Game 94, Mariners at Tigers

marc w · July 21, 2015 at 3:30 am · Filed Under Mariners 

Taijuan Walker vs. Shane Greene, 4:05pm

While the game that really hurt the M’s playoff chances (at least according to Fangraphs – their odds were the last holdouts on our fair ballclub) was the finale of the Yankees series, yesterday’s loss gave the M’s sole possession of last place in the AL. They may not stay there, and because it’s 2015, any of six or seven teams has a real shot to finish the season there, but it’s pretty important now that we’re 10 or so days from the trade deadline. Or at least, it WOULD be, if the M’s had something to sell beyond JA Happ or Logan Morrison.

Shane Greene’s a righty who surprised a lot of people with a very solid season with the Yankees last year. He threw 93-94, got plenty of grounders, and had a good enough slider/cutter combo to run very good K rates. Not bad for a 15th rounder. As a sinker/slider guy, though, lefties were a bit of a concern. To further his development, the Yankees had Greene work on pitching up in the zone, presumably to provide some contrast with his sinkers-at-the-knees approach. He’s done so, and the results have been… wow, thanks a LOT, Yankees. His ground-ball rate has plummeted, and his HR rate has spiked despite moving from Yankee stadium to more spacious Comerica. His FIP is now approaching 5, while his ERA is well over 6 thanks to a terrible time trying to strand runners. It’s been a lost year for Greene, who’s young enough to perhaps re-think the advice he got from a team that was weeks from trading him away.

1: Jackson, CF
2: Seager, 3B
3: Cruz, DH
4: Cano, 2B
5: Smith, RF
6: Ackley, LF
7: Miller, SS
8: Morrison, 1B
9: Zunino, C
SP: Walker

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Comments

38 Responses to “Game 94, Mariners at Tigers”

  1. mrakbaseball on July 21st, 2015 3:17 pm

    I guess the Brad Miller batting leadoff experiment is over.

  2. seattleslew on July 21st, 2015 5:52 pm

    And it looks like USSM is an empty place these days.

  3. Westside guy on July 21st, 2015 6:08 pm

    What the heck happened? I left work to what appeared to be a comfortable 5-1 lead… but I get on the train and we’re behind 7-5.

  4. Westside guy on July 21st, 2015 6:44 pm

    Man, another lost season really takes its toll on the fan base. 😛

  5. bluemoonking on July 21st, 2015 6:46 pm

    But at least there are seats for fans of the visiting team…

  6. WestyHerr on July 21st, 2015 7:06 pm

    Remember how we won in 2001 without Randy, ARod and Junior? The next competitive team we field will be without Felix, Cano, Cruz and Seager. Just accept it.

  7. Sowulo on July 21st, 2015 7:09 pm

    As good as those 4 are, the M’s aren’t winning with them (and haven’t been). So go ahead and move them all and find some players who can win, not just put up numbers.

  8. bluemoonking on July 21st, 2015 7:13 pm

    So the next competitive team will be in 2024? Nothing is going to change with current regime…

  9. bluemoonking on July 21st, 2015 7:20 pm

    The tigers just intentionally walked Smith with the bases loaded…

  10. Westside guy on July 21st, 2015 7:21 pm

    GUTI!!!!!!!

  11. JMB on July 21st, 2015 7:22 pm

    Mother flippin’ GUTI!!!

  12. bluemoonking on July 21st, 2015 7:26 pm

    Wow… Ya, Tiger pitching is awful… Would not be surprised if the Tigers DFA’d their entire pitching staff.

  13. almost summer on July 21st, 2015 7:28 pm

    The bases weren’t loaded when they walked Smith. A wild pitch had scored a runner.

  14. bluemoonking on July 21st, 2015 7:28 pm

    Uh oh…

  15. Grayfox3d on July 21st, 2015 7:33 pm

    Can’t wait till Rodney is gone, It’s just to bad he blew any type of value he may of had.

