Defense Brings Down the M's

Going into the Sixth Inning the Mariners were leading the Houston Astros 4-2 on Tuesday night. It looked like the Mariners were on their way to another victory. I thought it would be nice if they could score a couple more runs to have a safe lead. Felix struggled giving up two runs in the first inning however his pitch count was low and should be able to get through the seventh inning at least if not the eighth inning. Then something happened that caused this to go the wrong way and give the victory to the Astros. With one out and two runners on base a ball was hit straight to Marte who was close to the second base bag and Robinson was there to make the routine double play. Marte had other thoughts and decided to make the play all by himself. Like in other situations in the season he was erratic. He stepped on second and then threw the ball past first base for an error. The inning should have been over and the score still at 4-2. Felix would than go on and pitch the seventh inning. The runner on third scored to make it 4-3. OK the Mariners have been in a lot of one run games so this will be another one of those. It would be nice if they could score another run or two however that is not what happened. Next thing I knew the Astros scored six runs in the sixth inning to make it 8-4 and the Mariners onto a loss they could not afford. In fact this loss may have cost them a place in the playoffs. The Mariners now have five games remaining and are two games behind the Baltimore Orioles. Those same Orioles had lost that day to the Toronto Blue Jays who look like the team to be the first wild card. The win for the Mariners which should have happened would have put them one game behind the Orioles.

During the season the Mariners have lost several games in a similar fashion to this game however they could not really afford a loss here. They now have to win all five remaining games and hope the Orioles lose three games. The season that could have been or better said should have been the Mariners lose out on the playoffs;  a disappointment for all of us over a play that should have been routine.

Even before this play occurred I was wondering why Marte was playing so close to second base with a right handed batter up to bat. In fact the whole game it looked like he was playing that way. Was he told by the coaches to do so or he decided on his own? If Marte had been playing at standard shortstop position the first hit would have likely been an out and no runs would have scored in the sixth inning. A lot of media and fans alike have wondered about Marte whether he is the right man playing shortstop. Even some were thinking that Shawn O’Malley should be playing shortstop. I was giving him the benefit however now I believe like most O’Malley should be at short and what is the future for Marte at short and the Mariners. Just like catcher and centerfield the shortstop position is one of three key positions on the field. You must have someone who can play a consistent game and make the routine plays. He messed up a play that was nothing more than routine. He didn’t have to dive for the ball all he had to do is flip to Cano who would then throw it onto first base. Obviously we see that Marte has talent. He can run and he has hit good a lot of the season except recently but his defense is not solid at all. The question now is shortstop the best position for him. Maybe he would be better at second base. If that is the case than the Mariners will need to trade him during the off-season because we know that Robinson Cano will be the second baseman for several more years. During the trading deadline Dipoto tried to get a veteran shortstop from the Cincinnati Reds however the time runs out. I am sure he will get back together with the Reds during the off-season to see if they are still interested in making a trade. Since the Reds are in a rebuilding mode I would not be surprised if they include Marte in the trade. So the Mariners should move on at shortstop. Well they have five games remaining in the season so let’s see if they can win these games and by some miracle get into the playoffs. Go M’s.

 

Seahawks Offense Comes Alive

 After scoring one touchdown in their first two games the Seattle Seahawks offense came alive against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday to win 37-18. The game was not even that close since the 49ers scored two touchdowns after the Seahawks were ahead 37-3.

Trevone Boykin came in the third quarter when Russell hurt his left knee. Russell did come back after one play to finish off the drive but then the Seahawks left him on the bench for the rest of the game. The Seahawks had such a big lead at the time there was no point to leave Wilson in the game even if he had not hurt his knee. Both Wilson and the Seahawks believe he will be ready to play against the Jets. Personally I believe they should give Boykin all the reps this week in practice and then have him start the game against the Jets. If he has trouble running the offense then I would have Wilson come in. The Seahawks have a bye the following week so why not rest Wilson to get more health than have the possibility where he could get hurt further. Having Wilson healthy for the stretch run would be better than the possibility of getting further injured.

Thomas Rawls is expected to be back for the Jets game however Christine Michael who had a good game against the 49ers will start the game against the Jets. Rawls will get in for some play as well. How much he will play will depend how Michael is performing and how he is doing at the same time. Also running back C.J. Prosise is expected back and rookie first round pick Germain Ifedi make his first start at guard. The Seahawks will be close to full strength.

Jimmy Graham had his best game since becoming a Seahawk receiving over hundred yards in the game. He showed that he is close to full strength himself and can be a good target for the Seahawks. He can catch a ball wherever he is at and who maybe covering him. He showed the Seahawks the faith they have in him and how much they are paying him.  

The future of this season looks bright long as the Seahawks are careful with Wilson especially. According to Pete Carroll they will watch how Wilson goes this week and he hopes to keep him out this week to. The Seahawks are at the top of the division and have a game lead over the Arizona Cardinals. Go Seahawks!

