Exciting Weekend in NW Sports

This weekend the Seahawks not only an excellent draft though some of the national draft experts didn’t think as well as some did and then the Mariners beat the Cleveland Indians three out of four on the road. Sunday the Mariners behind the pitching of Marco Gonzales and the hitting of Robinson Cano, Jean Segura, Dee Gordon and Ryon Healy to name a few. Cano had his one hundredth home run as a Mariner on Sunday and then Ryon Healy who had his first as a Mariner on Saturday had two more on Sunday. This does not include Mitch Haniger who had his eleventh for the season and has driven in twenty-seven runs batted in. I expected the Mariners to win because Josh Tomlin the starter for the Indians was struggling going into this game unlike the other three starters who pitched for the Indians in the series.

Gonzales went six innings in the game giving up two runs on six hits one was a home run by right fielder Brandon Guyer in the second inning. Dan Altavilla came into the game in the seventh inning and struggled giving up two runs walking two batters though he didn’t give up a hit. James Pazos actually came in for Altavilla surrendered a double that scored both runners that Altavilla walked. That was it for the game for runs scored by the Indians in the 10-4 win. Besides the two home runs Healy scored three runs total and so did Haniger. Dee Gordon had the most hits in the game with four. Including the four home runs the Mariners had a total of fourteen hits which ten were off of Tomlin. The Mariners now have Monday off before facing the Oakland A’s on Tuesday with Felix Hernandez taking the mound.

In the NFL draft Thursday thru Saturday the following draft picks were running back Rashaad Penny out of San Diego State in the first round and twenty-seventh overall pick when the Seahawks traded with the Green Bay Packers to move down from the 18^th overall. The Seahawks pick in the third round went to defensive end Rasheem Green out of University of Southern California. In the fourth round the Seahawks stayed close to home drafting University of Washington tight end Will Dissly. The round that the Seahawks made most of their picks was in the fifth round. The started out picking linebacker Shaquem Griffin out of Central Florida and the twin brother of Seahawks cornerback Shaquill Griffin who the Seahawks picked last year. This is probably the most exciting pick in the draft for the Seahawks with getting national attention since Shaquem has only one arm. Most likely he could have been a first or second rounder if other teams didn’t pass on him because of having only one arm. We will be seeing great things from him in the future.  

The other players in the fifth round were cornerback Tre Flowers out of Oklahoma State, punter Michael Dickson out of University of Texas and Australia. This is likely the end of Jon Ryan as the Seahawks punter. The Seahawks actually moved up to pick him. The final pick  that the Seahawks made in the fifth round was offensive tackle Jamarco Jones out of Ohio State. He dropped in the draft because of his poor performance at the combine. This could be a steal for the Seahawks and likely start out as a backup at left tackle.

In the sixth round the Seahawks went for Jacob Martin out of Temple University and then the final pick was quarterback Alex McGough out of Florida International as seventh round pick.

The Seahawks have signed several undrafted college free agents including local and Pac 12 players. Among those are Albert Havili defensive lineman out of Eastern Washington, Chris Hawkins safety out of USC, offensive lineman Viane Talamaivao out of USC as well, and quarterback Troy Williams from Utah. You will see them a few more along with draft picks at the rookie camp coming up real soon. Go Hawks!

Look at Seahawks Draft on April 28, 2018

The Seattle Seahawks drafted a running back in the first round on Thursday and a defensive end in the third on Friday however Saturday April 28 is where the bulk of the Seahawks draft is coming from. So here is the look at the draft so far for the Seahawks.

In the fourth round the Seahawks went local drafting tight end Will Dissly out of the University of Washington. He started his college career at defensive end but went to the offensive side of the ball the last two years. He is known for his blocking ability on the running game which is what the Seahawks are looking for. This means likely he will be in the game when the Seahawks go with either two tight ends or even three. During the off-season the Seahawks signed free agent tight end Ed Dickson also known for his blocking. How the offensive line has been working the last few years it helps improving the tight end far as blocking goes. Jimmy Graham wasn’t known for his blocking though he did improve over his time with the Seahawks.

The first of the Seahawks fifth round picks they selected Linebacker Shaquem Griffin out of University of Central Florida also known as the twin brother of Seahawk cornerback Shaquill Griffin who was drafted last year in the third round. Then the Seahawks took cornerback Tre Flowers out of Oklahoma State. Important position to add in the draft since the Seahawks lost Richard Sherman and Jeremy Lane during the off-season. The third pick in the fifth round by the Seahawks they took punter Michael Dickson out of University of Texas and from Australia. This means that likely veteran punter Jon Ryan won’t return. The fourth pick in the third round the Seahawks took offensive tackle Jamarco Jones out of Ohio State. I am sure he is being brought in to add depth to the offensive line.  In the sixth round the Seahawks took another defensive end in Jacob Martin out of Temple University. I am sure he is being drafted to add depth to the position as well.

The final round in the seventh the Seahawks took quarterback Alex McGough out of Florida International. I would not be surprised if the Seahawks put him on the practice squad to develop him as the backup to Russell Wilson in the years ahead. As time goes by during the off-season we will hear more about these plays plus those that the Seahawks sign as college free agents.

In local players in the draft Washington State quarter Luke Falk was taken in the sixth round by the Tennessee Titans. Other players Cole Madison offensive lineman  also a cougar was taken as the first player in the fifth round by the Green Bay Packers.

Two players out of the University of Washington went back to back in the sixth round. Azeem Victor was taken by the Oakland Raiders and Kelshawn Blerrla by the Denver Broncos. Both players are listed as inside linebackers. The seventh round isn’t completed so other local players could still picked otherwise they could sign as free agents.  Go Hawks.

Seahawks Third Round Pick

The Seahawks once again moved down in the draft in the third round this time. They moved from number seventy-six to seventy-nine along with adding a seventh round pick in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A few minutes ago they picked defensive end Rasheem Green out of University of Southern California. Like first round pick Penny they picked for a need and who they wanted. Tomorrow the Seahawks will have four picks in the fifth round along with a sixth and now two seventh round picks. I would not be surprised if the Seahawks move up trading one of the fifth rounder’s along with the six round pick or a seventh round pick to the fourth round.

