Funny to Say Mariners Down the Stretch Run

This season the Mariners are not the team we expected to see going into September. Everyone thought the Mariners would have at least the same record as last year or greater instead they fell back to what they were for a decade. I am sure everyone was like me looking forward to seeing them playing in the playoffs. All they had to win only a few more games; instead they will be lucky to break even if they have a real good September.  

I just heard on the radio that Austin Jackson was traded to the Chicago Cubs. How about this up to the minute news; I had a pretty good idea that he would be traded because I believe the Mariners would have mentioned about signing him to a new contract. It is possible that the Mariners will trade other players that are not expected on the team next year in the month ahead.

With the trade of Jackson I would see the Mariners bring up James Jones to play some time in center field along with Brad Miller. I am sure the Mariners will look to go and find a centerfielder unless Brad Miller wins the spot; however, he likely will be super utility player. Looking at shortstop Marte seems to be the choice for next season. I am sure Chris Taylor will play some at shortstop in September as well. I see that Taylor will be extra infielder next season unless the Mariners decide to trade him. I don’t see the Mariners looking at him playing triple A any longer.

Right now I see the Mariners outfield looking next year as Brad Miller, Seth Smith, Franklin Gutierrez, Mark Trumbo, and Nelson Cruz. Saying all that the Mariners may trade Seth Smith and Trumbo during the off season; there is a possibility that Brad Miller could be traded too if he is involved in a multi-player trade. I am sure Trumbo and Cruz both will play designated hitter when not in the outfield. Trumbo will play some first base as well. Unless the Mariners go out and get another first baseman Trumbo may play more first base than outfield. One thing for sure Cruz and Trumbo will not be in the outfield at the same time because of defense limitations. I am sure the Mariners will go out and get a proven centerfielder with Brad Miller as the backup. I could see Seth Smith starting in either left or right field just like now against right handed pitchers and Gutierrez again playing left field against left handed pitchers.  It would be really nice if the Mariners could go out and get two regular outfielders but the chances are slim that will happen.

When it comes to the infield Kyle Seager and Robinson Cano will return playing third and second base. Shortstop could be a battle again during spring training between Marte and Taylor. The loser likely will be the extra infielder unless they decide that Brad Miller will play the infield some as well as outfield. At first base the Mariners may use either Mark Trumbo or Jesus Montero if they don’t trade for an experience first baseman. Both of them will be the designated hitter as well when Cruz is not. There is a good possibility that the Mariners may trade Logan Morrison; he does not look good as the everyday first baseman. If on the team he would look like a part-time first baseman and outfielder. He would come into the game late as a defensive replacement at first, and start against some tough right handed pitchers that either Trumbo or Montero could hit well against.

Last week sending Mike Zunino down to triple A makes me believe that the Mariners may go out and get another catcher. If Zunino is on the roster out of spring training he won’t play almost every day like he did this year.  He needs to spend time on the bench learning the pitchers on the opposing teams. I could see him back catching regularly in 2017. Remember he is still only 23 years old.

The starting pitching rotation will begin with Felix Hernandez and TaiJuan Walker. I am sure the Mariners will resign Iwakuma to a new contract. It is hard to say who the fourth and fifth starters will be. I would not be surprised if the Mariners trade Logan Morrison along with another player for a starting pitcher.

When it comes to the bullpen anything can be a guess. We could flip a coin to see who the Mariners will do for relief. Right now September will be real important for those in the bullpen right now. Those who do well maybe retained while the rest will be told good luck somewhere else. In the mean time we will say Go Mariners!

Jack Z Axed

No one in Mariner land was surprised that Jack Z. was fired but doing it on Aug. 28 I am sure made people surprised by the move. I know when I heard about it this morning after going out for breakfast I thought OK Mariners. I figured they would make the move after the season ended but I am glad the move is done now so the search can be in process. If the Mariners hire the new general manager in the next few weeks than he can watch the team to see what moves he may want to be made during the off season. On the other hand most likely the man to replace Jack Z. I am sure has seen the team play already.

 I have no idea who the candidates the Mariners will be looking at  but the positions likely be filled by mid-October. For the time being Jeff Kingston who was Jack Z assistant is now the acting General Manager. Also, he is a candidate for the position as well. The advantage of Kingston is that he knows the in workings of the Mariners which may help him; however, it could hurt him to.

Though he has been in the organization for a while Kevin Mather the President of the Mariners is finishing his second term, and he was not the person who was responsible in hiring Jack Z. that was the former President Chuck Armstrong. Now Mather will put his stamp of approval on the organization in hiring the next general manager. If the Mariners had not won eighty-seven games last season the chances Jack Z. would have been out then when his contract was up. According to Mather the responsibility of the Mariners season started at the top because he recommends that Lloyd McClendon be retained manager; however, it will be up to the new general manager if that happens or not.

Another moved surprised me was that the Mariners optioned catcher Mike Zunino to triple-A since their season ends on the weekend where he likely will be called up to finish the season. The reason could be the Mariners are letting Zunino know that he is on the block and they may look into going another direction next season. Thursday I thought the Mariners should sit Zunino for most of September to watch the opposing pitchers to learn what they are throwing. Since he has been up with the Mariners he was thrown into the fire so he had to learn how the pitchers on the Mariners threw pitches but no so much the other teams.  There is no question that Zunino is a very good defensive catcher but at this time he should not be the starting catcher of the Mariners.  Going into next season he will need to compete for the position and not just handed it. The Mariners likely will have to go outside the organization to get a catcher because none of the existing catchers in the organization are ready to take over as the full time catcher.

