Tag Archives: Bay

g84 | middle inning dreck, beautiful bookends!

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Mariners 4 | Rangers 2

ON THE MOUND
Felix did what he does . . .
pitched extremely well, allowing only TWO solo shots in the 5th, and managed to keep his cool when he got NO run support. But, no doubt he was as happy as the rest for the TEAM WIN  . . .
SEVEN innings ~ SEVEN hits ~ TWO earned runs ~ TWO walks ~ SEVEN strikeouts

} Yoervis struck out the first batter he faced in the 8th and then gave up a hit
} Charlie came in and tossed 1.2 scoreless/hitless innings
} The BEST news of the night, is not just that the M’s won, it’s that CLOSING TIME is BACK!!
Tom came into the 10th and retired the side for his first save since June 10th (his first opportunity since June 18th – which he blew and lost his role). It wasn’t a total surprise as he has been working his way back – coming into this game, in his last FOUR outings ~total of 3.1 innings~ he hadn’t allowed a hit OR a walk and struck out FOUR . . . Good on ya, Tommy!!!

AT THE PLATE
Things started out well . . .
~ Jason led off with his ELEVENTH homer of the season (all solo shots) marking a new club record for lead-off shots (SEVEN).  But then, a string of gettin’ ’em ON (at least TWO runners on in the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th) without gettin’ ’em OVER, let alone IN. The 6th was particularly frustrating as they loaded the bases with ONE out and were only able to push ONE run across – granted, via a great AB by Mike Z, he was down 0-2 and ended up with an RBI single that tied the game at the time (but, no one would argue that they should have gotten more). oh, and the FOURTEEN strikeouts weren’t exactly pride-worthy.

~ Encouraging to see Justin with another THREE hits (batting .310 since his return from the DL June 18)

~ Kyle was the hero in the 10th, as he launched a TWO run shot (his third hit of the game) to give the M’s a TWO run lead. Honorable Mention goes to Michael S for working a walk prior to that – he was down 0-2 and drew FOUR straight balls.

Kyle rounds the bases in the 10th | Tony Gutierrez, AP

Kyle rounds the bases in the 10th | Tony Gutierrez, AP

IN THE FIELD

Only ONE dp but, it was a big one – ended the 7th with TWO on and preserved the tie at the time

tweet of the game . . .

 

g82 | I thought the Cubbies were supposed to stink . . .

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Mariners 6 | Cubs 7

Between catching up on errands and chores that went neglected yesterday in favor of social engagements and loss of cable and internet for awhile this afternoon, I was unable to see any of the game, though listened to as much as possible. ‘t was pretty bleak early, pretty exciting late and pretty disappointing in the end, though, not without bright spots on which I will try to focus.

ON THE MOUND
Jeremy’s M’s debut back in early June left much to be desired, as he gave up SEVEN earned runs and was unable to get out of the 5th. Since then, he’s had FOUR total starts and gone at least 5+ in each (once a full EIGHT) and given up a total of FOUR earned runs.  Today, the Cubs definitely had his number, as he wasn’t even able to get out of the FOURTH . . .
3.1 innings ~ SIX hits ~ SIX runs ~ FOUR earned runs ~ TWO walks ~ TWO strikeouts

} Enter long-man, Blake. He allowed an inherited runner to score and then ONE of his own but, settled down and pitched pretty well . . .
4.2 innings ~ THREE hits ~ ONE earned run ~ ZERO walks ~ FOUR strikeouts

} Oh sO good to see Tommy mow ’em down! first batter took awhile to get (9 pitches till the fly out) but then a quick ground out and a strikeout swinging.

AT THE PLATE
Let’s just get the bad outta the way . . .
ONE fer FOURTEEN w/RISP (blech! blech! blech!)

Now then, the good . . .
~ TEN hits ~ SEVEN for extra bases ~ FOUR doubles (2x Endy, 2x Brad) + THREE homers
~ Brad with his FIRST and SECOND big league hits ~ both doubles  ~ and his FIRST run scored
~ Jason with his TENTH homer (all solo shots)
~ Rauuuuuuul with his NINETEENTH homer (his total for ALL of last year)
~ Kyle with his ELEVENTH homer (a TWO-run shot to get the M’s to within ONE in the 8th)
~ Kyle and Nick (the future is now) each with TWO rbi

Brad's first big league hit - a double | Photo/Ted S. Warren, AP

Brad’s first big league hit – a double | Photo/Ted S. Warren, AP

IN THE FIELD

A rare (best fielding 3B going into this game) and unfortunate error by Kyle allows 2 unearned runs

tweets of the game . . .

