Seahawks Offensive Line

We all know how terrible the Seahawks running game has been since Marshawn Lynch left. Yes a major problem has been the offensive line. So much that Tom Cable was fired after the season and now they have Mike Solari who previously coached under Mike Holmgren.

The Seahawks also hired Brian Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator as well. The whole purpose is for the Seahawks to get back to running the ball. I am sure the scheme will be different for the Seahawks as well.  We will find out in short order whether the problem has to do with the scheme or the players. This will go for the offensive line along with the running backs and tight ends. No longer do the Seahawks have Jimmy Graham who was not known for his blocking ability at tight end or Luke Willson.  The Seahawks signed free agent tight end Ed Dickson who has been known primarily for his blocking though he has been more catches the last few years as well. Returning for the Seahawks at tight end is Nick Vannett who has three years of experience with the Seahawks. We hope that his experience will allow him to materialize after playing behind Graham and Willson. Although he is known for his blocking the Seahawks will hope he will be able to catch some passes. The Seahawks also have Tyrone Swoopes in camp for his second duty. Since the Seahawks will probably keep three tight ends the odds are against Swoopes making the squad unless something happens to Dickson or Vannett or rookie Will Dissly out of Washington who the Seahawks drafted in the fourth round. Dissly would have to be a bust not to make the squad. He is known for his blocking as well along with soft hands. Although none of the three who make the final cut will be known for their receiving skills I am sure we will see some pass catching out of them as well.

The offensive line will be made up of veteran left tackle Duane Brown who the Seahawks picked up from the Houston Texans a few days after they played them. The Seahawks will have George Fant  back returning after being out all last season after being the starting left tackle going into the season. The Seahawks also drafted Jamarco Jones out of Ohio State in the fifth round. Either player could move over to the right tackle spot where Germain Ifedi was the starter last year but had a terrible season with a lot of holding penalties.  Ethan Pocic is expected to be the left guard after having an excellent rookie season last year. He is one that can play at all the position on the offensive line including center. Speaking of center Justin Britt will return again as the starter. He is backed up by Joey Hunt though Pocic could move into the spot.  The right guard right now belongs to D.J. Fluker who they signed as a free agent during the off-season. I see the Seahawks offensive line being better this coming season with a new coach, new scheme and experience. We won’t know for sure until the season is under way. Go Hawks!!

Mariners Look to Split Series

 

The Seattle Mariners after beating the Texas Rangers in the opening game of the four game series in Safeco Field behind the pitching of Marco Gonzales have lost the last two games in a fashion that we have seen before but I believe more in the past then in the present.

 

The Mariners had the lead both on Tuesday and Wednesday night however the bullpen wasn't able to survive letting the Rangers off the hook. Both games the Mariners were leading 4-2 when Felix Hernandez and James Paxton left the games. The difference though when Hernandez left the game the bases were loaded with no outs while Paxton didn't come out to pitch the sixth inning. The reason that Paxton was lifted he threw over thirty pitches in the fifth inning without giving up a run. Altavilla gave an unearned run in the sixth inning but it was the seventh inning where everything went badly. The Mariners scored a single run in the sixth inning to lead 5-3 but  Ryan Cook and  Marc Rzepczynski each gave up two runs. Juan Nicasio came in to keep the lead at 7-5 for the Rangers. He pitched the remaining of the seventh along with the eighth. Chasen Bradford pitched the ninth to give the Mariners a chance.

 

 

Ben Gamel pinched hit for Guillermo Heredia and hit a double. Nelson Cruz who seems to get his hitting eye back hit a hard ball to score Gamel but wasn't able to be driven in himself for the Mariners losing in the end 7-6.

 

 

We know that the pitching isn't going to be there every game and so with the offense but we hope that they can work together on occasion. We hope Thursday night is one of those nights. The Houston Astros lost again to the Yankees on Wednesday night so the Mariners had another chance to tie or take the lead in the American League West.  We will know later on Thursday whether Dee Gordon will be activated as expected. I hope that the Mariners can find a lefty specialist out on the market in the same way they picked up Alex Colome and Denard Span who by the way got his first two hits as a Mariner Wednesday Night.

 

 

Chris Herrmann who made a start when called up had to go on the disabled list because of a oblique strain happening during batting practice so David Freitas was called up to be the backup catcher. We hope that Herrmann isn't out too long since he could be valuable as a left handed hitter who could play first base well as catch. Wade LeBlanc takes the mound once again for the Mariners. We hope that he will pitch like he has in his last five outings. He is getting his pitch count up so hopefully he can go six or seven innings. Both Colome and Diaz didn't pitch Wednesday night so they should be available. We hope that these last two games were just hiccups in the schedule. Go M's.  

The Mariners Tops in Stats

 

The Look at the Mariners Top Players in Stats

 

We maybe surprised in who leads the Mariners in the different categories.

