Game 109, Rangers at Mariners
Hernandez vs Hunter, 7:10 pm.
Happy Felix Day.
Ichiro, RF
Figgins, 2B
Kotchman, 1B
Branyan, DH
Gutierrez, CF
Lopez, 3B
Moore, C
Saunders, LF
Jack Wilson, SS
The Anti-Baseball Road Trip
As I suggested would happen the last time I contributed to these electronic pages, I’ve recently — along with milady — moved to the Middle West of these here United States. For those of you who’re concerned about such things (and I’m guessing this doesn’t include reader Dylan), the both of us made the trip without incident, so you can stop your worrying.
For anyone who’s never been, you should know that Madison, Wisconsin is, by all appearances, a pretty great place. Those readers of USSM who’ve lived in/around The Ave in Seattle would probably recognize many of that area’s salient features in Madison’s State Street: ethnic restaurants, bars, cafes, and some Sloppy-Joe-looking student types. Really, just take University Ave., add about 95% humidity to the air and about 5% in Body Mass Index to the average pedestrian, and you’ve got a pretty good idea of State Street.
Much to the disappointment of the reader, however, the point of this article isn’t to compare and contrast the relative merits of Seattle and Madison. Rather, it’s to alert those members of the readership who haven’t made the journey from the Pacific Northwest to this here area of the country that the trip is, essentially, death to baseball.
Anytime I go on any sort of a trip, my first instinct — one which I’m sure a number of readers share — is to see if it might be possible to include a baseball game in my itinerary. Major league, minor league, college summer league: whatever, doesn’t matter. Barring that, I at least like to listen to baseball on the road.
Here’s the thing about trips east of the Cascades and west of, say, Minneapolis: they offer little in the way of the former and almost nothing in the way of the latter.
As Exhibit One, I offer you this map — which will be familiar to you — of the 30 major league teams (courtesy of about.com):
Google Maps shows the distance between Seattle and Minneapolis as being about 1650 miles; between Seattle and Denver, about 1370. Seeing as the US of A is only about 3000 total miles across, that’s kinda a huge deal. In any case, the result for the baseball-starved traveler is that there’s little in the way of major league action.
But that’s not all! Consider Exhibit Two, a map of minor league teams (courtesy of minorleaguebaseball.com):
All told, there’re close to 250 minor league teams in the United States, and only about 10 to 15 of them are located in the huge swath of land between Portland/Seattle and Madison. That’s about five percent of the teams spread out over a land mass which constitutes, I don’t know, about 25 percent or so of the country’s total area. Between them, the Dakotas and Minnesota have exactly zero minor league affiliates. Zero.
Really hungry for a game? There’s always the collegiate, wood bat Northwoods League, but as you can tell from the map below (courtesy of thefullwiki.org), even that offers limited options through the relevant area.
None of this is to say that it’s impossible to catch a game. I watched part of a Rockies contest at the Ponderosa Campground in Cody, Wyoming, and caught some the Twins in Luverne, Minnesota, way out in the Western part of that state. That’s fine. And, of course, there are other charms to the trip that make the lack of baseball somehwat acceptable. The point is, if you’re looking for a baseball road trip, do not go East, young man.
Game 108, Rangers at Mariners
Fister vs Wilson, 7:10 pm.
In something that kind of qualifies as news, the M’s sent Mike Sweeney to Philadelphia today. The team is basically just doing him a favor, giving him a chance to finish the year with a contender and potentially get his first taste of playoff baseball. He wasn’t going to get much playing time in Seattle the rest of the way anyway. We’ll see how long he can stay healthy in Philly, given that they are apparently expecting him to play first base on a regular basis.
As for tonight’s game, opposing left-handed hitters have managed a paltry .090/.157/.120 line against C.J. Wilson this year. That’s 100 plate appearances, with the total positive results being six singles, three doubles, five walks, three hit batters, and two reached on errors. The other 81 hitters made outs. The Mariners are starting four left-handed hitters tonight. This isn’t going to go well.