In the next few weeks I will give some ideas what the Mariners should do to the lineup. We can hope that the team and Lloyd will feel relaxed when playing the remaining thirty-four games. Of course, it will still mean changes will happen. Go Mariners!

Seahawks No.3 Running Back

Going into game 3 still wonder who the third running back will be for the Seahawks. Christian Michael had the inside track coming into training camp. I am sure the Seahawks would like him to be number two ahead of Robert Turbin.

According to Pete Carroll’s Monday press conference he said that Michael has the edge still to be the third running back. Thomas Rawls and Rod Smith are just hanging on. If this is the case than Michael may make the team but how much he will play will depend on the remaining two pre-season games.

Even if Rawls and Smith don’t make the team there will be running backs that will be released by other teams. So there could be a good one out there especially if one will be released by a team because of their salary cap.

The 3^rd string running back is important because no one really knows how long Marshawn Lynch will be able to perform at his high level. Lynch is twenty-nine years old which is close to when running backs run out of gas. Lynch is a running back that is different than NFL has seen in a long time if ever. We believe that Lynch could keep going for a couple more years but injuries could keep him out along with slowing him down so the Seahawks need the depth because we don’t know whether Robert Turbin can be a full time running back.

I am rooting for Christian Michael to be the third running back because we can see the talent he has but this is the time for him to perform at a high level. If he isn’t able to replace Turbin as the second running back could be it for him.  Regardless of how the backup running backs play the Seahawks will likely draft next year a running back in the early rounds. This would be true even if Lynch returns next year as well, and both Turbin and Michael perform well when they get some action. It could be the Seahawks will look into trading for a running back that is starting in the NFL like they did when they traded for Jimmy Graham during the off-season.

Coming up next time on the Seahawks will look at the receivers.  This will even be harder decisions. Go Hawks!

Wihelmsen Back at Closer

Was anyone else surprised to see the bartender closing the game on Sunday August 23? I certainly was though in the back of my mind I was hoping he would be closing. I thought it was time for Carson Smith to stop closing games for a while anyway.

Like most of the bullpen Wihelmsen has been struggling off and on all season. Right now he does look like he is in the right frame of mind to close game; how long that will last is anyone’s guess. Also, like most of the bullpen he spent some time down in Tacoma. He was there only for about ten days which is minimum time required staying in the minors before being recalled. You can only be recalled sooner because of some else being put on the disabled list. The time spent with the Rainiers did seem to do him some good and he has pitched better than the rest of the bullpen. Of course, we all know that is not very hard to do.

Wihelmsen is one of the few guys in the bullpen to have experience in closing besides Carson Smith since Rodney was released on Saturday.  Though I did say I like him as a closer he is still better being a setup man just like Smith.  Wihelmsen like everyone else in the bullpen is auditioning for next season; he is one of the few veteran pitchers the Mariners have in the bullpen now. Right now Joe Beimel and Charlie Furbush are on the disabled list; Beimel will be returning to the bullpen when the time is up soon from the disabled list but Furbush is out for the rest of the season.  

The Mariners still think highly of Wihelmsen otherwise he most likely would have been traded at the end of July trading deadline. In fact I read on twitter just before the Mariners traded J.A. Happ to the Pittsburgh Pirates that there was interest in Wihelmsen. I figured the Mariners didn’t trade him because no one was willing to give them good enough prospects in return.

I do really hope the bartender is around the Mariners for several more years; he is a nice guy with a great sense of humor to go along with Furbush but relief pitchers can lose it so fast we have seen that this year in Seattle.  So September will be interesting month for the Mariners regarding the bullpen along with the rest of the team. Go Mariners!  

Rodney is Out Who is Next?

On Saturday night the Seattle Mariners lost another game in the late innings.  They continue down a spiraling case, and is there any good news on the horizon. I have to say sort of because the Mariners announced after the game they designated for assignment Fernando Rodney. We all could say about time, and even Rodney was not surprised by the move. Not sure whose decision it was or it was a joint effort of Jack Z and Lloyd. I am sure Lloyd was tired of throwing Rodney out there to sink or swim or Jack was finally tired of it. Whatever the case is Rodney is no longer a Mariner. No more shooting the arrow that we haven’t actually seen in a while.  No more excuses about tipping the pitches or that Rodney can’t spot them anymore.  Whatever the case Rodney is gone the sad part he is actually very nice man, and he has never cause the Mariners any trouble at all off the field but his best days are behind him.

Another move the Mariners made on Saturday night was sending Danny Farquhar back to Tacoma.  After Carson Smith blew the save in the ninth inning they sent out Farquhar out in the tenth inning where he could not get any one out and the Mariners lost 6-3.  His problem is basically the same as Rodney’s but he could still have a future in Seattle if he can straighten things out.  Farquhar is not being paid the big bucks of Rodney and he won’t be a free agent after the season unless the Mariners decide to release him.  He could be an option for being the closer if he can make things right.

