Game 100, Mariners at White Sox
Hernandez vs Danks, 5:10 pm.
Happy Felix Day.
As has been pointed out in several different places recently, Felix is having essentially the same season he had last year. His numbers are almost identical across the board in every meaningful category. His walks are the same, strikeouts the same, home runs the same, runner stranding the same. Everything is about as identical as you could possibly get as a follow-up to last year’s performance, with one exception – last year, Felix won 19 games, and this year, he’s won 7.
The difference, of course, is the performance of his teammates. He hasn’t gotten support from his offense or his bullpen, so his wins are down. And this is why almost everyone is rejecting wins as any kind of useful statistic at this point. Well, everyone except the Arizona Diamondbacks, because if you haven’t heard, they shipped their ace Dan Haren to the Angels for Joe Saunders and some not-close-to-the-majors prospects. Dan Haren is really good, and Joe Saunders is pretty lousy, but over the last three years, Saunders has more wins (43 to 41).
The Angels took advantage of an Arizona franchise that’s a walking disaster right now, and by adding Haren for the next three years, they just made the AL West that much harder to win. With Weaver, Pineiro, Santana, and now Haren, the Angels actually have a good pitching rotation again, and all four of those guys will be back next year. Blech.
Yet another reason to build for 2012. The M’s are now staring at an even bigger mountain to climb for contention next year. Screw you, Jerry DiPoto.
Ichiro, RF
Figgins, 2B
Gutierrez, CF
Lopez, 3B
Kotchman, 1B
Bradley, DH
Saunders, LF
Johnson, C
Jack Wilson, SS
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101 Responses to “Game 100, Mariners at White Sox”
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I can only assume that Josh Byrnes threw something through a window when he heard about this trade.
But, on the other hand, maybe he got out while the getting was good.
Everyone’s going to say no Smoak in the lineup? Well the kid could use a rest vs. a tuff Lefty so don’t freak out.
Haren to the Angels is bad news.
I can’t believe the D-Backs sold so low on Haren. It makes me appreciate Jack Zs negotiating skills that much more.
I hate Tony Reagins. What a perfect deal for the Angels. Now let’s pray they don’t go get Adam Dunn, because if they land him they will have a good shot to keep him. Dunn would be a perfect fit in the 4 hole for the Ms next year however.
Anyone else think Ichiro needs a day off? Wak doesn’t Ich, Guti, or Figgy any rest. Check that, Figgy does get a rest mid game sometimes. With Felix pitching, I wouldn’t rest Ich today as we want Felix to get the W. Give him a break tomorrow. Why not bring up Wilson to play OF three times a week and DH a bit to see if he can be a 4th OF for next year. Bite the bullet and put him on the 40 man.
That’s not what the caller on the radio told me. He says Felix is underachieving because he only has 7 wins.
(Salk essentially hung up on him, at that point)
It sounds like Rizzo is asking more talent for Dunn than anyone should give up. Since Dunn is essentially getting paid what he’s worth, you’re trading for the draft picks you’ll get when he presumably turns down arbitration. I’d love to see Dunn DH for the M’s next season, but he’s going to cost too much.
Now if we can get the Nats to take Milton Bradley off our hands…
It seemed pretty clear to me that interim GM DiPoto was just making the wins comment as a plea to his fanbase not to burn the joint down because they just did a massive salary dump.
Well that’s pretty much exactly how Joe Morgan looks at it. Joe Morgan, being a great player who’s in the Hall of Fame – unlike us, he’s played the game so he must know what he’s talking about regarding what it takes to win.
Seriously, I don’t remember which pitcher it was about… but this is pretty much exactly what he said. “Well, XXX isn’t getting good run support, so he just needs to bear down and do what needs to be done to get the win. Good pitchers know how to win.”
Funny thing is: When he’s not delving into this sort of “analysis”, I actually enjoy listening to Joe Morgan quite a bit. I’m aware that puts me in the minority though.
I’m wondering just what Lopez would have to do to get moved down in the order.
Wear his jersey untucked?
Flip off the crowd?
Sneeze in someone’s rally fries?
Snitch to Dave Boling about Ichiro?
Just blow the roster up and put the checkbook away for a couple years (as far as free agency goes).
Get Lopez out, Bradley out, and ENTERTAIN offers for Ichiro when you could theoretically get maximum value for him NOW as opposed to his walk year.
(This of course, is assuming that Ichiro is SMART and realizes that if he wants to win a ring at the end of his career/post-2012, he realizes that he likely needs to go somewhere else for the last year or two of his career.)
