10 Apr
Game 10, Mariners at Rays
9:40 am, Batista vs Jackson.
Say hello to morning baseball. Of course, with the way Edwin Jackson and Miguel Batista command the strike zone, there’s a good chance this will turn into evening baseball, and maybe even midnight baseball. Not exactly a couple of Carlos Silvas here. Jackson and Batista are actually pretty similar pitchers, though I’d rather have Jackson at this point in his career.
Line-up:
CF Ichiro
2B Lopez
3B Beltre
LF Ibanez
1B Sexson
DH Vidro
RF Morse
C Johjima
SS Betancourt
Even with a RHP on the hill, Mike Morse gets the start in right field. Miguel better focus on getting a lot of groundballs today.
I was sad I had to go take a test and miss the end of the game, with the OF and those starters maybe I can catch the end still.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:04 amWha… What time is it?
April 10th, 2008 at 9:05 amI’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Mike Morse sucks (earth-shattering, I know).
*Dan Johnson was DFAed by the A’s, he’s a decent freely available backup 1B, no?
April 10th, 2008 at 9:05 amso, lots of time for the MorseMen out there to see their guy, then.
nice note about Batista, before his tightrope-walking pitching starts working on the nerves.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:08 amNorton is down at Tacoma. Their is a better than replacement value 1B already available. It only matters when Bavasi and McLaren give up on Richie.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:21 amI haven’t even had coffee yet today, it’s way too early for me to think about right field defense.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:21 amThere is a good chance that Morse fields in much the same way that Ruggiano (sp?) did yesterday. Vidro should send him, Ruggiano, a thank you note for that double.
Just wondering if today be a good day to give a rest to one of the non-platooned regulars. I know that no one wants to lose Lopez, Beltre, or Yuni from the lineup right now, but giving one of those guys a day off (day game after night game) might help out down the road. And while I am not a fan of the bench, the M’s insist on carrying both WFB and Cairo, so they might as well use them once a month.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:29 amMariners’ starters leading the A.L. in ERA. Let’s see what Batista can do today, bringing out the broom.
On another note, first post. Woo!
April 10th, 2008 at 9:30 amWell, I get the FSN broadcast today on MLB.tv! Yay for Dave Niehaus, but crap for having to hear about the “Professional Hitter” again…the break from that misnomer was really nice.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:32 amAh baseball at 17:40 … I will savour this moment. Much better than the usual 03:05 starting time.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:32 amGood morning everyone. Nothing like grabbing a cup of coffee and watching the M’s first thing in the morning. Hopefully Morse won’t make me want to regurgitate my coffee today.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:34 amI can’t think of a better way to get through work than listening to the M’s
April 10th, 2008 at 9:43 amwell, that must have been a fast top of the first.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:47 amHeck, ya…that’s part of the reason to have a bench.
And if you’re going to weight your roster with veteran goodness, how about treating them like veterans and giving them a day off periodically to KEEP them fresh?
April 10th, 2008 at 9:47 amDang, I was hoping for a 4 HR day from Adrian!
April 10th, 2008 at 9:48 amUh oh….looks like we have Bad Batista today.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:50 amwalking the first batter, he’s just shaking off the rust!
April 10th, 2008 at 9:50 amFanGraphs still hates us, I see. And this time no work-around until the Cincinatti-Milwaukee game.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:51 amThere’s just something wrong with the world when I have a hard time getting back from Top Pot with my coffee before the first pitch. And I live across the street from Top Pot.
It’s what, ~2AM tomorrow in Japan? Well, at least our European contingent is convenienced.
I don’t have it on TV — how many people are there? Day game on a Thursday against a team with no natural following in the area… how many people could the Rays draw? 10?
April 10th, 2008 at 9:52 amwell, it sounds like at least two people are there, shouting ‘charge’!