 

 

We will begin with Wins. There is a tie with five between Marco Gonzales, Mike Leake and Felix Hernandez.  James Paxton has only four wins however has only one loss.

 

 

Losses:  Hernandez leads with four while Gonzales and Leake have three losses.

 

 

ERA: Starting rotation with at least ten outings is James Paxton at 3.10 he is followed by Marco Gonzales at 3.80.  Wade LeBlanc has pitched in ten games but only has started fine with an era of 2.70

 

 

ERA: The bullpen   James Pazos has the lowest with at least ten games at 1. 40  followed by Chase Bradford at 2.29 and Edwin Diaz at 2.83

 

 

Saves:  Edwin Diaz at nineteen

 

Strikeouts:  James Paxton with 90 followed by Felix Hernandez with 55 and Edwin Diaz with 48

 

Walks:  Felix with 28 followed by Paxton with 20

 

Hits given up:   Leake with 72 followed by Felix and Gonzales with 65

 

Home runs given up:  Felix with 11 followed by Paxton and Leake with 8

 

Now when it comes to position players

 

Batting average:  Jean Segura .330 followed by Dee Gordon .304

 

Hits:  Segura 72     Gordon 56

 

Home Runs:  Haniger 11  followed by Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager with 9.

 

RBI's :   Haniger with 39      Segura  35

 

Walks:   Haniger 25        Cano  21

 

Strike Outs:   Mike Zunino  48   Haniger 47     Seager  45

 

Stolen Bases:   Dee Gordon  16   Segura  12

 

Error Made:  Segura 5   Gordon and Seager 4

 

Assists:     Segura   134    Seager  117

 

 

 



Baseball Draft and More

While the Mariners are looking Tuesday Night to go over fourteen games above five hundred the scouts for the Mariners are getting ready or the college and high school draft that happens next week starting on Monday June 4 thru June 6. The Mariners have the fourteenth spot in the first round. There have been mock drafts going on where the Mariners may draft a college outfielder or a high school pitcher. Whatever the case we know that the Mariners need to build up their farm system. Most agree that the Mariners don't have a very good farm system.

 

The purpose for the draft according to general manager Jerry Dipoto is not only to use for future players on the roster but to use for trading when picking up players from other teams. Last week the Mariners used to get players Alex Colome and Denard Span by trading two prospects. The name that most people new was right handed pitcher Andrew Moore who pitched several games with the Mariners last season.

 

The Mariners have only five players on the twenty-five man roster  they either drafted or signed. Two of them are right handed pitchers Dan Altavilla and Edwin Diaz  while   catcher Mike Zunino is the only first round draft pick and third baseman Kyle Seager who I believe was a third round pick the same year they drafted his college teammate with the second overall pick in Dustin Ackley. The sixth player is Guillermo Heredia who the Mariners signed as international free agent out of Cuba.

 

The first two rounds will take place on June 4 while round three through ten I believe will be on June 5 then round eleven through forty will take place on June 6.  The chances are pretty good that those drafted on June 6 we will probably not see them ever in a Mariner uniform. It will be quite unusual if that happens but they could be used in any future trades over the next few years. Currently the way the draft works teams do not trade draft picks like they do in the NFL or NBA.

 

In other local sports the University of Washing Huskies woman's softball team are playing in the college World Series so wish them the best. The Seattle Seahawks will have another OTA this week so we will see more what may happen with it. I will be coming up looking at the different positions in the weeks ahead before training camp in late June.  The Seahawks have signed free agent receiver  Brandon Marshall according to him anyway. It is hard to know what his chances will be to make the team however it does add depth just in case something happens to any of the other receivers. With the loss of Paul Richardson who signed with the Washington Redskins during the off-season there is a spot open. Paul Richardson was the Seahawks number two receiver which now I am sure belongs to Tyler Lockett. 

 

News just came in that Jean Segura will be back leading off and playing shortstop Tuesday night. Also the Mariners are giving Guillermo Heredia a rest and have Mitch Haniger in centerfield while Ben Gamel will be in right field while Denard Span will make his second start in left field. I expect that Haniger will have a day off sometime this week as well.

Mariners Win Again Despite Lack of Offense

 

The Seattle Mariners Monday afternoon won again behind the starting pitching of Marco Gonzales, relievers James Pazos, Alex Colome and Edwin Diaz. Gonzales was able to go six and two-thirds innings before tiring. He gave up four hits, four walks and four strike outs so that he struggled a little bit but still pitched an outstanding game giving up one run that was not earned in a 2-1 victory.

