Game 112, Twins at Mariners
Dave · August 4, 2008 at 6:10 pm · Filed Under Mariners
Perkins v Batista. 7:10.
Attn: Local Media
Subject: A favor
Dear Beat Writers,
As you’re aware, Jose Vidro is in the starting line-up tonight. No one has any idea why. Could someone please ask Jim Riggleman and Lee Pelekoudas for an explanation. And then, when they give their ridiculous cliche answer, look them in the eye, and say “no, seriously, what the hell?”
You might get fired, but we’ll love you for it.
Thanks,
The Fans.
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How badly is Batista gonna get shelled tonight?
When is Batista going to be moved to the bullpen?
Unhappy Batista Day! Owwwwwwwwwww!
Clement two hits yesterday = Vidro starting at DH tonight, Johjima at C.
GIVE ME A BREAK. **** THIS TEAM.
Why the answer is obvious. The Mariners want to retard the growth and developmnet of a youngster by not calling him up and releasing Vidro. Tug Hulett comes to mind.
I assume that they are playing Vidro out of a sense of obligation, sort of like how I make my dogs go for walks with me so that they do not become severely overweight and develop serious health problems. At least when Vidro makes contact he has to jog down the line, which is more exercise than he would normally get if he was not in the lineup. I admire how Riggleman forces Vidro to get some exercise and thus curtail, or keep in check, his weight gain.
I also assume this logic dictates Silva’s cotinued appearance in the starting rotation.
When is Batista going to be moved to the
bullpenwaiver wire?There…I fixed it for ya!
I’m going to burn in baseball hell. My heart quickened slightly as Joba Chamberlain just got pulled from a game with an injury. And Washburn starts carrying his cellphone in his uniform pocket…
Whats a good o/u on Batista tonight? 4.2 innings?
I have this sinking feeling that we’re going to pick up Vidro’s option.
You’d think the organization would learn. It took Adam Jones about a half-season to adjust to major league pitching and start to hit to his potential. And yet, now, in a lost season, they won’t put Clement in the lineup every day. And they throw away at-bats to Vidro, who is clearly done as a hitter.
Same stupid stuff with Morrow. They think they need a closer, so they retard his development as a starter. The short-sightedness of this team is far more frustrating than the crappy play, as it doesn’t allow much hope that things will change.
This M’s are falling to Giants and Pirates level ineptitude. My favorite team is a laughingstock, and that’s a crummy thing for a baseball fan to experience.
I have money down on seven Minnesota runs scored by the end of the fourth.
No, seriously, I do. My buddy and I have been doing this for each of the last few Miggy and Baconator starts. Might as well have something to enjoy out them…
There’s an easy explanation for that… gotta play the LH/RH match-up. Twins kid is a LHP. F*cking Riggleman. Clement is the future, yet they don’t give him a chance vs. left handed pitchers? Please.
PaulMolitorCocktail-
I too have the same feeling. It scares the jebus out of me.
There’s the first one. I can see seven runs by the 4th. I like the frantic scream of the train whistle in the background–nice illustration of our frustration.
Game Over, unfortunately.
How is Clement supposed to learn to hit lefties? Will the veterans on the bench teach him? Ugh.
Ichiro!
What is this thing the Twins pitcher is doing?? Throwing…first…strike? I do not recognize this activity.
Where the hell is Clement? I am sick of him playing, sitting, playing, is his future here as a platoon player? And Vidro…Shit!
I thought you were supposed to throw a strike every third pitch.
I have finally figured it out. The Mariners have an organizational thing for pitch counts, and unfortunately the memos got mixed up and it’s the hitters who are trying to make sure that opposing pitchers never exceed their pitch counts. It’s really the only rational explanation for this season.
Where is Wlad?
Was he establishing his fastball?
According to ESPN stats, Clement is actually hitting for a better avg/ops vs. lefties this year (.240/.400/.640 vs .150/.310/.562)in 25 compared to 100 ABs.
So, it must be that Kenji and Vidro provide more professional ABs….just frustrating.
The M’s are the bizarro world to the rest of the MLB’s real world (not the Mtv version either).
Thursday.. two days before we move.. the day after my birthday.. my sons and I are going to Felix Day.. against the very Rays we’ll be proximate to when our journey concludes. Talk about fortuitous timing..
