Mariners Smash Padres

Going into the sixth inning Monday afternoon the Seattle Mariners were trailing the San Diego Padres 2-0. It looked as though the Mariners were going to let another game get away from them however the sixth inning turned things around. We must wonder if this will put the Mariners into another win streak. It reminds me when the Mariners started the season and lost their first five games at home before Dae-Ho Lee hit a walk-off homer. Monday’s game Lee did not hit a walk-off homer however he did hit a three run homer in the eighth inning to almost seal the game.

The sixth inning started off with Aoki reaching base on catcher’s interference followed by Seth Smith’s double to left-center to score Aoki. After Cano popped up Nelson Cruz came up and hit a single into center to tie the score at 2-2. Kyle Seager finished the sixth off by hitting the first pitch into right field fence. Before Lee’s three run homer in the eighth Adam Lind hit a single up the middle to score two runs. Lee’s home run ended the scoring in the game.

Again Nathan Karns pitched a good game though he gave up eight hits in sixth and two-third innings. He gave up one walk and struck out six batters along with the two runs. The first trade that Dipoto made as general manager of the Mariners look like a steal right now; the three players the Mariners gave up for him are not doing so well for the Tampa Bay Rays. In fact Danny Farquhar was sent to the minors and then released by the Rays. It is amazing what can happen in two years when back in 2014 Farquhar was a major player in the Mariners’ bullpen. I still think that Brad Miller will be a good player though he is struggling for the Rays. I am not sure whether shortstop is the best position for him. He may be better to be switched to second base or the outfield. With his arm playing in right field could be a good place to put him along with his speed. On the other hand not only has Karns has pitched well the Mariners received Boog Powell in the trade too. With Leonys Martin looking like the centerfielder not only now but the future Powell could be in either right or left field and spelling Martin when he needs a rest. Cant’s say right now that Powell will be a good or great player but if he does this trade will be even more in the favor of the Mariners. Dipoto certainly knows what to go for as far as players go even if other teams do not realize it.

The Mariners play another game Tuesday afternoon against the Padres before heading to San Diego to play them two more times and then onto Texas against the Rangers. The series in Texas could put either team a few games ahead in first place. I am sure everyone will take twenty-nine wins by the Mariners in the first fifty games. If they can do the same in the next fifty games this will leave the Mariners with a record of 58-42; this would put the Mariners in quite a good spot for sure. Go M’s.

Twins Sweep Mariners

 I am sure no one at least around this area expected the Seattle Mariners being swept by the Minnesota Twins. I certainly did not expect it since the Twins have the worst record in the major leagues. On the other hand we are talking a ball club that had a pretty good season last year and most people expected to contend again this year. The score on Sunday was closer than the game actually was because Franklin Gutierrez hit a two-run homer for the Mariners with two outs in the bottom of ninth to make the final score 5-4.

TaiJuan Walker gave up three home runs in the game before being lifted in the fifth inning with the bases loaded. The Twins first home run was by Robbie Grossman in the top of the second inning to tie the game at one after Robinson Cano hit one for the Mariners to a one to nothing lead. The Mariners did take a 2-1 lead in the second after Kyle Seager hit a double. The Twins took the lead for good when Joe Maurer and Miguel Sano hit back to back homers in the fourth inning. Actually I thought Maurer’s homer was going to be caught by Seth Smith in left field. I sure was surprised the ball went out. There was no doubt that Sano’s was a homer. In fact Sano is a big man I would think anytime he gets contact on a pitch it has a chance to go out. If he can hit it out in Safeco he should it a homer anywhere. Having those back to back homers was a surprise to because they were both hit to left field where there aren’t a lot of homers hit. The roof was closed so wonder if the roof had been open there would have been those many home runs.  

The positive side was the relief pitching allowed the Mariners a chance to get back into the games. Now the Mariners face the Padres here in Seattle for two games before heading to San Diego to play them in two more games and then the Mariners go to Texas to take on the Rangers next weekend.

The Mariners will have to forget this series against the Twins and get back to playing good ball. On the positive side Nathan Karns who has been pitching better than any of the Mariner starters takes the mound this afternoon. We hope that he can continue pitching the way he has been going. It is sort of interesting the fifth starter right now is ace of the pitching staff. So let’s go M’s.

Mariners Lose Twice To Twins

Going into the series this weekend with the Minnesota Twins the Mariners had beaten the Oakland two games in a row after losing the first game of the series. After Friday night I was hoping the same thing would happen but it did not and the Mariners lost the game even though they had their chances.