 

 

The Rangers scored first in the top of the fourth inning however the Mariners waited later however fortunately not as late in some of the previous games. The Mariners scored their two runs in the sixth inning when Nelson Cruz drove in newcomer Denard Span and then Kyle Seager drove in Mitch Haniger. The Mariners had a chance to score a couple runs in the bottom of the seventh inning when Andrew Romine bunted two runners over to second and third base but they were both stranded. Colome came in and pitched well in the eighth inning after Pazos took care of one batter after replacing Gonzales in the sixth inning with two outs. Colome after giving up a single balked the batter to second base that was somewhat questionable and manager Servais came out to see why. It didn't seem to faze Colome as he struck out the last batter of the eighth inning. Edwin Diaz came in the ninth inning to do his duty. He did walk a batter so the Rangers used Joey Gallo as a pinch hitter who has fifteen home runs on the season however he  pop up to end the threat. So another victory for the Mariners and Diaz with his eighteenth save.

 

Although the plan was to start Jean Segura in the game the Mariner's doctor decided to scratch him from the game. He is expected to start Tuesday's night's game. The Mariners are hoping that Dee Gordon will be back and activated on Thursday. This should help the Mariners get back to full strength. The Mariners are hoping this means that the Mariners offense will get back on scoring runs hopefully at a clip of over four runs a game. It is nice to see the Mariners pitching especially the starters are going deep enough into games to give them a chance to win. Felix Hernandez takes the mound on Tuesday so I am sure that everyone in Mariner land are hoping that he can get past giving up so many runs in the first inning. His last outing that led to their last loss Felix gave up four runs in the first inning however he did give them a chance getting sixteen out of the last seventeen batters out. Unfortunately it was too much for the offense to overcome. I am sure the Mariners offense will break out soon and Tuesday is the day. Go M's. 

Mariners Play Four Against Rangers

Monday afternoon the Seattle Mariners take on the Texas Rangers in the first of a four game series.  The Mariners have won eight of their last ten games while the Rangers have gone 5-5. The Mariners right now are one game behind the division leading Houston Astros. The Astros will be taking on the Yankees in New York and the results of the game could be over or close to when the Mariners and Rangers start their game. So if the Yankees beat the Astros and the Mariners beat the Rangers the Mariners and Astros would be tied for the lead in the division.

 

Marco Gonzales who had an outstanding outing in his last start going seven innings will face former Mariner Doug Fister. This game will be important to both teams. The Rangers need confidence that they can get out of the cellar and the Mariners continue winning. The series against the Twins the offense struggled though they did score at important times especially late in the games however I am sure the players will want to get back to scoring runs.

 

Good news is that Jean Segura passed his concussion test so he should be back in the lineup Monday after missing Sunday's game. The Mariners are expecting to have newly acquired Denard Span activated for the game. Not sure whether he will start in the game but wouldn't surprise me at the same time. On the positive side though the offense had hard time scoring runs in the series against the Twins Ben Gamel had six hits in the series including three in Sunday's game so he is showing the Mariners coaching staff that he still wants to start games. Both Dipoto and Servais mentioned when acquiring Span that he would play a lot though Gamel will continue to play. The Mariners will have only two days off in June so it will be important to keep all four outfielders fresh. I am sure somewhere Guillermo Heredia who has surprisingly been hitting well against righties will have a day off once in a while against a tough righty and the same would go with Mitch Haniger. Span will likely play in center field when Heredia gets a day off and Gamel will probably shift to right field when Haniger gets a day off. All four could be in the lineup if the Mariners need to give Nelson Cruz a day off. Cruz has been struggling at the plate so a day off once a week wouldn't be a bad idea to rest him. It is nice now to have four solid outfielders where the Mariners can go with hot hands at the plate.

 

Dee Gordon has been taking grounders at second base and he may be activated by Thursday. At that point the Mariners will have to make a decision whether to keep Gordon Beckham or Andrew Romine as the extra infielder. Neither player is hitting well so Romine should have the advantage being with the team all season and he is available to play all positions. I hope that Dipoto can go out and get someone who can strengthen the utility position.

 

Besides Gonzales pitching Monday he should be followed by Felix Hernandez on Tuesday, James Paxton on Wednesday and Wade LeBlanc on Thursday. We hope that Felix can find his way through the first inning without trouble he has found himself in the last few outings. Paxton and LeBlanc  both have been pitching outstanding in May so the Mariners could win three out of four games against the Rangers. What we do know that the players have to be full of confidence  after their series against the Twins. Go M's.

Mariners Sweep Twins

 

It was isn't easy and not a normal sweep for the Mariners over the Minnesota Twins. The first two games the Mariners won by one run in however on Sunday they made it to win by two runs but it didn't happen until late in the game.

Both starting pitchers did an outstanding job going into the eighth inning they were both still on the mound and the score was 1-1. The Twins scored first in the second inning and then Kyle Seager tied the game in the fourth inning with a home run.

