Seahawks Make Trade and Select in First Round

 

 

The Seahawks did not surprise us once again they traded out of the 26h pick but they did stay in the first round. Pete Carroll and John Schneider decided they could move but and still get their selection. So they made a trade with the Denver Broncos moving down to 31th the last pick in the first round along with getting a third round pick at the same time.

The Seahawks now have three second round picks along with the 3^rd round pick. This gives the Seahawks five players among the first one hundred players to be selected in the draft. The Seahawks could trade a pick or two among this group to add even more picks or move up as well.   We will have to see what happens later today.

The first round draft pick the Seahawks took at 31^st was Germain Ifedi out of Texas A&M. He played both guard and tackle in college however the Seahawks are going to try him first at right tackle to see how does there. The Seahawks like his versatility along with his toughness. Like most Seahawk fans I have never seen him play or very little anyway. If I saw Texas A&M play any games I did not watch the offensive line that is for sure.  He is a big fellow 6’6” and 324 pounds.

With nine picks remaining to choose over the next two days the Seahawks likely will be taking at least a couple more offensive lineman so where they fit in the puzzle we will have to see.

  

NFL Draft

The day has finally arrived for the NFL draft. The most interesting thing is what the Seahawks will do. Since they have the 26^th pick it will be a while unless they decide to trade up. I figure most likely would trade down and not take the 26^th pick unless they feel that the pick will not be there later on.

The custom since Pete Carroll and John Schneider have come to Seattle we have to wait for a while to see who the Seahawks have to pick. It would not surprise me if we don’t hear about a pick tonight at all. I am not sure if I will be watching or listening to find out what is going on the draft for a few hours. I may see who the two top quarterbacks go to at the top of the draft but stay a way for a while. Nice about the social media I can check in every few minutes to see who have been picked. Actually I will be out for a couple hours this evening spending time with some friends so I will tune in after which could be hearing about the Seahawks pick if they keep it.

What is nice the draft is boring for teams that continue winning all the time. I am sure the New England Patriot fans can relate. The bad teams get to see what happens early to see if their team will have improvement next season. Other words it gives them some hope.

Besides who the Seahawks draft first whatever round it turns out to be the interesting thing in the draft is how many offensive linemen will they select. We all know the offensive line is the help the Seahawks need the most. The other selections will be to add depth to the team. I am sure it will be later in the draft however it would be nice if the Seahawks could select both a quarterback and a running back. The Seahawks need to develop a quarterback and add depth to running back. The last few years we have seen that teams that lose their starting quarterback to injury they struggle during that time. The Seahawks have been blessed to have a quarterback like Russell Wilson who stays healthy. We will be in a poor position if we lose him for any period of time.  All the other positions can be filled with injuries however it has been shown how important the quarterback position is. Remember the Indianapolis Colts when Peyton Manning was out the whole season they ended up with the worst record in the NFL. They were fortunate to draft Andrew Luck and traded Manning.

Well everyone enjoy the draft to the extent that you like it. Remember we are still three months away until training camp starts. In the meantime I will be enjoying baseball at the same time checking in. Go Seahawks!

The Seahawks and the College Draft

It has been a while since I have written anything about the Seahawks or football for that matter. There are those who are interested in football all year around however though I do keep an eye on it I am not into as much as others. I am one that watches baseball this time of the year.

The Seahawks did sign a few players including bring back a couple veteran players that used to play for them in defensive end Chris Clemons and cornerback Brandon Browner.  For some this is a big deal which I am not one of them. If they do make the team the reason is that younger players on the roster will not be ready to play their part. Both of them likely will be playing part time as specialists. Browner could be a better choice sticking around on the roster than Clemons because of depth at the cornerback position. A lot of that depends on the health of the players and whether someone like Tharold Simon or DeShawn Shead can make the next step.

There is thought the Seahawks will take a defensive tackle for their first selection in the draft and go after several offensive linemen. Though the Seahawks have a lot of draft picks they could move down or up depending on how the draft is going on the first day. One thing we know that the Seahawks will surprise us like every year.