Scouting reports indicate that Green would go in the second or third round so taking him where they did in the draft sounds like a really choice. The report is that he is good on rushing the passer however has to work on the run but they feel he should be able to do so. They see him as someone who can move into the defensive tackle position as well. For the Seahawks he could do what Michael Bennett did where he played time at end and tackle. We will have to see where things go. They feel to on the negative side that he is lean and could use gaining weight along with taking time to develop. The way the Seahawks rotate players on defense line this might not be a bad thing.

Two University of Washington Huskies players have been drafted so far. The   Tampa Bay Buccaneers took defensive tackle Vita Vea in the first round. He is a player that will be good at rushing the passer along with stuffing the run. He should have a good long career as long as he stays healthy. The other is wide receiver Dante Pettis who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round. His spot going in the second was a bit of a surprise to me however I expect that the 49ers will use as the punt returner well as in the slot at receiver. He was the top punt returner in the country his senior season breaking the NCAA record in touchdowns on punt returns with nine in his college career. Also he was first team all-American in 2017. Although he might play in the slot he was an outside receiver for the Huskies so the 49ers could use him on the outside. I would not be surprised if they use him end arounds as well.

The Washington State Cougars didn’t have any players drafted in the first three rounds. Quarterback Luke Falk might be taken early Saturday in the fourth round. Not sure whether he has the talent to be a starting quarterback in the NFL but would make a good backup quarterback. So locally that will be where people will be watching besides whom the Seahawks pick will be where Falk will land. The best to him tomorrow and I hope he goes to a team that he would fit in well with. Again I will do a breakdown of the players the Seahawks will draft. The Seahawks will be busy with eight picks to be taken at this point anyway. It has been a while since the Seahawks had to look into stocking the roster.

Seahawk First Round Pick

On Friday night the Seattle Seahawks made their first selection in the NFL Draft. There was no surprise that they moved down in the draft. Original selection was supposed to be at eighteen however they made a trade with the Green Bay Packers where they swapped positions along with the Seahawks picking up a third and sixth round draft picks. Also the Seahawks gave the Packers a seventh round pick.

Hearing Coach Pete Carroll and General Manager John Schneider in their press conference they were excited to pick Rashaad Penny running back out of San Diego State. I am sure some were surprised that the Seahawks went for a running back however Pete Carroll feels they need a good running back for the offensive to really work to go along with their offensive line. 

I don’t know much about Penny because I didn’t really see any games that the San Diego State played in but Carroll said that he is both an inside and outside runner. He will compete with the other running backs the Seahawks have. Not sure how things will work when it comes to playing time but believes that Penny can play all downs. Other words he would not necessarily be taken out on third downs when expecting to pass the ball. Also the Seahawks expect him to be on special teams on kickoff returns. How much he plays will not depend on him but I believe the health of the running backs in total.

I was reading posts from fans who didn’t like the pick that much. Not that they didn’t like Penny in some of the posts they felt the Seahawks could have moved down further and added more picks along the way and still got their man. A few thought he was more of a third round pick. I am sure Schneider and Carroll thought the running game so important that they couldn’t stand looking to go further down to be sure Penny was still available. Of course we are not sure whether any other teams were interested in taking the Seahawks twenty-seventh pick after the trade with Green Bay. Also we have no idea whether any other team was interested in moving up to the eighteenth pick as well.

The next pick that the Seahawks have right now on the board is the one they picked up from Green Bay the third round pick seventy-six pick overall and then in the fourth round they have one hundred and twentieth overall pick.

On Saturday the Seahawks will be busy because they have four picks in the fifth round followed by the sixth pick they got from Green Bay and a seventh round pick. The Seahawks have down well before in the fifth round so it will be a key spot to add more players to the roster. We have to remember both Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor were both drafted in the fifth round and we know how they both worked out.

What position the Seahawks will go for in the third and fourth round is a guess since they can use players at multiple positions. It would be nice to pick up some defensive help with both of those picks along with the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds. We will see won’t we?  

Mariners Take Two

Monday night the Seattle Mariners had a big loss to the Chicago White Sox 10-4 however they responded by winning the last games of the series. The White Sox are a struggling team but the Mariners usually play to the level of the competition. It was important that they take the remaining two games which they did. Marcos Gonzales had a good outing on Tuesday and then Wednesday came from behind for a 4-3 win.

What helped the Mariners out was the bullpen who did not give up a hit or a run in both of the wins. They pitched a total of six innings while Gonzales and Felix Hernandez each went six innings.

The Mariners starters have struggled in the most part early on in the season however the offense has done its job most of the time. Felix was able to go six innings against the White Sox giving up three runs on seven hits, walked two batters and struck out four on ninety-five pitches. If Felix can do that on a regular basis the Mariners should win many of his games. What would even be better if he could throw between ninety-five and a hundred pitches over seven innings.

The hitting heroes of the game were Nelson Cruz who drove in two runs on three hits including a double. It is nice to see Cruz get back to hitting well after being on the disabled list. Jean Segura continues to hit well getting two hits and driving in a run. The ultimate hero was Mike Zunino who hit a solo homer his second in this series to win the game. The Mariners could use both of them in the series coming up against the Cleveland Indians. Thursday’s game is an afternoon game so starting in a few hours.

The Indians will be hard to beat because they are pitching their big guns in the series in the first three games. James Paxton will go for the Mariners against Clevenger in this game that has a 2-0 record. The Mariners will need to get to him early like most top pitchers to win the game. Paxton on the other hand will need to rebound from his last outing.

News yesterday the Mariners are going to activate first baseman Ryon Healy Thursday and Daniel Vogelbach who has been struggling as of late is being optioned to Tacoma. Also in the Rainiers game Wednesday Guillermo Heredia was hit in the wrist so he was taken out for precautions and news is that he may be out for a few games. This could mean that he may stay for additional games with the Rainiers and Ichiro stay longer for the Mariners. It will be interesting to see what the Mariners and Dipoto will do when Heredia is ready to go and what happens with Ichiro. Go M’s.