  16. r-gordon-7 on July 21st, 2015 7:40 pm

    Amazingly, Lloyd is pulling Rodney right in the middle of the usual “experience”, instead of waiting to let it fully play out to the full tragedy…

  17. WestyHerr on July 21st, 2015 7:50 pm

    Why doesn’t Rodney aim arrows at his foot?

  18. bluemoonking on July 21st, 2015 7:52 pm

    Cause he can’t see them…

  19. Grayfox3d on July 21st, 2015 7:52 pm

    Does anyone else’s butt pucker whenever a ball is hit to Brad Miller? its so nerve wracking.

  20. Sowulo on July 21st, 2015 8:02 pm

    nope

  21. Westside guy on July 21st, 2015 8:04 pm

    That could be the name of a group – the butt puckers.

  22. bluemoonking on July 21st, 2015 8:06 pm

    Can we play the Tigers more often? Maybe tomorrow they will walk Zunino to pitch to Cruz…

  23. Don Money on July 21st, 2015 8:32 pm

    Blue moon, you missed the wild pitch that scored a run and left 1st open. That’s why Smith got four wide ones.

  24. Westside guy on July 21st, 2015 8:52 pm

    I’m really enjoying getting to see Guti again, even if his playing time is being significantly restricted.

  25. ck on July 21st, 2015 10:29 pm

    I wait, against reason, for a winning streak that will save this season. Guti’s Slam saved Jack Z’s job for at least a few more days.

  26. Westside guy on July 22nd, 2015 5:04 pm

    Wow – Game 95 is getting out of hand really quickly…

  27. mrakbaseball on July 22nd, 2015 5:13 pm

    Peter Gammons tweeted earlier today that “3” people say Cubs VP Jason McLeod has a good shot at being the next Mariners GM. What does anyone know about him?

  28. r-gordon-7 on July 22nd, 2015 5:45 pm

    Well, I know that unlike Jack Z, Cubs VP Jason McLeod DOESN’T look like Curly Howard…

  29. bluemoonking on July 22nd, 2015 5:50 pm

    That’s a start… Is he a baseball person?

  30. bluemoonking on July 22nd, 2015 6:03 pm

    Why is Ackley playing and not Guti. Don’t care about righty vs lefty. Its Anibal Sanchez for crying out loud… Who is a worse manager McCheese or Brad bot?

  31. Westside guy on July 22nd, 2015 6:10 pm

    McLeod sounds a LOT like Zduriencik, in terms of where he’s coming from – he was hired by Chicago specifically to rebuild a depleted farm system. That’s a bit scary… which is probably unfair to him, but Jack Z did happen so it’s hard for me to not have some preconceived biases.

    But he’s been working for Theo Epstein, so one would hope his brain isn’t stuck in the 1960s.

  32. eponymous coward on July 22nd, 2015 8:58 pm

    Apparently Lloyd’s concerned that his primary catcher is not only hitting below the Mendoza line, he’s on pace to play 148 games this season.

    You don’t say…

  33. matthew on July 23rd, 2015 9:23 am

    We need an article on USSMariner comparing Rodney this year to Bobby Ayala’s time with Seattle.

    I can’t imagine Ayala was worse. (I’m old enough to remember.)

  34. Westside guy on July 23rd, 2015 1:39 pm

    Game 96… sounds like it’s been a good one so far. I just showed up for the bottom of the 10th…

  35. Grayfox3d on July 23rd, 2015 2:07 pm

    And here comes Rodney to put us out of our misery.

  36. Westside guy on July 23rd, 2015 2:24 pm

    Great – Zunino’s up with a guy on.

  37. Westside guy on July 23rd, 2015 2:25 pm

    Great!! Zuni’s up with a guy on!!

  38. kcw2 on July 23rd, 2015 3:55 pm

    Speaking of the Mendoza Line (eponymous coward on 7/22), we now have the makings of the Sucre Line. He fell to .036 today.

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