Besides going for offensive linemen the Seahawks should go after a quarterback in the middle to late rounds. Also they should go for a running back, a cornerback and a receiver to add depth. Even if they don’t draft one of those expect to sign a free agent out of college. We could see another running back like Thomas Rawls the Seahawks signed as a free agent last year.

Any case the draft should be interesting on the part of the Seahawks. The only other interesting part of the draft is the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles both moving up making big time trades to be the first and second overall picks in this draft. They are both expected to take quarterbacks in the draft. The other interesting deal is what the Titans and the Browns will do with the extra picks they received in the two trades. I am sure the Titans choices will be more interesting than the Browns though since the Browns have so much work to do. At least this time the Browns decided not to go after another quarterback since they have failed the last two attempts they made for one in the draft.  It made sense that the Titans moved down since they do not need a quarterback.

Anyway Seahawks we look forward to next weekend when Schneider and Carroll make their choices. Go Seahawks!

Cano Bails out Bullpen

 So far the difference between this season and last year’s the Mariners probably would have lost Thursday’s game. It is hard to know what the Mariners will be this year compared to last year and the many years before because it is still too early however the bullpen had their worst outing so far in the season. They started out with a 5-0 lead and the Cleveland Indians came back to tie in the eighth with a two-run homer.

Robinson Cano though his batting average at this time is not great he is showing some power. He hit a three run homer with two outs and runners on first and third. I am pretty sure he would not have done this last year however we are in a new season so we can forget about 2015. Also this was a second win in extra innings the Mariners have so far this year. Another thing this year’s team is doing that last year’s would not have done.

What I have heard and liked is that the team is relax and the players are having a great time. We can hope this happens when they return home next Monday. I hope  that they have a team meeting before Monday’s game to discuss about staying relaxed at home as well. It would be nice if the Mariners can turn it around at home. Having a winning home record would be nice. Nothing outstanding just go a few games above five hundred. They should be reminded what kind of ball they should play in Safeco Field. Other words contact and little ball. Let the home runs come when they do and not try to hit them out. Most important thing is to get runners on base whether by walk or hits.

The series tonight in Los Angeles against the Angels has a good beginning with Felix on the mound. We hope that he can stop the walks that have been happening in his first three starts. Positive side is the Angels record is not any different than the Mariners so they haven’t started on a hot streak so a good time to get them. We know that they will go on a streak in the near future. How long it lasts anyone’s guess. Also we can hope the Mariners can go on a streak for themselves.

The Mariners will be facing Nick Tropeano of the Angels. He has started two games for them after being called up from triple A. His earn run average right now is 0.89 so no one figured him out so far. We can hope the scouting reports will help the Mariners against him though we do know the history of the Mariners they don’t do well usually against a starting pitcher for the first time. Of course, it is time for them to change the history. The Mariners will be facing a division foe so a good time for a sweep though taking 2 out of 3 would be fine too. Go M’s.  

Miley Gone Wild

More than his hair and beard Wade Miley was only able to go 3 2/3 innings giving up nine hits and four walks. It was weird because in his previous two outing he did not walk a batter though he did give up hits than innings pitched.

In the fourth inning Miley walked in two runners with the bases loaded. He was taken out of the game after the second run scored and replaced by Mike Montgomery who got the Mariners out of the game without any more damage.

The Mariners lost the game 3-2 however on the positive side Kyle Seager hit a home run in the game. He has hit well in Cleveland so the Mariners have that continue the rest of the series. The Mariners are now 2-2 so far on the road trip. We can hope the Mariners can scrape out a couple games in Cleveland. The Mariners do face the ace of the Cleveland Indians today in Danny Salazar. It will be a tough act however I believe the Mariners do it if they string together a few hits in a row.

The Mariners lineup will be the same today except Sardinas will be in the lineup instead of Marte. Also Seth Smith will be in right field while Nelson Cruz is designated hitter. Right now the Mariners are alternating Seth Smith, Franklin Gutierrez along with Nelson Cruz at designated hitter and right field. This hopes to keep all three of the guys healthy for the season.

