Game 42, Mariners at Devil Rays
DMZ · May 23, 2007 at 3:36 pm · Filed Under Game Threads
4:10. All the Mariners need to do to stay in this, to catch up, to take the division, is win, and win, and win. Today, they need to beat Casey Fossum, and Casey Fossum’s 3-3 with a 7.80 ERA. Win, dammit, win.
Fossum’s not-superficial stats: 45 IP, 10 HR, 12 BB, 26 K
Batista’s not-superficial stats: 45 IP, 6 HR, 14 BB, 26 K
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Other (non)news: Reitsma on the DL, Green called up.
Good vibes abound. Ellison in left, Sexson’s got a 2 game hitting streak, Vidro a .464 OBP since May 15, Fossum’s a lefty. 10-6 M’s.
Yesterday, I was reminded of how terrible a place to play baseball Tropicana Field is. However, it seemed to play in our favor, so I won’t complain too much.
Is Dukes in the D-Ray lineup?
Never been to Tropicana, but I noticed it sure echoed weirdly when you could hear the PA announcer on TV yesterday. Attendance 9,000-something. Is it really that bad a place?
Is Fossum the one who’s married to Jennie Finch?
No Dukes tonite.
Ellison looked jittery yesterday; it was almost like he realized that if he didn’t get a hit in every at bat, Hargrove may never let him hit again.
5: Nothing other than rodeo should be held there….ok, and Monster trucks.
I suppose there have been worse stadia in the past, and at least this one was “built for baseball.” Still, its a bit of a relic in today’s classical-revival of old style ballparks.
GIDP. Shocking.
Go, Vidro! Go after that Jim Rice record with everything you’ve got!
Jim — nope. Wrong Casey. Casey Deigle, formerly of the Diamondbacks (DFA’d about a week ago).
On the replay, Vidro appears to only be about halfway to first when the ball gets there. Yeagh.
TURBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGGGGGGGIIIIIIIDP!!!!!!!!
Vidro XBH: 6
Vidro GIDP: 8
From the St. Petersburg Times:
“Dukes’ wife, NiShea Gilbert, 26, a teacher at Beth Shields Middle School in Ruskin, told the court in another filing Thursday that her husband threatened to kill her and sent a photo of a handgun to her cell phone.
She played the St. Petersburg Times a voice mail message she said was from Dukes:
“You dead, dawg,” says an angry voice. “I ain’t even bulls——-. Your kids, too.”
Jose and Richie, doing what they do best in the same inning.
Baseball. Nice.
I wonder if Jennie’s currently scouting for new talent.
Isn’t it sad, or telling, or delightfully humorous that we think this game is/should be a guaranteed M’s win, surely part of the launching pad to the great recovery … when some other non-superficial stats include:
Mariners OBP: .320
Tampa Bay OBP: .321
(League Ave OBP: .335)
Mariners team Slugging: .407
Tampa Bay team Slugging: .414
(League average Slugging: .414)
Mariners team OPS: .727
Tampa Bay team OPS: .735
(League average OPS: .749)
Only 4 teams in the league have 20 Runs or greater deficit in Runs Scored/Runs Allowed. These are two of them.
There’s a good start.
I don’t think anyone thinks the game’s a sure win.
We hope the M’s win, and know it’d be easier than against, say, the Red Sox. That’s a lot different.
Oh Miguel. Must you do this to us?
Well, that didn’t take long.
Off to a smashing start.
Here is the full (censored) text of the voicemail message:
“Hey, dawg. It’s on, dawg. You dead, dawg. I ain’t even bulls——-. Your kids too, dawg. It don’t even matter to me who is in the car with you. N—–, all I know is, n—–, when I see your m—–f——- a– riding, dawg, it’s on. As a matter of fact, I’m coming to your m—–f—— house.”
Dukes has five children by four women, including two who were pregnant at the same time. One of the kids he threatened in that voicemail is his own.
No, on reflection, I wouldn’t trade Ichiro for him.
Well, to be fair the run differential is in no small part due to our pitcher on the DL. Lets hope that experiment is done, and the M’s find another “injury” to keep him there.
Dude is clearly confused. He belongs on the Trailblazers, or at least somewhere in the NBA.
When you said the run differential was due to our pitcher on the DL I thought you meant Felix. Then when you hoped for another injury I was confused. Until I figured out you were talking about Weaver.