Without getting into details because that is what the beat writers do and I am trying to write on how the team is doing in general. The Twins won the game 6-5 and the Mariners had a chance to tie at least with the bases loaded in the seventh inning I believe with no one out. They had Cruz, Seager and Lind up. All three popped up without not one single runner scoring; I found it unbelievable to say the least. I could understand if it was the lower bottom of the batting order but when it is your primary run producers there is no excuses. This was not the only case either they had times earlier in the game to score as well. Again in the ninth inning they had runners on first and third; they could not get anyone in as well which included a running blunder by Seager. Manager Scott Servais said after that it was a crazy game but I still don’t think that as an excuse. Even still the Mariners should be going into Sunday’s game with at least one win. In both games Felix and Miley had a bad inning. This should not occurred against a team that is struggling on the road and has the worst record in the major leagues. We hope that the Mariners can rebound to take the final game and make this home stand 3-3 going into the final two against the San Diego Padres another team that is struggling. At this point I would be happy with a 4-4 home stand that should have been much better.

The Mariners hitting needs to improve when they have opportunities with runners in scoring position; there is no excuse not to score at least one run when the bases are loaded and no outs. The next three games TaiJuan Walker, Kerns and Iwakuma have to put in solid outings. Felix and Miley have to rebound to win in San Diego. There is no excuse to lose games that they should win. June is going to be tough however if the Mariners can win the next three games I feel they have a real chance in doing well in June to. It would be nice if they can go into July being at five hundred. This would keep them about ten more wins than losses. Go M’s.

Seahawks and the Running Back

We know the biggest question going into the new season for the Seahawks is the offensive line. Of course the Seahawks drafted several and we will see how that works out. Another question is the running back position since Marshawn Lynch retired and Thomas Rawls is coming back from injury.

At this point we will have to see where Rawls will be in the lineup. If he is able to recover from his injury he would be the number one running back in no question however if he is not ready to go who will be the next in line and be the number two if he is ready to go. The Seahawks are concerned because they did draft three running backs and will they go after getting a veteran running to come in to compete if Rawls is not available.

The first running back the Seahawks drafted was C.J. Prosise out of Notre Dame in the third round. Pete Carroll projected him to be the running back on third downs because of his experience in catching passes as well as running the ball. At Notre Dame he started out as a receiver so this is the reason the Seahawks are comfortable with him being the 3^rd down back. We hope with the new offensive line the Seahawks will be in a lot more short yardage situations than they were last year.

The second running back the Seahawks drafted was Alex Collins out of Arkansas and they took him in the fifth round. He looks more like in the mold of Marshawn Lynch and Thomas Rawls so the Seahawks could give him more of a look to be in the backfield on first and second down either to start if Rawls is not ready to go or spell him.

The third running back the Seahawks took was Zach Brooks out of Clemson. He is considered in the same mold as C.J. Prosise so the odds are against him in sticking. If he makes the club would be C.J. Prosise be out and the chance of that happening is unlikely.

The last running back in camp is returnee Christine Michael who the Seahawks brought back after being traded during last training camp to the Dallas Cowboys who later let him go. He was the primary running back at the end of the season when Rawls was injured. Hard to know if he is still being in contention for the running back position or not; I am sure being a veteran the Seahawks will give him a chance. Those are all the running backs on the roster right now. They do have two full backs on the roster to which are rookies U of Washington’s Taniela Tupou and Brandin Bryant out of Florida Atlantic. Hard to know who the leading candidate to be the number one full back; there is a possibility they keep both but with the formations the Seahawks play they likely will not play a lot. Most often it will be on third down on short yardage. They may only keep one and have one of their tight ends or offensive lineman be an extra tight end on running plays.

This week the Seahawks have their OTA’s going but will not be completed until mid-June. Most likely no one will have an edge at running back until they are into the regular training camp. Like I say Thomas Rawls will have the edge if he is ready to go. We hope as the 12^th man this is the case. Go Seahawks.

Seahawk Back Up Quarterback?

I know it has been a little while since I last wrote about the Seahawks however it is the slow time of the year concerning the NFL though diehard fans are always into it.

One question about the Seahawks is whether veteran backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson will return for another season. I am sure Pete Carroll and John Schneider would like him too. I am wondering when the Seahawks will develop a young quarterback. I guess we could have Jackson back and develop one at the same time. The Seahawks could develop a young quarterback and make him the backup. I know there are those who will say what happen if Russell Wilson actually gets hurt. My answer to that question is can’t a rookie quarterback run the Seahawk offense. The Seahawks could go out and get a veteran quarterback later if necessary. Remember when the Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson as a third round draft pick I am sure they did not expect him to be the starting quarterback however he has gone on to help lead the Seahawks to two Super Bowl appearances including beating the Denver Broncos. We could all argue they should have won two Super Bowls. So the Seahawks could develop a good young backup quarterback at the same time as being the current backup. It would be nice to have Jackson back but I would not be that concerned. The only question right now whether the young quarterbacks on the roster qualify for being the one to develop; if not the case no question is to bring Jackson back. I can’t think of any backup quarterbacks out on the market would fit any better than him. Over the next few weeks we will see how the Seahawks will answer the question.

Next time on the Seahawks I will write about the running back position since the retirement of Marshawn Lynch. Good day and Go Seahawks!