Anyone who thinks that Betancourt hasn’t lost about 14 steps defensively needs to watch that play over and over. That was a routine play that he didn’t even get close to.
Yuni = the round mound of unsound, with apologies to Barkley
Ward, at least you’ll get to watch a competent front office work
CptPoop, I’ve been saying that for weeks. I’m ashamed, but I’m starting to get excited.
They also hate the Red Sox, always a plus in my book.
Why does no one boo Vidro?
And, after asking about Vidro, you could follow up by asking why Batista is still in the rotation while RRS and Feierabend are both down in Tacoma. Same response to the cliche answers.
Might get fired? Hell, I’d promote ‘em.
Oh, I guess that answers it. Batista is in to give Ichiro chances at spectacular plays.
31:
Because he’s a professional hitter and a grizzled veteran?
Now that’s just embarassing.
That was Punto’s 11th career HR in his 1,668th AB.
Oh geez…..
Why isn’t Rob Johnson called up? Clement DH/C?
Nice play Ichiro
Johjima was crossed up? Batista is out of control is more like it.
At least Chuck was able to do his job at a fairly high level when he was the round mound… I’ve seen statues that can move better than Yuni is lately…
What I don’t understand about Clement not being in the lineup is that he has a history of mashing against lefties with so-so stuff. Remember this post of Dave’s from last year?
ICHIRO! should have let the foul drop…
The Twins are giving a clinic on how to move over runs.
RRS and Bender could do this…for less than a $1mil combined.
Edit – The Nationals are winning!
I suck at the internets.
Jeff Clement, A Conversation
But could they write a philosophical murder mystery novel?
Batista and Vidro: two guys we should have cashed in last winter. Instead, we “cash in” Adam Jones and George Sherrill.
Or take longer between pitches?
Batista’s going to hit his pitch count before this inning is done, if nothing else. Nope, gets the out.
Hmmm…the Twins still have another inning to get those final three runs.
But that conflicts with Conventional Baseball Wisdom.
When in doubt, go with the Wisdom, say the Mariners. Ya can’t trust your own eyes….
The M’s are making Glen Perkins look like Garrett Olson.
That’s what annoys me so much about it. You have a hitter with a track record of being able to handle lefties, even with a history of a reverse platoon split, yet he’s kept out of the lineup against left-handed pitchers because lefties aren’t supposed to be able to hit lefties. Argh.
Or less of a split.
Yeah, this has all the earmarks of a not very bright corporate manager who knows to apply the rules but totally doesn’t understand WHY they work.
That’s right Miggy, just feed him a BP fastball down the pipe when you KNOW he has a green light…
Good god…
EDIT- And then he goes 3-0 right away to the next batter…. make that a 4-pitch walk… here come the boo birds…
Hmmm, my buddy and I never discussed how a pitcher getting pulled would effect our bet… thoughts?
my, that was an embarrasing bottom of the 3rd. aaaaand we are back with buckets of bad pitching.
Too bad we can’t get Morrow converted to a starter, but he’s just so valuable in save situations…..
Welcome back to the bigs, Mr. Woods
Of course Mauer hits lefties better than righties. A sparkling .366 AVG and a .987 OPS.
ok, here’s another burning question.
if one wanted lime in one’s Bud Light, couldn’t one just put lime in one’s Bud, instead of buying a special new Bud Light?
At last, the booing and the slow walk…but he hasn’t got the bases loaded. He’d need those three men on for Woods to clean them off, giving the seven runs necessary for cdowley to win his bet.
You see, MSB, some of us Americans are lazy… I for one tasted the MGDLime and it sickened me. But then again, MGD sickens me alone. I doubt though, that I’d like the new Bud Light Lime.
Beer tastes better with a wedge of lime than the special lime-beer…
(plays “conga line” music)
Batista and Bedard prompt a question from an admitted baseball ignoramous: Which player-agent has the best record against the M’s? Which one has diddled us the most? Or are those stats not kept?
But it takes like, what, 8, 10 seconds to cut a lime into wedges? I don’t have that kind of time. Not when I’m drinking Bud Light.
I don’t think that is what the fans wanted.