It did look like another game that could go into extra innings however in the bottom of the eighth inning Ben Gamel started off with a single however he was thrown out trying to steal second on a close play. Manager Servais had them review the play that looked like he was safe but with it looking so close they did not overturn it. It was a really great throw by catcher Bobby Wilson who had to come up throwing on a low pitch. Mitch Haniger walked then  Nelson Cruz who was up next struck out so things looked like there would be a tie going into the ninth however Kyle Seager hit a single to move Haniger to second and then Ryon Healy hit a ball that went by the shortstop into left field. I thought the play at home plate would be close but the ball got by the left fielder and went all the way to the wall so not only did Haniger score so did Seager. Healy was on second base when newcomer catcher Chris Herrmann was at the plate. He hit a single into left field  but Healy was thrown out at home to end the inning with a 3-1.

The Mariners didn't have any plan to pitch Edwin Diaz in the game so Alex Colome the Mariners traded for along with Denard Span took the mound for the save.  He got all three batters out on nine pitches without striking out anyone but no hits either his first save with the Mariners. Span should be in town for tomorrow night's game so another move will have to be made.

 

Here are the moves the Mariners made. They activated Colome before the game and put Nick Vincent who was hurt in Saturday night's game on the ten day disabled list. They brought up Chris Herrmann from Tacoma along with pitcher Dan Altavilla. To make room for Herrmann on the roster they designated Taylor Motter for assignment. If Motter isn't claimed on waivers than he will stay on the Tacoma's roster. Also backup catcher David Freitas was optioned to Tacoma. 

 

The Mariners will have to make another move tomorrow when Span arrives. Most likely outfielder John Andreoli will be sent back to Tacoma. Dee Gordon says that he will probably be ready to go on Thursday so the Mariners will have to make another move then.  We all hope that Vincent will be ready to go when the ten days are up on the disabled list. More news will come for sure however right now the Mariners have a record of 32-20 which looks pretty good to me and better than what we expected. Go M's.



Zunino Hits One to Victory

Saturday night the Mariners had another one of those close games which they are having frequently and probably continue until they are completely healthy. The game was zero to zero through the fifth inning until the Twins scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning however Jean Segura led off with a home run. After Haniger reached base on a walk Nelson Cruz home run for the Mariners to take a 3-2. It looked like Wade LeBlanc who pitched a wonderful game would get the victory however the Twins scored a run in the eighth inning to tie the game. Nick Vincent who got the first two outs along with walking a batter had to leave the game because of injury was replaced by James Pazos who gave up two hits that scored a run that was credited to Vincent.

The score stayed the same until the bottom of the twelfth when Mike Zunino hit a solo home run to win the game 4-3. Chase Bradford who pitched the top of the twelfth got the victory. Zunino who had struck out three times in the game was due to have contact with the ball and so he did with a long home run that had no doubt. I call him the all or nothing for a nickname. Fortunately for the Mariners he got it all this time and it was his eighth of the season.

I wonder how many home runs and doubles that Zunino could have if he went a whole season being consistent at the plate. The Mariners want him primarily for his defense and occasional bomb like in this game but having Zunino hitting .250 or higher for the whole season would be a joy to see. He would be an all-star for many years. If he isn’t able to hit any higher than the low two hundreds or like he is right now at .198 the Mariners will need to bring in another catcher. I would never get rid of Zunino because of his defense and power as long he performs but having another catcher that can hit for average would be really nice. I would like someone who bats left handed and can play first base as well. The unfortunate part though they are hard to find or I am sure Dipoto would have gotten one of them already. Anyway we will see what happens but we will enjoy Zunino as he is right now.

The Mariners will look at sweeping the Twins today with Mike Leake at the mound. After this game they will have seven more games at home before going on the road. Alex Colome the Mariners picked up along with Denard Span is supposed to arrive in time for Sunday’s game. With the unknown status of Nick Vincent injury it is a welcome sight. Jean Segura was hit in the helmet in the bottom of the eighth inning so his status is unknown after leaving the game. Gordon Beckham took his spot and Andrew Romine moved over to shortstop. Denard Span is expected in Seattle on Monday after clearing up some personal matters. It is amazing to think that when a move is made to improve the team something else happens as well. Monday the Mariners will take on the struggling Texas Rangers for a four game series in Seattle. The Mariners will finish the home stand next weekend with a series against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Mariners will go on a six game road trip after that facing the Houston Astros for two games and the Rays for four. It will be interesting to see where the Mariners record will be after that. The Mariners right now are eleven games above five hundred with a record of 31-20. I figured if the Mariners just play one game above five hundred the rest of the way in the final one hundred and eleven games they will win 87 games. We can imagine what they will do if they do even better. Go M’s.  

