It was truly a bizarre turn of events today. I had already sold my personal tickets when, at approximately 3pm, I heard breaking news on the radio that Ichiro was possibly traded. This is something that I have been dreaming of for around 4 years. Could it be true!? Well, turns out it was, as he was shipped to the New York Yankees for a couple of minor league pitchers. What made it even more weird is that the Yankees were in town for a three game series, so Ichiro would be playing against us! I rushed home, changed, and headed down to the ballpark to catch a historic game. I didn't care about the outcome, I was there to celebrate.
We lost 4-1, but who cares!!!!
Showing posts with label loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label loss. Show all posts
Monday, July 23, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
Mariners Start Second Half On a Familiar Note
They lost ANOTHER one run game, this time 3-2, as they were shutout through 8 innings. They sure made the 9th an exciting one, but it was too little too late.
Millwood (3-6,3.69)
I thought Millwood did a pretty good job of keeping the Rangers at bay. They are full of Mariners killers, practically the entire lineup, so holding them to three runs in 6.2 innings is something I will take from our starting pitcher every outing. Unfortunately our offense did not suddenly transform over the all-star break. It wasn't like we didn't have opportunities, we loaded the bases with one out in the 4th but couldn't capitalize. We had only four hits until we banged three in the bottom of the 9th as we scored two runs. That's unacceptable. We have to start scoring early. And Ackley in particular, along with Smoak, needs to start producing. He ended the game striking out, with runners at first and third and down by only a run.
This series is going to be very interesting. If things don't start changing, I predict heads will roll.
The Mariners are now 11-14 when I attend, 5-7 in one run games
Attendance: 23,721
Time of Game: 2:58
Rangers (52-34)
Kinsler 2B
Andrus SS
Hamilton LF
Beltre 3B
Cruz RF
Young 1B
Murphy DH
Napoli C
Martin CF
Holland (5-4,5.63)
Mariners (36-51)
Ackley 2B
Ichiro RF
Wells LF
Montero DH
Seager 3B
Smoak 1B
Olivo C
Saunders CF
Ryan SS
Millwood (3-6,3.69)
I thought Millwood did a pretty good job of keeping the Rangers at bay. They are full of Mariners killers, practically the entire lineup, so holding them to three runs in 6.2 innings is something I will take from our starting pitcher every outing. Unfortunately our offense did not suddenly transform over the all-star break. It wasn't like we didn't have opportunities, we loaded the bases with one out in the 4th but couldn't capitalize. We had only four hits until we banged three in the bottom of the 9th as we scored two runs. That's unacceptable. We have to start scoring early. And Ackley in particular, along with Smoak, needs to start producing. He ended the game striking out, with runners at first and third and down by only a run.
This series is going to be very interesting. If things don't start changing, I predict heads will roll.
The Mariners are now 11-14 when I attend, 5-7 in one run games
Attendance: 23,721
Time of Game: 2:58
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Mariners Lose Another Close One
The Mariners lost their 6th game by one run when I attend. They've won 5 of them. So out of the 24 games I've been to so far, pretty much half have been one run ballgames. That's too much tension for one person to take, and we're only halfway through the season!
Felix Hernandez ran into one inning of trouble when he gave up four straight hits to the orioles. Four runs ended up coming around to score and he was pulled after lasting only 5 1/3 innings.
It was looking dire for awhile as the Mariners were retired in order until one out in the 7th inning. We made Chen look like Cy Young. But thankfully Wells hits homer to left to end the perfect game. We added three more in the 8th to tie the ballgame thanks to four straight hits and a bases loaded walk by Seager. Unfortunately Montero stranded the runners to tend the inning. In the top of the 9th Furbush gave up a two out homer to Andino, and we put up no threat in the bottom of the inning to lose by a final of 5-4. Furbush has been unbelievable this year, so it is unfortunate that he slips up in a tied ballgame.
The Mariners are now 11-13 when I attend
Attendance: 16,270
Time of Game: 2:59
Orioles (42-37)
Nady LF
Hardy SS
Davis RF
Jones CF
Thome DH
Wieters C
Betemit 1B
Flaherty 3B
Andino 2B
Chen (7-4, 3.73)
Mariners (35-47)
Ichiro RF
Wells LF
Seager 3B
Montero DH
Olivo C
Saunders CF
Smoak 1B
Ackley 2B
Ryan SS
Hernandez (6-5, 3.09)
Felix Hernandez ran into one inning of trouble when he gave up four straight hits to the orioles. Four runs ended up coming around to score and he was pulled after lasting only 5 1/3 innings.
It was looking dire for awhile as the Mariners were retired in order until one out in the 7th inning. We made Chen look like Cy Young. But thankfully Wells hits homer to left to end the perfect game. We added three more in the 8th to tie the ballgame thanks to four straight hits and a bases loaded walk by Seager. Unfortunately Montero stranded the runners to tend the inning. In the top of the 9th Furbush gave up a two out homer to Andino, and we put up no threat in the bottom of the inning to lose by a final of 5-4. Furbush has been unbelievable this year, so it is unfortunate that he slips up in a tied ballgame.
The Mariners are now 11-13 when I attend
Attendance: 16,270
Time of Game: 2:59
Monday, June 25, 2012
Rookie Ramirez Runs into Support Problems
Erasmo Ramirez went a strong 8 innings pitched, striking out 10. He made one mistake, giving up just a solo homer. Unfortunately the Mariners offense was shutout for the 2nd straight game.
The lone run of the ballgame occurred in the 2nd inning when Seth Smith took the first pitch he saw of the game into deep center field, an estimated 418 feet. Ramirez struck out the side in both the 1st and 7th innings, 10 total, and gave up a mere TWO hits. Yep, 8 innings of 1 run 2 hit ball and he picks up the loss.
Meanwhile, the Mariners had two hits alone in the 1st inning, 7 total, but ground into 2 double plays and couldn't take advantage of the scattered opportunities. This script is getting a little old. SCORE SOME DAMN RUNS!!!
