Game 147, Mariners at Cardinals
‘Kuma vs. Adam Wainwright, 7:10pm
Depending on your point of view, you may look at tonight’s game between two elite starters, two guys who might generate Cy votes if it wasn’t for some otherworldly seasons in their respective leagues. Or, you may see it as a match-up between a great team locked in a tight divisional race versus a bad team playing out the string.
Like many of you, I think about/watch/talk about the M’s *a lot* and I wouldn’t consider myself a casual fan. But there’s no question, as I head to this Sounders game, which group I fall into.
Wainwright’s known for his big overhand curve, and he also throws a sinker, cutter and a rare change. This season, with his velo pretty much 100% restored after his injury year in 2011, he’s throwing many more four-seams, and the pitch looks very good.
1: Miller, SS
2: Almonte, CF
3/ Seager, 3B
4: Morales, DH
5: Saunders, RF
6: Ackley, LF
7: Zunino, C
8: Franklin, 2B
9: Iwakuma, SP
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37 Responses to “Game 147, Mariners at Cardinals”
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I heard Almonte is day to day with leg stiffness.
Cards broadcast is amusing. They’re trying to figure out why the hell the Mariners didn’t trade Ibanez to a contender looking for a bat, and they’re coming up empty.
Brendan Ryan hit a home run tonight.
And apparently Almonte is OK, he just ran a long way to get to a ball.
Oh my god, whoever is trying to start the wave needs to die in a fire.
Kuma is the M’s best pitcher this year!
Kuma is the M’s best pitcher this year!
No, he’s not, and it’s not even remotely close. Felix: 5.8 WAR, Iwakuma 3.5 WAR.
And a defensive implosion costs him the win. Christ, this team.
Smoak could’ve picked that, I suspect.
Since they’ve already said they’re giving Morales a Qualifying Offer, they’re probably trying to show he’s multidimensional.
Baseball -Reference says Kuma WAR 5.6, Felix WAR 5.1 for 2013
Holy crap that’s a huge difference. Is it because fangraphs gives him less credit for his improbably low BABIP? (Seriously, that’s a low BABIP when you’ve got an actual quality defense, given what Iwakuma was working with it’s insane).
…seriously, Wedge, you jackass, Yadier has a f*cking arm. How do you not know this?
Don’t know – they have Kuma with a slightly lower whip but honestly I did not have the numbers in front of me it was just the eyeball test. Felix has blown a couple of big leads and Kuma just seems to have hung a little tougher. Neither one is responsible for the mess that is called the Mariner’s. The difference in stats is as Benjamin Disraeli said, “there are lies, there are damn lies and then there are statistics”.
Enough with the bunting, Wedge.
I’m hoping against hope we get to see Farquarer.
And now it’s Almonte….
Would you prefer grounding into a DP or a K? It’s called a failure to execute. Errors and inability to perform fundamental baseball, we’ve seen it all year(s)
Remember when Perez could throw strikes? That was neat.
our voted 2B for next year, yawwwwwn
Walking the go ahead into scoring position, should have called for a strike
That was a very Mariners ending.
Wedge why did you call for the passed ball? Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory again?
Good thing Z didn’t trade Perez back when he was pitching well. Very perceptive approach to the value of that asset and the importance of retaining assets for the 2013 stretch.
walk, walk, walk, passed ball.
Better to trade to early than to late (again)
It’s a lot easier now that I have no expectations of this team anymore.
I do feel sorry for Iwakuma though.
Good job fellas, get ’em next time.
Awesome display by Nick Franklin tonight. Fielding error, popped up bunt, over-ran 3B, called third strike. Definitely in the running for worst overall single-game player performance of the year.
Wedge
– He doesn’t seem to like defensive replacements.
I sure would have liked to see somebody other than the DH manning 1B in the late innings of a tight game. Oh well.
– He likes bunt, even though nobody on the team is able to bunt. Yeah, why not put the bunt sign on again.
– He likes to leave relievers in there when they are wild. Yeah, leave him out there. We won’t even have someone else warm up.
That’s how Eric Wedge rolls. 6-15 since he came back.
It’s not all his fault, but it would sure be easier to win games if the Manager wasn’t trying so hard to lose them.
Hopefully the Mariners will guarantee Wedge’s health insurance for the next 12 months or so when they release him.
Actually, the team firing him might be the best thing for his health.
Call it a win-win situation.
Just for fun…
Swisher wRC+ 110
Smoak wRC+ 109
Bourn wRC+ 85
Ackley wRC+ 81
(Don’t look at WAR, it ruins my fun little post)
We’re supposed to be excited about the new kids. But they all act like old Mariners. What an awful franchise. Even the Astros can put up 10 runs ever so often.
I want Tino Martinez as manager. Im sorry. But this team needs someone who walks around with the threat of grabbing your neck. I want old school. I want that coach you absolutely hate as a player.. but live the rest of your life crediting him for the man you are today.
Wow. Nick Franklin went from golden boy to complete dog shit in the blink of an eye. Add 2B to our shopping list this winter.
Wow, watching the Mariners is like smelling a big dog turd.
WH – we already have that guy, he’s named Eric Wedge.
Jephdood – I wouldn’t be surprised if Ackley moves back there. He’s a better defender than Franklin and is out hitting him as well.
Jack924 – you’re being unfair… to the turd.
Ackley’s hitting .324/.378/.465 since the break. He’s not that great of an outfielder, but his defense at second is very good.
guys, i know it all looks pretty bad . . .
But the other narrative is that a young, not very good mariners team that started rookies at the four most important positions on the field pushed one of the best teams, and best pitchers in the majors right now to the verge of defeat. This was a game that meant nothing to the mariners and a ton to the cardinals. Even the cardinals players said it felt like playoff baseball intensity, except they were playing a bunch of rookies and one of the crappiest teams in baseball. But a catcher who was playing college ball slightly more than a year ago took a perennial cy young candidate waaaay deep. That was pretty cool.
guys, i know it all looks pretty bad . . .
No, it looks pretty bad. The Houston Astros have wins against Pittsburgh, Oakland, and Boston. We could give an alternate narrative for those, too.
Even really horrible teams will walk off the field with a W 40 or 50-some times in a year, and cool things will happen- homers, no-hitters, triple-plays, perfect games. If it was all horrible all the time when you were a lousy team nobody would be a fan of a bad team, ever.