Tag Archives: Almonte

g22 | opportunity was banging down the door!

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Mariners 2 | Astros 3

James’ start VERY encouraging.
The offense VERY frustrating.

goodbad

ON the MOUND
So great to see James finally put up an outing just like we expected!
SEVEN innings ~ FIVE hits ~ TWO earned runs ~ TWO walks ~ SEVEN strikeouts 
Unfortunately, he got NO help from his OH

} Awesome that Carson already has a Mariners record . . .

} Dom started out great: retiring the first FOUR batters he faced (retired the side in order in the 9th and then got the lead off guy in the 10 to ground out). But, then a double, a walk and an Altuve LONG single that scored the winning run

AT the PLATE
SOOOOO many chances . . .
~ ELEVEN hits – ALL singles
~ FOUR walks (though none scored)
~ Only TWO innings out of TEN did the M’s have ZERO base-runners (6th and 7th)
~ BOTH runs scored in the 1st:  THREE consecutive infield singles and a GDIP (Nellie) scored the first run and Kyle lined one of the few solid hits to drive in the second
~ AJ had THREE hits (and a steal)
~ top of the order went SEVEN for FOURTEEN w/TWO runs scored
~ Nellie had a rare 0-fer, Brad also 0-fer but, w/TWO walks

IN the FIELD
Brad had a nice defensive game, including a DP (Brad-Robbie-LoMo)

tweets of the game . . .

https://twitter.com/SteveSandmeyer/status/593953816510238721

g20 | yucKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

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The ‘Stros just love Safeco FIeld (6-3 here last season, whereas the M’s were 7-3 at MinuteMaid)
The Mariners not so much . . . for the second straight game, the M’s struck out FOURTEEN times
(including 1-2-3 each K’ing THREE times – eeeeeeeek!)

Mariners 2 | Astros 5

 

strike out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ON THE MOUND
The good news is, Erasmo only gave up THREE hits. The bad news is TWO of them left the park . . .
As many in the twitter-sphere noted, Erasmo seemed to have “Noesi-itis” as he gave up ONE home run in each of the first TWO innings – BOTH on 0-2 pitches. But, to his credit, he settled down quite nicely and retired the last NINE in-a-row . . . SIX innings ~ THREE hits ~ THREE earned runs ~ THREE walks ~ EIGHT strikeouts

} Dominic gave up a homer of his own
) Danny didn’t have it – took him 37 pitches to get THREE outs in the 8th and he gave up ONE run on FOUR hits in the process
} Yourvis made things interesting in the 9th but, came away unscathed (though it was too little too late by that time)

AT THE PLATE
Mr. McHugh had it going on tonight . . . .
in for the injured Feldman, safe to say he’ll get another turn . . . TWELVE of those FOURTEEN K’s belonged to him

~ Justin with a SMOAK BOMB into the visiting bullpen to cut the Stros lead in half at the time
~ Good to see Brad check-in with a ground rule double in the 8th (breaking an 0-15)

IN THE FIELD
Another grounder bobble in CF by Abe (the fly balls, OK, it takes time but, grounders? really no excuse) but defense a bit better overall

tweets of the game . . .

 

g19 | home SOUR home and an UNhappy Felix Day . . .

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‘Stros were on a SEVEN game losing streak, M’s on a SIX gamer – something had to give – so much for sweet and happy at home 😦

The combination of sucky DEE, lack of hitting with RISP and an unusually UNsharp Felix made for a pretty embarrassing night all ’round.

Mariners 2 | Astros 7

sour

ON THE MOUND
Felix gave up his first hit of the game with one out in the 4th (he deflected it enough so that the runner just beat Brad’s throw). Felix gave up his first hit of the season w/RISP in the 5th (2-run homer). Felix gave up his second and third hits w/RISP in the 6th (sac fly and RBI double) and the ‘Stros scored FOUR unearned runs to take the 6-2 lead. And that was that for a very UNhappy Felix day . . .
SEVEN innings ~ SIX runs ~ TWO earned runs ~ ONE walk ~ FOUR strikeouts

 

} enter the Bartender, and things did not improve . . .
he got TWO quick outs and then: homer, single, walk made it 7-2
Too little, too late Tom sat them down 1-2-3 in the 9th

