Game 112, Devil Rays at Mariners
Happy Felix Day.
Hernandez vs Seo, 7:05 pm.
Seo has iffy stuff and throws strikes. He’s Tampa’s Joe Blanton, basically. Hopefully the M’s can treat him like the rest of the league treats Blanton, and not like we treat Blanton.
Also, bad news; Mark Lowe is battling some elbow soreness, and though I heard he was available tonight, John Hickey is reporting that he won’t pitch in this series. The M’s are being cautious with their young arms, which we like, but you still never like to hear that the arms we love are anything less than 100 percent healthy.
Here’s the line-up:
1. Ichiro, RF
2. Lopez, 2B
3. Beltre, 3B
4. Ibanez, LF
5. Sexson, 1B
6. Broussard, DH
7. Johjima, C
8. Betancourt, SS
9. Empty, CF
Adam Jones has 7 at-bats in August. Glad to see that part of the development strategy, after crushing his confidence with a premature callup, is to let him sit on the bench and not play. Well done, Grover.
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Didn’t want to rip on Willie in another thread, since some people think we do that enough, but I have to point this out. Jae Seo is right handed. Willie’s season line against righties: .207/.287/.220.
That’s a .507 OPS, which is awful, and he’s not a good center fielder.
Ugh.
Hopefully Lowe will be ok.
If we sent Jones down to get some AB’s who would we call up to replace him? Any ideas?
At least we’ll get to see Hargrove practice the NL style of management with WFB in the 9th spot. Maybe we’ll see a bunch of double switches tonight.
If we sent Jones down to get some AB’s who would we call up to replace him? Any ideas?
Just sign Jose Cruz in a couple of days when the Dodgers release him.
Jones hit righthanders quite well in Tacoma, FWIW. No one told Hargrove, though.
Lets add to the fact Putz has 60 pitches in 2 days and more than likely wont be used tonight…
Just sign Jose Cruz in a couple of days when the Dodgers release him.
Thats the first thing I thought when I saw the Dodgers DFA him.
and jones hit .125 vs LHP in Tacoma
9. Empty, CF
Brilliant!
I’d be happy with Jose Cruz on the roster.
Well, not happy. Happier.
This can’t help my plea for Lowe to be moved to either the M’s or Rainiers’ rotation next year. And does anyone have any evidence that the organization won’t give that a try?
“9. Empty, CF”
I love it.
“Adam Jones has 7 at-bats in August. Glad to see that part of the development strategy, after crushing his confidence with a premature callup, is to let him sit on the bench and not play. Well done, Grover.”
For real. Figures he’d find a way to make a bad idea worse.
I haven’t let completely lost the joy cutting Everett brought me… but, my god, they are trying.
Hey, at least Empty’s batting ninth, and not second. I realize that this is because he’s replacing the number nine hitter, but I’ll take what I can get.
Grover’s excuse for starting Willy..”We need to get Willy some at bats..”
Ugh.
Grover’s attempt at “explaining” why he was starting Bloomquist made no sense.
The two key points:
1) “We need to keep Willie sharp”: He’s not sharp, never has been, and what’s the benefit of keeping a mediocre player sharp anyway? It’s like sharpening a plastic spork (actually, a spork isn’t a bad analogy for Willie; he’s something you should only use if no better options are available)
2) “Adam Jones has things he needs to work on”: His bench-sitting skills? He’s got to have an opportunity to PLAY in order to figure out whatever it is that he needs to figure out.
Willie getting playing time he doesn’t deserve isn’t so much the big deal, especially as the M’s playoff chances fade; but having Adam Jones wasting valuable development time sitting unused on the bench is /inexcusable/.
#14– I was just about to pass that gem along. sheesh. Still utilizing that ‘give ‘em at-bat’ theory that worked so well with Carl, huh.
Is it just me, or shouldn’t we have traded for a CF with an OPS over .700 rather than getting another 2 people who can only play 1B/DH?
Seriously. This team has some sort of hardon for people who can/should only play 1B/DH.
16- No kidding. Grover’s been using that line since he started to Platoon WFB and Reed..
Common’ Grover. Mix it up a little at least.
Because DH was an enormous sucking hole, and bringing in an “established veteran” was the only way they were going to get Hargrove to stop writing Everett’s name on the lineup card?