Seahawks Training Camp About Two Months Away

This week the Seattle Seahawks had another round of  ota's. Russell Wilson along with the offense working on the new offense by Brian Schottenheimer which we all hope improves the running game over what it was the last two seasons especially last year when it was one of the worst in the NFL.  They made Rashaad Penny their top draft at running back. I am sure he will be the guy the other running backs will have to contend with to get more playing time. The running backs still on the roster are Chris Carson who was injured early on in the season, Mike Davis who started the season on the practice squad however had a good time when he had a chance to play, C.J. Prosise and J.D. McKissic  who are considered third down backs at this time. Prosise has seen a lot of promise unfortunately he has been injured the last two years. For him to make the ball club he has to be healthy this year. Penny though is a good pass receiver as well so he could be in on a lot of third downs as well. McKissic if he makes the team could lineup out as a wide receiver as well since he played the position in college. The Seahawks have four fullbacks in camp however only one will make the roster if that. The Seahawks could use Davis at fullback or move one of the tight ends into the position. I will go into the tight end position on a later post. 

 

The key to the offense still be the offensive line. With a new offensive line coach I see the Seahawks will improve there. We will have to see for sure. The Seahawks only drafted one offensive lineman though they did bring in a few free agents but mostly will go with the same chore group. More on them  later as well.

 

A big change will happen on the defensive side of the ball too. The type of defense won't change but the players will. The defensive line will be without Cliff Avril who retired because of neck injury and the trade of Michael Bennett to the Philadelphia Eagles along with releasing of Richard Sherman who signed with the San Francisco 49ers. So the OTA's will show who will fit in to replace those threw along with the outside linebacker. The Seahawks may to go with another safety as well since at this time not sure whether Kam Chancellor will return or not. Earl Thomas should be at the other safety spot though he isn't at the OTA's. It will be interesting to see if the Seahawks will have Thomas finish off his contract or sign him to a new contract or trade him. The story still ready to unfold. 

 

One thing for sure not only has the coaching staff has changed a lot during the off-season so has the roster. We will have to get used to seeing who the players are during the pre-season beyond just the rookies. Anyway look forward to see how things look at the end of July. Go Hawks!!  

Mariners Make Trade with Tampa Bay

 

Friday afternoon the news came out that the Mariners made a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays to help out the bullpen and the outfield.

The two players the Mariners picked up were reliever Alex Colome and outfielder Denard Span. The Mariners gave up two minor league prospects righthanded pitcher Andrew Moore who spent part of last season with the Mariners and right handed pitcher Tommy Romero who  has started nine game for the Clinton LumberKings.

 

Neither Colome and Span haven't  had great seasons so far however their experience will help the Mariners out. Colome may be pitching the eighth inning and occasionally the ninth so that Diaz is not overly used. Last year Colome had forty-seven saves in sixty-five games. Also he only gave up four home runs and an era of 3.24. In 2016 he didn't pitch as many games however had an era of 1.91. He had thirty-seven saves in forty opportunities. He is only twenty-nine years old so could be around for several years.

 

Denard Span comes in to play left field. He is a left handed hitter along with throwing left. He has played some center field so he could at times give Guillermo Heredia some time off. This means that Ben Gamel will no longer be the starter in left field but according to Jerry Dipoto he will spend regular time in the outfielder too. Gamel could play some time in right field when Mitch Haniger needs rest. It certainly gives the Mariners four solid major league outfielder. Gamel could spend time at first base as well. Depending on the health of Nelson Cruz one of the guys could dh as well so all four could be in the lineup. Dipoto sees a rotation of the four.

 

It looks like the trade will make the Mariners a better team. Colome is someone who helps to with the loss of David Phelps. It will be interesting to see who the Mariners will send down when they are activated. Go M's.



Trouble in the First For Felix

So far in the season Felix Hernandez is having trouble getting out of the first inning. He has an era over twelve in the first inning.

On Thursday afternoon he gave up four runs in the first and none after that in which he pitched six innings. He walked only one batter and didn’t give a home run that he has done in games before. There are some fans wondering if he should start the game and come in the second inning or later. Other words have a relief pitcher start the game. I am not sure whether that will work at all anyway. Of course I am sure there are those who may think that Felix should be sent to the bullpen or not be on the team at all. The Mariners will still have to pay him for another season after this one whether he is on the team or not. Since he is pitching well from the second through five or six innings depending on how many pitches he throws pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre and Felix will have to look at film to see what the problem is in the first inning.  We should know the problem can be corrected. At least we hope so any way. It is hard to know whether the problem is mechanical or mental. At least with the Mariners being nine games above five hundred at this time and the other starters seem to be doing well keeping Felix in the rotation a few more times should be fine. We just hope that he can work it out. The Mariners don’t have many other options in the rotation unless you bring someone up from Tacoma like Christian Bergman who had an outstanding outing when they brought him up recently.

