Running Out of Steam

The Seattle Mariners had a lead going into the eighth inning over the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 behind Nelson Cruz 39^th home run and one shy of having four straight years hitting 40 home runs or more. Also Seager and Mike Zunino had home runs.

Unfortunately the Angels got four runs to take the lead 6-5 and the win in the eighth inning. Mike Trout had a home run in the first inning and then got another in the 8^th inning. I thought it wasn’t a big deal if the Mariners could leave the lead at that however they could not. Nick Vincent gave up the homer to Trout however gave up two more runs and then the Mariners replaced him with lefty specialist Mike Rzep… for another hit. The gap closed to a one run lead at 5-4 when closer Edwin Diaz came in the game to finish off the 8^th inning. He pitched to Valbuena who hit a double down right field on a 0-2 count and that was the game.

Marco Gonzales who started the game was only able to last four innings giving up four hits and two runs on seventy-three pitches. He was replaced by Ryan Garton who was able to go one and two thirds inning then James Pazos came in to get final out of the sixth inning. Emilio Pagan was able to get through the seventh inning striking out two batters so it was the top pitchers in the bullpen that couldn’t hold the lead. I figure the problem is that they have run out of steam.

We can hope that Dave Phelps can return next season in good form after surgery to help out over the season and the starters are able to stay healthy and go at least six if not seven innings so the relievers are not over used. This especially helps if the Mariners can go out and get another top notch starter.

Iwakuma had shoulder surgery this week I don’t see him coming back to the Mariners unless they sign him to a minor league contract with incentives. At his age it will be hard for him to get back to where he once was. I am sure most fans are saying the same for Felix Hernandez. We are hoping that he can pitch well next season even if it is not at the level we are accustomed in seeing. If Felix can be a solid third starter than that will be good for the Mariners though they will be putting out a lot of money; Felix has two years remaining and I don’t think the Mariners will sign him to another contract unless his pitching improves. Other pitchers have rebounded so we can only help that he does as well. He has had a pretty good curve ball along with change up if they work well than Felix should be effective. With the questions on the starting rotation it is important they go and get another starter. Go M’s.

Final Weekend

The Seattle Mariners play their final three games of this season over the weekend in Anaheim against the Angels. How the season ends may reflect by the fans with these final games. If they win all three of these games they will be a game below five hundred and if they lose all three than four games below and so forth if they win one or two. Often we look what they have done in the end.

I believe the season has been a mix. Going into September the Mariners had the chance though remote to make the playoffs as a wild card but the month turned out like we were hoping it would be. They have lost more games than they have won so we are disappointed again that they won’t make the playoffs.

With the injuries to the starting rotation early in the season and then ongoing with James Paxton being injured and Felix Hernandez getting hurt twice along the way made it hard for the team to make the playoffs. The Mariners had to use forty different pitchers along the way. Under the circumstances they did a good job but still doesn’t take away that we are disappoint especially how the lineup played coming down the stretch. The offense started dragging and was unable to do their job in the most part. I believe the stress of the starting pitching final got to them. In the most part the regular lineup were OK through the season though Mitch Haniger and Jean Segura were out for a period of time. Also Robinson Cano was out a short period and we know that Nelson Cruz had minor injuries he dealt with though he didn’t go on the disabled list. I am sure other players struggled with injuries as well. Found out yesterday from Dipoto that Guillermo Heredia had been bothered with a poor shoulder for most of the season however played with it anyway. The reason he wasn’t doing as well at the plate in the last several weeks. He will have surgery on the shoulder.

We know that Dipoto’s job during the off-season will primarily go after some starting pitching to bolster the rotation. I am sure there will be other places in the lineup along with the bullpen that will be tweaked.  The primary spot will be first base and adding possibly another outfielder along with a backup catcher and utility player. These spots could already be on the roster but we may not know for a while. I look forward to posting my final report card for the year. It may not look much different than the report card at the all-star break though we did add a few spots along the way adding Erasmo Ramirez and Mike Leake to the rotation, David Phelps to the bullpen for a little while and Yonder Alonso at first base.

Marco Gonzales and Andrew Moore both will get starts against the Angels on Friday and Saturday. The pitcher we will see for Sunday’s game not known at this time. I am sure we will see different looks to the lineup as well. It will probably look like a spring training lineup in a way. Go M’s.

It’s Official

The Seattle Mariners went into Wednesday afternoon’s game to sweep the A’s in Oakland. They had the opportunity to do so coming from behind to tie the score before a walk off home run by centerfielder Mark Canha in the bottom of the ninth off reliever Shae Simmons who is vying for a shot in the bullpen for next season. Erasmo Ramirez started the game for the Mariners going five innings giving up eight hits and five runs. Only three of the runs were earned. It wasn’t Ramirez most impressive outing like the previous one when he went eight innings against the Cleveland Indians and giving up one run on three hits.

 Erasmo Ramirez looks to compete for one of the two remaining spots in the rotation. Whether it is for the fourth or fifth spot will depend whether the Mariners are able to go out and a get another starter through a trade or free agency; right now the top three spots look to be Paxton, Hernandez and Leake. Not necessarily in that order either.

Mitch Haniger continues to have a hot month of September hitting. He had two hits scoring and driving in a run. Robinson Cano who has been struggling lately did have a couple hits that included a home run. The same thing happened with Cruz who had two hits including a home run. Cruz along with Haniger has been their two top hitters in September.

Catcher Mike Marjama made his first major league start on Wednesday and had two hits including the first in the major leagues. Most of the bottom half of the order didn’t do that well outside of Marjama. He may be competing for the backup role at catcher next spring training.

The Mariners next game is on Friday night in Anaheim against the Angels. Marco Gonzales will make his final start of the season to see if he can impress the coaching staff to be considered as a member of the starting rotation or in the bullpen instead. Andrew Moore will likely pitch Saturday and not sure who will pitch in the final game of the season on Sunday. It would be nice if the Mariners can do well in the final three games.

In football University of Washington Huskies will play Saturday late afternoon against the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis Oregon and the Washington State will be at home playing the tough USC Trojans. In the NFL the Seahawks are at home against the Indianapolis Colts. They are hoping to even the season record at 2-2. So we root for all the teams to do well this weekend.