Jones isn’t going to learn to hit Major League pitching from the bench. They called up and should at least use him or send him back to Tacoma and let him play every day.
#19 they brought in 2 established veterans, making 4 people (sexson, broussard, perez, dobbs) who can only play 1b/dh. so basically they made two trades so they can replace one person, and in the process they did not improve CF at all.
The improved the DH position hugely. Crikey, you think they should solve every problem simultaneously?
21: Dobby the Bench Elf can’t really play ANYTHING. So he doesn’t really count.
The Broussard/Perez platoon, like one of the USSM authors posted, turns a hugely weak position into a big strength, and Richie Sexson is fine where he is for now.
Plus, to get help in CF, they would’ve had to have given up talent and paid more for someone who’s going to be blocking Adam Jones when he’s ready (if he ever makes it off the bench).
They still may very well be able to find someone interesting on the waiver wire, too.
Also, Greg Dobbs plays third base and left field, so does not belong on your list of guys who can only play first.
Good to see Felix down in the strike zone that whole inning. He didn’t throw one pitch up. That was Good Felix, even with the HBP and the double. Cantu just hit a good pitch.
Adding first base options at realativly low cost also gives the Mariners some flexibility as far as trading off Sexon and his contract to free space for Starting pitching this off season.
The M’s could just give one lucky fan the chance to play center and hit ninth.
Wouldn’t be that much worse than what’s been run out there this year already.
And more people would show up.
I like watching Felix pitch.*
*truth
#17– so, lessee, CF, an OPS of over .700 in a reasonable number of games, say 85+ … um, V. Wells, G. Sizemore, A. Jones, G. Matthews, M. Bradley, J. Damon, J. Edmonds, C. Granderson, K. Griffey, A. Rowand, C. Patterson, B. Clark, S. Finley, R. Freel, G. Gross,
D. DeJesus, J. DaVanon, M. Cameron, T. Hunter, R. Mackowiak…
Good Felix is in the house. Diving sinkers, everything down in the zone, repeating his delivery better than normal, throwing strikes.
Tampa’s an impatient club, and Felix looks like he brought his A game tonight. This could be fun.
Oh dear God. I’m only five or six years away from bands I listened to in junior high appearing at the Emerald Queen.
Oh wait, they’ve had Night Ranger already this year.
re: 27
That’s a great idea for a promotion. I’d like to see some team that was out of the playoff chase do that for a game. Just to see that lucky fan play the outfield would be worth the price of admission.
That was a fat pitch left up by Seo.
oh, Raul reminds me– he was on KJR this aft. and said some very familiar things about Oakland’s good approach at the plate, and that they could have shown the same patience. um, yup.
Nothing like that special feeling of having two on and NO ONE out and ending the inning without either runner moving up at all.
I’m hoping that Ben Broussard is just having a little hiccup — his first seven games with the Ms he’s 3/18 and one walk which is kinda not what he was doing with Cleveland. Teeny-tiny sample but not what I was hoping for with Ichiro having a dry spell.
Ouch, Kenji is a trooper
ok, Dave, next time Good Felix starts a game, you aren’t allowed to mention it.
Why did I move away from Oklahoma the first chance I got? It’s as hot as it will be in Arlington this weekend two months straight.
Branyan singles and then stole third…
Wow! Just wanted to see what that phrase looked like
Earned Run, Johjima.
He is having a pretty lousy inning.
Has Willie been giving Ichiro batting tips?
Hey, I didn’t know empty spots in the lineup could strike out!
“For cryin’ out loud,” indeed.
Another note, there are two reasons why I humbly prefer ISO+OBP over OPS:
1. It’s a more accurate measure instead of overly(doubly)-benefitting for base hits. Of course, there’s always the debate that if you do that, you should also deduct for DPs, add for SBs, et al. Just talking about one stat v. another here, though.
2. It removes allows us to see the emphasis of how good the best hitters are in comparison to the good hitters, and how horrible the worst hitters (Hi Willie!) are in comparison to the scrubs. OPS, by doubly-crediting for hits masks the inferiority of the worst hitters by making numbers appear closer (ratio-wise), and likewise does well to hide the ratio that the best hitters are above those closest to them.
Yankees just blew a ninth inning lead
I’d say I was pretty sure that the commissioner would quash any “fan-player” type promotion, but given the current commissioner, who the hell knows.