The Mariners are now 8-12 when I attend
Attendance: 17,101
Time of Game: 2:18
The Roof closed in the top of the 7th inning
Oakland (35-38)
Crisp CF
Weeks 2B
Reddick RF
Cespedes DH
Smith LF
Inge 3B
Moss 1B
Suzuki C
Pennington SS
Milone (7-4, 4.13)
Mariners(31-43)
Ichiro RF
Gutierrez CF
Seager 3B
Montero DH
Smoak 1B
Saunders LF
Olivo C
Ryan SS
Ramirez (0-1, 5.40)
The lone run of the ballgame occurred in the 2nd inning when Seth Smith took the first pitch he saw of the game into deep center field, an estimated 418 feet. Ramirez struck out the side in both the 1st and 7th innings, 10 total, and gave up a mere TWO hits. Yep, 8 innings of 1 run 2 hit ball and he picks up the loss.
Meanwhile, the Mariners had two hits alone in the 1st inning, 7 total, but ground into 2 double plays and couldn't take advantage of the scattered opportunities. This script is getting a little old. SCORE SOME DAMN RUNS!!!
The Mariners are now 8-12 when I attend
Attendance: 17,101
Time of Game: 2:18
The Roof closed in the top of the 7th inning
Friday, June 15, 2012
Mariners Drop Sixth In a Row
Well, more poor base running and lack of clutch hitting led to the Mariners losing their sixth game in a row since the no-hitter. The Giants hit two home runs and beat the Mariners 4-2 in front of nearly 30,000 fans.
Montero was once again caught off second base on a fly ball, the second time in three games. We got our two runs n the 8th inning after Cabrera hit a two run homer in the top of the 8th to make it 4-0.
The most interesting aspect of the game was probably in the top of the 9th when a fan jumped on to the field to snag a foul ball. All I saw out of the corner of my eye was a guy, with his arm raised in triumph and the ball in his hand, get tackled. Didn't see how he got on the field. You don't see that every day!
It was nice to see Gutierrez back out there. Olivo had more shitting blocking behind the plate. Sick of his shit. Another thing I'd like to comment on is that half the stands were filled with obnoxious Giants fans. I can't wait until we are drawing 40k regularly again, this will not be tolerated or possible then. So no I have to add Giants games as games I won't go to in the future.
I'm really hoping the Mariners will win again!! We've been close pretty much every game, so it shouldn't be too long.
Mariners are now 7-11 when I attend.
Time of Game: 2:45
Attendance: 29,818
Giants (36-28)
Blanco RF
Theriot 2B
Cabrera LF
Posey C
Pagan CF
Sandoval 3B
Belt 1B
Arias SS
Christian DH
Vogelson (5-2, 2.26)
Mariners (27-38)
Ichiro RF
Gutierrez CF
Seager 3B
Montero DH
Saunders LF
Smoak1B
Ackley 2B
Olivo C
Ryan SS
Vargas (7-5, 3.90)
Vargas (7-5, 3.90)
Montero was once again caught off second base on a fly ball, the second time in three games. We got our two runs n the 8th inning after Cabrera hit a two run homer in the top of the 8th to make it 4-0.
The most interesting aspect of the game was probably in the top of the 9th when a fan jumped on to the field to snag a foul ball. All I saw out of the corner of my eye was a guy, with his arm raised in triumph and the ball in his hand, get tackled. Didn't see how he got on the field. You don't see that every day!
It was nice to see Gutierrez back out there. Olivo had more shitting blocking behind the plate. Sick of his shit. Another thing I'd like to comment on is that half the stands were filled with obnoxious Giants fans. I can't wait until we are drawing 40k regularly again, this will not be tolerated or possible then. So no I have to add Giants games as games I won't go to in the future.
I'm really hoping the Mariners will win again!! We've been close pretty much every game, so it shouldn't be too long.
Mariners are now 7-11 when I attend.
Time of Game: 2:45
Attendance: 29,818
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Noesi Loses 1-0 as Offense Fails Again
Yikes... Noesi went 8 strong innings and gave up the only run of the game via a leadoff homer in the 7th. Unfortunately his teammates had plenty of opportunities to score yet couldn't capitalize. We have yet to win since the combined no-hitter.
I guess the biggest news of the day is that there were several players moved today. Gutierrez was picked up from the DL, Carp and Pryor both placed on the DL, Liddi and Beavan sent down to AAA, and Delabar, Wells, and Ramirez recalled from AAA. Good to see Wells back, and especially Gutierrez who has been bothered by injuries the last couple of years. I hope he can return to form soon. He wasn't in the lineup tonight, but should be tomorrow.
I've decided to make a change to the blog, it is getting to be too much to get so detailed. Plus I get behind, as I'm writing this it is actually June 21st and they have an off-day in San Diego.
The Mariners are now 7-10 when I attend and have been shut out 3 times.
Attendance: 13,931
Time of Game: 2:46
Padres (21-41)
Venable RF
Cabrera SS
Headley 3B
Quentin DH
Kotsay LF
Alonso 1B
Maybin CF
Hundley C
Amarista DH
Marquis (0-1, 3.00)
Mariners (27-36)
Ichiro RF
Ackley 2B
Seager 3B
Montero C
Smoak 1B
Saunders CF
Jaso DH
Wells LF
Kawasaki SS
Noesi (2-6, 5.99)
As stated above, Noesi pitched a fine game with one mistake, and that was the ballgame as we lost 1-0. We had some opportunities, eight hits and four walks, but we just couldn't get that clutch hit when he needed to. Montero had a huge base running blunder in the 3nd after leading off with a single and advancing to 2nd on a Smoak walk. Saunders hit a line drive to left, and for some reason Montero didn't notice what was going on, and he was doubled off second. No chance was that ball dropping in. To top it off, the very next pitch was a wild one advancing Smoak to second. We could have had runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out! Montero's young, but that's no excuse.
Smoak hit a ball deep to center in the 6th which was hauled in at the warning track. After what happened yesterday in which he hit two very long fly balls... he was visibly irritated and slammed his helmet to the ground. The very next batter of the game, Kotsay, hit a homer to right field. And that was the ballgame. It was pretty funny. It was almost as if... "Hey Smoak, watch me, this is how you hit a homer at Safeco".
I guess the biggest news of the day is that there were several players moved today. Gutierrez was picked up from the DL, Carp and Pryor both placed on the DL, Liddi and Beavan sent down to AAA, and Delabar, Wells, and Ramirez recalled from AAA. Good to see Wells back, and especially Gutierrez who has been bothered by injuries the last couple of years. I hope he can return to form soon. He wasn't in the lineup tonight, but should be tomorrow.