 

g81 | Turks lose in extras . . . but, they looked awfully dapper!

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Mariners 3 | Cubs 5 (in 11)

Didn’t get to see or follow this game at all ~ too many social engagements: a lovely house-warming party for a friend WAY up north and then a joint birthday for two others back down south. I caught a bit of the post game so, between that and the box score, I gleaned the following . . .

ON THE MOUND
Harang with a valiant effort to keep ’em in the game . . .
EIGHT innings ~ FIVE hits ~ THREE earned runs ~ ZERO walks ~ ONE strikeout
} Charlie and Yoervis each with a scoreless inning
} Ollie with a rare lapse allowed what would be the eventual winning hit ~ a 2-run homer in the 11th

AT THE PLATE
TEN hits including THREE doubles and a homer (Justin) not to mention 3 fer 6 w/RISP – sounds good, right? Apparently, it was woefully short. There was even an inning where the M’s got THREE hits, including a double, but failed to score (Bay caught stealing, Raul doubled, Justing singled and Raul was thrown out at home). Seemed to be par for the course for the day.
Endy was able to tie things up to send the game to extras but, a strange combinations of injury (Dustin diving for a ball and spraining his thumb) and Bay having pinch run for Kendrys meant they lost the DH (I really can’t keep track) and in the end that meant that Joe Saunders was in line to pinch hit for Oliver – which he did and flew out to end the game.

IN THE FIELD
*each team had an outfield assist
*Jason was picked off between 1B and 2B and seems like that really killed what might have been a nice rally

Brendan as a Turk | Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images

Brendan as a Turk | Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images

tweets of the game . . .

g80 | of veteran triples, rookie game-winning hits, and things that sparkle and boom after victory

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Mariners 5 | Cubs 4

All early signs pointed to a pretty special night at the ball park – the best of which was the fact that I would be enjoying it with a dear friend who (much to our mutual astonishment) I had never attended a game with! Anyhoo, here are the rest of those harbingers of fun, in no particular order . . .

o 88 degrees of wonderful warmth at the first pitch
o Mike McReady playing the National Anthem and tossing the first pitch
o rare meeting with the Cubbies (with many fans who either travel well or live in Seattle)
o happenstance meeting ~at Edgar’s~ of the lovely, esteemed author and photog of Section331
o big league debut of the M’s newest rookie ~ SS Brad Miller
o Dustin’s debut in CF
o anticipation of the first ever fireworks show at Safeco Field to immediately follow the game

Mike McReady

Mike McReady

All that, and we not only ended up seeing a great baseball game but, a Mariners extra-inning, walk-off win AND a fantabulous fireworks show (set to music and everything)!!!

ON THE MOUND
Save for an errant triple in the 2nd and a silly top of the 7th where he gave up TWO solo shots, Kuma was Kuma. Especially good to see him come back out for the 8th and retire the side in order. His balls-to-strikes ratio was crazy good (90/69) and he still sits atop the AL in starters WHIP at a minuscule 0.88
EIGHT innings ~ SIX hits ~ FOUR earned runs ~ ZERO walks ~ FIVE strikeouts

} Ollie bringing it lately ~ no different tonight, as he struck out the side in the 9th

} Yoervis faces the minimum in the 10th ~ with the help of the pitcher’s best friend

AT THE PLATE
~ several 0’fers but some multi-hit games as well (Mike, Nick and Kendrys)
~ Jason got the M’s on the board with a solo shot in the 5th
~ Brad earned his first major league RBI in the 7th when he hit into a fielder’s choice that scored  Jason
~ In the 8th, Kendrys doubled home Nick and Raul hit an RBI triple to score Michael (pinch running for Kendrys)
~ In the 10th, Mike came through with an RBI single scoring Michael

Brad's first AB

Brad’s first AB

IN THE FIELD
* of course, the first play of the game goes to the “new guy” Brad fielded it cleanly for the 6-3 put out
* Nick with a throwing error in the 2nd in which the first TWO Cubbie runs scored
* Justin right place, right time for a super smash line-out double play
* Brad with his first major league steal in the 7th

tweets of the game . . .

the night the lights went out at Safeco. . .

the night the lights went out at Safeco. . .