Mariners Take Series and More

On Tuesday night the Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland A’s 6-3 to take the series before the final game Wednesday afternoon. The A’s took early lead in the first inning with the leadoff hitter shortstop Semien hitting a home run to make it 1-0. The Mariners took the lead in the 4^th inning with Yonder Alonzo hitting a two-run homer.  It stayed that way until the bottom of the sixth inning when Oakland took the lead again 3-2 on Khris Davis home run. Davis has hit a lot of home runs against the Mariners in their history. Over the TV I asked them to walk Davis though it would add another runner to the base paths but of course they didn’t listen to me and he did it. I screamed at the TV saying I told you so. At least the saving grace was that Danny Valencia hit a three-run homer and the Mariners added another run to make the lead and final score 6-3.

Right now we don’t know if the Mariners plan to have either or both Alonzo and Valencia back next season since they both will be free agents. This game Alonzo started at first base and Valencia in right field. They showed that they can be in the lineup at the same time at least against right handers. If they do both return next season I would look at Valencia being the fourth outfielder as well as playing first base and third base on occasion. It would be nice to see them in the lineup at least once if not twice a week against right handers and still have Valencia starting at first base against lefties. If neither one returns then the Mariners will have to go out and get a first basemen or have someone already on the team playing there. On social media someone suggested that Mitch Haniger play some first base since he is the weakest defender between him, Gamel and Heredia.

Speaking of Heredia it was announced he has a bad shoulder and that he wouldn’t play in the remaining games of the season. He was sent back to Seattle to have the shoulder looked at. It should not affect him to be ready for spring training.

Neither Mike Leake nor Felix Hernandez is going to make a start in the Mariners final four games on the season. Andrew Moore and Marcos Gonzales are expected to pitch in both of their places. Also James Paxton who pitched five innings on Tuesday is not expected to pitch in the final game of the season either. I am sure the Mariners will make the announcement on Friday before the series begins against the Angels.

Gordon Beckham started in place of Kyle Seager at third base on Tuesday night. He made an outstanding play in the field near the stands and then threw the runner out at second base. I am sure that play has been shown over and over again on major league highlights. Beckham is showing that he could be a candidate for the utility role for next season.

Erasmo Ramirez takes the mound for the Mariners in his final game of the season Wednesday afternoon. The Mariners are hoping that he will pitch another gem like he did against the Cleveland Indians last Friday night when he pitched eight innings gave only one run on a homer and three hits. Unfortunately he didn’t get the win that game. The Mariners win the final four games their record will be 81-81. Whether they do or not the final record will show how the team did for the season. Us true fans will root for the Mariners until the final out on Sunday afternoon. Go M’s.     

Mariners Win at Oakland

The Seattle Mariners started the last road trip in Oakland against the A’s. Going into the game their record was 75-81 so they have to win all six remaining games to end the season with an even record. The chances of that happening are not great but it is doable.

What we know about the Mariners regardless what the record ends up being that they have been inconsistent all year long. We know most of the year it has been the lack of good starting pitching because of the injuries. Going into September it looked like they would have a winning record or at least an even record but went for a slide. Most of the regular lineup didn’t show up.

Although we are all disappointed because we were hoping finally that they would make the playoffs after not doing so in the last sixteen years I can say that for the most part they have been an exciting team to watch and the future looks good at this point.

Monday night Felix Hernandez pitched and looked the best he has over the season. Of course we all know that he had been out for a while with injury. He was able to go six innings since he was on a pitch count as well. He threw exactly seventy pitches in the game giving up just two hits and a run. The run you can guess was a solo homer.

The Mariners were able to get three home runs in the game. The first one was a three-run blast by Mike Zunino in the second inning to make the lead 3-0 at the time. Mitch Haniger who has had a hot bat in September had a homer as well along with Yonder Alonso. They accounted for five of the seven runs the Mariners scored in the 7-1 win. I call Zunino the poster child for Mariners inconsistency over the season. I am sure that there are others that fall in that category as well.

James Paxton will be going for the Mariners on Tuesday night. At this point not sure which Paxton will show up. The one that pitched so well going into August or the one who has pitched since coming back from the disabled list; I wonder with his history of being injured how much longer he will pitch for the Mariners? I am not sure where Jerry Dipoto figures in that line. We have seen Paxton at his best which is pretty good but the Mariners need to count on him to pitch for a whole season instead of going on the disabled list every so often. Since the team has had a major overhaul since  Dipoto arrived two years ago wouldn’t surprise me if he is traded.

In the next few days it will be time to get onto the end of the year report card and then move on to football with the Seahawks, Huskies and Cougars. We wish the best for them all.

Seahawks Lose and Mariners Eliminated

The Seattle Seahawks defense played a good game in the first half however for whatever reason they played the worst second half I have seen in a while. Usually they play that kind of defense when Earl Thomas is out with an injury. That wasn’t the case this time. Who knows whether it was hot weather or when Richard Sherman had the penalty. It was right after that when things went wrong. Special teams played a horrible game as well. The score should have been higher because the Titans should not have been charged a penalty.

The Seahawks could still have won the game if they played better in the first half instead of waiting until late in the game. I have to admit that I quit watching at the beginning of the 4^th quarter because it upset me how they were playing.

I know that there are some who are upset because both teams stayed in the locker rooms while the national anthems were being played. I know that everyone has a right to their own beliefs but I think it has been an overreaction in my mind. I enjoy hearing the national anthem whether it is at a football game, baseball game or whatever other sporting event but I don’t think that it is required to be played. If it is so be it but at the same time I believe the players under the circumstances can voice their opinions in whatever manner they feel.

Back to football I hope that the Seahawks play better next week. It will be a long season if things continue this way. It is so hard to understand that the offense starts out so slow when the season begins. Maybe the starting unit needs to play more during the pre-season. Is it Russell Wilson, the running backs or the offensive line? Whatever the case they need to do a better job.

The Seattle Mariners season basically ended on Sunday as they lost to the Cleveland Indians 4-2. It is disappointing though they did get beaten by the best team in the American League however they haven’t played well the last two weeks. Pitchers like Mike Leake and Erasmo Ramirez have kept them in games for them to win.

With the injuries to the starting rotation over the season I wonder if this got to the rest of team. Whatever the case it is too bad the season had to end this way. They now have six games left in the season. They start out the road trip playing the A’s in Oakland. Felix Hernandez will be making the start for the Mariners. He likely will pitch the last game of the season as well next Sunday. It hasn’t helped the team that Felix was out so long and he only has five victories for the season. His record is 5-5. If he pitches well he could end up with a winning record.

