Game 32, Mariners at Yankees
Silva v Rasner. 10am our time.
Silva leads the Mariners in wins, he’s got the second-best ERA (behind Bedard), he’s getting a lot of ground balls, he’s running a K:BB ratio of 2, which is nice, and doing it Franklin-style: not giving up the walks and not getting the strikeouts.
Which makes it particularly interesting, to loop back around, that Silva’s leading the M’s in wins and has the second-best ERA, given the team’s defensive troubles. While the focus is on the errors (they’re tied for 5th-most at 24) and fielding percentage (tied for 25th), they also look bad in terms of raw balls-in-play-into-outs, the M’s are currently 22/30.
An interesting contrast is that the Yankees, in terms of raw defense, are slightly worse than the Mariners — but in fielding percentage they’re 7th-best, so there’s not the wide perception that they’re no good at catching the ball.
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It will be interesting to see if the Mariners avoid a sweep at Yankee Stadium today. Is it my perception alone that the lineup changes are about as valuable as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic?
When they moved the deck chairs on the Titanic I don’t think it made the ship sink faster.
Rearranging the deck chairs helped people to stop thinking about the ship sinking.
From the M’s site – John McLaren on yesterday’s game…
I kind of feel sorry for the guy. All that confusion, frustration and desperation. “It’s not working and I don’t know why! We were supposed to have a good offense and defense…all the reporters said so!” I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry. Probably the latter…
speaking of rearranging the deck chairs– Junior is currently hitting 2nd for Dusty.
nice. the pregame is just telling us that Silva has a terrible career record against the Yanks. sigh.
I hadn’t remembered that Rasner pitched in that game vs the Ms a year ago when Roger announced he was coming back …
What’s really frightening to me is that I knew going into this season that the M’s had a poor, aging offense and defense, as did the owners and most of the readers of this blog. There’s basically 2 possibilities here: (1) the reporters and team management really believed that they had a good team here, which would make them clueless beyond belief, or (2) at least some of them knew otherwise, but were afraid to say so (didn’t want to go against the conventional wisdom, didn’t want to create negative expectations that might hurt attendance, etc.). It’s just hard to fathom how a bunch of baseball professionals couldn’t see what was obvious to all of us, so I lean towards #2. In which case McLaren’s rant should be seen as just more PR posturing, trying to convince the fans that the defensive problems are just a temporary aberration and not what they have to look forward to seeing for the rest of the season.
I think it is also harder (the forest for the trees?) when you know and are constantly around the person you should be evaluating objectively.
Vidro batting 5th at 1B today…yeah! Clement at DH, Balentien batting 9th in RF
I’m afraid I would have to lean towards #1. There was the insinuation that Bavasi and McLaren were still on the hot-seat, and it would be in their best interest to build the best team they could, not just cover up for a bad one. Their moves this off-season (i.e. Wilkerson, Cairo etc.) and McLaren’s subsequent managing (i.e. starting Cairo against Mussina because of his imagined “history of success”) lead me to believe that he really doesn’t know how to evaluate offense and defense, and thus is genuinely confused and frustrated.
msb – that is a very good point.
Does any service keep a stat for ball fours swung at? Lopez has to be leading the league.
Beltremendous
Club Rasta!
It was gone the minute he swung. Nice.
Beltre just tied our run production for the last 19 innings.
Hey! We’re winning!
Nice one, Beltre! Maybe today will be different…
You may be right, #9. I also should have mentioned the likely presence of groupthink in the M’s FO. Groupthink is a process in which groups settle on a particular interpretation of a problem, screen out information that suggests alternative interpretations, and punish members who deviate from the party line. I think the M’s version includes memes such as “Veterans are always better than youngsters,” “veterans should never be offended,” “character and chemistry are more important than raw talent,” “statistical analysis is a passing, silly fad” etc. (Feel free to add your own.) People who hold contradictory views (e.g. statheads) are systematically excluded, and members are strongly discouraged from suggesting alternative ideas. We’ll get a good idea of whether anybody is ready to challenge the groupthink when McL and Bavasi are replaced. The facts that the managers have all basically been clones, with very similar flaws, and that Bavasi has survived this long with so little success, aren’t reassuring.
