Game 120, Mariners at Rays
Mike Snow · August 15, 2013 at 4:05 pm · Filed Under Mariners
Saunders vs. Cobb, 4:10 pm.
Today I miss John Jaso. Not for the prosaic reason that the Michael Morse trade was a mistake, or even the hindsight justification involving the total immolation of the team’s catching corps this year. No, it’s a much more whimsical basis, in that we’re deprived of that rare opportunity for another all-lefthanded lineup. (Oddly enough, the previous one last year was also in Tampa.)
Miller SS-L
Franklin 2B-B
Seager 3B-L
Morales DH-B
Ibanez LF-L
Smoak 1B-B
Saunders RF-L
Ackley CF-L
Blanco C-R
Blanco might as well hit left handed…
I’m tired of Joe Saunders already.
And he hasn’t done anything yet.
Finally, Raul!
If we’re gonna see you all the time anyway, I’d just as soon you stop sucking!
Article on Mariners site says Ackley “breaking in his hitting shoes.” So that’s it. Must be the shoes.
Wasn’t that the line from those old Spike Lee Nike commercials? “Must be the shoes”?
Also, Saunders needs to quit going ball one, ball two on guys. He’s not going to keep getting away with that.
Simms just noted Longoria was playing SS on the Saunders shift… and Saunders didn’t even attempt a bunt down towards third? C’mon… Saunders is a good bunter too, THEY ARE GIVING YOU A HIT
Ackley doubles, and with 2 out, Lobaton has an absolutely stunned throwing hand. Why not run Ackley on the next pitch to third? The catcher either can’t throw or throws wildly, allowing Ackley to score. Or, of course, he throws him out…but these are the little things managers should DO!!!!
And Franklin: shorten your damn swing and cover the plate.
Oh come ON.
Good ol’ Joe Saunders..
The late great Earl Weaver had a great idea. Pull any starting pitcher after he allows 3 runs.
Think about that. It’s one reason why Jim Palmer never surrendered a grand slam.
I’m a long-distance follower of the M’s, and I’ve seen 8 games lost or put out of reach because a pitcher wasn’t pulled at the right time.
SeniorM, I agree with you. My wife keeps reminding me that they can’t hear me when I scream “get the pitcher out!”.
Nothing against Ackley, mind you..in fact, I root for the guy.
But in a game you’re losing 5-1, do you think that maybe he coulda laid out for that ball that landed in front of him?!
(I should mention that outfielders that field conservatively drive me crazy…)
Senior-
I agree with you in principle, but not sure about the “grand slam” comment…
You technically can have 0 runs allowed when you give up a grand slam, and then you have 4 given up.
I guess you take him out before the batter crosses home, and only 3 runs have scored…?
(Joshing, but yeah, or 1 run, or 2 runs allowed with the bases loaded… Do you take him out? It’s Jim Palmer, I leave him in, ’cause whoever else you have is probably more likely to give up a dinger…!)
In my opinion, Ackley is not a center fielder. But as long as Raul is on the roster, they’ll keep putting Dustin out there.
Saunders should be in center and Dustin in left.
MrZ,
Of course you are right. My dim thought was that when every pitcher knows they’re outta there when three runs cross the plate, they buckle down a little more.
Palmer, of course, was something special, and it’s freakish that he never gave up a salami. Those O’s were some the best teams ever.
Really would have been nice if the M’s could have snagged Myers from the Royals. I know the Royals clearly wanted a top of the rotation, ML-ready pitcher, but damn…. can’t help but wonder if there might have been another way. Even a three-way.
I wouldn’t have minded Iwakuma for Myers, to be honest.
I wouldn’t have lost sleep over that, Westy. Even with another player tossed in.
Wonder what Tampa would ask for him.
Krueger, that was a lot of words to say “Joe Saunders isn’t a very good pitcher.”
Ackley probably could have slid and caught that short fly ball. I don’t think he had to lay out. He is tentative in CF. He isn’t really a LF either, but he will hurt the team less from that position. However – His bat, doesn’t profile anywhere. At least not yet . His numbers against LHP would be tolerable if his numbers against RHP weren’t equally horrid.
I think either Guti or Saunders would have caught that short fly ball with ease.
Westy: what is the RS, RA, team record comparison to last years team?
Back by popular demand… (Mike is really popular, you see)
After 120 games…
2013 Mariners: 55-65 RS 483, RA 560 (diff -77)
2012 Mariners: 56-64 RS 470, RA 477 (diff -7)
It really is hard to see improvement from Ackley in center. I’d be surprised if they put him in left, though. Doesn’t have a real strong arm.
Really, what a mess. Saunders is better served in a corner, Ackley doesn’t really seem to fit anywhere but second, which is occupied…
The M’s outfield situation for the future doesn’t appear to be working itself out.
Thanks Westy. The 13 extra runs scored this season have been quite memorable. Credit goes to the extra dingers, no doubt. Woo hoo!!!
The additional 83 runs allowed have been pretty memorable too. A lot of them wrapped within the 14 blown saves this season, I imagine. Fourteen blown saves. That’s a lot.
Is it occupied? Man, Franklin looks just terrible at the dish. He’s an absolute mess. I know I know, he’s a rookie and all and most rooks tend to struggle at some point, but we have been burned soooooo many times. So tired of this
Right now Nick has some issues. His swing rate in the zone is almost as low as Ackley’s, but he doesn’t have the high contact rate to offset that. Also, for a guy who doesn’t swing much, he’s not taking a lot of walks.
It’s kind of a problem since he’s been considered a bat-first prospect. I know others disagree with me on this, but I don’t think he’s as good a defender as Ackley was.
But hopefully he can adjust and sort it all out.
It is possible that Jaso may be done for the season, after suffering a concussion which does not seem to be getting better.
In other words, he’d fit right in with the rest of our catchers.