Mariners Sweep Reds Now They Come Home

On Sunday the Seattle Mariners completed a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds beating them 5-4. This game was a close one and the Mariners had to come from behind. It shows the perseverance of the Mariners able to come back and win. This kept the Mariners ahead of the Texas Rangers by a game and a half since they beat the Houston Astros 9-2.  The Rangers now start a series against the Los Angeles Angels in Texas. We should be rooting for the Angels this time. The Mariners will be taking on the Oakland A’s in a three game series in Seattle. Next weekend they take on the hapless Minnesota Twins. We hope the Mariners tack on another five wins this week.

The Reds started off the game scoring three runs in the first inning however starting pitcher Wade Miley was able to recover to pitch six innings though he gave up eight hits and four runs total. The last run was a home run off the bat of leftfielder Duval in the fourth inning. Miley was replaced by Nick Vincent in the seventh inning followed by Benoit and Cishek. None of the relievers gave up a hit in the three innings and each struck out a batter. In most close games right now these three guys we will be seeing coming out of the bullpen. Most likely we will see some of Mike Montgomery to especially against lefties. The rest of the reliever core will be in games where the games are not so close or these guys will need rest.

Leonys Martin who has had a hot bat recently was installed in the leadoff position in the lineup. He did not disappoint by getting four hits in five at bats including a bunt single that started the rally in the fifth inning that allowed the Mariners to score three runs to put them ahead after being down 4-2. This shows again that the Mariners are having a different player almost every game being the hero. Again Robinson continues to do a great job throughout the season driving in two runs. He now has thirty-nine runs batted in. It looks like he is the primary candidate to be mvp of the American League if the Mariners continue to win. I have no question that they will continue to win especially this week facing the A’s and Twins. The starting rotation against the A’s should be Monday night TaiJuan Walker followed by Karns and Iwakuma. King Felix is expected to start Friday night against the Twins. We hope that Walker and Iwakuma can both recover while Karns continues to do what he has been doing for some time. Lefty Rich Hill will be starting Monday night for the A’s so both Franklin Gutierrez and Dae-Ho Lee should be in the lineup. The attitude of the Mariner players I don’t expect to see another sweep in Seattle by the A’s. We can hope that the Mariners will win at least two out of three. Go M’s.  

Dae-Ho-Lee Makes difference in Mariner Win

It took the Mariners a while to get to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night. I was wondering being down 3-1 whether the Mariners would win the game. The good news the Mariners were able to face the worst bullpen in all of baseball so they were able to win the game after all. I would have to say a good philosophy of every team is to keep going until you face the Red’s bullpen. Regardless how you are doing early the game the bullpen is coming up. All you have to do is to wear out the starting pitcher so he can’t go any further. Other words take a lot of pitches on every at bat. You don’t necessarily have to keep the bat on your shoulder you can continue hitting foul balls until one gets you a hit or an out if it works that way. The important thing is to have the pitcher throw around twenty pitches per inning than they will be out of the game by the fifth inning. It is a sure way against most teams but the Reds this is especially true.

The Red’s scored first with homer by shortstop Cozart against Iwakuma. The Reds scored their other two runs in the third and fourth inning. Iwakuma was able to make through six innings throwing 96 pitches. He was replaced by left Mike Montgomery in the seventh inning after Aoki pinched hitter for him who started the rally for the Mariners to score four runs. The key hit was by Dae-Ho-Lee who pinched hit for Adam Lind and produced a two run single. In the ninth inning Lee hit a home run to increase the Mariners lead. Nelson Cruz also hit a home run in the ninth inning too.

The Texas Rangers beat Houston on Friday to keep the Mariners in first place with a one and half lead. The Angels are in third place being five games behind while the Oakland A’s are six games back and the Astros in the cellar at eight games back.

Today the Mariners have Felix Hernandez going against left hander Lamb. Franklin Gutierrez is expected to play in left field as Cruz will be in right field since no designated hitter in Cincinnati. I don’t know much about Lamb except he has only started three games for the Reds and has an era of 5.79. Also he has only pitched fourteen innings so looks like he is having problems going five innings so this is good news for the Mariners besides the Red’s bullpen. Also Lee should be starting at first base today as well. It looks like Lamb likes giving up home runs as well so should be another good game for Lee along with Cruz. It looks like the Mariners should win another road series. Sure a nice way to start the season for sure. It looks like right now it is a two team race between the Mariners and the Rangers. Go M’s.

Mariners Take On Reds After Successful Time in Baltimore

After beating the very good Orioles on the road in Baltimore 7-2 to take the series 2-1 the Mariners move on to take on National League Central Division dweller the Cincinnati Reds. They are last place in probably the best division in the National League if not the major leagues.

I have to admit that I don’t know much about the Reds except that they are not a very good team. I only have heard of a few of their players and I don’t know much about them. This is especially true since I don’t watch much of the National League baseball anyway.