I don’t want to bend the topic too much, but why hasn’t the fact that the Royals GM mentioned Grienke was NOT off limits gotten any buzz? Why are no teams rumored to be making that move?
Hint, Hint Jack……….If you read this blog!
Six more days and I expect Lopez will be moving down in the order.
I’d really love it if I didn’t have to see his name on the lineup card at all – a guy can dream, can’t he?
Agree. Mike Wilson is 27 and coming into his prime. Has legit power, a good OBP and would be a cheap DH option next year if Bradley can’t get his shit together and we don’t sign Branyan.
He needs to learn how to hit tuff Lefties sooner or later. Why not now?
Agree but Ichiro isn’t going anywhere. Too many fans would have a fit even if the team were to improve. Figgins and Ackley at top of order would be good enough next year and it would be nice to have some power in the OF.
Because he’s played every game since coming over, is 23 and had 400 AB’s in the minors. Be patient with him.
It’s after the fact, but would it have made any sense for the Mariners to go after Haren?
I don’t mind Smoak getting a day off. He’s been struggling big time and I read something about a slight hamstring problem.
Because they are probably asking for the moon, the stars, the sun, 2 MLB ready prospects and a PTBNL.
We would have to gut our farm system and probably bring in a 3rd team to meet what I would assume would be the Royals demands.
Glad Smoak is getting a day off he needs it. Ichiro is hitting at an all time low. Sucks. BTW Dave, not that it’s a huge difference but his BB/9 is actually down while I believe his K/9 is up. But pretty much everything is very similar thus far.
RE: Ichiro
Comments like this are pointless. Over the last 3 years (not counting the current season), Ichiro has compiled 14.4 WAR – good for 4th among all outfielders. He only trails Holliday, Beltran, and Sizemore, and he’s ahead of guys like Granderson, Soriano, and even Braun.
This should be common knowledge around here by now – you don’t HAVE to have “power in the corner OF” to get production. There’s more than one way to skin a cat… Ichiro does it by gettting 200+ hits instead of 20+ home runs.
Anyone else getting a squished picture on the SD broadcast?
No doubt, and they should. But we did it for Bedard and they already knew he had a history of health problems. For all my golfing buddies out there, Grienke is having a PBFU of a season kind of in KC. Not horrible, but not great either (think bogey following up a bird on the last hole for even more golf analogy). Now is a good time to get him being that the only thing he has goin for him is he was the AL CY Young winner in ‘09. Not saying this is the greatest move ever for the M’s, but don’t let the opportunity pass and have him get more hardware next year for another team!
It would be a terrible move for the M’s (not to say that Grienke isn’t a great pitcher). They would be gutting the farm system to add to the teams biggest strength (starting pitching) while ignroing the fact that the line-up is absolutely putrid.
Wow. The M’s make three outs in the time it takes me to go to the beer for a fridge.
Wait, that’s not right…
Anway, I walk away from the radio for a handful of minutes and the M’s half of the inning is over?
not a strikeout on Milton, but whatever.
Does anyone think its interesting that ESPN is trying to pump up interest in AROD by showing every at bat of his tonight live? What a joke.
Rob Johnson is an idiot…
While I respect Joe Morgan’s perspective and as a former player he does have a viable one, I cannot believe that wins can be the primary metric for a pitcher’s performance over a season. In 09 was Scott Feldman (17 wins, 4.08 ERA) REALLY better than Grienke (16 wins, 2.16 ERA)? There is absolutely no way anyone could argue it.
Does Joe think that if Grienke were a good pitcher he would have found a way to win more? Not much else he could have done. Silly silly argument. Run support + defense matters as much as your performance when it comes to wins.
The big question for me after these past few games is this: is Saunders reverting to his true talent level, or is this just a hot streak? It would be great to see him blossom.
Does an offense get any MORE pathetic than TWO pop-out bunts in the same inning?
(shakes head)
So, someone please help me out, what exactly is Pitcher FX? What does a PFX of 17 inches mean? Thanks.
Johnson just cannot catch.
“off the glove of Johnson…”
Rizzs gets to say that twice in two pitches.
Sigh, Looks like I picked a bad week to quit bitching about RoJo.
Rob Johnson –
catcherDeflectorRob Johnson: 1 earned run for him (NOT Felix)
Damn, must’ve misread how Little O was moving his feet in the batters box.
The White Sox broadcasters (on XM) are calling him “Joneson” or something that sounds vaguely Scandinavian. Maybe they would be interested in a “catcher” with such an exotic background.