Ichiro, RF
Figgins, 2B
Kotchman, 1B
Gutierrez, CF
Branyan, DH
Lopez, 3B
Saunders, LF
Moore, C
Jack Wilson, SS
Reasons For Future Bullpen Optimism
While most of the focus on the farm is on guys like Dustin Ackley, Michael Pineda, and Nick Franklin, there’s some other guys flying under the radar a bit who could be making an impact in Seattle sooner than you might think – the M’s have quietly put together a pretty nifty group of relief prospects, all of whom aren’t that far from the big leagues.
Josh Lueke, RHP (A/AA/AAA): 47 2/3 IP, 35 H, 13 R, 2 HR, 10 BB, 80 K
Anthony Varvaro, RHP (AA/AAA): 50 1/3 IP, 36 H, 19 R, 2 HR, 26 BB, 55 K
Dan Cortes, RHP (AA, relief only): 6 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 HR, 3 BB, 10 K
Edward Paredes, LHP (AA/AAA): 42 2/3 IP, 45 H, 20 R, 2 HR, 19 BB, 43 K
Brian Moran, LHP (A/A+): 54 2/3 IP, 48 H, 11 R, 0 HR, 7 BB, 65 K
The first four guys on that list are all mid-90s fastball guys, so the strikeouts aren’t from tricky deliveries or change-ups that won’t work in the majors. Cortes has had all kinds of commands problems as a starter, but since the move to the bullpen, he’s been pitching really well, and scouts have had him up to 98 out of the pen. Moran is the one that is not like the others – he’s a deceptive southpaw with a mid-80s fastball, but everything moves and his command is excellent. The stuff might not work in the big leagues, but he’s been getting people out for years (he was unhittable at UNC) with it, and so he deserves a shot.
Toss in guys who are currently starters but who a lot of people believe will end up as relievers long term (Mauricio Robles, Maikel Cleto, Stephen Hensley) and guys that showed some promise when they were healthy (Josh Fields, Nick Hill), and the Mariners are probably deeper in young bullpen arms than they’ve been in a while. I know it isn’t that much fun to look at a relief squad that includes guys like Chris Seddon, Garrett Olson, and Sean White, but there’s help on the way. Don’t be surprised if several of these guys are pushing for jobs next spring.
Game 107, Rangers at Mariners
Lewis vs Vargas, 7:10 pm.
Just what this team needs – a set against the first place rangers. At least they miss Cliff Lee, who pitched on Sunday.
Adam Moore gets the start tonight, and should play most nights going forward. Interesting that he slides right into the #6 spot in the order against a right-hander. I get that Wak is keeping Saunders down in the order as to not rush him, but shouldn’t that same logic apply to Moore as well? Oh well, not that big of a deal.
Speaking of Wak, Jack spoke to the press and said “Wak is our manager” a bunch of times. There was no reason to think he was getting fired yesterday beyond no-fact speculation. Nothing like the media making their own story up and then reporting on it. Yay, conflict of interest.
Ichiro, RF
Figgins, 2B
Kotchman, 1B
Branyan, DH
Gutierrez, CF
Moore, C
Saunders, LF
Tuiasosopo, 3B
Jack Wilson, Ss
NY Event
Because I know we have some NY readers and not everyone here checks FanGraphs, I figured I’d let you guys know that I’m co-hosting an event in NYC this weekend. In the style of the USSM events we’ve done in Seattle (the next of which should be announced in the next day or two – stay tuned), we’re renting out a hall across from central park and are going to spend three hours talking baseball with a variety of cool people. Here is the full agenda, as written up by David Appelman today.
For those of you who are still making up your minds about whether or not to come to the very first FanGraphs live event in NYC this Saturday, August 7th at 9am, here are the full details:
Location: Florence Gould Hall (55 East 59th Street)
Tickets: $15 online (+$1.36 surcharge). $20 cash only at the door.