AT THE PLATE
~ Stefen with the first hit of the game (on either side) in the 2nd, an infield hit (he’s fast!)
~ Abe made up for an ugly miscue in the field w/a pretty ONE out TWO run double to tie the game in the 5th
~ TWO more doubles (Mike and Stefen) but, no more runs
~ Mike with an EPIC foul ball :/

IN THE FIELD
* Unusual “double-play” to end the top of the 1st – batter flies out, runner doubled off 1B
* whoa! Corey can throw the “hard slide” (breaks up the DP in the 4th, putting runners at 1B & 3B with TWO out but, becomes moot as Stefen pops up)
* ugh! Abe had a sharp grounder to shallow CF go between his legs allowing the runner to get to 2B
* Mike fielded a bunt and made a PERFECT throw to 3B but, Kyle muffed it so, not only was the lead-off double safe at 3B, the bunter was safe at 1B
* Stefen was OH-SO-close to robbing Presley of an RBI triple and a nice sliding effort along the short wall (but, a fan caught it, instead of giving way to him :/)

tweet (SINGULAR!) of the game . . .

 

g16 | of rallies, transfers and home run machines . . .

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The game was much closer than the final score would indicate and encouraging signs for the M’s . . .
-like coming from behind again, TWICE
-like great combo of mid-relief
-like nice defense (despite the errors) all ’round
But, obviously, some disappointments and frustrations as well . . .
-like Chris Young’s early exit
-like Yourvis, struggle (thought there were extenuating circumstances: “the transfer” and that Giancarlo guy)

Mariners 4 | Marlins 8

heart break

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ON THE MOUND
Chris got hit hard this time ’round and, consequently, didn’t last long . . .
THREE innings ~ SEVEN hits ~ FOUR earned runs ~ THREE walks ~ ZERO strikeouts

The bullpen was stellar – to start . . .
} Joe, Tom, Charlie and Yourvis combined for FOUR+ innings of scoreless releif
} then came the 9th and Yourvis lost it – two singles with no outs and then “the transfer” . . .
Yourvis made a BEAUTIFUL play on a bunt, fielding it bare-handed and tossing it to Kyle at 3B for what was initially ruled the first out of the inning. Unfortunately, the play was reviewed and subsequently over-turned (ruling that Kyle didn’t have possession on the transfer) and the runner was called safe – leaving bases loaded, no outs, (instead of runners at 1B and 2B w/one out) . . . enter Giancarlo and the rest is history.

AT THE PLATE
It looked as if they might chase Eovaldi early . . .
~ both Abe and Corey had 9+ pitch ABs in the 1st
~ but, he ended up lasting SIX and only ONE of the THREE runs he allowed were earned
~ still, good to see the come from behind acumen for the second straight night
~ also good to see Kyle gettin’ it goin’ a bit and Corey continuing to swing well
~ and, James Jones got his first major league hit in his first major league at bat (infield single!)

IN THE FIELD
The M’s were able to capitalize on some miscues by the Marlins but, unfortunately, vise versa
* Nice caught stealing by Mike to Brad – nailed!
* Joe had a nice pick-off of Salty at 1B in the 5th
* and, had it not been over-turned via replay due to “the transfer”, Yourvis’s play would have earned WebGem honors, no doubt.

tweets of the game . . . 

 

g10 | Trading Places . . .

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Mariners 1 | Athletics 3

ON THE MOUND
Erasmo WAY too many pitches, WAY too many balls but, he made it through FIVE . . .
SIX hits ~ THREE earned runs ~ THREE walks ~ THREE strikeouts

} Nice outing from the pen as Dominic and Joe combine for FOUR scoreless innings allowing only ONE hit and ONE walk

AT THE PLATE
Only FIVE hits and ZERO for NINE w/RISP not going to get it done . . .
tip o’ the cap to Mr. Gray

(I was a bit surprised that Mike wasn’t called to pinch hit for John with the tying runs aboard and TWO outs in the 9th)

IN THE FIELD
* Justin, of course, with a WEB GEM (lay out snare of a low liner)
* Dustin with some “troubles with transfers” once again 😦

tweets of the game . . .