I've decided to make a change to the blog, it is getting to be too much to get so detailed. Plus I get behind, as I'm writing this it is actually June 21st and they have an off-day in San Diego.
The Mariners are now 7-10 when I attend and have been shut out 3 times.
Attendance: 13,931
Time of Game: 2:46
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Mariners Come Alive Too Late as Felix Struggles
Felix made his first start in 11 days after straining his back in his last start. He continued his struggles of the last few weeks as he gave up 5 runs on 9 hits, and his offense gave him only 1 run. They scored three in the bottom of the ninth inning to make the final score 5-4, but it was too little too late.
Padres (20-41)
Venable RF
Forsythe 2B
Headley 3B
Quentin DH
Alonso 1B
Denorfia LF
Maybin CF
Hundley C
Cabrera SS
Richard (2-7, 4.58)
Mariners (27-35)
Ichiro RF
Ackley 2B
Montero DH
Seager 3B
Smoak 1B
Olivo C
Saunders CF
Figgins LF
Ryan SS
Hernandez (4-4, 3.42)
I'm hoping he can chalk this start up to being rusty, and not that Felix has lost it. He was in trouble from the very beginning and didn't retire a side safely until the 5th inning. The very first pitch was a bunt base hit by Venable. They caught him stealing, but Felix then proceeded to give a two out walk an then hit a batter. Thankfully he was able to get out of the jam with no damage. The Padres got their lead batter on in each of the first four innings. Denorfia singled in the 2nd, but Felix was able to get a double play and got out of the inning. Unfortunately, he walked the leadoff guy in the 3rd, Cabrera, who ended up scoring on a two out single for the first run of the game.
Saunders was the first base runner for the Mariners in the third, but was doubled up on a Figgins grounder. We scored our only run, until the ninth inning, thanks to a broken back single by Ichiro, Ackley single, then Seager ground out.
Felix gave up 4 runs in his final inning. He gave up a leadoff walk,
then a bloop single that fell in-between Figgins and Ryan. In fact it
hit Ryan's glove, but he was trying to make an amazing over the shoulder
"Will Mays" basket catch and just ran out of room. Denorfia then hit
into a fielder's choice to make runners on 1st and 2nd with one out.
Felix then gave up 2 consecutive singles then a "wild pitch" . The ball hit the dirt before it crossed the plate. Really, though, that was on Olivo. He is a fucking
catcher and needs to BLOCK THE DAMN PLATE. Cabrera followed it up with an RBI single to make it - with one out. He was then picked off of third, and Venable struck out on the next pitch to end the damage.1
Saunders had a fantastic games, 3-4 on the night and some nifty base running. He almost had a grand slam in the sixth but hit the ball to deep left center and only made it to the warning track. In the 5th he had a double down the left field line and then immediately stole third on the next pitch. After Figgins was caught looking and Ryan walked, Ichiro ground to third to end the inning. Until the 9th, our best opportunity to score was the sixth inning when we loaded the bases on three singles. But, Saunders didn't quite get enough of the pitch. He did, however, in the 9th inning. With 1 out, down 5-1, he LAUNCHED a homer to deep center, and estimated 428 feet, for his 7th home run of the year. Figgins then doubled, followed by pinch hitter Kawasaki who singled in Figgins to make it 5-3. Ichiro singled on the next pitch to make it runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out, and the winning run at the plate in Ackley. He struck out, but the ball got past the catcher and Kawasaki scored to make it a 5-4 game. Montero ground out to end the ballgame. There was some excitement at the end, but unfortunately it was too late. We had all kind of opportunities, and need to eventually break through on a consistent basis. Felix can't be perfect every time.
Stephen Pryor, injured himself in the 9th inning, looks like a pulled groin. Hopefully he isn't out too long.
The Mariners are now 7-9 when I attend
Attendance: 13,084
Time of Game: 3:02
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Mariners Slammed for 3rd Straight Game
Angels (22-25)
Trout CF
Izturis 3B
Pujols 1B
Morales DH
Trumbo RF
Kendrick 3B
Aybar SS
Calhoun LF
Wilson C
Williams (4-3, 3.74)
Rainiers (21-27)
Ackley 2B
Saunders CF
Ichiro RF
Seager 3B
Smoak 1B
Jaso DH
Olivo C
Carp LF
Ryan SS
Hernandez (4-3, 2.80)
 |
| Sporting replica uniforms, looking nice guys! |
The scoring opened up in the top of the 4th when Pujols hit a monster leadoff homer, 413 feet to the Mariners bullpen. He had homers in the previous two games of the series, I think we single handidly revived his season! The Pujols homer wasn't the difference maker, however. That turned out to be a surprising pinch hit grand slam by Callaspo in the 6th . At that point the Rainiers were up 2-1.
We scored two in the 5th via a double, fielder's choice, and two singles. After the grand slam, we tacked on a solo shot by Smoak in the to make it 5-3 Angels. That was the ballgame, pretty much. Smoak is definitely heating up.
Felix just wasn't his usual self, giving up five runs on ten hits. He's bound to have an off day here and there, and we were still within striking distance.
Attendance: 29,483
Time of Game: 3:07
Friday, May 25, 2012
League Blows the Game, Smoak Heats Up
I really thought we had this game... until League entered. I have never felt safe with League, and sure enough he turned a 4-3 lead into a 6-4 loss on Ackley Bobblehead Night.
Beavan pitched another solid game, he tends to quietly go out there and do his thing but runs into an inning where he runs into an issue. With our offense, it usually means the difference in the game. Beavan's bad inning tonight was the sixth, when Pujols delivered a monster 3 run homer to center that was estimated at 410 feet. Pujols came into the game batting only .225 with 5 homers and 22 rbi. If you recall, he signed a huge contract this offseason after leaving his original team, St. Louis.
So the score remained until a nightmare of a ninth inning, in which League gave up a first pitch single to Trumbo. Bourjos came in to pinch run, that dude is fast! Callaspo then worked a walk, and on an 0-1 pitch Aybar hit a bad sacrifice bunt back to League. Instead of going for the sure out at 1st, League decided to try and get speedy Bourjos with a force at third base. Yep, didn't happen. Instead he threw it away, the tying run scored and the had runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. Aybar was then intentionally walked to load the bases and force an out on any base. Pinch hitter Kendrick then laced his first pitch right up the middle to score the final two runs of the game. The boo birds came out. If Trout hadn't ground into a double play for the first outs of the inning, who knows how much more damage they would have racked up.