ISO + OBP has the effect of making singles equal walks, which they do not.
I doubt that ISO + OBP does a better job of corrolating to runs scored than OPS does.
ISO + OBP has the effect of making singles equal walks, which they do not.
I doubt that ISO + OBP does a better job of corrolating to runs scored than OPS does.
Although you could rightly say that the point of hitting is to score runs, I was specifically looking at the batter’s effectiveness ‘in a vaccuum.’ I suppose nature still abhors such.
Good point though.
Is Seo really doing anything that difficult and impressive against us? Or is this just another garbage hitting display that we are growing more accustomed to lately?
Nice effin’ one pitch out WillBlow…sigh
To put it another way, OPS doesn’t “double count” base hits. Broadly, onbase gives an idea of how many runs a player ought to score, and slugging gives an idea of how many they ought to knock in, all other things being equal. A walk has very little power to knock in runs. A single has some power to knock in runs, so counts in both measures.
To put it another way, OPS doesn’t “double count” base hits. Broadly, onbase gives an idea of how many runs a player ought to score, and slugging gives an idea of how many they ought to knock in, all other things being equal. A walk has very little power to knock in runs. A single has some power to knock in runs, so counts in both measures.
Even if that is how one chooses to look at a batter, a single would not be doubly-effective compared to a walk. Just throwing out a random number here: it might be 1.7x effective.
Sorry if I’m obsessing about this, but you’ve got it running through my head.
In OPS, this is the value of the major offensive possibilities:
walk: 1
single: 2
double: 3
triple: 4
home run: 5
In ISO + OBP, it looks like this:
walk: 1
single: 1
double: 2
triple: 3
home run: 4
The first list seems intuitively right to me. Am I missing something? It’s true that onbase is somewhat more valuable than slugging, but I don’t think it’s so much more valuable that you want to remove batting average from the slugging side.
50, I know that you are only asking rhetorically. However, you are channelling me. Why can’t they hit this guy?!
I think a single is probably a lot closer to double the value of a walk than it is to equal the value of a walk. They are equal with no one on base, but as soon as you have men on, the value of a single increases, and if you have multiple men on, the value of a single increases a lot.
All the work done on the issue points to the best way to calculate it is (OBP*1.8)+SLG.
Except a single is more often closer in value to a walk than it is to two walks.
Neither is perfect, but ISO+OBP is an improvement, IMO.
The formula for ISO is what?
Thank you, Dave!
So onbase is nearly twice as valuable as slugging?? I had not known that.
Time for some of that timely Ibanez hitting.
Is everyone just choosing to ignore the game at this point? It’s probably for the better.
I think a single is probably a lot closer to double the value of a walk than it is to equal the value of a walk. They are equal with no one on base, but as soon as you have men on, the value of a single increases, and if you have multiple men on, the value of a single increases a lot.
Yes, a single is closer to the value of double a walk than equal to a walk if you look at it that way: the actual result of the play(s). I prefer to look purely at the batter himself, and his individual efforts, because I don’t feel the need to base my value of him upon a system that values more on results (or is an attempt to be closer to expected results) when I can simply look at him again, in the proverbial vaccuum.
Look at it this way: Without those guys on in front of him, a walk by him is no worse for scoring runs than is a single.
If looking at the larger scheme, you also need to take into consideration the effects on the pitcher, and I believe an average walk would return back value over a single in that department. I don’t have the stats but I’d like to see the average number of pitches in PAs ending in a walk, and the average number of pitches in PAs ending in a single. After that, not only do you accomplish wearing down the pitcher and likely worsening his effectiveness, but also, if you’re effective enough at it, you’ll end up causing more innings required to be pitched by worse pitchers (in general, not in every case).
JMO, it’s possible to look at it one way or the other, though.
It’s amazing how often the Mariners make crappy pitchers look like CY Young candidates
All the work done on the issue points to the best way to calculate it is (OBP*1.8)+SLG.
Thanks for sharing that, Dave.
Neither is perfect, but ISO+OBP is an improvement, IMO.
That’s how I see it, John.
At least Felix has been doing well enough tonight. Not much else happening.
I guess ‘well enough’ is deteriorating. Would be nice if we had a little more ’stopping’ at backstop though.