I am not sure about their starting pitching except I have never heard of any of them. The Reds bullpen is the worst in the major leagues in every category so all the Mariners have to do is get to their starters early. I see two familiar names in the Reds bullpen J.C. Ramirez who spent a short time at the end of last season with the Mariners and that tells it all right there. The other is Steve Delabar who started his career with the Mariners before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. He made the All-Star team for the Blue Jays in 2013 however has been going downhill ever since.

Some of the players I have heard about on the Reds begin with probably their best player first baseman Joey Votto.  He has had a couple years where he drove in over a hundred runs for the Reds.  Last season he hit twenty-nine home runs with 80 runs batted in along with a .314 batting average. This season he is off to a slow start batting .215 with six home runs and twenty-four RBI’s.

Next player would be second baseman Brandon Phillips who the Reds tried to trade during the off-season. He has the same amount of home runs as Votto with a better batting average .257. He is thirty-four years old so probably the primary reason they tried to trade him along with his salary since the Reds are a young team.

The Reds shortstop Zack Cozart is off to a good start with a batting average of .328. I don’t know much more than that about him though his first full season with the Reds was 2012.

The only other two players I have ever heard up of on the Reds are right fielder Jay Bruce and center fielder Billy Hamilton.  Bruce first season with the Reds was 2008 and he was drafted by them in the first round. His career batting average has been OK at .249 and he has hit over twenty home runs almost every year. His best years were 2011 thru 2013 where he had over thirty home runs and around one hundred runs batted in. This year he has started off with a better batting average hitting .281 and has eight home runs along with twenty-seven runs batted in. Hamilton is the youngest of the players I am somewhat familiar with at twenty-five years old. He is mostly known for his speed since he has stolen over fifty bases in his first two seasons with the Reds. He was drafted by the Reds in 2009 second round. So far he hasn’t had a great batting average currently hitting .230 this season however he is a very good defensive center fielder I understand. Like most of the Reds we will know more about them at the end of this weekend.

The Mariners will be having Iwakuma starting on the mound tonight (Friday) followed by Felix and Miley. Though Iwakuma has been struggling so far this could be a good rebound weekend. Looking at the pitching the Mariners could sweep the Reds. Two other names we are familiar with on the Reds are on their coaching staff. The Reds manager is Bryan Price former Mariner pitching coach and bench coach Jim Riggleman former Mariner Manager/bench coach. It looks like the Mariners should come home with a very successful road trip. Go M’s.   

 

 

 

 

 

Mariners Start Series Tonight in Baltimore

The Mariners game in Baltimore should go on time tonight though it has been raining there for most of the day. The forecast states that it should not be raining at game time. The game should get through however they may have to start with a delay. We will have to see what happens.

The Mariners after being swept by the Los Angeles Angels is taking on one of the hottest teams in baseball. It would be nice to win two out of three however one would be OK as well. The Mariners than go onto Cincinnati for three games over the weekend to play the Reds; though the Reds are not a very good team they are playing a little bit better than expected. The amazing thing though is that half of the teams in the major leagues have a losing record at home which includes the Mariners. Actually if the Mariners had beaten the Mariners on Sunday they would have been 9-9 at home.

The Mariners have been playing better on the road so they should come home with a record of 3-3 at the very least. Tonight Miley goes for the Mariners followed by Walker and Karns on Wednesday and Thursday so I would say this gives the Mariners a good shot. We hope that Iwakuma can rebound against the Reds followed by Felix and Miley. The Mariners starting pitching gives them a good chance in any game played. What the Mariners need to do is correct the bullpen especially in the eighth and ninth inning. Benoit is expected back off the bullpen so he should help out them out soon. If Cishek continues to struggle as the closer would not be surprised me if Benoit replaces him however this likely won’t happen for a little while. Also this would not happen unless Cishek blows a few more games in the next week or so.

Right now the Mariners hitting has been pretty good except being shut out on Sunday. They should recover this week. Outside of Aoki, Smith, Gutierrez and Martin the hitting has been solid. It looks as though Adam Lind is starting to hit in the same manner as Seager. The important thing is that Cano and Cruz continue hitting and  having a couple other bats being hot at the same time. The Mariners continue having a different hitter coming through in the clutch each game. I don’t think we have to worry about the hitting. At this point it is primarily the relief pitching. So Mariners go out there and give us your best. Go M’s.

 

Two Blown Games

The Seattle Mariners had a good series against the Tampa Bay Rays Monday thru Wednesday and now they are playing the Los Angeles Angels who have some injuries and going thru trouble. I figured the Mariners should win two out of three games especially with what the Angels have been going through. I am sure that I am not alone on this however instead the Mariners have lost the first two games of the three game series at Safeco Field.

What makes it trouble in my mind is that the Mariners are playing in front of large crowds over this weekend and if you want most of them to come back you need to win them instead of blowing saves.