Needless to say it was a disappointing and frustrating night. I don't ever want to see League in a save situation again. I'm not buying it, nobody is buying it anymore. We should have traded him when we had the chance last year.
The Mariners are now 6-7 when I attend
Attendance: 23,517
Time of Game: 2:52
Angels (21-25)
Trout CF
Izturis 2B
Pujols 1B
Morales DH
Trumbo RF
Callaspo 3B
Aybar SS
Calhoun LF
Hester C
Santana (2-6, 4.22)
Mariners (21-26)
Saunders CF
Liddi 3B
Ichiro RF
Seager 2B
Smoak 1B
Jaso DH
Montero C
Carp LF
Kawasaki SS
Beavan (2-4, 4.46)
The Mariners had ample opportunity to put this game out of reach early, but just couldn't get it done. We only scored 1 run in the first after loading the bases with one out (via a leadoff single and walks by Liddi and Seager). Smoak got a fielder's choice RBI. It looked like Seager was actually safe at second, the shortstop was clearly off the base but the ump made the call he made. It should have been bases still loaded with only one out. So, Jaso walked to load the bases again, but Montero ended the inning with a groundout. So it was 1-0 after the first inning, a good team would have at least two, possibly three, runs. Unfortunately we have a horrible number three hitter in Ichiro. He isn't a threat for a big homer or solid double with runners on. The experiment needs to stop, I'm so sick of his rally killers.
We got our second run in the third after a leadoff double by Ichiro and one out RBI single by Smoak. It was his second RBI of the game. Then Jaso walked. BUT another rally died as Montero hit into a 6-4-3 double play. We finished our scoring in the fifth inning. Seager hit a double to right field, and then Smoak took a 0-1 pitch into the right field stands to put us up 4-0. He drove in all of our runs tonight, and is definitely showing signs that he is breaking out.
Beavan pitched another solid game, he tends to quietly go out there and do his thing but runs into an inning where he runs into an issue. With our offense, it usually means the difference in the game. Beavan's bad inning tonight was the sixth, when Pujols delivered a monster 3 run homer to center that was estimated at 410 feet. Pujols came into the game batting only .225 with 5 homers and 22 rbi. If you recall, he signed a huge contract this offseason after leaving his original team, St. Louis.
So the score remained until a nightmare of a ninth inning, in which League gave up a first pitch single to Trumbo. Bourjos came in to pinch run, that dude is fast! Callaspo then worked a walk, and on an 0-1 pitch Aybar hit a bad sacrifice bunt back to League. Instead of going for the sure out at 1st, League decided to try and get speedy Bourjos with a force at third base. Yep, didn't happen. Instead he threw it away, the tying run scored and the had runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. Aybar was then intentionally walked to load the bases and force an out on any base. Pinch hitter Kendrick then laced his first pitch right up the middle to score the final two runs of the game. The boo birds came out. If Trout hadn't ground into a double play for the first outs of the inning, who knows how much more damage they would have racked up.
Needless to say it was a disappointing and frustrating night. I don't ever want to see League in a save situation again. I'm not buying it, nobody is buying it anymore. We should have traded him when we had the chance last year.
The Mariners are now 6-7 when I attend
Attendance: 23,517
Time of Game: 2:52
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Mariners Can't Break Out
The Mariners couldn't break through as they left the Bases Loaded in top of the 1st and lost 3-1.
Noesi was stellar, he only had two mistakes all game and unfortunately those mistakes cost him as our offense just couldn't give him enough support. We had ample opportunity, especially in the 1st inning as we loaded the bases after already scoring one run on an RBI single by Smoak. Wells, on his first pitch, absolutely crushed the ball to left center and for a few seconds nearly everyone in the ballpark thought he'd hit it out. Unfortunately Hamilton was able to haul it in at the warning track to end the inning.
The Rangers had pretty much their entire offense in the third inning as Noesi walked two, then gave up a triple to left-center to Andrus followed by a double to left by Hamilton (both with two outs). 3-1 Rangers at that point, and that was pretty much the game. The Rangers only had two base runners the rest of the game, and the Mariners couldn't break through.
In the third, Liddi lead off the inning by crushing a ball himself... once again Hamilton tracked the ball down. This time it was against the wall and he may have taken back a home run, it was hard to tell from my perspective. He ripped the bottom of the wall from pushing off of it. The Mariners had a couple of more chances in the game to score but were unable to do anything. In the 5th, there were runners on 1st and 3rd with two outs after a double by Ryan and error by Beltre on Liddi's at-bat. But, Ichiro hit into a fielder's choice to end the threat. In the 8th, we had our first two hitters reach base via singles but Montero, Smoak, and Seager couldn't come through. That was our last threat.
It is always a shame to waste a good pitching performance, but something we have all become accustomed to the last few years. You can see the players are getting better. Baseball is a game of failure and most of the time you aren't going to come through. Only in those rare seasons, like 2001, does everyone hit lights out and come through in nearly every situation. And hell, we ended up not coming through in the ALCS against the Yankees! So you just have to chalk this up to one of those games, and hope that tomorrow they will hit that grand slam with the bases loaded if the opportunity should arise.
There was a lot of debate after the game about moving the fences in to improve the mental approach by Mariners hitters. I say, if you move in the fences it improves the opponents as well, and that they never seem to have a problem hitting homers. This was only 1 game in which we would have won because of homers, the Wells and Liddi fly balls. Well... what about every other game in which our own fielders haul down shots that would go out if the fences were drawn in? We just need the right players. Hell, we just need players to hit to their potential!
They started closing the roof in the top of the 1st inning, about 4 minutes after the game started.
