April Games Recap

Well, take out that Perfect Game and all the stats etc were much better.  Unfortuntately, can't ignore it.  Below are several tables showing the stats from the first six games of the year.  I went to 6 out of the 9 home games for April.  A couple of notable games, the 4/18 game was the lowest attendance, and the 4/21 game was the 21st Perfect Game in MLB History.

We were 2-4 in the six games (0-1 in one run games), shut out the first and the last.  The last, of course, being Humber's game.  The average attendance was just over 22k, at 22,220.  Take out the inflated numbers of the first game and it was actually 17,459.  In April of last year I had gone to 8 games in which we were 4-4 and average attendance was 21,411.  We scored 19 total runs, our opponents 25 for total run differential of 6 runs.  There weren't any huge blowouts, but 3 of the 4 losses we lost by 4 runs, which is very interesting.

 Vargas, Hernandez, and Beavan all had quality starts, which is at least six innings of 3 runs or less.  Unfortunately if your team doesn't score runs you can't win.  Beavan was especially unfortunate as he was up against Humber.  Vargas probably wins for best start, this round. Noesi's first start he went 8 innings and gave up no runs, but wasn't able to get out of the 2nd inning in his second start which skewed his numbers.  It is really hard to draw any conclusions with just 1 or 2 starts.  I was lucky enough to be able to see all starting pitchers on this home stand.  The starters accounted for 62% of innings pitched, and 76% of runs scored against us.  So, we can say that our relief pitchers were more consistent, although at times it didn't feel like it.

Something new this year, now that I have excel, is being able to keep track of our hitting performance by month.  As much as I thought we were improving in this matter, a .200 batting average is not going to win you many games.  However, take out the Perfect Game and it is a more respectable  .234 with .326 OBP, .373 SLG, .699 OPS.

Surprisingly, our most consistent regular hitter was Jesus Montero who reached base in 5 of the 6 games.  He was catcher in three of those games and had 2 homers, 1 double, and 4 RBI with a .364 average while slugging 1.000 with an On Base Plus Slugging of 1.417.  Coincidence?  Time will tell.

Another surprising statistic is that Figgins lead the team in strikeouts, that is not what you want from your lead off position.  My impression of him the first couple of games is that he was back to his old self, getting on base and wreaking havoc.  The numbers don't indicate this.  If he doesn't improve soon it may be time to part ways.

May 26, 1995

So I was a little bored and decided to look through my old scorebooks and find the one where Griffey broke his hand.  This was a huge moment in 1995, as we lost him for 73 games and history would have been totally different if we had had him the whole year.  Would we have sailed into the playoffs?  Would we have played .500 ball the whole year and not received that "boost" when he came back?.  His first game back was August 15th when we were 11.5 games down.  Everyone knows the rest of the story.

I couldn't scan the entire sheet, it cut off about half an inch... but found it interesting that future Mariner Jamie Moyer came out of Baltimore's bullpen.  It was the 27th game of the year, as remember 1995 was strike shortened, and Griffey was having a good game up until the 7th when he slammed into the wall.  Anyway, thought it was a fun blast from the past.

A Perfect Game

Wow, what can I say?  We saw history at the ballpark today, as Philip Humber threw the 21st Perfect Game in MLB history.  27 up, 27 down, and I saw every minute of it.  Sometimes you just have to tip your cap, and appreciate the moment.

19 years ago, almost to the day, I had been at Chris Bosio's no-hitter but left early (didn't realize it was a no-no), this afternoon I was aware of every single moment.  It was probably around the third inning, after we'd been through our lineup once, that I noticed how well Humber was pitching (or was it our ineptness?).  It wasn't until the 5th inning when we went down on 8 pitches that I knew something special was going on.  You could feel it, he was in the zone and we were at a loss offensively.  

Philip Humber - 21st Perfect Game in ML History!