Woods is a lot better than Batista and Silva…but he gets thrown into situations like this and looks like crap…
So close, cdowley, so close. Batista gives up 6 runs in 4 innings. Careful Woods, those are your batters now.
(rummages through kitchen to see if he has any rye bread)
juneau: we determined that the pitcher getting pulled gets you 75% of the pot. So, didn’t get the $20 I would have if Miggy had stayed in, but I’ll take what I can get these days… a bittersweet victory, to be sure.
So this is how all of our games against the Twins, Rays, Yankees, White Sox, and Angels will look…
At least with the Nats leading the Rockies 7-3, and the Padres with the night off, we stand a good chance to gain a game in the Strasburg race, moving us into a tie for worst!
1) Nationals… .369 0 GB
2) Mariners… .378 1 GB
3) Padres…… .384 1.5 GB
Pessimist!
This teams methodology is really getting old.
But on a brighter note, I (hopefully) get to see Felix start on Thursday. Should I bring a sign?
Pretty nice play by Gomez there. You see a lot of outfielders get too worried about the wall and miss that one.
Breadbaker: If Miggy had stayed in any longer, that may have wound up being optimistic…
Mike & Dave are talking ice cream, Niehaus is talking Skip Caray.
because, really, what else is there to talk about?
I had this same reaction, too. He may be talented, but damn is he smug. It’s really a shame that he pitches for the Yankees. If he didn’t, we wouldn’t have to hear about him like he’s a gift from the heavens.
You see, MSB, some of us Americans are lazy… I for one tasted the MGDLime and it sickened me. But then again, MGD sickens me alone. I doubt though, that I’d like the new Bud Light Lime.
I can tell you why you didn’t like it, you bought some knock off brand. I’m sure if you would have tried Miller Chill then you would have had a completely different experience.
ok, here’s another burning question.
if one wanted lime in one’s Bud Light, couldn’t one just put lime in one’s Bud, instead of buying a special new Bud Light?
Do you really wanted a depressed M’s fan using a knife for anything while drinking Bud Light?
Give away rally fries when the Twins are up. Brilliant!
EDIT: And Woods promptly walks Gomez.
EDIT #2: And Span.
Obviously, the Mariners are wanting to lose games so they can keep sending people Rally Fries, in a stupid attempt to start a baseball “tradition”.
HMS Host is making them still put Vidro in the lineup, I tell you.
Also…how the heck do you not know what Rocky Road ice cream is?
72: where are you sitting?
His smug face bugs me too, but it’s more the odds of the Yankees coming back on the Washburn offer that quickened my heart. Totally odd that the injury happened while ESPN was cutting from game to game during a Cubs rain delay. What are the odds? Struck down by a nation-wide hatred of successful, smug Yankees?
All artificial lime flavor is gross. Can’t even imagine what that flavoring would taste like combined with beer.
the rest of August:
two more against the Twins.
four vs the Rays.
two with the Angels.
three more with the Twins.
three with the ChiSox.
four with the A’s.
three more with the Twins.
three vs the Indians.
aaaaaand Sims just answered Blower’s ‘no question about it’ with ‘no question about it’.
79: I am sitting about 10 rows back behind home plate.
um. his furrin upbringin’?
I didn’t know what exactly was in it ’till then, but I have the built-in excuse of having a deadly allergy to nuts… all I knew was that Rocky Road was poison
Wow, the Mariners are really going to be able to shape the AL central race. In the next 3 weeks Twins get the M’s 9 TIMES!!! ChiSox only 3 games. Twins will probably pad their slim lead by 3-4 games by the end of the month thanks to our Mariners!
41. bako dude
seems to me you always take the out unless the sac fly will beat you.
According to Sims, the Twins think that this pitcher reminds them of a young Jarod Washburn. I’d be sick if I was a Twins fan.
Actually now I’m kind of sick as an M’s fan. We can’t even score a run off a young Jarod Washburn. Ugh
What heathen country doesn’t have ice cream?
long long ago we used to get the chocolate ice cream with little marshmallows, which doesn’t seem to be around any more … those marshmallows were darned chewy after sitting in the freezer
@ 87: It’s better than being considered the next Miguel Batista or Carlos Silva
86- When Batista’s pitching… always take the out. Never know when you’ll get another.
it was all I could think of.