On the positive side of this series if there are one the games have been exciting though the team lost both games. The losses were different to so you really didn’t see the same thing though the ending came out with same result. Friday night’s game the Mariners had a large lead being ahead 5-1 before Joel Peralta and Steve Cishek entered the game in the eighth inning. Saturday Night’s game the Angels had the large lead and the Mariners came back to tie the game in the eighth inning. They lost this game 9-7 with a three run homer by Pujlos of the Angels in the ninth inning. I missed the pitch however I understand that Cishek threw a pretty good pitch and he was able to take into the stands anyway. I have seen the history of Pujlos that he has hit quite a few homers in Safeco Field since coming to the Angels from the St. Louis Cardinals. I hope that a similar situation happens today that they either walked him intentionally or throw everything in the dirt and see if he will swing at any of them. Personally I would take the intentional walk. Personally I would have another player beat the Mariners instead of Pujlos. This would go for Mike Trout who happens to hit in front of Pujlos. Of course this would depend on how large a lead the Mariners has and how many outs in the game. If the Mariners have two outs and are leading by five runs than I may pitch to him but I would still throw them in the dirt. Also it would not matter how good a game he has had so far. He could be 0-4 and I still do the same thing. You see he maybe more dangerous not having a hit at this point.

Today (Sunday) the Mariners have the King Felix Hernandez going for them. This means the Mariners should win this game. You see he is the ace and he gets paid the big bucks to end losing streaks. Whether this will happen we will see but that is how it is supposed to work especially if you are a winning ball club.

It was nice to see after my profile on him Adam Lind had his best game of the season on Saturday night. He had a two run homer along with a double that scored two more runs so we hope this will us to see the real Adam Lind. The Mariners are facing mostly right handers over the next couple weeks so we should be seeing mostly Lind in the games though I am sure we will see Dae-Ho Lee on occasion to keep his bat fresh in the lineup. I would not be surprised if both of them are in the lineup together at some point.

I was a bit surprised that Joel Peralta was in the game after what happened on Friday night however once again he gave up another home run. I expect that we will not see either Peralta or Cishek who recorded the second blown save in a row in today’s game. We are glad to hear that Benoit should be activated on Tuesday when the Mariners face the Orioles in Baltimore. I am not sure if he will be pitching the eighth inning when comes right back however that will be his role soon. Now Mariners let’s get a win for the King and the sanity of the fans. Go M’s.

Ricardo Lockette Retires Today

 

 

Ricardo Lockette who was injured in a game last season against the Dallas Cowboys is going to announce his retirement today. The game played in Dallas Lockette was blind sighted on a kickoff. You could blame the player who hit him however Lockette himself acknowledged that this could happen at any time.

It will be hard to think of Ricardo no longer playing for the Seahawks not only because of the injury but he was such a solid player on special teams. Also, he was the fifth receiver however the special teams is where he actually shined. He was the leader of the special teams I believe.

The announcement of his retirement will take place today (Thursday) at 1 pm pacific time at the VMac where the Seahawks have their offices and where they practice. I am not sure what is in his future because sources say he is still unable to turn his neck. I hope at some point he will recover  where he can be like the rest of us normal and the Seahawks will have a position for him either as a coach or in the front office. I am sure we will get more details at this conference. All I know is that he is a great guy and I hope we hear more from him in the future. We continue to pray for you Ricardo for a full recovery. May

God’s faces shine upon you.  

Mariners Sweep Rays

It was nice to see the Mariners sweep the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday afternoon. Too be honest I thought the Mariners were going to give the game away after Nickerson hit a grand slam in the sixth inning to tie the score. The Mariners went ahead a couple more times than the Rays would come back to tie and then finally in the bottom of the eleventh inning catcher Chris Iannetta hit a walk off home run a very good sign for the Mariners. The final score was 7-6.

I actually got some static on line because I thought the Mariners should have had someone start warming up when TaiJuan Walker started walking batters in the sixth inning. I know he was having an outstanding game through five innings however manager Servais should have been thinking ahead when Walker started walking two batters. I know it is hindsight but Montgomery who is a lefty and Servais finally had him go into the game should have had him warming up sooner. You see Nickerson who hit the grand slam is left handed hitter who can’t hit lefties. We saw that later in the game. He had hit a home run earlier in the series as well. Servais should have Montgomery warming up after the second walk so when the bases got loaded he could have brought him into the game. It made me think are the Mariners trying to lose the game. Fortunately the Mariners lucked out and won the game. I guess when you are on a good roll anything is possible.

Later on in the game when reliever Steve Johnson was pitching he was being really wild so I thought the Mariners were going to lose for sure however he got out of situations in both the tenth and eleventh inning for Iannetta to win the game. I was so relieved sorry for the pun that the Mariners won the game after all. Before that I was just happy if the game ended even if the Rays won.

This game shows maybe it is the Mariners season. Last year I know the Mariners would have lost this game. We could have said the same thing in some of the previous wins as well. The Mariners have the pitching along with the hitters who can hit in clutch situations. It is nice to see that it is not always the same players who are winning these games for the Mariners. Wednesday was Iannetta and Friday who knows let us be surprised.