I would like to see Sardinas play three times a week for the Mariners. I think he should at least play once at short along with sometime in the outfield and occasion at third, second and first base in the late innings. I believe Sardinas could be good help for the Mariners. Also this would help if Marte struggles enough where he would have to be sent down to Tacoma. So in this way he would be ready to play full time.

I know some people think that Mike Zunino should be sent back up to the Mariners after hitting so well in Tacoma. It is still hard to say whether he is ready to hit in the major leagues so I would keep him a while longer there until it seems more right. His future is more in 2017 and beyond to be the full time catcher.

Though Chris Iannetta is doing fine as the regular catcher I would like to see Steve Clevenger place twice a week to be able to rest Iannetta. I like to see Clevenger playing on Sundays and Thursdays. Sometimes the Mariners have Thursdays off so it would be nice to see Clevenger playing on Wednesday’s those weeks and then Iannetta would have two days off in a row. I would only change that if Clevenger isn’t hitting at all than make it Sunday’s only. Also, I like to see Clevenger pinch hit in games for hitter’s low in the batting order like for either Marte or Martin when facing a tough right handed pitcher. I believe the Mariners need to keep the bench players ready. This would include Lee when he is not in the lineup for several days in a row.

TaiJuan Walker who had a good outing last time out will be facing Salazar today. We hope that Walker will continue his good pitching today. Tomorrow the Mariners against Cleveland will be a day game. It will start just after 9 am Seattle time. Nathan Kerns should be taking his turn in that game. Friday when the Mariners go to Los Angeles to face the Angels it should be back at the top of the rotation with Felix taking the mound; Go Mariners!

Adam Lind and the Mariners Take on Cleveland Indians

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Seattle Mariners acquired Adam Lind from the Milwaukee Brewers during the off-season after trading both Logan Morrison and Mark Trumbo. General Manager Jerry Dipoto was looking at upgrading the first base position.

So far things haven’t looked good for Adam Lind during the early season. He is primarily starting and hitting against right handed pitching. Dae-Ho Lee the Mariners signed as a free agent out of Korea starts against lefties. Lind’s history has been that he doesn’t hit well against left handed pitchers. Depending on the situation he will hit against lefties otherwise he will be on the bench.

So far Lee has hit two home runs including one that ended the last home stand against the Texas Rangers with the only win in six games in walk-off fashion. Lind who hits over twenty home runs a season does not have one as of yet. Also he is batting .172 only in twenty-nine at bats with five hits. Two of those hits happened last Saturday in New York against the Yankees.

The Mariners though are facing three right handed pitchers in Cleveland so we can hope that he gets hot during this stretch. The Mariners can use his bat in the middle of the lineup along with Kyle Seager who is struggling even more than Lind.

It is important for Lind to get going not just for the Mariners to go on a winning streak but his sake as well. You see he qualifies to be a free agent at the end of the season so if he expects to get another good contract he has to have a good season.

It is hard to know whether the Mariners will think about resigning him for next year or not. Both he and Lee are signed for only one year. The Mariners don’t have much down on the farm to choose from far as first baseman go. At triple A there is Stefan Romero though he is having a really good start at this season I would not consider him a prospect at first base. In fact most of his career in the Mariners system has been in the outfield after starting out as an infielder.

The only prospect the Mariners have at first base is DJ Peterson a former first rounder for the Mariners. At this point it is hard to know whether he is still in the future with the Mariners. Right now he is playing in Double A. I only see his chances increase if he goes up to Triple A Tacoma sometime during the season.

Whether this is one season or not at least the Mariners have two first basemen that we hope will be better than the ones we have had over the last few seasons.

Wade Miley makes his third start of the season this time against Cleveland. It is the first time he will have pitched on the road against Cleveland. He struggled some in both of his previous starts. He has pitched a total of twelve innings with an ERA of 8.25 and a record of 0-1. He got a no decision in his first start on the road against the Texas Rangers though the Mariners did win the game 9-5. On the positive side he has fourteen strike outs with giving up a walk. What we hope for though he can cut down the amount of hits he has given up which so far has been 17 in those twelve innings. He will be facing Carlos Carrasco who in his last outing went eight innings against the Tampa Bay Rays giving up one run on four hits and struck out eight batters. The Mariners have only faced Carrasco once and that was back in 2011. Since the Mariners seem to have problems against unfamiliar pitchers this will be a tough one for them. We can home that Miley is up for the challenge and get the Mariners a win. Go Team!