Speaking of the closer Carson Smith is just not ready to be one. He is better as a set up in the Mariner’s bullpen right now. I have mentioned before that he can get right handed batters out with his slider but can’t get left handers out on a regular basis as of yet. He either has to improve the slider or get another pitch to get out lefties. Until then other teams will throw out as many left handed hitters they can.

What other answers do the Mariners have for a closer?  I would say not much at this time; however, since they are out of the race unless 1995 miracle happens they might as well audition other pitchers or go with someone from the past like Tom Wihelmsen. I am sure the bartender will do an Ok job or we see other candidates.

The two pitchers the Mariners brought up to replace Rodney and Farquhar are Roenis Elias and Logan Kensing.  Both pitchers will start out in the bullpen; Elias could move back into the starting rotation. He hasn’t had a good season pitching for Tacoma but I like his attitude on the mound as long it hasn’t changed since he was sent down.  What I mean is that he likes going right after hitters, and that is crucial for a reliever.  He could pitch one inning, multiple innings, and my idea is he could be tried as a closer.  Why not we could find a gem right there, and another possibility is Nuno who has the same attitude as Elias but having a much better season.  In fact he pitched very well in relief before switching to starter when the Mariners traded J.A.Happ to the Pirates at the end of July.  Kensing I don’t know much about but I am sure the Mariners will try to see where he will fit in the bullpen. One thing for sure neither Elias nor Kensing can do worse than who have been in bullpen or can they?

We are not sure who the Mariner’s will have in the bullpen in 2016 but we do know that the pitchers there right now are auditioning for a spot. We can only hope pitchers like Wihelmsen or Farquhar can turn things around because the Mariners do need some veteran presence in the bullpen.  I would like to see both Elias and Nuno as two lefties in the bullpen, and we can only hope that Charlie Furbush can return.  Carson Smith could return as the closer or be the setup man in the eighth inning like he was before Rodney went bust.  It is amazing how things change in a year after the Mariners had one of the best in 2014. Like they say that’s baseball.  Go Mariners!

 

 

Mariners First Round Pick’s Under Jack Z.

When it comes to the top picks of the Mariners since Jack Z. became general manager in late 2008 his success hasn’t been very good; however,  he has done better than his predecessor Bavasi.  Of course, it is not hard to do that since Bavasi gutted the farm system all together.

The Mariners have had more success with players on the lower rounds than the first round under Z. The first pick that Jack made in his first year was Dustin Ackley who the Mariners finally gave up on just before the training deadline in July sending him to New York Yankees. As far as drafting Ackley he was the second overall pick that year, and any general manager would have selected him. 

The best player the Mariners drafted that year 2009 is gold glove third baseman Kyle Seager who was a third round pick and college teammate of Ackley’s. He is the player the Mariners thought Ackley would become. Though the Mariners struck out on Ackley they certainly got a great fit with Seager who signed a multi-year contract after last season. The thing about Seager he is durable and misses very few games for the Mariners. You can’t say that for some of the other draft picks the Mariners have had.

The same year the Mariners drafted Ackley they also drafted as supplemental picks in the first round were Nick Franklin who the Mariners sent packing last July to the Tampa Bay Rays. He hasn’t lived up to expectations yet, and most likely will be the same kind of player Ackley has turned out to be. Another supplemental player that year was Steve Baron who like Franklin was drafted out of high school. His career as a catcher started out slowly; however, this year he has spent almost the whole year with the Tacoma Rainiers sharing catching duties with John Hicks. Baron is the best defensive catcher in the Mariners farm system but his hitting started out slowly so it took him a while to move up the system spending a lot of time in Class A ball. With the Rainiers he has hit the ball with more authority; initially he started hitting over .300 for Rainiers.  However, he is now hitting in the .260 range. It is possible now that he could end up the backup catcher for the Mariners next season unless the Mariners go out and get a veteran catcher to either backup or start ahead of Zunino.

In 2010 the Mariners drafted in the first round with a supplemental pick  was high school flame thrower TaiJuan Walker. I expect other teams passed on Walker because he was an outstanding basketball player as well and many teams felt that he would go onto college. This year being his first full season in the major leagues he is showing why the Mariners drafted him. He has had his ups and downs; however, the Mariners have seen more steady improvement over the season. You could say right now he has been the most successful player the Mariners drafted in the first round by Z. He is showing a lot of potential to becoming a second ace on the Mariners pitching staff besides King Felix. Walker most success has been throwing his fast ball over 95 miles per hour. The whole key for a pitcher is location so Walker gets in trouble when he isn’t locating the ball correctly. He still has to work on his secondary pitches but the fast ball is still the pitch that will make him successful.

Most likely disappointment in the first round during Z. regime outside of Ackley would be Danny Hultzen. He was another two overall draft pick out of Virginia University. The problem with Hultzen isn’t that he hasn’t lived up to his potential the last three years he has rarely pitched because of shoulder injuries. He pitched very little in 2013 as well as this year and not at all in 2014. The Mariners were hoping that he could get in a good season with the Rainiers, and be able to pitch for the Mariners in September this year. He started off on the disabled list; after rehabbing he went to Mariners Double A team; however, he didn’t pitch long  so the Mariners  shut him down for the season. There is a possibility that Hultzen could come back and pitch making it to the major leagues; however, it is anyone’s guess. Also, he will be out of options after this season so the Mariners would have to put in on the major league roster or lose him to another team unless he passes waivers. At this point no one knows whether another team would take a chance on him.

