Game 139, Mariners at A’s
Fister vs Braden, 7:05 pm.
Doug Fister, ERA by month:
April: 1.67
May: 2.95
June: 9.00 (4 IP)
July: 5.29
August: 4.34
September: 6.75 (5 1/3 IP)
He started hot, and now he sucks again. Right?
Doug Fister, xFIP by month:
April: 4.17
May: 4.23
June: 4.72
July: 4.30
August: 3.59
September: 4.79
This is why I don’t like ERA, and why people shouldn’t draw conclusions from what it tells them. Fister has basically been the same pitcher all year long, with just normal blips here and there. If anything, he’s actually pitching better down the stretch than he did earlier in the season.
The lesson, as always – judge by skills, not results. Fister’s skills haven’t changed at all. Be encouraged, even if his ERA isn’t as shiny as it was a few months ago.
Ichiro, RF
Figgins, 2B
Branyan, DH
Gutierrez, CF
Lopez, 3B
Kotchman, 1B
Moore, C
Tuiasosopo, LF
Josh Wilson, SS
So is Saunders injured, is it a “scheduled day off”, or is he being platooned with the worst player on the Mariners roster?
He’s got to get at bats against lefties sometime.
…maybe its also why people don’t like xFIP
Those people generally suck at evaluating pitching.
Good news for Felix, Sabathia is being destroyed by the Orioles, Orioles and Pittsburgh will win tonight, and the M´s are close to the second pick of the draft, but seven games ahead for Rendon…
I’m wondering if the Pirates wouldn’t have drafted Rendon if the financial statements hadn’t been released, but now they have no choice but to draft him and sign him for whatever it takes, because if I were in Pittsburgh, I’d have torches and pitch forks in front of their offices 24/7 right now.
Watching Lopez run for home on a fairly shallow flyball has me wondering if he’d actually take full strides if a real fire were lit under him*.
*Not threatening violence, just overcome with curiosity as to what it would take to make this man RUN!
Watching Lopez’ last at-bat got me wondering…
I know teams put on the shift for left-handed pull hitters such as Branyan – but have teams ever shifted the other way for righties like Lopez that ALWAYS hit it to the left side?
Boy, it’s nice to see this sort of crappy inning happen to some other team.
Normally, I’d say the pitcher must be really really bad to give up this many runs to the Mariners, but they’ve mostly been grounders and bloopers.
I’m happy to see the Mariners getting these runs – but it’s painful to watch this happening even to the other team.
Although given the choice, I’d rather see it happening to the other team. 😀
So, how long has it been since the M’s scored 5 runs in an inning?
There ya go.
For some reason the A’s are the team I just have the least interest in watching. Of all the opponents the M’s face each season, it’s the white shoe brigade that motivates me the least.
Well, you have the question about what to do with the 1st baseman. When shifting on a lefty, you don’t really worry about the 3rd baseman being a long way from his bag, since the play isn’t going there. But if the shift works, the 1st baseman has to be at the bag to take the throw. And if you shift everybody but the 1B when facing a righty pull hitter, you’re opening up a pretty big hole that may tempt him to not pull quite so much.
More to the point, your SS is presumed to be your best infielder, so the shift on a LH pull hitter makes it more likely you’ll get his glove into the action; but for a righty, he’s already standing where you expect the ball to go.
That I can look up, the last time the M’s scored 5 runs in a game was in a 9-5 loss to the Yankees on Aug 21.
That’s not as long as I thought. I guess it just feels as if they’re perpetually scoring one or two runs every game…
Well, that was a stretch of 15 consecutive games scoring less than 5 runs.
That can seem like forever.
This is Jose Lopez we’re talking about here. The first baseman could beat him to the bag if he were playing on second.
I swear that lady looked like she glanced up from her knitting to catch the ball.
Couldn’t have, she would have thrown it back if that were the case.
ADAM!!
I feel sorry for the A’s – there were roughly three people in that whole section where Moore hit it.
They’re one of the few teams I have some sympathy for when they talk about moving.
Fister had 47 pitches in the first two innings.
Knitting is quite popular at ballgames. Reading too.
God, it’s great to not have to watch Johnson anymore. I was just struck by that.
Dunno, but now I think Saunders is in for Guti in Center.
Hopefully Guti’s just a bit worn out still from being sick (per Dave’s comments on air).
Fixed your post, Dave.
Fister had a good third. I know wins are mostly luck for pitchers, but starters like them and when a guy gets a gift of lots of early runs on this team, you really want him to go at least 5.
I have a picture from Saturday while my son and I were walking around Safeco right after the stands opened after the USSM/LL event, and it looks just like the Coliseum looks right now.
..and a good 4th for Fister, now with 69 pitches.
The A’s hornblower sounds really lonely, like a dying cow.
Did Blowers just call Fister “Doug Flutie”?
Or did I mishear it.
I liked Dave Sims singing to himself when they went on the air early.
Or he really just that bored?
I did hear Sims humming. I wasn’t sure if he knew he was on air or not.
I wish I could have seen at least one game this year, just to see Baby Steps Lopez and the Condor running bases at the same time.
I have full confidence that Lopez will be gone next year, so this season will be my last chance.
(pleasepleasepleaseplease)
Sims just said the score was 7-0.
I heard that too, Breadbaker. First singing, now not noticing the score…could he be anymore bored?
If Saunders and Lopez were both starting at home plate at the same time, and Lopez was told to run the circuit once – I wonder how many times Saunders could lap him?
Oh, yeah, ’cause DA will do so much better.
Hmmm…does DA get the save there?
Yep, that’s a save.
It seemed like the hits against League were grounders that just happened to find holes, plus the ump’s rather tight strike zone cost him some strikes.
I’m ignoring the WP/PB, obviously; but it didn’t seem to me like League “fell apart” despite what Sims said. He basically was just (mostly) unlucky.
Yes, it has been done. Let me direct your attention to the Kingman Shift.