I have video of some of the fireworks show but for some reason I can’t seem to get it to post 😦

But, some really good pics here . . .

 

g63 | Y’s / M’s season series tied at 3

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Mariners 1 | Yankees 3

Didn’t see much of the game today and the innings I did see found me a bit distracted by the fact that today was the wedding day of my best friend’s first child and only son and, as such, made the loss easier to take 🙂

ON THE MOUND
Looks like Safeco Joe posted a quality start, though not quite up to par with his typical home start . . .
6.2 innings ~ SEVEN hits ~ THREE earned runs ~ TWO walks ~ FOUR strikeouts

} The bullpen of Danny + Ollie + Carter combined for 2.2 innings of scoreless ball w/THREE strikeouts

AT THE PLATE
Pettitte and Co. held the M’s to a meager FOUR hits . . .
~ Kyle, who extended his hitting streak to 12, had two of them (ONE off Andy, ONE off Mo)
~Brandon Bantz went 0-2 in his major league debut
~ Michael M drove in the M’s first and only run via a sac fly to score Jason and tie the game at 1-1 (good to see his back coming back around, though he still can’t go full speed with the tender quad)

IN THE FIELD
– Some nice grabs in the OF by Jason and Raul (the old guys surprise in the field now and then)
– Nick with a DP attempt in the 5th was only able to get the lead runner as he bobbled the ball on the transfer
– Brendan just keeps doing his thing at SS (great play to end the 6th)
– Brandon had a couple CS chances (apparently, a skill he’s quite adept at) but, both thefts were successful

quote of the game . . .(via via Greg Johns, MLB.com)

Brandon Bantz made his first career start for the Mariners at catcher, going 0-for-2 before being pinch-hit for in the eighth. Bantz received a standing ovation from the crowd before his first at-bat, with home-plate umpire Laz Diaz telling him to tip his cap before getting into the box.

“That was something I didn’t really expect at all,” said Bantz, called up this week when Jesus Sucre injured his left hand. “I got some chills through my body there. I didn’t really know what to do. Do I wait, do I let them keep going, do I step in here? Then Laz looks at me and said, ‘You’re not stepping into the box until you give them a wave.’ That was a moment I’ll never forget, the Mariners faithful there. I appreciate that a lot. That was pretty cool.”

M*A*S*H and MOVEMENT
* Carlos Triunfel recalled from AAA as Jesus Sucre goes to the 15-DL with a hand injury
* Kendrys left the game in the 6th (replaced by Alex Liddi) with back stiffness 😦

tweets of the game . . .

g62 | Will the REAL Jeremy Bonderman please stand up?

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Mariners 4 | Yankees 1

ON THE MOUND

Wow – what a difference a week makes!
First M’s outing (in MIN) 4.2 innings ~ NINE hits ~ SEVEN earned runs ~ ONE walk ~ ONE strikeout
Tonight: SIX innings ~ THREE hits ~ ONE earned run ~ ONE walk ~ TWO strikeouts

Way to go, Jeremy!

} Yoervis went 1.2 with TWO strikeouts and ONE walk
} Charlie came in to finish the 8th by striking out Cano
} The Bartender had walked four of the last five ‘first batters’ he faced so, to get the first guy with a strikeout was a huge relief. He ended up allowing a two-out double to Youk but then was able to get Wells to fly out to secure his FIFTEENTH save and Jeremy’s FIRST M’s victory! (since Sept of 2010).

AT THE PLATE
4’s and 2’s were big
M’s scored FOUR runs in the FOURTH w/TWO outs via TWO, TWO-run singles

It all started with Michael M’s double (his first since returning to the lineup from the quad strain) then Nick walked and Kelly walked. So, with the bases loaded, Brendan came through with a TWO-run single and on a single that hit the 2B bag, Endy re-loaded the bases for Jason who also hit a TWO-run single.