In the 2012 draft the Mariners took catcher Mike Zunino in the first round and the third overall pick. He came up in the middle of the 2013 and has been the Mariners starting catcher the last two years. His defense has been outstanding since he has arrived on the scene; however, his hitting has been quite disappointing. Actually last year his batting average was low but he did hit over twenty home runs in the season. This year he has been batting below .200 all season, and he hasn’t hit close to the twenty home run mark. He has improved somewhat after Edgar Martinez became hitting coach. Most people feel just like Ackley he came to the major leagues way to soon. At this point his future is questionable though he is a great defensive catcher; the Mariners still need him to hit in the .240 range if he is expected to start.  

The top picks in the 2013 and 2014 D.J. Peterson and Alex Jackson are still questionable though they are rated the top two prospects in the Mariners farm system. Last year Peterson had a decent season playing high A and double A; however, this season the Mariners expected him to do much better. He did hit with some power in double A but his batting average was lower than expected but even so the Mariners brought him up to the Rainiers at the beginning of August where he actually got hurt and is now on the disabled list. I am sure the Mariners wanted to see him in September in Seattle which may or may not happen now. Alex Jackson has had a tough start to his baseball career beginning with having injuries. He played very little in 2014 and just some in 2015; he started out in high A but then was sent to Arizona to rehab because of injury. Most recently he has been playing with the very low A team in Everett. The Mariners can only hope that he will meet the expectations they had when he was drafted out of high school as a   catcher but with his power and the Mariners need they switched him to the outfield.

I am not sure that the Mariners have had poor choices in the first rounds since Jack Z has been general manager but they certainly have had bad luck. Ackley and Zunino you could say they were rushed to the majors to fast. Hultzen, Peterson, and Jackson have progress slowed because of injuries.  The Mariners should learn from the past experiences not to rush either Peterson or Jackson and we can hope that Hultzen will find his way onto a major league roster to pitch whether for the Mariners or someone else. So in the end has it been bad luck for Jack Z. or poor judgment; we may never know depending on whether he returns for another season. Go Mariners!    

 

Seahawks Game 2 Coming Up

The Seattle Seahawks second exhibition game or what is better known as preseason comes up Friday Aug. 21 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Seahawks likely will play their starters for the first half in this game. At least the ones that are healthy anyway. Guys like Richard Sherman, Thomas who just started practicing, and Marshawn Lynch we only care if they are available for the season opener. They know what it takes to get ready for the season. Right now it is important that their backups are ready so in case they are not ready for the opener. Since Pete Carroll has been coach the Seahawks have been a second half season team anyway so it important that they are ready for the playoffs and in position to have the home field advantage.

Carroll was so upset with how the offensive line played in the first two series where Russell Wilson was sacked and fumbled that he had changes Justin Britt the right tackle who started there all sixteen regular season games was shifted to left guard and Garry Gilliam was no longer the backup left tackle and moved over to Britt’s right tackle position. Left guard and center are the two positions that are being replaced because of trade and free agency. Now you can say three offensive line positions will be different going into season. I really do like the change because I don’t think Britt was quick enough to stop the really good defensive lineman or linebackers who were rushing the quarterback. Garry Gilliam being a former tight end in college should be quick enough to handle the right tackle since he had been the backup at left tackle. I am sure with possible injuries the shuffle on the offensive line could continue. Assistant head- line coach Tom Cable and Pete Carroll they could not afford to wait longer for the change. I am sure Alvin Bailey who was starting at left guard will likely backup at both left and right guard along with the two tackle positions. Coach Cable has always felt it was important that the backup players especially were versatile enough to play more than one position. We will have to see however I believe the change with Britt going to left guard and Gilliam to right tackle will benefit the Seahawks. Russell Wilson is not concern with the changes with the offensive line; however, with the injury to backup quarter-back Travaris Jackson made it more important to have the change. The Seahawks are blessed to have a starting quarterback that doesn’t get hurt but they have to be concerned because there is no guarantee that Russell Wilson won’t get hurt. The other quarterbacks right now would not be ready to play in a regular season game if Wilson and Jackson are both hurt. Jackson himself he were to play more than eight games because Wilson was hurt the Seahawks would only be slightly more than a .500 record and with the others we would most likely see a team with a losing record.

Though the Seahawks would not be as good if they lost Marshawn Lynch for a significant amount of time because of injury or any of the top defensive players Russell Wilson being hurt would still be hardest to replace since he is the engineer that runs the offense. We can only hope that we won’t have to find out anytime soon. You could say it is the major reason Wilson is the now the highest paid player on the team. Most of the teams in the NFL would have trouble winning with the loss of their starting quarterback. Look what happened with Arizona when they lost their starting quarterback. They were still able to make the playoffs but did not do anything in the playoffs. If any team has a high quality backup quarterback it is a rare thing to find. In fact Travaris Jackson is one of the best backup quarterbacks. It will be interesting to see how the offense will run against the Kansas City Chiefs on the road. It will be a very good test to see. In the second have we will see more of the backup players who are trying to make the team. Go Seahawks!