Having lost Paxton for a while was disappointing to. It looked like he had a chance to be in the race for the Cy Young Award. I wonder if either Felix or Paxton can stay healthy next season. The Mariners will need to bring in another starting pitcher to cover in case they have trouble again. With all the talent Paxton has I wonder if the Mariners should trade him because of his injury history. I love him as a pitcher when he is healthy but the Mariners need him to pitch thirty games a season.

It seems a lot of the offense disappeared in September outside of Nelson Cruz and Mitch Haniger. Mike Zunino and Kyle Seager played a part for some of the month but disappointed in most of the rest of the guys. If they had played like they did in the previous months the Mariners would still be in the race. Outside of injuries I would say inconsistency be the reason the team didn’t make the playoffs. They would win three or four games and then lose three or four. Dipoto will have to make some decisions on who stays and who goes. At least we can enjoy the last six games of the season.

So one last thing to say I hope the Seahawks and the Mariners don’t both lose next Sunday. Please pretty please.

Huskies and Cougars Win Mariners Lose

The Washington Huskies Saturday night had another slow start where the Colorado Buffaloes scored on their first possession of the game. It seems that the Huskies are starting off slow especially on the road which is understandable in a way. It is easy to be nervous especially if you are young.

The Huskies though came back and scored a touchdown in the second quarter on a Myles Gaskin one yard run. Gaskin had a big game he was able to score another touchdown in the 4^th quarter. The Buffaloes had a hard time stopping the Huskies running attack giving up 254 yards rushing and Gaskin had 207 of those yards.

The Huskies dominated the second half after the score being 10-7 at half time. The final score in the game was 37-10. It is hard to get back into the game when the other team is running the ball very effectively.

The Huskies will be playing at Corvallis to face the Oregon State Beavers next week. The Beavers lost last week to the Cougars in Pullman 52-23. The Huskies should be a big favorite against the Beavers.

Speaking of the Cougars they played at home against Nevada. They beat them 45-7. Luke Falk passed for five touchdowns in the game including the first three touchdowns with two coming in the first quarter. They had two other touchdowns on runs and a field goal as well.  Nevada didn’t score until late in the 4^th quarter so they would not be skunked. Luke Falk completed 36 passes in 47 attempts for a total of 478 yards. His longest completion was 60 yards. If he continues to do well this year he should be a first round pick as long as he doesn’t get hurt.

Next Friday the Cougars may be playing their toughest game of the year outside of the Apple Cup and a bowl game. They take on USC Trojans in Pullman. That should be an exciting game to see. At this point hard to know who will win the game. I am sure that the Trojans will be favored however the Cougars could easily upset them especially if Faulk has a great game and the defense can keep the Trojans from scoring too much.

In baseball the Seattle Mariners were beaten by the Cleveland Indians on Saturday Night. The final score was 11-4 however most of those runs were given up by Ariel Miranda in the 9^th inning. He gave up five of those runs. It shows to me that Miranda is worn out after pitcher so much for the Mariners over the season. Andrew Moore started the game going four innings giving up three runs and then he was followed by Marco Gonzales who pitched two innings with three hits but didn’t give up a run in the game.

Danny Altavilla followed Gonzales. Two runs were scored against him but they were both unearned because of errors. The Mariners fielding has been very poor in the last eight or nine games. Ryan Garton pitched the eighth inning giving up a run before Miranda took the mound. The Mariners have to win almost the remaining seven games to have any chance in getting to the playoffs.

I am sure the last two weeks in the season will help Jerry Dipoto evaluate what the team will do during the off-season. I am sure that some more changes will happen especially with what we have seen the last two off-seasons. I am sure he will look at the heart of the players well as the talent. How hungry they are to make the playoffs. I am sure he and Servais are not happy what has happened in September when they had a chance to make the playoffs. Go M’s, Huskies and Cougars.

 

Cruz Ends Losing Streak

It wasn’t all him however Nelson Cruz hit a home run with Robinson Cano on base after he hit a single to start the ninth inning to beat the hot hitting Cleveland Indians in Safeco Field on Friday Night 3-1.

Erasmo Ramirez probably pitched the best game of the season by a Mariner pitcher going eight innings and giving up a solo home run in the third inning to 3^rd baseman Giovanny Urshela. It was Urshela first home run of the season in one hundred and thirty-nine at bats. Amazing because of the other hitters in the Indians lineup he was able to go through.

 The Mariners didn’t tie the game until the seventh inning when Kyle Seager hit a double and then he scored. Edwin Diaz who hasn’t pitched much because of the losing streak came in the 9^th inning with tie score 1-1. He walked a batter otherwise he did fine with the Indians lineup.

Andrew Moore will be starting Saturday afternoon for the Mariners against the Indians. He had a good start in his last out so the Mariners are hoping he will do the same against the Indians. He has been struggling giving up home runs however he has been working getting that corrected. He will be facing Carlos Carrasco who is having a really good season so it will be tough once again for the Mariners offense. Carrasco has a record of 16-6 with an era of 3.46. Like most starters the Mariners will have to get to him early. We hope this will be where the Mariners break out for the rest of the season. Odds are against them making the playoffs though pathetically they are still in it.

In other local sports the Washington Huskies play Colorado on the road in the first Pac-12 matchup of the season. It wouldn’t be easy however they are favored to win. The Washington State Cougars will be playing Nevada in Pullman. Go Huskies and Cougars.  

Mariners Lose Another Series

Right now when the Mariners needed to the job to get into the playoffs they have lost six in a row.

Like most of the season they have been inconsistent. It is something that Dipoto said on his radio show on Thursday that he was concerned about. We all know that the pitching has been up and down because of the injuries however the offense and defense has been as well especially lately.

I was listening to the morning show Thursday on the Mariners flag ship station and they wanted to know who the most disappointing play was. They were speaking about anyone who had not been on the disabled list which is very small list. I believe they agreed with me it has to be Kyle Seager. He has had a good month of September when it comes to hitting home runs however his defense hasn’t been the same as what we are accustomed to. He hits well in Arlington Texas as well so probably why he is having a good month. This season he started out better than most years though not what the team or fans would like to see. He hasn’t improved over the season that much either. He has hit a good amount of home runs and driven in a fair amount too however I would not say he has been consistent. Actually the problem with the team in general where no one has been consistent and he hasn’t carried the team when he needs to. The same goes for Robinson Cano. Nelson Cruz has done a good job driving in runs leading the American League in runs batted in. I believe that has a lot to do with Jean Segura and Mitch Haniger getting on base and Ben Gamel when he was doing well at the top of the lineup when Haniger was out.