April 10th, 2008 at 9:53 amIt’s pretty empty—10K is a generous guess.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:53 am18
This is the perfect time of day for all the old people in Florida, they have to draw at least 235 today, c’mon.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:54 amIt’s 5am in New Zealand and I don’t know why I got up to watch Batista.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:54 amToday has all the ingredients for a bizarro day.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:54 amThere is more than a hand full of open seats behind home plate. There’s just enough people to have crowd noise. But not enough to tone out the one or two hecklers that are there. Can’t be much more than 5K in total I’d guess.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:55 amIt is tough to tell with half the senior citizens taking their post brunch nap in the stands.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:55 amI wonder how strict the ushers are in enforcing ticket placement…i.e., I wonder if Rays fans can get away with migrating to better empty seats…goodness knows there are enough of them…
April 10th, 2008 at 9:57 amThat field looks like garbage.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:57 amBatista is putting me right back to sleep.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:57 am14 Mike Cameron hit 4 HR on my birthday once. It was sweet.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:58 amNice language Upton. On the up side there is no one in the stands to hear it. On the bottom side there is no crowd noise to drown it out.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:00 amListening to the game on XM, so with the Rays announcers. They just mentioned the rash of injuries at the start of this season is, according to the research they have, the worst since 2002. Then one of them said (and I’m sorry I can’t tell one from the other) ‘There are a lot of whispers as to why [there are so many injuries]‘. Are these announcers calling guys out for steroid use, or perhaps the cessation of use this year? On the air? Wow.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:00 amsay, I haven’t heard the Tampa Hollarer this visit … and he is hard to overlook.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:00 am28, Yeah my birthday isn’t til August. I’m asking for a Felix perfect game this year =)
April 10th, 2008 at 10:00 amSexson with the free pass.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:03 amThe Rays have been getting some pretty bad calls in this series.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:04 amanyone else having issues with sound on mlb.tv?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:04 amugh Vidro makes me cry on the inside.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:05 amBut you’re laughing on the outside right?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:05 am38 - C’mon, he didn’t DP this time.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:06 amnice swing by morse… gets sexson 2nd…
April 10th, 2008 at 10:06 amMorse sucks. There, I said it.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:06 amThe tickets behind home plate cost $210 at Tropicana.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:07 amBoy did Morse look over-matched there.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:07 am40, I know he didn’t, but we shouldn’t be happy that our DH didn’t DP. But that’s all we can hope for. =’(
39, oh yeah, I even got my girlfriend in on the Turbo madness!
April 10th, 2008 at 10:08 amI’d like to see how far behind the M’s would be if Edwin was throwing 100….
April 10th, 2008 at 10:08 amRegarding Dan Johnson being available….no way the M’s have a shot at him unless they work out a trade with Oakland. He’d never make it through waivers. The Giants, for one, would upgrade 1B by taking Johnson.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:11 amI read something from the comments in game 8 that has made its way onto my computer screen and it makes me smile–Richie’s dangerous when he doesn’t swing…, now if I had a pony…
April 10th, 2008 at 10:12 amAnyone excited for the Sexson 1 on 1 after the game?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:12 am28, Never noticed it before but wow it really does look bad.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:16 am48 - glad you like my work…
April 10th, 2008 at 10:18 amJeeez, another inning like this and I’ll just have to open Out of the Park 8 and play baseball in my fantasy world.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:19 amJeeez, another inning like this and I’ll just have to open Out of the Park 8 and play baseball in my fantasy world.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:19 amKenji is making a case for Burke as the starting catcher.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:19 am54: No kidding. Kenji is making [Richie] look like a good batter right now.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:20 amWhat does Burke have to do to get more than just one start a week?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:20 amWalk for Ichiro! Keeping the no hitter alive!
April 10th, 2008 at 10:21 amIchiro! on, maybe we’ll get something going now on offense.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:21 amJackson has a no-hitter going.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:22 amI remember when Dave wanted the M’s to trade for Edwin. He looks pretty good to me…
April 10th, 2008 at 10:23 amI scheduled a lunch meeting for today. Who knew I was supposed to check the Mariners’ schedule before doing such a silly thing?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:23 amI’m following this on gameday. Did Yubet really take 5 pitches?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:25 amhey, I volunteered to send Wash off for him ….
April 10th, 2008 at 10:25 am59 - So does Batista!
April 10th, 2008 at 10:25 amNot a great game so far, but I am loving baseball in the afternoon. Also, the fact that I can post on a thread that’s live (vs. waking up in the morning and reading this before anything else).
April 10th, 2008 at 10:27 amSo far this has been an infomercial for St. Petersburgh, with baseball playing in the background…
April 10th, 2008 at 10:28 amHmmmmm that was pretty close…
April 10th, 2008 at 10:29 amI take a short nap and Batista gets through two batters.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:29 amLine drive?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:30 amPena Vs Batista makes me nervous…
April 10th, 2008 at 10:31 am68, apparently it counts if it goes straight into the ground..
