Aaaaaand with another time through the rotation, it’s time for Derek’s Rate Stat Extravaganza:
Who batters* h% hr% bb% k%
Nelson 54 24% 4% 7% 26%
Soriano 16 13% 0% 13% 25%
Sasaki 48 29% 2% 8% 23%
Moyer 179 23% 3% 9% 20%
Meche 182 22% 3% 5% 20%
Rhodes 68 21% 0% 7% 19%
Mateo 81 23% 5% 6% 17%
Pineiro 194 20% 2% 11% 13%
Hasegawa 83 17% 0% 6% 13%
Garcia 197 22% 4% 10% 13%
Franklin 205 24% 4% 7% 9%
Carrara 83 29% 4% 8% 8%
* batters as outs+h+bb, doesn’t include hit batters, etc.
Carrera’s really starting to show his true and historic suckiness. Meche, even with yesterday’s performance, still looks pretty good. He’s not walking anyone, he’s getting strikeouts, and not particularly prone to the long-ball. Franklin’s putting the ball in play and letting it fall where it may so far this year, which is obvious from watching any of his starts.
Notes from the game: McLemore’s defense at short could only get worse if there was a large dog (an adult husky or malamute, say) attacking his ankle all game long.
Guy who sang the national anthem was “Safeco Favorite” John B. Cooper, who took 20m to sing the anthem. The ‘B’ stands for ‘Bad’. The pre-game home run contest was the worst ever. Kids try to hit balls over the fence off a tee, and featured a kid who totally hammed it up, making the ‘raise the roof’ arm gestures, then grounding out weakly. Both kids hit 1 HR, then in the tie-breaker, none. Now, I like to boo the kids — I feel it’s important for them to get used to criticism — but this was torture. It was almost as bad as the celebrity softball game at the All Star Game 2001, which was the most pain I’ve been in at the ball park. This is part of a larger trend of kids-on-camera hamming it up: the Kid PA announcers have been over-the-top lately, too.
The same people who were so annoying at Freddy Meltdown #2 were behind me again, complaining all game long about… Freddy. Yup. They’re like the Bill Waltons of Safeco fans. And I’m a pretty negative guy, so if you’re annoying me with your gnashing and wailing… well, that takes some doing. If these idiots have the tickets behind me for the rest of the season, I’m going to be really annoyed.
It’s cliche`, but it’s cliche` because its true; baseball is a game of inches. It will be written up as a blunder in the paper tommorrow, but Willie Bloomquist did what 98 % of all major league players would have done in that situation. This was not a mistake of inexperience, but simply a ridiculously hard judgment call on what to do. The right play would have been to just run back to second base, but that simply isn’t something that any player has enough experience with to do anything but guess. I’m far from a Willie Bloomquist supporter, but he’s going to get a lot of undo flak from that 9th inning play. I really doubt Randy Winn would have made a different choice.
A few other things I noticed:
Gil Meche’s arm stroke from the stretch concerns me. He gets better push with his legs from the wind-up, but it appears he’s compensating for this by torquing his arm from the stretch for extra velocity. This was my first real good look at Meche this year, and judging arm movemnts from TV isn’t a science, so hopefully I’m just being paranoid. The fact that he was shaking his arm between pitches in the 4th and 5th innings wasn’t reassuring, though.
Carlos Lee is a ridiculously strong human being. Damaso Marte’s 91 MPH fastball looks about 96 with the tail he gets on it. Joe Crede has turned into a hack, and is not the same hitter I saw in AAA Charlotte last year. And I’m more convinced than ever that the White Sox would finish in last place in the AL West.
Giovanni Carrara is once again used in the 9th inning of a game where we trail by one run. This simply shouldn’t happen. Melvin has to learn to use his bullpen more effectively. This is his biggest weakness right now, and it will cost the Mariners ballgames.
I was going to make a crack about how it took until May 10 for Greg Colbrunn to get his first pinch-hit appearance of the year, but its hard to stump for more plate appearances for a guy with a .452 OPS.
