Tag Archives: Morse

Welcome to THE SHOW, Taijuan!

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Good-bye and good luck, Michael ~ Welcome to the M’s org, Xavier . . . 

 

g126 | series win against the ‘phants!

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Mariners 5 | Athletics 3

ON THE MOUND
Kuma gave up TWO lead-off homers but, posted his second straight solid outing to earn his TWELFTH victory . . .
SEVEN innings ~ SEVEN hits ~ THREE earned runs ~ TWO walks ~ FOUR strikeouts

} Charlie and Yoervis combined for a hitless / scoreless 8th and Danny “lorded” over the A’s, striking out the side in the 9th for his NINTH save in TEN tries

AT THE PLATE
Each team had SEVEN hits (including TWO doubles and ONE homer – the A’s also has a triple) but . .
the M’s were able to get the better of the A’s (and Dustin got the better of their catcher)
~ Michael M and Brad both hit solo shots
~ Brendan (in for Nick who’s still nursing a stitched up knee) hit a TWO-run double that gave the M’s the 4-3 lead in the 6th and then he added an RBI single to extend their lead to 5-3 in the 8th.

IN THE FIELD
Curious game with NO errors and NO double plays – on EITHER side

tweet of the game . . .

g111 | Happy totals make for a happy flight home

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And THIS is what can happen when the starting pitching isn’t perfect but gives you a chance, the offense does JUST enough and the bullpen is SHUTDOWN = win! win! win!

Mariners 3 | Orioles 2

ON THE MOUND
Houdini Joe showed up vs. his old team at Camden Yards . . .
allowing the lead-off batter to reach in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th innings
~AND~
working with a runner in scoring position in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th innings
But, able to escape damage until the 6th, when that lead-off runner finally came around to score on Valencia’s home run and the O’s took the lead 2-1. But, in the end, Joe’s ability to work out of trouble kept the M’s in it (with a little help from his BP)
SIX innings ~ EIGHT hits ~ TWO earned runs ~ TWO walks ~ TWO strikeouts

} Yoervis ‘s 7th was impressive, to say the least, as he retired the heart of the O’s order IN order:  Machado (K),  Jones (K) and Davis (1-pitch groundout) and then he followed up with a 1-2-3 8th (and economical as well – only 21 pitches)
} Danny (aka: Lord Farquhar) earned his second major league save, in as many chances, and preserved the game victory for Joe and the series victory for the M’s

Quite the development of Danny going on before our very eyes . . .
the volume of K’s has been eye-popping from the beginning but, he started out giving up a LOT of runs as well. In the pre-game, both Mike Blowers and Danny himself mentioned that he had “re-introduced” his curve ball to keep the hitters off balance (had previously relied a little to heavily on the cutter) and, pitching inside ~ the results are astounding . . .

  • first 10.2 innings of his season = 18 K’s, 10ER
  • next 9 innings = 10K’s, 3 ER
  • last 16 innings = 24 K’s, 7 ER

 

AT THE PLATE
~ the Ancient Mariners with ALL the M’s RBI today: Raul’s RBI double and Hank’s TWO-run homer
~ AB of the game (though it didn’t result in a run) was Justin’s 16-pitch base hit in the 4th
~ hit of the game was no doubt Hank’s 2-run homer in the 7th (apparently he can hit homers other than grand slams and in non-Felix games 😉 ) that was the first Chen had given up at Camden Yards all year – it recaptured the lead for the M’s that they would not relinquish

IN THE FIELD
* one DP turned (Brendan-Brad-Justin)
* no DP’s turned against the M’s but, wow can Chen can field his position! (see top 5th)
* defensive play of the game ~ Brad’s WebGem for the first out in the 9th, smash liner that he had to dive for

 

tweets of the game . . . 

https://twitter.com/HeyImSwash/status/364096705307754497

 

g109 | bombs in Baltimore can’t overcome the mound melt down

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But for the grand slam, ‘t was an 8-7 victory 😉