 

g6 |first series loss but, a still a winning road trip (4-2)

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Mariners 3 | Athletics 6

ON THE MOUND
After not allowing a walk in his first start (SEVEN innings vs the Angels) Erasmo allowed a walk in each of the first TWO innings to the A’s but, didn’t get into serious trouble until the 3rd, when a couple of singles and a homer tied the game at THREE. The A’s took the lead in the 5th via a single, stolen base, walk, wild pitch and a single – so, without recording an out in the 5th, that would be Erasmo’s day . . .

FOUR innings pitched ~ SEVEN hits ~ FIVE runs ~ THREE earned runs ~ THREE walks ~ ONE strikeout

} Chris took over in the 5th where his Mariners debut turned out to be his first (non-All Star Game) career bullpen appearance (he was scheduled to start Friday’s game that was called due to poor field conditions) and he proceeded to retire SIX straight batters (first out in the 5th allowed an inherited runner to score).
} Dominic seemed to have some butterflies (not an usual occurrence in one’s big league debut) as he allowed a lead-off double and a walk, threw 27 pitches but, in the end, he didn’t allow a run. Debut outing = mixed bag, Debut results = success
} Yourvis allowed the A’s SIXTH run via a lead-off homer to Cespedes in the 8th then retired the next THREE batters in order

AT THE PLATE
~EIGHT hits (including TWO doubles) and THREE walks is an OK day but, 3 for 11 not so much. Gotta give the A’s defense credit – there were some very hard hit balls that were either at ’em in the infield or that A’s OF’ers made spectacular plays on.
~ Good to see Michael get his first couple of hits
~ Once again, some questionable ball/strike calls – especially the last strike call on Abe that ended the game (but, it all evens out . . . right?)

IN THE FIELD
* Dustin lost a ball in the sun in the 2nd but, it didn’t end up hurting them, in large part to Cespedes’ base-running blunder
* Justin smothered a line drive and was able to feed it to Brad to get the lead runner at 2B in the 3rd
* Brad makes a huge head’s up play to back up Abe after he made a diving effort on a sinking line drive that popped out of his glove – Brad fires to 1B to nail the runner who had started toward 2B and was out trying to get back to 1B when Justin tagged him ~ by a hair ~ (Melvin asked for the review, and lost)
* Crazy play on a fly ball to Abe who seemed to catch it, take a few steps and then lose it on the transfer but, it was ruled a no catch. Either way, it was the first out of the inning so, the runner from 3B scored and there was a runner at 1B instead of 2B

tweets of the game . . .

 

Some M’s numbers and rankings after the first road trip of the season . . .

numbers photo ^ lead the AL West with a 4-2 record
^ offense has outscored opponents 34-18
^ offense tied (w/Rays) for most extra base hits in the AL (2nd in homers behind  – the Astros!
^ pitching staff has the lowest WHIP (1.04) in the AL
^ pitching staff has the third lowest ERA (2.62) behind the A’s & Rays
^ don’t count ’em out ~ M’s lead the majors in 9th inning with TEN!

 

 

g5 | F ‘n’ F = Felix and Fernando, winning combo

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crown

 

So, Friday’s game was postponed, not due to rain but because of  a “soggy field”. Apparently, the tarp was purposely left off the field in an attempt to let it dry out from previous rain but, lack of action because of a misinterpreted forecast led to an “un-playable” field when it got further water-logged by an unexpected downpour.

In the end, it might work out for the Mariners, as all the starters except Chris Young, who has yet to pitch, stay on turn.

Mariners 3 | Athletics 1

ON THE MOUND
We’ve come to expect Felix to dominate ~ especially when facing the A’s  . . .
Expectations. Met.

The King | Ben Margot, AP

The King | Ben Margot, AP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
EIGHT.ONE innings pitched ~ SIX hits ~ ONE earned run ~ ONE walk ~ EIGHT strikeouts

 

} Yay for Fernando!
FIRST save as a Mariner 🙂

 

AT THE PLATE
A’s starter (Straily) was no slouch either but, M’s bats were able to do   j  u  s  t   enough . . .
~ only SEVEN hits but, FOUR for extra bases
~ ONE for THREE w/RISP is nothing to write home about but, adding to their major league leading homer total (8) with a couple more JACKS (via Abe and Ack) is at least worth a tweet or two 😉

 

IN THE FIELD
Some absolutely SPARKLING DEE today . . .
* Smoaky can JUMP!
* Abe to the WALL!
* Condor with the SHOESTRING!