On the positive side Felix retired sixteen of his final seventeen batters so this could be something to look forward to. We will have to wait and see. The Mariners scored a run in the first and second inning to keep it close. Also got another run in the eighth and had runs on base but were not able to score again in a 4-3 loss. Now it is time for the Mariners to go on another five game winning streak. Yes that is how many games the Mariners won in a row before Thursday.

 James Paxton goes for the Mariners Friday night in the first game of the weekend series against the Minnesota Twins at Safeco field. Paxton had another complete game in his last outing. The second one in his career both this month; of course his first one was the no-hitter. We hope again that he continues on this path of pitching outstanding games. The Mariners offense without Cano for a while along with Mitch Haniger and Nelson Cruz each nursing injuries and Dee Gordon on the ten day disabled list the Mariners will have to scratch for runs. A game like Thursday it will be important that the pitching does well. We hope that guys like Jean Segura keeps hitting well along with Ben Gamel stepping up and the continued success of Guillermo Heredia batting second. Also need to have the power come from Kyle Seager, Mike Zunino and Ryon Healy. Until Gordon gets back won’t see much at the plate from the second base spot. Whatever we get from Gordon Beckham and Andrew Romine will be bonus. On Thursday at least Romine got a hit and scored a one. Ryan Cook so far has done well since being called up for the Mariners in the bullpen. If he continues he will be a good asset coming in either the sixth or seven inning. Go M’s.

Going For the Sweep

The Seattle Mariners will be facing the Athletics in the final game of this series in Oakland Thursday afternoon. Felix Hernandez will be going for the Mariners. He has had a lot of success against the A’s. He will have to see what he can do since he hasn’t done well in last couple outings. The Mariners offense in what state it is right now might not score a lot of runs today. Of course Felix is used to the Mariners not scoring a lot of runs when he is on the mound.

Marcus Semien the shortstop of the A’s has had the most success against Felix for those who have had at least thirty at bats. He is batting .333 and includes four home runs. The next in line is Jed Lowrie who has had the most at bats with fifty-three and he is batting .245 against Felix with three home runs. Matt Joyce is the only other one in their lineup that has more than thirty at bats and he is batting .125. Not much of a sample size for the rest of the A’s lineup. Felix success against the A’s in Oakland hopefully will come to light.

In a surprise move the A’s Josh Lucas  will be making his first start in the major leagues. He was recalled last Friday May 18 and has pitched in relief a couple of games. Hard to know at this point how the Mariners will do against him.

Wednesday night Marco Gonzales probably pitched his best game against the A’s going seven innings giving up two hits, walked two batters and striking out six without allowing a run in a 1-0 victory. This I believe is the first time that Gonzales has gone seven innings and he threw one hundred and two pitches. The duo of Juan Nicasio who has struggled in May pitched the eighth inning giving up one hit however struck out a batter without walking any one. Edwin Diaz got his seventh save of the season striking out all three batters that he faced in the ninth inning. At this rate he should go way over forty saves for the season and in July be on the all-star team.

John Andreoli made his major league debut for the Mariners that including his first hit and made an outstanding catch in the outfield. He played right field in place of Mitch Haniger who is day to day after getting hit in the right wrist on Tuesday. The Mariners sent pitcher Dan Altavilla to Tacoma to make room for Andreoli. At this point the only other choice in the outfield was utility player Andrew Romine.

Guillermo Heredia who continues to do well since being put into the starting lineup with the injury then suspension of Robinson Cano scored the only run of the game after hitting a double and then Seager hit a ball to shortstop Semien who was playing in however received an error. The Mariners are now ten games above five hundred with a record of 29-19 so with the sweep the Mariners would record their thirtieth win of the series. The Mariners haven’t quite played a third of the season which puts them on pace to go over ninety wins for the season and should get a wild card birth.  

Friday the Mariners will come home to face the Minnesota Twins over the weekend. James Paxton who has had an outstanding May including a no-hitter will go for the Mariners. The Mariners will finish off May at home against the Texas Rangers in four games. Go M’s.

In other news the Mariners have agreed on a new lease at Safeco Field for the next twenty-five years plus options for longer. So the Mariners will be going nowhere for now which is great news.

Injuries Pile Up For Mariners

Last season the Mariners were going through a lot of injuries to the pitching staff we know however this year it going with the everyday lineup. At the beginning of the season the Mariners had Ben Gamel and Mike Zunino on the shelf then Nelson Cruz and Ryon Healy a couple days later. Actually Healy started spring training not able to swing the bat however was ready when the season started before another injury happened after the third game against the Cleveland Indians at Safeco Field.

Right now Nelson Cruz is day to day and then on Tuesday Mitch Haniger was hit on the right wrist and he is day to day. Dee Gordon went on the disabled list on Tuesday with a sore toe and Daniel Vogelbach was called up in his place. Daniel Vogelbach  was designated hitter with Cruz nursing an injury. Andrew Romine came in to take Haniger's  spot in right field. Right now only Dave Freitas the backup catcher is the only true healthy player on the bench. We will have to see whether Haniger will be back in the lineup on Wednesday or not along with Cruz. If both are not available than Vogelbach will be at designated hitter again and Romine in right field. At this point Ben Gamel will be in left field against lefties well as righties. We hope no one else gets hurt in the meantime even if it is day to day. 