Well, I confess I can’t see a lot of reason to look at the value of things other than “the actual results of the plays.” What is the point in looking at it in a “vacuum”, assuming that’s what you are doing, though I don’t think you make a very convincing case.
To me it’s absolutely straightforward: if ISO + OPS is a better way to view players than OPS, then it should correlate better to runs scored; and if it did, I think we’d have heard that by now.
ISO + OBP may tell you different things about a hitter than OPS does, but I can’t see any logical way in which it is a better measure of players (unless it correlates better to runs scored).
Also, all those “larger scheme” things you talk about, if they indeed need to be “taken into consideration”, will show up in runs scored.
Well, I confess I can’t see a lot of reason to look at the value of things other than “the actual results of the plays.” What is the point in looking at it in a “vacuum”, assuming that’s what you are doing, though I don’t think you make a very convincing case.
I already explained my personal thoughts behind it, and the point in looking at it that way. Suffice it to say we disagree on it.
It’s very simple in my mind:
All-star caliber Venezuelan pitcher on M’s = no run support.
He and Moyer can always get t-shirts: “I pitched a great game and all I got was this lousy t-shirt”.
Well, that wasn’t the kind of bounce-back I was looking for from Broussard but it’s a start.
best strikeout ever? We can call it B2K!
Yes, but it is also sometimes worth a lot more than a walk — say, with a runner on third — and is never worth less than a walk.
Any measurement that makes walks and singles equivalent is fundamentally flawed, IMO.
Its sorta funny that so many posts deal with how important a walk should be in the realm of things, when the M’s get about one per week.
Sorry, Josh, I think and type slow, didn’t mean to be running the point into the ground.
Wow — we were just Oakland lucky
Fuck. We take Jo out for Jones and they let Willie bat?!?!
Jones pinch runs for Johjima, and hopefully he’ll stay in the game to play center, but we don’t pinch hit for Willie?
Geez.
Grover is awfully optimistic/delusional:
We sacrifice the runner over to second and put a pinch runner in. All of which is followed by Willie taking his “rightful” place in the box…sigh
Where’s Dobby! Perfect PH situation with Jones already going in to run.
Too late.
God I hate willie
Why would you pitch to Ichiro here? The IBB makes so much sense.
Example #43,716 this year when literally EVERYONE but Grover sees something screwy with this “strategy.”
Fucking Bloomquist.
Doesn’t Hargrove remember what happened in the 9th inning on Sunday?
“Any measurement that makes walks and singles equivalent is fundamentally flawed, IMO.”
As is any measurement that assumes it’s always twice as valuable.
I don’t see how you can speak in absolutes, neither is accurate, it’s just whether you think it’s closer in value to a walk or two walks.
Neither is “right”, just which one you think is closer. I think a walk is worth quite a bit more than half a single… you don’t, clearly.
Ichiro cannot buy a break.
I’ll bet he’s going to keep Willie in center.
4 great minds think alike. Too bad that Grover wasn’t one of them.
And the IBB made sense, too, but TB gets away with it.
Doesn’t Hargrove remember what happened in the 9th inning on Sunday?
Are you kidding? Grover can’t remember where his locker is.
So I’m “watching” the game on ESPN Gamecast. Someone please tell that “W. Bloomquist fouled out to catcher” looked more heroic than it read.
Hargrove is an idiot. I keep hoping he won’t be, and he keeps disappointing me. I need to stop hoping.
It’ll be Jones in center and Willie in at catcher. Hargrove is a genius!
Ichiro has had a *tough* week.
I’ll bet he’s going to keep Willie in center.
Likely will. He’s shown time and time again that Willie can bat when the game is on the line, but Jones isn’t to be trusted from the 7th inning forward, when we all know rookies’ production mystically dips 37%.
Right, and we can measure that. I’m happy to let correlation to runs scored stand as the answer to the question, whatever it says.
TB clearly doesn’t work on their “run after a strikeout” play like Broussard and the M’s do.
Does anyone have Bloomquist’s numbers for the season handy?
After this brilliant 7th inning, and bunting a short stop hitting over 300 for WFB, I think it’s time for another appearance by “Brian From Kent” on the post-game show. I can’t wait to hear Blowers and Glasgow try to defend this move.
106 pitches for the King after Baldelli’s single…
Well Jones is getting great ML experience to develop as a baserunner!
