Two Weeks In
Opening Day was two weeks ago, and the team has played 13 games. The samples are still too small to make any definitive judgments, but there are some things we can glean from the first 10 percent of the season. So, here’s some observations I’ve made over the first couple of weeks.
Our defense is really good. We said before the year started that the gloves would be the strength of the team, and this has been confirmed so far. The M’s are turning 72.5 percent of all balls in play into outs, compared to the American League average of 70.4 percent. Our defensive efficiency is tied with the White Sox for the fourth best in baseball, behind only Florida, Oakland, and the Dodgers. At the other end of the spectrum, by the way, is the Yankees. They are only converting 63 percent of balls in play into outs. That’s awful.
Bret Boone is done. Forget the Lasik. We can stop calling 2004 a down year. Boone is finished as anything more than an average second baseman.
Jeremy Reed is going to go on a prolonged hot streak very soon. His .205 average hides the fact that he’s swinging the bat very well. Half of his hits have gone for extra bases and he has five walks to just three strikeouts. Guys with his skillset are much more prone to streaks and slumps, and I’d guess that a 15 for 30 stretch is just around the corner.
The offense has scored 11 more runs than you’d expect, given their performance. Most of that is their ridiculous hitting with runners on base.
I’m not worried about Adrian Beltre. He’s stinging the baseball and has had several 400 foot outs in the past few days, plus the double off the wall last night. He’s still having problems with breaking balls away, but he hasn’t looked overmatched at the plate. He’s going to start putting up numbers real soon.
This bench is abysmal. Just awful.
The 12 man pitching staff is just a waste of roster spots. By having way too many arms sitting around, we have things like this: Ron Villone, 6 appearances, 2 1/3 innings. Using Villone as a situational lefty one out guy is not a wise use of resources. The M’s would be better off using Villone for an inning or more at a time, and paring the pitching staff back to 11–or gasp, even 10!–pitchers. The extra roster spot(s) could be used to accomodate an actual major league player to backup our regular nine starters.
Aaron Sele still sucks. He’s pitching exactly like he has the past three years. Badly. More walks than strikeouts. Only 2.81 strikeouts per nine innings, a number that makes Kirk Rueter look like Nolan Ryan. Going just over 5 innings per start. There’s no reason to have him on the team.
Ryan Franklin is going to get torched in one of his next two starts. You simply can’t put the ball in play as often as he is and get away with it.
Julio Mateo and J.J. Putz should switch roles. I’m not sure why Putz gets to pitch in tough situations, where his lack of command can be a serious problem, while Mateo is relegated to mop up work.
And, to cap it off, evidence that two weeks of statistics still aren’t all that meaningful; the three best hitters in the American League to date have been Brian Roberts, Dmitri Young, and Shea Hillenbrand.
Code Name: Doyle
Hi all,
You may know that I’m a big fan of a certain prospect. However, if you know that you must also be aware that that prospect has had a horrific and career-threatening injury problem. Yes, him. So! There’s a superstition that if a newborn is particularly fragile, the parents hold off naming them until they’re sure the child is through the worst — to not draw the attention of evil forces that might find and harm the kid while it is vulnerable.
In that tradition, I will say nothing about the player shagging balls before games in the outfield for Tacoma. I will be calling this player Doyle. Or Code Name: Doyle, or Conan Doyle for extra confusion. If there are evil spirits, I’m sure Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, noted for his gullibility nearly as much as his writing, would be happy to talk to them. This has the added benefit that SACD is dead, and so no harm can come from him if the injury spirits swing by to kneecap hip.
You may think this is ridiculous and silly, and I would agree with you. I’m still doing it.
Small Sample Size Theater
Doyle, in seven at-bats: .429/.636/.571
Shhhhhhhhhhh.
Steinbrenner blows
Oooooh, how I revel in their troubles (CNNSI, many other places).
It is unbelievable to me that the highest-paid team in baseball would start the season in such a deep funk. They are not playing like true Yankees. They have the talent to win and they are not winning. I expect Joe Torre, his complete coaching staff and the team to turn this around.
I love that Steinbrenner thinks that in situations like this he should issue statements.
As Mariner fans, we can only hope that Steinbrenner goes insane and decides to blow up his team, eating salary as he punts players to other teams. That slacker Posada? I’ll take him. That too-educated Mussina guy? Sure would look good in this unstable rotation (though I’m concerned… ah, that’s is another thing).
Rainiers double-header
Continuing the Curto promotion: in case you didn’t get your dose of baseball, the Rainiers are in the middle of a double-header. Listen here or on KHHO 850.
And, please don’t comment further on this and tempt the fates, but– my favorite prospect’s been playing lately, and doing well. He’s DHing for the second game.
Continuing no-jinx watch: 0-2 with a walk in game 1, 2-2 with a walk in game 2
Oklahoma!
With the results of his first two starts, it’s time to celebrate Ryan Franklin — and his homeland.