The A's took an early lead scoring a run in the fourth and fifth inning. I mentioned yesterday the key against Oakland that they Mariner pitchers don't walk batters or  give up home runs which they didn't.  The A's did have a couple doubles in the game but only one brought in a run. The Mariners tied the game in the seventh inning on a two-run homer by Mike Zunino. The Mariners won the game in the top of the tenth inning on a double by Guillermo Heredia that scored Jean Segura. Edwin Diaz  came into the game to record the save in the bottom of the tenth. At this point the pitching is a key to keep the scoring low so the offense can score runs even if it is only three for the Mariners to win. So far so good against the A's. The Astros won so the Mariners are still two games behind however the Angels lost so they are now two and half games behind the Mariners. So lets go M's. 

Mariners In Oakland

The Seattle Mariners take on the A's in Oakland in a three game series. The Mariners have done well against the A's of late however the A's are having a good season so far though they are in fourth place in the American League West. They have a record of 25-22 and have won seven in the last ten games. Also two and half games behind the Mariners so it will be important that the Mariners win two out of the three games in Oakland if possible.  The Mariners are two games behind the Houston Astros so important to stay in the same spot. 

Mike Leake takes the mound Tuesday night with a record of 4-3 however he has an era of 6.00. It will be important that he pitches well and keeps the ball down against the A's. The A's have a powerful lineup that love to hit home runs. If Leake can limit the home runs and not walk batters than the Mariners should be in good shape. Marco Gonzales will pitch Wednesday night and Felix Hernandez will go Thursday afternoon before the Mariners return home to play the Minnesota Twins over the weekend.  It is important that Felix can get back to pitching well. He has had problem starting games off and the Mariners were fortunate to win his last outing though he didn't get the win.

The Mariners will need the top of the order to get going early in the games. Dee Gordon has been slowed down by injury however important that he can get on base and Jean Segura has been hitting the ball well. Mitch Haniger now is in the third spot with the suspension to Cano. He was the main reason that the Mariners won Sunday's game with a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning with Segura on base  to take it into overtime and finally win in the eleventh inning. We hope that Nelson Cruz can be back in the lineup Tuesday Night. Without Cano it is very important that Cruz stay healthy and play much as possible. It does seem the players are able to hit well without both in the lineup though it may not happen until late in the game. I expect that Mike Zunino will catch the two night games and David Freitas will go on the day game Thursday. It may depend whether the Mariners staff feels that Zunino should catch Felix or not. 

It will be interesting to see if Dipoto will make a trade soon or wait until closer to the all-star break in July. I am sure other teams are contacting him about trades especially the teams that are low in the standings and have little chance going to the playoffs. The Mariners should go after getting a pitcher whether for the rotation or the bullpen.  The bullpen right now maybe the more critical spot though they did pitch well on Sunday. It would be nice to pick up another starter since Paxton is the only reliable pitcher at this point though Wade LeBlanc has been pitching well along with Marco Gonzales. It would be nice if both LeBlanc and Gonzales could pitch a little further into the games. LeBlanc has been building up his arm strength and pitched into the sixth inning in his last out. Gonzales has done good going through five innings however has had trouble in the sixth inning so be nice if he can do better than and let the bullpen come in the seventh inning. The Mariners need better pitching out of Nick Vincent and Juan Nicasio in the seventh and eighth innings or go more with Chase Bradford, Dan Altavilla and James Pazos.  Anyway I hope that the Mariners can win at least seven out of their next ten games since they play the Oakland A's followed by the Minnesota Twins and the Texas Rangers heading into June. Go M's.

Mariners Take Series Over Tigers

For most of Sunday's game it looked like the Mariners were willing to split the series against the Tigers. Francisco Liriano  was pitching hitting a no-hitter into the seventh inning when Mitch Haniger hit a single to end  it. The Mariners were down 2-0 after Wade LeBlanc gave up a two-run homer in the first inning off of former Mariner John Hicks. Other than the first inning LeBlanc pitched well into the sixth inning when he was lifted with one out. The Mariners bullpen did a good job going the rest of the way through the eleventh inning when  Jean Segura hit a single to drive in Dee Gordon for the win 3-2.  The bullpen did an outstanding job giving up three hits in five and two-thirds innings along with no walks and striking out seven. 

At this point without Cano we are not sure how the Mariners offense will run for the next couple months or so along with the fact that Nelson Cruz wasn't in the lineup either. It is a good start though without Cano in the lineup. I am sure the guys will show what they have going on.