Lost in the game, another great performance by Beavan and our pitching staff, but who really cares how well they pitched, or a rundown of the White Sox scoring... in ten years nobody will remember.  Hell, in two months!

After the pile the celebration continued

The game ended with controversy as it looked like, to me and several others, that pinch hitter Ryan had checked his swing on a wild ball four... but Home Plate umpire Brian Runger said he went around, and Pierzynski was able to hunt down the ball and throw Ryan out at first.  Humber collapsed to the ground, his teammates piled on top of him.  I tried to take in the moment, and also tried to capture it on my camera phone... but it doesn't really do justice.  Everyone in the stadium was really excited to be a part of history, most of the crowd was cheering Humber on when the bottom of the 9th began.  I couldn't... I was hoping we would at least get a walk.  I can take a no-hitter... but a Perfect Game against my team?  Hard to digest.

It is still a bit surreal, I'm not sure what to think about what I just witnessed.  From the seventh inning on I was a bundle of nerves and kept making mistakes on my scoresheet!  I didn't know Lillibridge had come in as a defensive replacement for Viciendo in the 8th inning until he came up to bat in the 9th (and scored the final run).  I put Jaso in as pinch hitter for Saunders instead of Olivo!  My hands were shaking, my heart was racing... I think I am still in shock.  Not many people can say they've seen such a game live and in person, but now I have.

One of the reasons I love baseball is that, as I have mentioned before, you never know what you are going to see at the ballpark.  There is always a chance for History, and today proved that.  Humber isn't one of the elite pitchers in the game, but now his name will live on forever.  Congrats to Humber, now let's shake this off and win tomorrow.

The Mariners are now 2-4 when I attend
Attendance: 22,472
Time of Game: 2:17

Chicago White Sox Scoresheet for Humber's Perfect Game

4-21-2012 - 27 Up, 27 Down, Humber's Name is Hall of Fame Bound as he is Perfect

Noesi Pummeled

On Saturday, Hector Noesi threw a gem, lasting 8 shutout innings.  Tonight, we wasn't able to make it out of the second as the Mariners lost 7-3 on Ichiro Bobblehead night.

White Sox (6-6)

De Aza CF

Morel 3B

Dunn DH

Konerko 1B

Pierzynski C

Rios RF

Ramirez SS

Viciedo LF

Beckham 2B

Sale (1-1, 3.09)

Mariners (7-7)

Figgins CF

Ackley 2B

Ichiro RF

Smoak 1B

Montero C

Olivo DH

Liddi 3B

Wells LF

Ryan SS

Noesi (1-1, 5.73)

Before the game started, we walked around the ballpark taking things in.  Looks like they fixed the grammatical error in the decorative "Grand Salami" quote near the Niehaus Statue.  They added an apostrophe so instead of saying "...Its Grand Salami Time" it now correctly states "It's Grand Salami Time.


We also went to Blazing Bagels near the left field entrance, I had never been there before but since it is attached to the outside the prices are much cheaper.  I got two bagels for $6.45 and my sister got a huge boxed lunch of a bagel sandwich, drink, pickle, chips, cookie, and coleslaw for $11.  I will definitely be going back there as I have been disappointed with the fare at Safeco this year.  They no longer make the garlic chicken & fries, you only receive chicken tenders and regular fries.  BOOOOOO.


Back to the game, Noesi didn't have it from the start.  Last week he was really quick between pitches, but he labored from the very first batter tonight.  It seemed like he and Montero were arguing.  I don't know what it was, but he didn't have anything!  De Aza lead off with a single, then stole a bases.  Morel walked, then Dunn hit a double to left driving in his first run of the game (he would have 5).  They loaded the bases on 1 out and got their second run via a sacrifice fly from Rios.  In the 2nd inning, he retired the first batter of the inning but then gave up 4 consecutive hits, a double, two singles, and a three run homer by Dunn to center.  Wedge yanked him after the home run.  It was disappointing as our offense was never really given a chance.  Noesi's final line:  1.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 1 K = 40.50ERA on 58 pitches!!!

