Game 20, Royals at Mariners
Brian Bannister v Baek. 1:05, FSN.
After that Weaver start, there’s no place to go but up, right?
M’s lineup, with VORP (Value Over Replacement Player)
CF-L Ichiro! +6
3B-R Beltre -1.2
DH-B Vidro +4.4
LF-L Ibanez +.3
1B-R Sexson -2.9
RF-R Guillen +.6
SS-R Betancourt -1.1
C-R Burke +2
2B-R Willie “The Ignitor” Bloomquist -2.3
Also:
Broussard +.8
2B-R Lopez +4
C-R Johjima +6.8
Standard-issue Royals lineup:
CF DeJesus
2B Grudzielanek
RF Teahan
DH Sweeney
1B Gload
LF Sanders
3B Gordon
SS Pena Jr
C LaRue
I would trade the entire M’s infield, including Lopez, for Alex Gordon.
Game 15, Mariners at Rangers
Baek v Millwood. 5:05 our time, FSN.
(Happy Cha Seung Baek day? It’s just not the same.)
CF-L Lofton
LF-L Catalanotto
SS-R Young
1B-B Teixeira
DH-R Sosa
3B-L Blalock
2B-R Kinsler
RF-R Cruz
C-R Laird
Jamie Burke starts at catcher for Johjima.
Game 13, Mariners at Angels
Horacio Ramirez WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
CF Matthews
SS Cabrera
RF Guerrero
LF Anderson
DH Hillenbrand
1B Quinlan
C Napoli
3B Izturis
2B Aybar
Also: check out Geoff Baker using OBP to explain why the M’s offense is worse than it appears. I remember when Stone was the only person on the staff who ever mentioned OBP.
Game 12, Mariners at Angels
Batista v Saunders. 7:05, FSN.
M’s field their standard lineup.
CF-B Matthews
SS-R Cabrera
RF-R Guerrero
LF-L Anderson
1B-L Kotchman
DH-R Hillenbrand
3B-B Izturis
C-R Napoli
2B-B Aybar
Game 9, Twins at Mariners
RHP Ramon Ortiz v BP Jeff Weaver. 7:05
Twins offer
2B-B Castillo
LF-L Tyner
C-L Mauer
RF-R Cuddyer
1B-L Morneau
CF-R Hunter
DH-L Kubel
3B-B Rodriguez
SS-R Bartlett
M’s offer their standard.
Game 6, Rangers at Mariners
The M’s have the fewest games played of any team.
Kevin Millwood v Jarrod Washburn.
In honor of Dave’s trade value post, let me kick off the first yearly edition of “would you flip ’em?”:
C: Laird v Johjima
1B: Teixeira v Sexson
2B: Kinsler v Lopez
SS: Young v Betancourt
3B: Blalock v Beltre
LF: Kata v Ibanez
CF: Hairston v Ichiro!
RF: Cruz v Guillen
DH: Sosa v Turbo
P: Millwood v Washburn
Some surprisingly interesting choices there.
Game 4, Mariners at Red Sox
Weaver vs Beckett. 11:05, radio only. Whether that’ll be a blessing or curse is, obviously, yet to be seen.
M’s DL’ed Arthur Rhodes, retroactive to opening day, and activated Jake Woods.
Game 4, Mariners at Indians
In progress…. except that it’s not. Delayed by snow. Sorry I missed putting up the thread, I thought it was going to be canceled after seeing these photos, link sent in by reader Peter Schneidler. Home opener wooo!
If they continue it, which seems unlikely, I wonder who we see pick up the game if Ho-Ram doesn’t come back in?
Game 3, Athletics at Mariners
Harden vs Batista.
Standard M’s lineup.
Oakland, it’s
C Kendall
LF Stewart
CF Bradley
DH Piazza
3B Chavez
1B Swisher
SS Crosby
RF Buck
2b Ellis
Let the good times continue a-rolling.
Dave reports: the M’s signed Betancourt to a contract extension that wipes out all his arbitration years and gives them an option for on his first free agent year.
Game 2, Athletics at Mariners
Joe Blanton versus Jarrod “The Leader” Washburn. 7:05, KSTW.
Our first Felix Day a rousing success, this is where the season’s long slog starts: the rest of the rotation. I was listening to a spring training report where Peter Gammons talked about the Mariners and could not name a pitcher past Washburn. When Gammons can’t remember who your 3-5 guys are off the top of his head, that’s trouble.
This is why we play the games, though. The Mariners hope that they’re going to get great performances that most reasonable analyst think aren’t going to happen, but we don’t know if Horacio Ramirez will win 20 games pitching in Safeco until he does, or doesn’t. Washburn could be this season’s surprise ace — more unlikely candidates have done better in baseball’s history.
I love Opening Day in part because of that feeling, being able to pull the wool over my own eyes a little and not think at all about what the standings will be like after the last game ends. Knowing that the season is long, and winding, and even if I could nail the win total, there’s no way any prediction about how the experience will be could approach accuracy.
More than anything, I want the Mariners to get into and win in the playoffs. I want to see a championship baseball team. Right now, they’re in first place. They could go wire to wire, it’s happened before.
A’s field
C Kendall
LF Stewart
CF Bradley
DH Piazza
3B Chavez
1B Swisher
RF Kielty
SS Crosby
2B Ellis
M’s go
CF Ichiro!
3B Beltre
DH Vidro
LF Ibanez
1B Sexson
RF Guillen
C Johjima
SS Betancourt
2B Lopez