April 10th, 2008 at 10:31 ambouncer by crawford up the middle to lopez, neihaus calls it a line drive?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:31 amI’m so sick of this “April Baseball - October Intensity” hype over the upcoming Angels series. Not to downplay the importance of playing well in your division, but seriously, they’re just setting themselves up to look like fools.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:32 amAnd the no-hitter stays alive.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:33 amHearing the Ms announcers pronounce Iwamura Akinori’s name at 5.30am is really unpleasnat.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:35 amDang Beltre. I’m really tired of seeing that flailing swing and the way outside and low pitch.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:36 am70: And yes, it seems like every time they do something like that, bad “mojo” follows.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:36 amHearing the Ms announcers is really unpleasant.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:37 amThis game is going to end as a 1-0 dual no-hitter. Winning runs scores on a four-base Morse error.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:37 amLOL, as soon as I hit send he rips one. That has to be a hit.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:37 amThe official scorer will be under a lot of heat if that is the only hit of the game.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:38 amBELTRE - Breaking up the NO NO!
Okay, it’s not that exciting, but I’m doing boring work and trying to distract myself with a boring game. I’ve got to find some frisson somewhere.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:39 amHeeeeeeeere’s Sexxxxxy!
April 10th, 2008 at 10:39 amGoddammit, Sexson.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:40 amI wish I could have bet on that…
April 10th, 2008 at 10:40 amSexson - the dude is going to hit .220 and have an OBP of .350
April 10th, 2008 at 10:40 am76: Something like that actually happened years back…in one of Sandy Koufax’s games, I believe.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:41 amBeltre showing the wheels!
April 10th, 2008 at 10:41 amOops, thought Sexson walked.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:41 amHave I mentioned how much I hate having Sexson on our team?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:41 amNice catch. I’d suggest Raul take notes, but there’s no point in your brain learning something your body can’t do.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:42 am83: Except for the four base error, right?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:42 amThat sucked.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:42 amRauuuul would have made that catch, too….
April 10th, 2008 at 10:43 amSo much for the no-hitter.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:46 amThere goes that.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:46 amIf they lose this game 1-0 on a Hinske HR I’m going to be nauseous for the rest of the day.
I realize Jackson was one of the Dave-Endorsed trade targets with TB, but what’s his story? Looking at his career at B-R it looks like the Dodgers used him sparingly as starter for 3 years, but when TB got him they used him as a reliever in ‘06, then put him in the rotation (31 starts) last year. But he wasn’t all that good. And yet all of the sudden this year he’s Don Drysdale. Is this just early-games-against-players-who-haven’t-faced-him-before small sample size weirdness?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:48 amNiehaus jinxed them by mentioning the potential series sweep. Rays will pour it on from here.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:48 amwhy? they can lose with great intensity.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:48 amJust how many times a game does Blowers say “I don’t think there’s any question about that”? It is so annoying.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:49 amRandom note…
Anybody see that commercial on ESPN with Sweet Lou arguing with the umpire? Pretty good stuff.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:52 am87: Correct.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN196509090.shtml
ONE hit in the whole freaking game!
It must’ve sucked to have been Bob Hendley that day — throwing the game of his career only to have gotten no-hit by Koufax!
April 10th, 2008 at 10:54 amSpeaking of commercials, what does Ichiro! say at the end of his when he’s getting fitted for the suit? I can’t make it out.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:54 amQuit questioning him–you’ll only make him do it more.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:55 amKenji is seriously a waste of an AB right now.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:56 amC’mon Ichiro!
April 10th, 2008 at 10:56 amBob Hendley has nothing on Harvey Haddix.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:57 amAnd Sims picks up the, “No question, no question.”
April 10th, 2008 at 10:57 am100 - um, its been like five games, Miguel Cabrera isn’t hitting well either right now.