The day or more to say the evening has finally arrived for the NFL Draft on Thursday; the draft will take place for three days going through Saturday. The first round will take place Thursday and then the second and third round on Friday while the remaining rounds four thru ten will go on Saturday. The Seahawks have the 18^th pick of the first round but they don’t have any in the second or third round.  The Seahawks most likely move down in the draft to pick up a second and a third rounder.  So I will update later if anything happens before draft and during the draft. Go Hawks!

NFL Draft Thursday

The NFL draft of college players will take place from April 26 thru April 28. I am not a big draft guru like some people. Outside of watching the Washington Huskies and the Pac 12 I don’t watch a lot of college football and with the draft though it is hard to keep up unless you spend a lot of time with it. The Huskies do have a few players that could be drafted and a few others that might sign as free agents when the draft is over. The draft is now seven rounds. The first round will take place on the Thursday while the second and I believe the third round will be Friday. The fourth through the seventh will be on Saturday.

The Seahawks top pick right now is the eighteenth pick in the first round. The Seahawks right now have no picks in the second and third round. Most likely they will trade down to add a second and or third round pick.

This could change if the Seahawks decide to trade Earl Thomas however I am sure they will be asking for a first rounder and a third rounder. I am sure they won’t take anything less than a first rounder. Since my writing on Earl Thomas last week he announced that he wasn’t going to hold out of training camp so the possibility of trading him is now less possible. The Seahawk may look at giving him a new contract or let him play out the final year of current contract and become a free agent.  They could sign him to a long term contract anytime now until the season is over.

The Seahawks would have to see a player that they really want to stay at the 18^th spot since they would want to add picks. Last year they picked a few extra picks by moving down and out of the first round. Their top pick Malik McDowell out of Michigan State was questionable in the first place but because of an injury before training camp he was out the whole season. There is a good possibility that McDowell will never play in the NFL and word has been that the Seahawks are going to release him. This experience with McDowell the Seahawks have decided to narrow their list of players they will draft this year. Anyone similar to McDowell will be taken off the draft board.

The Seahawks have so many players that they need to restock their roster because the loss of players like Michael Bennett, Richard Sherman, Jimmy Graham along with Cliff Avril and Kam Chancellor who both may retire because of neck injuries. In fact the Seahawks announced the other day that they were going to do a MRI on Kam Chancellors neck. Every position on the defensive side will likely take a draft pick. The first pick whether they stay at 18^th or move down probably be a defensive end. The draft is full of a lot running back so the Seahawks probably will take one in the middle or late rounds. I would say an outside linebacker, safety or cornerback will be chosen too. Besides the running back the Seahawks may look at drafting a tight end. An offensive lineman or wide receiver will be chose if a good one is available to their liking.

I will look at what the Seahawks have drafted along with Huskies and Cougars or any other players out of the state of Washington. So let’s go Hawks.

Monday Mariners Reacquire Elias

We got the news on Monday morning that the Seattle Mariners reacquired Roenis Elias from the Boston Red Sox. The Mariners traded Elias with Carson Smith for Jonathan Aro and Wade Wiley in December 2015. Neither Aro nor Wiley are with the Mariners. In fact the Mariners traded Wiley to the Baltimore Orioles for Ariel Miranda. Now these two pitchers will be teammates with the Tacoma Rainiers and are both left handed.

Elias started the season in Pawtucket the triple A team for the Boston Red Sox. He has been working out of the bullpen however the Mariners are hoping to use him as a starter once again. This certainly gives them depth at the spot just in case they desire another lefty in the rotation. Right now they have James Paxton how has started outed struggling and not looking like the ace the Mariners are hoping for. I am sure he will find his way back to being at the top rotation guy.

Whether they go into the rotation or not Miranda and Elias both will be guys that could work out of the bullpen as long relievers or pitching for an inning or two if necessary. Miranda already made a start for the Mariners as the fifth starter than was sent back to Tacoma when Erasmo Ramirez was given the chance to start on Sunday.

Mike Leake pitched on Monday for the Mariners however he struggled right off the bat (no pun intended) giving the Chicago White Sox batting practice. By the time the first inning was over he had given up five runs. He ended up going four and a two-third innings. When he left the game the Sox had scored eight runs on twelve hits including two home runs. His control was over the plate so much that he didn’t even give up a walk and struck out only one batter. You could say it wasn’t his day.

Wade LeBlanc who is the primary long reliever was able to pitch the rest of the game which was good since the Mariners had to use the bullpen on Saturday and Sunday as well. LeBlanc gave up six hits and two runs so he actually allowed the Mariners to have some chance to get back into the game though the likelihood wasn’t good. It was amazing because the White Sox offense has struggled for the season but this time they let the Mariners pay for it.

The Mariners were blank 8-0 going into the fifth inning when Mike Zunino hit his first homer of the season to make the score 8-2. Mariners scored a run in the seventh inning and then Mitch Haniger who is hotter than blazes hit his eighth homer of the season to give the Mariners four runs in the 10-4 loss.

The Mariners go again this evening with Marco Gonzales who pitched well for four innings in his last outing before getting into little trouble. The Mariners are hoping that he can go at least five if not six innings in this game.

Felix Hernandez will take the mound on Wednesday in an afternoon game before the Mariners go off for Cleveland to play the Indians between Thursday thru Sunday. At this time  Felix is the Mariners most consistent starter though he hasn’t been able to pitch beyond the sixth inning. We hope that Wednesday’s game will be the one that help the Mariners win two out of three games.

It is important that the Mariners take care of the White Sox who have been struggling early on this season. The White Sox are 5-14 a half-game ahead of the Kansas City Royals in fourth place while the Cleveland Indians are first place in the American League Central at 12-8. So we say once again Go M’s.  

Roster Changes

 

The Mariners had to make a roster change on Sunday to activate Erasmo Ramirez to start the game in which he lasted four and two/thirds innings giving up five runs. Like most Mariner pitchers especially starters he gave up two home runs in the third inning that allowed three runs total. I guess we have to question whether Ramirez was ready to go or not.