The Mariners seem to do the best when Robinson Cano is on fire and he hasn’t been that way all the time. We saw that when he was put on the disabled list. At that time Seager along with Cruz should have carried the team. It shows that the team really needs those three to work hand in hand together for the offense to work. Of course the pressure has been on the offense because the pitching has been down because of the injuries.

James Paxton made his second start after coming off the disabled list. This time he was able to go a little further. He pitched three and two-third innings giving up four hits and two runs. The Mariners were still in the game sort of though they didn’t score a run until Nelson Cruz hit a solo homer. Cano hit his 300^th home run until the 9^th inning. It wasn’t enough for the Mariners to win. Danny Altavilla gave up a home run to Beltre in the sixth inning and then Emilio Pagan gave up one in the seventh inning. They were the difference in the game. Altavilla has been pitching better as of late however Pagan who was pitching well earlier hasn’t had a good September. I believe the problem is that he hasn’t ever pitched in September before. I wouldn’t pitch Pagan again unless the Mariners are way ahead or behind. This would be the same for Miranda.

Almost Over!

It doesn’t look good now especially with the Mariners losing five games in a row. They have ten games left in the season including the final game in the series against the Rangers before hosting the Cleveland Indians.

It is not a great time for the Mariners to go into a slide when the wild card has been right for them to take. The other teams in the picture haven’t done well either.

We should feel good that the Mariners have done this well because of the injuries to the starting pitching especially. The Mariners took the lead against the Rangers on Wednesday with Mitch Haniger who has been the drive behind the offense as of late hitting a home run in the third inning. The bad part though he made an error in the top of the fourth inning to bring in the flood gates. In the fourth inning the Rangers scored seven runs to take a 7-1.  Six runs were charged to Felix Hernandez with one being considered an unearned run. After Haniger’s error Kyle Seager made another error and then because Felix was throwing a lot of pitches and he was on a pitch count he was replaced by Andrew Albers who gave up a grand slam homer. Only the homer was charged against Albers. Though he was expected to pitch longer Albers was only able to go one and two-third innings. Casey Lawrence went two innings, Shae Simmons an inning and so did Edwin Diaz. None of them gave up a run.

Nelson Cruz hit the second homer of the night for the Mariners in the fourth inning to make it his 34^th of the season and the score 7-2. The Rangers made it 8-2 in the sixth inning put the strain on the Mariners.

Robinson Cano had a couple hits driving in a couple runs as well. The Mariners made it 8-3 in the sixth inning and then scored two more in the seventh inning to extend to 8-5. Mike Zunino and Ben Gamel hit a couple doubles scoring as well. Mariners scored again in the eighth inning but could not in the ninth so the final score was 8-2.

The Mariners will not need to pitch well in the final ten games they need to score as many runs as possible. They need to go on a run like they haven’t all season long to have any chance to make the playoffs and the reason that making it in as wild card at this point will be hard to do.

Remaining ten games will be Jerry Dipoto’s primary job to see who will make the team next season and what he will have to pick up. We all know that he will have to go after at least one starter for next season whether it is in a trade or free agency. It will be for someone who they will have for several seasons going forward. We know that Mike Leake will be at or near the top of the rotation and we hope with James Paxton and Felix Hernandez. Both of them thou Dipoto will have to think hard because of their injuries. Paxton has had history of injuries since he has been with the team and Felix has over the last couple years. The main reason he will have to look to bring in another top notch starter since they can’t depend on either one. He will have to decide whether Erasmo Ramirez and Ariel Miranda will be better served at the end of the rotation or in the bullpen. Also whether Andrew Moore can be the 5^th starter or someone else; this will go for Marco Gonzales too.

The position players there will likely not be much change there. Dipoto may tweak some there though. I would look at him bringing in a left handed hitting catcher if one is available. The infield is set other than first base however he could do something more though. The outfield looks good with Ben Gamel, Guillermo Heredia and Mitch Haniger. They could bring in another outfielder though. Also he re-signs Jarrod Dyson who will be a free agent if it is not too costly.

I would like them to bring back Alonso and Valencia for next season however pitching will be more of a priority. Both I am sure would like to play regularly though instead of platooning. Valencia though could move to third base if Dipoto decides to trade Seager for pitching.

 

 

Mariners Fourth Loss in Row

  The Seattle Mariners continue to do what they have been doing almost all season long winning three or four games in a row and then lose the same amount.

The last road trip to Texas they beat the Rangers three out of four games and then they were swept by the Astros in three games. Now they come home for their last home trip of the season against the Rangers and then finish off three against the Cleveland Indians.

The first game against the Rangers on Tuesday it was a close game with them scoring a run second inning. The Mariners came back in the fifth inning to tie the game with Ben Gamel driving in Guillermo Heredia on a double for their only game of the game. Mike Leake had another great game like all of his so far since the Mariners picked him up in August. He has given the Mariners any chance of getting in the playoffs however the rest of the team has made it difficult. He left the game after six and two-third innings with the tie. He gave up six hits and struck out five Rangers. If he pitches this way next year for the Mariners he should have a really good season and he possibly be the number one starter or number two. At this point he, Paxton and Felix should be the top three starters unless the Mariners are able to pick up another quality starter. The Mariners will be in really in good shape in that case long as Paxton and Felix can stay healthy which is questionable.

Nick Vincent gave up the two runs that gave the Rangers the win in the eighth inning. Up until a couple weeks ago he was having a fabulous season. This is hurting the Mariners in any chances for them to make the playoffs. They basically have to win every game remaining to have a chance to get into the playoffs. The only good thing is that the other teams going for the wild card are struggling as well. I don’t see whoever makes the second wild card unless by plain luck or their top starting pitcher going for them will make it beyond the play in game.

With a few changes in the lineup especially with the starting pitching the Mariners should have a good shot next season making the playoffs as long as injuries don’t happen once again.

David Phelps just had his surgery on his arm. It is expected for him to have full recovery in six weeks so he will be already to go when spring training begins. Iwakuma continues to have issues so it is unlikely he will return to the Mariners team unless they decide on a contract that will be depended on how many games he pitches and would not be surprised if it is a minor league deal so he won’t be counted against the forty man roster going into spring training.

