Game 9, Mariners at Rays
Dave · April 9, 2008 at 3:55 pm · Filed Under Mariners
4:05 pm, Washburn vs Sonnanstine.
Ichiro CF
Lopez 2B
Beltre 3B
Ibanez LF
Sexson 1B
Wilkerson RF
Vidro DH
Burke C
Betancourt SS
Kenji gets a day off. Hopefully he remembers how to hit starting tomorrow.
Comments
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Whoa. Dave is going with the “LF” for Zombie Shakespeare… err, Ibanez.
I’m concerned. Jarrod doesn’t like following another lefty in the rotation.
Hopefully Wash can put another decent start together and the bats stay alive.
I predict lots of Washburn pitches ending up in the seats. This lineup is going to kill his weak crap.
Is it “Sonnan-STINE” or “Sonnan-STEEN”?
Is it too early to call this a “must win”?
The whole pitching the day after the guy before you thing is crap. I’m concerned because Jarrod Washburn sucks, but it has nothing to do with Erik Bedard pitching yesterday.
Anbody else notice that after yesterday’s game that Sexon’s average is now up to .259?
6 – Much too early.
I agree. My concern was serious. My comment about consecutive lefties was tongue in cheek, since it was one of those annoying spring training yarns about how the team has finally identified and cured the weak spots from the prior year.
Did Carlos Pena really just try to bunt?
11 – I’ll take Washburn striking out Pena any way he can!
I’ll take a Washburn strike out no matter how, who, or where!
Another whiff for Richie … and a 1-pitch at bat for Wilkerson?
we are really making him throw a lot of pitches this game. good ole M’s!
Man, our lineup…is not hot.
I come to expect Beltre to make that play every time…
I love it when he does that.
That was an exceptional play by Beltre
I remember the old days when Yuni used to make spectacular plays on balls like that. He doesn’t seem to be as fast, flexible or hungry. But his batting has improved a lot.
can we pay Beltre some of Richie’s money?
While Kenji is slumping, they ought to give Burke more playing time.
Well, Yuni got introduced to an American diet and strength-training regimen for the first time in his life — I would expect it’s taking some time to come to terms with his new body. Not sure that was the best trade-off, however.
Still, he seems to slay the ladies (at least those of a certain age).
First Lauren and now this.
Nice little run there by the bottom of the lineup.
3rd inning was apparently a good inning to get home and start watching. Cheers M’s!
No Fangraph for today’s game?
Why are the Rays playing for one run in the 3rd inning vs. Washburn?
Proof managers don’t make a big difference, in game interviews. Try and get a in game interview with Mike Shanahan or Mike Holmgren.
Sportsline says we’re pitching someone named Justin Thomas, I take it from the comments that is just plain wrong and it is Washburn out there? Would someone mind confirming that for me, thanks.
Nobody’s saying that they make a big difference, but the difference between the best and the worst is probably a tangible # of wins.
29 – Washburn is pitching.
Did Sims lose weight?
Washburn’s pitching.
Fangraphs, for the second day in a row, doesn’t have the M’s on its live scoreboard, but you can get at the game by picking another and then selecting the game from the dropdown.
30- I didn’t mean anyone here in general. Just the sports world consensus that a good manager can turn a baseball team around.
Rays:
We can catch the ball.Rays: Most of us can catch the ball!
34- Thank you sir.
Thanks all, stupid work computer won’t let me get flashplayer 9 to get mlb.com gamecast to work and sportsline leaves a bit to be desired.
28 – You realize that the “in game” interviews are taped between innings, right? And, you’ve seen Holmgren and Shanahan do halftime interviews, right? Kinda the same deal, there.
Justin Thomas is a Double-A lefty with okay stuff and injury problems, for what its worth.
38 – Not necessarily. Sometimes it’s during the play. Still, the manager doesn’t have anything to do. And McLaren does even less, most of the time.
Oh, so Jarrod Washburn + injury problems? I can see where they got them confused.
38- The interview with Joe Maddon was live. I know most are taped, but that one was live.
Awesome Dave, me and my buddy were just wondering who that. You’re knowledge is much appreciated.
Speaking of your knowledge, Dave, is the Future Forty available somewhere?
But can Sonnanstine grow a mustache?
Good Beltre
Red is jumping around like a crazy man somewhere.