Also, Gameday, as well as my radio, is broken. What’s the score?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:57 amOK, this is bizarre… MLB GameDay has M’s up 1-0 on a Sexson HR, and ESPN has the Rays up 1-0 on a Hinske HR.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:57 amHow did Morse get to second on a ground out to short? Was it a hit and run, or was the ball hit so slowly there was no shot at getting Morse?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:57 am92 - Jackson was, at one time, the Dodgers top pitching prospect. His first game as a pro he out-dueled Randy Johnson and looked great. Was dealt to Tampa a short time later for relief pitching. Been up and down since then and has not been used in a stable role in consecutive seasons since. Mac would attribute his lack of consistent success to not knowing his defined role, I’m sure.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:58 am102: Ah, poor Harvey — the 12-inning “perfect” loss!
April 10th, 2008 at 10:58 amIf any of you followed your own logic you’d allow Morse the amount of time necessary to qualify the fact that “he sucks” in the same way you do not qualify his large numbers in short MLB stays as reputable numbers reflecting his talent or potential.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:58 amI switched to ESPN’s GameCast, GameDay was being seriously wonky.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:58 am107: Slow grounder that offered no chance for a DP.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:59 amOur offense stinks today. No doubt about it.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:01 am94 - I guess you’re right. Striking out with the bases loaded can be pretty intense.
95 - That’s an ongoing complaint. Anybody ever play EA Sports MLB 2005? One of the announcers on there says “No doubt about it!” all the time, and in pretty much the same tone as Blow. There are a few other similarities too, leading me to suspect the Blowers learned his broadcast skills from playing xbox.
96 - Yeah, that goes down as one of the best commercials of all time in my book.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:01 amBeltre is just hysterical … for those not watching - Sims called the play by play saying that Beltre was about to make the catch. Yuni made the catch, thus Sims was faked out by Beltre and noted that it wasn’t the first time that had happened. And then the camera showed Beltre with a bit of a smirk on his face. Fun stuff.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:01 amDayve, Morse was mediocre in the minors too. There’s no reason to think he’s good, except wanting him to be good.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:02 am“OK, this is bizarre… MLB GameDay has M’s up 1-0 on a Sexson HR, and ESPN has the Rays up 1-0 on a Hinske HR.”
I don’t care which one is true in the ‘real world’. It’s 1-0 M’s! W00T!
April 10th, 2008 at 11:02 amI think most of us don’t think Morse is good because 1) he doesn’t have good tools and 2) he doesn’t have good minor league numbers.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:02 am“nice contest, bro. thanks”
April 10th, 2008 at 11:02 amDarn, as I was posting it, they changed it.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:03 amUhh, how the hell did Yuni not get that ball? That was a routine grounder.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:03 amMan, Iwamura’s haircut sure is gross.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:04 amUmmm, so, which is the real score, Gamecast or Gameday?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:04 amThey’re both correct.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:05 amThe real score is 1-0 Rays.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:05 amDid Blow just call him Poppa Pena?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:06 am120: Sexson is still hitless in the game, with walk and strike out.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:07 amWould Wilkerson have had that?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:07 amWould Wilkerson have had that?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:07 amNothing like making an easy play look hard…
April 10th, 2008 at 11:08 amThat was a nice play - I thought hit as soon as Upton made contact.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:08 amHorrible catch by Morse. He should have stayed on his feet.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:08 amlol nice play morse
April 10th, 2008 at 11:08 amMorris defensive gem?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:08 am118: Tampa’s field is pretty hard, I think Yuni would have had it on natural grass.
How about that worst outfielder in the league huh?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:09 amYowzers. Give credit where credit is due. That was a nice play by Morse.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:09 amLooked good to me.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:10 amThose Mariner half-innings go awfully quick.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:13 amThe way the balls go through the infield in this park, and with the drunken defense the M’s have been employing so far, I bet Silva is thanking his lucky stars he doesn’t get a start here.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:13 amNah. When you suck, you suck.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:13 amWhat the hell is wrong with Gameday now? Apparently it’s still an 0-1 count on Akinori Iwamura in the fourth????
April 10th, 2008 at 11:14 amJust came in. Is Jackson just hitting his spots today or is the Mariners offense sputtering? He looked pretty good in the half inning I just saw despite the help from the M’s.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:14 amok, it was a decent play by Morse. Not very pretty, but good. I suppose I’ve been spoiled by watching Ichiro in right field all these years.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:15 amAhh, another exciting Sexson at-bat…yawwwwn!