Soon I will be giving out my report card on the Mariners in a few days depending on if they make the playoffs which is unlikely or when they are eliminated. We hope the best for the Mariners. Go M’s.

Mariners Swept and Seahawks Do Win

The Seattle Mariners continue to have trouble trying to beat the Houston Astros. They do have a winning record against everyone else and then the losing record against the Astros. On the positive side there are a lot of teams in the same boat.

The Mariners lost Sunday to the Astros 7-1 and the only run they scored was a home run by Ben Gamel. Andrew Moore who started the game was only able to go four and two-thirds of an inning giving up three runs. He actually pitched well until the fifth inning when he gave up a two-run homer to backup outfielder Derek Fisher. Besides Gamel’s home run Robinson Cano had two hits for the Mariners. Justin Verlander went seven innings for the Astros to get the victory. What makes it frustrating for me is that the Mariners beat the Texas Rangers three out of four before playing the Astros. On the other hand this has been happening all season long for the Mariners.  

 

The Seahawks won a close game over the San Francisco 49ers 12-9. It was the closest game the two teams have had for some time. The Seahawks scored a touchdown late in the game to take the victory. They missed the extra point to leave the score at 12-9 with the 49ers having the chance to tie the game or take the lead. Paul Richardson scored the go ahead touchdown for the Seahawks.

Rookie 7^th round pick Chris Carson right now is the primary runner for the Seahawks. He carried the ball 20 times for a total of 93 yards. Many of those yards took place in the 4^th quarter. Thomas Rawls who came back for this game still continues to have trouble because he only had five carries. Also Eddie Lacy was inactive for the game. Sounds pretty odd to pick up a running back like Lacy and make him inactive. I am sure the Seahawks will use him later on. At least we hope so any way.

Right now the Seahawks seem to be a throw first team though Coach Carroll said that they planned to run the ball more. I don’t really care which way they go however they need to have their offense get going faster than they have in the first two games. Other than the 49ers the Seahawks could have easily lost this game as well. It astonishes me that the last several years under Russell Wilson as quarterback they start the season slow. At least the defense is able to keep them in the game.

The Seahawks will be going to Tennessee next week to take on the Titans. For the Seahawks to have a chance to win the offense needs to get going early in the game. I would try to establish the run early and then start throwing the ball. Get a good lead and then go back to the run again in the fourth quarter. The offensive line needs to have good practices this week to help bolster the offense.

The Mariners have Monday off before facing the Texas Rangers on Tuesday. They will be playing the Cleveland Indians over the next weekend. Mike Leake will go to the mound on Tuesday. We hope that he continues to pitch well for the team. Go M’s and Seahawks.

Is It Over?

The Seattle Mariners lost Saturday again to the Houston Astros 8-6. Erasmo Ramirez ended his streak of quality starts at five games I believe going only four innings giving up eight hits and six runs. The Astros are one of the top hitting teams in the American League.

Although the Mariners are still mathematically still in the race for the wild card the chances are not good. The Astros can clinch the division title on Sunday with a win against the Mariners. The Mariners have Andrew Moore making the start while Justin Verlander will for the Astros. Since the Mariners seem to go on little losing streaks over the season just like winning streaks the signs are not good. The loss Sunday would make it difficult for the Mariners to make the playoffs. In fact they would have to win all out pretty much to make the playoffs at this point.

I believe now the important thing is to see where things will for the Mariners going forward for 2018. They have made a good effort with the fact they have been handicapped in the starting rotation all season. Ariel Miranda was the only one to make all his starts until now and he has run out of steam. The other one in the rotation that did not get hurt was Yovani Gallardo however he was taken out of the rotation twice because he has performed terrible. His real success has been while in the bullpen.  

It will be interesting to see if Jerry Dipoto will go out and get another pitcher to add to the starting rotation. As far as the bullpen I see it pretty set though I am sure he will go and some for additional depth. The position players are set to other than possibly first base. I am sure they will be searching for a backup catcher. It will be another interesting off-season for sure. Go M’s.

Mariners Struggle Against Astros

The Seattle Mariners continue to have problems when playing the Houston Astros whether at home or on the road. Actually they have had more success on the road against the Astros than at Safeco Field.

James Paxton made his return to the starting rotation however it wasn’t as much a success as Felix Hernandez had on Thursday night. I am sure fans are wondering why since Paxton was in the rotation since Felix however I believe the issue is that Paxton is taller and it is hard for him to get back into his pitching style as well.

I believe as long as the Mariners are in the wild card race which might not be much longer I would not start Paxton instead have him come in long relief. I would put Andrew Albers back into the rotation instead who is doing well.

We all know that Paxton has all the talent in the world however he continues to be injured prone. I am wonder if the Mariners should look at trading him during the off-season. I would only do so if they can get something good in return. It will probably take a multi-player trade like the one the Mariners had with the Arizona Diamondbacks last year when they traded TaiJuan Walker.

If the Mariners keep Paxton at this point I would consider him a third starter until he proves that he can stay healthy. At this point the starting rotation for next year looks like Felix, Leake, Paxton, Ramirez and Miranda or Albers as the fifth starter. The top four not necessarily in the order I wrote in. If the Mariners can go out and get another starter than both Miranda and Ramirez could be in the bullpen.

Ryan Garton who has been pitching as the first guy out of the bullpen for an inning or less sounds like to be in the right role for him; if he continues being good in this role he could be just like Emilio Pagan has done so far this season. They can be the relievers that lead us to Dave Phelps (if he can stay healthy next year) and Nick Vincent.

Danny Altavilla had a good outing in this game so he could be another guy who is fine late in the games. In fact he could be a second closer to Edwin Diaz if he can keep control himself since he is able to throw the ball almost a hundred miles an hour as well. The Mariners have other options as well which we will look to down the road.

Any way the Mariners we need you to win today to have any chance to make the wild card. The game by the way is on Fox Sports. Enjoy the game and go M’s.  

Mariners Win Big Over Rangers

Sorry the delay my brother came into town on Friday morning. So I didn’t have time to write today’s blog about the Mariners and other local sports.

It was great that the Mariners were able to take three out of four on Thursday. It was nice to see that King Felix was able to go three and two-third innings giving up three hits and only one runs. He should be able to go again next Tuesday and go further with more pitches. Ryan Garton finished off the fourth inning and then Andrew Albers who has been pitching pretty well so far went the remaining of the game giving up three runs in the seventh inning with the Mariners being ahead 9-1. I expect that he may do the same thing when Felix pitches as well.

Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager and Yonder Alonzo were the primary hitters on Thursday night. Cruz and Seager each hit a home run. Cruz had a total of four hits in the game.

James Paxton will be going Friday night for his first start for over a month against the Houston Astros. It would be nice if the Mariners can win the series in a sweep otherwise making the playoffs will be harder even though the odds are against them anyway. Paxton is expected to go a little further than Felix since he pitched since Felix had.

The Mariners will be facing righty Charlie Morton for the Astros. So they are going with the same lineup they did Thursday night against the Astros. We hope that they get the same results as well. The odds are against it however if the Mariners can score like six runs they still have a good shot at winning. Erasmo Ramirez and Andrew Moore finish off the series against the Astros. If they can pitch like they have recently the Mariners should have a chance however the offense needs to keep going.

When it comes to football the University of Washington Huskies take on Fresno State in Husky stadium on Saturday and the Seahawks will take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in Seattle. Thomas Rawls is expected back to be in at running back on Sunday. The Seahawks I am sure will have a better running game against the 49ers. It is needed for sure we will all agree. The Seahawks offensive line will need to improve for them to play the way they need to have a successful season. The defense will do their usual job on Sunday however the Seahawks still need to score some points for them to win. Go Mariners, Huskies and Seahawks.

Mike’s Mighty Bat

Mike Zunino continued his hot hitting on Wednesday Night for the Mariners against the Rangers in Texas. The game was tight for the first four innings when neither team scored a run until the fifth inning when Zunino hit a solo home run and then Jean Segura hit a two-run homer to take a 3-0 lead. The Rangers scored a run in the sixth inning the only one of the game by them. The Mariners put the game out of reach scoring five runs including Zunino’s second solo run. The two home runs gave Mike twenty-three for the season the most he has ever had in one season. He now is second on the Mariners list for home runs by a catcher. I expect that he will pass up Dan Wilson who is the leader next season.

What would be great if Mike has figured it all out which at this point he looks like he has he will be available player in the Mariners lineup. If he can hit like he has in spurts this season over a full season we will see him in an all-star game I have no doubt.

If Zunino can bat sixth or seventh in the lineup on a regular basis this will help the guys like Heredia in the bottom of the lineup to get better pitches.

Mike Leake was able to get his third win in three appearances since coming over from the St. Louis Cardinals. At this point it looks like an excellent trade for the Mariners. He can be an available part of the starting rotation along with Felix Hernandez and James Paxton. Speaking of them Hernandez will pitch the final game of this series against the Rangers. It will be great if the Mariners can win Thursday night to take three out of four games in the series. We just hope this is not too late for them to make the wild card. Paxton will pitch Friday Night in Houston in the first game of that three game series.

The Mariners schedule for 2018 came out earlier this week. They start at home on March 29 against the Cleveland Indians. Right now the Indians are the hottest team in the major leagues. It will be quite the series if the Astros and Indians meet in the American League Championship. Of course we all hope with a miracle that the Mariners can be there instead. It would be great if the Mariners can finally go on a win streak for the remaining of the season. Often we have seen them win two or three and then lose two or three. Not the way we want to watch baseball however the offense has been more entertaining this year over some of the past ones. It would have been nice if the pitching could have stand pat to match the offense. We can hope that the injuries won’t happen next year and that the Mariners can add more depth to the starting and relief pitching. We will go more on both of those at a late time. Go M’s.

Good Way to End Losing Streak

I wasn’t sure which team would win Tuesday night however I did figure it would be by a large margin. Fortunately it was the Mariners winning big 10-3. The matchup between Gonzales and Gonzalez it likely would happen that way especially in Texas.

The Mariners good start happened in the second inning when Nelson Cruz slide home on a single by Mike Zunino to left field. Rookie Willie Calhoun making his first start in the major leagues tried to throw Cruz out. The Mariners figured it was Calhoun’s first throw to test him. Cruz should have been out however helped by Ben Gamel who was coming up next how to slide away from the catcher. Cruz made it by a skin on his pant leg. So we could give Gamel an assist on the play and in his at bat Gamel hit a three run homer to make the score 4-0.  The Astros scored a run in the bottom of the second to make it 4-1.

In the third inning Kyle Seager who has been hitting well in Texas hit a three run homer to make the score 7-1. The Rangers responded in the bottom of the inning scoring two runs on single to make it 7-3. Not comfortable in my mind since Gonzales has struggled and given up a lot of runs in an inning. Making some good pitches he was able to get out of the situation without giving up any more runs. The Mariners scored another run in the fifth inning so when Gonzales left the game they were leading 8-3. They scored a run each in the sixth and seventh inning as well to make the final score 10-3. The Mariners had four relievers who pitched an inning each. First up was James Pazos who struck out each batter he faced. He was followed by Dan Altavilla who struggled with his control walking two batters but didn’t give up a hit or run. Shae Simmons pitched the eighth inning giving up no hits and didn’t strike out anyone either. The ninth inning was pitched by Casey Lawrence who has been struggling lately gave up two hits but no runs.

Mike Leake will be going for the Mariners on Wednesday followed by Felix Hernandez to finish off the series with the Rangers. The Mariners look like they have a good chance to split the series at the very least if not take three out of four. If Leake pitches like in his first two outings with the Mariners has a good chance of winning. Felix on the other hand we have no idea how he will pitch since this will be his first start coming off the disabled list.

We hope that guys like Haniger, Cano, Seager and Cruz continue their hot hitting in Texas for the Mariners to flourish. Go M’s.

Two Game Losing Streak

The Mariners continue to go on these streaks of winning and losing. They haven’t been able to go on a winning streak of five or six games all season. Instead they win a series or sweep a series or get swept them. It is happening once again. They won the series against the Angels in Seattle losing the final game than the first game on the road in Texas they lose. We do hope they can rebound and win this series against the Rangers.

On Monday Night Ariel Miranda had a poor outing where he lasted only one and two-third innings leaving giving up four runs each two in the first and second innings. Scott Servais said after the game he was fatigued which doesn’t surprise me at all since he has started every game he has pitched all season long and he hasn’t gone that far before. Newcomer Ryan Garton finished off the second getting the final out.