Anyway the Mariners made a roster move that was not very popular with a lot of Mariner fans including myself when they optioned Guillermo Heredia to Tacoma to make room for Ramirez. Of course whoever was going to be the fifth starter the Mariners had to make a move. The reason they gave for Heredia was that the team wasn’t going to face another left handed starter the rest of the road trip and if it weren’t for James Paxton’s poor outing on Saturday likely they would sent down a pitcher from the bullpen. General Manager Jerry Dipoto basically said so and they wanted to keep Ichiro around because he is a mentor to the younger players which I include Heredia in and the veterans as well. He said that it wasn’t an easy choice to make.

The Mariners will have to make another roster move over the next several days where Ryon Healy will be done with his rehab assignment. Who they will send down is anyone’s guess though Daniel Vogelbach is the likely choice. Heredia is expected to return when the ten days are over and he is eligible to do so. It will be interesting whether he will or not depending on the pitching situation at the time.

Right now the Mariners have three left handed hitting outfielders and one right handed one in Mitch Haniger if you don’t count Nelson Cruz. The Mariners really need to go with two right handed hitters and two left handed hitters. Sunday the Mariners had the bases loaded with two outs and Vogelbach scheduled to hit however a lefty came into the game so they brought Mike Zunino who had the day off to pinch hit. Zunino is someone who is all or not type of hitter. If they had less than two outs I could understand using Zunino in this spot but they had two outs. Heredia would have been the perfect choice if he had still been on the roster because he is a contact hitter. The Mariners could have scored a run to tie the game with a sacrifice fly or gone ahead with a single scoring the runner on second as well but Zunino struck out to end the inning. Heredia does the little things that don’t always show up plus he is involved in rallies for the Mariners as well. Saturday night he started off getting on base that led the Mariners to scoring five runs and this doesn’t count his defense.

A lot of people will say the Mariners did win two out of three in Texas however they could have swept them as well. Another thing is how well will Ben Gamel be playing during this stretch. He finally got a hit and scored a run in this game but previous nine at bats he went hitless. So with him and Zunino the bottom of the batting isn’t doing so well. Of course we can’t forget about Vogelbach as well since he has struggled since he hit his home run last Saturday.

Another thing about Heredia I like his enthusiasm along with Dee Gordon in the dugout and I find it interesting they gave Gordon the day off at the same time optioning Heredia and keeping Ichiro.

I just hope this stretch without Heredia will not hurt the team in the but. We will see indeed and how much will Ichiro play as well? I am sure at some point they will give Haniger a day off and Gamel to especially if he continues to struggle at the plate. Dipoto please bring Heredia back when he is eligible to return and if you have to dfa Ichiro so be it. Remember to if the Mariners don’t make the playoffs you could lose your job and keeping Ichiro worth it.

 

Mariners Bat’s Alive

The Mariners had a tough time at home against the Houston Astros because of the pitching and then on Friday started poorly against the Rangers finally scoring four runs in the ninth inning. On Saturday the Mariners had a really good day hitting the ball. For them to the win the game they had to hit because James Paxton struggled off starting the game throwing more than thirty pitches in the first inning. He was fortunate to only give up a run that inning. The Mariners tied in the top of the  3^rd inning however the Rangers scored three runs in the bottom of the 3^rd to take 4-1 lead.

Nelson Cruz had an outstanding game getting three hits including a two-run homer in the top of the fourth to close the gap 4-3. Cruz first hit a ball that was called foul down the left field line looked like a homer however on the next pitch hit one out in left field that was no doubt at all.

Both the Mariners and Rangers scored a run in the sixth inning to make the score 6-4 however in the seventh inning the Mariners scored five runs including a homer by Robinson Cano and Mitch Haniger to make the lead 9-6.  Edwin Diaz came in the eighth inning to get the final out however struggled in the ninth inning walking three batters along with a hit. He gave up his first run of the season but was able to get out of it for his eighth save of the season for the final score of 9-7.

The top of the Mariner’s order again were the hot hitters with Dee Gordon, Robinson Cano, and Nelson Cruz each getting three hits. Jean Segura had only one hit however it was a big one a double that drove in two runs in the seventh inning.

Guillermo Heredia pinch hit for Ben Gamel against a lefty in the seventh inning was once again part of that rally. The reason he was in the game to be for defense. Even when he doesn’t start in a game he will be brought in late for defense however he always seems to be part of one of the important rallies the Mariners have. He is valuable in so many ways for the Mariners that some may never realize.

Sunday afternoon before the Mariners go to Chicago to take on the White Sox Erasmo Ramirez is expected to be activated and to start his first game of the season. It will be important that he goes at least six innings to rest the bullpen. Also it would be nice to be able to sweep the Rangers as well. The Rangers are 2-10 at home now after these two Mariner wins. The Mariners are two and half games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West. The Los Angeles Angels who are in second place are just a half-game ahead of the Mariners. It will be really nice if the Mariners bats can stay alive for most of the road trip.

Mariners Take Opening Game On Road

The Mariners started off the game on Friday in Arlington Texas against the Rangers with Robinson Cano driving in Dee Gordon in the first inning. The Rangers made a couple outstanding plays in the field included the one that Gordon scored. The Mariners should have had at least a couple runs. They had other opportunities to while Felix Hernandez pitched another outstanding game into the sixth inning. In the sixth inning the Rangers scored their two runs with Sin Soo Choo hitting a double and then came home on a hit by right fielder Nomar Mazara who also scored the second run on a hit by left fielder Joey Gallo to take the lead 2-1. It looked like the lead would stand until Mitch Haniger hit his fifth home run of the season in the top of the eighth inning to tie the score.

Nick Vincent pitched an outstanding inning and an third striking out all four batters after coming in for scrabble who struggled once again who gave up a hit after replacing Felix. Juan Nicasio struggles again in the eighth inning giving up a hit however got out of a jam but finished with a stiff arm. Have to find out how he is doing now and whether he will have to take a few days off or he is injured?

The Mariners though took care of the Rangers in the top of the ninth scoring four runs. The rally started off with Daniel Vogelbach singled then Andrew Romine who pinched run took second on a sacrifice bunt by left fielder Guillermo Heredia. Romine took third on a Gordon single and Jean Segura who had three hits in the game drove both of them in with a double to make the score 4-2. Seager and Haniger each drove in a run to make the final score 6-2. Edwin Diaz came in to seal the game walking a batter but striking out to end the game.