Cruz and Sucre All the Offense Mariners Need

In another crucial game the Seattle Mariners won another close game this time on Sunday against the Minnesota Twins winning 4-3. The offense was all done by Nelson Cruz who hit two home runs despite having a sore wrist and unlikely hero in Jesus Sucre who hit his first home run of the season. Sucre who has been hot lately having a six game hitting streak also hit a double in the game as well. Right now it looks like Sucre is the second string catcher behind Mike Zunino. Iannetta who had an error in his last start that cost the Mariners eight runs and a win likely is the third string catcher now after being the starting catcher for more than half of the season. It would not surprise me if Iannetta isn’t back next year and that Sucre will continue being the backup as long as he can stay healthy. I am sure that general manager Jerry Dipoto will be looking around to see who may be available as a backup catcher as well. Sucre never has been known for his hitting and has history of being banged up however he is a very good defensive catcher. Felix Hernandez is very comfortable having Sucre being his catcher so I would not be surprised if he is on Felix next outing.

Nelson Cruz having a sore wrist the Mariners will be watching and the medical staff be sure to keep it in as good condition as possible. Since the games are still meaningful the Mariners will continue having Cruz in the lineup as the designated hitter however if the Mariners or the other team is ahead by a good margin they will take him out of the lineup. Right now Cruz has a hot bat so the Mariners will try to keep him in the lineup as much as possible especially being still in the playoff run.

The Mariners now go into Houston to take on the Astros a team that they have had problems with this season. Hopefully the Mariners can change that in this series. The Mariners will need to take two out of the three games if not all three. Iwakuma will be going for the Mariners Monday night against Collin McHugh. It is a tall order since McHugh is 4-0 with an era of 1.08 against the Mariners this season however I have to say the odds should be in the Mariners favor. McHugh has struggled this season against other ball clubs and it is time for him to do so with the Mariners. Being the first game of the series it is crucial that the Mariners win this game. This game comes in like another close one so Iwakuma will have to be at his best and the Mariners offense score a few runs. Whether they make the playoffs or not the Mariners are making it interesting and all the fans should be tuned in. It would be great to see big crowds at Safeco this coming weekend even if they are out of the race by then. Go M’s.  

Washington Huskies Win in Overtime

The University of Washington Huskies beat the Arizona Wildcats in overtime 35-28 to take their record to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the Pac-12. Watching the game I didn’t think the game should have gone into overtime the Huskies missed a couple of field goals plus the Wildcats scored to tie the game with less than a minute to go in the game.

The Wildcats were without some of their top players though the Huskies had more talent than them anyway. The Huskies had not beaten the Wildcats in Tucson since I believe 2006. In my mind the most disappointing thing in this game was the defense. For a team that defense is supposed to be their strength they gave away several long distance runs and passes including the play that setup Arizona’s last score to tie the game.

On the positive side the Huskies running was the best has been all season long and Jake Browning continues to improve each week and the passing game was unstoppable. Another positive is that they did win on the road. The first three games were not only against teams that were not up to the Huskies they were all played in Seattle.

Next Friday the Huskies will be playing a national televised game on ESPN against Stanford in Seattle before playing Oregon the following week. The winner of the game will be on track to win the north division of the PAC-12. The media picked Sanford and Huskies one and two in the division before the season started. The winner not only will probably win the division they may be in line to play in the national playoffs as well. Whatever the case whether they win or not this is the best Huskies team we have seen in some time. All the defense has to do is hold their own since the offense looks they should score enough points to be in every game. The defense will have to improve and not give up too many easy points. This is especially true since Stanford may have the best player in Chris McCaffrey who is dangerous whether running the back, catching, punt and kickoff returns. The important thing is to contain him and not have him make too many big plays. The Huskies do have one of the best defenses around to do so if they play up to what they should. Anyway Friday’s game will be exciting in manner and be the best game of the year in the PAC-12. Go Huskies.

Not In My House!

Wednesday afternoon when Felix Hernandez left the mound at the end of the seventh inning with the Mariners leading 1-0 over the Toronto Blue Jays that the Mariners finally won in twelve innings 2-1 he pointed to the fans of the Jays saying “Not in my house”.

Although the Mariners have six of the remaining ten games in the season are on the road I hope the rest of the Mariner players take it to heart that another team or fans can’t beat them.

In Wednesday game in the extra innings the Blue Jays had a chance to win the game when Mike Freeman had entered into the game as a substitute at shortstop may have made the most important defensive play of the season flying through the air catching the ball. Another important time was when Nick Vincent came in the game replacing Tom Wilhelmsen with runners on first and second allowing no one to score. Vincent was on the radio broadcast post-game show and you could feel how pumped up.

Friday night the Mariners start the final road trip with three games in Minnesota and then onto Houston. We hope that the players will take what Felix said and be pumped up for these last ten games. The Twins earlier in the season swept the Mariners in Seattle so now in crunch time do the same thing to them. It will not be an easy task because the Twins are out of the race so they have nothing to lose for so I am sure they would love to be spoilers. Going to Houston will not be an easy thing as well since the Astros have owned them during the season and are in the race for the wild card as well. The season will end with the Mariners playing the A’s who they have owned but again they have nothing to lose either. So everyone from Felix and down including the fans ourselves even on the road say “Not in my house”. Let the Jay fans see the three games that were in Seattle though the Mariners lost two out of the three games became the battle cry. Let’s go M’s.