Is it just me or shouldn’t we be sure Batista is throwing strikes tonight before we pitchout with 2 gone in the inning?
Actually, the Blazers are turning that thing around. First McMillan, then Roy, now the #1 pick. Things are looking up in Rip City.
Wow…Batista is not good.
Apparently since he’s giving up doubles it’s a good thing we made sure he stayed on first.
Dukes is 22 years old and has 5 kids? Baseball isn’t his only athletic endeavour.
Yeah, I was confused too. It would’ve been clearer if DL had been in quotes. Felix was on the DL, Weaver is on the “DL” — though, actually, having Felix on the DL contributed to the run diff too I suppose.
Dukes’ mentor must be Shawn Kemp.
Yeah, I know they aren’t the JailBlazers anymore. But I don’t follow basketball, and I have no idea which team has since taken over the lead in felony gun time-of-possession, etc, so I fell on the old standby. Plus it’s Oregon, so it’s not like I have to worry about the fans coming to get me.
36. Kemp was an idiot, but Dukes seems like a bonafide sociopath.
There’s hope for Batista yet. If he can get Dioner to fly out, he can get anyone.
God, I’m going to miss Ichiro.
Rizzs just made that sound like the Willie Mays catch. I’m assuming it means that it was a pretty good catch.
Why is there a good version and a bad version of our 2-5 starters. (Granted Bad Washburn appears to be more or less battled back his by his better half this year. ::knocks on wood::)
Good thing we’ve got Batista locked up for another two years after this.
You-knee!
You are correct, I should have added quotes to the DL comment.
The Dukes thing sounds awful. I has heard he had some issues, but this is something else. At what point should MLB step into a situation like this? The NFL is beginning to step up, and the NBA isn’t. Guess which one continues to fall in popularity?
41 – it was no Willie Mays catch but not every CF would have made it.
Why does Dave call him Joo-niesky Betancourt. Every where I look, and everyone else in the world, says Yuniesky. What gives
Only 5 hits in 2 innings, not bad.
Where’s the good version of Batista?
In Toronto writing poetry.
He must have gotten left on the bus on a road trip about 4 starts ago.
Spanish pronunciation varies. Yuniesky is a Russian name, so different spanish speakers might pronounce it different ways. The letter “y” is pronounced like a soft “j” by some spanish speakers.
I’m not clear on the Cuban pronunciation.
I just wonder when the Fox/KOMO announcers will start to spin Batista’s crappiness as “effectively hittable”.
Dave does that because he’s got a speech impediment where he has to draw out all the vowels in every word he uses.
i thought the “j” sound was more of a cuban thing, and not so much a latin american spanish thing in general.
From the Associated Press:
“ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Seattle Mariners pitcher Julio Mateo, who was arrested and charged with assault earlier this month after a dispute with his wife, will be activated from the Triple-A inactive list Friday.
Mateo will report to Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday and will be available to pitch Friday. He pitched simulated games Monday and Wednesday at the Mariners’ spring training complex in Arizona.
The 6-foot, 220-pound right-hander was arrested in New York following a dispute at a Manhattan hotel on May 5. He was charged with third-degree assault, posted bond and was released. Police said his wife needed five stitches to her mouth.
Seattle optioned him to the minors on May 5 and suspended him for 10 days without pay for missing the May 5 game against the Yankees. When his suspension was over, Seattle he put him on the Triple-A inactive list.
The team, in a statement Wednesday, said Mateo “has continued to voluntarily work with his counselor, and the Mariners have been advised by her that he is working diligently and is ready to be returned to the work environment.”
57. What??? I thought he was gone for sure. That’s fairly… disgraceful seeming on the M’s part. Reeks of desperation.
No, the “j” for “y” or “ll” is fairly common in a lot of latin american countries. There are probably other folks who have travelled more than me who can say where it is prevalent.
OOH OOH, is that our 2nd baserunner caught all year!?
so, Casey Fossum continues his mastery of the Mariners?
He’s got a guaranteed contract. If they cut him before his criminal case is resolved they may have some trouble on his grievance. I doubt you’ll see him with the big club again. If he’s convicted of assault I hope they can cut him and void his contract.
[unacceptable]
From an AP story that just moved about Dukes:
““It was my decision to not play him,” Maddon said after he and Devil Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman met with Dukes before the game.
