Game 101, A’s at Mariners
Dave · July 27, 2007 at 6:30 pm · Filed Under Mariners
Hernandez vs Braden, 7:05 pm.
Happy Felix Day. Please win.
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Time for our Ace to step up.
Wow… Beltre hitting 4th, Raul down to 6th!
That’s something.
So… Kreuger… pregame, talking about Beltre:
“His offense has been spotty.” And then went on to praise his defense before returning to his theme.
Now, my problem is not the statement itself, it’s that he heaps praises upon praises on people that are hitting TERRIBLY, but Beltre is the one he’s the most critical of… ridiculous.
I swear, it’s like they’re watching a different team.
On the positive, our new manager did not go that route when talking about Beltre… and moved him to the 4 spot.
That’s two big positives for Mac. (the first being his immediate disinclination to overuse Bloomquist)
I want to like Mac. I hold out a little hope that he was under mandate, either from himself or above, to “not rock the boat” and to emulate Hargrove.
Either way, good job on the line-up shuffle.
With any luck, will we see Raul go from left to left out?
by the way, wouldn’t we be killing for Jamie Moyer right about now?
If things don’t work out between now and Aug 15, can we pull a 2004 and simply cut bait w/ Sexson and Ibanez like we did with Olerud, Spiezio and Aurillia? Why stop at calling up Jones? If we need to keep attendance up, we can always play Tuiasosopo (either one, really) at 1B.
Sexson might be able to be sold for a middling pitching prospect. He is a legitamate power ‘threat’ that plays a perfectly fine 1B. Ibanez is probably ‘too good’ to cut like a dog, unfortunately.
Yeah, lineup has changed,
Let’s hope for the best, when Felix on the mound we have more reason to believe M’s will win
Moving Raul down and hitting Guillen 3rd vs a Lefty… beautiful.
A boy named Jones would make this lineup look wonderful.
Heh… onslaught of continued suck.
I sorta feel like my decision to finally attend a game has helped precipitate this. No way could I go see a bunch of WINNERS.
I just hope he throws strikes today.
Uh oh. 2-0 count already.
5 straight fastballs.
Great play Lopez.
SWEET!
Aiiiigh.
0-2 fastball after getting completely fooled on a nasty change up.
IDIOT!
sigh. meatball
What is that 90 mph Jeff Weaver like slider that he’s been throwing?
I’m encouraged so far just because he’s actually throwing his change up.
Dave, got a pitch sequence for us? It looked like a ton of fastballs to me, with a few chang ups in there and I think 1 slider.
Jered is pulling a Jeff down in Anahiem. Top 1 bases loaded, no outs.
He was throwing a ton of fastballs, mixing in a change ups against the left handed batters. A
And one, ugly, terrible pitch that looks like a slider.
I got a question for anybody who’s ever been a big fan of a team other than the Mariners.
Now I’ve been an Ms fan since I was old enough to follow baseball. I’ve never cared much about any other team. In my time as an Ms fan, I’ve never been particularly confident in the Mariner GMs and this is especially true for Bavasi.
Anyway, here’s my question: Do fans of other teams view the trading deadline with as much fear as those of us here in Seattle? In Oakland, do people look at July 31st like it’s December 25th? Do they sit around wondering what Beaney Clause is going to get them this year? Or is fear of stupid trades and lack of trust in your team’s front office a pretty standard thing throughout the baseball world?
Ichiro looked at five pitches before swinging the bat. Could this be the team mode of attack? I likeses.
Horrible call.
What a terrible call. And he tells McLaren, “It was close.”
yep.
That’s not good juju to start a game.
2-0 Tigers, bases still loaded, one out.
20 – Yeah, I think he knew he blew it immediately. Close? Not really, dude. That call should never go that way.
That’s baseball, sure, but it’s not a great way for a team on a big losing streak to start.
I will look forward to the make-up call.
In response to #18. I am a KC Royals fan. Okay stop the snickering. For at least the last decade for us the trade deadline has meant zilch to us. Unless it was something obvious like the Beltran trade or the Dye trade or the Damon trade. As a royal’s fan we have no delusions that the ownership wants to win or is competent.
The call was close, that ump doesn’t see it 5 times in slow motion. He gets it once, right away. He did get it wrong but it was by no means one of the worst calls we have seen this year.
Yeah, I suppose it’s a very different world when you’re a perpetual seller. Except for Gil Meche. I guess he was just too good for anybody to say no to.
I was always fond of good ‘ol Gil.
26 – It was a bad call, that’s all anyone is saying. And it was. And it really wasn’t that close.