In other local sport news the University of Washington go to Arizona for the first game of the Pac-12 season. This will be the first true test for the number 9^th ranked Huskies. It is important that they win this game because the Huskies take on another high ranked team next Friday in the Stanford Cardinal. The Washington State Cougars have this week off and the Seattle Seahawks take on the San Francisco 49ers. Go teams!!

Seahawks Going Into Game Three

We all know that the Seahawks had poor offense in the first two games of the season scoring a total of fifteen points. The team is not going win to many games that way. Actually they were lucky to win the first game 12-10 over the Miami Dolphins scoring a touchdown with thirty seconds to go. We thought that they may win the game in LA against the Rams in the same fashion however Christine Michael fumbled the ball when he ran after catching a pass. Previous play Tyler Lockett caught a fifty yard pass that could have gone for a touchdown if the ball had been thrown in front of him and if he was not caught on his feet by the defender.  Although the defense has played very well in the two games the Mariners won’t be able to win to often when not scoring touchdowns very often.

The Seahawks have to know that until Russell Wilson gets over his high ankle sprain that the offense line has to do a better job of opening holes for either Christine Michael or Thomas Rawls who should be back in this Sunday against the 49ers after leaving early in the game against the Rams. Both Lockett who missed some action in the game before coming back in against the Rams and Doug Baldwin are expected back as well.

The ankle injury to Wilson limits him in his running away from defenders and getting some positive yardage he is unable to go downfield a lot as well. He will have to spend some time in the pocket and throw short passes when the running backs are not running the ball.

Although the defense has done a good job so far in both games they need to make some turnovers to either score or set the offense to score. It is the only part of the defense that has been lacking so far with little turnovers. I would not be surprised if the defense works more on the turnovers this week in practice. Another thing is watch the penalties that have hurt the team as well.

I expect that the game against the 49ers will be low scoring again as well. It would be nice if the offense could get in a couple touchdowns. The 49ers like the Dolphins and Rams are not very good offensive teams along with the Seahawks defense doing a good job. I expect that Wilson will be looking for Jimmy Graham more in this game along with the other receivers. The Seahawks can’t afford to have the offense continue having slow starts during the early part of the season. The offensive line needs to come of age instead of waiting until half season. All we expect as fans is to see progress by the offensive line along with the rest of the offense. It is important for them to win especially going against another division rival. Go Seahawks!!

Jays Blast Mariners

The game started out good for the Mariners scoring two runs in the bottom of the third inning on Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays who had another large crowd from British Columbia.

At that point I had hope but changed to despair pretty fast and the game itself. The top of the fourth inning the Blue Jays scored eight of their ten runs all with two outs in the inning. Iwakuma had no problem getting the first two batters out and then Chris Iannetta who was catching dropped a foul ball and then it broke loose. The Jays had two home runs each with a batter on base that made the score 4-0 and then went on to score four more runs. Not only was Iwakuma taken out of the game so was Nick Vincent who had trouble getting batters out as well. The two final runs by the Jays were home runs too. The Mariners are showing that they continue having trouble when they play in games that mean a lot. Right now the Mariners are not out of the playoffs mathematically however they have to turn things around and win most of the remaining eleven games in the season to get in. Even if they win most of those games they will likely need help to get in. They will really need to win Wednesday’s game against the Jays before going on a six game road trip to Minnesota and Houston. Minnesota has had a very bad season however earlier in the year they swept the Mariners in Seattle and we all know how the Mariners have done against Houston so it will be a tall order for sure. If they are able to be successful on this last road trip of the season they do come home for the final four games against the Oakland A’s who they have done well against all season.

Wednesday’s game Felix Hernandez will be pitching for the Mariners. He has to rebound from an awful game he pitched in his last outing. Most thought that was probably the game of the year for Felix to pitch however Wednesday’s game is the one for the year. This game will show us how much is left in Felix. I would not be surprised if he does come through since he is a competitive person and wants to show what he has. The Mariners lose this game it will be hard for them to recover to play anywhere close to get into the playoffs whatever chance they have left in making it.

These remaining eleven games will show how much character that the players have beyond talent. They will need to show how much they care despite what has happened against Houston and now the Blue Jays. The players have shown toughness this season when needed and they have shown to that they can go on a winning streak since before facing the Astros they won eight games in a row. Whether you make the playoffs or not we want to see that you have not given up on the season. So go M’s.  