Saturday’s game will be a matchup between James Paxton against Bartolo Colon who pitched a perfect game for the Rangers in his last outing through seven innings. The Rangers beat the Houston Astros in extra innings in that game. We will have to see how the Mariners will do against Colon in this game.

On Friday night’s game I thought the Mariners were thinking that they were facing the Astros still. Nelson Cruz got a couple hits and was robbed of another by an outstanding diving catch by center fielder Drew Robinson. Cruz though looked he was struggling at the plate at times though. I hope that this is over with because the Mariners can use his bat in the lineup.

Mike Zunino made his debut of the season in the game after being activated off the disabled list and playing a few games on rehab assignment. He caught a good game like usual however he didn’t get a hit in five at bats and struck out four times leaving six batters on base. It could take Zunino a few games to get his timing back. David Freitas is the backup catcher as Mike Marjama was sent down to Tacoma.

Sunday the Mariners will have the fifth starter going once again this time against the Rangers. Erasmo Ramirez is expected to make his season debut after Ariel Miranda was sent back down to Tacoma. I am sure we won’t see the last of Miranda.

Earl Thomas Yes or No

The NFL draft is in a week so if the Seahawks trade Earl Thomas it likely will be real soon. Personally I hope that the Seahawks will be able to sign Earl Thomas to an extension instead of trading him.

He is the Seahawks best defender and someday will be in the Ring of Honor so why trade him especially with so much turnover on the defensive side of the ball. If they do trade him that basically leaves Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright as the top defenders on the team. The Seahawks need all three of the guys.

I am sure there will be some saying trade him because he doesn’t want to be here. Actually  he just wants to be paid for his worth as well. Of course will he continue to be the Earl we have seen or will he brake down during the next few years. It will be hard to say at this point but John Schneider and Peter Carroll will need to answer that question for themselves.

If the Seahawks do trade Earl over the next few days they will need to pick up a first rounder and a third rounder for him or two second rounder’s and a third. Nothing less would mean to me that they are rebuilding instead of retooling which is what they have been saying since the beginning of the off-season.

Keeping Earl Thomas means that they should only take a couple seasons to get back on top however if they trade him it could take three or four years. Signing him to a long term contract how will that affect the salary cap? I don’t think that will be a big deal either. I know that the Seahawks can afford to go over the salary cap though I am not sure how much they would be charged if they did.

Trading Earl to the Dallas Cowboys the best idea or is there another team that they can trade him to that can afford to pay him?  Let’s not think any other way except to keep Earl for the next five years. Go Hawks!!

 

Daniel Vogelbach

The man who had the best spring training to make the roster because of injuries to Ryon Healy got his first two home runs for the season and major league career on Friday and Saturday night.  The one Saturday night was a high one hit over the Hit Here Café. No one has hit a ball there for some time. In fact on the television broadcast Mike Blowers couldn’t even remember the last time it was done and Nelson Cruz was impressed as well with the look on his face as he made his return to the lineup.

Vogelbach had a slow start to the season because he wasn’t playing much but when Cruz got hurt and went on the disabled list then the same happened to Ryon Healy he has been playing pretty steady since. Right now he has eight hits on thirty-one at bats and has five runs batted in to go with the two home runs. Also Saturday night he hit a double as well. Like many power hitters he does strike out a lot. Currently he has struck out thirteen times.

Vogelbach should be getting in regular hitting because Ryon Healy is still on the mend so he will be playing a lot of first base. When Healy returns we are not sure at this time. How much playing time Vogelbach will get depends on how he does while Healy is out. He does show that he does have a place on the Mariners roster though they may have to send him down to Tacoma depending on other needs. His defense is suspect though he has made some good places in the field too. In the long run he looks to be a designated hitter with an occasion time at first base. This being with the Mariners on long term is questionable however they could get someone useful somewhere else.

We hope the best for Vogelbach long with Healy. It would be nice to have two power hitters besides Nelson Cruz. We will enjoy him and his progress in the meantime.

The Big Inning

Friday night’s game against the Oakland A’s in the top of the seventh inning I am thinking are the Mariners going to blow this game. The A’s three runs have all been produced by home runs. It frustrates me because the Mariners seem to give up runs by the long ball then in the bottom of the seventh  Mariners scored five runs to take a commanding lead 7-3 with two outs. Mitch Haniger hit a three run homer with Jean Seager and Robinson Cano on the bases then Seager gets a hit followed by Vogelbach getting his first home run. I have the faith now that the Mariners will produce a lot of runs especially late in the game. Sometimes it will be by the long ball and then other times by producing a lot of hits together. Whatever is the case the Mariners look to be a team that will score a lot of runs no matter the time of the game.

Last year I was frustrated because the Mariners would score runs early on in the game but would not add on later on and the other team would get back into the game. This year with Dee Gordon and Jean Segura at the top of the order they hopefully will add on runs especially in the middle of the game whether it is one or two runs at a time. Right now they are doing it without Nelson Cruz, Ben Gamel and Mike Zunino. Cruz and Gamel are expected back in the lineup this weekend or by the series with the Houston Astros starting on Monday. Cruz ran the bases in pregame warmups on Friday so it looks like he might be in the lineup on Saturday while Gamel could be anytime soon. Mike Zunino the Mariners are wanting to be sure he is real close to being one hundred percent before activating him. He might not be play until the Mariners go on their road trip to Texas. Zunino and Gamel will certainly help the bottom of the lineup since they are not getting much production there right now.

With the return of Cruz we will probably see Haniger who has done an outstanding job as the cleanup hitter in Cruz spot move down to sixth or seventh in the batting order. I would like Haniger bat fifth when the Mariners are facing lefties however Seager is hitting well right now. At this point keeping Seager in the fifth spot is probably a good idea since he is used hitting there right now but if he struggles again I could see Haniger going to the fifth spot against lefties. Vogelbach may hit in the sixth spot against righties unless Servais want to go lefty, righty and then lefty again in the order. This could depend how well Vogelbach is hitting at the time. It will be interesting what the Mariners will do when Healy comes back after being on the disabled list. A lot could depend whether the Mariners want to go with seven or eight in the bullpen. Right now the Mariners starters are going six innings in most of the games so long relievers are not being used much. Right now they are expecting Miranda to be activated and start on Tuesday so a reliever will be probably is sent down. This could happen when the Mariners activate Cruz and or Gamel as well. When Miranda starts the Mariners may have seven pitchers in the bullpen instead of nine. They can always bring up a pitcher when the need arises.