One of the stories of the game is that the Mariners had runners in scoring position in each of the first four innings and could only manage one run.  Overall, we were 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position.  After opening up the 1st down 2-0, we roared right back by getting Figgins and Ackley on first and third.  Figgins had singled to shortstop, and made it all the way around to third on Ackley's single to center.  It was good base running by Figgins, once again.  But Ichiro struck out swinging and Smoak hit into a double play.  In the second inning we got runners on 2nd and 3rd with two outs but were unable to produce.  By that time we were down 6-0 and the ballgame was pretty much over.  We did squeak in a run in the third thanks to an RBI double by Ichiro.  Montero got us our second by LAUNCHING a solo homer to lead off the 6th, to dead center.  It travelled 417 feet and was his second of the year.  Ichiro picked up his second rbi of the game by driving in Ryan in the 7th.

Our Bullpen did a pretty decent job, allowing only 1 extra batter above minimum the whole rest of the game, but we were unable to overcome the damage of Noesi's ineffectiveness.  Iwakuma finally made is ML debut in the6th inning and finished off the game, allowing Dunn's second homer, a solo, to lead off the 8th inning.  There was a running joke on Twitter wondering if he even existed, since we hadn't seen a glimpse of him in the previous 14 games this season.  So there were some positives about the game, Ramirez and Iwakuma were good.  Unfortunately my optimism about the improvement in our offense this year is beginning to wane. We need to start producing!  Sure, a few of our guys had pretty decent nights at the plate but it is a team game and someone needs to step up and drive in guys when they are on base!

Montero threw out his first base runner tonight, an attempted steal by Beckham in the 7th.

An interesting note, the first 20,000 fans received an Ichiro Bobblehead.  Only 19,947 showed up to the ballgame.  My, how far we have fallen.  In the past the Bobbleheads have been gone by 5:30.   Even the classic marketing gimmicks can't drawn fans anymore!

The Mariners are now 2-3 when I attend, and 7-8 overall
Time of Game: 2:45

Figgins and Ichiro Go Yard

That's right, Figgins and Ichiro both hit homers as the Mariners and Vargas beat the Indians 4-1 in front of the smallest home crowd in Safeco history.

Indians (5-4)

Donald SS

Kipnis 2B

Choo RF

Santana C

Hafner DH

Duncan LF

Lopez 3B

Kotchman 1B

Cunningham CF

Lowe (2-0, 1.98)

Mariners (6-6)

Figgins LF

Ackley 1B

Ichiro RF

Montero DH

Seager 3B

Saunders CF

Olivo C

Kawasaki 2B

Ryan SS

Vargas (1-1, 3.44)

The story of the game was the first inning and Vargas.  Vargas went 7 strong innings, striking out seven while he gave up just one run on four hits.  The home plate umpire, Angel Campos, seemed to have a strange strike zone as there were a lot of called strikeouts, including two back-to-back by the Indians in the 4th.  Vargas struck out the side in that inning, he's not known for striking guys out.  He was really only in trouble one inning, when he loaded the bases in the 6th inning.  But, by that time he was up 4-1, and he was able to wiggle out of the jam.

Figgins gets my pick for offensive player of the game, he lead off the first inning by hitting the seventh leadoff home run of his career, first as a Mariner. It was also the first leadoff homer by a Mariner other than Ichiro since 2000, when Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson went yard.  Figgins has been a "new and improved" player.  The home run was on the 8th pitch of the at-bat.  He also had a single and a walk, and broke up a double play with a fantastic slide.  As soon as we signed him a couple of years ago I was thrilled we finally had a real leadoff hitter, for some reason they kept Ichiro in that spot and our team suffered for it.