Whether your plan was to try to lose this game on Wednesday it is nice to see that you were able to overcome and win. This Mariner team is one with talent and having fun at the same time. These guys really like each other and pulling for one another. This could be a special season. Go M’s.  

Another Successful Road Trip For Mariners

I have to say that I won’t get tired of seeing what the Mariners are doing on the road so far this season. Also they are doing the same thing at home now to after a rocky start.

I am sure none of us expected the Mariners going 5-2 on this road trip. It was an added plus to sweep the A’s in Oakland especially after they swept the Mariners the first series of the season at Safeco Field.

What made the road trip good were not just the five wins they were in for both the games they lost even Sunday’s for a while however the bats did not come alive. Outside of Robinson Cano whom the Astros I am sure will want to forget hit another home run his twelfth of the season.

Iwakuma had another poor outing on Sunday after having an outstanding one in his previous outing. He is the only pitcher right now who is having difficulty in the starting rotation. We know that TaiJuan Walker had to leave early in his last outing because of injury to his neck. He should be ready to go in his next outing against Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Iwakuma only lasted five innings giving up seven hits and three runs on ninety-eight pitches. The concern with Iwakuma is not the runs as much as how many pitches he is throwing which is not common for him. He usually throws a lot less pitches and can go for like seven innings. Hopefully whatever the issues are they can be rectified in his next outing.

The Mariners now take on Tampa Bay Rays in a three game series in Seattle. King Felix takes the mound for the Mariners. We hope whatever problem he had in his last outing will be corrected tonight. Knowing Felix he usually does not go through too many poor outings in a row. In this series the Mariners will be seeing some former or ex-Mariners. Lloyd Morrison will be at first base and Brad Miller at shortstop. So far both of them are struggling at the plate and we may see Farquhar out of the bullpen.

The Mariners will be facing two lefties in the first two games of the series. Matt Moore will start the first game against Felix. He had his worst outing in his last start against the Dodgers giving up seven runs. The Rays gave him an extra day of rest however we hope that Mariners offense can come back alive against him. The Mariners will be having their regular lineup against lefties. We will be seeing Franklin Gutierrez in right field while Dae-Hoo Lee will be at first base. Nelson Cruz should be back in the lineup after missing Sunday’s game. Having an injury I am sure he will be at designated hitter instead in right field. Also, it will be nice to see that Seth Smith will have a little rest since he has been struggling of late at the plate. I am sure if the Mariners can light up Moore we will see Smith pinch hitting sometime in the game.

We can all hope that some of the other bats besides Cano will come alive during this home stand. Seager seems to be heating up to some degree so we hope that he will get some hits. Also, Leonys Martin can start hitting on a consistent basis. He has been working with hitting coach Edgar Martinez to correct his flaws.

The important thing is for the Mariners to continue what they have been doing so far this May. It is real nice to see them be in almost every game and winning most of the close games. Go M’s.

Welcome to Another Addition of the Cano Show

The Seattle Mariners won another game making four out of five on the current road shown. The Mariners are now 18-12. Regardless of what happens tomorrow the Mariners will be coming back to Seattle in first place.

Robinson Cano the lead in this show hit two home runs including the one that won the game in the tenth inning. This gives him eleven home runs for the season along with thirty-two runs batted in that leads the major leagues. Amazing thing is that half of the RBI’s have been against the Houston Astros in six games. If the Astros are smart they may want to walk him regards of whom maybe on base.

  Also other co-stars in the game were Kyle Seager who hit a home run the second inning to put the Mariners on top 1-0. Starting pitcher Nathan Karns went six and one-third innings giving up one run on six hits and struck out nine Astros. He left the game with the Mariners being ahead 2-1.

The bullpen continued to do their job pretty much except that Steve Cishek got his first blown save after saving ten games. He gave up a home run to Luis Valbuena a former Mariner farmhand in the  bottom of the ninth however he got the win pitching a good tenth inning. The Mariners bullpen has done an excellent job so far this season and our one of the unsung heroes.

We can hope that Cano continue to carry the Mariners offense along with Kyle Seager who is starting to heat up. The Mariners do need Cruz to start contributing some along with Adam Lind against right handers and Franklin Gutierrez against lefties. Both of these guys have been struggling over the first five weeks of the season. The Mariners have gotten help though from Dae-Hoo Lee who has won a couple games for the Mariners when he has started against lefties at first base while Seth Smith has played a solid right field against righties as well at designated hitter.

Right now the Mariners have played excellent baseball however they can get even more contributions. It is nice to see that the Mariners have added depth even at triple A so if they need to add players because of injuries they will be able to do so. For example they have had to add two pitchers to the bullpen Mayckol Guaipe and Steve Johnson. Guaipe was called up from Tacoma when Joaquin Benoit went on the disabled list and this week Tony Zych was added on.

 Sunday Iwakuma will be starting against the Astros after having an excellent game against the Oakland A’s. It was the best game he pitched so far this game. He will be going against Collin McHugh who has been struggling so far this season. So I believe if the Mariners can keep the game close they have an excellent chance in winning the third time out of four in this series and go home with a record of 19-12. Go M’s.