Another Big Weekend in Seattle Sports

It all begins with the Seattle Mariners taking on the Houston Astros in a big series at Safeco Field. The Mariners have won eight games in a row and are still looking in at the wild card for the playoffs. For most years since 2001 Seattle fans have looked at the Seahawks when September arrives however this is a year the Mariners can make it interesting whether they get into the playoffs or not. They have sixteen games remaining in the season with six of them against the Astros who are looking toward the wild card as well though they are behind the Mariners at this point. The Mariners have had trouble this season when playing the Astros however they had the same problem when they were home against the Texas Rangers two weeks ago and went ahead won three out of four games against them at Safeco Field. Right now the Mariners have won eight games in a row so they may not be the same team we have seen over the course of the season where they win five games in a row and then lose five games in a row. One of the big differences is that the Mariners starting pitching has been marvelous in these eight games and allowing less than two runs a game along with the fact the offense has been rolling along being the best in baseball for the month of September scoring more than seven runs a game. The players have the confidence and are excited to be in the baseball race. They enjoy coming to the park as well which isn’t a surprise because when you win you have fun too. After the Astros the Mariners will play the Toronto Blue Jays for three games in Safeco. They are another team in the chase for the wild card. These two series can be playoff type of games especially with Blue Jay fans coming down from Vancouver B.C. We hope that the Mariner fans will match if not have more on hand than the Blue Jay fans.

Now to football the Seahawks will be going to Los Angeles for the first time in over twenty years to take on the Rams. Last weekend when the Seahawks barely beat the Miami Dolphins 12-10 the Rams were beaten badly by the San Francisco 49ers 28-0. The Rams always seem to play the Seahawks very tough each time they play so at this point no one knows how this game will play out. It is important that the Seahawks win this game since it is a division rivalry. For the Seahawks their success in the playoffs has always been having the home field advantage. Losing the game is not the end of it all however winning will show us all where the Seahawks are at and where the Rams are at the same time. Also at the same time Russell Wilson will be coming into a game where he has not been before having a sprained ankle. How mobile he will be we will find out and I am sure the Rams will try to put pressure on him too. How successful Russell and the Seahawks will depend on well the offense runs the ball. Thomas Rawls is expected to start the game at running back. If he can run over four yards a carry than the Seahawks should win. The offensive line can’t let the Rams defensive front get to Wilson. This will be important early season game not only to win but to keep Wilson healthy. The Seahawks can’t afford to lose him during the game for a period of time.

The University of Washington Huskies takes on Portland State on Saturday in Seattle in the last of non-league games to get ready for the Pac-12 season. The Huskies should win the game again pretty handily. The Huskies passing game has been excellent in their first two games and we should see more that this weekend. We hope that the rushing game will come alive too. For the Huskies to be successful in the Pac-12 they will need to have a good rushing attack. The defense has been playing good all season and it should be the strength of the team during the whole season. Right now the Huskies are ranked 8^th in the nation but is not very meaningful until at least the middle of October after playing several games in conference.

Though they have had a poor season this year the Seattle Sounders take on rival Vancouver White Caps at home on Saturday. Again another big crowd is expected. The chances are not great they will make the playoffs in the MSL it would be nice if they can beat the White Caps.

Across the state the Washington State Cougars take on Idaho who the Huskies handled pretty easy last week. The Cougars have lost their first two games so it is important that they win this one going into the Pac-12. The Cougars offense has looked good in general but the defense has a lot to do to get better. The biggest problem the offense has been the time management at the end of the games. Both games were close so the Cougars have to be sure they are able to run plays in a timely manner at the end. Whether this week’s game is close or not they need to practice it at the end of the game so they will be in a good place when league starts. The Cougars do have next week off before starting league action.

So we hope that all five teams will win their games this weekend. It will be real exciting if they do. It will be nice to root on the Mariners the rest of the season along with football. Go teams!!!

Walker Goes For No Hitter

 

 

 

 

TaiJuan Walker for almost six innings was pitching a perfect game for the Mariners over the Angels on Tuesday night. The perfect game ended when Ketel Marte threw wildly to first base that rookie Vogelbach could not come up with. He still had the no hitter until he gave up a hit in the seventh inning. In total Walker gave up three hits while striking out eleven Angels.

Walker certainly showed us what he is capable of when he is pitching well. Pitching Coach Mel Stottlemyre needs to be given some kind of award if Walker continues to pitch in this fashion after changing his mechanics. I am sure it is an attitude adjustment as well. Also helped that Mariners got up to an 8-0 early and all they had to do is cruise.

The Mariners hitting right now is so impressive that all the Mariners starting pitchers have to get through six innings allowing the team to be in position to win. Now that the team has won seven straight games sure has the confidence of everyone on the roster. I am sure no one wants to be the one to have the team lose going into the seventeen remaining games in the season. The Mariners have now won 77 games and I wonder if winning ten of those seventeen games will be enough or will they have to go as high as twelve to get into the playoffs.