93: How about this: Willie hit a towering fly ball down the line in left, but the ball sliced foul, and before it cold reach the stands in foul territory, the catcher scaled the wall and nabbed it.
#97. BLOOMQUIST can be trusted when the game is on the line?
WHAAAAAA?
Did you see his “critical” at-bat in the 9th inning the other night?
WHYWHYWHY do people insist on claiming this guy is anything other than a late inning pinch-runner? What will it take for people to begin to see him for what he is, as finally happened with C-Rex the other week?
Felix since June 1, including tonight through 7 innings: 73 IP, 7.15 K/9, 2.96 BB/9, 7.77 H/9, 0.74 HR/9. 3.08 ERA. What were Felix and Beltre doing in April and May? They’ve been all-stars since June.
103: You liar. Willie can’t hit the ball all the way out to left field…
Did you see his “critical” at-bat in the 9th inning the other night?
Which other night?
107. The one where he made the final out.
And don’t ask “Which final out?”
…
My mind’s a little groggy right now, but didn’t he make the final out in a game at New York in July, and once during this homestand as well? I don’t remember which game in particular, as those memories are ones I quickly and haphazardly fling onto the backburner.
100, I rarely listen to any of the postgame shows unless I’m travelling home from Safeco, but I might do it if the lose this one, in the hopes of hearing the answer to that one.
Well, If I robbed Ichiro I wouldn’t perceive anything else as a challenge either.
104
He SHOULD be used like they did Charles Gipson or even Ugeuto for all I care.
Watch Grover try to have him bunt 3-0
I can’t believe that Hargrove managed to simultaneously take Jojima out of the lineup, and burn Adam Jones, and give up an out from Betencourt, one of our few recently hot hitter, only to lay it all on the line with Bloomquist at the plate. And ok Ichiro. But what a terrible strategy
So, is there a reason the Mariners can’t hit guys with middling stuff who throw strikes? Shouldn’t that be right up our alley?
Aaaaaa! “Injury delay” on Gameday.
Not Beltre! Please!
115
Maybe it has to do with all being connected to Banner Bank
(Seriously, in response to your question…you’d sure friggin’ think so)
We’ve gotta be right up there among the team leaders in pathetic 3 pitch strikeouts
Where are the announcers with the ‘Whenever the M’s need a clutch hit Raul gets one’ line?
If ever there was a time to lay down a sac bunt, it was with Ibanez up there against a lefty and two runners on with no out.
But good old Bunt Machine Hargrove lets him swing away. Awful.
ouch
114
I concur like the earth orbits the sun
120
Sorry, we only sacrifice with .300 hitters with Willie on deck…apparently
Ugh…don’t tell me this is the 1,015th time we have two on and no outs and fail to move the runners AT ALL.
All we need is for Ben to duplicate his K-double and we score…
Ugly…and we didn’t even waste one of Willie’s ABs amongst those outs.
oh damn we did it again!
If the D’rays score one or more in the top of the ninth and we lose because the heart of the order went 1-2-3 with runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs…
We deserve it.
Angie’s got the cleavage outfit on tonight. Just a heads up for anybody who was making a beer run during the post-game preview.
Any idea who’s going to pitch the ninth? Oh My, I just hAd a TerriblE thought come tO mind.
This is a game that even winning will feel a lot like losing.
Sherrill made Lee look about as good as Raul did last inning
129
LOL How long ya been waiting to squeeze THAT one out?!
128 — Angie is nastified, bro.
WHAT? SHERRILL FOR MATEO???? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Mateo?
I really don’t understand Sherrill sometimes. K two guys in a row on nothing but strikes, then walk the next batter on 4 pitches.
Julio Mateo, Hargrove’s go-to-guy.
133 – Part of the charm.
Grover just wants to when with “skill points”
CHOOSING to use BOTH Mateo and Willie in crucial situations
Mateo??????
Where is Lauren? Sorry, Lauren if you’re around – I don’t mean to steal your thunder, but…
AGHHCCK!!! FUCK!!!
Uh that should say “win” with “degree of difficulty” points
Hargrove: Sherrill’s looking pretty good out there…we won’t have none of that. I’m bringing in Mateo.
)
Chaves: Really?
Hargrove: Problem?
