Game Nineteen Recap
Boo, 9-10.
There’s nothing this team can do about the home runs the bullpen has allowed the last three days. The right pitchers were in the game, but they just threw bad pitches. It happens. It’s really annoying when it happens three days in a row, but so is life. League, like Aardsma and Lowe, is a good reliever, and will help the Mariners win games this year. He’s just not perfect, and that bad pitch to Konerko came at a pretty lousy time.
The offense, there’s not much to say. When Milton Bradley isn’t in the line-up, this offense stinks. Sweeney saw 12 pitches the whole game and was just as useless as always. Figgins swung at the first pitch twice, and only saw 10 pitches in four trips to the plate. The M’s continually chased pitches out of the zone, giving Danks outs he didn’t need. The offense is just good enough when Milton’s in the line-up, but when he’s on the bench, it’s a joke. They don’t stand much of a chance against good pitchers when they’re running out today’s line-up.
For me, Vargas has done enough to keep his rotation spot. Even though he only got three strikeouts, he got 10 swinging strikes today, and he was smart enough to keep the ball down in this park, getting nine groundball outs. The three walks are a bit misleading, as he wisely pitched around Konerko, since AJ Pierzynski’s struggling left-handed bat was behind him. At this point, unless Snell throws a perfect game on Tuesdsay, he should probably be the one going to the bullpen.
Last Thursday, my co-ed work league softball team had to run out 3 girls in a row at the bottom of the lineup because of a couple injuries. We were down by 1 at the end, and the worst of the 3 came up. Because of our depleted bench there was nothing we could do. She struck out.
I watched the scene repeat itself today.
I wish Baker would have the balls to just ask Wak how long he can stick with Griffey and Sweeney on the roster? Plus, what if a position player get hurt, what do you do?
DFA Sweeney, bench Griffey, call up Hannahan and Langerhans, and DFA Colome, its that easy.
Something needs to be done about the DH situation quickly if this team is going to compete. Maybe the Ms can convince Baltimore of the importance of the designated huger and ship them Sweeney to help them hug out the hundred loss season they’re working on in exchange for Ty Wigginton.
It’s not just as easy as DFAing guys. We need better players. They can fix the DH by cutting Sweeney, benching Griffey, and then making Milton the DH. But we don’t have guys in the minors that should be starting in LF. We have some good guys for the bench (Tui, Langerhans, Hannahan, etc.) but to contend, Z HAS to make a trade for a LF who can hit and play adequate defense.
Arron, how quickly you forget about Michael Saunders. He can hit adequately and play good defense. He’s part of the solution, if the team would judge player development to be more important than team chemistry.
If the team wants to keep Sweeney and Griffey around the clubhouse, either put one of them on the DL or waive one and hire him as the bench coach. Problem solved.
If his play in Tacoma is any sign, Saunders isn’t ready yet. I haven’t forgotten him. He’s just not that much of an improvement right now. They need to look outside the org.
Saunders unfortunately isn’t making a case for a call up as he’s started slow from the gate:
.167/.226/.167 OPS:.393
I was just about to mention Saunders. Looked at his MiLB stats.
He had playing time last year, but is he ready to be the everyday LF?
But Arron, I think it is that easy to make some improvement. Swapping Langerhans for Sweeney and DH’ing Bradley (when healthy) improves your left field defense, gives Bradley a better chance to stay healthy, and does no harm to the offense. When they are losing close games, it’s frustrating to think that bad choices may be making the difference between winning and losing.
Point ceded; the major leagues are not somewhere to work out a slump.
If the M’s aren’t going to use Colome, then Langerhans has to be up on the roster. That’s where I’m going to make my new stand.
Do you think Dye would be better than Griffey?
Platoon Langerhans and Byrnes in LF. They’re decent defenders (Byrnes more entertainingly so) and in a platoon situation can hit sort of okay. DH Bradley where he should have fewer nagging leg injuries. Or should we, as in past years, just call this “Option A” and not have to keep typing it? Just type “Option A” and everyone knows what you mean.
Dye is done. We need a new LF, not a new DH. Bradley should be the DH.
Bring back Jose Vidro!
Steve, please don’t make me look up Vidro’s last partial season and compare it to the Twin DH’s – I’m pretty that Jose’s stats were better.
If they didn’t make a move to bolster the offense with two guys unavailable, I don’t know when they will. My latest straw to grasp at is hoping that they told Sweeney they’ll give him a final AB in the KC opener so that he can retire midgame in front of the fans where he made his name.
On a more positive note, is it time to move Kotchman higher in the line up? He should be batting 4th or 5th.
Praise the sweet 6lbs. 5 oz. Baby Jesus., Lee threw six scoreless, and gave up only two hits! Here’s to a real one-two punch starting next week.
Maybe Wak is keeping Kotchman lower in the lineup because if he didn’t hitters 6-9 would be all sub .200 hitters.
I see 3 hits, but who’s quibbling? Still, looks like Cliff got a preview of life with the Mariners/2010 – no run support and the pen instantly coughs up a bunch of runs.
A one-two punch without any offense still won’t be pretty. It’s a shame the way the team has wasted some decent starts from Fister and Vargas.
“Option A” to triage this current completely suck-age, followed by a serious hunt for a LF (preferably 2 WAR or higher), please Jack Z., make it happen.
Maybe he’s trying to do something differently such as a new stance or hit the other way more often. He showed last year he could hit AAA pitching I’m not so concerned with his stats I’m more interested to see what he’s doing so differently that’s making him hit poorly. Michael Saunders could be that 2 WAR LFer if he can hit adequately and having superior fielding. CHONE has him at 1.2 WAR but that has him hitting .251/.318/.389 as well. Lets wait and see how Saunders does as the May passes by.
Dave: Do you think the front office would be worried about Snell’s attitude if they moved him to middle relief?
That’s all we need – another mediocre righty in the pen.
Wak will probably want to send Tui down so he can have an 8 man bullpen.
Milton doesn’t magically make hitter be more patient, does he? It’s not only that Sweeney and Griffey are toast, not only that Milton is walking wounded and barely able to DH if he ever could, not only unfortunately timed bad bullpen work… but these last 3 days, the patient approach at the plate that most of the lineup has had for most of this young season, suddenly evaporated.
I thought this year we were supposed to see high OBP guys. What’s with e.g. Figgins swinging at everything that moves now?
Please Wak, ditch Sweeney.
Z, bring in someone who can play left and let’s see Bradley take over the majority of AB’s at DH.
We’re already seeing Milton getting dinged up, and I don’t (as I know you and everyone else) like not seeing him in the lineup.
Come on Mariners!
My bad Davepaisley. Anyways I agree, one set of the broken legs has to go!
Why not Snell as closer? Before Aardsma becomes the poster child for regression to the mean, we could use someone with Snell’s raw stuff late in games. Who wouldn’t want strikeout stuff in the pen? Maybe Snell becomes more valuable as trade bait as a bullpen ace vs a rotation washout. I know of one team with an extra outfielder (who carries a big bat) and a need for some serious bullpen help. Ian Snell for Allen Craig, straight up.