Game 35, Angels at Mariners
Dave · May 16, 2007 at 6:52 pm · Filed Under Mariners
Criminally underrated John Lackey vs not-quite-as-underrated Cha Seung Baek, 7:05 pm.
M’s put Julio Mateo on the temporary inactive list for Tacoma, though he won’t report to the Triple-A club. Basically, he’s still suspended, just with pay.
Standard M’s line-up.
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So, uh, which game thread wins?
This is not the correct game thread
That’s a big ferry.
Our bullpen is cool. But why not list Jason Davis?
Because Jason Davis is not cool.
Jason Davis is cooler than Sean White.
New Money Tree commercial
Ahhh Edgar, good to see you
It’s so great when your 2-3-4 hitters are holes.
Rex the “hud dog” an angels annoucer was talking about how good a hitter Ichiro is and had this to say……
From east to west Ichiro is just the best…Funny stuff. I hate the angels but the Hud Dog is fun to listen to.
Go Mariners,, Get out to a quick lead tonight and pound Lackey Please!!
Guaranteed win, then.
Garrett Anderson was good in like 1998.
I wish we could sign Jason Kendall to a 1 game contract so he could charge Lackey again. Comedic gold!
Good start, Beck.
Was it just me, or did Guillen look pretty apathetic chasing that ball?
great throw guillen!
He looked pretty apathetic. We need to trade Washburn to the Angles for the game to get him fired up again.
Dilemma! Do I switch to the M’s or keep watching Hamels?
#18: Watch this game just for Lackey.
You’re a Mariners fan, right?
Baek
Oh Kenji.
BAM
Well the M’s are my team but I’m a baseball fan. Baek isn’t making a strong argument for the M’s.
We haven’t lost a game Baek’s started this year. That’s a crazy streak you want to see stay alive.
Remember that one time back in 1938 when the old fake-to-third-then-back-to-first move actually worked? It was awesome.
This should be a beer commercial: “BITTER BAEK FACE!”
Cha Seung sucks.
I hear Joe Mays is available.
Man, what a slopballer he is.
Well Hamels just made my mind up for me.
Yeah Hamels sucks.
/sarcasm
does this mean the Angels remembered overnight that they are the Angels, and won’t be taking the night off again?
Tomorrow’s headline: “CHA SEUNG DRECK”
Quicker tag by Beltre has him.
and Sean white is unavailable. And Jason Davis can’t go that many, I bet.
O’Flaherty time!
I don’t understand why John Lackey is so underrated. He comes of age in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series, pitches great ever since … and nobody thinks of him as an ace.
He’s been overshadowed both figuratively and literally by Bartolo Colon’s reputation.
38-Probably because his name is Lackey.
ok time to bounce back. it could have been worse then 2 runs. lets go offense!
ICHIRO!!!
Ichiro! Ichiro! I love Ichiro!
Ichiro being Ichiro
Heh. 4/20
For some reason…ugh.
Rauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuul is not so good, certainly not the heir to Edgar Martinez
crap!
Someone faster than a sloth is safe at 1st on that.
Ah yes, the standard Richie AB. Ball, ball, ball, strike, strike, out.
That was a strike at the knees of anybody BUT SExson, that 3-1 pitch.
It’s hard to play ball when you’ve got holes at 3-4
Well, Hamels is less interesting again. BB+HR will do that. 11Ks through 7.1 innings, though. Sheesh.
is it just me or can the mariners never get the guy home from 3rd with less then 2 outs!! frustrating
this is beginning to seem much more familiar and normal.
you think Sexson might have the same “shoulder” problems that Weaver has?
Might be worth suggesting. “Richie, which shoulder is putting you on the DL?” “I don’t know, they haven’t told me yet”
I think he might. I’m really more concerned about Ibanez, though.
Chone Figgins’ Defense
1B- Never played
2B- Not so good
SS- Not good at all, rarely plays
3B- Below Average
OF- OK
Offense- well, if he’s such a rally starter, why is he hitting 9th?
So the Angels are stocked with young talent, but they’ve said they want another “big bat.” And now the NY Daily News says Moreno will offer ARod a piece of the team to get him to sign in LAofA. We’ve had player-managers before, but player-owners?
I guess Pepsi could dust off that Vlad-Alex “breaking the moon” ad from a few years ago…
Yay!
60: Michael Jordan in basketball.