“In visiting with him, I can see he’s pretty much upset. I anticipated that, so I thought the wise thing to do would be to not start him tonight and more than likely play him tomorrow.”
No more evil Hargrove?
I heart me some Yuni.
it appears we are starting to pick up our hitting with RISP
It’s good to know the Rays have solid citizens like Delmon Young to provide some leadership for Dukes.
Shortly before the Rays’ game against Seattle on Tuesday night, Dukes stood in a hallway of Tropicana Field with three Times reporters. One after the other, the allegations were read to him. He was told one of the writers had a copy of the photo of the pistol he allegedly sent.
Dukes did not flinch. He did not blink. He did not ask to see the photo. He did not seem outraged or embarrassed or surprised. He did not explain or protest or apologize, any of the things you might expect from someone who had been falsely accused. He didn’t help himself, and he didn’t try.
“I have a video game to finish,” he said. And he left.
What was the video game?
The M’s are making Fossum work tonight. Hargrove was quoted in the P-I this morning saying they’ve instructed Betancourt to take the first pitch every at bat.
If you were pitching to Betancourt, you suppose you’d groove the first pitch after reading that?
Betancourt has taken ball 1 both times up so far.
Well this game certainly sucks.
(Actually, I’m still at work so I have no idea how it’s going.)
70- GTA San Andreas is my guess… or Madden.
Ah. Turbo strikes again.
Wonder of wonders, GIDP by Vidro.
*sigh*
Those stats are so similar it’s…spooky. Please tell me the Devil Rays also have their guy signed to a four-year, $32 million contract or whatever it is Batista getting? Please? (Maybe it’s $25 million for three years.)
XBH: 6
GIDP: 9
Rice’s record for GIDP: 36
How great would Turbo be if he just struck out more?
71-there are a couple other players on the team that need to consider that approach. I feel we have a very solid hitting team and we could be a very scary lineup if we begin to become more patient.
sit down upton
Great 1-2-3 inning.
why can’t Yuni throw to first. past games hes been all over the place, though it hasnt cost us yet
So here’s a question that I’m sure has been asked plenty of times: Why isn’t Edgar Martinez a coach in some form on this team? I was looking through his stats on Baseball-Reference and some of his years are unbelievable. His BB/K ratio, OBP and OPS plus are just unreal. Certainly he could impart some kind of wisdom into the free swingers we have. Does anyone know? Is he still on good terms with the Mariners as an organization? They do well at taking care of their elite, especially those who took part in the 1995-2001 era.
Would anyone else buy a shirt that says, “Mateo bites.”?
batista is cruising now! He kind of reminds me of Pineiro in that he would be shaky the first inning or two and then settle down and pitch pretty well.
86
No. But I would buy one that says, “Happy King Felix Day!”
87. He kind of reminds me of Pineiro too.
#85: Edgar’s enjoying being retired.
85 – Edgar’s happy in his embroidery business. Can’t say that I blame him a bit.
turbo: 9 dp in 47 chances, 19.1%
johjima: 5 dp in 22 chances, 22.7%
not quite as good as former m’s torrealba, 31% and cirillo, 26%
Kenji is on his way to becoming my second favorite Mariner.
Saying Batista reminds you of Pineiro does not fill me with confidence in him.
Sexson’s AB was very disturbing. He offered at the right pitch — a belt high fastball — and did nothing with it.
I’m most upset about the fact that Vidro has had 47 DP chances. He should not be batting second.
Another first pitch ball to Yuni,….IBB
Even when a guy is going good, he’ll sometimes miss a fat pitch. That AB by itself tells you nothing.
That was the first IBB of Betancourt’s career.
Make them pay J-Lopez!!
It really hasn’t been a “sometimes” thing for Richie this year.
Damn you would think Lopez could have beaten that one out. The 3B hesitated enough for him to beat it out. Not sure if Jose was going full speed on that one.
I believe the two GIDP from Turbo puts him tied for the league lead, though it was hard to find that stat.
the top ten list of guys with most dp situations is littered with names like arod, ortiz, holliday, pujols, and abreu. those are the only guys with more than vidro
Today Jose = Double Play
How does a pitcher start out looking so bad (as Batista did) and then bring it around in later innings? Isn’t that counter to the received wisdom that the more looks a batting order gets at a pitcher’s stuff, the better they will do?