April 10th, 2008 at 11:16 amIs MLB.audio down for everyone else also? I get 1 word then it closes the connection.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:16 amGameday just had the lineups/home-away switched, so Hinske looked like Sexson. It’s corrected, but Gameday is still messed up.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:16 am149-I have audio
April 10th, 2008 at 11:17 amWho should be more insulted - Sexson or Hinske?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:17 amIbanez playing “defense”.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:17 amLadies and Gentlemen, RAUL IBANEZ!
April 10th, 2008 at 11:17 amMorse would have gotten to that ball
April 10th, 2008 at 11:18 amso, do I believe Niehaus on that Ibanez play, or go with my own instincts?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:18 amHow many more of those futile attempts by Raul will it take to get him out of LF?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:18 amIbanez got closer to that than I thought he would. That was a true gapper. I’m not sure how many LFs make that play, honestly.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:18 amIbanez showed some serious hustle….
April 10th, 2008 at 11:19 amHinske. Definitely Hinske.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:19 amWell that just plain sucks.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:20 amDave…on several occasions this year, you’ve mentioned that Yuni’s range has not been what it was (including earlier today). What’s up with that? Have you heard anything about why his range has diminished? Contract contentness (if I can make that be a word)?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:21 amI hate being dependent on the radio in games like these– for example, is it the pitching of Jackson or the hitting of the Mariners, or both, leading to this scintillating offensive output?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:21 amIf Batista gets us through 6 and only giving up 2 runs, we should be in a position to steal a game….
April 10th, 2008 at 11:22 amLooks like M’s are averaging ~ 3.3 pitches per plate appearance? Is Jackson just pitching really well, or what? That’s probably why it feels like our half of the inning is flying by.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:23 amHinske, Gomes, and Difelice are beating the Mariners 2-0. Sigh.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:23 am146/163, he is really hitting spots. He is going strike one with 93 at the bottom of the knees on a lot of guys. He’s keeping the ball down really well.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:24 amYou know, 2 runs over 6 innings is a pretty decent outing for a number 5 starter.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:24 amIt’s a combination of Jackson pitching well and the M’s having a lousy approach at the plate. Jackson’s got good stuff, so it’s not a surprise that he’s getting Ks, but the M’s are just not making him work. Morse got a four pitch walk, then Johjima followed by swinging at a first pitch slider. That’s just stupid.
As for Yuni, he’s gotten bigger. He’s just clearly not the same defender he was 2 years ago.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:26 amRizzs: “…if the Mariners can score 7 runs in this inning…”
[snerk]
April 10th, 2008 at 11:26 amI’ve got 2-0 Rays with a Vidro homer as the only scoring in the game… in the BOTTOM of the 4th for Tampa… did we trade him?
I hate Yahoo! sometimes…
April 10th, 2008 at 11:27 am168 - Yeah, imagine if it were 0 runs over 6! That’s not Shields out there.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:27 am171
That just goes to show how many people really care about this game.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:28 am…if Yuni isn’t playing above average defense then he really isn’t all that good.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:28 amSee!? If Morse! just got more starts he’d … do more of that.
If Batista gets us through 6 and only giving up 2 runs, we should be in a position to steal a game….
Well, the M’s bullpen has nothing of the comfortable reliability it had last year, but based on what we’ve seen this series it still matches up very well against TB’s (damning with faint praise, I realize). What worries me about bullpen usage in this game is that it handcuffs the team for the Angels series. And since we can’t count on McLaren to make optimal use of what he has available. (Then again, sometimes those handcuffs force him to make smart decisions he otherwise wouldn’t make…)
April 10th, 2008 at 11:28 amDon’t get my hopes up.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:29 amThe Mariners look like a team who have a plane to catch.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:30 amRizzs: “…if the Mariners can score 7 runs in this inning…”
Hey, it might actually be snowing outside Tropicana Field right now as well!
April 10th, 2008 at 11:30 amCue the bullpen!
April 10th, 2008 at 11:30 amHarder than converting to… say… catcher Blowers?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:32 amSo why not reliever? EOF was needed at the top of this inning.
Great, Mac makes the change two batters too late.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:33 amHey, it might actually be snowing outside Tropicana Field right now as well!