My Father: “Jose Vidro has added a lot to this team. He’s a quiet contributor, but he’s added a lot.”
C’Mon, Guillen, put Lackey on the DL
(as long as he doesn’t get seriously hurt)
62, yeah, and Mario Lemieux. But I was talking about baseball.
ah
OT, but [ot]
Gah. They just went backwards.
OK, OBP is good. Now we’re moving the right direction
this umpire sucks
Sexson, however, is an example of why Average = relevant because RBI = dependent on average and batting order position and…ugh
What’s the record for the highest percentage of posts by one person in a thread? Because I think it’s about to be shattered tonight.
I’ve had way better numbers before.
This is the first time I’ve had the time and the ability to post in a game thread, and it’s good to be back.
You’re at 50% right now, man. 37/74
Without saying I’m making up for lost time, I’m posting at a good rate.
Traffic is just slow tonight. On Felix Day, I’d have like 25% of the posts.
I’m emotionally unable to accept Ichiro’s fallibility.
And don’t worry, this is the last time I’ll have time to do this for a while.
Well, the ‘I wish to add my light….’ disclaimer has been replaced with simply ‘Submit Comment’. So I guess anything goes.
w00t
I hate to say that glowing firmaments didn’t stop me before, but they didn’t top me before.
Turning yourself into police, Corco?
Beltre’s inconsistency is driving me nuts. Hell I wouldn’t even mind if he was a streaky hitter but he’s not even that IMO.
Nah, taking a 2 week long cross country road trip with friends. The Mariners will be the 2nd to last thing on my mind.
seeing Gary Matthews reminds me that Mitch had his knickers in a twist this morning, obsessing that Matthews looked 20-30 pounds lighter than last year (um, no) and then he & Sandmeyer proceeded to throw Matthews under the bus, agreeing that Matthews had tested positive (um, no) … they never did bother to get the off-season story right.
I think what really bugs me about all this is that the majority of your casual fans get their knowledge/information via sources like KJR, and to hear them trash someone so casually …
I have never listened to KJR-AM (listen to KJR-FM all the time when I’m in Tacoma). I never intend to.
Damnit Niehaus
ahhh, Safeco.
I never listen to KJR, either. It’ll just needlessly make you crazy.
I am willing to donate Niehaus my eyes. Honestly.
The one condition being that he has to broadcast all 9 innings on TV, unless I’m listening to the radio, in which case he has to broadcast all 9 innings on the radio.
this is less a game thread and more David J. Corcoran’s live commomtiy on the game.
I blame Dave’s trifocals.
sadly, this morning the kitchen radio was still set at 95 after some ESPN-ing the night before; they were in mid-burial by the time I really noticed
although if I’m blind I guess it doesn’t matter.
If more people posted as much as I did, this would be a game thread. That’s the way I look at it.
I take it back.
The Felix Bobblehead doesn’t look like Wink Martindale. It actually looks a little bit like Kaz Sasaki
Maybe recycled from 2003.
I get all my KJR content from msb in game threads, so I can know what idiocy is au currant without actually having to despoil my ears or melt my brain or raise my blood pressure by actually listening to it.
Now, can the M’s buy a hit? Is it at all normal to have these kinds of wild swings in team batting average from one night to the next?
BAM!
middle of the week, sunny day, Felix pitched last night, it is understandable… even I’m only half watching the game and doing house work.
looking better baek. pick up the slack now offense, lets get at least one run this inning.
Corcoran is very ‘meta’, as the kids say.
Did that commercial just say, ‘Seattle’s staff of Aces….’? /gasp
‘meta’? WTF?
This is the first game I’ve seriously watched that i didn’t go to all season.
is 75% a good ratio for scoreless inings thrown ?
I think so.
But it really depends on how many runs are allowed in those 25%
What the crap is going on in the MLBTV commercial break background?
baek seems to be ticking along at about that ratye for the season. mucho scoreless ininngs surrounding menos bad ones.
Gotta avoid the Big Inning (TM). It’s Meche II! With worse stuff!
We have to have the worst 2-3-4 hitters in baseball.
It’s “option 2,” Corco. Or, should I say, Corco™ ….
That’s like calling the sky blue!
What?
114
And our 7 hitter is a middle-order hitter on many other clubs. Go figure.
As is our 5 hitter. I hate life.
good job baek, he’s cruizing now!
But life is beer, Corco.
Beer is good. Therefore life is good. I see your point.
