Game 56, Rays At Mariners
Dave · June 2, 2011 at 5:01 pm · Filed Under Mariners
Hernandez vs Shields, 7:10 pm.
Happy Felix Day!
Last year, I predicted that James Shields would win the AL Cy Young. He posted an ERA of 5.18 and didn’t receive a vote, but his peripherals were pretty good (3.55 xFIP) and I remained a fan. This year, Shields is actually pitching like a Cy Young winner, running a 2.15 ERA and a 2.75 xFIP through the first two months of the season. Couldn’t have done this last year, Mr. Shields? You suck.
The M’s counter with Felix, so whatever the over/under is, take the under.
Also, Figgins is back, and Peguero is still here. Celebrate* accordingly.
*Don’t actually celebrate.
Ichiro, RF
Ryan, SS
Smoak, 1B
Cust, DH
Gutierrez, CF
Kennedy, 2B
Olivo, C
Figgins, 3B
Peguero, LF
HenryV-
Baseball is the Mariners’ “bell” and losing is their “bowl of dog food”… The fact that you’re salivating in fear is perfectly understandable, according to Pavlov.
Of course, Pavlov ALSO has a seat by the bullpen and saw Chris Ray start warming up.
Who is playing 3B for us in Tacoma? Is he batting over .200?
Sold.
Liddi? Meh.
But Rendon may be closer to playing third for the M’s than Liddi.
Ray will give up a few runs just to make me nervous.
Fuld isn’t a real name.
LOL.. Jetsy Extrano.
Best name ever.
Henry-
I dunno, hard to beat “Wolf Blitzer” and “Hannah Storm” covering the first Gulf War…
Nice game, kids.
Go M’s!
We won!
Thought I had those two runs but I forgot we were in bizarro world tonight.
Teddy-
We won COMFORTABLY!
(Peggy needs to work on his interviews– total Garrett Morris “Base-a-ball been a bery-bery good to me” moment…)
It’s gotta be hard to be interviewed in a language you’re still learning…
Remember, we still have to play the only 2 teams that are stingier than us.
Westside-
Agreed. And I wasn’t making fun of him as much as feeling awkward for him, watching him fumble through his own awkwardness in what was probably his first “nice job” interview.
No secret, I like the kid. And am rootin’ for him.
I know, I had the same reaction as you (on both counts).
I still doubt he’s going to be a long-timer; but a) I’d love to be wrong, and b) I’m glad he got a moment in the sun.
Saunders optioned. Halman up tomorrow.
Hopefully Condor can get it together at Tacoma. If Guti hadn’t been ill, I imagine Michael would’ve started the year down there, what with the “new swing” and all.
I don’t think Halman’s as good as Condor defensively, but unlike all these other guys he can at least hold his own in center!
Missed this game, but looks like it was a good one!
Funny how stuff works out. I think Carlos reads this blog and that asterisk made him furious.
I wonder why Halman was brought up over Carp, is it just that they wanted a comparable defensive replacement for Saunders?
Carp has been killing the ball for the past month…makes you wonder.
Except I begin to wonder if success at AAA means ANYTHING AT ALL anymore. Remember how Halman and Moore dominated AAA last year? Then they both came to MLB (Moore came back to MLB) and stunk worse than Vargas’ socks?
Because Carp can’t back up Guti in Center Field (or play any other defensive position at the MLB level,save maybe First Base if you don’t watch too close).
When you consider, in most instances at AAA you’re facing a team’s #6-10 starters (if they even have that many quality starters), and same with the bullpen, it puts the numbers in a better perspective.
The pitching is just nuts better in the Majors than the minors– you’re facing 4 guys as good as anything you’ve ever seen at AAA and one guy who’s lights out better– on EVERY team you face, night after night. A ball in the heart of the plate is a mistake. Plus, fair or not, the strike zones are larger in the majors for the most part– because both pitchers and umps live on how much off the corner a strike can be.
Plus, the speed is a big jump too.
So yeah, great stats in AAA mean you’re a talented guy, who has adjusted well to a pretty high level of baseball– but for the most part, don’t dictate success at the next level other than offering up the notion “this guy might be able to cut it, I think it’s time to see…”
I think those AAA offensive stats may mean even less than they used to, because in many cases you’re not even seeing your opponents’ best pitchers on their way to the majors — increasingly, teams seem to call pitching prospects straight up from AA, or with only a brief test in AAA. I’ve been meaning to look over the data to test this theory ever since Oakland ran out a rotation featuring guys who hadn’t previously pitched above AA, but I haven’t done it.