I have an apology to make, I think. I thought bringing Boone in on the cheap was a decent enough move, but I thought his contract was ludicrous. I’ve mocked his two-strike stance here and elsewhere, I make fun of his hacktastic ways, I use the unflattering nickname, and yet… who would have done the Mariners better these last two years? Jeff Kent? Alfonso Soriano? Both might offer marginal offensive upgrades at a significant defensive cost. I don’t know where this Boone came from, and I don’t think we had any reason to expect him to continue hitting for power when the M’s signed him to a huge deal. But what else were the Mariners going to do with that money? Pocket it? Give more money to Dan Wilson? Boone’s been huge, and as much as I like to say you have to evaluate deals on information you have at hand, I don’t think there’s any denying that Gillick pulled the arm and the slot machine has kept pouring coins into his lap ever since. Well, that particular slot machine. They’re not all paying off so well.
Why was Melvin having Cameron bunt? Why… argh.
Bret Boone: $8 million dollars
John Olerud: $6 million dollars
Mike Cameron: $7 million dollars
Getting to finally cheer as Jose Mesa gives up a 9th inning lead with a home run: Priceless
Minor League Highlights for Wednesday, June 4th
The Rainiers did not play as the entire PCL took the day off. Ken Cloude will take the hill for Tacoma in his return from the DL this evening.
San Antonio 3, Frisco 0. RHP Rett Johnson tossed a complete game one hit shutout to pick up his 5th win of the year. Johnson allowed just one single, walked three, and hit a batter while striking out seven to earn the win. He now has a 1.42 ERA over his last 5 starts and has allowed just 36 base runners in 37 innings over that span. He’s pitched into the 9th inning three times, and appears ready for a move to AAA. Offensively, 2B Jose Lopez went 2-4 with a pair of doubles and 1B A.J. Zapp launched his 14th homer of the year to provide the run scoring. Our own Jason Michael Barker was at this game and will provide full details when he returns.
Stockton 7, Inland Empire 4. LHP Troy Cate got touched up in his return to the Cal League after making a spot start for Tacoma last week. He lasted just 4 2/3 innings, allowed five runs on six hits, had one walk and two strikeouts. LF Shin-Soo Choo went 3-5 and 2B Evel Bastida-Martinez went 2-3 with a run and an RBI, but it wasn’t enough for the 66’ers to overcome the early deficit.
Wisconsin 2, Fort Wayne 1. This 14-inning affair finally went to the T-Rats after an error by Fort Wayne first baseman Paul McAnulty allowed Corey Harrington to score the winning run. Wisconsin didn’t generate much offense with 3B Matt Hagen being the star performer. He went 2-6 with the only extra base hit of the game for the Mariners affiliate. RHP Juan Sandoval continues to improve as the season goes on, working 8 solid innings and allowing just one run. LHP Oscar Delgado followed with 4 scoreless innings of his own, and then RHP Renee Cortez tossed two more blank frames to earn the win.
Also, on a semi-related note, let me correct something I posted last week. The Mariners did end up signing draft-and-follow RHP Brad Rose after they were granted an extension because his JC team advanced in their playoffs. Welcome to the club, Brad. He’ll likely be assigned to the M’s rookie league team in Peoria, whose season starts in two weeks.