All losing streaks end eventually. Last game of a series against a guy just up from AAA is as good a time as any.
way to field competently!
“We are a good fielding ballclub, but our defense has worked against us more than for us.”
When received wisdom/dogma conflicts with all available evidence, ignore your eyes and continue to believe your dogma.
I assume most of you didn’t have the pleasure of watching this series on the YES network?
I just don’t see how anyone who knows anything about baseball can watch Raul day in and day out and not see that he is subpar in the field.
Here is a new stat for all of you: Jason Giambi ranks in the 99.9% of stupid looking people.
you know, for all the complaints about the ways that the Ms attempt to incite the crowd at Safeco, there is sure a lot of incitement noise going on there at Venerable Yankee Stadium.
btw, Lupica writes about the pricing at New Yankee Stadium
Any Thoughts on dealing for Crisp? He could play any outfield position, move Raul to DH or 1B… Perhaps the last few games and the horrible errors is contributing to our perception of the M’s fielding abilities.
I don’t think the Mariner batters heard the ‘must be patient’ Key To The Game.
@27: When the keys to the game include “hit a big homerun” and “win,” who can blame them?
Is that Lopez pop-fly catch the first non-Vidro out?
hey, they’ve already taken care of Key #1…
Are they high? Jockeys “right there” in the conversation of best athletes?
Crisp is a RH hitter, which the M’s don’t need. He’d cost something to get. Jeremy Reed is sitting down in Tacoma, he’s a lefty, and over his career he’s actually better against RH pitchers than Crisp. And he costs nothing. Granted his career numbers are inflated by his 2004 season, but if all you’re looking for is a mostly-glove 4th outfielder I don’t see the point in giving up whatever it would take to get Crisp.
But the reality is that this organization either doesn’t think Raul is a liability in the outfield, or they’re willing to accept it because they don’t want to annoy/inconvenience a veteran. Until that changes, these conversations are entirely academic rosterbation.
Wow, look what I found! Nice circuitous route.
Yikes, this inning turned ugly quick.
Watching Vidro try to play 1B makes me long for the defensive wizardry of Richie Sexson … /snark
Agreed Ibanez is awful out there, but that was an unexpected defensive gem
Game over?
Ugh! 5-2
I cant watch this anymore, the Yankees have their JV lineup out there and are crushing our 40 million dollar pitcher. We have out as good as its going to get lineup out there and sit on a 2 run lead against some scrub.
…and the wheels come off yet again. Granted, the pitches have been pretty good.
So when the best part of our team (the starting pitching) starts to suck, and the rest of the team is still struggling, do you think we might be in trouble?
The way the M’s have been hitting, it would appear the game is over. Then again, Rasner on the mound…
I hate this $*!&#@’ing team.
Adam Jones would have hat Cabrerea’s ball!
“Agreed Ibanez is awful out there, but that was an unexpected defensive gem”
Didn’t really end up mattering though, did it? The go-ahead run still scored on that play, and even though the broadcast team praised Raul for holding Matsui at second he scored on the HR anyways.
Silva’s simply throwing the ball down the middle of the plate and getting destroyed by the Yankee offense.
“Silva’s leading the M’s in wins and has the second-best ERA”
Not anymore…
That’s the thing though. At this point, would you be surprised if Rasner shut us down? I wouldn’t.
Bring in Dickey!!!!!! Oh, wait….
Coco’s a switch hitter, I am not sold on Reed. Ugh-Ugh! 6-2
Waive the white flag McLaren, this is over. They’re going to be forced to go to Baek and this game is going to last 4 hours because we’ll never get another out.
You have to laugh. I turn on the television and, wow, it’s 2-2 in the 3rd inning! And in the first five minutes, things are suddenly 6-2. I’m taking bids on my television remote from Mariner fans who think there might be a connection.
By the time I walk to get a sandwich the M’s can only get 1 out and give up 6 runs.
Can’t we just have a mercy finish. Concede the game and slink out of the stadium before the score gets into triple digits?