                             

 

 

Seahawk Rookie Camp

It has been a week since I wrote about the Seahawks draft last weekend. I liked what the Seahawks did though I am not too familiar with the players they drafted however they went out and got after need. They first landed offensive lineman Germain Ifedi in the first round out of Texas A&M. Long term he could be a tackle however they are going to try him at right guard initially. He has a lot of versatility playing both guard and tackle in college.

The second round they moved up and took defensive tackle Jarran Reed out of Alabama with the 49^th overall pick. The Seahawks are looking at him being a run stopper and general manager John Schneider said that he was the best run defender in all of the draft.

In the 3^rd round they took running back C.J. Prosise out of Notre Dame. The Seahawks right now figure he will be the 3^rd down specialist. He started out as a wide receiver at Notre Dame and has a lot of speed. So he will be able to catch passes out of the backfield well as running the ball. He played special teams as well so we could see him on kick offs as well as the backup to Lockett on punt returns. He was the first of three running backs the Seahawks took in the draft.

Also in the third round the Seahawks took tight end Nick Vannett out of Ohio State who they considered the best blocking tight end in the draft. For the Seahawks it is important that they have a good blocking tight end especially with Jimmy Graham who will be the starting tight end if he is able to return from injury. In many ways Graham is a lot like a wide receiver. Often on third downs the Seahawks will go with two or three tight ends depending on the situation. Luke Willson is expected to be the second tight end or the starter depending on Graham’s health. Being picked in the third round likely Vannett will be the third tight end. We hope that he is able to catch some passes as well though it will not be his first assignment.

The Seahawks also had a third pick in the third round and took offensive guard Rees Odhiambo who played at Boise State. Likely he will compete at left guard for the Seahawks. The Seahawks like his strength and flexibility. Primarily being a running team the Seahawks went out and got lineman that can block. This is important because the Seahawks don’t want Russell Wilson to run around as much as he did last season.

The Seahawks had no 4^th rounder however in the fifth round they drafted Quinton Jefferson defensive tackle out of Maryland. Coach Carroll compares him to Michael Bennett and has the speed to play in several positions. Also they had another 5^th rounder and took their second running back Alex Collins out of Arkansas. With his locks I figured he and Richard Sherman will be buddies. In fact we might be confused. In some respects he is similar to Thomas Rawls and if he makes the team could substitute for Rawls when needing a rest.

In the sixth round the Seahawks took center Joey Hunt out of TCU. It is hard to say what chances he has in making the team. Don’t know anything about him however Carroll considers him being very smart and is able to captain the offensive line. It would not surprise me if he is on the practice squad for this coming season.

In the seventh round the Seahawks took Kenny Lawler from the California Bears. The Seahawks say that he has really good hands though he does not have a lot of speed. With the receivers the Seahawks have the odds are against him sticking but you can’t say ever. The final pick in the seventh round by the Seahawks was the third running back they took in Zac Brooks out of Clemson. His odds to make the team are remote as well but we never know he could be a surprise.

This makes all the guys the Seahawks drafted.

Including the draft picks the Seahawks have sixty-eight players in rookie camp. Most of the guys I haven’t heard of. The one I am most familiar with like most fans around here is Vernon Adams who played at Eastern Washington and then ended his college career this last season at Oregon. In many ways he reminds us of Russell Wilson. Another quarterback the Seahawks brought in as a free agent was Trevone Boykin out of TCU. If either guy sticks with the Seahawks likely will be as the third quarterback. The Seahawks do need to develop a quarterback however neither one will be the backup quarterback. The Seahawks likely will sign a veteran quarterback like last year’s Jackson.

I am not familiar at all with the other players at rookie camp. I am sure the Seahawks are looking for a nugget. We never know who may make it on the roster even so remote. Besides Kenny Lawler from the California Bears the Seahawks have eight other receivers in camp. Other positions the Seahawks have beside the drafted players they have four fullbacks, two running backs, three tight ends, one center, three tackles , three guards and a long snapper. Also one place kicker/punter. 

On the defensive side of the ball the Seahawks have three defensive tackles, three defensive ends, seven linebackers, three safeties and four cornerbacks.

It will be interesting to see how many out of this group will be invited back to regular training camp. One thing for sure is the Seahawks are going for quality players and those specifically they like. Next week should know some of the names of the players coming back. The Seahawks may add additional free agents who have experience in the league. Go Seahawks!

 

 

 

 

 

Mariners Win in Houston

Going into the ninth inning of Thursday’s night game against the Astros in Houston the game was tied 3-3. The game had gone back and forth. Miley had another good pitching game going six innings after doing a complete game in his last outing.

