, but who’s counting?
I jinxed it…
Maybe taking some pitches would help.
They were taking pitches before, even getting Kazmir’s pitch count up nicely.
I guess it’s just regression to the mean.
It sure would be nice to have someone like Morales making 600 K playing first base next year for the Mariners.
Jeff Nye – I wouldn’t say at the expense of wins. Zduriencik can and will add wins anyway he thinks best. Maybe the only way is through defense, but I have a preference for more offense if that’s possible. If they got 100 2-1ish wins, that’s wonderful. It’d just be, like, more fun, if there was some bigger scores tossed in there to get to 100. (Although, 100 wins would be plenty fun however they got them, I guess)
It’s a preference, not a demand.
It would have been interesting to see what the division standings would have looked like had the Mariners stayed healthy.
But by saying you’re willing to spend millions on getting that extra offense, it IS at the expense of wins.
OMG, twinkle toes walked. Bring in a pinch runner.
Gah.
How many times has Beltre seen this park hold those long hits?
I’ll be sad to see him go, but he’ll look like a better hitter in almost any other park in baseball.
It would have been interesting to see what the division standings would have looked like had the Mariners stayed healthy.
It would have been interesting to see what the division standings would have looked like had the Angels stayed healthy.
Yesssss!
I like Bill Hall.
It would have been interesting had this been a weak division.
“Mike Scoscia has seen enough” says Sims.
You’d think Kazmir had given up 8 hits and 4 runs in 3 innings instead of pitching a gem.
oh billy billy the old billy baroo
Does pitching a gem against us really count? I mean, it’s pretty cheap.
Heh, an instant reply with the original sound.
Nice outing by Kazmir. Granted it was against a jalopy of a lineup but I’m sure the Angels will take it. Though they gave up quite a bit for him…
Bill Hall 2, Angels 0.
I know that there is a lot of love for Beltre here, but I am looking forward to more Hannahan and Hall next year at third.
Ahh, Johnson. At least you didn’t wait around to do that. Boom!
Maybe Rob should just start running towards the dugout on infield grounders… it would save time.
possiblity of Felix to complete this game?
Sims with the OOZR shoutout.
114 pitches, does he try for the CG?
killer_ewok18 – Perhaps that is true. But there’s also inefficiencies for specific offensive players, such as Branyan. Oh well, I guess the point of free speech is for smart folks like you and Jeff to set straight ignorant folks like me.
At 113 pitches? I think not. I’m guessing the Gamecast delay is him being taken out, though I wish he could get that last out in the 8th.
96 MPH fastball on the 114th pitch. Yikes.
Oh! Yay! He did.
If we were chasing the pennant, Felix would definitely have to go back out there for the 9th.
Guerrero, Morales and Izturis. Please don’t throw flat fastballs DA.
At least Vlad leads off the inning. Vlad=Mariner Killer.
Oh, Felix. So great. I just can’t root against him winning the Cy Young for fear of his increased salary.
Make them pay, Old Man.
Speaking of flat fastballs, thank you Fuentes.
And here comes Sweeney!!!!
I could do without that chicken sound being played over the PA when a guy is intentionally walked.
Déjà vu?
Sweeney is AWESOME!!!
Is a sac fly too much to ask for??? Sac flies in the first and 8th and were up 4-0.
Go Bill Hall!! Do it! FINISH HIM!!!
Ahhh…once a Mariner, always a Mariner….
The Mariners better have the best clubhouse atmosphere in baseball next year.
bill hall please just park one in the bleachers…
Not if it means bringing Sweeney back!
Tha’d be cooooool
What are the odds that DA can strike out Vlad 2 nights in a row?
Strike that, I think Vlad lined out to Jose last night.
Oh god no. To justify his existence this year, he needs to have taught some of the good ballplayers to emulate his enormous clubhouse skills. I want Guti and Lopez doing the tickling!
Man do I love run prevention!
Thank you minimal M’s offense for not spoiling another nice outing by Felix.
It was a nice way for me to passs some hours here at work!
Excitement in the bookend-innings, some frustration in-between
How many times does Felix have to wait until the 7th or 8th to get some runs? Help a brother out, guys!
If it wasnt for Grienke, we would be having Felix for CY discussion.
At least FSN is not including the Mariners in their ‘Who will win the AL pennant’ poll.
Soggy Bottom Boys playing in the clubhouse again.
It was nice to see Wak leave Felix in to throw 114 pitches.
I’m beginning to thinks that Dave Sims visits this site.
He referenced “Felix Day” at least three times.
Maybe he did so before and I just never noticed- I haven’t caught every broadcast this year- but still, it makes a guy think….
Oh yeah. Guerrero forgot he’s a gold-plated Mariner-killer two days in a row. Euphoria!
Excerpt from a conversation with my younger brother when Guerrero led off the ninth:
Younger Bro: “At least we know Guerrero can’t hit a grand slam from the leadoff spot this inning.”
Me: “Don’t tempt him. If there’s a way to do it, he will. Against us, he knows no physical laws.”
Is Hall the new Mark McLemore?
I quite like what Jack Z has been doing to rebuild the team but I think they are still three years away. The run diff is an awful -52, its only been that one run games have fallen their way 29-16. This is like 2007 a win total that is an illusion, and we know what happened in 2008.
Next year even with improvement they are still atbest a .500 team. So even though it hurts they have to allow Beltre to go and use their resources to build the farm system by paying high prices for international prospects and signing and selecting high priced draft picks.
If they can trade players for prospects but realistically Jack doesn’t have much to work with re: trading quality high value vets for prospects. His only players that would get top prospects are Ichiro (who as a GM you can’t move and keep fans), Lopez (as discussed) who will do even better away from Safeco and getting close to his prime hitting years 27-29, and Felix who has to be the franchise player that you use Silva’s and Batista money to sign long term in two years.
It should be an interesting off-season but I will be extremely upset if the front office pays for present day players in an attempt to win a title.
I’m not sure why that idea keeps resurfacing again and again and again.
When you have a $112 million payroll, 7th highest in all of MLB, there is no such thing as “three years away”. This isn’t Cleveland.
This team can compete next year with the right moves, while not mortgaging the future. We just have to spend our money better than we have in the past, and there’s a leadership team in place that can do that now.
Bad news Mariners fans. The St. Louis Cardinals just extended the contract of Ryan Franklin through the 2011 season, so there is no hope of reacquiring him in the offseason.
Bummer, isn’t it?
We still have a chance to bring Pineiro back, though.
What if a substantial chunk of that money was going to Silva and Johjima?