Wednesday night Iwakuma will be pitching for the Mariners in the final game of the series against the Angels. It does look like the Mariners should sweep the Angels on the roll they are on. Friday will start important series over the weekend against the Houston Astros with King Felix taking the mound on Friday. This is not only important series to win to continue toward the playoffs they have a final road game series in Houston as well just before ending the season at home against the Oakland A’s. The Mariners have had trouble against the Astros all season long however they had the same trouble earlier against the Texas Rangers who they took care of in last home series. The team that wins the majority of the six games against each other could put that team into the playoffs. If they split the six games both teams could be out of playoffs as well. It is nice to see that the Mariners are playing their best baseball at the right critical time. They have had trouble getting over the hump when they gotten up to ten wins above .500 we can only hope this will not happen this time. Whether they make the playoffs or not Dipoto’s achievement was to make this team with a winning culture and it certainly looks like he has done that so far this season. We do know that there are some more added parts that need to make the team more successful in the years to come. It is nice to see that all the minor league teams made the playoffs after having such a lousy organization in the years past. We hope that the Mariners have prospects that not only can help them but can be used to trade for needed players as well. The free agent market for 2017 doesn’t look very good so trades look like the only true way for the team to improve next season. Whether they make the playoffs or not let’s enjoy the rest of the ride this season. Go M’s.  

Marsh and Lane

Two guys who played well for the Seahawks on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins were Cassius Marsh and Jeremy Lane. They both made mistakes but over the full game the Seahawks likely would have lost the game without them.

Cassius Marsh blocked a field goal that would have been made the Dolphins may have won unless the Seahawks made a two point conversation with their touchdown at thirty seconds remaining. Jeremy Lane made several plays where he was in good position to tackle or hit the ball away so the receiver could not complete the pass. If these two guys play this way the rest of the season the Seahawks will be in a good position to have the best defense in the NFL once again and go to another Super Bowl.

The Miami Dolphins should have won the game if it were not for those two guys and the touchdown drive Russell Wilson made to win the game despite having a sprained ankle. According to Coach Carroll Wilson should be ready to go this coming Sunday against the Rams however I would give Trevone Boykin as many reps as possible with the first unit this week so he can feel comfortable if he has to enter the game because Russell gets further hurt. I know that Russell will want to take many rep himself which I understand because he is a gamer but Boykin still needs to take some. I am not sure what the rules are concerning practices but Boykin could do some outside the regular practice with the first unit to. He should at least throw the ball a lot to the receiver and taking hikes from center Justin Britt. He doesn’t need to take a lot of reps with the running backs to hand the ball off though a dozen each day would be good.

This coming Saturday the Huskies take on Portland State. It should be another victory for them. I am sure Chris Peterson and the players will not take PSU lightly. The passing game sure is at good strength if not at full so I would continue working on the running game. The defense still is looking good so continue working there to be ready for Pac-12 season.

The other state team in the Pac-12 the Cougars need to rebound against Idaho. They should win this game after losing another game this time by three points though coming back in the second half against Boise State. The importance for the Cougars is to continue working on their defense. I know they like offense football on the Palouse but it is the defense that will get them to the promise land.

Next weekend everyone will look forward to the big three programs in Washington to win. The Huskies need to continue what they have been doing while the Seahawks and Cougars need to improve. The Los Angeles Rams played an awful game and lost to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night football 28-0. I have to say the Seahawks should be favored to win however I would never take the Rams lightly no matter how bad they played. The Rams always give the Seahawks a hard time especially on the road. Let’s make this weekend 3-0, 2-0 and 1-2. Go teams.

Graham May Play

There is a good possibility that Jimmy Graham will play Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. How much he will play is anyone’s guess and it will be a day game decision. He has been practicing the last week though he hasn’t been in any of the pre-season games.

I expect that Graham will be coming in on specialty downs especially third down. I am sure the Seahawks have some plays especially set for him. I expect throughout the season he will be playing some at tight end and some at receiver. In fact I have to say that he will be played a lot at receiver. He is meant to be a receiver instead of a tight end. The Seahawks are pretty stocked at tight end so there is no need for him to play there very often. When he does play tight end he will either be a decoy or a special play will be made for him.

The Seahawks do have some pretty good receivers but I am sure he will be in the game when they go with three receiver group. Most likely he will be on the outside with Doug Baldwin in the inside. I really like to see what they do with Graham for his height and with Tyler Lockett with his speed.

I know that some have questioned why the Seahawks traded for him in the first place but I think if they use him in special places he can be a very good access for the team since he is a tall player. He can be used a lot when throwing the ball high. This season we will see if these questions will be answered. I believe the Seahawks offense will be very strong this season with all the different looks they have along with the strengths. Christine Michael is expected to start against Miami at running back however Thomas Rawls should make some good runs as well. I believe that Rawls will start by game three if not beforehand. Rawls should be the main featured back by then with Michael and Collins playing some in the backfield as well. C.J. Prosise is expected to be the primary running back on third downs either passing or running the ball. He has been hurt so hard to know when he will be fully ready to play. I believe we will see him against Miami however how successful he will be we still have to see. If he isn’t totally ready to go I would not be surprised to see Alex Collins come in on third downs.

We pretty know how the defense will play against the Dolphins but it still is nice to see them on the field. There will be questions on the one outside linebacker and how the ends will rush the quarterback. We hope that they give the qb havoc in the game. It will be nice to see several three and outs for the Dolphins and get the Seahawks offense back on the field. My predication for the game is Seahawks 31-13 win. Go Hawks!  