Mariners Now Face the Rangers in Texas

After a horrible series in Boston where the Mariners finally won a game on Sunday they now go to Arlington, Texas to face the Ranger. It would really be nice if the Mariners could win two out of three in Arlington however the signs don’t look good because of the pitching.

A big problem the Mariners have had is when the pitching has been good the hitting has not been and vice versa. It is an ongoing theme all season. Actually it has been going on for several seasons except maybe last season.

We all know going into Sunday’s game the Mariners gave up an unbelievable thirty-seven runs in two games in Boston. On Sunday things did look a little brighter because the Mariners got ahead of the Red Sox 7-0 before the pitching fell apart and the Sox tied the score in the bottom of the ninth. The signs did not look good until the Mariners scored two runs in the top of the twelfth inning and Danny Farquhar was able to end the game at the bottom of the twelfth.

When it comes to the pitching there are no signs that Mariners pitching will get any better soon. I am sure Iwakuma will be steady, and I Felix will rebound as well, however, Mike Montgomery and TaiJuan Walker will be needing to have their innings shorten. Montgomery has struggled for almost two months after having some two excellent outings where he shutout the opposition. Nuno has been doing some starting as well so he will need to continue in that capacity. I am sure with the actions of three-fifths of the starting until when they expand rosters in September the Mariners will likely go to a six man roster to keep the current starters innings down. Since the Mariners are basically out of the running for any place in the playoffs it is a very good idea.

The Mariners will need to expand the bullpen in September too. Carson Smith innings will need to be cut down as well. If Smith continues in the closer role next season my thought is that he needs to add another pitch to his fastball and slider. He is really good against right handed hitters but lacks against left handed hitters. He will need to improve the slider against lefties or get another pitch to be effective against them. I would say going into next season the Mariners would be best to find a new closer and put Carson Smith back in the setup role. Some day he will be the closer but he is young enough for the Mariners to wait on it. The key who is out there that the Mariners can pick up as the closer; we know that Fernando Rodney will not be back next season unless he takes a big pay cut and is willing to be a setup man. When it comes to the rest of the bullpen we can flip a coin to see who will be there. All we know for sure is the Mariners will need to revamp the bullpen.  

This season has to be the most disappointing ever in the history of the Mariners when expectations were so high. Whether in Seattle or elsewhere everyone figured the Mariners were going to be in the playoffs at the very least. Now we will have to see whether Jack Z and Lloyd McClendon will be returning next season. It is hard to know how higher management think at this point. All we know now is we will hear the rest of the story later. Personally I am not sure what way the Mariners should go. If they do make a change in either general manager or manager they will need to go after someone who has had good experience especially if it is Jack Z is replaced. In my opinion the Mariners do not have to start from scratch they have a good nucleus just need to add some additional parts and play more like a team. When we get closer to a month from now we will have more of an idea than now what the Mariners will do. We can’t say though if the Mariners play at a higher level over the next month that things can’t be changed but that idea would be wrong changes will need to happen this would be true even if the Mariners were going to the playoffs.

Playing manager or general manager we all have ideas what the Mariners should do in those changes. Even if we each have different ideas I am sure the basic changes we will agree. I will bring my ideas in a month. So as fans lets Go Mariners!  

Thirty- Seven Runs Forty-Seven Hits

In baseball you see something that you have never seen before, and often you would figure never would happen. This is what happened with the Mariners the last two days Friday and Saturday in Boston against the Red Sox.

The Mariners just came off a no-hitter pitched by Iwakuma on Wednesday in Seattle. It was a day game the Mariners traveled across country to Boston after the game, and had Thursday off. I expect none of us expected this to happen to the Mariners but this is a season where the Mariners have done a lot unexpected things so why should we be surprised.

What makes it interesting is the Mariners swept their series in Boston last season, and the Red Sox had the worst record in the American League though the last week or so the Red Sox have been hitting at a pretty good pace, and decided to continue it against the Mariners. Giving up fifteen runs was a little bit of a surprise on Friday however with Felix Hernandez going to the mound we figured the Mariners had a really good chance to win since they were pitching their ace; however, Felix has had several outings where he gave up about ten runs like he did on Saturday. Another interesting part of the story Saturday was the three year anniversary of Felix’s perfect game in 2012. You think the Red Sox would have some respect for Felix but they did not, and Felix only last two and two-thirds of an inning giving up ten runs.

The final score on Saturday was 22-10, and if the relievers had done a good job the Mariners would still be in the game and actually may have won it. Of course, the Red Sox knew how bad the Mariners bullpen has been most of the season so they decided to pour it on more. No mercy at all; of course, if you have had a season like the Red Sox why would they have mercy to the Mariners especially thinking about last season’s sweep by the Mariners as well.

Now we can look at today’s game against the Red Sox will we see more of the same or will the Mariners rebound today it is only any one’s guess. What a way to start a road trip as well. The Mariners will start Vidal Nuno today; though he has done a decent job starting he has been a reliever most of the season so the Mariners will need to use the bullpen once again, and we still don’t know how that will go. In fact the Mariners would be better if Nuno was in the bullpen but who would start in his place is another question.

The Mariners hitting seems to be doing good recently but with the pitching especially the bullpen we can only speculate where the Mariners will go the rest of the season. I don’t think it will be going nowhere unless something changes and I don’t think that will happen. So all we can say is what until next season. We have said that too often the last ten years or more.  Anyway Go Mariners!