Not to be outdone, Ichiro hit a homer run of his own just four pitches later.  It was almost as if he wouldn't let Figgins "show him up".  Everyone has always claimed Ichiro can hit a home run whenever he wants to, I guess this was proof.  Then why doesn't he do it more often?  Seager added a double, and Saunders a single in the rest of the first but we were unable to score.  We added our third run in the second inning after loading the bases with two outs.  Montero then drew a four pitch walk to score Ryan from third!

The Indians scored their only run in the third inning, Cunningham led off the inning with launched double to left that hit off the yellow line, right next to the hand operated scoreboard.  Manny Acta, the Indians' Manager, came out to argue with the third base umpire after which all four gathered together then jogged into the bowels of Safeco for an instant replay.  I HATE instant replay.  It has no place is baseball, and umpires are correct 95-99% of the time.  If it had gone over the wall, it would have sounded differently, and it would have bounced back differently.  Also, the bullpen had no reaction, they knew it was a double.  About two minutes later and the call was confirmed.  A waste of time.  NO PLACE IN BASEBALL!  A sacrifice bunt pushed Cunningham to third and he scored on a sacrifice fly by Kipnis.  And, that was their offense until the sixth inning.   The Mariners added another run in the 4th after Ryan walked, followed by consecutive singles.

Kawasaki is fun to watch, just because he exudes absolute joy.  You can tell he loves the game, and is very generous with the fans.  He had a walk in the bottom of the third and after a pick off attempt he did a pushup at first, then was caught stealing.  It is weird watching him because the swing is EXACTLY like Ichiro's.

Ackley had his first ML start at first base as Smoak was out with a tight hamstring.

It is a shame more people aren't going to games, they are a lot more enjoyable to watch this year.  I looked around about the third inning and wondered when we had turned into Oakland, I also thought back to the Kingdome days, but at least then we were covered and warm!  The smallest crowd ever was actually an away game vs the Marlins last year, but tonight counted as the smallest home crowd.

Record when I attend: 2-2
Attendance: 11,343
Time of Game: 2:47

Historic Night at the Safe

It was a long, cold, night in front of the fourth smallest crowd in Safeco Field history, 12,461, as the Mariners blew an 8-1 lead to lose 9-8 to the Cleveland Indians. It was also a game in which a couple of players had career nights, and the Mariners attained their 50,000th hit and 25,000th run in team history.

Indians (4-4)

Brantley CF

Kipnis 2B

Choo RF

Santana C

Hafner DH

Duncan LF

Kotchman 1B

Hannahan 3B

Donald SS

Masterson (1-1,  2.77)

Mariners (6-5)

Figgins LF

Ackley 2B

Ichiro RF

Smoak 1B

Seager 3B

Montero C

Saunders CF

Ryan SS

Jaso DH

Millwood (0-0, 1.50)

There were three ex-Mariners in the starting lineup for Cleveland: Choo, Kotchman, and Hannahan; as well as the son of a former Mariner (Brantley).  The game started out with Millwood in trouble, he gave up a leadoff full count single to Brantley, who ended up stealing second.  Montero was much better than the previous game in making it a close play at second.  He will continue to improve, hopefully.  Millwood got Kipnis and Choo to fly out, but walked Santana and then gave up an RBI single to Hafner.  Just like that, it was 1-0.  The Mariners went down in order in their half of the first,

Nothing truly of note until the third inning, except Smoak got the first of a new career high 4 hits in the 2nd inning, this after the Indians went down in order.  In the top of the third, Smoak got all three putouts, unassisted, broken up by a single by Choo.  Then, in the bottom of the third, our offense started to kick in.  Ryan got a walk with one out, then Jaso hit his first home run as a Mariner to right, putting us ahead 2-1.

In the bottom of the 4th and top of the 5th, 13 runs scored and 23 batters came to the plate.  It lasted around 45-50 minutes and started out epically awesome, followed by total exasperation as we wasted a seven run lead!!!  First, the Mariners.  Smoak lead off with his second single of the game on the first pitch, followed by yet another first pitch single by Seager.  Seager' hit was the 50,000th hit in Mariner history!  Montero swung at the first pitch but flew out to left for the first out.  Saunders got a single off a 3-0 count to right, and the bases were loaded!!!