THREE doubles of NINE hits, not a bad extra base ratio

IN THE FIELD
* Brendan with an error (that he MORE than made up for with his RBIs!)
* Kelly with a pick-off of Wells at 2B and a nice mile-high pop-up catch
* Michael S made a great running, shoestring catch when he went in for the 8th and had the first ball hit to him
* Kyle made a great hot corner snare to end the game

tweets of the game . . .

instagram of the game . . . (courtesy of the Seahawks)

g61 | words not typically uttered . . . thank heaven for Blake Beavan!

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Mariners 1 | Yankees 6

Not the most enjoyable game I’ve ever attended, and a loss is a loss but, it’s not like (even as rosy as I am) I really expected a win tonight. Not after the marathon yesterday in which EVERY position player played ALL SIXTEEN innings and then, add to that, an up/down Aaron Harang on the mound ~ it wasn’t a recipe that screamed success. So, the fact that the game ~as a whole~ ended up better than expected because of the performance of Blake Beavan was very encouraging. It’s not every day a reliever posts a quality start 😉

ON THE MOUND
Aaron Harang’s night in Seattle against the Yankees wasn’t quite as bad as Phil Hughes’ outing in New York against the Mariners (when he gave up 7 runs and didn’t get out of the 1st inning). In fact, things were looking manageable after the first TWO innings – a hit batsman the only base runner. Then came the 3rd and the melt-down ensued . . . FIVE singles, ONE double, TWO homers and SIX runs later, Aaron was out of the game.

Enter Blake Beavan, fresh back from Tacoma. I was worried that things weren’t going to get any better with this switch (in fact, part of me thought it might get worse). Was I glad to be wrong. Blake came in and not only ate innings (to save that depleted bullpen) but MOWED ’em down – retiring NINETEEN of the TWENTY batters he faced (and got the double play immediately after the single).

His performance really can’t be over-stated. They needed an outing like that because it helped in the immediate (resting a totally depleted bullpen) as well as provided some encouragement for the future, should Harang and Bonderman continue to struggle (whether it be as a long man or as the mop up dude. In any case, when was the last time a “reliever” posted a line like this?

6.2 innings ~ ONE hit ~ ZERO runs ~ ZERO walks ~ FOUR strikeouts

AT THE PLATE
Combine players who played SIXTEEN innings the day before and a pitcher who is “on his stick” and it’s not typically an easy day at the office.  Phil Hughes was the total opposite of what the guys saw in NY in May. the only managed FOUR total hits (THREE off Hughes) and only ONE extra base hit (a Kyle Seager’s RBI double in the 8th).

IN THE FIELD
* nice double play in the 8th to erase the sole base-runner Blake allowed
* Jason put out the side in order in the 2nd

tweets of the game . . . 

g56 | misery in Minnie . . .

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Mariners 4 | Twins 5

What a shame that SO much good in this game (like Aaron’s QS, Jason’s TWO homers, hitless/scoreless relief from Ollie and Carter and Michael’s positive steps) had to be over-shadowed by a gut-wrenching melt-down that ended in, yet ANOTHER, walk-off loss.

ON THE MOUND
Aaron has now posted FOUR quality starts in his last FIVE and definitely kept them in it today, getting out of trouble, much like Kuma yesterday, multiple times . . .
SIX innings ~ FOUR hits ~ 2 runs ~ ONE earned run ~ TWO walks ~ FOUR strikeouts
Unfortunately, that unearned run by his own hand (er, arm), a bad throw home, would loom large in the 9th

} Ollie and Carter combined for TWO scoreless/hitless innings
} The Bartender had nothing today ~ walked the bases loaded, sac fly, 2-rbi triple ended it in Minnie’s favor

AT THE PLATE
~ Things were looking pretty rosy in the first, with back-to-back jacks from Jason and Kyle
~ And, while far from a juggernaut O, M’s would add on via another homer from Jason and an RBI single from Raul.
~ Also great to see Michael hitting the ball hard with a solid single and a ringing double

IN THE FIELD
A couple of errors (Brendon and Aaron) in the 6th ~ Aaron’s allows an unearned run

tweets of the game . . . 

 

g53 | say it ain’t so, Joe!