University of Washington Ranked #8

After last week’s win over Rutgers the Huskies are now ranked #8. Since it was the first game Head Coach Chris Peterson was not taking it seriously. I would not either since Rutgers is not that great of a team. If the Huskies are still ranked #8 at Halloween than we really have something to say and cheer about.

The Huskies looked pretty good in the game especially on the offensive side of the ball and special teams. John Ross scored two touchdowns on passes along with kickoff return. Pettis also scored a touchdown on a punt return.

This Saturday the Huskies will take on Idaho so we will where things go then. Idaho is not expected to be a real good team either so the Huskies should be heavy favorites once again. What I hope is that the running game will be better this week so that the passing game will open up even more so. If Gaskin can run for hundred yards with a couple touchdowns along with Ross scoring at least one touchdown then the Huskie world will be in a good place. A few sacks and an interception by the defense would be nice as well.

If you are a Cougar fan I am sure you are hoping they will rebound and win against Boise State. I know that will be a tall order for them. The Cougars play Idaho themselves in their third week they may be 1-2 after that. The important thing that the Cougars improve this Saturday whether they win or not. Everyone knows that they have a good offense the key is that the defense starts to get things together. If not this could be a long season. Something forgotten in Cougar Land is that you have to stop the other team as much as scoring yourself. You may have to learn that from your counterpart in Seattle. If the Huskies end the season in the top ten it will be for the defense more than the offense. I am sure everyone likes watching a lot of scoring but in the end the defense has to stop the other team at some point. We hope both teams will go through this Saturday by having no key injuries either. So right now let’s go Huskies and Cougars!!

Adam Lind Grand Slam Leads Mariners Over Rangers!

The Seattle Mariners decided at least for one game they were going to let the Texas Rangers have it and it took place on Wednesday Night. Actually the series so far has been a lot of offense happening in all three games. At least in this one they had some good pitching especially with starter Miranda who pitched into the seventh inning before going to the bullpen. Adam Lind had a grand slam to help the Mariners take a commanding lead in the first inning 5-0. He hit another home run in his next at bat along with one by Seth Smith which allowed the Mariners a comfortable lead. A.J. Griffin the starter for the Rangers lasted only four innings which was somewhat amazing when he had trouble giving up hits.

Miranda sailed along pretty good until the sixth inning with two outs Marte had a ball hit to him that went over his glove for an error. After another hit with two runners on base Carlos Beltran hit a home run. Miranda pitched to one batter in the seventh inning and walked him. At that point he was taken out of the game. I am not sure why no one was warming up in the bullpen when the sixth inning started even though they had a comfortable lead because in his other starts he has had trouble in that inning. He should have been taken out when the hitter reached base after the error. With all the stats and everything else to their disposal the coaching staff should know that Miranda starts getting in trouble in the sixth inning. On the fortunate side the bullpen did an excellent job not letting the lead get out of hand! I know that they want to rest the bullpen much as possible however the history of the starting pitchers should count for something. I hate to lose a game that gets out of hand just because they had a so called large lead.

Thursday night TaiJuan Walker takes the mound for the Mariners. There is a possibility that the Mariners could use the bullpen a lot with what Walker has been going thru the last few starts especially the last one where he did not make it through the 1^st inning. Stottlemyre worked with Walker on his mechanics so we will see Thursday how that works out. We hope that the problem is not just in his head like some think. Depending on how he does this could be his last start of the season. It looks like Wade LeBlanc will be back with the Mariners in a few days so he could take Walker’s spot if needed. Although the Mariners chances are slim now to make the playoffs as a wild card it is important that the team plays like they are in the playoffs and not just going through the motions. They are looking at guys like Gamel and Heredia to see where they fit in the equation for next year. We look forward to see what the team does the remaining of the season. It will be interesting to see what Dipoto does in the off-season. Regardless we do know that some changes will occur. Go M’s.

Mariners Take Game One Against Rangers

The Seattle Mariners have decided to keep us in suspense by beating up on the Rangers on Monday night 14-6. It was fortunate because Felix had another poor game pitching giving up five runs. We hope that he will be able to correct things and get back to his pitching like he did a couple weeks ago.

The offense started off with a great home run that Robinson Cano hit into the right field bleachers to make the score 2-0. Before Felix had some trouble the Mariner were up to 8-0. Besides the hitting it allowed the Mariners to keeping the bullpen pitching at a minimum. Other words the key relievers did not pitch in the game.

We have seen the Mariners this season where they score a lot of runs like this and then go in a hitting slump. I just hope this doesn’t happen and the hitting can keep on going. It would be nice to score at least six runs a game especially with a starting rotation that continues to struggle. I am sure though that Felix will recover and figure things out not like TaiJuan Walker.

Tuesday night James Paxton is back on the mound after having finger issues. It will be real nice if he is recovered from that and he can pitch at least six innings in the game. I hope that the game is not close but Edwin Diaz needs some action to keep him sharp.