Heading down to the game right about now. Colon v. Meche — should be a good one. This will be the first time I’ve seen Meche in person this year, but more than that, it marks just the second game all year I’ve been to when Freddy Garcia hasn’t pitched. I don’t know about you, but it seems every season there’s one starter I see a disproportionate number of times. A few years ago it was Jeff Fassero, two years ago Jamie Moyer and last year James Baldwin. That last one was particularly painful, not to mention all those agonizingly slow Zombie Walks (tm 2002 Derek Zumsteg) back to the dugout after each inning.
I heard a rumor there’s an ad for this very website in the May issue of the Grand Salami magazine. OK, that’s a lie, I have a copy right here. In any event, if you’re just now finding our little corner of the web because of this ad, we welcome you aboard the good ship U.S.S. Mariner. Ahoy, and all that.
Minor League Highlights for Friday, May 9
Colorado Springs 13, Tacoma 8. The mile-high air claimed another victim as RHP Brian Sweeney gave up 11 earned runs in just 3 1/3 innings, raising his ERA to 4.83 on the year. Sweeney gave up 12 hits, walked 3, and struck out 2. RHP Allan Simpson closed the game by recording all four of his outs via the strikeout. He now has 23 strikeouts in just 16 2/3 innings. Super utility man Craig Kuzmic went 2-4 with his 4th homer while starting at second base and LF Adrian Myers did the same, knocking his first home run of the year. Tacoma will gladly return home today to take on Oklahoma at Cheney Stadium, with LHP Craig Anderson getting the start for the Rainiers.
Midland 18, San Antonio 12. After 3 innings, the Missions held an 11-1 lead and looked like they would roll to their 19th consecutive victory. However, the Rockhounds put up an astonishing 14 runs in the last 3 innings as relievers Justin Lamber, Randy Williams, Jared Hoerman, and Craig House put 20 men on base from the 7th-9th innings. LHP Bobby Madrtisch started the game, but could only manage 4 1/3 innings due to continuing issues with his command. He walked 5 and struck out two in that time, allowing 3 unearned runs. Offensively, it was a singles-fest, as the two teams combined for 30 runs without the benefit of a home run. Of the 32 hits in the game, only 5 were extra base hits. DH John Lindsey, 3B Justin Leone, and CF Michael Curry had 3 hits apiece and RF Chris Snelling went 2-5 to lead the offense.
Lake Elsinore 4, Inland Empire 3. OF Shin-Soo Choo came within a triple of the cycle, but he didn’t get much help from his teammates as the 66’ers fell to 15-17 on the season. Ismael Castro got the start at shortstop and added 2 hits, raising his average to .245 and giving hope that he may be coming out of his slump. LHP Jared Thomas got the start and continued to struggle with his command, walking 4 and striking out 3 in 6 innings. He did hold the Storm to 1 run during his time, however. RHP Brian Strelitz took the loss by giving up the lead in the 8th inning on 2 hits and a walk. The 66’ers play a doubleheader today, shorthanded by the loss of Cha Baek to the DL (again). He’s expected to be out 2-3 weeks. LHP Glenn Bott and RHP Manny Ulloa will come out of the pen to start today’s twin bill.
Wisconsin 11, Battle Creek 2. The T-Rats gave the M’s system one win on the day with a drubbing of the Yankees low-A affiliate. 3B Matt Hagen was the offensive star, going 3-4 with his 4th home run and 7th double of the year. C Rene Rivera also added his 4th homer and 2B Tim Merritt went 2-5 and stole 2 bases. LHP Bobby Livingston moved to 4-1 on the year with 6 1/3 solid innings, giving up 2 runs, walking 2, and striking out 3. His ERA now stands at 2.52. RHP’s David Viane and Renee Cortez provided solid relief, shutting the door on an easy Wisconsin win. SS Michael Garciaparra is now hitting .171/.243/.219 after another 0-3, and his time in Wisconsin is nearing an end.
So, are we allowed to call Ryan Franklin’s start “gutty”? I think that’s what announcers would call it. He got hit hard early on, and appeared to be right on the verge of losing it entirely before being saved by a double play in the 2nd. Come to think of it, he didn’t pitch particularly well, but manged to scatter the hits he allowed and hold the White Sox to three runs. Didn’t hurt that he only walked one, either. Oh, I think the other announcer cliche for this type of performance is saying he “kept his team in the ballgame.” All kidding aside, I’m not unhappy with Franklin, and the team certainly needed a solid outing from him tonight.