The fertile grounds of Oklahoma have grown many legendary baseball players: Mickey Mantle, Johnny Bench, Willie Stargell, Dizzy Dean, the Waner brothers. None of them, however, have turned in nearly 17 strong innings this season. What have you done for me lately, Mick? Big Poison? Also, none of these greats are from Spiro! Home of the Spiro Mounds!
Note to Ryan: do not gain weight, or people will not hesitate to nickname you “the Spiro Mound.” Read more
Yesterday’s quickness
Saturday’s game was 1:39, but here’s some more helpful facts from the Mariners that unintentionally may tick you off:
Actual game time was barely over an hour. From the game notes, “there were 17 inning breaks of 2:05 in yesterday’s game, so clubs were in commercial for 35 minutes and 25 seconds.”
That doesn’t include in-game commercials, of course (this reminder brought to you by the U.S.S.M. Mariner, recently called “not harsh enough” — try us today! the 2-2 pitch…).
I’ve never been rabid about reducing game time. I enjoy watching a game, and my major gripes about it are
– pitching changes are stupid and take forever
– batters get to step out and take guided tours of nearby historical sites between pitches
– post-season commercial breaks are crazy-long
That game, though — man, that was something else.
As a comparison, the rest of the league took 2:11 – 3:46 (Yanks-Orioles at 3:46). The A’s – Angels game ran 10 innings and took 2:24. Average game length was about 2:50, maybe a little longer than that.
Rett Johnson’s release
I missed this, but Jim Thomsen pointed out that the San Antonio Express has an article on Dave Brundage releasing Rett Johnson.
The article has some standard hashing about what Rett’s performances were like which don’t offer anything new to those who’ve followed it. The only really new quote is–
“It just got to be something mental with Rett,” [Brundage] said. “It wasn’t physical, nothing medical. He just got to that top level and couldn’t overcome the big-league aspect of it.”
This comes up frequently, and I wish I had more to offer you.
U.S.S.M Outing on Tuesday
With the home opener rained out (booooooooooo) it looks like we’re going to be all heading down to see King Felix on Tuesday, rather than Monday as we’d tentatively thought.
It’s still a 6:05 game, we’re still planning on meeting up at Engine House 9 at 4-ish for food and beverages before heading over. Join us! Then head over to the game. It’ll be a fun time for the whole… um, not the family. The whole USSM family?
This date may get pushed back further depending on weather. Stay tuned.
Game 10, Mariners at White Sox
If you think Mike Hargrove has made some questionable managerial decisions to start the season, I’ve got just one sentence for you. Think of Michael Buffer when I say:
Are. You. Ready. For. Oooooooooozzzzzie Guuuuuuuillen?
Thrill as Ozzie pinch-hits Willie Harris for Juan Uribe! Marvel as he removes Paul Konerko in favor of Scott Podsednik! Wonder at the White Sox’ early winning record! Become nauseous at the head-swim-inducing moves!
Joel Pineiro vs. John Garland, 5:05 p.m., PDT. The M’s return to TV on KSTW.
As a sidenote: does it say more about me or about Alex Rodriguez that, when I see the headline “A-Rod yanks 8-year-old-boy from path of truck,” I think “P.R. set-up.”
Don’t answer that.
Felix Start #2
Okay, so I missed the M’s game this afternoon, but I’m around for Felix going in Sacramento tonight, so I’m going to do a running game diary, at least for a few innings.
Also, for anyone headed to Tacoma for the home opener on Friday night, you get a happy surprise: Chris Snelling should be in the lineup on Friday, barring any other freak accidents in the next 48 hours.
7:10 PM PDT The feed isn’t doing that hot tonight. Hopefully I can actually pull this off.
7:14 According to Mike Curto on the broadcast, there’s a “modest crowd” in Sacramento tonight. He should have seen the crowd in Winston-Salem last night.
Also, Curto informs us that Jamal Strong and Wiki Gonzalez are on a play-play-day off schedule, where they never play three games in a row. Both are coming off knee surgeries.
7:19 He’s “King Felix” on the broadcasts too. That nickname’s not going away. Nice job, Jason.
7:22 Bobby Smith just stared at strikes one, two, and three. Didn’t move his bat the entire trip to the plate.
7:24 Scoreless first for Felix. 12 pitches, 10 strikes. Since he’s on an 80 pitch limit, its great to see him firing strikes.
7:34 Rainiers take a lead on a base hit by Dustin Delucchi, scoring Shin-Soo Choo.
7:40 Curto rules. He just called Jack Cust a Three True Outcomes hitter, and then explianed what the TTO are.
7:48 Felix with another strikeout to end the inning, stranding two runners. Quoting Curto: “That was nasty.”
8:06 Felix is starting to cruise. 96 MPH fastball blows away Freddie Bynum.
8:12 Shin-Soo Choo with his first home run of the season. Rainiers up by two.
8:23 I’m wearing down, so this is probably my last inning. We don’t have anyone warming up in the USSM bullpen, though.
8:28 Felix gives up a triple but gets out of it scoreless. Four more shutout innings. He’s kinda good.
Night all.