The Mariners are 6-6 when I attend
Time of Game: 2:28
Attendance: 15,604
Rangers (26-17)
Kinsler 2B
Andrus SS
Hamilton CF
Beltre 3B
Young DH
Murphy LF
Cruz RF
Napoli C
Moreland 1B
Harrison (4-3, 5.21)
Mariners (20-24)
Ackley DH
Liddi 3B
Ichiro RF
Montero C
Smoak 1B
Seager 2B
Wells LF
Saunders CF
Ryan SS
Noesi (2-4, 5.61)
Noesi was stellar, he only had two mistakes all game and unfortunately those mistakes cost him as our offense just couldn't give him enough support. We had ample opportunity, especially in the 1st inning as we loaded the bases after already scoring one run on an RBI single by Smoak. Wells, on his first pitch, absolutely crushed the ball to left center and for a few seconds nearly everyone in the ballpark thought he'd hit it out. Unfortunately Hamilton was able to haul it in at the warning track to end the inning.
The Rangers had pretty much their entire offense in the third inning as Noesi walked two, then gave up a triple to left-center to Andrus followed by a double to left by Hamilton (both with two outs). 3-1 Rangers at that point, and that was pretty much the game. The Rangers only had two base runners the rest of the game, and the Mariners couldn't break through.
In the third, Liddi lead off the inning by crushing a ball himself... once again Hamilton tracked the ball down. This time it was against the wall and he may have taken back a home run, it was hard to tell from my perspective. He ripped the bottom of the wall from pushing off of it. The Mariners had a couple of more chances in the game to score but were unable to do anything. In the 5th, there were runners on 1st and 3rd with two outs after a double by Ryan and error by Beltre on Liddi's at-bat. But, Ichiro hit into a fielder's choice to end the threat. In the 8th, we had our first two hitters reach base via singles but Montero, Smoak, and Seager couldn't come through. That was our last threat.
It is always a shame to waste a good pitching performance, but something we have all become accustomed to the last few years. You can see the players are getting better. Baseball is a game of failure and most of the time you aren't going to come through. Only in those rare seasons, like 2001, does everyone hit lights out and come through in nearly every situation. And hell, we ended up not coming through in the ALCS against the Yankees! So you just have to chalk this up to one of those games, and hope that tomorrow they will hit that grand slam with the bases loaded if the opportunity should arise.
There was a lot of debate after the game about moving the fences in to improve the mental approach by Mariners hitters. I say, if you move in the fences it improves the opponents as well, and that they never seem to have a problem hitting homers. This was only 1 game in which we would have won because of homers, the Wells and Liddi fly balls. Well... what about every other game in which our own fielders haul down shots that would go out if the fences were drawn in? We just need the right players. Hell, we just need players to hit to their potential!
They started closing the roof in the top of the 1st inning, about 4 minutes after the game started.
The Mariners are 6-6 when I attend
Time of Game: 2:28
Attendance: 15,604
Friday, May 4, 2012
Unlucky Seven
I think this is the most angry I've felt after a loss this year, we had this game in the bag but blew our 2-0 lead in the seventh inning to end up losing our SEVENTH straight game, by a score of 3-2. Nowhere near the 17 game losing streak last year, but still painful and frustrating.
Earlier in the game we found out that Figgins has been demoted to a utility player. Despite the promise of the first couple of weeks he just isn't cutting it, which is a huge shame since he was such a great player for Anaheim. For now, Ackley will take the lead off spot.
Vargas pitched well, once again we couldn't do much offensively, and a huge mental lapse in the 7th by Wilhelmsen ruined another great outing by Vargas. We got our hits, but except for the 5th inning couldn't capitalize.
We got leadoff singles in the 1st and 2nd innings, but hit into double plays. Then, in the 5th inning we got three doubles. Montero and Seager hit back to back doubles to left center to start it off, followed by a flyout by Smoak. Montero's looked like it had a chance to go out. Then, Carp, in his first home game since coming off the DL (after injuring himself in the first game in Japan) hit a rocket line drive to right that drove Seager in. We were up 2-0 with one out. A sacrifice fly and single should have made it at least 3-0. But Saunders was caught looking, and Ryan's single (second of the game) up the middle was stopped by Carroll from going into the outfield. Carp had to hold up at third. If Carroll hadn't snagged it... my feelings about the game may have totally changed. So Ryan was denied the RBI, and Ackley hit a fly ball to left to end the inning, stranding runners on 1st and 3rd.
Ryan's single in the 3rd broke an 0-26 hitless streak. He came into the game batting only .125, so at least one positive of the game is that he got two hits and broke out of his slump. Montero continues to hit well with his single and double. Olivo injured himself on the road trip so we will be seeing more of Montero behind the plate until he comes back.
With one out in the 7th inning, leading 2-0, Vargas gave up his 4th hit on his 103rd pitch of the game via a double by Parmalee. It was the first extra-base hit by Minnesota in 25 innings. So Wedge decided to pull Vargas for Wilhemsen, our usual 8th inning guy, who proceeded to load the bases by walking the first two batters he faced. Then, Span hit a ball back to the mound which Wilhelmsen barehanded. He had plenty of time for the force at home, but for some reason whipped around and went for the force at 2nd. Well, he had a wild throw and Ackley had to work to keep it from going into the outfield and causing more damage. The run scored, the bases were still loaded. So instead of a minimum 2 outs with the bases still loaded (and possibly being out of the inning via a 1-2-3 DP) the score was now 2-1, bases still loaded, only 1 out. The next batter, Carroll, took the count full and he hit a grounder to Smoak who went to second to try and start a 3-6-3 DP. We were only able to get the first part, forcing Span. The runner scored, tying the game. Wilhelmsen was replaced with a round of boos, and Furbush then gave up the lead on a single by Mauer. That was the ballgame. Wilhelmsen has probably been our most solid relief pitcher this year, but he just didn't have a good outing. To top it off he had a brain fart. I don't care what team you are playing, you can not give a ML team an extra out.
Sometimes it is the little things that turn into the game changers. Carroll kept Ryan's single from making it through the infield, saving an RBI. Wilhelsmen, with a brain fart, lets the Twins off the hook.
The Mariners are now 0-3 on Fridays, and 2-5 when I attend.
The Roof was closed.