Seriously, anyone know wtf that is in the background on commercail breaks, it’s starting to freak me out.
Nice shot Kenji.
123- I haven’t paid attention, I can’t get pass the hyper-annoying Dicks Sporting Goods ad.
Past tense of fly is flew, not flied.
Yet, everyone in baseball, from announcers on down to gameday play-by-plays says “so and so flied out to right.”
That’s always bothered me.
And all of the sudden it’s like me talking to a wall. It’s my High School Prom night all over again.
another baek 0-fer trip thru the batting order
“[Baek] has just about matched Lackey pitch for pitch”
Except for 2 runs. And the fact that Lackey is pitching well. Other than that…
That was actually a little harsh. Baek is pitching well.
Yet another error from the formerly sure-handed Betancourt.
High school prom night you were at home watching the Mariners? Even I can top that.
Ah Niehaus:
“No one should let a married man play third when Guerrero is in the game.”
I’ve been listening to Dave a quite a number of years and this is the first nut joke I’ve heard!
Someone kidnapped Yuni and replaced him with this crappy fielding doppleganger we see before our eyes.
#126: Can you walk us all through “lay” and “lie”?
Good job Lopez avoiding the
I think Dave was just referring to Vlad as a widow-maker. I dunno
#132: But can you tap dat?
…oops
It was 1997, I had hope then…
Does it seem like we are getting an abnormal number of infield hits lately?
Look at the pencil sharpener in the MLB TV commercial break. You can see the reflection of people in the background moving around (looks like an office). Yes, it freaks me out. A Star Wars figurine and a picture of a cat?
132: 10-4
Iciro Funk!
Time for another improbably infield hit by Vidro.
you think grover is looking at the rsip numbers here, vidro bunts, raul hits
Can we PLEASE PH for Turbo? Please?
Gawd! DH sac bunting??!!
GIDP
Chicks dig the bunt.
Are Sims/Blowers watching the same Vidro at-bats as the rest of us? This myth about Vidro seeing a lot of pitches baffles me.
OOOhhh, a pencil sharpener! I see it now. weird.
God Damnit. Should have been a double play.
ok lets get the runs home now!!!!!!
The crowd applauds Vidro for not hitting into the double play.
Did what he was going to do in the first place, advance the runners.
My Father: “Vidro plays the game right. Way to move the runners over.”
Last year, Sexson hit two grand slams after they walked Raul to load the bases.
vidro ranks about 7th on the mariners, the least patient team in MLB
Suns are up 13, even with the world saying they have no chance after the unfair suspensions.
158: In the same at-bat???
Wow, are the Angels unaware how bad Raul looks right now?
But this is a new year.
How’s Richie doing this year with bases jammed? Last year he was hitting like .800.
haha, hilarious, walk Raul intentionally to face Sexson. They are both just as bad.
Instead of a funk blast we get a fuck out.
Gotta love it … the Angels insult Sexson, and he punishes the wrong team for it.
Time for Guillen to hit a home run and unleash his rage.
Walk Ibanez to get to the guy who’s batting .174 Genious pure genious
How bad does Guillen want to hit a grand slam against the Angels?
I think that should’ve been a DP, but gives us another chance at lesat.
If Guillen wants some revenge, this would be a sweet time to get it.
only guillen and lopez see fewer pitcher per PA among the regulars
He should try to steal signs from the catcher ,piss the other team off.
Why is he batting 4th again?
They can’t hit him.
Guillen is cool.
dial it up guillen
Wow, that was a weak swing.
THANK WHATEVER RELIGIOUS PERSON YOU PREFER TO THANK
Guillen is a pretty neat ballplayer.
damnit
Vidro is a rally killer. I don’t know how people don’t see this.
we suck!!
Absolutely pathetic, swinging at ball four.
Possible props to Hargrove. He had Mr. GIDP bunt and then sent runners when bunting was no longer an option. I guess the hamster is still running the wheel up in Grover’s noggin. However that hamster smokes 2 packs a day and has an $800 a month Big Mac habit.
Did anyone else have a gut feeling that there was a breaking pitch coming?
To quote Townie from The Water Boy: “Oh no! We suck again!”
The good news is that Lackey threw 27 pitches in that inning. He is up to 90 now.
Damnit!!!!! DAMNIT! Come on Sexson and Guillen! Get the runners in!
I am happy with Baek’s performance tonight. 2 runs in 6 and a third is pretty decent for a 5th starter.