 

quote of the game . . .
on Ackely’s AB that ended in a two-run homer . . .

“Sometimes, when you’re trying to do the right thing for the team – good things happen for you.”
–Dave Valle

 

tweets of the game . . .

 

 

g4 | of base on balls, strike called balls and meatballs . . .

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walk

 

 

 

 

 

Mariners pitchers walked a total of FOUR batters in the THREE game series in Anaheim.
Tonight they walked TEN (it’s a miracle that only one of those came ’round to score)

Mariners 2 | Athletics 3 (in 12)

ON THE MOUND
Roenis’ major league debut was shaky in the first couple of innings when he walked three but, then settled he down. At one point he had retired ten straight and, in fact would have recorded FIVE no-hit innings had not a VERY questionable ball call been made by the ump – it would have been strike three to end the inning but, instead was called a ball and the batter singled on the next pitch. Well, welcome to the Big Leagues Roenis – make it a positive learning experience 🙂
FIVE innings ~ TWO hits ~ ONE earned run ~ THREE walks ~ THREE strikeouts

} Yourvis was a mixed bag of for the SIX batters he faces: two strikeouts and two ground outs before walking two in-a-row
} Charlie came in with TWO on, ONE out . . . got a line out to RF, then gave up a single to load the bases and then a strikeout on THREE pitches
} Tom was up to some old not-so-good tricks in the 8th 😦 taking over after Charlie walked the lead off guy, he walked the next guy, got a double play but, then gave up an RBI triple and then walked the next batter and then got a ground ball out to end the inning
} Danny had a nice 9th, to send the game into extras, with TWO strikeouts and a fly-out but allowed a couple of walks in the 10th ~ Joe to the rescue to send it to the 11th
} Joe then pitched the full 11th, giving up a hit but no runs (and, the only M’s pitcher tonight who threw more than one pitch and didn’t walk at least one)
} Hector 12th – second pitch = BOOM! game over 😦

AT THE PLATE
The bats cooled off in OakTown . . .
~ whether it was the weather or just better pitching or a combination, I’m not sure ~ M’s took advantage of TWO errors in the 1st to get their first run: Abraham scored on Robbie’s ground out after reaching 1B on a fielding error and advancing to 2B on a throwing error. They didn’t get their second run until the 5th when they had THREE singles, with Almonte’s of the RBI variety ~ the 8th was particularly frustrating as the A’s pitcher needed only 9 pitches to get THREE fly-ball outs

IN THE FIELD
* Play of the game was a sinking line drive by Flud that Abraham dove for and missed, it went all the way to the wall where LoMo chased it down, threw to Robbie who in turn threw a bullet to Zunino who tagged the would-be inside-the-parker OUT. Melvin had the play reviewed ~ it was not over-turned and, at that point (bottom 5) M’s led 2-1
* TWO nice DP’s
* Abe’s base-running blunder was a bit embarrassing but, hey, at least he’s almost always on base (he’ll learn from it)

tweets of the game . . .

https://twitter.com/SteveSandmeyer/status/451922914212712448

 

g1 | Opening Day Fun for Felix ~ fun for everyone!

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IMG_1811

Here’s hoping that first position won’t be a stranger come June, July and August (I like they put the ‘Stros in second 😉 )

 

Mariners 10 | Angels 3

I was SO happy when I heard that the M’s would again be hosting an #OpenHouse for Opening Day!