Chaves: You know that he kinda struggles in these situations…
Hargrove:
Doesn’t the gas can EVER get tired?
If we have limited options tonight doesn’t it make sense to at least let Sherrill complete an innning? My god…
PHEW.
144; it’s not like it’s a tie ballgame going into the bottom of the ninth…
Mateo’s ‘good’ for two or three…
Due up:
RIVERA
BETANCOURT
BLOOMQUIST
Now can you NOT score with a murderer’s row like that?
JeffS… Sure, you know, if there was any reason to believe that we might see extra innings. Like if the score was tied in the eight, something like that.
Hargrove just wants Mateo to get the win.
Here comes a powderkeg, nay a juggernaut of offense in the ninth..
At least he was smart enough to bring him against a rookie who’s batting like he’s a seasoned Mariner with a $10 million contract. I mean what are the chances we’re going to need a pitcher in the 10th?
Hey, we kind of look like we are fielding an A’s like lineup this half of the inning
Mark Lowe is battling some elbow soreness, and though I heard he was available tonight, John Hickey is reporting that he won’t pitch in this series. The M’s are being cautious with their young arms, which we like.
Last Friday, the Wall Street Journal had an article comparing best and worst managers. The conclusion was that the difference in game decisions between the best and worst was one game per season. The big difference, according to the article, was the willingness of the manager to pull the pitcher when the pitcher tired. The article pointed to Dusty Baker as an example of a manger who has burned through several pitchers by making them pitch too long. (He also was quoted as saying that he didn’t like players who walked a lot because “they just clog up the bases.”) So yes it is nice that Hargrove is protecting the young arms.
Also, if Lowe has elbow soreness after pitching two innings, the idea of him as a starte becomes even less likely, in my opinion.
If Rivera can’t hit a ball like that he should open a vein.
It’s time for some IGNITION, gentlemen…
Or not. Not sure how they could have caught such a scrappy pop fly.
This is getting to be like a Wes Craven movie….
Bloomquist doesn’t like waiting for no SECOND stinkin’ pitch to make his puny out.
“This would be a good time for Willie’s first home run of the year.”
Oh, Rick, you slay me.
Stupid Hargrove.
Willie with 2 outs in the ninth again. Huge suprise!
LOL, he was already out before I could even finish the first sentence!
Gritty one-pitch out!
Unfortunately he was spared the title of ‘gritty one-pitch final-out-getter’ since it’s tied.
Man, bonus baseball. Hope I am staying up late in the lovely town of Evansville, Indiana, for a win.
Well, he DID get it out of the infield this time.
On the bright side, the more Willie plays the more the decision makers HAVE to see he’s nothing more than a defensive sub / pinch runner.
Death, taxes, and… well you know.
That bottom of the ninth looked horrible, even on GameCast.
Mateo is like one of those zombies who never gets tired and just keeps bringing you unrelenting horror, day after day, night after night.
JM missed the target by a foot plus, but got the K.
Except that instead of brains, he craves giving away ballgames.
The Wall Street Journal should hire writers that understand more about baseball than the cliche of the day.
We have proof positive – ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY no less – that a bad manager can cost a team AT LEAST 10 games in little more than half a season.
Speaking of zombies everybody buy Dead Rising tomorrow!
158
Good point!
The M’s make you SCREAM 1, 2 & 3 times, because Hargrove manages them like they’re CURSED!
this is my worst nightmare Mateo and the Ignitor in the ninth
“Willie, being the hustler himself…gets to the ball quickly”
I hate you.
Nice gun by Rene! He evidently throws MUCH better than he hits.
Nice. Rivera replaces Ibanez as the game’s clutch hispanic player for the M’s!
Julio Mateo CLUTCH PERFORMER
Devil’s due….good pitching, Mateo.
I don’t beleive it. How did we get out of that inning?
Julio’s K’s are putting the swagger back in Grover’s walk.
Can someone comment on how Mateo looks? The results have been good so far.
You mean his “waddle?”
Holy crap!
We just survived 1.2 innings of Julio Mateo.
Granted it wasn’t sudden death baseball…
Is Putz available to get a save should the opportunity arise?
We’re at home…no save necessary?
181: Normal height, a little overweight, a wad of chew in his mouth as always.
Ichiro!
Ichiro finally gets one to not find a glove.