The interview was during live play, he was reacting to the play as it went down on the field.
Very good Beltre….Not worth his contract my a—
Hey! I AM doing a zombie Shakespeare play….
Also, yay Beltre!
I’m hoping to get the Future Forty back up next week. I have to rewrite the whole thing to fit it into the new Wordpress.
Is it just me or is it odd that on FSN in the Seattle area they show Portland Beavers minor league games instead of the Tacoma Rainers?
If you’re a struggling comedian, you want Dave Simms in your audience, he laughs at everything.
Another Ibanez slow-ness…
Christ. I don’t know if Adam Jones would have caught that, but he would have held it to a single at least.
Ibanez just looks lost running around out there.
Dammit I slipped an extra M in Sims, I was distracted by our magnificent corner outfielders at work.
If there wasn’t enough shame in blogging already…
I can’t believe Iwamura almost beat that out….
So who are the go to bullpen guys tonight, Green and Lowe?
Hmm. That walk was a major gift. In other news, do we know where Washburn’s pitch count is?
Wilk! Putting on his hitting pants!
Triple play incoming.
That was really pathetic. ONE run off of 2nd and 3rd with nobody out…good grief.
Richie with the leadoff walk. Turbolicious with the RBI. Yowzer.
Jamie Burke now trails Kenji in times on base, 4-3, though Kenji has 19 more PAs. Sad.
The Mariners’ line-up must believe runs are a very limited resource and are trying to save them for later.
So this is what happens when lefties follow lefties? The second lefty has a somewhat better than usual game? I can see why they avoided this. Seriously though, if pitching lefties two days in a row is such a problem, why isn’t pitching righties on consecutive days a problem? How are teams like San Diego able to have decent pitching when they’re throwing out Jake Peavy and Chris Young and Greg Maddux and Justin Germano right in a row. Or Toronto? They’re nothing but righties. Halladay, Burnett, McGowan, Marcum, Litsch. Shouldn’t they be easier to hit each consecutive day or…you know…whatever it is that happens when same handed pitchers follow each other in the rotation?
Really you just have to ignore anything McLaren says. All I ask from him is to turn in the line-up card so we don’t forfeit.
Washburn’s pitch count must be pretty low, still. It’d be great if we only needed 1 or 2 innings of work from the pen tonight…
I still don’t understand how Howell isn’t in the rotation…
Nice to see some guys contributing, and I have hope Sexson is on the comeback…well, ok, not 40+ home runs back, but better than .250 BA back. Hell maybe he’ll draw over 100 walks like he almost did a few years ago.
51 – Great, thanks. The preview whet my appetite, but then I couldn’t see it.
I followed JP Howell when I was in graduate school at University of Texas. Had some pretty good pitchers that year. I hope he makes it.
Good throw, but Lopez had it easy.
Lopez breaking out the WHEELS!
Lopez has decided to put Old Man Cairo on the bench for good this year. Very nice to see.
Dave: Out of curiosity, where is Justin Thomas now? He doesn’t show up on the WTN roster.
Washburn was at 90 pitches at the end of the 6th. Mac sends him back out there. Let’s see what happens.
you know, considering the way Jarrod pitches at Tropicana, maybe Tampa would like to trade one of their surplus pitching arms for him …
Did anyone else just hold their breath and cringe?
Ichiro the ninja.
The way our pitchers are eating innings, saving Baek as the long man may mean he pitches again in July.
My heart just skipped.
FWIW, Dan Johnson was DFAed by the A’s today. Anyone else think he would be a better use of the roster spot currently being occupied by Miguel Cairo? I would not mind at all if the Mariners put a claim on him.
I think I speak for just about everyone here when I say that I was Very Freaking Scared for a second when Yuni and Ichiro came that close to running into one another.
IBANEZ!!!
WOW
That is embarrassing.
Ibanez has (somewhat of) an arm!
Burke!
HOSED! Bad base running there. Even Ibanez has a good shot at making that play most of the time.
Credit where credit’s due, that was a good throw.
Yah, after looking more I realize that any better fielder has him out by a mile probably, still an accurate one hopper though.
Haha. Sexson’s new name is “Bulldozer.”
Richie is definitely hurting.
Someone check Richie for HGH, he got a hold of that one!
being in the way when Sexson is trying to stop suddenly– not good.