The First Blue Friday

The Seattle Seahawks start their first exhibition game tonight (Friday) against the Denver Broncos. I am sure most of the 12^th man is excited for the beginning of new football season especially how the last season ended. I won’t say any more about that.

The weather seems to know it is beginning of football season as well since there is thunder and rain happening right now. I am sure there is lightning somewhere as well. It will be quite interesting if it continues during the ball game. There could be some postponement if it does thunder and lightning happen during the game. At least good in an exhibition game instead of a regular season the weather would be this way. It would not hurt that the rest of the country think this is the way the weather is in Seattle and the northwest all the time.

In this game the starters will only play one or two series at the most which is accustomed every year. The Seahawks will be missing some of their key starters who will not play at all. Of course, Kam Chancellor won’t play because he is holding out; Richard Sherman is not expected to play either along with Earl Thomas. So the Seahawks will be seeing a new lineup in the secondary for sure. Thomas will likely not play several games because of injuries and same may be for Sherman as well. We can hope the Seahawks will work things out with Chancellor. The important thing though is that they will all be ready for the beginning of the regular season. We all know that they are tough guys who keep themselves in pretty good shape.

As far as fans go we will be seeing some new faces. Two of the important new faces is the Seahawks first two draft picks. We will see how first pick Frank Clark will do on the defensive line. I believe the Seahawks will play him in several different places to see how he will do in game situations. Also, see how Tyler Lockett will do on punt returns. I expect we may see him pass receiving as well. The receiving positions will be interesting to see how they work out this pre-season.

The other positions to see what happens is on the offensive line since the Seahawks will be starting a new center and left guard. We will see how things work out the next three weeks to see who starts in those positions and who backs them up.

This whole pre-season will be interesting because of the depth and competition the Seahawks will have. I am sure we will see quite a few of them tonight. It will be good to write about who comes to the fore front tonight. The important thing is find those players who will be consistent because we will see some that will look really great at times and then not so good at other times. I am sure we will see that with Clark and Lockett as well.

I am sure those players that have nagging injuries will be kept out of tonight’s game because of the weather. We may only see the starters’ only one series because of the weather. All I know for sure we will have a good time watching regardless of who wins or loses. Though the Seahawks plan to win it is not the important thing at this time. So Let’s Go Seahawks.

Iwakuma No-Hits Orioles

If I didn’t know what to write next here concerning local sports Iwakuma certainly made it easy with his first no-hitter in the major leagues, the Mariners fifth no-hitter and second by a Japan pitcher in the major leagues.

Since coming off the disabled list Iwakuma has had his ups and downs primarily giving up home runs. Recently though he has been pitching his best this season; this game he walked three batters besides giving up no hits. Usually Iwakuma gives up no walks or maybe one in the game; however, he was sharp beyond those walks.

I have to admit that I only watched the first half of the game. Even then I didn’t realize he had given up no walks. I had an appointment for this afternoon so when I finished with it I turned on the radio, and the game had just been completed. I was pleasantly surprised by the no-hitter. Iwakuma is like Felix where he can pitch a no-hitter any time; he has pitches have a lot of good movement on them. I am sure the Orioles batters were shaking their heads the whole game. I also heard that Iwakuma only shook off Jesus Sucre signs five times during the game so they were in sink the whole time.

Iwakuma signed as a free agent with the Mariners before the 2012 season and will become a free agent again at the end of this season. His record is 41-22 with the Mariners in the three and half seasons. The Mariners had a chance to trade him in July before the trading deadline but decided against it. I expect the Japanese ownership did not want him to go anywhere else. Iwakuma has enjoyed his time in Seattle, and he spent last off-season in Seattle instead of going back to Japan. I am sure the Mariners are looking to resign him to a new contract.

The Mariners still need a veteran like Iwakuma in their starting rotation. TaiJuan Walker will be going into his second full season looking so much like an ace himself. In fact on many teams Iwakuma would be an ace himself. So the Mariners will have three high quality starters and then there is Mike Montgomery, and Elias who should round out the rotation. Also, the Mariners have James Paxton is another quality starter if he can just get over the injury bug. The Mariners may to go out and get another veteran pitcher during the off-season. Like they say you can’t have enough quality pitching. At this point they don’t have any other youngsters to step up in the organization until maybe 2017.

With the Mariners showing this season we have no idea whether Jack Z and Lloyd McClendon will be returning next season. The Mariners may look to go another direction. The Mariners starting pitching has been pretty good most of the season the bullpen is another story; we can only hope that the bullpen can turn things around. I am sure the Mariners will look to shore it up. Again congrats Iwakuma look forward to your next outing too. Go Mariners!

Seahawks It is the Competition

When it comes to football the Seahawks maybe like no other it is about the competition.

Regardless of your position or how long you have been around the best player will play. This goes for how much the player makes as well. We can go back to when the Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson in 2012, and he beat out Matt Flynn for the starting quarterback. Flynn had signed a large free agent contract with the Seahawks; however, Wilson turned out to be the best quarterback of the two. In fact, it wasn’t long until Flynn moved on. Neither Seahawks nor Wilson cared that Flynn had signed the large contract Wilson became the starting quarterback and the rest is history.