Minor League Highlights for Thursday, May 8
I’m pinch-hitting for Jason today, which is somewhat akin to the Mabry-Colbrunn fiasco of a few weeks ago. Have no fear, Jason shall return with his blend of witty humor and insight soon.
Tacoma 15, Colorado Springs 10. The Rainiers finally remembered that they were playing at altitude and pulled out the whooping sticks on their way to a five run win. C Pat Borders continues his improbable run with one of the best games of his life, going 6-6 with 2 doubles, a home run, a walk, and 3 RBI. He’s now posting a Ruthian .395/.427/.756 on the season. By the way, he turns 40 in four days. OF Jalal Leach also homered and every starter except OF Jacque Landry had at least one hit. The offense overshadowed another tough outing for RHP Ken Cloude, who gave up 8 runs in the first five innings before departing. His ERA now stands at 6.95. RHP Aaron Looper picked up the win in relief by pitching 2 2/3 innings, and the box score credited RHP Aaron Taylor with his 7th save for pitching a trouble free 9th inning, even though he was protecting a 5 run lead.
The San Antonio Missions game at Tulsa was canceled due to rain, undoubtedly brought on by the prayers of angry Drillers’ fans who were tired of seeing the Missions pound their home team. The Missions return home to host the Midland Rockhounds and send LHP Bobby Madritsch to the hill looking for their 19th consecutive win. Despite a 6.35 ERA, Madritsch is 3-2 on the season. God bless run support.
Inland Empire 5, High Desert 2. The Ryan Ketchner show continued its roll with an easy transition into the rotation. Ketchner earned his 4th win by allowing 2 base hits and 1 walk in 6 1/3 innings, striking out 5. He retired the first 13 batters he faced before giving up a harmless single. After another sterling performance, Ketchner has now walked 5 and struck out 42 in 30 1/3 innings. Together, southpaws Ketchner and Troy Cate have amassed an 11/80 BB/K in 66 innings of work. RHP Mike Steele picked up his 8th save and lowered his ERA to 1.15 after taking over for LHP Russ Morgan in the 9th. 1B John Castellano provided the offense with a 3-3 evening and C Chris Collins took advantage of a chance to play by going 2-3.
Wisconsin 8, Lansing 5. The Timber Rattlers put up a strong offensive show behind OF T.J. Bohn’s 5th home run of the season and 2 doubles from 1B Jon Nelson. CF Gary Harris added to the balanced attack with a 3-5 evening, and everyone in the line-up except LF Dustin Delluchi scored a run. Delluchi simply went 2-4 with an RBI. RHP Juan Sandoval had one of his finer performances of the season, giving up just 2 runs in 5 innings of work. LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith got the win in relief, however, giving up just 3 unearned runs in 3 2/3 innings, walking 2 and striking out 1. His ERA now stands at 0.82 and Rowland Smith is a good candidate to move into the rotation if the T-Rats decide to shake things up. RHP Rich Dorman earned his second save by striking out the only batter he faced to end the game.
I spent 6 years of my youth as a catcher, donning the tools of ignorance and watching the game from behind forty pounds of armor. I played on some truly terrible teams where ace pitchers were hitting 70 MPH with their fastballs and flashing the #2 sign meant throw whatever the heck you feel like. During these years, I learned to love the chess match at the plate. I took it as a challenge to set up the hitters, despite the fact that my pitchers had the stuff of an over the hill church league reliever. Working with guys who simply didn’t have the capability to fool anyone forced us to gameplan, strategize, and simply outsmart the other team. The only way we were going to win is if they couldn’t figure out what was coming next and failed to swing at pitches they could drive with ease.
I have fond memories of sitting in the dugout an hour before the game laying out the first innings worth of pitches. I loved the fact that our pitchers would show up early to come up with a way to circumvent their lack of ability. There wasn’t a lot of talent on those pitching staffs, but we ended up being pretty darn good because we simply outworked every other team in our league. Its amazing what a 60 MPH “changeup” on the inside corner will do a 15-year-old kid when he’s looking fastball. Realizing that we could suceed at this game through work ethic and intelligence is one of the things that caused me to fall in love with baseball.