Attendance : 22,492
Time of Game: 2:42
Twins (6-18)
Span CF
Carroll SS
Mauer DH
Willingham LF
Doumit RF
Valencia 3B
Parmelee 1B
Casilla 2B
Butera C
Pavano (1-2,4.91)
Mariners (11-16)
Ackley 2B
Liddi 3B
Ichiro RF
Montero C
Seager DH
Smoak 1B
Carp LF
Saunders CF
Ryan SS
Vargas (3-2 ,3.38)
Earlier in the game we found out that Figgins has been demoted to a utility player. Despite the promise of the first couple of weeks he just isn't cutting it, which is a huge shame since he was such a great player for Anaheim. For now, Ackley will take the lead off spot.
Vargas pitched well, once again we couldn't do much offensively, and a huge mental lapse in the 7th by Wilhelmsen ruined another great outing by Vargas. We got our hits, but except for the 5th inning couldn't capitalize.
We got leadoff singles in the 1st and 2nd innings, but hit into double plays. Then, in the 5th inning we got three doubles. Montero and Seager hit back to back doubles to left center to start it off, followed by a flyout by Smoak. Montero's looked like it had a chance to go out. Then, Carp, in his first home game since coming off the DL (after injuring himself in the first game in Japan) hit a rocket line drive to right that drove Seager in. We were up 2-0 with one out. A sacrifice fly and single should have made it at least 3-0. But Saunders was caught looking, and Ryan's single (second of the game) up the middle was stopped by Carroll from going into the outfield. Carp had to hold up at third. If Carroll hadn't snagged it... my feelings about the game may have totally changed. So Ryan was denied the RBI, and Ackley hit a fly ball to left to end the inning, stranding runners on 1st and 3rd.
Ryan's single in the 3rd broke an 0-26 hitless streak. He came into the game batting only .125, so at least one positive of the game is that he got two hits and broke out of his slump. Montero continues to hit well with his single and double. Olivo injured himself on the road trip so we will be seeing more of Montero behind the plate until he comes back.
With one out in the 7th inning, leading 2-0, Vargas gave up his 4th hit on his 103rd pitch of the game via a double by Parmalee. It was the first extra-base hit by Minnesota in 25 innings. So Wedge decided to pull Vargas for Wilhemsen, our usual 8th inning guy, who proceeded to load the bases by walking the first two batters he faced. Then, Span hit a ball back to the mound which Wilhelmsen barehanded. He had plenty of time for the force at home, but for some reason whipped around and went for the force at 2nd. Well, he had a wild throw and Ackley had to work to keep it from going into the outfield and causing more damage. The run scored, the bases were still loaded. So instead of a minimum 2 outs with the bases still loaded (and possibly being out of the inning via a 1-2-3 DP) the score was now 2-1, bases still loaded, only 1 out. The next batter, Carroll, took the count full and he hit a grounder to Smoak who went to second to try and start a 3-6-3 DP. We were only able to get the first part, forcing Span. The runner scored, tying the game. Wilhelmsen was replaced with a round of boos, and Furbush then gave up the lead on a single by Mauer. That was the ballgame. Wilhelmsen has probably been our most solid relief pitcher this year, but he just didn't have a good outing. To top it off he had a brain fart. I don't care what team you are playing, you can not give a ML team an extra out.
Sometimes it is the little things that turn into the game changers. Carroll kept Ryan's single from making it through the infield, saving an RBI. Wilhelsmen, with a brain fart, lets the Twins off the hook.
The Mariners are now 0-3 on Fridays, and 2-5 when I attend.
The Roof was closed.
Attendance : 22,492
Time of Game: 2:42
Saturday, April 21, 2012
A Perfect Game
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.
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| 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!
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| After the pile the celebration continued |
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
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| Chicago White Sox Scoresheet for Humber's Perfect Game |
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| 4-21-2012 - 27 Up, 27 Down, Humber's Name is Hall of Fame Bound as he is Perfect |
Friday, April 20, 2012
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.
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
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
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
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.
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.
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.
Friday, April 13, 2012
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.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Mariners Blanked to End Year
I couldn't wait to get out of their fast enough, it is really frustrating. Yesterday was bad, but today we only managed TWO measly hits the entire game. TWO. We also had 3 walks, but 11 strikeouts. It feels like the players couldn't wait for the season to end fast enough so they could go fishing.
I'm not going to talk much about the game. The Athletics scored the lone runs of the game via a 2 run homer to right center by Miller. Vasquez never impressed me, I would be surprised if he makes the club next year. And that was the ballgame... even though we were only down 2 runs it just wasn't going to happen today. Horrible way to end the season, being shut out the final two games. 20,173 hard core baseball fans were there for the final one this year.
Ichiro failed to get above 200 hits for the first time in his ML career, ending 184, a .272 BA, and a pathetic .310 OBP. He is now 37 and his numbers will continue to decline. He's only got one more year on the contract and then it is sayonara and we can finally get a real lead off hitter.
It was a tough first year without Dave Niehaus. But we're getting younger, we've got a new Manager in Eric Wedge that I believe is competent, and some exciting players to watch. Ackley is going to be solid. Pineda is young, if he develops a third pitch he'll be locked in the two spot for years. Carp, did he finally have a breakthrough after years in the Minors? Will Smoak match his potential? So many questions, and after a sometimes frustrating year I am optimistic about 2012. We're definitely turning this franchise around, you can see it.
Here's to next year!!
Athletics (73-88)
Crisp CF
Taylor LF
Weeks 2B
Willingham DH
Sizemore 3B
Carter 1B
Miller RF
Powell C
Rosales SS
Gonzalez (15-12, 3.25)
Mariners (67-94)
Ichiro RF
Robinson CF
Ackley 2B
Smoak 1B
Carp LF
Kennedy DH
Liddi 3B
Seager SS
Giminez C
Vasquez (1-5, 8.89)
I'm not going to talk much about the game. The Athletics scored the lone runs of the game via a 2 run homer to right center by Miller. Vasquez never impressed me, I would be surprised if he makes the club next year. And that was the ballgame... even though we were only down 2 runs it just wasn't going to happen today. Horrible way to end the season, being shut out the final two games. 20,173 hard core baseball fans were there for the final one this year.
Ichiro failed to get above 200 hits for the first time in his ML career, ending 184, a .272 BA, and a pathetic .310 OBP. He is now 37 and his numbers will continue to decline. He's only got one more year on the contract and then it is sayonara and we can finally get a real lead off hitter.