It will be interesting to see who the Mariners will keep in the bullpen for next season. Outside of Nunez every other spot seems to be open. It would be nice that someone takes up the setup role in the seventh and eighth innings like what was going on about a month ago.

The starting rotation seems to be an area of concern going into next season as well. The Mariners may need to go out and get themselves a number one starter. I am not saying that Felix is no longer capable of being the number one starter but they do show they are vulnerable there. James Paxton does show he could be the number three or four starter depending on where Iwakuma is put in. TaiJuan Walker needs to get his head back into the game. He has the potential but that goes only so far; going out and getting another starter would be a good idea as well.

Last week Dipoto going out and getting Ben Gamel was a good idea. He plays good defense along with looking like a leadoff hitter the Mariners can use however no one knows at this point where he is the long term solution as a regular outfielder. He certainly has the speed and defense to be a part of next year’s team. Shawn O’Malley still looks to be the guy as the backup infielder. Depending on Marte he could play regularly at shortstop too. He answered it when Marte was on the disabled list.

The Mariners are planning to bring up Aoki Tuesday. How much he plays depends on him and the other guys in the outfield. Gamel will be playing a lot and we will see Heredia in games against lefties. Aoki and Smith most likely alternate in the outfield against right handers. One will be used as a left handed pinch hitter when not starting against right handers while they both can come in to pinch hit when they face a lefty. In fact Tuesday night the Mariners face Perez who is another lefty so both will be available off the bench.

I still have questions at the catching position. It was nice to see Jesus Sucre contribute by starting on Monday night getting three hits and driving three runs. He had the history of hitting well off of Hamels so a good choice by Servais in starting him. If he can stay healthy I could see Sucre being the backup catcher next year. Iannetta is showing that he can’t do it after playing in so many games. Mike Zunino has been in a slump so hard to know if the Mariners will think about keeping him around or go after another catcher to start in the off-season. We do see the potential in Zunino just like in Walker but how long can the Mariners stick with both guys. They could be involved in a blockbuster trade especially for a number one starter. Another team could look at the potential in both of them and take a gamble. In the meantime whether the Mariners continue toward the playoffs or not it will be nice to see some parts that could be on the team next season. Go M’s.

 

 

 

Huskie Blow Out

The University of Washington Huskies took care of Rutgers on Saturday. I am not sure how good that Rutgers are supposed to be though they are in the Big Ten.

The Huskies passing attack was real good especially in the first quarter. John Ross who was out last year caught two passes for touchdowns in the first quarter and then after a field goal by Rutgers he ran back a kickoff for a touchdown. Although the Huskies scored more points he did all that they needed to win the game.

Pettis the Huskies punt returner also returned one for a touchdown as well. I believe the Huskies running game will be better than how it looked on Saturday. They ran for ninety-one yards on thirty carries. I expect they will improve next week against Idaho. Being the first game things do not always work out the way they should even in a big win like this one.

The Huskies defense was Ok and Rutgers scored ten of their thirteen points in the fourth quarter against the Huskies backup players.

In other Pac-12 action the Washington Cougars lost to Eastern Washington 45-42. The game was close in the first half however EW got ahead by ten points in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter each team had a touchdown until with seventeen seconds left the Cougars scored another touchdown to make it the three point difference. EW has been a tough team playing University of Washington and Oregon pretty close the last two years. It would be smart if Cougars or anyone else in the Pac-12 not play EW at the beginning of the season because they are very tough team though they are a lower level team. EW are very similar to the Cougars where they like scoring a lot of points. The Cougars need to look at improving their defense. They have a good passing attack but do not run the ball nearly as often. The Cougars passed forty-one times in the game for over four hundred yards while running the ball twenty-five times for 97 yards. EW ran the ball the same amount of times as the Cougars but ran for one hundred and ten yards. Not a large difference while they passed the ball thirty-five times for four hundred and ninety-six yards. For the amount of times both starting quarterbacks threw the ball each only had one interception in the game.

The Cougars take on Boise State next Saturday who should be favored in the game. The defense will need to play a better game to win because Boise State put up forty-five points in the game they played on Saturday.

Next week we will see how both the Huskies and Cougars do. The Huskies should be 2-0 after next week while the Cougars likely will be 0-2.  

Local College Football Starts Saturday

 The University of Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars start their football seasons on Saturday. It will be exciting to report about them over the next three months.

Both of the teams are expected to do well this season. The media projected that the Huskies would finish second in the north division of the Pac-West 12 and the Cougars picked to finish 4 behind the Oregon Ducks.

I see both teams compete for the division lead. Either team could win the division. The Apple Cup at the end of the season on Black Friday the winner of the game could win the division. Whether that happens or not the winner of the game could make a major bowl while the loser may go to a smaller bowl.