Friday night Dan Altavilla and Edwin Diaz continue to pitch well out of the bullpen while Juan Nicasio continues to struggle. He gave up the second home run to Khris Davis in the game. Davis hit his first home run of the game in the first inning. Davis always seems to hit home runs every time he faces the Mariners. I wonder why they even throw the ball to him. He probably gets the home run when the Mariner pitcher makes a mistake throwing the ball over the plate. I would almost walk him every time he is up regardless who is on base. At least the second home run was when the Mariners had the 7-3 lead and no one on base. Diaz recorded his first walk of the season but was able to get out of the game without a scratch. Diaz recorded his fifth save and has an era of 0.00. He has to be the best closer in the major leagues right now. So Sugar keep it going. Go M’s.

Look at Weekend Series

The Seattle Mariners are back home now with a successful road trip and an overall record of 6-4. Last year the record for the first team games was 2-8. Certainly a bright side so far this season though they have been missing Nelson Cruz, Ben Gamel and Mike Zunino in the lineup. There was thought that Gamel would be back for Friday night’s game but according to general manager Jerry Dipoto Thursday afternoon that is less likely but may play either Saturday or Sunday or both. Nelson Cruz might be back over the weekend though Friday night he probably won’t be available. Mike Zunino not sure at this point when he will be cleared to play. He might be ready to go when they play the Houston Astros in Safeco Field starting on Monday. If he isn’t playing in that series he should be available when they go on the road trip to Texas to take on the Rangers.

The Oakland A’s record right now is 5-8 and they are two and half games behind the Mariners. On Wednesday they beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 16-6 before having a day off on Thursday. The A’s do show that they do have some offensive power. Trading Ryon Healy to the Mariners they have Matt Olson playing first base. He has two home runs and five runs batted in along with a .298. Last year he had twenty-four homers in fifty-nine games so that is a pretty good ratio. I doubt that ratio will stay this season. Khris Davis who is the primary designated hitter also has two home runs with five home runs. Last year he had forty-three home runs and most of them seemed like they were against the Mariners. If the Mariners pitching can keep Olson and Davis balls inside Safeco Field the Mariners have a great chance to win the series.

Jed Lowrie again will be the primary second baseman for the A’s. He currently is hitting .333 with three home runs and eleven runs batted in. Don’t expect to keep those numbers going and against the Mariners we hope that he is slowed down. Marcus Semien will be back at shortstop. He only has one home run but has driven in nine runs already and a batting average of .268. He is solid playing shortstop though. Matt Chapman will be at third base. He has started off hitting four home runs with eleven runs batted in with a whopping .328 batting average. The Mariners will have to stop him as well.

The Oakland A’s outfield consists of Matt Joyce in left field, Jake Smolinski in center and Stephen Piscotty in right field. None of them at this point scare anyone at the plate. Have to say the offense is coming from the infielders and dh. Jonathan Lucroy is the veteran catcher however he doesn’t have any home runs and driven in only one run. So if the Mariners can keep the infielders at bay and the rest where they have been hitting the Mariners have a great chance in sweeping the A’s in Seattle. This will be good since they will be playing four games against the Astros at Safeco Field Monday through Thursday.

Mike Leake will be going after his third win Friday night and be followed by Marco Gonzales who struggled in his last outing and Felix Hernandez who pitched well in his last game. We hope that all three will pitch capable games and allow the bullpen not be overused. Go M’s.

Mariners Come Home

The Mariners now come home to play a weekend series against the Oakland A’s for three games and four against the Houston Astros. They started the season winning two out of three against the Cleveland Indians before going on the road winning four games and losing three. They now have a record of 6-4 which is much better than the 2-8 record they had last year after ten games.

It has been good news because they started the season without two starting position players in Ben Gamel and Mike Zunino. They lost Nelson Cruz in the second game in the opening series and then Ryon Healy went down after helping them win last Saturday in Minnesota. They split the series beginning the road trip in San Francisco against the Giants. Marco Gonzales pitched a good game however Felix Hernandez threw a terrible game where his fast ball was straight and he didn’t make it out of the fourth inning. At least he rebounded in Kansas City looking like the pitcher we hope for. We will have to see how Felix does the rest of the way. For the Mariners to have a successful season and make the playoffs he needs to be more the pitcher on opening day and in Kansas City then the one in San Francisco.

Kyle Seager seems to come out of his funk hitting a two-run homer in the eighth inning that lead the Mariners to the win on Wednesday to take the series in Kanas City two out of three. The Royals are not that good of a team this year losing several players to free agency so the Mariner doing what they did in Kansas City is a good sign.

The Mariners are expecting to have Ben Gamel back on Friday against the Oakland A’s. He had been on rehab assignment both in Modesto and for the Tacoma Rainiers. He should be then platooning in left field with Guillermo Heredia who has hit two home runs already this season and is playing normal good defense. What role does Ichiro play it is hard to say right now? How long will he be on the team going forward?

The Mariners have nine pitchers right now in the bullpen so when Gamel is activated someone will have to go. Chasen Bradford who was brought up from Tacoma when Ryon Healy went on the disabled list could go back however he pitched well in his only outing for the Mariners.

The Mariners could activate Nelson Cruz on Friday as well if they feel he is well enough to perform. They could wait until Saturday or Sunday too. In this case one of the utility players either Taylor Motter or Andrew Romine could be gone. Motter would return to Tacoma while Romine would be designated for assignment. Motter seems to play first base better than Romine and with Healy out the Mariners have Vogelbach playing first base however there is still a question how well he plays the position.

Right now not sure when Mike Zunino will be activated he could go on a rehab assignment for a few games while the Mariners decide to send down to Tacoma regarding the two backup catchers. Both have done a solid job behind the plate but both are not hitting that well.