We have fans from Nagasaki tonight — time for the Bomb, Ichiro.
I’m at the game and Meche is warming up in the bullpen. Hopefully we won’t need him. Woo Ichiro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ICHI! FINALLY HAS HAPPENED
Cmon JOSE!!
Hai!!! Ichiro wa baysebaru oh jozu desu!!
We won’t be seeing any of Putz, because there will never be any save situations.
Seth McClung time hahaha
It’s just his hemorrhoids acting up again.
188
Does that mean Julio is “Fat Man” and Willie is “Little Boy?”
(Ok, that was Hiroshima, but you get the idea)
184
Naw.
I’ll take those answers that mateo looks the same as always… and ICHIRO! woo!!
Nobody out, a RISP. I’m liking Tampa’s chances.
189. I think this is Meche’s throw day.
Actually, scratch 188. Making jokes about that was stupid and rude. I apologize.
Why is Lopez bunting?
SQUEEZE!
Major Disrespect for Sexson if Valle is right.
Not the first time this year.
Good move by TB. Beltre has been MUCH better lately and we know vs a righty Raul is usually money. Plus Sexson k’s about half the time with a runner on third and less than two outs. Heck, he k’s about half the time in about ANY situation, doesn’t he?
Now walk Raul to get to Richie….he loves that
I for one think it would be amusing to see Sexson hit a walk-off grand slam.
They’re gonna pitch to Richie because Richie, to borrow from Bill James, couldn’t hit a baby in the butt with a fly swatter.
All we need in a damned flyball. Argh!
That was the widest intentional ball I’ve ever seen.
Things that will never happen but would be cool: Ichi stealing home on an intentional walk.
the density of Grover’s thought processes are impenetrable to the likes of mere mortals like me.
$10 says Hargrove has Sexson squeeze it here.
That’s interesting, when Lopez bunted him over I was just thinking that if they were feeling lucky they’d intentionally walk the next two batters.
Just hit an effin’ fly Sexson
I’ve never understood the strategy of taking the bat out of your best hitters’ hands…
Boo ya!
BIG SEXY!!!!!!!!! BIGGGGGGG SEXY!!!!!!!!!
215
Well that will do!!!
DAVE IN PAULO ALTO I LOVE YOU
OMFG!!!!!
Rye bread, please.
208. Very prescient.
That’ll do Rich, that’ll do.
you can thank me later
That was worth waiting for.
Beltre or Ibanez should have gone Miguel Cabrera style and put an intentional ball in play.
When will they learn to not walk Raul.
Incredible stuff.
FREE BEER FOR DAVE IN PALO ALTO!!!!
Let’s pray for a Texas come back!
If Bloomquist is dead last in Sugging percentage minus batting average, is Sexson near the top? It was 222 going into this game.
I LOVE big Sexy.
I refuse to believe Willie is dead last in Sugging.
That was Felix’s best game this year.
Who can share with us Richie’s numbers following a Raul IBB this year?
Texas has scored two in the ninth and has the tying run on base.
That looked great on GameCast. As soon as the ball was going to the outfield, I knew it was good. When that thing crept over the wall… wow. As much as people rag Richie, he’s been clutch more than a few times this season.
234- wrong, his best game was the angels game.
well, thank goodness Willie got those ABs.
ok, so the bullpen gets some rest, and Julio is pretty much guaranteed of a day-off tomorrow.
you know, getting back to Doyle, if he had come up, he’d prob. be parked on the bench next to Adam right about now.
Gee, Richie, what a way to fatten up that OPS….
Wow, can the A’s get anymore lucky than that?
you know, Richie does feel it is his job to get RBIs.
235. 8 for 12 with 4 home runs.
According to the broadcast Richie is now 8 for 12 with 4 home runs and 21 RBIs after Ibanez is walked.
Okay, hi.
Reality check. It just took us extra innings to beat Tampa Bay, a team that is 21 games back and at the bottom of their division, with an 18-40 record on the road, when our best pitcher threw 8 innings.
Oh yeah, we’re definitely a team to be excited about.
Thanks 243/244. Hopefully the opposing teams didn’t listen to the broadcast ;o)
Sorry, I shouldn’t have been that forward… but Oly — can’t we just enjoy this win?
#241– well, apparently they also have the weakest schedule of any team in the West the rest of the way out….