I attended with my friend Kathy and we had a blast! So good to be “home” again 🙂

Obviously, the game was awesome (and I’ll get to that in a moment) but, it was even fun just people watching (well, except for a couple of yahoos that ran out on to the field – honestly, there wasn’t even a game, what’s that about?!?). Anyway, so many little kids running around, being silly, having fun. All the M’s gear – sure, there was a smattering of Seahawks blue and green but, Mariner navy and teal were in ample supply. And, the best part (apart from the win)? We don’t have to wait an entire week for the next game 😉

ON THE MOUND
Has Felix overcome his nemesis?
I admit, when Trout took Felix deep for a 2-run shot ~ in the 1st ~ I didn’t have a lot of hope that he would. But, not only did he recover, he got stronger as he went on (well, there was that little 30-pitch 3rd inning that hampered his chance to go more than SIX innings but, hey, it’s Opening Day!). It was great to see the bats rally in the top of the 7th to keep the book open for Felix for his eventual win  6IP ~ 4H ~ 2R ~ 3ER ~ 1BB ~ 11K

} Yourvis, Charlie, Tom and Danny combined for THREE scoreless innings (especially awesome to see Tommy go out there and be effective for 1+)

AT THE PLATE
Hard to find non-contributors here . . .

Even the TWO guys that didn’t get a hit (Morrison and Saunders) each walked and scored (and Michael also had an RBI)

more fun with numbers . . .
~ FOUR players had TWO hits (Almonte, Cano, Smoak, Ackley)
~ THREE players had ONE hit (Miller, Seager, Zunino)
~ FOUR doubles (Smoak, Seager, Almonte, Cano)
~ TWO triples (Zunino, Ackley)
~ ONE homer (Smoak)
~ EIGHT walks!

Ironic that Cano’s first hit as a Mariner was an infield single 😉
(since he was regularly dogged in NY about “jogging” to 1B)

IMG_1823

Smoak Bomb

Scoring on the bomb

Scoring on the bomb

got it!

got it!

to Disneyland!

to Disneyland!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IN THE FIELD
Not a super stellar night with the glove . . .
* Seager with an error
* Ackley with an ugly route to Pujols’ double off the wall
* Just not an overall good feel for the DEE but, it’s early 😉

 

IMG_1813

more “flag fun” 😉

 

tweets of the game . . . 

 

Looks like Justin is to be congratulated for more than just the game tonight . . . 

 

Thoughts and Prayers to Don Baylor after the horrific first pitch incident 😦

 

Meet the ’14 Mariners | Line ’em up

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serious addition

 

 

 

 

Obviously, there was a big, serious addition to the lineup but, listed in no particular order  . . .

C MIKEzunino
A hand injury suffered last season hampered Mike’s development for this season. He appears fully recovered and while main focus has to be handling the pitching staff (something his ACE gives him high praise for) hopefully, he’ll be able to make up for lost time at the plate (as one of only TWO righties in the regular line-up) as well as behind it.

1B JUSTINsmoak
Skipper made the proclamation at the start of ST that 1B was Justin’s to lose – definitely time (possibly past time?) for him to have a breakout season.

2B ROBINSONcano
So far, has been AS ADVERTISED and more ~ not only at the plate and in the field as an awesome bat and a great fielder but, also in the clubhouse as a wonderful mentor with an exceptional work ethic. Multiple players have expressed their appreciation for Robbie’s willingness to help younger players by sharing his knowledge and experience.

SS BRADmiller
There was a pretty intense competition between Brad and Nick but, in the end, Brad won out with an exceptional ST and Nick (while many speculated he would be traded – and may still be at some point) was sent to AAA

3B KYLEseager
Of the players that have come up in the past few years, Kyle has been, by far, the most consistent so, no reason to expect any less from him that good AB’s with a little bit of power and super solid handling of the hot corner.

CF ABRAHAMalmonte
While his Spring stats aren’t going to wow anyone, the whole package: range in center, speed, approach at the plate and aggressiveness (at the plate, on the bases and in the field) is likely what won Abraham a place on the 25-man, as well as a serious lead-off option.

LF DUSTINackley
For the first time in his big league career, Dustin can focus on ONE position: LEFT FIELD. With Cano ensconced at 2B and Almonte and Saunders in CF and RF respectively, seems like this singular focus may just be the ticket to the success we’ve been hoping to see.

RF MICHAELsaunders
While athletically gifted with strength, speed, agility and occasional power, Michael is lacking what Kyle epitomizes: consistency. Like Justin, seems like this may be a “make or break” year for Michael.

DH LOGANmorrison
Coming off knee surgery, doesn’t seem like he will be able to provide near the production that Morales did but, far be it from Rosy to be pessimistic. At the very least, CupOfLoMo seems to have taken over the role of “class clown” 😉