We know that Russell Wilson has signed a new contract, and he looks to be the Seahawks quarterback for the next five year but who knows something could happen where another quarterback comes in to take the job. You may say Oh no but could happen not likely though; however, I am sure the competition being the second string quarter-back on the Seahawks is fierce like every position on the team. We will see how that ends.

Tony McDaniel was released by the Seahawks when training camp started on July 31. He started almost every game the last two seasons for the Seahawks at defensive tackle; however, the Seahawks had to make a move because of the salary cap, and I am sure there is very fierce competition to replace him as the starter. I am sure so much they were willing to release him.  He just signed a one year contract with Tampa Bay; I am sure he is going to work hard to win the starting position with them. Most likely the Bucs will probably not see a harder worker because that is the Seahawks way. Most players that move on from the Seahawks likely are going make a real difference on their new team.  I am sure every other team in the NFL look on to see who will be cut by the Seahawks. I would say that there is not any more respect than that unless you are talking about a team that has been to two Super Bowls the last two years, and were real close to being a third one in 2012. Remember the Seahawks nearly won the NFC championship game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Right now Kam Chancellor is holding out for more money, and no one right now knows when he will report to the Seahawks. Amazing though he is keeping an eye on the team text messaging a lot of his teammates; most players would say he is the soul of the Seahawks. I am sure they will come to some kind of agreement soon. I am sure the Seahawks feel they could or may have to live without him. I guess we will see. Since Russell Wilson signed his contract now Chancellor is the big story. I am sure football will become the story real soon as the exhibition season begins on Friday Aug 14 against the Denver Broncos.

I always enjoy seeing the new players that we have never heard of before make their action with the Seahawks and see who will make it or not. Also, we can wonder what veteran players will not return. At this point the receivers are one of the interesting stories coming into training camp. I am sure at least one if not two who were on the team last season most likely will not return. The group is pretty good so I am sure who doesn’t return will hook up with another team.

I look forward to stories lines coming from the first game on Friday. I am sure Chancellor’s name will be coming up a lot during the telecast. Anyway the 12^th man is looking forward to another amazing season for the Seahawks. I am sure the loss in the Super Bowl will be incentive enough to get them back again next February. Go Seahawks!

 

 

Welcome Back Montero

This time last year Jesus Montero was not in a good place. He had been suspended for PED’s for half of the season and then suspended again because of a run in with one of the Mariners scouts. At the time he was playing for the low level A team in Everett Washington. It looked like Montero would likely never play a game again in the Mariner organization. The slim chance he had Jack Z. told him he couldn’t slip again and he had to see a counselor.

Looking back to the 2013 he started the season as the regular catcher for the Seattle Mariners. We all found out he was not a very good catcher though he could hit with some power so the Mariners decided to try him at first base along with designated hitter.  First base is what he was working on when he became suspended. He did not look like he could play first base so only the future he had was at designated hitter.

Going into this season things did not look good for Montero because he had been overweight and the suspensions clouded his judgment. Also, the Mariners had signed Nelson Cruz to be their designated hitter. We were all surprised including the other players when Montero arrived for 2015 spring training he had shed 40 pounds and looked like a baseball player. He was still not fast; however, he had been a catcher so we could not really expect that.

Montero started the 2015 season at Tacoma playing mostly at designated hitter and once in a while at first base. He would work on his defense before all games but the Mariners were not sure about him playing first base. Everyone figured regardless of how well he played there would be no place for him on the Mariners because of Nelson Cruz primarily and Logo Morrison at first base. When the Mariners traded for Mark Trumbo the chance was even less that Jesus Montero would ever be seen being in a Mariner uniform unless there was some one injured.

Throughout the season at Tacoma Montero was hitting the ball pretty good batting over .300 but not with a lot of power. Though he was hitting well most scouts said he just could not hit major league hitting with power. They saw him as just a single hitter and that was not going to be good enough to play for the Mariners.

June came a long Montero was called up to play a few games but was primarily used as a pinch hitter and then in July just before the all-star break and one series after the break he was in the lineup against left handed hitters as dh; however, he was sent back down to Tacoma when the Mariners reactivated starting pitcher J.A. Happ back into the rotation. Happ spot in the rotation was not needed in the last series before the break and the first coming out of the break. Jack Z told Montero to continue working hard, and he may have a call up again the future. I am sure most of us thought it would likely be in September when teams expand the rosters.

Near the end of July with the trading dead line coming up the Mariners traded Dustin Ackley to the New York Yankees as the Mariners finally decided it was the end of his career in Seattle. The Mariners had just been swept by the Arizona D-backs and were ten games below .500 so basically the Mariner brass figured it was over as far as contending for the division. So Montero was brought up in the place of Ackley.  Lloyd McClendon said that Montero would play almost every day to see what he can do and what future he has playing in Seattle.

Right now Montero is playing almost every day at first base. Right after he arrived Logan Morrison was injured so he was inserted at first base. Morrison has not played much at first base since except as a late inning replacement. In fact Morrison has been inserted in right field a couple times. The thing now about Montero is that he has played some really good first base. He has made some great plays at first base as well. Right now Montero looks like he could be the opening first baseman for the Mariners in 2016.

Welcome back Jesus Montero you maybe the player the Mariners traded for from the New York Yankees. He has the power bat back in his swing. We thank you that you did not give up on yourself, and the Mariners may have the benefit of it all.

