Wednesday July 23, 2008

Red Sox 6, Mariners 3 

Red Sox 2nd Baseman Dustin Pedroia scores in the 3rd.

In the top of the 12th inning in a hard fought ballgame, Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell hit a two-run single to finish off the M’s 6-3 taking advantage of two critical outfield errors that ultimately cost the M’s the ballgame.  The sweep for the BoSox was their first sweep in Seattle in fifteen years.

The Mariner lineup had some rare second half firepower as Raul Ibanez hit his 14th bomb of the year in the 4th, and Jose Vidro added a two-run shot in the 6th off of Boston starter Clay Buchholz to tie the game at 3-3.  It was Vidro’s 6th home-run of the year. 

The score remained tied at 3-0 until the 12th as both teams got some great relief pitching. 

Felix Hernandez came out after six innings, with six hits, six strikeouts, three runs, and a season high five walks. Buchholz countered allowing seven hits and three runs in 5 1/3 innings, with two walks and seven strikeouts. 

J.J. Putz and Brandon Morrow combined to pitch four scoreless innings of relief totalling 5 strikeouts, and only one hit. American League Games pitched leader Sean Green (2-3) picked up the loss in the 12th.  Jonathan Papelbon was forced into duty in the 11th for the third straight day and ended up picking up the win.  Craig Hansen recorded his second save of the season after finishing off Seattle in the bottom of the 12th.

It was an up and down game in the field for gold glove outfielder Ichiro Suzuki.  In a scoreless ballgame in the third, Ichiro sprinted with his back turned to the ball, running straight back towards the wall and leaped above the wall to take what would have been a three-run homer away from J.D. Drew.  A few pitches later, Boston’s Kevin Youkilis hit an RBI single to right field that Ichiro fielded then bobbled and hiccuped, scoring Dustin Pedroia and Coco Crisp.  It was the second error of the season fro Ichiro.  Ichiro was also picked off at first base earlier in the game.

Mariners left leader and team leader Raul Ibanez summed up the Mariners tough stretch of play after seeing his team lose it 5th straight game. “It’s tough,” Ibanez said. “But you keep battling and keep fighting. Scratch and claw all the way to the finish line, no matter what happens. Whether 22 games up or 22 games down, you go out there with same tenacity every single day, no matter what’s going on around you.”

The Mariners will have a much needed day off on Thursday before heading to Toronto for a weekend road trip against the Jays.

Is there going to be any changes to the team before Friday?

Mariners Blog

Tuesday July 22, 2008

Red Sox 4, Mariners 2

Patience at the plate is something the Mariners have seriously lacked this season.  Tonight was much of the same as Daisuke Matsusaka took the hill Tuesday night. The league knows to make “Dice-K” throw an abundance of pitches and force him to throw strikes .  Somebody forgot to tell Seattle.  The Mariners came out swinging at everything (just like last night) and constantly got behind in the count. The M’s lineup scraped together just five hits as Boston beat Seattle 4-2.  Dice-K was ahead in the count for most of the night as he struck out six on his way to his 11th victory of the season.  Matsusaka did walk three, but only threw 99 pitches in 7 1/3 innings.

Watching the Red Sox batters at the plate is the complete opposite.  Boston’s lineup will make you work for everything as they drew six walks and constantly waited on pitches from M’s starter R.A. Dickey.  All-star game MVP J.D. Drew displayed his patience at the plate in the first inning as he sat on the knuckleballers mid 80′s fastball.  Drew laid off the knuckler and slammed a second straight Dickey fastball over the right field wall for his 18th home-run of the season.  Dickey threw six innings of work, surrendering four runs on nine hits, walking three and failing to record a strikeout.

Boston scored three runs off Dickey in the top of the fifth. Drew and rookie shortstop Jed Lowrie added sacrifice flies in the inning and got some extra insurance on a Mike Lowell RBI double.

The Mariners managed to make it interesting off Matsusaka in the 8th.  Rookie first baseman Bryan LaHair led off the inning with his first big league hit, and later scored on a Ichiro Suzuki RBI double to make it 4-1.  Jose Lopez singled to center field on next pitch to score Ichiro to make it 4-2 with one out.  Dice-K got the yank for lefty Hideki Okajima who got the final two outs of the inning.  Jonathan Papelbon nailed down the M’s in order in the 9th for his 30th save of the season.

It was another solid outing from the Mariner bullpen as Roy Corcoran pitched a scoreless seventh, Arthur Rhodes struck out the side in the eighth, and Cesar Jimenez continued his successful call-up stint allowing a goose egg in the ninth.  Kudos to the Mariner bullpen as they have been by far the biggest bright spot in a rough season.

Mariners rookie catcher Jeff Clement had to leave the ballgame as he injured his right thumb in the netting try to catch a foul ball.  Apparently Clement lost the nail.  He had the finger wrapped and stayed in the game, but eventually gave way to Kenji Johjima.  I’m sure we will learn more tomorrow if Clement will miss any time.