It was a tough first year without Dave Niehaus. But we're getting younger, we've got a new Manager in Eric Wedge that I believe is competent, and some exciting players to watch. Ackley is going to be solid. Pineda is young, if he develops a third pitch he'll be locked in the two spot for years. Carp, did he finally have a breakthrough after years in the Minors? Will Smoak match his potential? So many questions, and after a sometimes frustrating year I am optimistic about 2012. We're definitely turning this franchise around, you can see it.
Here's to next year!!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
A Stinker
That's the best way I can sum it up. We just stunk. Total blowout, our offense was inept and only managed 4 hits as we lost 7-0. Beavan, who had been doing pretty well lately, was not sharp.
Att: 18,600
Athletics (72-88)
Weeks 2B
Crisp CF
Matsui LF
Willingham DH
Dejesus RF
Sizemore 3B
Suzuki C
Allen 1B
Sogard SS
Cahill (11-14, 4.31)
Mariners (67-93)
Ichiro RF
Rodriguez SS
Ackley DH
Carp LF
Smoak 1B
Olivo C
Seager 2B
Liddi 3B
Saunders CF
Beavan (5-5, 3.82)
Beavan ended up going exactly 5 innings, giving up eight hits and all seven runs. It started in the first with a 3 Run BOMB by Willingham to deep left field. The Mariners threatened in the 1st inning with back to back singles by Ichiro and Rodriguez, but Ackley struck out and Carp ground to second for a double play. Beavan gave up two more runs in each of the third and fifth innings. The 5th inning runs were thanks to another homer, this time by Sizemore. The only other possible scoring opportunity by the Mariners was in the 7th inning with runners on 1st and 2nd with one out, but the runners were stranded. The Mariners had 4 hits, 1 BB, 8 K, and 4 LOB. I'm hoping that we will end the season on a positive note tomorrow, with some signs of offense.
Att: 18,600
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Mariners Appreciate Fans With Another Loss
Tonight was not as good of a pitching performance, for either team. It was fan appreciation night for 22.159 in attendance, but the Mariners couldn't put together a good pitching performance, and despite the six runs they scored they only got one runner on base past the 5th inning.
Vasquez was never in it, struggling from the beginning. He only went 3 plus innings, giving up two hits in the first and second innings (including a run in the 2nd). Then, it pretty much fell apart in the 3rd inning. To lead off the inning Vasquez gave up back to back home runs to Andrus and Hamilton, then another solo shot to Beltre that traveled 408 feet. This was after the Mariners had scored 4 runs of their own in the 2nd inning. They enjoyed their 4-1 lead for only a few minutes. After starting the 4th inning with a walk, Vasquez was pulled for Gray. But he himself struggled and the Rangers scored another 3 runs in the inning to go up 7-4. Carp made it interesting in the 5th with a 2 run homer of his own, to pull the Mariners within 1 run at 7-6. But there the score remained. The Mariners were lucky to escape without giving up more runs. Let's take a look at the Rangers' box score, everyone contributed. They left 10 men on base, the damage could have been so much worse.
Kinsler: BB, R
Andrus: 1B, HR, RBI, 2 R
Hamilton: 3H, 2B, HR, 3RBI, R
Young: 2 BB, 1B, SAC, RBI
Beltre: HR, RBI, R
Napoli: 2 2B
Cruz: 1B
Murphy: BB, 1B, R
Gentry: 1B, RBI
On a historic note, Ichiro passed Mantle with his RBI base hit in the 2nd inning. He now has 2,416 base hits for his ML career. Never thought I would talk about Mantle in the same sentence as Ichiro. This will be the last time.
I would also like to add that this is the second year in a row that nobody from my seating section has won a prize.
The roof was closed in the bottom of the 8th.
They are now 17-21 when I attend.
Rangers (86-65)
Kinsler 2B
Andrus SS
Hamilton LF
Young 1B
Beltre 3B
Napoli C
Cruz DH
Murphy RF
Gentry CF
Lewis (12-10, 4.29)
Mariners (63-87)
Ichiro RF
Seager 3B
Ackley 2B
Carp 1B
Kennedy DH
Bard C
Ryan SS
Robinson LF
Saunders CF
Vasquez (1-3, 7.29)
Vasquez was never in it, struggling from the beginning. He only went 3 plus innings, giving up two hits in the first and second innings (including a run in the 2nd). Then, it pretty much fell apart in the 3rd inning. To lead off the inning Vasquez gave up back to back home runs to Andrus and Hamilton, then another solo shot to Beltre that traveled 408 feet. This was after the Mariners had scored 4 runs of their own in the 2nd inning. They enjoyed their 4-1 lead for only a few minutes. After starting the 4th inning with a walk, Vasquez was pulled for Gray. But he himself struggled and the Rangers scored another 3 runs in the inning to go up 7-4. Carp made it interesting in the 5th with a 2 run homer of his own, to pull the Mariners within 1 run at 7-6. But there the score remained. The Mariners were lucky to escape without giving up more runs. Let's take a look at the Rangers' box score, everyone contributed. They left 10 men on base, the damage could have been so much worse.
Kinsler: BB, R
Andrus: 1B, HR, RBI, 2 R
Hamilton: 3H, 2B, HR, 3RBI, R
Young: 2 BB, 1B, SAC, RBI
Beltre: HR, RBI, R
Napoli: 2 2B
Cruz: 1B
Murphy: BB, 1B, R
Gentry: 1B, RBI
On a historic note, Ichiro passed Mantle with his RBI base hit in the 2nd inning. He now has 2,416 base hits for his ML career. Never thought I would talk about Mantle in the same sentence as Ichiro. This will be the last time.
I would also like to add that this is the second year in a row that nobody from my seating section has won a prize.
The roof was closed in the bottom of the 8th.
They are now 17-21 when I attend.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Rivera Makes History with 600th Save
Mariano Rivera picked up the 600th save of his career as Ichiro was caught stealing second for the final out, trailing 3-2 with Ackley at the plate. For all the times to steal a base, and that is when he decides to go. I doubt Wedge sent him, you never want to end a game that way.
This was a game of missed opportunities, from the first inning until the last. We left 9 men on base, Burnett was not stellar but we couldn't pull the trigger and had 17 strikeouts! The biggest opportunity was probably the 8th inning when we had Ackley and Smoak on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out, but ended up striking out (with a walk by Kennedy sandwiched in there). Or, was it still early in the game when in the 3rd inning when we had the bases loaded with 1 out and all Olivo could do was a sacrifice fly to score our final run of the game?