Mariners 8 | Orioles 11

ON THE MOUND
Aaron used up his “monthly bad start” already here on the 2nd of August (he’s had one game every month where he’s given up 6+ runs) . . .
FIVE innings ~ SEVEN hits ~ SEVEN earned runs ~ TWO walks ~ ONE strikeout

Brandon didn’t fair any better in his second appearance since being recalled . . .
THREE innings ~ FOUR hits ~ FOUR runs ~ ZERO walks ~ TWO strikeouts

(Well, at least the bullpen got some rest after the horror show that was the series in Boston)

AT THE PLATE
Certainly a decent night at the plate . . .
~ TWELVE hits ~ TWO doubles ~ FOUR homers ~ 3-5 w/RISP
(unfortunately, lately, it seems that when the offense clicks, the pitching implodes and when the pitching is shut-down, the bats ice up)
~ The “Michaels” had a nice night, combining for TWO homers, ONE double, THREE runs, FIVE rbi
~ Kendrys continues to scorch, FOUR for FOUR (including a homer), TWO runs scored and TWO rbi
~ Humberto with his first Mariner home run

IN THE FIELD
ZERO dp’s and TWO errors (Raul and Brad) . . . certainly not a stellar glove night

tweets of the game . . .

g106 | bad start in BeanTown . . .

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quick and dirty recap as I wasn’t able to watch or listen and just heard a snippet of the post game…

Mariners 2 | Red Sox 8

ON THE MOUND
Supposedly (according to Blowers on the bit of post game I actually heard), Joe was getting squeezed. Basically, not getting “edge” call which, due to his low velocity, he’s gotta have. Apparently, Blanco was none too happy with the HP ump either. We’ll leave it at that . . .
FIVE innings ~ NINE hits ~ SIX runs ~ FIVE earned runs ~ ONE walk ~ FIVE strikeouts

} Brandon was sharp for his first TWO innings (retired SIX straight) but then, Fenway reality hit and he gave up a single and a homer (but, not the worst of “re-debuts”, considering the team and the locale).

With Kuma and the King next ups, shouldn’t need the bullpen much but, it will be rested and ready if/when called upon 🙂

AT THE PLATE
The bats remain a bit on the frosty side . . .
~ Kyle and Kendrys the only ones with more than ONE hit and Nick the only one with an extra-base hit (double)
~ Michael M went hitless (with THREE strikeouts) in his return from the DL

IN THE FIELD
Not exactly the solid DEE we are accustomed to . . .
in subsequent plays, Brad made a fielding error and Henry allowed a passed ball in which a runner scored

tweets of the game . . . 

will he, won’t he . . . will he, won’t he . . . stand pat today?

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buyers-sellers

With the yearly trade deadline fast approaching, teams are deciding whether they are buyers, sellers or stand-patters.

The M’s players I have heard mentioned most in the “rumor mill” are . . .
Kendrys Morales, Raul Ibanez, Oliver Perez and, to a lesser extent, Michael Morse and Tom Wilhelmsen

 

Here are my reasons for wanting to stand pat when it comes to Kendrys and Raul . . .

We FINALLY have seen the elusive “veteran presence” actually come to fruition ~ and be effective ~ in Seattle.

  • With Kendrys, there was good reason to expect he would provide a bit of a threat in the middle of the line up, and he has. What has been a somewhat pleasant surprise is the level of mentorship he has provided ~ reportedly, willingly sharing his knowledge and experience from the clubhouse to the dugout.
  • Then there’s Raul, who we knew would embrace the mentorship role but, the pleasant surprise with regard to him, has been the amazing production on the field. Due to the spate of OF injuries, he’s been pressed into way more regular service than was ever planned – man, has he delivered!

So, here we have two veteran players who are not only helping the team with their on field production (which is in turn helping the young players develop by taking some of the pressure off them) but, who are also providing mentorship so critical to a young team.

I think these two vets are worth way more to the M’s (even though, short of a ’95 miracle, they have no true hope of playing in the post season) than anything they might acquire in trade. Especially considering they would be “rentals” (due to their one-year contract status) therefore, reducing their value to other teams. Also, there’s the new qualifying offer deal that ensures the M’s would get some sort of compensation if they chose to become free agents at the end of the season.