Mariners Face Rangers

The Seattle Mariners playing this weekend within the division so it would be nice if they could win two of three like they did against the Colorado Rockies or even sweep the series against the Texas Rangers.

What will be important for the Mariners is to continue hitting like they have been since the all-star break. Another thing the Mariners need to do is get their bullpen in order. With the trading of Mark Lowe it is more difficult to do so but they must find a way. The key is for Fernando Rodney to correct himself along with Tom Wihelmsen. The Mariners need to be sure not to overuse the bullpen. This is especially true for Rodney and Carson Smith. If the offense scores at least four runs and the starting pitching keeps it to no more than three runs in seven innings than the bullpen should be successful. It would be nice not to use Wihelmsen and Rodney in the same game. It would be good if the Mariners could use lefty Joe Beimel against right handed batters as well. At this point I don’t think the Mariners can afford the left handed specialist right now until Charlie Furbush gets back. He has been a real loss for the Mariners.

Another thing going on this weekend is the induction of Jamie Moyer into the Mariners Hall of Fame. Outside of Felix Hernandez and Randy Johnson he has been the Mariners best pitcher. Unlike those two pitchers he did not pitch with much power. His fastball was only in the 80s; when you call someone a crafty lefthander you define Jamie Moyer to the tea.   When the Mariners traded for Jamie Moyer he did not have much of a career up to that point. In fact I would expect no one would consider that Jamie Moyer would pitch so many years for the Mariners. The Mariners traded Darren Bragg for Moyer. In fact Boston Red Sox traded Moyer because they needed more offense the season of 1996. Bragg’s career did not last much longer so even if Moyer would have only pitched a couple years for the Mariners it would have been called a success. So Moyer turned a so so career into a good career lasting more than twenty years in the major leagues. What made Moyer a success with the Mariners is that he had a play book for each player he faced. He was able to confuse them by having them chase his breaking pitches. His fast ball was a success because he was able to make those other pitches consistently.

I would say the one player the Mariners now have that could resemble Moyer to some degree would be Mike Montgomery. He throws some good breaking pitches; the main difference is that Montgomery throws a harder fastball. If Montgomery is smart would be to speak with Moyer over the weekend. It would be nice if Montgomery could have a successful career like Moyer.

So Mariners let’s do it this weekend. The twenty year anniversary of the 1995 season that got the Mariners into their first playoff experience; they did show that this is possible for the Mariners to turn around though it does seem to be impossible. What will be important will be that every night they will have a different hero. It was the reason the 1995 came back to win. Another thing though the Mariners will need some luck as you may call it if one of the teams ahead of them will crash like the Angels did that year. Since the Mariners are out of the playoffs we think anyway who knows what they actually will do. These next two months will be for the Mariners primarily playing for next season to see who will return. Of course, we are not really sure if Jack Z and Lloyd will return at all. The next two months will decide their fate as well. I really hope that the Mariners do rebound. I am sure I will write in the coming weeks what changes will do for next season. Go Mariners!

Mariners’ Bullpen Blows Lead

First of all sorry I haven’t written anything for a few days my brother and family are in town. We did some kayaking on Tuesday so that would be part of sports right.

I guess the headline here is one I could have used on a number of occasions this Mariner baseball season so why not now.  Anyways it looked like the Mariners had the chance to sweep the Colorado Rockies and win four straight, however, it was not meant to be. The road trip I would say was a success at least marginally. They should have won three of four against the Minnesota Twins instead of splitting the series along with sweeping the Rockies. Oh well that is how the season has gone for the Mariners.

I wonder how many Mariner fans thought Fernando Rodney had corrected his tipping the pitches problem he had that caused the latest problem in the bullpen. It was three games in a row if I recall that he actually did a good job before Wednesday night where he gave up two runs so the game to lead into extra inning. I am not sure what the Mariners record in extra innings is at this point though I believe they did have a slight record over .500 in those games but I am sure that is not the case anymore.  In fact I have so lack of confidence in the Mariners that when they do go into extra innings they likely will lose. Oh Yes I do recall the first game of this series against the Rockies they did win 4-1.

Right now the bullpen is a bit different with the trading of Mark Lowe last week. I guess Tom Wihelmsen is the one who takes Lowe’s spot as the number one right hander out of the bullpen and Carson Smith. The number one lefty would be Joe Beimel. I would consider them somewhat reliable depending on how much they have to pitch especially Smith. He has had a bit of bad luck recently while before he was doing quite well. I expect not only the amount of pitching he has had to do recently has something to do with it along with be a rookie who likely will have ups and downs no matter what.

Rob Rasmussen who is one of the lefties the Mariners acquired from Toronto for Mark Lowe seems to be someone that can have some success in the bullpen. I understand he was the key lefthander the Mariners acquired in the trade. The other two lefties are in the low minors so no one knows when they will be ready if at all. Of course being lefties they will be given every chance to succeed. It will be nice in the bullpen when lefty Charlie Furbush returns from the disabled list. He was having a very good season when he came up hurt.

Since the starting pitching has pretty much corrected itself along with the hitting we can only hope the bullpen can be corrected as well? They don’t have to be spectacular but just don’t give runs up in crucial times in close games. It is all we ask for that they give the Mariners the chance to win and not blow too many games. Go Mariner!