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Mariners 2 | Padres 3

the cliff notes . . .
Joe was awesome, Jason was clutch, Carter was Houdini and Tom was none of those 😦

ON THE MOUND
You’ve heard of Safeco Joe, how ’bout Petco Joe? (suggested first by kjrmitch)
He had gone 22.2 scoreless innings against the Pads. He did end up surrendering a run (first inning solo shot) but, was lights out otherwise. What a shame to waste what was FINALLY a road start to right home about . . .
SEVEN runs ~ FOUR hits ~ ONE run ~ ZERO walks ~ THREE strikeouts

Apparently, the Pads like to load the bases . . .
^ they did so in the 8th against Carter ~ but came away empty (just call him Houdini!)
^ they did so in the 9th against Tom ~ tied the game (gave up his first hit to a RH’er this season)
^ they did so in the 10th against Yoervis ~ won the game (poor kid, hopefully he’ll learn from it)

AT THE PLATE
~ the bats posted another double-digit (12) strikeout game (ugh!) to go with ZERO walks (double ugh!)
~ They only managed FOUR hits with their first not coming until Endy’s single in the 4th and he would eventually score (Kyle doubled and Kendrys grounded out)
~ Justin hit for Joe in the 8th (he flew out but, good to see him swinging the bat again after the oblique strain)
~ Jason’s homer gave them the lead 2-1 in the 9th (what a pleasant surprise he has been)
~ Nick collected his first major league hit . . .

IN THE FIELD
I didn’t see much of the game but sounds like there were some great plays on both sides. with multiple jaw-droppers by Endy and Ryan, as per usual.

tweets of the game . . . 

M*A*S*H and MOVEMENT

Guti slowly heating up on his rehab assignment (another 2 hits tonight -both doubles- and a walk  in a crazy 25-6 Rainiers win in Colorado Springs)

Michael M stayed behind in Seattle – tests on the quad showed just a strain (3-5 days)

Alex Liddi was re-called and Brandon Maurer was sent down . . .
I think this will be best for Brandon – I’ve thought all along he should have started the season in AAA, skipping levels rarely seems to go well.

g51 | complete game, in more ways than one!

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Mariners 9 | Padres 0

Lookie what happens when the Mariners . . .
1 – pitch completely (though a complete game shutout was far from expected!)
2 – hit profusely & productively (who had ’em scoreing NINE runs, including THREE homers?!?)
3 – catch & throw sparklingly (great to see the “D” back to form, ‘t was looking a bit tarnished lately)

ON THE MOUND
What a difference a week makes!
To be fair, Aaron’s last outing came after FOURTEEN days off after skipping a start with a stiff back. Apparently, his back is all better and he relished the chance to face his “home town” team . . .
COMPLETE GAME SHUTOUT ~ FOUR hits ~ TWO walks ~ EIGHT strikeouts

Way to go, Aaron! | Ted S. Warren, AP

Way to go, Aaron! | Ted S. Warren, AP

Bonus = bullpen gets a day off!

AT THE PLATE
You wanted runs? You got runs  . . .
~ Every starter except Kyle and Carlos had at least one hit (Kyle walked and scored twice)
~ ELEVEN hits, FIVE for extra bases (homers: Jason, Michael M, Kelly ~ doubles: Kendrys, Raul)
~ FOUR for EIGHT w/RISP
~ THREE with multiple hits: Kendrys (3), Michael and Endy (2 each)
~ the “new guy” takes a walk in his first big league AB ~ congrats, Nick!
~ How HOT is Kendrys?!? now hitting over .300 . . .
in his last SEVEN games: 16/30 with ONE homer, SEVEN doubles and NINE rbi

Michael drives in THREE | Ted S. Warren, AP

Michael drives in THREE | Ted S. Warren, AP

IN THE FIELD
It brings my heart joy (and I’m sure Aaron was pretty happy about it too!) to see the stellar DEE . . .
* ENDY with some awesome twisting, turning catches in CF
* KENDRY can move! Nice hustle on a fly pop and quick reflexes on the snare of a low liner
* AARON helps his own cause (not to mention his self-preservation!) by snaring a come-backer and getting a DP
* NICK gets into the game in the top of the 8th and, as per usual, “the ball finds the new guy” TWICE 🙂

what a catch! | Ted S. Warren, AP

what a catch! | Ted S. Warren, AP

tweets of the game . . .

https://twitter.com/SteveSandmeyer/status/339115981198725120