Felix Takes Down New York

King Felix did not have one of his great games against the New York Yankees today (Saturday) however the Mariners still won 3-2.

Another interesting game where the Mariners scored no more than three runs which has happened in all three games this season. At least this time the Mariners won the game. They lost the opening game 3-2 against the Texas Rangers where he gave up only one hit however the Mariners had two errors.  This game he did not pitch much better but was able to get out of several innings. He lasted a total of five innings.

The Mariners were able to get ahead of the Yankees scoring the three runs but had to hold on. Steve Cishek pitched the ninth to save the game though the Yankees did have two runners in scoring position.

Felix in the five innings he pitched gave up four hits and struck out five however a career high six walks. The  last player he faced in the fifth inning he struck out to tie Randy Johnson in most strike outs by a Mariner pitcher. So in his next outing he will become the Mariners all-time strikeout King. The amount of strikeouts he has to tie the Big Unit is 2162.

I did a little research in games where the Mariners scored 3 runs or less and so did the opposition in which Felix pitched was a total of 101 games. It is like pitching three full seasons and the Mariners won 54 and lost 47 times in those games. It shows that Felix is used to being in close low scoring games. This does include the three games he has pitched so far this season.

The Mariners scored all three runs against the Yankees in the fifth inning. The Mariners were behind 1-0 when Leonys Martin hit a towering home run over right field. With two outs Robinson hit a single up the middle that scored Marte from first base and Cano advanced to second on the throw. Nelson Cruz hit a double to score Cano.

Joaquin Benoit got into this game in the eighth inning for his first action in some time. He gave up no hits or walks. There may be a chance that he will get into tomorrow’s game to.

The Mariners will be going for a sweep against the Yankees with Iwakuma on the mound against fellow Japan pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. This game will be seen by millions in Japan that is for sure. Expect this game will be another close low scoring game.

The Mariners rested Kyle Seager against lefty CC Sabathia today however he will be back in again tomorrow against right hander Tanaka. We can hope the day off will energize Seager who has started off with a slow start to the season. After this series the Mariners will be off to Cleveland to play another three game series. Go Mariners!

Mariners Are in the Big Apple

The Seattle Mariners are now on their second road trip of the season. Hard to know how they will do since they have only one series so far on the road defeating the Texas Rangers 2 out of three games before returning home to lose five out of six games.

This weekend will start answering some questions for us at least I hope so anyway. Will the Mariners be a good road team and a lousy home team or did their bats just go silence for six games. We can hope that the Mariners just had a poor start at home.

It would be nice to have answers however we may not truly have any for a couple more weeks or so. The Mariners though are not in last place any longer since the Houston Astros are 3-7. Most experts figured they would win the AL West but at this time doesn’t look well for them. They are one of the youngest teams in the major leagues where the Mariners are the oldest. So the Astros maybe going through younger pains or they could be like the Mariners just getting off to a poor start. Who knows maybe in a month the Astros and the Mariners will be at the top of the division.

Speaking of old the New York Yankees is right now even at 4-4. I am not sure how much younger then the Mariners they are but have been an old team for the last couple years and did surprisingly well last year. This year though they do have a mixture of young and old. The Yankees did not sign any free agents this year. Something unusual for them that is for sure however ARod did announce this would be his last season when his contract is up. I expect that he will be designated hitter most of the season. Not sure if he will play any third base or somewhere else for that matter. I am sure the Yankees will go out sign at least one free agent since no ARod leaves some money for them to spend. It will be interesting to see how the Mariner fans will react when he comes back for his final visit to Seattle well as other teams. Also wonder how he will do in the hall of fame voting when he becomes eligible.

Right now I find it hard to know how this series will go in New York. I could see the Mariners winning at least once on Saturday when Felix takes the mound. Also they could win on Sunday when Iwakuma takes the mound. The Mariners could sweep the series if Nathan Karns can win tonight’s game. By the way Saturday and Sunday games are early.