90: Of course, the Twins got the decent Carlos Silva years for a decent price.
I won’t touch the stuff. The only experience with BLLime I have is watching my friend open one, take a sip, make a Mr. Yuck face, and promptly smash the bottle on the ground.
@ 87: It’s better than being considered the next Miguel Bautista or Carlos Silva
This is true.
You know, if the Twins are smart and they actually think this guy is a young Jarod Washburn, they’ll be able to pawn him off on some chump team for a prospect or two. They just have to find a team that doesn’t feel the same way about his potential.
sigh.
um, tall? skinny? hunts little deers?
You know, that may have been the least stupid Vern Fonk commercial we’ve seen in a long time…
Is it sad that this game is so pathetic for the M’s that we’ve spent more time talking about commercials, ice cream, and my bet than talking about the actual game?
Betancourt got to it at least.
Back to the bench! Err, I mean, elbow injury!
Will someone just take Yuni out behind the shed and beat him with a garden hose already?! That was just a hideously ugly throw…
Maybe he thought Sexson was still playing first
During this game, Mike Blowers has announced to the world that he’s never heard of “half of the Twins roster”, had to ask the Twins announcers about “the guy starting tonight, Perkins”, and isn’t sure if “Barrett, the Rays starting shortstop, was in the Delmon Young trade”. That would be Jason Bartlett that he’s trying to refer to, by the way.
Oh, and he doesn’t know what’s in Rocky Road ice cream.
This man gets to have an opinion for a living.
No question about it.
Beat me to it…
Nice strike to home by LaHair. Maybe next time Riggles forgets he has one more reliever, he can go to him to take the hill.
Bases loaded, nobody out, the question is, can they score….
OK Pepe! Time for the triple play!
NO, NO! The COMCAST Triple Play you moron!
…
EDIT– OK, that came uncomfortably close to the truth… he hits that ball just a bit sharper and there would have been one…
Way to take one for the team, Pepe!
You are one very efficient oxygen-to-CO2 converter!
Jose Vidro. Jose flippin’ Vidro.
VIDROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
I have been calling for him to be named team captain for the last 3 months. Maybe that last AB will put him over the top!
You know, that was an awfully gritty and clutch double-play ball… sounds like perfect captain material to me!
men on, I watered the tomatoes, no men on. one run scored.
but does it make sense to anyone born after 1980?
Vidro 4 president
Vidro has fully accepted the mantle of “rally killer” bestowed upon him by the departure of Big Richie.
I’m a mid-80’s child, and I’m pretty sure I got the reference… but then, I’m a fan on the 60’s/70’s music scene.
interesting. the v.o. for the ‘this inning sponsored by Dino Rossi’ copy is now being read by Brad Adam, not by the broadcaster in the booth.
Vidro needs a flux-capacitor. 1.21 jiggawatts
Rizzs thinks the Mariners should take some pitches and make the pitcher work a little.
he does remember what team he is covering, right?
Maybe Simsie and Blow don’t like him?
Any political beliefs aside, I can’t look at a picture of Rossi without thinking that he looks REALLY creepy…
Well, you know what Riggleman says about him, despite his numbers he is really going to give you a solid at bat! I guess that is exactly what Riggleman was talking about. You know in his head he was thinking, “hot damn, that Vidro just got us on the board. Have to get him in the line-up again tomorrow.”
Random thought; everything that sucks should be renamed Vidro. For example today’s game is totally Vidro. This will catch on all over the country. Like if you see a guy you hate. You know instead of just saying he’s a dick, that guy is such a Vidro! Spread the word!
maybe some wonderflonium.
Does Dino Rossi really think the 12 of us still watching the M’s are a good audience for his message? Not until he tells us his position on VORP.
RAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUL!
RAUUUUL WANTS THE FUNK!
Rauuuuuuul!
now that is a familiar-looking Raul kind of hit
Suddenly my local QFC is all out of rye bread and mustard. What happened?
111… I was born before 1980 and I don’t get it.
Rauuuuuuuuuul!
The Vern Fonk commercial is a riff on an old Sesame Street recurring bit.