James Paxton held his own on Wednesday against the Royals going six innings giving up six hits and one walk along with two walks. He struck out ten batters on one hundred and two pitches. It would be nice if he could lower the pitch count so he could go seven innings instead.  Nick Vincent pitched a solid seventh inning throwing only six pitches so with Thursday being an off day he should be set to go on Friday as well. Juan Nicasio pitched eighth inning got his fifth hold however he still struggled giving up a hit and a walk before getting out of the inning. Also he threw twenty-one pitches that inning and the Mariners need him throw less pitches in an inning. Edwin Diaz got his fourth save in four opportunities having another outstanding outing. The way he has been throwing the Mariners will be tough to beat leading going into the ninth inning.

The seven game home stand coming up I would find it successful if the Mariners win two out of three against the Oakland A’s and split the four game series against the Houston Astros. That would leave the Mariners with a record of 10-7 going on the next road trip. Beating Oakland all three games would be an added plus. Going 2-2 against the Astros would keep it even right now.

Mike Leake will start in the first game against the Oakland A’s followed by Marco Gonzales and Felix Hernandez. The Mariners will bring up the fifth starter to go in the series against the Astros. Ariel Miranda is expected to be the fifth starter though Erasmo Ramirez could be available depending on how they see him pitching on his rehab assignment. 

Last year the Mariners started out on the road with a good road record but terrible at home. This home stand will give us a better idea how they will do this season at home. The key again is how well the bullpen will work when the Mariners are either ahead or tied. This season looks like the Mariners will be playing in a lot of close games. The top of the lineup keeps doing well on offense so what we have to see where the bottom third works out. So far they haven’t done that well but the return of Gamel and the Zunino will help a lot. Go M’s.

 

 

Sunday Game Postponed

The Mariners game in Minnesota being postponed because of snow shouldn’t come as a big surprise. It does show those who schedule the games before the season begins should have more sense of how they schedule the games.

They have scheduled two days off on Friday’s that I have never heard of before. The second one in Minnesota they should have scheduled the game for Friday and then had Sunday off. This way if any of the three games were postponed they could make up on Sunday. In this case they probably would have gotten all three games in and didn’t have to worry about rescheduling on May 14 when both teams have a scheduled day off as the Mariners return home from a road trip.

On Saturday the Mariners bats came alive winning 11-4. The game was scoreless through three and then the Mariners scored three runs in the fourth inning including a two home run by Kyle Seager. The Mariners scored a couple more runs in the fifth inning to take a 5-0 lead. Mike Leake who started the game was rolling right along until he gave up two runs starting off the sixth inning and was replaced by Scrabble (easier to say and write) gave up a run and two hits in a third of an inning. Dan Altavilla came in to save the day by getting the last two outs without giving up any more runs.

In the eighth inning the Mariners blew the game open when Ryon Healy hit a double to clear the bases and then Guillermo Heredia it a two-run homer his first of the season to score eight runs. The Twins scored a single meaningless run in the ninth inning for the final score.

It was nice to see Healy come out of his slump for one game anyway. The Mariners are expecting Cruz and Zunino to be back next Friday when they start a series in Seattle against the Oakland A’s. Ben Gamel who is on a rehab assignment in Modesto could return at the same time as well.

Mike Leake with the start going five hits and the two runs given up is now 2-0. Not a bad way to start the season for sure. With the rainout that will mean likely every starter will have an additional day off before their next start? Marco Gonzales will be starting on Monday in Kansas City followed by Felix and Paxton on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Mariners have Thursday off on their return home to face the Oakland A’s. So the Mariners will not need a fifth starter as of yet since Mike Leake will likely start Friday. At this point the fifth starter will not be needed to be used until Thursday April 19 against the Houston Astros before heading out on another road trip. That game is scheduled early afternoon. This means that the Mariners will be able to give Erasmo Ramirez additional time to get ready while he is on a rehab assignment right now. Go M’s.

I read that Ryon Healy is now on crutches so we have to see happens here before Cruz comes off the disabled list. Vogelbach seems to be main guy at first base now.  More updates will come on Healy.

The New Seahawks

I know I haven’t written anything for a while on our Seattle Seahawks so I decided it was time. Of course with baseball I am on the Mariners right now however it good to see what the Seahawks are doing whether good or bad or questionable.

I had a friend over breakfast a couple Friday’s go say that we won’t recognize this team other than Russell Wilson. That is really true other than a few other players are staying around as well like Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett to name a couple.

After the 2017-2018 season the Seahawks began by firing several coaches and bring back a couple familiar faces as well. Than they started with the players trading Michael Bennett to Philadelphia Eagles and releasing Richard Sherman; since then it has been not resigning free agents like Jimmy Graham.

Whether the team is rebuilding or reloading the term the Seahawks are using the team will be looking a lot different. The Seattle signed a couple free agents themselves at tight end and the offensive line. These signings were to accomplish the team to get back to running the ball that they have had trouble doing since the departure of beastmode.

One of the big questions now will the Seahawks be able to retain safety Earl Thomas by signing him to a new contract or trade him or let him play out his contract this season. Personally I hope that the Seahawks are able to sign him up because he is the most important piece to the Seahawks defense. With the trade of Michael Bennett and the likelihood retirement of Cliff Avril the defensive line has some returning players and the Seahawks signed a couple free agent defensive lineman how will it work and then the question to is how will Kam Chancellor work out. Will he be able to play near what he has done or will he have to retire because of his injury at the end of the season. Those questions should be answered over the next few weeks.

The College draft will be coming soon going from April 26-28. I am not a real fan of the draft however I do like to see who the Seahawks draft and the Washington Husky players that are drafted. The Seahawks have the eighteenth pick in the first round but they have no picks in the second or third round. It would not surprise anyone if the Seahawks trade down to pick up a second or third round pick along the way. With the turnover of players this will be an important draft for the Seahawks not only for this year but for the next several years. The Seahawks could pick any position on the field for the early part of the draft. Most likely a defensive lineman would be a real good choice in the first round. Getting a running back or a linebacker in the second round wound be pretty good if they are able to pick up one. With the departure of Jimmy Graham and Paul Richardson getting a tight end would be good to along with a wide receiver. For the Seahawks in the later rounds drafting a quarterback to groom as a backup to Russell Wilson would be nice as well.