We can hope that the Mariner bats can come alive while in New York. The walk off home run on Wednesday by Lee could leave a spark going we can only hope. The key is how Cano, Cruz and Seager will do especially with runners in scoring position. The bright lights of New York will bring them alive. Relax guys and just do what you have done before. Go Mariners!   

Now Five and Counting

Now the Mariners are on a five game skid the most losses in the history of the franchise for beginning of the season.

Is this the team we have seen the last five games or will it resemble more the team that won two games at the beginning against the Rangers in Texas. I was hoping that they would recover when facing the Rangers after the A’s left town.

We could say that the new players on the roster are getting used to their new surroundings however three of the four players who are struggling the most have been here for some time. Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager and Franklin Gutierrez all are batting below two hundred. At home they have all three vanished to some degree. Seager did have a double against the A’s in the tenth inning on Sunday’s game however the team was unable to rally behind him. Another player struggling is Dae-Ho Lee however it is sort of understandable because he is still trying to get used to the pitchers in the league. His counterpart at first base Adam Lind is not really much better though.

After Tuesday night’s game the team had a player’s only meeting. They are aware that things have to turn around soon before sinking in the sand too far. What can make the difference is that they start playing again like they did in their two wins. It would be nice for the offense to get going at home well as on the road. A good beginning would be going on a five game winning streak or at least seven out of ten in the next stretch of games. We know the history of these players it is possible unless being over thirty which is most of them they are now over the hill. Also we know that most of the players they are right now in their prime seasons. Of those guys Nelson Cruz is the oldest at 35 and he is doing the best of the group. He is the likely one to go into decline but doesn’t seem to be doing so. He is in his second year of a four year contract and I am sure he is well aware this is it for him if he wants to return to the playoffs and win a World Series. For many of the players on the Mariner roster this is true to the time is running out on them. So we can hope the team that we saw in Texas is more like the team will be then the one we see right now. If struggles continue changes will have to be made soon. In the meantime go Mariners! Enjoy the game remember it is a day game and the Mariner will be flying off to New York after.  

Mariners First Week in Review

King Felix started the opening day and ended the week as well not winning either game. Opening day he lost the game though giving up one hit. He was a little wild giving up five hits and because of two errors the Mariners lost 3-2 in Texas. On Sunday he pitched a gem going seven innings without giving up a run and striking out ten. He left the game after seven innings leading 1-0. However Joel Peralta gave up a tying run in the eighth. Closer Steve Cishek pitched a really good ninth inning. Nick Vincent came in the tenth and he got the first two batters out without any problem. He then struggled with Coco Crisp going 3-2 and giving up the winning home run. The Mariners had a chance in the bottom of the tenth Kyle Seager hitting a double to shallow left field. The following three batters could not even move him a long though Nelson Cruz hit a ball that looked like it could be a winning home run however the ball stayed too high and was caught. Dae-Ho Lee pinch hitting for Lind struck out to end the game.

The Mariners had a good series in Texas winning two out of three however coming home they did what a lot of other Mariner teams could not do and hit against mediocre pitchers. Jerry Dipoto said that he was going to get players who could play in Safeco Field and this group still may however did not start out this way. I expect that they will have a team meeting going into the three game series at home against the Texas Rangers. What the hitters need to do is take their pitches and get on base. I am not sure why they could not do that at home like in Texas. I know the stadium in Texas is different than Safeco Field however they need to be able to at least score a few runs to win. The Mariners are now 2-4 and could be easily 4-2 or 5-1. Time for them to recoup and win at least two out of the three at home against the Rangers before going off on to New York and face the Yankees. Go Mariners!