Yeah, overall he did a great job.
I’m happy with Baek. He’s > Ramirez and >> Weaver. Sad, but still good.
Cha Seung is waiver wire material, and Ho is Raffy Soriano material. It’s a crazy world.
193 He may even be >Batista
How many consec. steals is Ichiro up to?
195: Agreed
What the hell is with Guillen lately? Has he forgotten how to pick up ground balls?
Anyone who gives up a walk to Chone Figgins right now should be fined by the ballclub.
Game over!
I thought our bullpen minus Mateo was won of our strong points.
Reitsma did his job. He got 2 ground balls, one just happened to be a chopper over the drawn-in infield.
That’s a horrible, horrible PSA that is not factually based.
this is all payback for the far too excessive love thrown towards the bullpen by media outlets today
Reitsma?
YES! SARCASM!
Man Sims is great. “…our hated rivals The Padres”
That’s a good PSA
V-Drought!
By the way, John Lackey rules. In case anybody was wondering.
Steve Nash makes a 3!!! Sorry, I wanted to post something positive tonight.
Way to leg that out, Turbo! *laughtrack*
Nice to hear the faithful narrators mention that Vidro has ‘moved a couple runners over tonight,’ because a DH that can bring runners in is totally overrated.
Sarcasm?
Steve Nash … an inspiring story, how he escaped the grim, poverty-wracked ghetto of Victoria, B.C. to become a hardwood legend ….
I heard that bears used to attack Nash’s family on a regular basis. Not to mention a couple moose incidents in his teens.
Who’s a better hitter right now, Figgins or Sexson?
And he overcame an addiction to Nanaimo bars.
Who’s a better hitter right now, Sexson or the Snuggle Bear?
At least Sexson is awesome in MLB 2k7.
How much time do you think NBA players spend practicing falling down anytime someone gets within 2 feet of them?
Those girls were hot.
Sims is awesome.
I have a question. Jim, when you post as Thom do you paste on a fake goatee or does it just grow in werewolf style?
How come no one is curious why Ichiro wasn’t running on that full count TWO OUT pitch that Guillen inexplicably swung and missed at?
As long as it took Napoli to pick it up, full speed running from Ichie should’ve resulted in keeping the inning going.
Wow, dorks.
JH: You’re wrong, actually. From m-w.com:
Main Entry: fly (3)
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Form(s): flied; fly·ing
: to hit a fly in baseball
Other than Baek, did any facet of the M’s game NOT suck tonight?
Fielding- Bad
Hitting- Nonexistent…even w/ runners at third and less than two outs
Relief pitching- Not good
Idaho – We kept our uniforms pretty clean. That’s got to count for something, right?
What?! Clean uniforms is the #1 way to tell if a team lacks grit. I guess the loss is explained now.
Considering that I have a beard, I guess it just grows in much as it has for the last three years that I’ve had it.
227
LOL…I guess if you don’t field the baseball much and never get on base, that’s one way to prevent those irritating dirt and grass stains, eh?
HAHA…
so according to that dictionary, baseball’s actually created “flied” as a legitimate conjugation.
That’s kind of sweet.
Nice work, Lauren.
Hey, brand new to comments here…Seems like Sexson’s at bat with the sacks juiced and one out was the crucial one for this game. For the first time, I found myself wishing Grover would show some balls and pinch hit for our woeful number four hitter. It’s time to give Broussard a shot. I’m tired of watching Sexson suck.
Exactly, we’re trying to save on cleaning costs so we can afford an upgrade to our pitching staff. I hear we’re looking into acquiring Rick Ankiel, but it may cost us $10 million and a couple good prospects.
JH: well, it sort of makes sense. Those weird verb conjugations are left over from Old English, so they’re more than a millennium old. If you’re going to create a new verb that just happens to be based on a noun that already existed, you might as well discard those archaic forms.
I TOLD mom that master’s degree would come in handy someday!
Master’s degree, eh? Pretty impressive. (Hopefully a great NW school like the Oregon State Beavers!)
232
Sexson flailing at the FIRST PITCH was especially disheartening. He was one of the few that I had thought (or hoped) hadn’t caught that nasty virus that has infected most of the rest of the line up.
235
The virus of always swinging and making outs on that dastardly first pitch that is.
We’re with you, CJ.
But ….
One, we need to pump up Sexson’s trade value so the remainder of his albatross contract isn’t a total sunk expense for the Mariners.