Ryan, believe it or not, drew a bases loaded walk, his second walk of the game, to force in Smoak.  That run, our third of the game, was the 25,000th run in Mariner history!  In one inning we surpassed two pretty cool milestones.  Everyone was really pumped to see Jaso up with the bases loaded, as he had hit a homer in his first plate appearance.  Well, he got another RBI with his second... by getting hit by the pitch!  So we had loaded the bases and scored two runs via a walk, and a hit batter.  On the next pitch, Figgins got a sacrifice fly to center to score Saunders.  Ackley drew yet another walk, Ichiro got a two rbi single, and we had batted around.  Smoak, in his second at-bat of the inning, got his THIRD single of the game, driving in Ackley.  At this point Masterson was replaced.  Seager then hit a fly ball to left, ending the inning but not before we had pushed across six runs on five hits.  We were up 8-1, and all 12,461 seemed very confident.

The confidence and lead would not last long.  The Indians quickly roared right back with double and a single to start the inning.  Then, on what was a routine double play, Ryan bobbled the ball and couldn't get an out.  You can't assume a double play, but it was as routine as they get.  The runner scored, and instead of two outs with only one run in, there were runners on first and second with nobody out.  You can't give a ML team extra outs, no matter the score.  That was just the window/opportunity Cleveland needed.  It could have been a whole different ballgame if Ryan's head had been in the game.  He's one of the best fielders out there.  Two more singles produced two more runs and it was 8-4 with two runners on with the cleanup hitter at the plate.  He launched a three run homer to right and it was now a run run ballgame, and Millwood's night was over.  They added another run to tie it up.  In total, 13 Indians batted in the 5th inning.  The produced 7 runs on six hits.

It seemed like we were going to quickly answer back, as we got the first two batters on via a walk and an error.  But they were stranded there as Ryan and Jaso struck out swinging, and Figgins.  That was pretty much their last chance until the 9th inning.  In the sixth, Smoak got a broken bat single with two outs, his fourth hit of the night.  All singles, but a career high.  Two were hit to opposite field, and I'm hoping this means he will break out of his early season struggles.  He entered the game batting just .186.

The Indians added a run in the 7th to go up 9-8, but this was never a game in which I felt we had no chance.  In the 9th inning we nearly pulled it out thanks to a wacky play.  After Smoak was retired for the only time of the night, Seager had a fantastic at-bat with a single to right on the eighth pitch.  Montero, on the first pitch, hit what was probably a game ending double play.  However, it took a very strange hop and hit the shortstop in the face, the ball ricocheted to shallow center and Seager was at first.  There were runners at the corners with 1 out.  All we needed was a sacrifice fly, and the ballgame was tied.  Kawasaki came into the game to pinch run for Seager, and Olivo for Montero.  But Saunders was unable to get a deep fly, and there were two out.  Ryan then drew four straight balls and walked for the fourth time in the game.  That is a career high for Ryan too.  Bases loaded!!  But it wasn't to be as Jaso ended the game with a routine fly to right.  And, after 3 hours and 33 minutes, the ballgame was over.

Some promising events occurred, our offense is definitely improved from last year.  We scored 8 freaking runs!  However, it is our pitching that is going to be an issue this year.  Also, we only had one extra base hit the whole game, Jaso's single.  We should and could have broken this thing wide open. I always joke when we score a bunch of runs that we need to "save" some offense for the next game, especially because Vargas is on the mound tomorrow and the Mariners tend to not score much for him.  But, in this case, I wish we hadn't.

I would say that Smoak and Ryan with career highs were the players of the game, but Ryan's 4 walks and two runs didn't make up for his huge mental error in the 5th inning.