 

TaiJuan Walker Takes on A’s Opening Night At Home

TaiJuan Walker pitches opening night at Safeco Field taking on the Oakland A’s. We do hope that he starts better than Iwakuma and Miley who had some wild moments and so did Felix walking some batters on opening night in Texas. What made the series in Texas was the Mariners were in every game including scoring first. The Rangers did come back in the first game to win 3-1 however the Mariners should have won that one if it wasn’t for the errors. In the other two games the Mariners came back to take over the game late in the games to win. The most positive thing though was the Mariners bullpen they gave up no runs in any of the three games. They did have some walks but the relief pitchers did not allow them to let the Rangers score. Mike Montgomery who went in the game for Felix in his first regular season major league game out of the bullpen pitched two innings without giving up a hit and walked one batter who did not go any further than first base. Also he strikes out four batters. I would not be surprised if he is the first pitcher to come into the game to relieve Walker.

We can hope that Walker can pitch six innings and giving up only a few runs. Walker is the youngest pitcher on the staff so we can hope that he won’t be too nervous in starting this home opener. We hope that he will pitch a game that will bring him along where he will have an outstanding season all along. Everyone from Jerry Dipoto down to the ball boy hopes that this is the season that leads him to stardom. If so next season he will be the number two starter to King Felix. Also the Mariners will need to add a nickname to him. I am sure it will sometime during the season possibly earlier than later. Dipoto felt that Walker had a better spring this year over last though the results did not look the same. If we see the Walker who pitched the second half of last season from the beginning the Mariners will be in really good shape. He could be the difference in how many wins the Mariners come up with for the season. We all hope that all the writers who cover the Mariners including myself though I am unofficial will be able to write something fantastic in the next addition.

In the meantime the batters and the bullpen just have to continue what they did in Texas. I don’t expect a lot of home runs in Safeco unless they are to right field. I am sure a home run to left field would have to be down the line. Unless the pitcher really leaves the pitch up most likely the hitters won’t hit a home run in middle left or center field. We do hope the Mariners will continue getting batters on base whether by walks or hits. I hope to see Cano, Cruz and Seager hit the ball the other way unless it is a home run. Adam Lind has the power to pull the ball down right field line. It would be nice to see all four hit well in this series come up. So let’s go Walker and the Mariners tonight.  

 

Cano Continues to be a Hot Hitter

For the first time since 1941 has a second baseman hit a home run in the first three games of the season since Bobbie Doerr.  Quite an accomplish for even someone like Cano.

I don’t think anyone considers Cano a home run hitter. I certainly do not that is for sure. I consider him more of a doubles hitter who is comfortable pulling the ball as much as hitting the other way. Cano is one of the few guys in the major leagues that teams normally do not the shift on which is now so popular.

Today Cano hit two home runs to lead the Mariners to victory over the Texas Rangers. His first home run was early which led the Mariners to a lead. The Rangers came back to take a lead of 5-2 however the Mariners came back late in the game themselves to win 9-5. Cano is not only showing he has power that fits in the Rangers field he is among those Mariners that are the team can come back late in games.

What I have seen in all three games is that the Mariners can take an early lead. I saw that not happen very often last year. Also they can rebound if the other team comes back and takes a lead. Another thing that did not happen very often last year for the Mariners; most of all they are getting more batters on base so even if they leave runners on base at the same rate as last season they likely will score more runs.

If it were not for the two errors in the opening game the Mariners would be 3-0. Whether they stay on this course or not things do look a lot better for this season over last years.

What I see right now and I could be wrong is the Mariners likely will not go on long losing streaks. If they do the possibility of a long win streak is possible to. Last year we heard Lloyd McClendon say several times that they would turn things around and go on a long win streak which never happened at all. I think if I remember they may have won four or five in a row and then turn around and lose the same amount. Though it is early I don’t think it will happen this year. Why do I think this way the culture is in the process of changing. Both Dipoto and Servais have both talked about change of culture and I believe the players have bought into it. The Mariners have turned over the roster where almost half of the team is different so the new members don’t know the old culture.

So far the bullpen is doing well and in the three games has not given up a run. I am sure the relievers won’t continue at this rate however it does look like it is an improvement over last years. I am sure if you looked at how the bullpen performed in the first three games last year they were not doing very well. Another thing is I am sure the relievers are more confident. I know if I were in the bullpen my confidence would be that I can do well. They are going against a team that is a good hitting team in the Rangers. It will be nice to revisit this in another week after they face the A’s and the Rangers at home. So Mariners we like what we see except the fifth inning in the first game. Go Mariners!