@49: That’s ok. I just got HDTV the other day…the day the losing streak started. I thought that seeing things in HD would help ease the pain.
It doesn’t.
I didnt have a crystal ball to see that the one nice catch Raul will make this year wouldnt matter. Paul O’Neil on the NY broadcast blamed the inning on Balentein for not diving for Jeters hit.
That’s our professional hitter. Way to move the runner up.
How about a 3-run dinger?
Please, oh, please, oh, please!
So, I now live in Boston… I tried to buy a Seattle M’s hat earlier this year at a reputable sports store:
“Do you guys have any Mariners hats?”
“‘What city is that?’”
“Seattle”
(Grabs a Padres hat)
“‘This One?’”
“No, no Seattle Mariners… You know, Ichiro?”
“‘Oh, they still have a team?’”
I’ve been an M’s fan for my entire life. I don’t get it… We have no identity as a team. I applaud the move earlier this week, just feel like we’ve started each Bavasi season with a ton of players and no ‘team’. Sort of like having a bunch of parts laying around from different engines, an old transmission… That said, we do have some great parts… But geez-louise, this effen’ frustrating as all get-out.
I’ll shut up now.
Let’s not criticize our professional hitter, he may be below the Mendoza line, but he is better than two of our rookies in batting average and veteranness.
3-run dinger? How bout we start with some base hits….
“Lighting a fire” under a team is impossible in baseball because it’s more of a “non-agression” sport than football or basketball. In football you can use anger and aggression to block or tackle. In basketball you can uses to block out, rebound and drive to the hole.
You can’t fire up a batter with spit and vinegar then have him go up to the plate all amped up and expect them to perform any better. So Mac yelling at the team will not improve this team. The players eventually are going to have to just start to hit more toward their career averages and hope that is a game where the pitching actually holds up in that game.
Unfortunately there are only three players on this team producing consistently – Bedard, Felix and Ichiro. Kind of hard to win games when every other batter in the lineup goes 0-fer EVERY game.
How long must the GM and manager watch Vidro look like Julio Franco’s older brother before pulling the plug? I know the Griffey debate is done. And I wouldn;t expect him to be a savior. But if we could trade some no-name AA pitcher for him and have him replace Vidro that would be a plus.
“I’ve been an M’s fan for my entire life. I don’t get it… We have no identity as a team. I applaud the move earlier this week, just feel like we’ve started each Bavasi season with a ton of players and no ‘team’. Sort of like having a bunch of parts laying around from different engines, an old transmission… That said, we do have some great parts… But geez-louise, this effen’ frustrating as all get-out.”
its not just the M’s. Seattle is off the map in a lot of ways.
I attempted to get a Mariners hat here in rochester, and the idiot at “Lids” handed me a Marlins hat.
Just glanced at the box score and I’m very impressed. That McLaren guy is a mastermind and a genious the way he’s able to cleverly get Vidro into the lineup.
And Beltre.
Gawd! When they say you cant get a break in Yankee stadium…
So against former stud pitchers (Mussina) and average MLB pitchers (Byrd) we can score one run a game. So it stands to reason we should be able to score two runs against a AAA spot starter.
Yes…and Beltre.
Well, Marlins, Mariners, they’re both sea creatures that begin with “M” — the difference is the Marlins have less than 1/5th the payroll and are over .500
“How long must the GM and manager watch Vidro look like Julio Franco’s older brother before pulling the plug?”
That was the best thing I have seen since Beltre’s HR.
Giambi’s picture on gameday is a little terrifying.
Steroids make you terrifying.
I guess it could be worse in some ways. Halladay pitched four straight complete games, got just 8 runs from the Jays in those, and lost 3 of them. And Barry Zito is an $18M long reliever.
this is bad… ouch
This game is forcing me to watch the NBA.
Help me, God.
Still 4 black holes in the lineup.
I listened to an archived interview the other day with the great Pete Rose. He made a point of saying that he and guys like Joe Morgan would hit the cages ‘after’ games if they were in a slump or not performing. We got some old guys on this team, McClaren mentioned that they spent “two hours in the cages ‘before’” the game… Rose said it helped him remember what was going wrong and address it. I am wondering if these guys are simply a bit too long in the tooth to do that… Great rounds of batting practice prior to a game reminds me of the Alexander talk of the past few years and how great he looked in ‘pregame’ on Sunday.