245: Do you think anyone is actually unaware of that, or needs a “reality check”?
If you can’t get excited about the way the game ended, too bad for you.
Good call on whoever said Seo was Joe Blanton back at the start of the thread. Great to win an ugly game like this.
What are the odds? Rivera blows a game late on the same night Mateo wins a game!
Mateo has won two straight
#23p – MSB, FWIW Doyle was 0 for 3 tonight, BA is now .215.
Mateo sucks.
ooops, sorry that should have been #239.
#253. I know. This was really harkening back to Dave’s earlier Random notes thread & the Doyle discussion there.
so, does the future of the free world hang in the balance, only to be determined by which gal makes the Sonics dance team??
Let’s look on the bright side: WFB had no GIDPs.
Man, I can’t imagine it being easy to be a rays fan. The M’s sure do lose alot of bad games, but I can’t remember keeping a team at 1 run through 9 innings only to lose in a walk-off grand slam.
Does anyone have the exact numbers for Richie this year in the PRIIBB category? You know, Post Raul Ibanez Intentional Base on Balls? It’s gotta be like a .900 average. He’s automatic. In that situation only.
Has anyone looked into hypnotizing Richie into believing the bases are loaded every time he’s at bat?
259- FSN had him at 8-12 before that last at bat with 21 rbis.
260, I’d rather he were hypnotized to believe they just IBB’d raul in front of him every time he’s at bat.
Richie Sexson is a Clutch God!
Or at least a minor deity….
Yay! Most awesome. Glad to see someone flew the profanity flag in my absence.
All’s well that end’s well, I guess.
But man, Grover infuriated me this game. What was it, the seventh?, when he bunted a .300 hitter to get to a .220 hitter, pinch ran for his good-hitting catcher, and burned his reserve OF, all in one inning with zero results? Aiyyyyieeeeee!!!!!!
I believe Jeff Nye has given Willie his new nickname. Spork. I love it.
In the OPS discussion, I saw lots of discussion about scoring runs, but I missed the “avoiding outs” part. You gotta move someone 4 bases before you make 3 outs. In OBP+SLG, OBP is largely the “avoiding outs” part and SLG is largely the “moving runners” part. Getting on base both avoids the out and moves a runner (even if it’s the batter moving down to first – that’s 1 base down, three to go…). So starting with OBP getting a 2x multiplier is reasonable, since it does double duty. Of course, hits and especially XBH can move multiple runners in front of the batter, so SLG regains a bit of ground.
Plus, walks do count for “moving runners” and adding walks into SLG gives essentially OBP+ISO, so you could use a “modified” OPS of OBP+(OBP+ISO) or 2*OPB + ISO. Dave’s emperical results are probably better, but I like thinking there’s at least a half-assed theory backing it up.
Oh, and for the record, Grand Slams are a really, really good way to avoid making an out.
Ritche before the break: .218/.288/.418
Ritchie after the break: .247/.313/.573
It’s a damn shame he doesnt walk….
Richie Sexson, almost as clutch as Carl Everett!
Willie isn’t last in Slugging, and no one said he was. He’s actually not even last in Isolated Slugging (PA>100) anymore, as the immortal Jason Tyner (one extra base hit, a double, in 105 PA, for an ISO of .010) has crossed the threshold. Willie’s second-last, with almost twice the PA of Tyler. Note that Tyner can at least hit a little, and get on base; he’s .362/.327 to Willie’s .320/.280. TWO EIGHTY SLUG. Why, that’s only tenth-worst in all of baseball (Abraham Nunez is slugging .215, which is keeping my Hacking Mass team afloat).
Sexson is alas nowhere near the top of the ISO table (again, 100 PA cutoff). His .227 is well behind Pujols’s .361 or even Raul’s .239. Richie is just ahead of Jonny Gomes and right behind, cough cough, Rich Aurilia.
Richie Sexson question. I read once that Ted Williams was a big believer in shoulder rotation as being an indicator of a player’s ability to hit. I believe I read this in the context of his watching Michael Jordan try to hit, and Williams explaining why he would not be a big league hitter. Thus, if you hit right handed, your right shoulder will face the pitcher after your swing, or, even more towards third base if you have a flexible, “good” swing. Does RS have the least flexible swing you have ever seen? His right shoulder barely gets to 1st base.