Hi Everyone Mariner Baseball Starts Today

Now that six weeks of spring training is over we can start watching and talking real baseball.

I know that there will be some who will think negative about the Mariners going into the season which is understandable after last season’s expectations and how the Mariners did under the reign of Jackie Z however those days are over.

You see we have a new group that has taken over beginning with general manager Jerry Dipoto and manager Scott Servais. Also the Mariners have thirteen players who were not on the roster last year so hope is there.

If you still feel negative about it all remember what the Seahawks were like before Pete Carroll and John Schneider. They built a new Seahawk culture and it did take a couple seasons to get things rolling. We can hope that Dipoto and Servais will have the same results. Remember it has been a while since Lou Piniella left town but the changes could be coming.

The Mariners have some new players that will help them to change the culture. Some of the twelve remaining players on the Mariners are the core group of King Felix, Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager. The other eight players returning were not part of the problem either. At least I don’t think so anyway. We don’t know what goes in the clubhouse however there was a problem last year. Either they believed what everyone was saying about going to the World Series and decided to mail it in or the belief was just too much for them. What I see though is a team that is more athletic in the outfield and they will look to score runs in other manners than home runs.

As a key when it comes to scoring runs is driving in those who are in scoring position. Not sure the problem last year however we know they were not able to do so. What we see going into the season is a healthy Robinson Cano. Even if Nelson Cruz is not the same as last year we see Cano what he was the second half of last season along with spring training the Mariners offense will be good. This will be especially true if Kyle Seager can get off to a good start too and the addition of Adam Lind.

On the defensive side is the addition of Aoki and Leonys Martin in left and center field. Both of them will improve the defense greatly over last year. Nelson Cruz, Franklin Gutierrez and Seth Smith playing in right field will be solid as well. When Cruz is in right field either Franklin Gutierrez or Seth Smith will mostly be at designated hitter.

Today Cruz is starting in right field and Gutierrez at DH. I am sure early in the season we will be seeing them alternating in right field to keep both of them healthy. The Mariners are playing the Rangers in Arlington, Texas so I am sure this another reason that Cruz is starting in right field. He played several years for the Rangers so he is accustomed in playing in that park. I am sure when the Mariners return to Safeco Field next Friday we will see more of Gutierrez and Seth Smith in right field.

The Mariners start out the season starting again mostly lefties so we will see some of Lee at first base however being the opener the Mariners decided to go with Lind. How much of Lee will depend on his performance as well as Lind. Over his career Lind has not hit well against lefties however Servais will give him a chance to hit against some depending on the history Lind has against the pitcher. I expect that Lee will be starting in the second game so he will not get rusty. Also he needs to learn the pitchers since he has not faced them except those in spring training. According to Servais he is good making adjustments at the plate.

Seth Smith may get a start against one of the lefties as well however being a veteran and being a bench player for several years won’t have a problem setting several days. I would not be surprised though if he gets into the game as a pinch hitter.

The greatest question mark we all have is the bullpen. We can hope that this new group of relievers will do a better job than the ones from last year. On the positive side can they do really worse? The Mariners are counting on most of them having better years than they did last year.

So today play ball and Go Mariners!

Baseball Season Starts Today

Spring training is over and the rosters are all setup. There are four games playing today with three of them on national TV.

It is too bad the Mariners are not starting until tomorrow. On the positive side the weather here in Seattle will not be as good as today. It will be hard to watch those games because of the weather however I am going to try get some pieces of each.

The final roster spots were made this morning by the Mariners.  Steve Clevenger as expected won the spot. For one thing he played in Saturday’s game and the Mariners traded Mark Trumbo for him. Since he was there first and Rob Brantly came in later. Both of them are without options so the Mariners designated him for assignment. He could make it through waivers and be assigned to Tacoma if he willing to take the demotion.

Speaking of catcher last year’s starter Mike Zunino will start the season with the Tacoma Rainiers. We can hope that he will get his swing going so the Mariners will have him available during the season especially if there is an injury. Also he still is the best defensive catcher the Mariners have.