Why not run for Sexson here? Put Raul at First and Jimerson in Left.
You have to be kidding me. Wilkerson is bunting Sexson over with a ground ball hitter coming up? Talk about giving away an out.
somehow Vidro will still hit into a DP.
Pinch run for Richie here?
WHAT? We are up McLaren! Not down by 1 or in a tie game. Wilkerson has a career .456 slugger against lefties, he had a double last time up let him swing.
I think most here take issue with Raul’s range, not his throwing ability.
And why not run for Vidro too, while your at it?
fwiw, Pentland was being quoted pre-game as saying he’d noticed after plowing through film that this season Vidro was off-balance at the plate, and that they were going to do concentrated work on that when they got home to their own batting cages
Obviously he doesn’t know that.
Crash!!!!!!!!
BURKE BLAST!
98- So McLaren knows Vidro is off balance at the plate. So naturally he gives him a RBI opportunity by having Wilk give himself up. Sure, why not…
Jamie Burke – Professional Hitter. LOL.
Alright Burke!
Our backup catcher is better than your backup catcher.
Hey, the ponies seem to be making some progress. I think the bandwagon may be out of the ditch pretty soon.
Burke blast #2!
BURKE!!! #2!!!
Everyone should be chanting Burke and give a standing O when he plays next at the Safe.
Unfortunately, at least for now, the backup catcher is better than the starter.
Bottom of the 8th would be a nice time for EOF to get some work in.
well, gosh, how do you get yourself out of it (esp. when you are a Professional Hitter TM) except by getting more at-bats?
Burke for 1B. He’s got more power than Richie. The man deserves confetti and ovations back at Safeco.
wow, Mac has his closer in for the 8th?!
112- I would guess you work with the hitting coach in the cages when you get home…
Is McLaren saying Wilkerson isn’t professional so he made him bunt? He isn’t worth having swing away?
The depth of McLaren’s madness is incomprehensible until I start seeing sounds get in fist fights with colors and I invent solar powered night vision goggles.
Why is RRS pitching again? This situation is tailor-made for EOF.
111- Or it would be a nice time to bring 2R-S in for another 2 inning save…
Two strikeouts of Peña in two days on seven pitches. Not bad, RRS. Not bad at all.
Maybe he’s setting up EOF or another of the forgotten bullpen for a 9th inning appearance?
At what point will Mariner fans stop bagging Sexson this year?
I like the caption on MLB.com for this game
“The Mariners think batting Raul Ibanez clean-up will improve their offense.”
It’s almost as if they’re trying to say “…little do they know…”
In 5 ABs today, Lopez had just one swinging strike.
Thank you Beltre for running it out… lets see what old man Raul can do.
Beltre seems faster this year for some reason…
What the-?! Ibanez beat out a throw?????
…also run it out.
Beltre’s a speed demon. His size is deceiving, though. I always wonder how he can be so fast.
looks like Ibanez is a speed demon as well…..
okay, maybe not….
Woo hoo! Silver sombrero for Richie! But at least he walks sometimes.
SG54 get to work.
I like how Wilk was hesitantly calling for that and Ichiro just took it anyway…
Nice win, put up a season high 7 runs.
Good job Green, good good series so far. It’s Good to Go Green!
Out of the cellar!
Two days with offense – Whoa! I don’t know if I can handle so much of the stuff after getting used to what we saw in the first two series.
Easily the best part of watching that game on mlb.tv was the ongoing commentary by the Rays broadcast team explicating Washburn’s many virtues as a starting pitcher. It went on for 3 or 4 innings and then they dropped the bomb and referred to the M’s “Big Three” as Bedard, Felix and Wash. Classic!
Oh yeah. And hooray offense!
OT, [deleted, OT]
Wow, early game tomorrow, eh?
And yay for Burke. That was an awesome job blocking the plate on Raul’s throw (that baserunner still hasn’t touched home). Oh, and the dinger was pretty good too.
Drayer said JJ threw ~70 pitches from flat ground today, so that’s good news.
I say it again– trade him to Tampa!
They can’t afford him, alas.
oh, I’m sure the M’s could throw in some money to cover that contract in exchange for Sonnanstine or Hammel or Jackson or Howell or Niemann or McGee or Davis …