But no one is saying it’s the worst we’ll see, maybe not even the worst we’ll see today… just a bad call.
They happen. Not a big deal. But an umpire shouldn’t blow that, it wasn’t a hard one.
26 that may be the case, but in light of a 7 game losing streak, it hurts more…
THAT IS NOT BIG NEWS.
ADAM JONES GETTING THE CALL IS BIG NEWS.
So is gameday accurate in that Felix is hitting 98-99?
31 – What’s not big news, Bonds hit 754, Traitor-Rod’s 32, or Bill Parcells briefly calling a boxing fight for ESPN 2.
Raul Ibanez is done.
Traitor-Rod’s 32?
32- That’s consistent with FSN. He appears to be on his game today.
I think that may be the most labored and lame nickname insult I’ve ever seen.
35 – Today’s A-Rod’s 32nd.
37 – Thanks…I acknowledge lame, but labored, no.
I went to high school with Travis Buck, whats the overall report on him?
Kenny Lofton traded back to Cleveland…meh.
Robertson’s getting blasted…It was looking so good for a Tigers win…
37 – I would be happy if I never saw an insult-nickname here again. Heck, anywhere again. The odds of them being either funny or insightful are about a million to one against.
I don’t want to read a million of them to find the one funny one.
Is that an A’s fan yelling at the top of his lungs about Lasik surgery?
Good job Felix, the offense is putting me to sleep though.
43: I agree.
I think this guy is going to throw a shut out. All the hitters are going up there and trying soooo hard. It’s kind of sad really…
Wow, Ichiro just took a close pitch. Don’t see that to often.
Ok M’s, you just got a gift, don’t waste it.
Look the A’s are finally in town!
Oh know, Beltre with the bases loades…this is going to be disaster. Prove me wrong. Don’t strike out on a change up down and away.
Beltre!
Another double for Beltre. Good work.
Awesome. Beautiful at bat, Adrian.
YES! He laid off of two straight change ups. Nice job Beltre.
I smell Oakland Grand Slam next inning.
I love wallowing.
Oh that’s so gooooood
Señor Double. I LOVE IT!!!!!
Woooo!
ADRIAN! Funk clearing double!
FUCK YEAH!!!
Pitcher wears his hat brim waaaayyy to flat. He deserves to beat beat like a right handed step child. Nice hit Beltre. Dave Niehaus(sp) how many doubles is that in his last how many hits?
YES!! They’re walking Sexson!!
Errr… Ibanez is up.
They’re intentionally walking Swing-and-a-miss-Sexson??!
And a free pass to Richie…oh, that’s right, Ibanez is up now
64: I think it’s more like “They’re walking Sexson?!?!”
Ibanez…
now that’s strategy…
Ibanez is so dependable. It’s really too bad he didn’t have one more year left in him.
I’ve always wondered how it feels to commit an error that ends up losing your team the game.
Memo to self…. The As just walked a .200 hitter because Raul was a better matchup against a lefty…
67 (Dash) – Um? I don’t get it. Was that a joke? Sexson is awful. Of course I’d be excited when they walk him. Of course, it didn’t last long, as I remembered who was batting next.
Watching the Giants game, I’m so glad we didn’t end up with Zito.
72: I don’t know whether to chuckle or cry… =)
Jeez, Robertson after giving up 6 earned runs in the first, has 2 runners on no outs in the second with Vlad up to bat…
72 Can you forward that memo to McLaren?
A leadoff walk is a bad omen.
73: Yeah, apparently a weak attempt at one. Intentionally walking Not-so-Sexy and Rauulykiller just blows me away.
I meant “or” not “and”. I gotta stop drinkin’ when I watch games. Though it does make it more bearable lately.
Sweeeeeeeeeeet!
Wow. Ichiro. Nough said.
There are for kinds of felix:
The King
Really Good
Decent
Bad
I would say we are seeing the really good version.
Cool, Kenji got a hit. That’s been somewhat of a rarity lately. Someone tell the manager the M’s have a decent backup.
Shannon Stewart’s arm is sooooooo bad.
First Johjima gets a hit, and then he SCORES, this is insanity!!
I would advise him to use a cut off man every single time, that was awful.
(Expletive) Dave Samson
bada bingo update. . . lopez was a sac bunt, not a 1-3
the offense is finally making some noise, nice.
MY TURRRRRBBBBBOOOOOO LOVVVVVVVER!
I wonder why we call him turbo, if I were to choose a nickname for him, I would call him “The Powerless Slopoke”
Ok Ok I’m back on the bandwagon!
YAY!!!!!!!
Upper Tank Explósion de Funk!
I love Jose Guillen when he’s hitting against lefties.
