Guardado to have TJ surgery
You’re shocked, I know. Says the Cincinnati Post…
Eddie Guardado is as dogged in his optimism as they come, but he knew something was wrong as soon as he saw Dr. Tim Kremchek’s face Wednesday morning.
About an hour earlier, Guardado had undergone an arthrogram on his sore left elbow. In an effort to flesh out any problems an earlier MRI didn’t detect, dye was injected into Guardado’s elbow and another picture taken.
This one revealed something the previous exam missed: Guardado had torn the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, ending his season.
Game 139, Mariners at Tigers
Meche vs Rogers, 10:05 am.
Gil Meche pitching on 4 days rest:
72 2/3 IP, 71 H, 38 BB, 59 K, 4.95 ERA
Gil Meche pitching on 5 or more days rest:
80 IP, 77 H, 29 BB, 67 K, 3.94 ERA
Today, Gil Meche is pitching on normal rest.
And, line-up:
1. Ichiro, CF
2. Lopez, 2B
3. Betancourt, SS
4. Ibanez, LF
5. Sexson, 1B
6. Perez, DH
7. Johjima, C
8. Beltre, 3B
9. Forfeited Spot, RF
Game 138, Mariners at Tigers
Bonderman vs Woods, 4:05 pm.
Jeremy Bonderman has two knockout pitches, throws a fastball with movement, and has harnessed his command this year while turning into one of the elite pitchers in the game. His reputation hasn’t yet caught up with his abilities, but he’s easily capable of winning the Cy Young award next year. There are basically no flaws in his game.
Jake Woods, on the other, is pretty lousy.
And then, there’s the line-up:
1. Ichiro, CF
2. Snelling, RF (/end normalcy)
3. Betancourt, SS – No, I’m not kidding.
4. Ibanez, LF
5. Sexson, 1B
6. Broussard, DH
7. Johjima, C
8. Beltre, 3B
9. Lopez, 2B
Adrian Beltre is, apparently, getting punished for his ridiculously awful approach at the plate yesterday where he was even swinging at the throws back to the mound from the catcher. It was ugly to watch, but lets be real, he had about 40 of those games in April and May. And really, hitting Betancourt third, I mean, I don’t know what to say.
M’s to add eight
From SportingNews.com, and elsewhere I’m sure (it’s just an AP wire story)…
OF Adam Jones
IF Greg Dobbs
RHP Francisco Cruceta
LHP Cesar Jimenez
OF TJ Bohn
IF Oswaldo Navarro
RHP Travis Chick
LHP Ryan Feierabend
All but Chick and Feierabend, who are at San Antonio, are at Tacoma.
Game 137, Mariners at Tigers
Washburn vs Robertson, 10:05 am.
An afternoon game on Labor Day that almost no one in Seattle will get to see, since there is no local TV coverage. It will be on MLB.tv, however.
Robertson is a lefty, which means we probably get the crappy line-up, but please, Grover, just let Doyle play, eh? He can hit lefties, and he’s the best thing going for the team right now. Stop the “it’s not a platoon” platooning of every left-hander not named Ibanez, okay?
Edit: Just as expected – Ballgame in right field, Doyle on the bench. Meanwhile, Ibanez and his .287 on base percentage vs lefties is hitting cleanup. Mike Hargrove deserves to manage a major league baseball club about as much I deserve to be the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.
Sigh
“I’m a power pitcher, so I have to throw my fastball as my out pitch,” Hernandez said.
Whoever convinced Felix this is true should be beaten with wet noodles.
Game 136, Mariners at Devil Rays
Hernandez vs Stokes, 10:15 am
Because it worked last time, Feliz Dia de Felix!
Brian Stokes makes his major league debut. He’s not a prospect – he turns 27 on Thursday and is your generic Triple-A starter. Of course, Triple-A starters have had boatloads of success against the M’s this year, so who knows.
Game Score is a Bill James gimmick stat created to give an overview of how effective a pitcher was on a particular day, and it actually works pretty well. Felix has pitched four games this year where his game score was over 70. Two of those were against Anaheim, and the other two were against Tampa Bay. Felix’s four best games of the season have come against two of the least patient teams in the American League. That’s not a coincidence. Teams that don’t make Felix work and chase pitches out of the zone neutralize his biggest weakness – command – and play right into his hands. There’s a real good chance we see Good Felix again today simply because we’re playing Tampa Bay.
Game 135, Mariners at Devil Rays
Baek vs Howell, 4:05 pm.
J.P. Howell is a command lefty with average stuff who mixes up his pitches. He’s the kind of guy the M’s just can’t hit. Expect another low scoring performance from the offense, as Howell befuddles them with change-ups early in the count. Also, since this begins a three game stretch against LHP’s, don’t expect to see much in the way of Doyle until Tuesday.
Game 134, Mariners at Devil Rays
Meche vs Shields, 4:05 pm.
Gil Meche was legitimately terrible in August, posting a 6.87 ERA that was completely earned. He couldn’t throw strikes, didn’t miss bats, and averaged just over four innings per start. At this point, the M’s have to hope that Meche finishes the year strong enough to be classified as a Type B free agent, which would enable them to receive a relatively high draft choice (as high as #16) when he signs some ridiculous contract with another ballclub this winter. Personally, I’m just thrilled there’s only a month left in the Gil Meche as Mariner Pitcher era.
Also, Ben Broussard, it’s time for a 4-5, 2 HR evening. Benuardo hasn’t exactly been hitting well since coming over from Cleveland, and we’re tired of having our DH’s hit like pitchers.
Roster move
Emiliano Fruto has joined the team for the trip to Tampa. He takes Rafael Soriano’s spot on the roster, though Soriano has not been placed on the disabled list since we’re in September and the team now has an extra 15 roster spots to play with.
The Rainiers season ends Monday, and the rest of the callups will join the Mariners after their season ends. Expected callups include Francisco Cruceta, Travis Blackley, Greg Dobbs, and Adam Jones.