Oh, another record was made today but not at the game.  Former Mariner Jamie Moyer, now pitching for the Rockies, won his first game of the year.  He is now the oldest pitcher to ever win a game, at 49 years and 150 days old.  Awesome feat by a man who took the entire 2011 season off to have Tommy John surgery.

Record when I attend: 1-2
The Roof was closed the entire game.

Noesi and Montero Shine

I have attended four shutouts in a row at Safeco Field, thankfully today was the first time the Mariners had won in that span.  Today's final score was the reverse of yesterday's, as we won 4-0.  The stars of the game were traded for in the Pineda trade. 

Athletics (4-4)

Weeks 2B

Crisp LF

Reddick RF

Cespedes CF

Smith DH

Suzuki C

Barton 1B

Donaldson 3B

Pennington SS

Milone (1-0, 0.00)

Mariners (4-5)

Figgins CF

Ackley 2B

Ichiro RF

Smoak 1B

Montero C

Liddi 3B

Olivo DH

Wells LF

Ryan SS

Noesi (0-1, 21.00)

It was the first time we got to see Noesi, I had no idea what to expect as he was shelled in his first start in Texas.  He was very effective and induced a ton of popups.  Ackley alone had four of the nine. The only major trouble he got in was in the 8th inning.  He was at 88 pitches through 7 and at the rate he was going I thought he had a possibility of a complete game.  He retired the first two batters of the 8th, but then Pennington got a single up the middle and Weeks launched a double to right center.  We were lucky that it bounced over the fence for a ground rule double, 'cause Pennington was already around third ready to score.  Noesi then induced Crisp to pop up on the next pitch, and he stranded the runners on second and third.  Fantastic first outing at home, I was very impressed.  League came in to finish off the game in the 9th.

Milone faced only 1 batter above the minimum through 5 innings, that was Montero's 2nd inning full count rocket of a home run to deep center, estimated at 415 feet.  It was literally a line drive, I thought it was going to hit off the top of the wall for a double but it kept carrying.  It was his first home run as a Mariner.  That was all of our offense until the sixth inning.  There was a questionable call in the 4th in which Ichiro hit a solid stroke just past first base.  Barton was able to deflect it, but it hit the first base umpire so instead of going to the wall Barton was able to snatch it and throw to Milone covering first.  Wedge came out to argue, pointing animatedly.  It was bang bang, huge boos came from the concourse after the replay on TV, but according to twitter he was out. 

In the sixth inning we broke out for three more runs.  We loaded the bases with 1 out via a Ryan single, Figgins double, and Ackley walk.  Ichiro, not surprisingly, popped out.  So the bases were loaded with two out for the "meat" of our lineup.  Smoak has been struggling but he patiently worked a walk for his third RBI of the year.  Then, Montero came through again with a double down the right field line, it dropped right in front of our section and cleared the bases... except Smoak was thrown out at home (9-3-2) so we only got two runs on the play.  The collision at home was a little scary at first, as Smoak seemed to take some time getting up.  But he played the rest of the game so he must be okay.  Montero was the hero, his final line: 3 AB, R, 2B, HR, 3RBI

Montero quietly has an 8 game hitting streak.  I guess he has done so because they had all been singles prior to tonight.  Also, he caught his second game of the year.  We have won both games, and unlike Olivo he has done a decent job blocking pitches.  The kid is only 22, I can see Montero moving to being the starting catcher if he continues to make progress.  The Athletics did steal a base on him in the third, but the more repetitions he gets the better he will be.  Of course, he won't be one of the top notch defensive catchers out there, but his better than average offense will offset that.  Your DH should not be a 22 year old.  

I would like the add that the Saturday curse is officially broken!  Last year I attended 9 games on Saturday and we won none of them!