Don’t you wish Ibanez was up?
GOOD BYE! Finally, a homer!!!!
Wow. I was just saying to myself Jose probably won’t hit a dinger.
That’s the extra gear Bavasi was talking about!
Braden must have looked like a certain Angels manager to him.
#98, that’s what you get for thinking negative =)
I dunno. Sports on a Schtick, like the rest of us, has probably been thinking pretty negatively lately without producing THESE results.
six-run lead! eek!
Any chance McLaren remembers who was hitting third today when he makes out the lineup card tomorrow?
0-2 and a fastball again
Every spot on the field feels covered, except for left. I write this comment as Ibanez makes a catch.
I know it doesn’t work, but can we give Guillen Raul’s Us. Just imagine “Joseuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu”
He swung after the ball hit the ground.
So, last night I admitted to missing Grover.
…tonight… I say I almost wish Willie Bloomquist would get starts in left against lefties, since Adam is obviously not coming up for a while.
Have I completely lost my mind, and become desperate beyond belief?
I think this is the best Felix has looked since the beginning of the season.
Ok,time for the rally fries to go Blowers… he dressed up in a ketchup bottle costume for pete’s sake….
btw, what’s the latest with Snelling?
he is hurt like always
I just got a random email from the FO saying the are looking into my concerns about Adam Jones and Raul Ibanez. How did they find my email address?
Felix was better in the early parts of the Toronto game, and in his last outing against the As
Last I heard they went in for his 8th knee surgery after he bruised it and went on the DL…
That’s a hit? Guh.
113… they [MLB] have satellites you know… =)
Have I completely lost my mind, and become desperate beyond belief?
You haven’t completely lost your mind:
.238/.250/.286 — Ibanez vs. LHP, 2007
.243/.301/.362 — Ibanez vs. LHP, 2006
.269/.322/.369 — Willie Boom Boom vs. LHP, Career
.286/.355/.500 — Willie Boom Boom vs. LHP, 2007 (just 32 PA)
And then add in defense? I can see a case for Willie over Raul in LF when there is a LHP on the mound.
“Felix was better in the early parts of the Toronto game, and in his last outing against the As”
I don’t know, I haven’t seen his slider this consistently explosive since the beginning of the season. Not to mention his fastball is actually moving again and consistently 96+, and he’s throwing a great change up against lefties.
His results haven’t been amazing, but his pitches are looking as good as I’ve seen in awhile.
I wish Felix could pitch against the A’s every day, he really does dominate against them. Great play Beltre. I think we might win this one!
Beltre! Making up for Betancourt.
Detroit is getting back in it 8-5 now
Beltre is a badass mothertrucker!
Well I guess Beltre’s play and Betancourt’s play kinda balance each other out.
Do we really need to use the vulgar language? It’s getting out of hand today. I know things are exciting, and I’m certainly no stranger to sailor speak, but come on.
That’s my 90 million dollar man!
Building to the future . . . . Depressed much?
WOW! AJ and Wlad are building towards the future. I think the future might be now. But you know that might just be me. I mean it’s probably not really on the lips of many people. I mean who really knows the name Adam Jones outside of the guy with the legal problems who chopped his natty dreads off.
“Raul hasn’t homered since June 23rd.”
Am I the only one that suddenly wondered, “2006 or 2007?” It seems like it’s been over a year.
Yeah those building to the future things are like a kick in the crotch. If you know they’re good, then why aren’t they in the majors?
I tried to tone it down a little, sorry no offense intended. But seriously if taken as whole offensively and defensively, are there too many other 3rd basemen in the league you would rather have on your team,. Again though sorry if I was out of line.
Can you drop the AJ bullshit and enjoy the 7-1 win? This is a GAME thread.
130: Not attacking you. Attacking the M’s FO. I can think of 3 people tonight in the M’s starting lineup who shouldn’t be there.
Mothertrucker? That’s profanity now? Sheesh.
Thankfully, M’s haven’t taken their recent “no offense intended” approach tonight.
131: I am enjoying the win. Long overdue. Could/should have happened sooner.
Wouldn’t Lowe be better off actually pitching somewhere rather than sitting on the bench? How easy of a landing does McClaren want for him? 7-1 isn’t enough.
Mothertrucker? That’s profanity now? Sheesh.
It’s better as a band.
Meanwhile, Detroit’s back to within two in their game…
Furthermore, I’m not thrilled to hear McClaren say (per last night’s broadcast) that he’s not really into pitch counts. That’d be fine if he followed it with a statement on high-stress pitches, but he doesn’t strike me as a manager that cares about those either.
Is anyone else worried about the amount of pitches Felix has thrown?