That is why Freddy Garcia drives me insane. In the land of pitching IQ, he’s an Oompa Loompa. He doesn’t set up hitters. He doesn’t pitch to their weaknesses. He doesn’t change his gameplan for different hitters. He’s the starting pitching equivalent of a professional wrestler. He’s going to flex for a while, strut around the ring, and then try to beat the snot out of you with brute strength. Unfortunately for Garcia, baseball is not a game decided by who has the most testosterone. More often than not, the game is won upstairs. I’m not even sure if Garcia’s house has stairs.
What an ugly game that was. Long, cold, and painful. From a fan’s perspective, Garcia seems to self-destruct so completely it’s difficult to believe. Fans are starting to boo him now, and there were a bunch of fans behind me who carped about him for innings after he left — standard stuff, he’s overpaid, see below, but also that he needs to go to the minors to work things out… which may be something to watch, now that I think about it — the Mariners have a long history of abusing the DL and rehab assignments when they need to make someone disappear and in this case, possibly collect juicy insurance money.
Overheard at Safeco: “Yeah, I never liked Friends after I found out how much they make an episode. And Freddy’s getting six million this year… when did our priorities get so out-of-whack?”
Crack of the Night: After the Mariners gave up 10 runs, the PA dude came on somewhat sheepishly and said
“Fans, step into to the Mariner time machine…” to intro a dumb video segment.
Jill: “Are you going to take us back to the top of the second, when we were winning?”
San Antonio Missions win streak update: The Missions were rained out today in Tulsa. No makeup game will be played.
Minor League Highlights for Wednesday, May 7
Colorado Springs 3, Tacoma 1. The Rainiers were held to just one run for the second straight game, though their pitching was good enough this time out to keep the game close. RHP Brian Falkenborg started (6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) and took his first loss of the season, but didn’t pitch badly considering the ballpark. Perhaps most encouraging was RHP Allan Simpson (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K), who didn’t pitch well at all to start the season but has managed to lower his ERA to 4.11 and now has 19 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings. 2B/CF Chad Meyers — yes, he pulled an in-game Craig Biggio — was the top offensive performer with three hits, two steals and a run scored. 1B Andy Barkett also had two hits.
San Antonio 5, Tulsa 4 (10 innings). The Missions finally played a close game and actually trailed 4-2 after six innings, but scored two in the 7th to tie and one more in the 10th to notch their 18th straight win. RHP Josue Matos pitched 3 1/3 innings of one-hit ball to pick up the win (3 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) in relief of RHP Rett Johnson (5 2/3 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K), and RHP Jared Hoerman worked the bottom of the 10th for his 9th save of the year (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K). C Jim Horner, DH John Lindsey and red-hot LF Jaime Bubela — take that, Chad Tracy! — each had two hits for the Missions, including two doubles for Bubela. RF Elpidio Guzman led off the 10th with a single, moved to third on a Horner single, then scored the winning run on a Lindsey single.
High Desert 1, Inland Empire 0. The 66ers were held to just four hits in the game, making a hard-luck loser of LHP Troy Cate (6 2/3 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K), who certainly pitched well enough to win. RF Shin-soo Choo had two of the club’s four hits, both singles, and also stole his 5th base of the year. 2B/SS Ismael Castro tripled but was stranded at third base, as the 66ers were 1-15 in the game with runners on base including eight strikeouts. LHP Ryan Ketchner — it’s about freaking time! — gets the start today as the two teams square off again.
Lansing 4, Wisconsin 0. Wisconsin has hit the skids ever since their eight-game winning streak, losing five of their last six and falling to 14-16 on the season. LHP Beau Hintz had yet another ineffective start (4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K), falling to 0-4 on the year with nearly unfathomable 8.39 ERA. The Timber Rattlers weren’t any better on offense, managing just five hits, all singles. 2B Tim Merritt had two of the five in his four at-bats. RHP Juan Sandoval gets the start for Wisconsin today as the team tries to avoid a four-game sweep.