As for Michael, Tom and Ollie . . .

I’m not really sure why Michael has been rumored in trade, since he’s currently on the DL (not yet even assigned to a re-hab stint).

I would be surprised if any teams were really interested in Tom, given the struggles he’s encountered this season. That said, I hope he can work through the funk he’s been in. He’s still young and there’s certainly nothing wrong with his velocity, seems it’s more of a location/confidence (or lack thereof) issue. What doesn’t kill ya makes ya stronger, as they say – hopefully, if he can work all the way through this, he’ll be better for it.

It seems like Ollie is the most likely candidate for trade, as good set up guys are always in demand and the M’s could “reshuffle” the deck to replace him easier than they could the others – what with Stephen Pryor coming back soon and the fact that there are other arms down on the farm that might be ready for a cup of coffee. Just all depends on the quality of return.

So, tomorrow is July 22 ~ nine days and counting . . .

 

Ups, Downs, all-arounds . . .

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Just catching up on some of the movement of late.

Brad Miller’s call up set off some dominoes . . .
Reporting to AAA Tacoma were IF Carlos Triufel (optioned to make room on the 25-man roster) and RP Josh Kinney (out-righted, to make room on the 40-man roster) and 3B Ty Kelly (received in a trade from Baltimore for OF Eric Thames) and 1B Alex Liddi was designated for assignment.

Minor League Recognition . . .

M*A*S*H
* Guti back to the 15-day DL (hamstring) after only playing 1.5 games back from his last stint
* Michael M (strained quad) is getting close to being sent to Tacoma for a rehab assignment
* Jesus Montero scheduled to DH tomorrow in AZ (will be limited to DH/1B for the remainder of the year)
* Danny Hultzen was scratched a couple of nights ago from only his second start in Tacoma since coming off the DL – tests revealed no structural damage but, he’ll have 10-14 days before throwing again.

International Free Agents . . .
M’s sign 16-yr old Venezuelan OF, Greifer Andrade
Top-30 and where they’ve signed

 

 

g70 | no sweep for yous

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Mariners 2 | Athletics 10

Well, something was bound to give, as Kuma and Colon had combined to give up ONE run in the past 57.2 IP

ON THE MOUND
Kuma was playing with fire early on, as the A’s had a runner at 3B in each of the first THREE innings (including via a triple – the first Kuma had allowed all season) but failed to score.

Then in the 4th ~after 31 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run~ Kuma allowed TWO runs to tie the game at 2-2 . In the 5th, Kuma continued to struggle, giving up the lead with another TWO runs and his day ended much earlier than desired or expected and ultimately recording his second loss of the season and only his third “non-quality start”
FIVE innings ~ EIGHT hits ~ FOUR earned runs ~ THREE walks ~ THREE strikeouts

Unfortunately, the bullpen ended up with an even worse day . . .
combining to allow NINE more hits and SIX more runs in their THREE innings of work
} Blake replaced Kuma and got through the 7th without giving up any runs despite two singles but, the 8th would not be so kind. Back-to-back homers and back-to-back singles extended the A’s lead to 6-2 – still with only ONE out.
} Tom replaced Blake, and I’m thinking . . . at least he’ll get some work, maybe get on track . . . not so much 😦 He allowed a single that loaded the bases, an “RBI walk” and a sac-fly that extended the lead AGAIN to 8-2
} Carter’s appearance left much to be desired, as he gave up TWO runs on TWO solo shots and then it was 10-2

AT THE PLATE
~ FIVE singles in the 2nd gave the M’s a 2-0 lead – decent start
~ at one point ~after the M’s scored their TWO in the 2nd~ Colon retired 12 in-a-r0w and then just allowed a couple scattered singles and then the A’s bullpen completely shut them down

IN THE FIELD
* awesome 3-6 (Michael-Brendan) DP to end the bottom of the 1st w/ runners at 1B and 3B
* SUPER diving web gem by Nick in the 8th for the out of what would have been a sure single, maybe more.

tweets of the game . . . 