Satan lives in Tampa? I’d buy that.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:33 amDo they let Batista give Pena the HR first, or pull him now?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:33 amHoly crap! Good bullpen management?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:33 amI’m really hating the new MLB.com services. I can’t get gameday audio to work on my mac so I switch over to the PC. MLB.com tells me I’m logged into multiple machines which violates my terms of service. Even after logging back in and back out on the mac (on their site) it tells me I’m logged in. What a piece of crap. It kills me when huge conglomerates whose sole existence is based on their monopolistic control of their product can’t manage to offer services that work.
Time to bring a radio into work for these afternoon games….
April 10th, 2008 at 11:34 amToday on Arson Squad: Seattle, “Firefighter” O’Flaherty tries to see if he can really put this game out of reach…
April 10th, 2008 at 11:35 amPut in EOF, a guy whose been knocked around, with two runners on base, no outs and Carlos Pena and BJ Upton coming up. Not exactly a recipe for success.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:35 amWhat is the score? All of the online services have been back and forth with what’s actually happening.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:36 amCBS Sportsline seems to be working fine. It is 2-0 Tampa.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:37 amThis doesn’t look good…
April 10th, 2008 at 11:37 amWell that’s great.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:37 amGamecast recorded EOF’s pitch that hit Pena as being in the strike zone.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:37 am@188 - I belive ESPN has it right, with us trailing 0-2
April 10th, 2008 at 11:37 ambringing the lefty against Pena is a good idea, leaving him in for Upton…
April 10th, 2008 at 11:37 amDammit.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:38 ambingo.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:39 amI didn’t really expect EOL to be this year’s Mateo.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:40 amThere’s nothing to complain about with McLaren’s bullpen management here. O’Flaherty was the right call, but he’s just struggling. You can’t not use him, and this was the right situation to give him another chance.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:40 amOne question…where is Lowe? He’s not the closer, so why is he the underused option in the BP?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:43 amShould O’Flaherty have been brought in earlier? I agree that EO should have been used, but why let Batista begin the inning, and, particularly, pitch to Crawford? If Mac was willing to bring in EO with no outs and two on, he should have been willing to bring him in with no outs and none on.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:43 ampuke
April 10th, 2008 at 11:45 amWouldn’t the right situation have been to start the inning with Eric instead of giving him the added pressure of men on base (not to mention two great hitters coming up)?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:45 am200- Maybe EOF wasn’t mentally prepared to pitch with none on?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:46 amouch
April 10th, 2008 at 11:46 amWell, guess I can get back to work now.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:46 amRoy-vay.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:47 amThis game got out of hand with the quickness.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:47 amWell, this game is pretty much over. Here’s to looking forward to Felix Day tomorrow.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:47 amGotta love 3 pitcher innings.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:49 amWell our win expectancy is at 0% which is pretty cool when we still have 6 outs left. At least we’ve taken 2 out of 3 series this year.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:49 amWhat the hell is Dick Vitale doing there?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:49 amWhat in the world is Dicky doing there?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:49 am205, 208: That about sums it up. Time to get on with other things and look forward to Felix.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:49 amThe win “streak” was fun while it lasted. I know I shouldn’t, but I actually feel much better about the team then I did going into Tampa. The lineup changes in particular give me heart.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:50 amOver!? Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor!?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:50 amWhen JJ comes back, are they going to keep Corcoran?
April 10th, 2008 at 11:50 amIIRC, he lives down there, and often goes to the games
April 10th, 2008 at 11:51 amI think Mac was trying to go as far as possible with Batista because our bullpen is a batter to batter proposition and burning up three relievers when you are losing, right before the Anaheim series, is a bad idea.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:51 amI’m afraid EOF just has the luck of the Irish right now( the bad luck). EO got ahead of every hitter they let him face . He ticked the shirt of pena on an inside fastball. Upton was able to sneak a groundball out of the infield off of Sexsons glove and the next guy couldnt even hit the ball past him. My opinion is that EOF was throwing fine and is just having a run of bad luck lately
April 10th, 2008 at 11:51 amI believe Vitale lives in that area… I have heard him mention he follows the Rays.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:52 amGASP
Cairo!!??!
April 10th, 2008 at 11:52 amWell, it’s good to know McLaren had a master plan for using Cairo.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:52 amIt’s true what they say, Cairo does exist!