This is a very slow and boring game. To state the obvious.
#91–oh, it’s not just an embroidery business anymore– they’ve expanded — probably not a surprise as Edgar was a business major before he left college to play ball …
Ellison is going.
I think USSM needs some branded merchandise …
USSM flash drives?
no! USSM shot glasses!
Wow
Our DH has found his true purpose… Nice JOSE!!!
YAY! Grover makes a smart choice, he most have read the blog this last week.
Who would have thunk it
Has Richie always had such a pronounced leg kick?
Awesome. I would buy an Edgar Martinez/USSM shot glass or three.
The ‘j’ pronunciation of the ‘y’ and ‘ll’ is Cuba and also Argentina. There may be more locations that do it too, but I’m not sure.
I would like to thank Good Batista for the outing after I said he was lost, hope he stays around for another 4 months.
#106: He’s not pitching well. He’s pitching against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
M’s are 3/7 plus 2 walks with RISP tonight.
My paper caught up with Jay Buhner a few days ago when he was in Silverdale coaching his son’s team. We asked how he spent his days these days, and he replied:
“Fishing and enjoying life, and doing various endorsement work with whoever wants me to endorse their product.”
that’s our Jay
you know, it’s too bad there isn’t a fine novelty company like Minkmans out here … Jay would be the perfect spokesman.
Is Green doing something different? Did he always drop down sidearm like that?
Hee hee hee. Vidro gets praise for that great sacrifice bunt. Yeahhh… you’re doing a heckuva job, Jose.
Sexson, singles-hitting monster!
Why is it that Upton can’t apparently handle 2b or short? He’s a great athlete, right? So when great athletes, who might thrive in center, can’t play the infield, what is missing? Concentration?
Michael Jordan is a great athlete. Why couldn’t he play baseball better?
Not every great athlete is great at every athletic endeavor.
OK, fine, but I’d like to understand it better than that.
Great athletes have completely different skill sets. The most athletic players in baseball history couldn’t necessarily pitch.
WOOOO GAME OVER!
And we won even.
There’s nothing to understand. NFL Players are great athletes. That doesn’t mean they can play something else at the same level. Sure, they would probably be better at a greater number of sports than your average joe, but that doesn’t make them elite.
Good start to catching up with the Angels. Tigers look like they are about to blow their 4 run lead though.
Ralph, Dylan…
I realize this; I’m not an idiot. But hitting and pitching, particularly seem pretty unique. Fielding does not seem that unique to me. I think there has to be more interesting answers to this question.
you know, it’s been painful to be an M’s fan the last few years — just imagine if you loved the Rays.
I see what you are saying. Catching a ball in the outfield and playing the infield are so completely different though. Each are unique in their own right.
Hey! Another well pitched game. How many quality starts in a row is that?
If we keep getting good starting pitching we will stay in this race.
If we keep playing the Devil Rays we’ll stay in this race.
And Betancourt’s play doesn’t even make web gems. If you just watched ESPN you’d think the M’s had been contracted or something.
#135, No one loves the Rays, they don’t have any history of success nor longevity to build a loving fan base. Plus, most of the South Florida population is still Yankee fans.
I love the Rays. And, being a former Mariners fan myself and growing up in Seattle, the M’s had their fair share of growing pains and empty seats. I firmly believe the Tampa Bay area would support baseball if the team become a winner, or even a contender. The area has a strong tradition of producing great players and spring training has been in the city for years. It’s in the Bay Area’s blood.
From the St. Petersburg Times:
“Dukes’ wife, NiShea Gilbert, 26, a teacher at Beth Shields Middle School in Ruskin, told the court in another filing Thursday that her husband threatened to kill her and sent a photo of a handgun to her cell phone.
She played the St. Petersburg Times a voice mail message she said was from Dukes:
“You dead, dawg,” says an angry voice. “I ain’t even bulls——-. Your kids, too.”
I take back and apologize for the part about you smoking crack, Dave, re: trading Ichrio for Dukes.
Playing good outfield (aside from the obvious requirements of speed and arm strength) is about tracking a moving object through space. A good outfielder judges early in the ball’s flight where it will land and can run to that spot.
Playing good infield (again, aside from speed and arm strength) requires a quick reaction time and quick hands.
Those are totally different skills.