NY Baseball (9:00am – 9:40am)
Joe Pawlikowski, Mike Axisa, Benjamin Kabak (All RiverAveBlues.com), Matthew Cerrone (MetsBlog.com), and Mark Simon (ESPN) will be discussing all things baseball in NY. Moderated by Carson Cistulli.
Baseball Media (9:45am – 10:30am)
Jonah Keri (Bloomberg Sports) will host a panel comprised of Will Leitch (Deadspin, New York Magazine), Michael Silverman (Boston Herald), Matthew Cerrone (MetsBlog.com), Alex Speier (WEEI.com), and David Biderman (WSJ) to discuss how baseball media coverage has changed in recent years and will continue to evolve.
Baseball Stats (10:40am – 11:15am)
Jon Sciambi (ESPN), Mitchel Lichtman, Sky Kalkman (Beyond the Boxscore), Dave Cameron, and David Appelman will discuss where advanced baseball stats are right now and where they’ll be headed. Moderated by Carson Cistulli.
Bloomberg Sports Presentation (11:20 – 11:35)
Bloomberg Sports will make a presentation of a brand new product.
FanGraphs Q&A (11:40 – End)
Dave Cameron, Carson Cistulli, Bryan Smith, Joe Pawlikowski, Mike Axisa, and David Appelman will take questions until we’re officially kicked out (a little after 12:00).
Afterparty (3:30pm – Game Over)
Additionally, we’re going to host a game-watching party for attendees to gather at a local watering hole and view that afternoon’s Boston-New York match-up together. Those who make it to the event will be invited to join us for several more hours of fun later in the afternoon. Details and directions will be given at the event.
If you’re in the area, you should come. It’s going to be great.
Pineda Day Gamethread 8/2/10
For those of you that weren’t able to heed Dave’s advice and come out to Cheney Stadium tonight, here’s a gamethread.
First, many of you wondered if Rob Johnson was sent down to catch Pineda in Tacoma, but that’s not the plan, at least for tonight. Eliezer Alfonzo gets the start tonight.
Second, this will be an interesting opportunity to watch how Pineda faces hitters who’ve faced him before. This isn’t the first time he’s facing an opponent for the second time (he’s faced Fresno twice too), but it should be a decent test. He was sharp in his first game against Reno, but managed only 3 strike-outs in 6 2/3 IP. That’s quite a contrast from his 11 Ks in 5 IP in his next start in Sacramento.
Gametime is 7pm.
–Lineup–
1: Woodward
2: Mangini
3: Smoak
4: Nelson (DH)
5: Halman
6: Carp (LF)
7: Ackley
8: Alfonzo
9: Wilson
-7PM update–
Pineda leads off Doug Deeds with a FB at 92 MPH. Second pitch is an interesting 88 MPH cutter or something, then a 94 MPH FB. Have to find out more about that cutter/2 seamer. Gets a fly out on a high away FB.
Game scoreboard just flashed 101 on a Pineda FB. I’m not sure I buy that. 95 on the next pitch.
Chris Rahl lifts a 94 MPH FB to deep, deep left, but you can do that in Tacoma.
1-2-3 inning capped with a swinging K of Jeff Bailey on a 95 MPH fastball. 97 is the top speed assuming the 101 was a mistake, and he threw 2 sliders at 83/87, the one oddball cutter, and the rest FBs. Lots of them up in the zone, same as his debut. Something to watch.
Pineda Starts Tonight In T-Town
The Tacoma Rainiers are playing at Cheney Stadium tonight. Michael Pineda is pitching. That’s all you really need to know, but you can also expect to get a look at Dustin Ackley, Justin Smoak, and Adam Moore. It would be more fun than watching the M’s even if the big league club was playing, which they aren’t.
So, get thee to Tacoma. And if you can’t get thyself there, listen to ye old radio at 7:00. Mike Curto will have the call on 850 AM.