(says over and over again) Belief system. Belief system. Belief system.
//pukes//
Which teams would realistically be interested in Lopez?
None.
greentunic,
Pitch F/X is a system of cameras that track the movement of the ball. It’s used on TV to show if it was in the strike zone. The inches would relate to the ball’s horizontal or vertical movement.
Brooks Baseball has Pitch FX data.
Which teams would realistically be interested in Lopez?
What is the team where he plays Eric Byrnes, I heard a rumor
It’s funny, I was going to run down what teams might be interested in Lopez, and while I was sitting here, trying to figure out any way to make the argument for any team, Jeff posted “None” and I still don’t have anything to refute it. Even if you pay his salary, teams looking for a backup infield glove aren’t going to want him, and it’s not like he’s a particularly useful bench part with his low-glove, low-hit combination… so yeah, none.
Hah. Didn’t expect him to catch it, did you?
Should the fan throw the guard out?
They throw fans out for that shit, throw the security guy out!
The only teams that would be interested in Jose Lopez would be teams that get him confused with Felix Hernandez, referring to them both as “the pudgy latino kid”.
Felix is falling apart….
Apparently Rob Johnson isn’t paying enough attention to the hitter’s feet.
JMH – No we should throw out the 1st base ump.
Throw the homeplate ump out, too?!
Only Rob could make that pitch look like a ball.
If Rob Johnson catches the ball, it’s called a strike. Umps always hesitate calling strikes when the catcher doesn’t catch it. They instinctively think it’s low.
If there is no one on base, I think Felix should throw a high fastball, and Rob Johnson can do his best to not catch it.
I recommend switching over to ESPN. Garza’s going for a no hitter in the 9th.
Do you think the word has gotten out amongst umpires, and they’re scared to be behind the plate when Johnson “catches”– so they don’t call anything on the corners (stuff Johnson can’t catch) to encourage our pitchers to throw it right down the middle (least missable catch)?
It’s known throughout the league as the “self-preservation-strike-zone”?
Just a thought.
You’d have to be a team in a park with a short left-field porch who needed some hollow power from someone who can play 2B/3B/1B adequately. The Cubs? Maybe?
Jeff Nye and DMZ – Yeah I sort of knew that no one would want Lopez. Perhaps bundled together with a real MLB player eh? Like a Lopez, Bradley and pitcher of closing abilities? So we could get a 2nd baseman and move Figgy back to 3rd. Just day dreaming really.
In the words of God: “Damn Rob Johnson and Jose Lopez sucks. I must have been having an off day on those days. Were those Mondays?”
Garza’s one out into the 9th… No hits.
Even the Royals aren’t dumb enough to pick up Jose Lopez… Probably.
Eric Byrnes’ softball team wouldn’t want him.
HenryV-
God meant both of them (RoJo, J-Lo) to be Yankees– but things went wrong once humans got involved.
One out to go for Garza.
Garza–
K… Two outs… One to go.
garza got the no-no…
I hate when home base umpires try to call check swings. They are behind the back of the hitter, usually shielded from half of the bat.
Tonight’s home plate umpire doesn’t deserve to be in Eric Byrnes’ softball league, either.
It’s crazy how many no-hitters are happening (or almost happening)…? What gives?
Did the steroids era overshadow that fact that pitching was actually getting better during that time?
5 no-hitters in one season… And how ’bout 3 of them involving the Rays?
That’s what the appeal is for.
I’m thinking of boycotting Rob Johnson… Perhaps refusing to watch games when Rob plays. Plus, it is likely to lower my blood pressure significantly. If only he didn’t catch Felix…
(Plus we all know there have actually been SIX this year… Technically speaking.)
I think this umpire team did a few of my high school tournaments. They were horrible then and they’re still horrible today! HAHA!
I think that the focus of teams away from batting average has lead to more power and patient players being in the majors, rather than singles hitters. This has lead to more walks, strikeouts, and less hits, which leads to more no hitters.
However, I could be wrong… And the reality is that events of low probability are very unpredictable, and we could go a long period without seeing one for a while now.
Oh! Oh! The Diamondbacks, because they’re out of their freaking minds and Jose was an All-Star once.
Rob Johnson should be out after this inning anyways, since Felix is getting pulled. I’d like to see Rob get thrown out, or Felix, for that matter. The home ump deserves to get an ear full for the crap he’s pulled his game.
Nice throw, Rob, but Figgins plays second, not shortstop.
WTF. He was out, again.
Figgins DIDN’T miss the base. You can see his toe pop up at the edge of the bag on the replay.