132, should have put I was responding to 124, thanks for clarifying though. And 131; there is no reason to ever stop hounding the AJ thing till he is in the official Mariners lineup. I’m rooting for August 1st, the Raniers get back in town and the M’s are still home. It’s probably a dream though.
116 pitches.
Can we get him out of there now? Or is this Bob Melvin wearing a John McLaren suit?
138, but so far he’s been responsible with the starters for the most part. Felix is a bit high tonight though, I agree.
131 – Jeff, you seem really unhappy here.
If you consider the AJ posts “@^$%&” then you are probably not going to suddenly get happier.
If the way other people choose to be fans offends you, you should probably find some different ones to hang out with. May I suggest the M’s official site?
it’s official . . . we have a bada bingo winner.
My post was directed at 132, JeffS, obviously. Not 131. 131 was a very considerate post.
Dave Sims just said “He’s 1 for 16 against Felix with 2 homeruns”, am I missing the math?
Also, am I the only to question McLaren leaving Felix to throw 120 pitches?
Ok, for some reason the comment #s changed for me, so change my last post to 133 and 132, assuming his #s were off too and 133 meant 131 and not 130
Boy, the bats have been breaking like crazy this year, which got me thinking: I can’t remember ever seeing Ichiro break his bat. Can anyone else?
A lucky squirrel leapt through my skylight into my bedroom earlier in the evening. Then the M’s took a big lead.
Now, how to entice him to return every night?
Peanuts, lots and lots of peanuts
Fun fact: mano e mano means “hand to hand”.
148 (assuming a mystery comment hasn’t been inserted here): No you’re on. For some reason my numbers were off too. Though I swear they were on when I posted them.
I’m okay with Felix going a little over 100 tonight, as long as he’s not out there next inning.
150, kidnap him
148 – I sure wouldn’t surprise me, Shuchu… getting most of this from puff pieces over the years, but I’ve never seen a player who takes better care of or interest in their tools. His bats (and gloves) are made to exacting standards.
If a post is deleted, subsequent posts are renumbered.
The numbers can change when older comments are waiting in the moderation queue.
Now, how to entice him to return every night?
Uh, duh? Rally nuts?
Nice AB Ral. Or Raul Paul, work it on the runway.
150: Squirrel. Skylight. Bedroom. I think I’ve said enough. And yeah, lucky squirrel.
Is anyone against trading Raul? Do you think he’s “over the hill”? He hit 33 last year, does anyone think he will ever hit over 25 again? What kind of value does he have?
162: None.
That’s our 2006 #1 draft pick, holding the precious 6 run lead in the 8th.
162, we would love to move him, but I can’t imagine anyone taking him unless we take a major problem off their hands.
God bless #1 draft picks (Here’s looking at you Gil Meche)
Morrow is looking much better as of late. He’s throwing strikes and mixing in some off-speed stuff. Is this a big step forward for him or what?
Oh, weird, I just refreshed and saw a comment get inserted before the last one, instead of after it.
134 (Lauren) – I was not referring to that. Scroll through the thread, and you’ll see what I mean.
Morrow’s been looking pretty good his last few times out there. Maybe sometime soon he’ll be ready for close games again. I’d rather see him pitching close games in Tacoma, but whatever.
why not Lowe?
It is a bit odd that Lowe hasn’t gotten in yet… has he even warmed up in the bp yet?
Great job, team!!!
Anybody notice how they dropped the “Building For The Future” bit just as Jose Vidro was coming up? Comedy gold.
I would have pulled Felix after 6 and given Lowe an inning, but that’s just me.
Why not Lowe, Morrow could be a decent starter in two years if they had him starting in the minors every five days, IMO at least.
172 (JeffS) – McLaren said he is waiting for a low stress situation. A 6 run lead was obviously not that.
M’s win! Yeah! And before 1 AM (here, even!). Now, to just accomplish a few more items on Dave’s list of easy things to make the team better…
I misread that “why not Lowe”, he would be great in the current context of the game. Nonetheless no reason we couldn’t be developing Morrow as a starter this year even though Lowe wasn’t available till now.
Carson: I saw one use of the word “fuck” and that’s it. OH, and someone said “suck.” But I even use that one with my mom on the phone, so I refuse to consider it profanity.
We WON a GAME! Yahoooooo!
177
yeah, when we start to change the current things,
the outcomes’ gonna be totally different.
can you imagine Raul Ibanéz and Richie Sexson, who combined a 0 for 7
step up to the plate and do what Beltré did with base loaded and 2 outs?
and Morrow did a great job today! MLB gameday clocked several 100MPH fireballs
Carson — something must be going on behind the scenes… or we are carrying one too many pitchers
And the Tigers aren’t helping us at all. 11-6 Halos :’(
Aww. Guillen’s so smiley and adorable with his kid and all. Who said this guy was temperamental!