I was thinking when Leonys Martin was coming up to lead off the ninth inning to get onto base in any fashion. I want the Mariners to score at least one run because I don’t want the Astros to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. So Martin started the ninth getting single followed by stealing second base. Aoki the leadoff batter who is really good of late drawing walks or pulling the ball so Martin could go to third actually drew a walk. Another good sign since Seth Smith was coming up and he had a good game. He ended up walking as well to load the base. I thought wow the Mariners have the chance to score at least the one run I was hoping for if not more. Now Robinson Cano came up to bat and he lead the American League in runs batted in so I figured yes the Mariners should score at least a run. Well Cano hit a ball to deep center field that went for a double and scored all three guys Martin, Aoki and Smith. I knew then that the Mariners had a pretty good chance to win. Those were the three runs the Mariners needed.

Steve Cishek the Mariners closer who had already saved eight games in eight opportunities came in to try to save another game. My thought was he could give up two runs but not three or more. All he had to do was throw strikes and not walk anyone. He did so getting the first two getting outs and then the third batter got a single hit. I thought this is OK because he at least did not walk the batter. The next batter hit a fly ball to left to Aoki to end the game. So now the Mariners had another successful win. Now they have won four games in a row. Tonight the Mariners have TaiJuan Walker going for them. He seems to always be facing the Astros. His last outing was not as successful as his previous ones however I expect that he will pitch well enough to give the Mariners another chance to win a game. This is all we expect out of the rotation is to give the Mariners at least the chance to win and let the bullpen and the hitters do the rest of the work. This formula will mean the Mariners should win a good amount of games over the season and make the playoffs.

Robinson Cano right now is doing an excellent job and his batting average has risen up to being near .300 mark. This is the reason the Mariners signed him to such a high and long contract. The important thing is that at least one or more of the batters ahead of him will get on base along with Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager can do a job too. Recently we see if at least four of the batters can do the job regardless where in the batting order the Mariners are in good shape. Dae-Hoo Lee showed us that on Wednesday hitting two home runs batting eighth in the order. Now we hope that his counterpart Adam Lind can heat up when he is facing right handers and batting sixth.

What I like about Cano and Cruz is that they are both showing leadership roles whether they are hitting well or not. The whole team is working together as a unit and anyone can be a hero in any given game. Also this shows how Edgar Martinez is working as the hitting coach along with all the other coaches and manager Scott Servais. So we can continue saying Go M’s.

 

Seth Smith Playing Major Role For Mariners

On Monday May 2 the Mariners won the first game of series against the A’s in Oakland on the new seven game road trip. The Mariners won the game 4-3 with good hitting along with good pitching by Nathan Karns along with several relievers. The bullpen continues to do a great job with Steve Cishek getting another save. The Oakland A’s got all their scoring done by outfielder Davis who hit a home run early in the game to put the Oakland A’s ahead. The Mariners later tied the score and then took the lead 4-1 when Davis hit another home run with a runner on base. Karns did a great job pitching for the Mariners other than giving up the two home runs to Davis. He gave up a total of six hits however Marte made some spectacular plays at short stop make several double plays. Although the Mariners scored only four runs they did get twelve hits in the game. This has been the plan since the beginning of spring training by Dipoto and Servais that the Mariners have quality at bats. Even though they only scored four runs at least they had the opportunities to do even more.

For the first month of the season Seth Smith has played a major role for the Mariners in the lineup though he did not get any hits himself on Monday. Last Friday he got the only hit at Safeco Field to help the Mariners and King Felix to win against the Kansas City Royals 1-0. Again he hit another home run in the victory against the Royals on Saturday night for the Mariners to win the series though they did lose on Sunday 4-1.

Seth Smith is currently hitting .292 making some key hits so far in the season. Along with Nelson Cruz he is one of the few who is hitting for a good average. Robinson Cano’s average has not been great so far however he is hitting key home runs along with driving in a lot of runs too. Those three have been the key contributors on the offense though Kyle Seager and Leonys Martin have made some good hits even though they are struggling getting hits so far and their averages are below .200.

The main reason the Mariners have a record of 14-11 has been the starting pitching along with the bullpen who has done a stellar job. Steve Cishek has no blown saves and the other relievers have hold on in most situations.

What Seth Smith primarily has done is that he knows his role and has played it very well so far. He has played good defense most of the time along with key hits. He has done a good job to coming off the bench when he is not in the starting lineup. He has had to be the designated hitter on some occasions because of a nagging injury. Usually he is alternating in right field with Nelson Cruz against lefties as well at designated hitter.

We can hope that Seth Smith will continue to do a good job when the other hitters start performing better.  Smith knows what he is doing and what his limitations are as well. Now we hope that Aoki and Martin can do a better job hitting along with solid defense. Franklin Gutierrez needs to improve on his hitting though he is doing a good job defensively when he is in the lineup. Not sure if he is unhealthy or not but we know that he can be a lot like Smith when he is. The Mariners have some guys doing well with the Rainiers so if they need help especially in the outfield they can do a call up at any time.

The Mariners winning ways will continue as long as the pitching does well and some timely hitting. The number one thing is that they are winning the close games. Go M’s.