Update: Adam Moore probably won’t be playing tonight, as Shannon Drayer reports that he’ll join the team tomorrow. Rob Johnson (!) will be optioned to Triple-A to clear room on the roster.
Minor League Wrap (7/26-8/1/10)
After Sunday’s game, the Mariners are on pace to score 526 runs this season. Incidentally, this is three fewer runs than the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, who lost 134 games and were famously dismantled prior to the season in an effort to provide players for the St. Louis Perfectos, a conflict of interest stemming from the owners being responsible for two teams at once. The Spiders played eight fewer games than the Mariners will and the designated hitter rule wouldn’t appear for another seven decades. The good news is that the M’s aren’t going to be contracted from the league.
Well, let’s get to it, shall we? If you didn’t get down to Tacoma last time Pineda was up, DO IT TONIGHT and print your tickets BEFORE you go.
To the jump!
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Judge The Performance, Not The Character
The Mariners just had a miserable week, capped off by a listless weekend that saw them shutout on back to back days. As is usually the case when a bad team plays even worse than usual, speculation begins as to the motivation of the players. For instance, here’s a message on twitter via Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
The Mariners are playing like a team trying to get its manager fired. Wakamatsu’s future clearly in doubt.
Whether Wak’s future is actually in doubt is a question for another day. I want to deal with his first sentence.
Playing like a team that is trying to get its manager fired? Because they got shutout by Francisco Liriano, who as we noted before the game, has the best xFIP in all of baseball? No, I’m sure he’ll say it wasn’t just about this one game, but the entire recent performance of the team, but let’s be honest, he doesn’t send that message out if the Mariners would have run up five or six runs against the Twins ace.
But, that didn’t happen, and so writers now play the character assassination game that is so popular in news rooms around the country. Rather than simply sticking with the fact that this offense isn’t good and they faced a guy who should get Cy Young votes, we get questions about their motives, with an underlying insinuation that the team could do have hit better today if they wanted to.
It’s B.S. Know why Liriano shutout the Mariners? Because the team started Russ Branyan and Casey Kotchman as their #4 and #5 hitters against a pitcher who entered the game with a 1.08 FIP (that is not a typo) against left-handed hitters. Those two, not surprisingly, struck out in five of their six trips to the plate while Liriano was in the game. You put two left-handed bats (both of whom have had significant trouble with LHPs in their career) in the middle of a line-up against a guy who no lefty in baseball can touch and you’re going to lose.
In addition to those two, of course, the Mariners started Ichiro and Michael Saunders, also left-handed hitters. Those four essentially comprise the four best bats on the Mariners roster right now, so you can’t blame Wak for putting them in the line-up. It’s not like he has great right-handed hitting alternatives for when the team goes up against a high quality lefty. Of the five righties he started today, only two have major league bats (Figgins and Gutierrez), and both are struggling right now. Josh Wilson, Matt Tuiasosopo, and Rob Johnson are all Triple-A caliber hitters. It would have been a massive upset if any of them could have produced any offense today.
This wasn’t hard to see coming. A great LHP against a team that can’t hit, and especially can’t hit lefties, in a park that has played very pitcher friendly to date? The Mariners weren’t going to score today no matter who was managing. It wasn’t evidence of a lack of motivation. It was evidence that the pitcher was talented and the hitters weren’t.
But, that’s not an interesting story, and so it doesn’t get written. Instead, we get speculation about what the players might be doing to try and sabotage their manager, tea-leaf reading about the interpretation of some comment that was or wasn’t made in a way that some journalist thinks it should have been made, and the results of echo chamber conversations where a bunch of people who all think the same reinforce each other’s biases and then try to pass their opinions off as news.
Ignore all of it. None of it actually contains any kind of insight that you should care about.
The Mariners hitters stink. They’ve run into some really good pitchers lately. The result has been ugly. These are facts – stick to those. Leave the uninformed speculation about the players trying to get their managers fired to everyone else. It’s not worthy of discussion.