Spiezio back, Lopez down, Wiki both
Every possible injury Scott Spiezio may have had is now healed, and he’s back with the big club. Jose Lopez has returned to Tacoma, where he’ll play every day.
Wiki “Pedia” Gonzalez has also returned from the DL and been optioned to Tacoma.
Game 78, Rangers at Mariners
RHP Chan Ho Park vs. RHP Aaron Sele, 7:05pm (KOMO and FSN)
How misleading can won-loss record be for pitchers? Park is 7-2 despite a 5.75 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and .302 batting average against. Just think if Ryan Franklin had this kind of run support!
Sele fell back to Earth last time out against the Padres (4 IP, 8 ER) after a good run of starts going back to the end of May; he still currently sports the best ERA among regular M’s starters.
Usual starting lineup with Borders behind the plate. And with that we throw it open to you, the reader.
Rogers suspended 20 games
Kenny Rogers has been suspended 20 games and fined (I presume heavily) for knocking around a couple of cameramen before a game. If he appeals (and we should figure he will), he would still start for Texas in Sunday’s game.
Week #14 in Review
Didn’t we just tear down this roster a year ago?
Vital Signs
On this Friday we find the Mariners 33-44. And like a selfish 3-year-old eyeing his favorite Hot Wheels car at play time, they have know violently wrenched last place away from Oakland. “Mine!” They drop three more notches in the standings, now 13.5 back of Anaheim. According to Baseball Prospectus’ adjusted standings, the M’s are underperforming by two and a half games, now. Only the Royals and Devil Rays have fewer third-order wins than the Mariners.
The Mariners have scored 322 runs. Last in the American League. They are hitting .256/.315/.386 compared to the AL average of .266/.329/.420. Their on-base percentage is last in the American League. Their slugging percentage is tied with Oakland for last. Are we sensing a theme yet? They have hit 57 homers: last. Their 211 walks are tied with Baltimore for 10th in the league. Their .255 EqA ranks 26th in all of baseball, tied with the Pirates.
The defense has allowed 349 runs, which makes them the 8th best team in the American League at keeping runs off the board. The gloves are turning 71.3% of balls in play into outs, which is the 3rd best rate in all of baseball. The overall the pitching staff ERA is at 4.36. They have struck out 401 batters (last in the league), walked 265 (3rd highest total in the league) and allowed 82 home runs (the 4th highest total in the league, Safeco Field be damned). The starters are allowing 4.95 runs per nine innnings (12th in the AL), while the relievers are at 3.15 (5th in the AL).
Not a pretty week. The less said the better. They Mariners went 1-5 and were outscored 38-28. Take out last Friday’s lopsided victory, and they were outscored 33-14 in the five straight losses. They were outplayed across the board–out-homered 12-8, out-walked 25-12.
Heroes
Turning it around after two horrid weeks, and just in time for the trade deadline, is Bret Boone, who went 8-for-22 on the week (.364/.417/.773). The shared the team league in hits, home runs (2), walks (2) and RBI (5) and led the team in total bases (17). Maybe the Don Baylor transmogrifier works after all. Or maybe its coincidence.
Hmm… pass.
Not-so-much Heroes
Pat Borders: 2-for-12 with a walk (.167/.214/.167).
Saturday was just a rough day for Aaron Sele. There’s only so many balls one can put in play before they start falling in places they really shouldn’t. Sele allowed 8 Padre runs in 4 innings, including 3 home runs. And this was Petco Park, of all places.
Coming to a stadium near you
So if the Mariners get swept by the team with the worst offense not in Seattle, what happens when the hottest offense in the league comes to town? I shudder at the thought.
Seven of the Rangers starters have double digits in home runs. The Mariners have two. Only Boston has scored more runs than the Rangers. But only the Devil Rays, Yankees and Royals have surrendered more runs. So perhaps all is not as nightmarish for the Mariners as it sounds. The Rangers are 4-8 over the last two weeks against the likes of the Angels, Astros and Nationals.
Freak stat of the day: Since 2002, Chan Ho Park has made 6 starts against the Mariners and compiled a 2.29 ERA. Against all other teams since 2002, his ERA is 6.37.
On Monday, the Mariners travel to Kansas City, where the Royals have scored a measly 12 runs more than Seattle, and their pitching staff is 13th in the league in runs allowed. Will 15,000 show up to any of those three games?
BP/USSM at the Park Update
The outing we mentioned yesterday is now official. Details are below. Seriously, this is going to be an awesome event. Sign up pronto.
Oh, and its not included in the little blurb below, but Jeff Shaw will be there too. He’s reason enough to come. So sign up already.