Andrew Moore came in and pitched the final six innings for the Mariners. He gave up one hit in those six innings that was a home run to DeShields in the fourth inning. He pitched so well against the Rangers that he struck out seven batters as well. The Mariners are expected to start Moore in Miranda’s spot next time around.

The Mariners three runs in the game were home runs by Kyle Seager in the second and a two-run shot by Mitch Haniger who continues his hot hitting. Including his homer were three hits. He had half the Mariners hits in the game.

The Mariners were able to get to Cole Hamels scoring the three runs in six innings but they couldn’t get a hit off of the three relievers they used after him.

The Mariners’ bullpen should be fine since Moore pitched the three innings after Miranda and Garton. Hopefully this rest will help guys like Nick Vincent who has been struggling as of late.

Tuesday night Marco Gonzales will start for the Mariners. His last outing was in relief for the Mariners where he did well and they hope he can start in good fashion this time. How he does will depend on whether he stays in the rotation or not. The Rangers will be starting Miguel Gonzalez who is making his second start after being traded to the Rangers from the Chicago White Sox. At this time I consider this game a tossup. Either pitcher could pitch well or not. Being in a park where hitting can be at a premium the game could be high scoring.

Mike Leake will make the start for the Mariners on Wednesday followed by Felix Hernandez making his for first time in a while being on the disabled list. Also James Paxton will start on Friday against the Astros in the first game in Houston. These continue to be important games. How the Mariners do the rest of this week we will see if they are still in the wild card race or not. Go M’s

Seahawks and Mariners Both Lose

It didn’t turn out to be a good day for either the Seahawks or the Mariners. In fact both games were similar where they were both into the game for a while.

The Seahawks played good enough defense that they ended the first half with a score of 3-0. I am sure the Packers thought the Seahawks were going to run out the first half since they got the ball back with little time left. The officiating was awful in my mind especially the play in the end zone when tight end Jimmy Graham was trying to make the catch for a touchdown. The two defensive backs for the Packers were all over him and it should have been pass interference. I could understand if the ball was thrown way over Graham’s head however it was not. I have seen calls made on less than what happened there.

Another thing I am sure we all saw that the Seahawks offensive line was terrible all game long. Chris Carson was able to make some good running plays however Lee Lacy was stopped many times with a loss. The coaching staff beginning with Tom Cable will need to make some changes going into next week or the Seahawks will have a long season.

It is hard to believe that the Seahawks offensive starts off slow each season though Wilson did make some good passes though they settled for two field goals in the 17-6 loss. With the officiating they should have had two touchdowns that would have allowed them to win the game or make it very interesting that is for sure.

The defense did a good job especially in the first half however they were on the field to long so they got worn out in the second half. It was too bad that the Seahawks were not able to get the defender off the field when Aaron Rodgers was able to throw the ball into the field for the touchdown. This goes to show the Seahawks have work to do and we hope it takes place before next week’s game.

The Mariners and the Angels had a close game for most of Sunday. The Mariners were going for a sweep. The Angels scored in the first inning with a solo home run by Mike Trout however they were able to keep him at bay the rest of the way though did walk and score a second run as well.

Erasmo Ramirez who had another quality start which is his sixth in a row I believe anyway gave up only two runs in six and two-thirds inning on two solo home runs. The Mariners took the lead 2-1 in the second inning on a hit by Seager, Gamel’s triple and Zunino’s single. The score stayed that way until the seventh inning when the Angels hit a home run to tie the score.

The Angels scored three more runs in the eighth inning to put the game away. Nick Vincent who had not given up a run all season at Safeco Field until last Friday against the Angels gave up three runs including two on a double by Justin Upton who the Angels recently acquired by the Detroit Tigers.  Jean Segura did hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth but the Mariners could not get closer losing 5-3.

The Mariners recently have been unable to score runs late in the games. They seem to score early however scored very little after the fifth inning even in the games they have won. This is tough when the bullpen has been struggling lately. The starters have done well the last couple weeks.

The Mariners now go to Texas to face the Rangers. Ariel Miranda goes Monday against Hamels. It will be a tough game though the Mariners have done well against Hamels as of late. Felix is expected to start against the Rangers on Thursday and then followed on Friday by James Paxton against the Astros in Houston. I am not sure why the Mariners are still starting Miranda since he has been struggling the second half of the season. He hasn’t missed a start all season so he hasn’t ever pitched these many games in a season. Depending on this start I would recommend this being his last start of the season. In the meantime let’s go Mariners and Seahawks. We are hoping the best for both of you.

Mariners Take Another Win

 The Seattle Mariners continue their up and down chase toward the wild card. Right when we think they are out of it they go on another win streak. They were swept by the Astros though the games were close and the Mariners could have swept them now they have the chance to sweep the Angels on Sunday.

Saturday night being Cano Bubblehead night the offense decided to do their job and Andrew Albers had another good quality start. He certainly is making it where the Mariners will invite him back for spring training.

Albers went six innings throwing one hundred pitches giving up only four hits with one walk and four strike outs. The Mariners started the scoring out in the first inning when red hot Mitch Haniger hit a home run to take a 1-0 lead. He also had a triple and a single scoring three runs on three hits. He missed out getting a double. The Mariners got their second run in the third inning when Haniger hit the triple and then his final run in the fourth inning when Nelson Cruz hit a three run homer. The fourth inning the Mariners scored their final six runs to take an 8-0 lead. Angels scored a run in the ninth inning that had no meaning other than preserving a shutout.

Erasmo Ramirez will be starting on Sunday afternoon against the Angels before the Mariners head on the road. He has had an era under three in his last five outings. The Mariners will be facing Parker Bridwell who has a 7-2 record of an era even at four runs. In his last outing though against the A’s last week seven runs in three plus innings however he was not charged with the loss. This is a great opportunity for the Mariners to sweep the Angels.

The Mariners will be heading out on the road to have a four game series against the Rangers in Texas followed by a three game series next weekend in Houston. With Hurricane Harvey it is hard to know at this point how those series will go especially in Houston. The Mariners than will come home to face the Astros and then the red hot Cleveland Indians the following weekend. These series will be challenges for sure. The Mariners could be out of the race by the end of the road series or stay in the race if they can produce on the road. Both Felix Hernandez and James Paxton could be starting next week. Most likely Felix against the Rangers while Paxton will go against the Astros and neither one is expected to throw any more than fifty or sixty pitches so likely will have someone pitch in long relief. I expect those pitchers would be the ones they took out of the rotation to stick them in the rotation.  I expect the Mariners will keep both Ramirez and Mike Leake in the rotation along with either Ariel Miranda or Andrew Moore.