ROBOTS. GIVE ME ROBOTS, OR I’M GOING TO START SHOOTING!
Felix needs to do his best Lou impersonation after this inning. I wanna see first base embedded in the ump’s forehead.
@DMZ – Oh thats a vaild point! They would be upgrading their 3rd base position right? I mean do they have an All-Star 3rd baseman now? HAHA
Derek–
That was damn funny… You’ve spent all this time trying to think of ANYONE who might take Jose off our hands?!?
Maybe the Raiders, if you can convince Al Davis he might make a good (insert anything). He’s done stupid stuff like that before (Darius Heyward-Bey, the wide receiver they drafted last year, is the 28th highest paid athlete in the world?! Yeah, for 9 catches and 1 TD.)
You can add something that Omar Vizquel can do in his 40’s that Jose Lopez can’t do in his 20’s.
-hit
-play 3rd
-run the bases
-bounce his helmet off the bag and have it come back to him
If Lopey could do that, I’d be way more hesitant to get rid of him. That would take some of the pain out of his pathetic at-bats if we could watch him bounce his hat!
At least RoJo can run, since he can’t do anything else
This umps strike zone is …..unsound.
Yay Figggggggggy. That’s worth 9 mil a year for 3 more years!
Thank you Figgy…
Damnit Figgins!
I hate Chode Figgins. You would think with his “wheels” he wouldn’t hit into some many double plays. Was there a worse FA signing this offseason? How many of us wish we still had Beltre?
Is this the first series of games for the umps? They’re all horrible!
I agree, many may say that is very good, but has not shown anything.
I wish that Jack could send him to another team, and those nine million, were used to hire a third baseman with more power
Re: earlier in the game, I think if your home ballpark staff interferes with a ball, vs. a fan, that should be an out.
They should be better trained, they can be controlled, and they can’t be kicked out.
I’m really liking what I see of Luke Scott. I also heard he was available for the right deal. What would it take to get him away from the O’s? I’m drooling thinking of a 3B who can actually (gasp) hit.
I’m also shaking my head at all who think what we need most is a DH-type guy. Yeah, it would be sexy to see Dunn in an M’s uniform, don’t get me wrong, but we really lack a solid 3-hole guy. You know, someone who can hit for both average AND power. Guti prefers to bat lower in the order, and I agree. If we had a real decent lineup next year, he would be batting 6th or so, right behind Smoak at 5th. (insert random slugger with more experience) batting cleanup…probably Ackley hitting second providing he is making good contact. Lopez gone, hopefully. Milton was supposed to be that 3-hole guy this year and it hasn’t panned out. Do we bet on him doing it next year?
Dear________ (general manager,)
You should call Jack Zduriencik of the __________ (insert favorite Mariners name insult here) about trading ___________ (player) for a case of balls and a case of __________ (favorite beverage.) We’ll even cover his salary too! Please, just get him off our roster because he __________ (what player doesn’t too well) that he deserves a shot on your _________(adjective) club.
Sincerely,
Mariners Fans Everywhere
“Chode Figgins”.
Classy.
Doesn’t he need to reach base first before he can do that trick? Or were you thinking he’d do it between innings while the grounds crew was doing their dance?
Churly you’re joking…
The choice was never between Beltre and Figgins. If Beltre had been willing to stay, we’d have kept him.
Heck, even after we signed Figgins – the team was at least going through the motions of trying to bring Beltre back.
He turned down arbitration, almost certainly so he could go to a park that better suited his offensive capabilities and pump up interest for this upcoming offseason. He agreed to a one year deal that was significantly less than he’d have gotten in arbitration from the Mariners.
It feels like we need a solid 2-hole guy, a solid 3-hole guy, a solid 4-hole guy, a solid 5-hole guy… all the way down to a solid 9-hole guy.
Before Anaheim picked up Callaspo, I was hoping they’d give Z a call and want Figgins back.
A guy can hope, can’t he?
Not really, “Screw you, DiPoto.”
I prefer… “DiPoto, can we help you further screw your team?”
Indeed NorthofWriglyField… we have a “power” hitting 2B/3B to fill one of your aptly filled positions for your worthless RF and C (Montero, not Snyder). Deal?
Derek, start posting again!
Umm, you do realize that Luke Scott hasn’t played a single game at 3B in his entire professional career, right?
mhmm…but I think he is more a 3B than DH or OF type of guy. He is 32, yeah, but has only been in the majors for five years and other than a flukey partial 2006, his numbers seem to have gotten better every year.