Come talk baseball, listen to guest speakers and enjoy a day at the
ballpark! Baseball Prospectus author Jonah Keri, BP alums and USS Mariner
authors Derek Zumsteg and Dave Cameron, and a few well-known surprise
guests are hosting a Ballpark Feed at Safeco Field, Saturday July 16 vs.
the Orioles. The event will start at 5 p.m., featuring a sit-down and Q&A
with featured speakers inside the Interview Room at Safeco Field. The game
will follow at 7:05 p.m.Tickets cost $17.50 each, and seats will be located in Section
326, Rows 20-24, in the View Reserved (upper deck) section just to the
first-base side of home plate. The ticket price includes a service charge
for Group Ticket Window, an online system that will enable you to buy and
print your tickets from your home computer.There may be an additional charge for room rental at the park–if there
is, we’ll let you know ASAP.Please RSVP to seattlefeed@yahoo.com if you’d like
to attend. Please indicate the following in your e-mail:1) With a clear number (i.e. 2, 3, 4 etc.), indicate *exactly* how many
people will be going.2) Full names of each attendee (for nametag purposes).
Tickets are limited to 65 total, so please RSVP ASAP. If you’ve already
e-mailed to express initial interest, we will count that e-mail as an RSVP
(requiring payment for tickets), unless we receive a cancellation notice.
We will provide details on how to obtain your tickets once we’ve reached
our limit of 65. We will also provide instructions on how to get to the
Interview Room and other details a few days before the game.
When too much is a good thing
Adrian Beltre smoked his first home run of June in the 4th inning last night.
“I’ve been taking too many pitches,” so he says (Hickey, P-I).
Mr. Beltre makes an excellent case in that one must swing the bat to put it over the fence. But then, to a fellow with a career .329 on-base percentage (and presently .301 on the year), I might recommend taking a couple of more.
Beltre is finishing up his best month as a Mariner thus far. Somebody give him a cookie.
April – .258/.284/.361
May – .216/.245/.353
June – .312/.386/.442
The difference? 9 walks in June compared to 3 in each April and May. Here’s a breakdown comparing his strikeouts-per-at-bat and walks-per-at-bat month by month in 2005, along with his career totals and his career 2004 season…
Trade updates, plus something random
A bit about a potential Boone trade to the Twins in this Pioneer Press column. Don’t both clicking the link unless you don’t believe me, since this is the entirety of the item in blockquote, but if you do, it’s username: tkedwards@mailinator.com password: morris
The Seattle Mariners, by the way, might be willing to pay most of second baseman Bret Boone’s $9.25 million salary this year if the Twins would give up a marginal prospect in a trade.
This lets me weigh in on a topic that’s been percolating in the comments. I think if the choice is between paying Boone’s salary and gettting a prospect, or simply getting the other team to pick up the tab, the M’s ought to do the former. From a fan’s perspective, we know that the budget allegedly is zeroed out at the end of any given year. If they aren’t going to use the millions they save to improve the team next year, at least the team should get a guy with a chance to contribute.
On the Randy Winn trade front, a bit of news from Newday. The Yankees, looking for a centerfielder, sent two scouts to the M’s-A’s series to watch Randy Winn and Mark Kotsay, but they don’t feel like they have a fit with the M’s for Winn.
I’m not surprised there is no fit to be had with the Yankees. They don’t have much in the minor leagues to give up, and they’re tethered to most of their major league contracts.
Random Schadenfreude: I’m not sure I believe this or not, but that won’t prevent me from passing it on. It’s what every non-Yankee fan wants to believe is going on.
Game 77, Mariners at Athletics
RHP Meche v RHP Haren. 12:35, radio only.
Rare day game, as the Mariners look to get this series over with so they can get on their flight back home.
Baseball sites thread on Metafilter
Many of you are probably familiar with Metafilter, one of the first community weblogs. It’s an interesting community of shared links.
Recently, the site has added an “Ask MeFi” page where members can post a question for which other members provide informed answers. In a group of 24,000+, you’d be amazed the wide array of expertise that exists there.
Baseball site expertise is included, apparently, since yesterday saw a cool thread about “what are the best national pastime sites on the Internet“?
There are a lot of great suggestions in the thread, some of which you’ll definitely know about (Prospectus, Baseball Reference) and others you may not (such as other baseball blogs). Many of the suggestions I can personally vouch for as awesome, like Baseball Toaster and Baseball Analysts. This also seems like a good way to track down some new gems you might have overlooked, so have a look if you’re so inclined.
Even if you aren’t a Metafilter member, you can read the site for free. You only have to be a MeFite to post. I know at least one other MeFite reads this humble blog, since there’s a USSM mention in the thread (and many thanks for that, by the way).
Happy hunting!
Game 76, Mariners at A’s
Ryan Franklin v. Joe Blanton. Sorry we’re late.