Game thread, Mariners at Rangers, 9/26
DMZ · September 26, 2004 at 10:57 am · Filed Under Mariners
Baek v Drese
I’m surprised Baek’s still in the rotation. I’d have thought the M’s would have picked someone off waivers, or signed some retired veteran guy to suck up innings the rest of the year. There a ton of guys floating around like Travis Driskill that can pitch sorta-badly every fifth day, and being up’s not doing Baek any good.
Comments
29 Responses to “Game thread, Mariners at Rangers, 9/26”
At least Matt Thornton’s been all right. 😐
Whether it is doing Baek any good is certainly debatable.
But it might do the M’s some good to have some MLB experience in Baek if in fact he is sent back down to AAA next season and they need to make a trade.
As Larry Larue pointed out this morning, who’s gonna take the M’s money?
http://www.tribnet.com/sports/story/5601427p-5532717c.html
Raul goes yard, breaking out of his Ichiritis.
Spiezio has back trouble, possibly a return of his springtime injury. Possible long-term problem?
I liked that Niehaus actually managed to mine some insight out of Valle today, asking him a series of questions about how to set up as a catcher that I thought was interesting. Of course, then Valle starts to discuss Questec and get things wrong, but having a couple of minutes where I wasn’t debating muting (Niehaus = don’t mute, Valle = mute) was cool.
Also — it’s money! People take it. Players signed with the Orioles and Tigers this year. LaRue’s argument that the travel schedule is the worst (well, first, it’s not, Montreal’s is the worst) doesn’t mean all that much compared to other issues like proximity to home, etc.
Why would it do the M’s good to have Baek get some MLB experience if he shows that he’s not ready for the bigs?
Winn takes the team lead in RBI. I was advocating trading him this winter, but Jeremy Reed isn’t going to replace Randy’s production in 2005, so they’d sure as heck better get a couple good sticks from somewhere. Otherwise, the 2005 batting order might be Ichi and Bucky, and hope we get lucky.
Yes, when Boras is the agent, money is the key. I’m beginning to get over my dislke for him, because I think he would get his get his guy to take the biggest paycheck if it was in Sitka, never mind Seattle.
DMZ, and what do we have to lose to give Baek some experience? Why would it do Mariners any good to sign anyone on waivers?
DMZ,
Well Montreal’s travel to PR is supposed to be “temporary”. The M’s 2001 road record record was amazing in that they then had the worst travel schedule in pro sports.
Proximity to home is the point. If your talking about Richie Sexton or Willie Bloomquist, yeah Seattle is close to home. Tom Lamkin is still the only Mariner who went to high school in the city of Seattle. With homes in CA, AZ, or FLA, players narrow their selections on whether teams train in FLA or AZ these days. The only advantage WA has is that there is no state income tax (yeah, these guys care, this fact was pointed out to Olerud when the M’s were bidding against the Mets).
How many free agents (non-natives)have ever signed with a Seattle sports team? I’ve asked this questions many times and the only named offered up was Chad Brown.
Larue had a good line about the front office aimed at Lincoln: “Spending the money is easy. Making it pay off – and taking the responsibility when it does not – is something else, indeed.”
Every game, I should post something like “being up’s not doing Baek any good” or “Ryan Franklin will never pitch a no-hitter” to ensure good pitching performances.
I should see if it works for hitters, too.
The argument’s that the team would have a better shot at winning with a journeyman, and even in a season like this, fans like to see the team win, while Baek would be better served honing his craft in the minor leagues.
We needed a “Miguel Olivo will never get another hit” post last homestand.
Greg Dobbs will never draw a walk.
The Mariners won’t win a game against Oakland next week.
DMZ,
How about “there is no way in hell that Soriano will have a miracle recovery from his injury and put up better numbers than 2003”.
The comment that Tom Lampkin was the only player in a Seattle uniform who actually played high school ball in Seattle is incorrect. Ken Phelps is by far the best-known(Franklin HS, I think), and Mike Campbell, I believe, played HS ball at West Seattle. The surrounding suburbs have, in the last 30 years or so, done a much better job of grooming MLS talent: Sele, Bloomquist (debatedly), Dave Wainhouse (briefly), Olerud, Blowers, Sean Spencer and a bunch I’m not thinking of right now who have worn Mariner uniforms over the years.
Well, I certainly didn’t expect *that* type of performance from Baek!
8 innings, 0 runs, 3 hits, 4 K’s, and 2 BBs.
I doubt that Baek pitched himself into the 2005 rotation today, but still, it was nice to watch.
Why in the world did they feel the need to keep him out there for 114 pitches in a 13-3 game?
If anything, they should keep these guys on pitch counts like it’s spring training to avoid hurting them, especially the late season callups.
Why burn these guys out for no reason?
Re: Jim Thomsen’s comment (#16) . . . I think the comment you responded to (Lampkin — at Blanchet — being the only player who played with the M’s who played HS ball in Seattle) was directed to the city itself, not the suburbs or the state. But still, you are right about Campbell and Phelps, and I think Tom House (who played for the M’s for a couple of seasons at the end of his career) may have played HS ball in Seattle; I know he was born here.
If you want to expand the list of M’s from WA, in addition to Olerud, Sele, Blowers, and Bloomquist, who can forget these immortal names: Jamie Allen, Karl Best, Casey Parsons, Rob Ramsey, Rick Sweet, and “Yakima” Bob Wells? I’m sure I’m leaving some out . . ..
114 pitches is a lot, but it was spread over eight innings, with very few pitches coming in “stressful” situations. His 99 pitch/5.1 inning start a week ago put more strain on his arm.
I overlooked Phelps, he went to Ingraham. M’s media guide (and they’re never wrong!) says Mike Campbell went to Newport. Not too many local guys (24) in 28 years. Btw, Yakima has produced more M’s than the high schools in the city of Seattle. In baseball, climate trumps money. (I always wondered if local boys Gates and Allen’s disinterest in the game might stem from them throwing a baseball like Carl Lewis.)
The biggest local fish recently to get away was Jason Schmidt. IIRC, the M’s even offered more money.
“Howard Lincoln will never resign”
Dave Henderson will never contract that 20-year laryngitis bug that’s been going around.
We should stick with our pitching prospects and do not sign FA pitchers, our pitchers in the Minors and the one’s up already, are much better than credit given. Sign FA hitters, like 2-3 and then build within. If you really need a starting pitcher, next years crop is better.
Speaking of close ties to free agents, scratch Beltre.
“Manager Felipe Alou said he used to hold Dodgers MVP candidate Adrian Beltre in his arms when Beltre was a toddler, the son of a cockfight trainer named Bienvenido Beltre who was friends with Felipe’s father. Alou figured Beltre was about 2 or 3 then.”
If only Bob Melvin went to the local cockfights instead of running the stadium steps.
DMZ, sorry about this OT, do you by any chance know if Blackley end up needing surgery? Or the ordered 3 weeks rest is actually enough on his shoulder?
This just in…the Mariners are now 7-3 when Reed plays and patrols center field. Granted, it may just be a coincidence, but I thought I’d throw that little fact out there for people to chew on.
FWI: Mike Campbell grew up on Alki in West Seattle. He lived next to the baseball field where I played little league.
The frightening things about Baek’s 114 pitches are (1) his start was pushed back 2 days because of elbow stiffness, and (2) Price and Melvin were thinking about letting him go out in the 9th but decided against it.
“Every game, I should post something like “being up’s not doing Baek any good†or “Ryan Franklin will never pitch a no-hitter†to ensure good pitching performances.
I should see if it works for hitters, too.”
What about USS Mariner’s abuse of JT Snow?!?!