Tomorrow afternoon’s 1:40 PT contest will mark the 5,000th game in Mariner history.  Its going to be a solid pitching match-up as Mariner ace Felix Hernandez (7-6) will toe the rubber against Boston’s Clay Buchholz (2-5).

Mariners Blog

Tuesday July 22, 2008

It was nice to hear long time Mariner broadcaster Dave Niehaus back in the booth Tuesday after four planned days off.  He called Manny Ramirez “Medusa” referring to his long hair saying that Manny needs a haircut.  That’s when I knew Dave was back.  It wasn’t the same not hearing him.

Niehaus is being inducted into Cooperstown in the broadcaster wing of the Hall of fame after winning the Ford C. Frick Award.   He spent some of that off time writing his induction speech. He says it’s mostly done now.

Mariners Blog

Tuesday July 22, 2008

ESPN’s Buster Olney is reporting the New York Yankees are taking a look at acquiring Mariners lefty Jarrod Washburn before the deadline.  It will tough for the Mariners to get much in return for the 33 year-old veteran due to having another year on his contract that pays him somewhere in the ball park of $10 million dollars.  The move would ultimately be a salary dump.  I have read a few rumors about the Mariners receiving Kei Igawa in return. That would figure, but I expect a marginal prospect.  Olney sites the Yankees may like to keep Washburn in their rotation for 09′ because the dimensions of the new ballpark will remain similar to the current Yankee Stadium cut out which has a short porch in right field and favors left-handed pitching.  I could see this move happening due to the fact that :

1) Ryan Rowland-Smith just got sent down to Tacoma to stretch his arm out to become a starter.

2) The Yankees are one of a handful of teams that would take on Washburn’s salary based on his production.

3) The Mariners have the arms in the system to replace him this season and next.

Mariners Blog

Monday July 21, 2008

Red Sox 4, Mariners 0

Hometown boy Jon Lester was declared cancer free in 2007 in Seattle after receiving treatments for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  Tonight Lester put on a show for the hometown fans.

Lester (8-3) struck out six and walked zero batters in 7 1/3 innings of work to lead the Red Sox to a 4-0 shut out at Safeco in Seattle.  It took a hard chopper off his shin to get him out of the ballgame.  The Tacoma native has traditionally not pitched well in Seattle. “It’s nice to come back home and pitch halfway decent,” Lester said.  Lester had left the bases loaded when he left the mound, but Jonathan Papelbon got Raul Ibanez to ground into a double-play to get out of the jam.  Papelbon finished of the M’s in the ninth for his 29th save of the season.

Seattle starter Jarrod Washburn kept it close through four innings shutting out the potent Red Sox lineup.  In the fifth inning though, the Red Sox finally got on the board.  Former Mariner prospect from the past Jason Varitek hit a two-run shot over the left field wall scoring Coco Crisp to make it 2-0.  “Wash” allowed seven hits in 5 2/3 innings allowing only two runs.  For the M’s lefty it was the seventh out of eight starts with two runs or less allowed.  He only has picked up two wins over those starts.  Washburn has rebounded over the last month and should draw some interest before the July 31st deadline.

Jed Lowrie added a two-run single in the eighth, and Manny Ramirez slammed three singles for Boston to lead the attack.  Ramirez has hit safely in 10 straight games.  Tampa won last night, so Boston remains 1½ games behind in the AL East.

The Mariners bats remained silent stranding six base runners.  Ichiro Suzuki went without a hit for the second consecutive game and remains within seven hits of 3,000 professionally.  Adrian Beltre and Yuniesky Betancourt each had two hits for the Mariners.

In Game two of the series tomorrow night, R.A. Dickey (2-4) will take the bump against Daisuke Matsuzaka (10-1) at 7:10 PT.

Mariners Blog

Sunday July 20, 2008

Indians 6, Mariners 2

American League All-star starter Cliff Lee picked up where he left off in the first half with his 13th victory of the season over the Mariners 6-2.  Lee gave up a season high eleven hits, but “controlled” the lineup with consistency, needing only 109 pitches for the complete game victory.  The big lefty was in control staying ahead in the count all afternoon and didn’t walk a single batter all game.  It was his fifth career complete game.

Mariners starter Carlos Silva had to leave the game in the fourth inning with back tightness.  Some might think (booing Mariner fans) that Silva just plain got yanked after he allowed a three-run home-run to Kelly Shoppach.  Either way, he is not living up to his lofty free agent contract.  Silva himself will be the first to tell you he is embarrassed with his pitching this season.

Roy Corcoran took over for SIlva and didn’t fare much better.  Corcoran allowed a double by Grady Sizemore, an RBI single by Casey Blake and a Shoppach RBI single to widen the Tribe lead to 6-1 in the fifth.

Jose Vidro and Miguel Cairo both had solid days at the plate against Lee as they both went 3-for-4 with one RBI for the M’s.  Cairo hit his first triple of the season in the 7th scoring Jose Lopez to make it 6-2.