The Huskies take on Rutgers in Seattle for the first time. The Huskies are favored to win by twenty-four points but you never know what happens in the first game of the season. Sophomore   Jake Browning will begin his second season as the starting quarterback. I am sure Coach Chris Peterson will let him go to throw longer passes and open up the offense more this season. The strength of the offense still is the running game. The starting tailback is Myles Gaskin who had a fantastic season last year as a freshman. He ran for over thirteen hundred yards and scored fourteen touchdowns. It would be another great year if he could match the same this season. His backup is another sophomore Jomon Dotson who only carried the ball eighteen times last year. He is expected to carry the ball more this year and take advantage of his speed. If both Gaskin and Dotson can run a lot of yardage this will leave open a good passing game though the wide receivers lack experience.  The top returning receiver will be John Ross who missed all of last season with ACL tear. He is back and healthy along with his speed. He is one of the fastest guys in the Pac-12 if not the nation. Another returning receiver is Dante Pettis who is a fellow junior with Ross. Another thing you will see both of them on kick offs and punt returns. You could see both guys return kickoffs or punt returns for touchdowns. The major thing though they will put the team in a good position to start off an offense series.

The big key to the Huskies will still be their defense. They were one of the top teams in the Pac-12 last year and this season should be no different. They are especially strong in the backfield beginning with free safety Bubba Baker and cornerback Sidney Jones who were both all-Pac-12 selections and could be top draft picks next year. They will especially good if the defensive line and linebackers do their jobs. So if the offense goes out and does a great job then the Huskies will be hard to beat.

The Cougars will start their season Saturday night against Eastern Washington. Although Eastern Washington play at a lower division than the Cougars they have always have given teams in the Pac-12 trouble when they play and I expect this matchup will not be any difference.

Like most years the Cougars will be going with a good powerful offense behind the passing of junior quarterback Luke Falk. The key for Falk is to keep him healthy. Last year he missed some action because of concussions. For the Cougar faithful everyone hopes that he will not have the same trouble this season. He could be the best Cougar quarterback they have ever had and that says a lot.

The big question like most years is where the Cougars defense will be. The only way the Cougars can win the Pac-12 is to have a large improvement on the defensive side of the ball unless the offense is the best in the country.

As long as Luke Falk stays healthy the Cougars will be one of the most entertaining teams in the country especially with the style of offense they play. Coach Mike Leach always likes having his offense opened up and a lot of passing will be happening for sure. We will see very little running the ball. It will only happen as a change up to the passing game but that doesn’t happen very often either. Now that all the Pac-12 game are on television we will have the opportunity to see them play.

Eastern Washington plays a style of football similar to the Cougars so a lot of footballs will be thrown around. Look forward to being entertained Saturday night.

Both the local teams should give us some really good football this season after having some down years the past decade especially in the Huskies. Besides the Seahawks we can use a lot of good football. Go Huskies and Cougars!!!!

Mariners Swept Badly

There is not much to say when the Mariners get swept and it ends with a 14-1 crushing by the team you are chasing in your division along with the fact that your best pitcher gives up five runs in the fourth and final inning he pitches including a grand slam homer.

I would expect that at some point Felix would be taken advantage by another team giving up a lot of runs having been doing well after coming off the disabled list. The problem is though it came at a poor time for this to happen when the team could use another good outing after winning only one game on the current road trip.

It is amazing that the Mariners had such a good road record and a terrible home record through May and now things have been reversed. The Mariners have a record of 4-11 against the Texas Rangers with four remaining in the season happening in Seattle next week. We hope that they can rebound starting Friday in Seattle against the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels along with the A’s who they play against later in the month are two teams in the division they have done well against while the Rangers and the Astros they have done badly against. It would be nice if the Mariners could have had at least two or three wins go their way against the Rangers. Though they would still be a losing record at least it would be more presentable.

 It would have nice if the bullpen could have kept the Mariners in the game but sometimes that happens too. At least only three relievers used in the game and Thursday is an off day so helps the bullpen to be rested. The Mariners did have eight hits but nothing was accomplished except the one run homer by Kyle Seager.

On Wednesday during the game the Mariners picked up a left handed bat in the outfield from the New York Yankees in Ben Gamel for a couple young minor league pitchers. Whether he is an everyday player to be or not at least Dipoto is looking to upgrade in the outfield. He did say he wanted to get more athletic in the outfield and Gamel fits the bill. It will be interesting to see what he will do this month of September for the Mariners. It will give Dipoto more of an idea what he will have to do during the off-season to upgrade the outfield. It is tough when your outfield is made up of a very good defensive centerfielder who is still looking to improve in his hitting while the two corner outfields need improvement for sure. Seth Smith and Franklin Gutierrez are adequate but the other position is far from being good.  I am sure Scott Servais will look at platooning Gamel and Heredia in left or right field for September. This will give them a good idea for next season whether to go out and get a regular outfielder.

I am sure the Mariners will be looking at several relievers bringing up as well in September to showcase themselves for next season. I still have a little hope that the Mariners will make the playoffs but they will have to start winning the rest of the way. They have twenty-nine games to go in the season and they have to win close to twenty of them to make the playoff which is hard to do but they are capable of doing so. It is a team that has shortcomings which has led to going on some losing streaks. At least these shortcomings can be fixed during the off-season to be contenders next season. So Friday night they go against the Angels and it has to be a game that must be won or you could say it is all over this season. Go M’s.