In other local sports the Huskies and Cougars won both of their games though the Cougars had to go into three overtimes to do so over Boise State. The Seahawks will take on the Packers in Green Bay. That game will take place at the same time as the Mariners. In my case I will be switching back and forth between games. So we say Go Hawks and Mariners!

Good Friday Night Win

I finally went to a Mariners game Friday night at Safeco Field. They didn’t disappoint me though it was a close game.

Mike Leake started out slow again in his second start for the Mariners however he was able to go six innings and keep the team in the game. He once again gave up two runs in the first inning however a ball went by first baseman Yonder Alonso that he should have stopped instead scored two runs. If he had stopped the ball only one run would have scored. It was nice that they were able to make a double play to end any more scoring.

Ben Gamel was the player of the game for the Mariners since he hit a three run homer to put the Mariners up 3-2. Later on he made a catch going up on the wall in left field to save a run and likely the game.

The deciding run was a hit by Mitch Haniger in the third inning. It would have been nice if the Mariners could have scored a few more runs in some of the innings after the 3^rd though it did give drama to the game.

A young 8 year old boy was behind me with his mother. He had his mitt so I told him it was his job to protect us all in our section just in case a ball came our way. We did have a couple that was not too far away from us. I couldn’t see where they were so I ducked. The boy later bought a couple small bats and he had a ball he got that was signed by Jean Segura and a great evening for him.

It was nice to get more solid exercise going up and down the stairs. It would be nice to do that on a regular basis.

The bullpen had a solid outing with only Vincent and Diaz giving up hits in three innings. Diaz did look good though he gave up a hit. I imagined he would give up a home run however he struck out two including the last out of the game. Made the ride home nice and sweet.

Getting the first game of the series after being swept against the Astros will give the Mariners opportunity to take the series against the Angels. The Mariners are going against subpar starting pitching in these two remaining games compared to what they faced against the Astros. Since the Angels and Mariners are close for the wild care it would be extremely important that the Mariners can sweep the Angels.  

 

Mike Leake

Friday night Mike Leake takes the mound for the Seattle Mariners in Safeco Field for his second appearance since being acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals a couple weeks ago.

I have to admit like most Mariner fans I didn’t know much about Leake when the Mariners traded for him. I know that he is a ground ball pitcher which is a good sign especially when the Mariners have a lot of high ball pitchers that is not a surprise since they give up a lot of home runs.

Just before his first outing last Friday general manager Jerry Dipoto the reason they picked up Leake was because of how may innings he pitches along with the fact he has several years left on his contract and that being a ground ball pitcher it cost more money to get one over a high ball pitcher and they are rare as well. Dipoto said to that he is going try to find more ground ball pitchers in the future as well.

My brother Jack lived in St. Louis for seventeen years and is a Cardinals fan so I told him about the Mariners picking Leake up. He was surprised because he said that Leake was the Cardinals number one pitcher at the beginning of the season. So I have to say if he can get anywhere close to being a number one starter like in St. Louis he will be worth getting him. With Felix trying to stay healthy the last couple years and James Paxton staying healthy at all having Leake is a good find. Regardless of the order those three should be at the top of the Mariners rotation next year.

 Leake has pitched a lot of innings since 2010 so if he can continue to do so the Mariners will be very happy about it especially he can throw a lot of quality starts going at least six inning and giving up two or less runs.

Right now the Mariners have thirteen starting pitchers including Leake, Felix and Paxton going into next season with Erasmo Ramirez and Ariel Miranda filling out the two remaining spots as favorites. I could see both of them going to the bullpen as well if Dipoto can go out and find another starter or two.

Though the Mariners may have thirteen starters listed right now doesn’t mean that all of them will be in spring training. In fact I would say several of them most likely will not. They will probably be involved in a trade or released by the Mariners after the season.

I am sure Andrew Moore and Marco Gonzales will get a good see in spring training for the fifth spot however I could see both of them starting in Tacoma as well.

Anyway Leake we want to see another good outing like you made last week going seven innings and giving up two runs. Go M’s.

Seahawks Opening Game Almost Here

The Seattle Seahawks season starts on Sunday against the Packers in Green Bay. This game will show whether the Seahawks will play well on the road to start the season or not.

Pre-season though 4-0 didn’t really show us whether the offense will get off to a good start or not? In recent years the first half of the season the offense has started off slowly. What we hope is that the running game will get off well. With the passing of Aaron Rogers the Seahawks will need to keep the ball away from the Packers as much as possible. I am sure that Rogers will keep the ball away from Sherman’s side and see what he can going the other way. Eddie Lacy should start the game since Thomas Rawls isn’t one hundred percent healthy however Pete Carroll hasn’t announced who will start yet. I am sure Lacy will get his full share of attempts even if he doesn’t start. He has something prove to the Packers as well as himself after being injured most of last season. Pete Carroll likes running backs like Lacy as well. He is the most like Marshawn Lynch that the Seahawks have. C.J. Prosise is healthy as well so he will be in on third downs to either run or catch the ball.

What we hope for is that the Seahawks will be able to get the ball in the end zone as well instead of kicking field goals. It will be nice if the defense can make some turnovers early in the game too. Momentum will be an important part of the game for the Seahawks.

 Getting Sheldon Richardson was great for the Seahawks defensive line. This will allow the Seahawks to have depth enough to rotate players in and out especially with Bennett and Avril both being over thirty. They have Dave Bass behind Bennett while Frank Clark and Marcus Smith behind Avril on the depth chart. Nazair Jones is the backup at both defensive tackle spots however Bennet can move inside on passing downs as well.

Bobby Wagner is back at middle linebacker with KJ Wright at one of the outside linebacker spots. The rest of the linebackers are new to the Seahawks. Cornerback the Seahawks still have Richard Sherman on one side while Jeremy Lane on the other side along with rookie Shaquill Griffin. They both will be in when they go to the five man package. Most likely Lane will play in the inside. It is nice that Kam Chancellor is back with a new contract and a healthy Earl Thomas at safeties. We all know that the Seahawks are better when Thomas is playing.

All I ask for the Seahawks is that they start the season on the upswing instead of waiting until mid-season. It is important they get back to winning most of their home games to have the home field advantage for the playoffs. Go Hawks!