The seventh inning marked the return of J.J. Putz back to the pitching staff and he didn’t disappoint. “Thunderstruck” retired the Indians side in order finishing with a Shin Soo Choo strikeout on some 96 mph heat.  That type of velocity alone is an improvement as Putz was barely above 90 mph before he went on the DL.

The Mariners will stay at home for a three game series against Boston.  Jarrod Washburn (4-8) will face Jon Lester (7-3) at 7:10 PT.  The Mariners have played the Red Sox tough in two series this season, winning the first series in May and losing a series in June for a 3-3 record.

Mariners Blog

Sunday July 20, 2008

In a surprise move by the organization, the Mariners optioned lefty Ryan Rowland-Smith to Tacoma to begin a minor league assignment to convert to a  full-time starting pitcher.  Rowland-Smith was obviously disappointed with the move but ultimately understood what the organization wants from him.  J.J. Putz was activated and will be available in the pen for this afternoon’s ballgame.

Mariners Blog

Sunday July 20, 2008

The Seattle Mariners announced that Lefty Erik Bedard was unable to throw during the recent all-star break because of lingering pain in his shoulder.  This will come as bad news for some Mariner fans as he will not be available to pitch before the July 31st trade deadline.  Bedard may be able to pitch again in early August.  This could be a blessing in disguise for Seattle as it may be in the teams best interests to keep Bedard.  I think the plan all along was to keep Bedard, but the team “might” have changed their minds if someone jumped in with a desperate deadline deal.  Lets face it, if Seattle traded Bedard, they head into 2009 with the same problem as 2008, the need of a solid 1 or 2 starter to compliment Felix Hernandez.  By keeping Bedard in 2009, it gives them a few options:

A) A “chance” to contend in 09′

B) One more year to get prized prospect Phillipe Aumont ready.

C) If Bedard walks after 2009, The M’s recieve two late first round choices as compensation.

D) A chance to trade Bedard in 2009 with a greater value then he currently holds.

E) A chance to obtain positonal players of need in free agency over pitching.

Ultimately the chioce as to what to do with Bedard will be up to the next general manager.  Just don’t screw it up, it could cost you your job.  Ask Bill Bavasi.

Mariners Blog

Sunday July 20, 2008

2007 All-Star closer J.J. Putzis expected to be activated for today’s 1:10 PT game against the Cleveland Indians.  Manager Jim Riggleman said he was personally not sure of the plan for Putz but said it was likely he could be activated.  Putz was with the team on Saturday.  Riggleman mentioned that Putz would get middle to late inning relief work initially until they feel he may be ready to close.  It will be a tough call to see who the M’s option back to Tacoma.  The team has a banged up staff, and may not want to move down pitching. 

Without any knowledge of the situation, I would move Miguel Batista to the 15-day DL when they activate Putz.  Batista needs the rest, and Roy Corcoran, and Cesar Jimenez have been doing a great job in the pen.  I guess we will find out Sunday afternoon.

Mariners Blog

Saturday July 19, 2008

Indians 9, Mariners 6

Shin-Soo Choo was a 7 year-old in South Korea when the Indians and Mariners wore the uniforms they sported at Saturdays contest at Safeco Field.  Too bad for Choo it can’t be 1989 more often.

Choo slammed pitches in two at-bats off of Mariners starter Miguel Batista as he hit a two-run homer in the first, and a ground-rule double for another RBI in the third.  He added another double in the eighth off of R.A. Dickey to round out his 3-for-5 day. 

It was another sad performance for Batista for the M’s.  I just don’t understand why they keep running him out there if he says he is not healthy and keeps getting consistently lit up.  Batista pitched two innings, allowing eight runs on seven hits.  At some point here the M’s need to shut him down or make a decision about his future if he is indeed healthy. Miguel has just been awful this season.  The process might already be underway as they pitched spot starter Ryan Rowland-Smith four innings today.  There has been some talk about converting Rowland-Smith into a starter as he performed well when called upon.

The M’s bats were not that bad today, but they had to dig out of a 9-1 whole by the third inning.  Left fielder Raul Ibanez homered for the second straight game as he hit his 13th big fly of the season.  Jose Vidro had an two RBI’s on the day including an RBI double in the second.  Ichiro Suzuki added a two run home-run, his 4th of the year, in the bottom of the ninth to make things interesting.  Rookie Bryan LaHair got his first career start at first base going 0-for-3 with a walk.

For Cleveland, the win ended their ten game road losing skid.  Jeremy Sowers was not overly impressive, but did pick up his first win of the season to move his mark to 1-5.  Jhonny Peralta went 2-for-5 on the day picking up two RBI’s and two runs scored for the tribe.  Washington native Grady Sizemore walked a season high four times on the day, but strangely never scored a run on the day.

In the series finale, Carlos Silva is expected to start.  Jarrod Wasburn was expected to try to go after missing his start with the flu.  Maybe they are moving him back again.  All-Star starter Cliff Lee is expected to get the ball for the Indians.  It will be 1:10 PT start.

Mariners Blog