Furbush had only one truly bad inning, giving up a lead off homer to Cano in the second, followed by a walk to Montero and a double to Jones. Montero ended up scoring on a wild pitch to put Yankees up 2-0 after Martin struck out. Olivo is a terrible catcher and has let way too many "wild pitches" go past him, but I'll give him the benefit of doubt on this one. It was pretty low and inside. But, Olivo... block the damn plate!
In the 9th inning, Mariano Rivera got his 600th save thanks to Ichiro. He joins only Trevor Hoffman (601) in the 600 saves club, so at least I can say I saw history. Rivera didn't really accomplish it, I would say put an asterisk by the number and give Ichiro the assist. WHY ARE YOU RUNNING WITH TWO OUTS and Ackley up to bat, down by ONE RUN!!! WHY!? This is one of the reasons I despise Ichiro as a player.
I have to say, it is not as much fun with no A-Roid to root against. He's "injured". And, I was shocked at how few fans were there to watch the Yankees. The Mariners only drew 18k fans! You used to be able to guarantee a near sellout, at minimum. Guess they aren't as much of a draw anymore, and that's a good thing.
Burger
Att: 18,306
Mariners fall to 16-20 when I attend.
Yankees (89-57)
Jeter SS
Swisher RF
Teixeira 1B
Cano 2B
Montero DH
Jones LF
Martin C
Nunez 3B
Gardner CF
Burnett (9-11, 5.27)
Mariners (61-86)
Ichiro RF
Seager 3B
Ackley 2B
Carp LF
Smoak 1B
Olivo C
Kennedy DH
Wells CF
Ryan SS
Furbush (3-8, 4.84)
This was a game of missed opportunities, from the first inning until the last. We left 9 men on base, Burnett was not stellar but we couldn't pull the trigger and had 17 strikeouts! The biggest opportunity was probably the 8th inning when we had Ackley and Smoak on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out, but ended up striking out (with a walk by Kennedy sandwiched in there). Or, was it still early in the game when in the 3rd inning when we had the bases loaded with 1 out and all Olivo could do was a sacrifice fly to score our final run of the game?
Furbush had only one truly bad inning, giving up a lead off homer to Cano in the second, followed by a walk to Montero and a double to Jones. Montero ended up scoring on a wild pitch to put Yankees up 2-0 after Martin struck out. Olivo is a terrible catcher and has let way too many "wild pitches" go past him, but I'll give him the benefit of doubt on this one. It was pretty low and inside. But, Olivo... block the damn plate!
In the 9th inning, Mariano Rivera got his 600th save thanks to Ichiro. He joins only Trevor Hoffman (601) in the 600 saves club, so at least I can say I saw history. Rivera didn't really accomplish it, I would say put an asterisk by the number and give Ichiro the assist. WHY ARE YOU RUNNING WITH TWO OUTS and Ackley up to bat, down by ONE RUN!!! WHY!? This is one of the reasons I despise Ichiro as a player.
I have to say, it is not as much fun with no A-Roid to root against. He's "injured". And, I was shocked at how few fans were there to watch the Yankees. The Mariners only drew 18k fans! You used to be able to guarantee a near sellout, at minimum. Guess they aren't as much of a draw anymore, and that's a good thing.
Burger
Att: 18,306
Mariners fall to 16-20 when I attend.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Sun Double
My first day game of the year, I generally don't like going to them because they take up the whole day! But, it was a mild enough time. We were sheltered from the heat by the sound and shade.
Teaford made his first ML start and lasted 5 innings... he only had 73 pitches but they had him on a pitch count, no doubt, 'cause he was rolling along. He ended his day by striking out three batters in the 5th, and sandwiching a BB in there. He had 3 total hits, 1 walk, and 1 WP with 5 Ks, and picked up the 2-1 win.
It was more fine pitching and offensive ineptitude as the Mariners scored just 1 run on 6 hits. The most exciting moment of the game was when Rookie Steve Delabar made his ML Debut in the 9th inning. Just a few months ago he was a substitute pitcher and in Class A. Only baseball can provide you feel good stories like that. He threw a perfect inning, striking out the last two batters.
As I say a lot, there is always something interesting that happens at every game. Today was the sun double that the Royals hit in the 3rd inning to left. Gordon hit a ball that Carp couldn't find. It was a pivotal moment of the game as Escobar scored the first run of the game and Vasquez had been cruising along. When half of your run total comes from a ball lost in the sky, you have to call yourself fortunate, and for the Mariners unlucky.
Went to Hit It Here Cafe, food was pretty good
Mariners are now 16-19 when I attend.
Att: 20,951
Royals 61-86
Gordon LF
Cabrera CF
Butler DH
Hosmer 1B
Francoeur RF
Navarro 3B
Pena C
Getz 2B
Escobar SS
Teaford P
Mariners 61-84
Ichiro Rf
Ryan SS
Ackley 2B
Carp LF
Smoak 1B
Olivo C
Wells CF
Bard C
Liddi 3B
Vasquez P
Teaford made his first ML start and lasted 5 innings... he only had 73 pitches but they had him on a pitch count, no doubt, 'cause he was rolling along. He ended his day by striking out three batters in the 5th, and sandwiching a BB in there. He had 3 total hits, 1 walk, and 1 WP with 5 Ks, and picked up the 2-1 win.
It was more fine pitching and offensive ineptitude as the Mariners scored just 1 run on 6 hits. The most exciting moment of the game was when Rookie Steve Delabar made his ML Debut in the 9th inning. Just a few months ago he was a substitute pitcher and in Class A. Only baseball can provide you feel good stories like that. He threw a perfect inning, striking out the last two batters.
As I say a lot, there is always something interesting that happens at every game. Today was the sun double that the Royals hit in the 3rd inning to left. Gordon hit a ball that Carp couldn't find. It was a pivotal moment of the game as Escobar scored the first run of the game and Vasquez had been cruising along. When half of your run total comes from a ball lost in the sky, you have to call yourself fortunate, and for the Mariners unlucky.
Went to Hit It Here Cafe, food was pretty good
Mariners are now 16-19 when I attend.
Att: 20,951
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