So, who has a better chance of a comeback, the hawks down 36 to the Celtics, of the hometown nine?
….aaaaand I see that is all they have done.
Sure glad I didn’t pay for a full season of MLB.TV. Mariners officially are the worst team in the American league.
Somehow that reaction doesn’t surprise me in a city where the friggin’ Red Sox are considered living sport deities amongst us.
Meanwhile, Cammie just hit his second homer of the year to put the Brew Crew up 3-1 on the ‘Stros. Sure glad we didn’t try get him back…*sigh.
so, the Yankees still hit Silva well. and the Mariners don’t hit anyone well. wouldn’t now be a good day to get JJ some work?
what’s on RTN?
*sigh* Time to offset the evil.
Again, it’s Bonanza, my friend.
At this point, I think I’d rather have Franco…because, even at age 74, he can probably still hit the freakin’ ball these days better than Vidro.
crap. I hate Bonanza, even with special guest star Hershel Bernardi.
Hey! We have a nominee for dumb injury of the year courtesy of the KC Royals
Royals LHP Bale fractures pitching hand punching hotel door
CLEVELAND — Kansas City Royals left-hander John Bale, already on the disabled list due to a tight shoulder, broke his pitching hand punching a door at the team’s hotel Friday night.
Bale
A club spokesman said Bale informed team officials he had pain in his hand after arriving at Progressive Field for Saturday night’s game against Cleveland. X-rays were taken during the game, revealing the fracture on the side of his hand.
Bale returned to Kansas City Sunday morning. He will be examined by team doctors, possibly as early as Monday.
hey, Franco just retired. I sort of hoped that when he did he’d reveal his actual birthdate…
I wonder how many years older Franco really is compared to how old we all thought he was?
i figured he was younger than he claimed
no, apparently, JJ can’t pitch in a blow-out, just to get needed work in.
just think. they can come home, play four against Texas and completely bury themselves by the 2nd week of May.
Actually, I think Danny Dunn — at age 101 — could probably hit the ball better than Vidro as well.
Oh, crap…the Penguins and Rangers NHL playoff game is on CBC…that’s better than this game.
89 – It’s also on CBS. And on CBS you can watch it in HD.
Let’s get Crisp. The guy could help us out. DH Raul or put him at 1B, bench or cut Vidro, cut Cairo or hire him as a ‘real’ coach… This is horrible. The only bright side of this is we’re out of NY and I won’t have to hear the yankee’s TV crew say, “last licks for the Mariners coming up…”
Crisp is a defensive upgrade, a switch hitter and only 28. Get the guy to quit swinging at bad pitches and take a couple walks .
Trade Beak, bring up Dickey…
Hockey on NBC, not CBS.
90: I think the Rangers are done…Pens are way too tough! I think those kids might have a battle on their hands next round with the Flyers, though.
hey, it looks like a Rowdy Yates episode of Rawhide on RTN ….
91: Are we “cuckoo” for Coco Crisp these days?!
95 – Rangers just scored two quick ones to tie it up at 2-2
98: MH – Just saw that, and am now eating my words…yikes!
…and the next Penguins dynasty finishes off the Rangers.
100: Bingo! I figured getting it to O/T was probably the last gasp for NYR.
And I agree…I think this year marks the beginning of the next Pens dynasty — if they can keep that core of youngsters together.
The bullpen will settle down………I hope.
Sign Barroid and watch the offense get better.
There really isn’t another good choice. With each passing game of offensive feebility, the arguments against seem lamer. It isn’t as if he could make it worse.
Jose Guillen’s hyper-competitive and sometimes confrontational personality also seems to be missed. He would have gotten a bit upset about 6 E’s in two games, I don’t know who in the current clubhouse really assumes that role.
101,
I have been a Penguins fan, since I watched Lemieux live up to the hype and score on his very first shift, not to mention his first shot in the NHL.
Well, glad we could help them get that monkey off their back.