April 10th, 2008 at 11:53 amVitale seems to like him.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:53 amDicky mentioned that Kazmir coming off the DL and Longoria coming up could make them legit… And I agree. They’ve already been doing a fine job.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:54 amI can’t remember when it happened, but Dickie V is now a cartoon character. CGI has come a long way, baby.
Quite a contrast between him and the lifeless Blowers.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:54 amI think McLaren was waiting for a role to appear so he could slot a guy into it. “Reliever who starts an inning before the 8th or 9th” is not a role McLaren recognizes.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:55 amI believe Vitale lives in that area… I have heard him mention he follows the Rays.
Yes, Vitale does live down there. He showed up at one of the Lightning’s home games during the Stanley Cup finals a few years back as well, and mentioned that he did.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:55 amstuck around long enough for Dicky V. Kinda sad that march madness is over.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:55 amSo Cairo finally gets an AB. WFB too. Does Jimerson get to make an appearance. Will Mac always treat his bench like the walk-ons on college basektball teams. Once the game is decided, he throws them a bone and lets them play.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:56 amEgads…a Cairo sighting!
April 10th, 2008 at 11:57 amWait — defensive substitution for Raul? I think Satan is snowboarding past the dome.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:59 am215 - I think you mean the Japanese. Closest Germans ever got to American soil were U-Boats of the EAST coast. Just saying.
Oh, look, Willie Boom-Boom. Cairo, Willie…good to have you replace our defensive middle infield, not to mention two of our hottest bats. Don’t you just love giving up late in the game? I know I do.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:59 amJimerson too. Hooray!
So Dave, DMZ, anyone else who has more insight than me (and that’s a large group), do you expect and roster changes prior to tomorrow night’s game (with October intensity!) against LAA. I believe that Mac is craving another pitcher because Baek will simply not be used.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:00 pm#232 — 215 was referencing an Animal House quote, as far as I know.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:01 pm233
We don’t have to change anything. The Angels are still shaking in their boots after the beating we gave them in that spring training game.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:02 pmGee, I wonder if Sexy will get another at-bat? I’m looking forward to yet another one of his meaningless solo home runs!
April 10th, 2008 at 12:03 pm232- I propose a new drinking game. Every time someone posts the rally speech from Animal House, you know one of the most famous lines in cinema history, and someone corrects them thinking they actually don’t know who attacked Pearl Harbor you take a shot.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:03 pmSo… Is Edwin Jackson actually good this year? Two really solid starts so far, and maybe it was slightly more than just variance helping him out.
Felix day tomorrow! Anyone going? I am.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:04 pmHey, we finally chased Jackson out of the game.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:05 pmHere comes the Richie Sexson meaningless solo Home Run job…
April 10th, 2008 at 12:05 pmI have a hard time believing Jimerson is the best ANY team can do for a 4th OF.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:06 pmWait — defensive substitution for Raul? I think Satan is snowboarding past the dome.
Not a defensive substitution. Just giving Raul an early shower with the game out of reach. Mac would never pull Raul in a critical situation.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:06 pmWait, Jimerson only has 9 career ABs, and in those he has hit 2 home runs?
April 10th, 2008 at 12:07 pmOur offense if offensive.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:07 pmI can’t believe that Morse didn’t jump start the offense. He was awesom in spring training.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:08 pmWell, wasn’t that just a hideous little effort now.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:09 pmI propose a new drinking game. Every time someone posts the rally speech from Animal House, you know one of the most famous lines in cinema history, and someone corrects them thinking they actually don’t know who attacked Pearl Harbor you take a shot.
Yeah. You know, I actually considered including a link but since we tripped over this very example of pop-culture illiteracy more than once in the game threads last year, I figured I was safe (and it’s funny in a trollish sort of way when it happens anyway).
And the movie turns 30 this year. Damn I feel old.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:10 pm~250 posts. Anybody want to guess what the post count is going to be for the Thursday day game at Kansas City on September 18? I’m guessing, uh, lower.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:16 pmI’ll be there. It will be my first time seeing Felix in person, and I’m totally psyched.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:18 pmPony Alert: Even the best line-ups put a couple of 0’s on the board through out the course of a season. 2 games out of 3 is good it just comes in the wake of the Baltimore Massacre.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:21 pmLook on the bright side…at least we’re still ahead of the Tigers in the Wild Card race.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:24 pmI.e., 2 out of 7…
April 10th, 2008 at 12:28 pm