Game 56, Rays at Mariners
King Felix vs. Alex Colome, 7:10pm
Happy Felix Day. We’ve got to stop celebrating Felix Day during losing streaks. Everyone loves Felix Day, and the weather’s just about perfect, but it’s hard to get in the celebratory mindset when the club looks as anemic as ever and has lost seven straight.
Alex Colome remains the over-the-top, rising-four-seam hurler he was when the M’s faced him a week or two ago. In his one start in between, the Angels knocked 3 HRs off of him – that tends to be the trade off with high, rising fastballs – more whiffs, hopefully a lower BABIP due to fly balls and more infield pop-ups, but more HRs and extra-base hits. Last year, he had the low BABIP, some pop-ups but no whiffs. This season (and small sample warnings apply on all of this), he’s missing more bats, getting elevated contact, but his BABIP’s terrible AND he’s giving up HRs. This is as winnable a game as at gets for a team like the M’s with plenty of holes. Take advantage.
1: Jackson, CF
2: Cano, 2B
3: Cruz, RF
4: Seager, 3B
5: Trumbo, DH
6: Smith, LF
7: Morrison, 1B
8: Bloomquist, SS
9: Zunino, C
SP: FELIX HERNANDEZ
If you’d like to look forward to the next good M’s team, the MLB draft starts on Monday. As we’ve done in previous years, we’ll talk about the draft, the M’s, and draft eligible players from the Northwest with Chris Crawford of Baseball Prospectus. Look for that on Monday.
Pat Venditte did arrive in Boston in time to suit up and play, and he threw two scoreless innings, but the debut of the switch-pitcher was overshadowed by a scary incident in which a fan had to be rushed to the hospital after a chunk of Brett Lawrie’s shattered bat hit her face. Her injuries were described as life-threatening.
Tacoma staged a big comeback, but couldn’t get past New Orleans, who scored 4 runs in the first off Tyler Olson. Jesus Montero and Chris Taylor each had 2 hits. Stephen Landazuri starts tonight in Sacramento against veteran righty Jake Peavy, working his way back to San Francisco.
Jackson lost to Mississippi 4-3 in 12 innings. James Gilheeney had a solid start of 5 2/3 IP and Dario Pizzano homered for the Generals in a losing effort. Today, Edwin Diaz is putting together his best outing in AA. Through 7 IP, he’s given up 2 runs and K’d 5.
Visalia shut out Bakersfield yesterday 4-0. Tyler Pike went just 2 IP and gave up all 4 runs. Visalia’s John Omahen went 8 scoreless for the Rawhide. Brett Ash starts tonight for the Blaze.
Clinton was on the wrong side of a 17-7 blowout against Dayton. Starter Lukas Schiraldi couldn’t get out of the 4th, and gave up 8 runs. Kristian Brito, the L-Kings 1B, homered. Clinton’s hosting Bowling Green today behind Zack Littell.
Felix Day is a necessary escape from our ongoing misery.
Instead of advocating adding nets everywhere, maybe it’s time to ban maple bats.
Ho Hum
Nothing like having Bloomquist and Zunino up back to back with runners on.
Was Cano, Cruz, Seagar and Trumbo any better?
Ho Hum
Nothing like having WFB up with runners on
I bow to WFB!
Cano being Cano… grounding out to the right side weakly. What a joke this guy is this year. He’s taking outside pitches and pulling off of them rolling them to 1b and 2b. It’s really really getting old. He needs a DL stint.
Oh No Cano!
Why doesn’t that happen all night until the shifts end?
WFB FFFFFFFFFFFFFF!
The M’s got a hit and a run but the overall RISP hitting still sucks at this point …. So many missed opportunities.
kaleyk – It would have to get better to suck.
Anyone keeping track of how many time Dave has said the Texas Ranger lost although they won?
Jackson! Nice to see him coming around lately!
Austin Jackson is seriously on a roll lately.
Can we bring in Fernando now so I can go to bed early? I have to get up at 5:30 in the morning.
Dont see Rodney up… thats a good sign.
I don’t think he is “available”(wink)
I bought Lloyd’s explanation on why Smith can’t be the closer, that he can’t pitch 3 days in a row or 6 days a week at his age. But looking at the bullpen, there is enough there to close by committee, Lowe, Furbush, Willhelmsen, Smith, gulp Rodney, and hopefully Farquar when he’s right again.
Oh yeah, Beimel too.
@kazinski, We can’t even win 3 games in a week’s span! so there should be no problems with Smith closing…
BARISP is not our worst stat – CS is.
Now for the Kit Carson experience
Why do they keep sending runners and giving away outs?
I’m a fan of the Kit Carson Experience.
No BS tonight! How about them man muscles!
Smith >>>> Rodney…
A 1,2,3 – 10 pitch save. Just like a real ballclub. When was the last time we had one of those…?
WIN * The Oh Fer June Mariners won a game tonight ! Carson deserves another Ninth !
I will have Ice Cream, thanks to C. Smith.
All the sudden Austin Jackson is good. I hope he stays good for a while.
I will definitely take a 104wRC+ from our CF.
According to Fangraphs and my eyes Seth Smith is a good defensive corner OF, I wonder what Lloyd is seeing I don’t. Ackley should be replacing Cruz if anyone in late innings. I guess Ackley came in as a runner, but still.
Happy about the win, especially for Felix …. Yet another game with two runs scored …. That’s the continuing concern.
And stop acting like Dustin Ackley can steal bases.
“When you get the first guy out, the inning is a lot easier to get through.” – Carson Smith (post-game interview)
Wisdom that seems to have escaped Rodney his whole tenure here with the M’s, if not his whole career…
Mariners must rid themselves of “Dustin Ackley Disease.
I was watching Blackhawks – Lightning and started thinking “what if there was a Zunino Ackley equivalent in hockey?” I guess it’d be guys that can skate well, play defense well – but play like they have a foam pool noodle in their hands. And be rewarded by playing EVERY FRIGGIN NIGHT.