Speaking of the Rainiers they have opening season beginning in Tacoma on this Thursday the night before the Mariners home opener. It would be nice to go two home openers in two days in a row. I expect that James Paxton will start for the Rainiers in the opener. We can only hope that he pitches in a manner that will allow him to come up to the Mariners when they need him.

The Mariners do look better on paper this season except in the bullpen where it is still a question mark. We can hope that Steve Cishek can bounce back to be the closer the Mariners need. Though Charlie Furbush won’t be starting the season as the primary situational lefty out of the bullpen it looks like Vidal Nuno and Mike Montgomery both should do a good job. The Mariners will need to count on them along with the other relievers. Nice thing it looks like the Mariners will have the depth in Tacoma if they need additional help.

The starting pitching for the Mariners looks good to start the season. They certainly look to have five capable starters unlike many other teams in the major leagues. Most teams have three good starters but the fourth and fifth starters are very questionable. The Mariners have at least four if not all five of the starters. The most important thing is that TaiJuan Walker and Nathan Kerns the fourth and fifth starters can get through six innings either even or ahead in the game. It is important the relievers are not over used.

As far as the hitting goes it is important that the Mariners do not leave so many players left on base like last year. It would be nice to get the runners home from third with one or less outs. Of course it is important to have guys driving in runs with two outs as well. If the percentage can go up some over last year it will make a big difference. The guys the Mariners picked up all have high on base percentages to over their careers. If they can be even close to those percentages this season it will help the big three of Cano, Cruz and Seager. Also having Adam Lind in the lineup will help to. The Mariners haven’t had a first baseman like him for several years. Seth Smith had good spring training so if he can continue in the same way along with sharing time with Franklin Gutierrez it will help a lot. In fact if Gutierrez can stay healthy it will help however the Mariners do have depth down in Tacoma with Stefan Romero and Daniel Robertson as far as hitting from the right side.

The infield is all set including having Luis Sardinas as the utility player. He certainly is an upgrade over what the Mariners had last year. I see him playing some shortstop to give Marte some time off especially against tough first rate pitchers. He is like Marte where he can switch hit. Also he may play some first base especially in the late innings and some outfield as well. Probably won’t play much second and third because Cano and Seager don’t take very many days off however he is quite capable at both positions if either have some nagging injuries or the Mariners are either ahead or behind late in games where they are pretty much decided. Any way we look forward to see how April starts out for the Mariners. It would be nice to get off to a good start unlike the last few years. Go Mariners!  

 

Calling All Sports

When it comes to local sports the University of Washington Huskies women’s basketball team has made the final four of women’s March madness. They take on Syracuse in the semi-finals on Sunday. Whoever wins this game will be the first time either team has made the finals. Whether they win or lose we cheer on the Huskies.

The football teams Huskies have started spring practice to get ready for 2016 season. Many of the Huskies were young last year so this year the team should be more successful. The baseball and soccer teams for both men and women are underway as well. Go Huskies!

The Seattle Mariners start their season on Monday April 4 against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas for a three game series. They will be home next Friday for their home opener against the Oakland A’s. We hope the weather will continue like this week so the roof of Safeco Field will be open. This week I started a new blog just on the Mariners so you will see most of my writing there. I will still occasionally write about the Mariners still here as well. The link is https://marinerbaseballbyherb.wordpress.com I will keep a daily account of the Mariners as well as players. I likely will do a weekly recap here and at times write the same story on both sites. I hope you all save as a favorite to keep up to date.

I will be writing some on the Seahawks to about any news coming forward plus the college draft will be happening this month as well.

I am not a big Sounders fan however I will keep up to date on them to. Right now they are 0-3 so they need to start winning. They have not been doing a lot of scoring starting the season. Hopefully the big crowds at Century Link field will get them going.

Oh yes I can’t forget the Washington State Cougars either. All their sports like the Huskies are underway. Their men’s basketball team had a very bad season so hopefully we can see them rebound (get it) next season. We need all the teams including Gonzaga and Seattle University have outstanding seasons. The high school basketball programs in the state are outstanding. Until next time Go teams!