I am sure whoever else they sign as free agents will be names that are not of top caliber players either. The Seahawks want to keep a good margin under the salary cap if or when they sign Thomas to a contract. Also in another year they will have to sign Russell Wilson to another contract that will cost around $10 million than right now. So his contract will be in the $30 million range. This means to that the Seahawks will be looking at having a lot of young players who are player under their first contracts. How this materializes in wins is anyone’s guess but they could have a couple lean years at least especially the way the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers are building their rosters this year. I would never count out a Seahawks team under John Schneider and Pete Carrol for sure. More for us to see for sure. Go Hawks!

Look at Tacoma Rainiers Opening Roster for 2018

The Tacoma Rainiers have announced their 2018 opening day roster. The season begins on Thursday April 5 at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma.

Most of the roster is made up of veterans as the Mariners want depth in case they have an injury to any players on the roster. Saturday Nelson Cruz sprained his ankle so likely a change will occur before they face the Giants in San Francisco on Tuesday afternoon. The Rainiers have only six players on the opening who are on the Mariners forty man roster and five of them are pitchers. The sixth player is utility player Taylor Motter who could be the player called up to replace Nelson Cruz otherwise they would have to add another position player to the forty man roster. Motter had a pretty good spring training  as well so I am sure he would be guy. Daniel Vogelbach who started Sunday at designated hitter will likely take most of the at bats as designated hitter with Cruz out.

The five pitchers on the Rainiers roster that are on the 40 man Mariner roster are the following Ariel Miranda who will be the likely one called up when the Mariners need a fifth starter in ten days. Other starters on the 40 man roster are Rob Whalen who had a pretty good camp with the Mariners before being sent down to Tacoma. His last outing in spring for the Mariners was his worst start. Another starter will be among the Mariners top prospects in Max Povse. The remaining two are right handed reliever Chasen Bradford and lefty Dario Alvarez who was in the Texas Rangers organization last year. They have eight pitchers that are not on the Mariners 40 man roster that include reliever Shawn Armstrong and Christian Bergman.

The Rainiers two catchers are Tuffy Gosewisch who spent a little time last year with the Mariners and Garrett Kennedy who likely is there until Mike Zunino comes off the disabled list for the Mariners. David Freitas was called up to Seattle from Tacoma and he likely will return when Zunino is ready.

The position players are primarily made up of veterans. Gordon Beckham returns after trying the free agent market at the end of spring training. He will probably play mostly second base though he will see again in the other spots of the infield. Matt Hague will be the first baseman until or if Daniel Vogelbach returns to the Rainiers. Vogelbach had an outstand spring training that the Mariners decide to keep him until they at least needed a fifth starter. The other two men playing the infield be Danny Muno who likely play a lot of third base and Zach Vincej at short if Taylor Motter is brought up to replace Cruz.

The outfield for Tacoma will be primarily made up of veteran triple A players. They have John Andreoli who played the last three years in Iowa of the Chicago Cubs organization. He is a right handed hitter with speed but not much power. Spring training he played a lot in left field so may be his position for the Rainiers. Two other veteran triple A players the Mariners picked up in off-season Kirk Nieuwenhuis who has played some in the major leagues as well. He played a full season with the Milwaukee Brewers playing in 125 games but only 16 games last year. He played the majority of the season for the Brewers triple A team. The third veteran outfielder is Cameron Perkins who played for the Philadelphia Phillies and their triple A team last season. Finally the fourth outfielder is Ian Miller who was named the Mariners minor league top hitter last season. He split his season between double A and the Tacoma Rainiers. He is known for his defense and stealing bases.

So that is what the roster looks like for the coming season for the Tacoma Rainiers and we wish them all the best of luck. We hope not to see many of them in a Mariners uniform until the end of the season. Go Rainiers!!

Poor Outing Paxton and Cruz Hurt

I thought Saturday’s game that the pitchers would be in a good match however both of them didn’t pitch well. Paxton wasn’t able to get the ball over the plate consistently and walked a couple guys before giving up a grand slam homer to ex-Mariner Yonder Alonso in the first inning. It certainly put the Mariners behind the eight ball as you would call.

Paxton had struggled during spring training however I am sure all had hoped that was over with starting beginning of the season. The Mariners did fight back a couple times however the Indians won in the end 6-5. Paxton was able to go four and two-thirds innings but still continued to struggle. He threw for over one hundred pitches. Casey Lawrence came in and helped the Mariners to stay in the game going two and two-thirds innings without giving up a hit. He was followed by scrabble who got two left handed hitters out. Dan Altavilla pitched a scoreless ninth inning to give the Mariners a chance.

We hope that in his next outing that Paxton will be back to himself. Sunday Mike Leake goes for the Mariners we hope to get the win and the Mariners win two out of three games. That would be a good way to start the season for sure.

In the eighth inning we found out that Nelson Cruz was injured and Guillermo Heredia pinch hit for him. I believe Heredia was in so he could lay down a bunt which he wasn’t able to do so. He ended up flying out to left field. Daniel Vogelbach got his first action in the ninth inning pinch hitting for catcher Mike Marjama however he struck out. All we hope is for a better day Sunday.

We found out after the game that Nelson Cruz had turned his ankle going down into the dugout after hitting his second home run of the season. We should know today how long he will be out. I am sure that Vogelbach will be in the lineup for him.

Ichiro got his first two hits of the season in the game however it was his outstanding catch that saved the Mariners a run as the ball was over the left field. Thank you Ichiro.

Today is kids opening game so I expect another big crowd for Easter Sunday. On Monday the Mariners will have a day off and then go to San Francisco to play the Giants in a two game series before going on to Minnesota to face the Twins. Because of the off days it is possible that Zunino could be ready to go in that series. More news will be on that later just like about Cruz. He said that he wasn’t able to walk on the ankle so he could be out for a little while. I have had three ankle sprains so I know how that goes for sure. Anyway let’s go to it Mariners.

 

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