As funky as that blast was, the rest of the team needs to realize that the Nationals had a rare win today, and should proceed to ground out weakly to shortstop for the rest of the game.
Type A free agent. Put it on the boaaaaarddd… YES
ahem. Electric Company.
Lopez in the clutch!
OK, who are these guys and what did they do with the Mariners?
Any time the M’s score more then 4 runs, I get really confused too.
Why are they worried about Lopez at first when Vidro is up?
Oooooh, BBQ sunflower seeds.
Electic Company? Wow, I remember that coming between “Sesame Street” and “3-2-1 Contact.”
I’m calling a clutch GIDP here…
Edit: As Lopez advances to second…don’t worry, Turbo could still pull it off.
OK, who are these guys and what did they do with the Mariners?
The Marineros must have decided to come back for the second half of the game.
time to get our hopes up, and then dash them cruely
Curses! And that was my favorite show when I was like 7 years old. The Spiderman segments were so cool.
Heeey Yoooouuu Guuuuys!
man. You Tube has everything.
Cairo’s batting for LaHair?
I feel like I’ve seen Vidro pop out 8 times tonight.
Man, that pop-up was clutch!
Whenever they send Cairo up to “pinch hit”, I get the strange feeling that all the guys in the visiting dugout are trying hard not to laugh…
Cairo for LaHair? WTF Riggles?
Wait. This is Riggleman. Business as usual, nothing to see here, these are not the droids you’re looking for, move along…
Gotta put the brakes on any potential victory.
Gritty Veteran AB by Cairo though.
Organizational philosophy. They believe it with all their heart and all their soul.
They just don’t know WHY it wotks
And why wasn’t Clement starting?
Atta boy Jeff!
Gardy looks dyspeptic.
Electric Company, the first place I ever saw Morgan Freeman. I was too old for it, really, but it had Freeman, and Rita Moreno, Bill & Skip Hinnant, Judy Graubart occasional songs by Tom Lehrer, occasional voicing by Mel Brooks & Gene Wilder …
Gardenhire is usually pretty bright, but bringing in a righty to pitch to Joh when Clement is on the bench: not so bright.
Clement!!!!
Evan R said:
But he’s a tenuous link to the M’s: in order to call up Chamberlain, the Yankees had to DFA Miguel Cairo.
somewhere the 7 in the 7th sponsor is sweating out this at bat, figuring he’d never have to pay out on it.
155 – A main point of discussion on the radio right now.
“The Twins hit with men in scoring position and don’t beat themselves.”
6-14 with RISP, two errors in this inning alone, along with a passed ball.
Seriously…? Wow… this inning is feeling surreal…
Wow! Why won’t the baseball deities let the M’s attain the worst record?
So close to that 7 cedars casino promotion of 7 runs in the 7th.
We have fallen into a time warp to 2000-2003.
I couldn’t even remember who the sponsor of the contest is– just that everytime I hear the ad, I scoff.
Hopefully that AB by Clement will earn him the title of “gritty” and a “professional hitter” for the M’s. Perhaps he’ll see more PT now because Clement has been through a war.
Assuming Willie gets on without driving in a run, when was the last time, if ever, someone hit two grand slams in one inning? Anyone know?
Nevermind: Fernando Tatis did it, according to Sims
Rizzs went crazy when those runs scored! I think that was the first time anyone ever won in that contest.
164 – Fernando Tatis did it against Chan Ho Park (both times).
Just the once, Fernando Tatis in 1999.
In the shots of the batter from the 1B side, the guy hitting on the chick(s) in the row behind him is really distracting.
Damn you Ichiro, reaching for it.
6 RBI in an inning is pretty cool Raul =)
greedy.
I remember watching this every week in first grade. Back when we had to watch it “live” when it aired, before VCRs. With that cast, that show was Sesame Street for hipsters.
Oh, and does the 7 in the Seventh thing pay if they get MORE than 7, or just 7 exactly?
I feel like a cigarette after that inning!
@naviomelo
Oh, so they can win the contest with more than 7 runs?
Ha, I had to rewind to see this, but even with the poor focus he looked hilariously douchebag-y.
The Google came up with a nice list of two grannies
Ha, I had to rewind to see this, but even with the poor focus he looked hilariously douchebag-y.
so, does this mean Slaughter Roy might get win #2?
provided it isn’t choked away?