And two, Grover is loyal to “experienced, proven veterans” to a fault. He’ll ride a .179-hitting Sexson into August on an everyday basis before he gives up. Or gets fired.
[coughCarlEverettcough]
Steve Nash has had to overcome the horror that is his hair.
We all have, we all have…
#238: It comes with being Canadian. Blame Loverboy, Rush, Nickelback and Neil Young.
Don’t lump Neil Young in with… them
Neil is a fine musician. His hair … ummmmmmm …..
Another quality start from Baek. That’s what really matters.
Baek, Batista and HoRam are the keys to the season.
Plus Felix has to stay healthy. And the team needs to hit consistently. Sexson needs to warm up. And Washburn needs to stay good. Ibanez needs to find himself.
Pretty much, everyone’s a key to the season.
“Baek, Batista and HoRam are the keys to the season.”
Anyone on this club learning to take a pitch once in a while would also help.
Taking a pitch once in a while would indeed be a welcome change.
Yes, all those things are important. Our lack of patience at the plate drives me crazy and it is entirely the result of bad coaching.
Still, I am one who believes starting pitching is by far the major factor in winning baseball games.
Besides, Baker says we have the best offense in the AL West.
[dupe]
to be precise, Baker says:
“I can now say, with complete confidence, that the Mariners do have the best offense in the AL West. Yes, they still hack away at pitches, though there have been signs of a better approach. They are never going to “Moneyball” their way to a bunch of walks each game. But the one thing they can do, when a pitcher is less-than-stellar and an opponent disinterested, is hit.”
I don’t understand any argument about “best offense” that doesn’t at least look at runs scored. All that “Moneyball” and “bunch of walks” sneering pretends that walks aren’t part of scoring runs.
The M’s are second in the division in runs per game, a tenth of a run behind Texas. Adjust for parks, and Baker’s right, but I have a feeling it’s for the wrong reason.
We’re the only team in the West with an OPS+ over 100, too.
Still, I am one who believes starting pitching is by far the major factor in winning baseball games.
The team stat that correlates best with team winning percentage is in-base percentage, at least last I checked.
One would think ERA would correlate better if your statement was true./
OK, that’s one I haven’t head of. What is “in-base percentage?”
“Entirely the result of bad coaching.”
Please provide evidence that good coaching significantly improves player performance in this category or other evidence that coaching is responsible for poor performance here thanks in advance.
#253
Coaches should constantly deliver the message that the organization expects hitters to be patient and work deep into the count. Pound that message home all the time.
If that doesn’t work, just before the hitter leaves for the on deck circle you say to him, “Take the first two.” When hitters are ahead 2-0 or 3-1 give them the take sign. If they ignore signs fine ‘em, bench ‘em, or trade ‘em.
I’m old school.
What is “in-base percentage?”
It’s a mistake made when attempting to type on-base percentage.
If that doesn’t work, just before the hitter leaves for the on deck circle you say to him, “Take the first two.”
At the major league level, a strategy like that is going to have you in a lot of 0-2 counts. Go look up what MLB batters hit from an 0-2 count and a 0-0 count.
No, you shouldn’t swing at everything, but an inflexible strategy of taking pitches won’t work, either.
#255
My point is coaches and managers need to teach and enforce a patient approach at the plate.
That’s fine. You just can’t be inflexible about it. It’a about pitch recognition AND discipline.
And let’s face it, I’m not telling Ichiro he has to turn into Ted Williams, either.
Please provide cases of where coaches and managers teach and enforce patient approach at plate and where that has had a significant effect on their players thanks in advance.
Oakland.
Granted, I’m only coaching 14/15-year olds, at the moment, but I certainly know that hitting approach can be taught, even to old geezers. I will also tell you that the majority of major league hitting coaches (Dave Hudgens is an exception) don’t have a clue on hitter improvement. Pentland is actually a terrible hitting coach (based on his comments regarding Beltre, Reed, and bat speed).
You can teach 14/15 year olds, but can you teach 24 or 34 year olds?
Oakland’s example only proves that an organizational emphasis on drafting and signing players with good pitch recognition skills leads to a system stocked with players with good pitch recognition skills.
Re: # 135 – LAY/LIE
Reminds me of something. Once, when I was teaching 10th grade English, I was distinguishing between LIE and LAY, and said “I have laid tile often,” and a voice from the rear of the class asked, “Who’s Tile?”