It’s like having a really scary friend.
Morrow’s been looking pretty good his last few times out there. Maybe sometime soon he’ll be ready for close games again. I’d rather see him pitching close games in Tacoma…
Yeah, like zero to zero in the top of the first.
And yes, we are carrying too many pitchers.
But hey, we won! Yay us!
Omar Vizquel just made a crazy good play at short. Laid out diving for a ball, rolled and threw the runner out at first lying down.
Morrows July Stats:
K%: 27%
BB%: 12%
gave up his first home run of the year, but hey it happens.
such an improvement! I wouldn’t be mad if he joined the rotation.
Looks like we got two rubber matches coming up!
Horacio vs Gaudin and Washburn vs Dinardo.
well finally we got a win. and guillen homered for my fantasy team. but trotting felix back out for the 7th inning was a mistake IMO, but hopefully that doesn’t come back to bite us.
meanwhile adam jones went 1/4 with a single.
wow. apparently you just have to use the Magic Word.
Just got back from the game. I was pretty impressed with Morrow; it seemed like he was throwing a lot more off-speed stuff than usual, and using it to good effect. I wonder if he’s getting more comfortable using the off-speed stuff against major league hitters. Also, his fastball was 94-98 on the stadium radar, roughly the same as Felix.
And Guillen’s homer was an absolute bomb.
CSG- Good to hear. Hopefully Morow can get his BB/9 down to near 5 before the seasons over. Heck, even Future HOF Pedro Martinez had a 4.79 BB/9 his first year and he was used as a reliever as well. We may have something special with Morrow if he figures it out.
No, I’m not comparing Morrow to be the next Pedro, not even close.
Anyone planning on going to Sunday’s game, btw? (I have an extra bleachers ticket, too, if anyone wants it.)
That is to say, I’d like to get money for it. Sorry if that was unclear. :>
I noticed on Facebook that there’s now a “Free Adam Jones!” group. If that doesn’t get Bavasi’s attention nothing will.
I started that group, and invited a few of my buddies… good to see someone noticed it, feel free to join anyone and if you’d like to be an “officer” of some sort feel free to let me know
Also, his fastball was 94-98 on the stadium radar, roughly the same as Felix.
I think FSN cranks theirs up a bit when Felix starts. It was saying 100 when Blow was saying 98.
As a newbie it is interesting to see how positive the posts are now as opposed to the past week. It is indicative of how contagious success or failure can be, especially in this game. Nice win boys, let’s build on it! By the way, go Bonds!
Yeah, Felix was about 97-98 for the most part on the stadium radar. And he looked very good, barring the Swisher home run; a lot of ground balls, and he really cranked it up when he was in a jam. Also, Oakland’s offense is horribly awful. But I also thought the pitching was very good.
And the City of New York v. Homer Simpson is probably the greatest Simpson’s episode ever.
Beautiful.. just joined the Free Adam Jones! group
You think Bavasi or McLaren have a facebook?
Bavasi seems hip to the times… Johnny Mac not so much – he hits Ra_l in the three hole because that’s the way it always has been, I see him more as a myspace guy. Even though it is completely useless nowadays and facebook is the new wave. MySpace = Ra_l in the three hole Facebook = Adam Jones.
Haha agreed… Let me know and I’ll make ya an officer of your choosing
196 – That’s certainly true after a 7 game losing streak, for sure.
But, I think that you’ll notice that the positive attitude started before we were winning tonight. I think there were two reasons, both of them big:
1. Felix was taking the mound. That means most of us start at a much more positive place… I mean, win or lose, watching Felix is more fun than watching not-Felix.
2. The big one for me, and I said it in the first two or three comments in this thread, is that I was happy to see Beltre batting 4th, and Raul moved down.
Just seeing that one move that indicated a willingness to acknowledge SOMETHING about the problems, made me ten times more positive.
I think you would be surprised how happy people would be regardless of results, if good, solid decisions were being made by management.
Losing doesn’t frustrate me nearly as much as playing stupidly.
I play a lot of poker and results based emotions will kill you. I am much more unhappy when I play poorly, win or lose, than when I play well and lose.
Because over the long haul playing well will get you good results, and playing poorly will ultimately get bad results.
Just seeing that one move that indicated a willingness to acknowledge SOMETHING about the problems…
A direct result of Dave Cameron’s Friday spot yesterday with The Groz, no doubt.