I know we’d already scored 10 runs, but: I really loathe WFB
Agreed. I mean, jeeze, could he lay on a little more slime?
When was the last time the M’s scored 10 runs in a game, let alone 10 runs in an inning?
Answering my own question, shockingly recently, July 29th. In a loss.
I want to give props to Jimenez for the kind of inning you’d want after scoring ten: giving them not a whiff of a comeback.
you know, we have sunday tickets.
I’m guessing I’m not going to see this kind of Mariner offense in support of RA Dickey.
I go out for a walk and this is what happens…OMG!!!!
Sims: “a couple of hits for Jose Vidro, DH-ing this evening”
as opposed to what? pitching? groundskeeping? safety-checking the buffet?
Wow, it’s official, hell has frozen over:
Vidro got a two-strike, two-out base hit.
*climbs into driver seat of the bus to Hell*
All aboard! And bring your mittens!
Well, considering that was the first time it happened all season, they oughta give that lucky guy an extra grand for each additional run the M’s scored.
He has a degree in sneezeguard studies.
What is this 7 in the 7th promotion we keep hearing about? I don’t listen to the games on the radio.
Kind of an extreme Fangraph for the game…
Dang, that’s pretty crazy. From ~5% to ~98% in a matter of a few AB’s…
yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is why I keep watching.
Way to blow a golden opportunity to improve in the Strasburg Standings, guys.
No buffet is safe from Turbo.
nice to see Ichiro! happy
It’s a promotion where, if the M’s score seven or more runs in the 7th inning, the person selected for that game wins $7000. So far this year, nobody had won it — ’til tonight that is!
per KOMO:
“This Mariners season, 7 Cedars Casino is giving YOU the chance to win SEVEN-GRAND!!! That’s right, SEVEN-GRAND!
During the 7th inning of every Mariners game Dave Niehaus or Rick Rizzs will announce one lucky contestants name and if the Mariners score 7 runs in the 7th inning, YOU win $7,000!”
This is random, but Dave’s post about the upcoming Future Forty got me thinking, Denny Almonte is showing some power this year, albeit at Class A…Does this mean he might not yet be a bust and might have some life as a prospect?
Finally they have to pay up. Their measely $7,000. . Yes!! I quoted one of the posters here a month or so back and sent the email to the head of the PR department. I told here it was a bad Promo and way to cheap. I mentioned you could buy insurance for a larger pay out. She replied that they would pay it out of pocket. I said I could do that as well with this team.
Now if we could just lose this game and make a move on the Nationals.
Hey, that could be an opportunity for a new sponsor:
“This Turbo at-bat brought to you by Old Country Buffet.”
Nice to see a 200 post game blog.
Luckiest guy on earth: Miguel Batista (ND).
That ground out by Willie was brought to you by Pony League Baseball! Sign your youngster up today!
ESPN.com’s baseball section just about gave me a heart attack with this:
I actually stood up it startled me so badly. Then I realized that they meant Livan, not the King, and my nerves settled down considerably.
I like that one, too…though most Pony Leaguers already hit with more power than Willie!
I thought they released Hernandez, which I thought was odd, because he was sort of winning games, I think.
Wow!
I tuned in at the beginning of the 7th…
I’m still in shock.
Thank-you for not trading Ibanez…..yet
Go M’s!!
I’m going to have a jagerbomb now…
He was winning games, but inadvertantly, not intentionally.
206 & 208: Or, a “winning” record — in the HoRam ‘07 sense of the word (though not quite that HoRamible).
Hey, that’s pretty catchy, actually…
Well, that’s what I meant by sort of winning. I’d just glanced at his record–first after being shocked by that’s where he’d ended up–and was surprised that he seemed to be somewhat successful. But I did assume that it was smoke and mirrors and his tenacity.
He’s the original bus. Only being run over by one will get him off the mound.
Not advocating any more poor front office moves here, though if it were between Batista, Silva and Livan, I think I’d probably take Livan in the rotation. At least he can still usually get you through five innings on a semi-consistent basis.
Apparently I shouldn’t have tuned out when it was 6-0 and Batista was still in. I don’t think anyone can really blame me, however.