 

https://twitter.com/gbakermariners/status/346378314174320642

 

 

g68 | Old Joe + Young Mike = not too shabby battery

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Mariners 3 | Athletics 2

whodathunk the M’s would be the ones to break the A’s ELEVEN game home-winning streak?

ON THE MOUND
Way to be “Road Joe”, Joe and collect your first road win this season!
SEVEN innings ~ FIVE hits ~ ONE earned run ~ TWO walks ~ FOUR strikeouts

} Danny gave up a lead off homer in the 8th but, retired the next THREE batters in order
} Ollie collected his FIRST career SAVE via a pop-up, strikeout, single and a fly out

AT THE PLATE
~ M’s first run courtesy a 2nd inning GDIP by Mike Z that scored Michael M, who had doubled
~ M’s second run courtesy Mike Z’s FIRST big league homer ~a solo shot in the 7th

s t r e t c h | Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

s  t  r  e  t  c  h | Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

~ M’s third run courtesy Raul’s RBI single scoring Nick (who’d been at 3B cuz of Kyle’s takeout slide)
~ Every starter except Kendrys had at least one hit (and he did have some HARD outs)
~ Raul and Nick each with TWO hits
~ Michael S with a solid single in the 9th to break an 0-18 slump on a NINE pitch AB

IN THE FIELD
* Brendan with his usual couple of super plays, including a DP (Nick-Brendan-Morse)
* unfortunately Brendan also had an error (which is becoming a little too usual)
* and, Nick and Jason got crossed up on a pop-up that allowed the A’s first run to score
* excellent work behind the plate from Mike (so THIS is what a real catcher looks like 🙂 ) – including a great play for an out at home . . .
Michael S muffed fielding a hit to shallow center but, stayed with it for the relay to Brendan and then to Mike who caught it and dove back to tag the 6′ 8″runner who was also diving to the plate

Mike's first play at the plate | Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

Mike’s first play at the plate | Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

A’s catcher deserves a mention as he made an OUTSTANDING, sprawling catch of a pop-up that was the result of Brendan’s failed bunt attempt in the 9th after Michael S had singled ~ thankfully, it wouldn’t matter

tweets of the game . . . 

 

g65 | Kuma = im.pres.sive

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Mariners 3 | Astros 2

hey – don’t look now but, the M’s just passed the Halos 🙂

ON THE MOUND
Kuma extended his SCORELESS innings streak to 23 2/3 before the Astros’ UNearned run scored in the 3rd (via Brendan’s missed throw from Kuma on a DP ball).  In the 7th inning he gave up his THIRD walk ~not of the game~  but at Safeco Field THIS SEASON! Krueger called Kuma’s delivery “coin-operated” 😉 With a 7-1 record now and a WHIP of 0.82 and an ERA of 1.79, I’ll just call him GOOD.

105 pitches ~ SEVEN innings ~ FOUR hits ~ ONE unearned run ~ ONE walk ~ EIGHT strikeouts

Kuma bein' Kuma | Elaine Thompson, AP

Kuma bein’ Kuma | Elaine Thompson, AP

} Carter and Charlie combined for a ONE-hit 8th
} Tom came in to earn his 16th save (despite giving up one run) and hand Kuma his 7th victory

AT THE PLATE
~ Raul’s 12th homer tied the game at 1-1 in the 4th
~ Kendry’s infield single (don’t see THAT everyday) w/Kyle scoring on the throwing error gave M’s the 2-1 lead
~ Michael M (and his sore quad) extended the lead to 3-1 with an RBI double in the 7th (and left for a pinch runner, just as a precaution)
~ NINE hits, FOUR for extra bases, good to see. 2-12 w/RISP, not so much
~ Kyle’s hitting streak ended at THIRTEEN
~ Truinfel with his first hit of the season
~ Kelly with his second double in as many games

IN THE FIELD
* beautiful 4-6-3 DP to end the 7th
* Truinfel got caught in a run-down but, was able to stay long enough to advance the runner to 2B
* great foul over-the-shoulder catch by Kendrys to end the game

tweet of the game . . .

guess I missed this . . .