The Mariners are now 1-1 when I attend, 5-5 overall.
Attendance: 21,071
Time of Game: 2:29

Mariners Disappoint in 2012 Home Opener

Opening Day is full of optimism and excitement.  I look forward to new additions to the food, ballpark, and to seeing old friends.  I love singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame and counting down from 10 at the home plate entrance before they open the gates.  I love the brass band that tours the concourse, bringing that "old time" feel.  I had reason to be excited this year, as we were 4-4 on our road trip and our offense had showed some signs of life.  Well, it didn't tonight as we lost 4-0.

Athletics (3-4)

Weeks 2B

Crisp LF

Reddick RF

Cespedes CF

Smith DH

Suzuki C

Barton 1B

Donaldson 3B

Pennington SS

Colon (1-1, 5.89)

Mariners (4-4)

Figgins LF

Ackley 2B

Suzuki RF

Smoak 1B

Seager 3B

Montero DH

Saunders CF

Olivo C

Ryan SS

Hernandez (1-0, 4.40)

Unfortunately the best part of the ballgame was in the first inning and prior to that with the traditional Opening Day ceremonies.  The team trotted out on a red carpet, they had the annual "run around the bases" by a make a wish kid.  The most exciting was Mike Cameron threw out the first pitch and it was announced that he signed a contract earlier in the day so that he could retire as Mariner.  What a class act.  After he left years ago, I bought a t-shirt on sale and pulled it out of my drawer.  I'd never worn it!  It was a little big, but had to sport my Cammy attire.  There was also a nice tribute to Greg Halman before the game.  Such a loss.

Felix looked fired up in the first inning, striking out the first two batters he faced.  The rest of the game, he got into a few jams but as he learned a couple of years ago he held fast and kept us in the ballgame.  As was often the case last year, his offense failed him.  In the second inning, he struck out Cespedes from Cuba (already has hit 3 homers against us this year), then gave up his first hit to Smith who was doubled up as Suzuki ground into a 6-4-3 DP.  In the third inning the ballgame was pretty much decided.  Felix gave up three hits, walked one, and gave up his two runs before escaping.  The next inning, Oakland loaded the bases with 1 out via a double, walk, and single. But, he got out of trouble again.  It was unfortunate that we couldn't muster any sort of offense against Colon. 

Because of the way the weird opening in Japan has gone... this was the third time we've faced Colon already this year.  The first time in Japan we sucked, he lasted 8 innings of 1 run, 3 hit ball in a 4-1 loss. The second time in Oakland we roughed him up on our way to an 8-7 victory: 4.1 IP, 10 H, 7 R.  This year is was yet again 3 measly hits in 7 innings.  It started out with getting two runners on in the first, which made me think that we had a chance today with the way that Felix looked in the first.  But we scattered our three hits and was never able to get any offense going.  Really frustrating, so the last three games I have attended the Mariners have been shut out.

A positive, Ichiro is now out of the lead off spot.  Unfortunately they have him in at the third spot... but really I can't see anyone filling that role for now.  Singles hitters should be down at the bottom of the order, not in the meat of your lineup.  Another positive, my new seats on the aisle in row 7 look to be great seats!  There were a lot of people walking up and down, but hopefully that will die down with smaller crowds.

Olivo had another passed ball in the 8th.  Appalling.  It led to us being down 3-0 instead of 2-0.  But it didn't matter, I guess, since we couldn't score.

The announced attendance was 46,026 but there were noticeably empty patches in the outfield and 300 level.  Could this be due to the fact their credit card processing system was offline most of the game?  I doubt it.  More likely someone swooped in at the last minute to purchase tickets to make it seem sold out, or people decided not to go.

I got the new brisket sandwich, which was $9.75, cheaper than last year, but absolutely disgusting.  It was cold, the meat was of poor quality, and it was much less tasty than last year.  I will not be getting it again.  They did add sweet potato fries, though, so that should be interesting. 

All in all, a disappointing and frustrating night.  1 down, 80 more to go!

The Mariners are 0-1 when I attend.