What I didn't like in the game was that the Mariners used Zunino as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning with one out though there was a runner on base. Zunino is an all or nothing hitter so the chances are likely he will do nothing which is what happened.  In fact I don't like pinch hitting anyway because most of the time it doesn't work  and in the case of Zunino he doesn't do it enough to get good at it anyway. The  Mariners have a small bench and in this case Ben Gamel had already had been used. I would only use a pinch hitter under certain circumstances like if you have a runners on second and third with less than two outs and using a contact hitter or another situation would be needing someone to bunt to move the runner along. So Servais should stay away from using pinch hitters is what I am  saying.

The Mariners have Monday off and  then play three games against the A's in Oakland before heading home over the weekend for a series against the Minnesota Twins and then four against the Texas Rangers to finish the month of May. In those ten games it would be real nice if the Mariners could win seven of those games.  The Mariners start June at home against Tampa Bay before going on the road. 

The Mariners now have a record of 27-19 and being two games behind Houston and a game and half ahead of the Los Angeles Angels. Go M's. 

 

Bullpen Need New Relief?

It seems to me that the Seattle Mariners need to make changes in the bullpen for later in the games. I am not saying to get rid of Nick Vincent or Juan Nicasio but to pitch them in less stress situations until things work out for them. 

They could still pitch in the seventh and eighth innings when the Mariners have a good size lead since that is where they are comfortable in. For the mean time I would go with James Pazos, Chase Bradford and Dan Altavilla in the close games late in the game and see how they do. Pazos and Bradford both have been pitting well  so why not try giving them the chance. The truth is that they can't do much worse. The positive side if they do an outstanding job when Vincent and Nicasio return to pitching well the Mariners will have an outstanding bullpen. We do know that there are ups and downs always in relief however Vincent and Nicasio have been struggling so why not make a change. The deal is whether Servais will be willing to make the change. I guess we will see won't we.

Thursday the Mariners brought up Ryan Cook from Tacoma and he came in the sixth inning with two outs after Marco Gonzales had pitched a good game giving up one run that was not earned. He was able to hold until Vincent came into the game in the eighth inning and gave up the winning runs to the Detroit Tigers in a 3-2 loss. At this point Cook could be the guy coming in to pitch in the sixth or seventh inning then they could go with Pazos or Bradford in the eighth inning. 

It will be interesting to see if Servais keeps it as is or will make the change like I suggest. I wouldn't be surprised if he stays as is because Servais always likes staying with his guys but I hope not. Now that the Mariners have about $10 million to spend with the suspension of Cano it will be interesting to see where the Mariners go with the money. I wouldn't be surprised if they wait until June or July to acquire a player. Will this player be a starting pitcher, reliever, infielder or outfielder. We will find out and all I do know is that Dipoto comes out with surprises. I am sure no one figured he would pick up Dee Gordon in the off-season and stick him in centerfield and now with Cano out he will return to second base for the time being. I am sure Gordon will still work on center field defense even though he will be at second base. Guillermo Heredia now will be the center fielder. He did start Thursday and got three hits though a right hander started for the Tigers. Anyway the weeks to come will be interesting for sure. Go M's.

Dee Gordon and What Will Happen With Him

With loss of Robinson Cano for a lot of the season because of his injury and suspension the Seattle Mariners are looking at moving Dee Gordon back to second base. He has been taking grounders at second base since Cano was injured on Sunday. 

It will be interesting to see whether Gordon will be playing the rest of the way at second base until Cano's return or spending time between second base and centerfield. This is quite the dilemma for the Mariners.

If Gordon returns to second base on a regular basis this means that the Mariners likely will have Guillermo Heredia playing center field most of the time. So what does that mean for the rest of the outfield? Does that mean that Ben Gamel will play left field on a regular basis or see Andrew Romine playing in left field against lefties or will the Mariners bring up Taylor Motter to platoon in left field and what happens with Gordon Beckham.?

Dee Gordon we have seen so far being an important part of the  Mariners offense and he is a good defenseman at second base as well. Having him at second base with Heredia at center field will make the Mariners a better defensive team. Also Heredia is a better offensive player than Beckham and Romine that I see.

It will be interesting to see whether the Mariners will go out and trade for another outfielder whether as a starter or as a fourth outfielder? I am sure that there are those who wonder what the future of Cano is in Seattle? I am sure he will return to Seattle in good standing. I think the medicine he has been taking should not have cost him 80 games in my opinion. I take the same medicine myself and I never thought anyone in baseball would be suspended in taking it.  Cano's error was not letting major league baseball know that he was taking the medicine. He may not have thought he would be band for it. Nothing more can do on that since he did accept the punishment.

The key to the Mariners season still is up to the Mariners pitching. Even without Cano the Mariners offense is still in good shape though not at the same level that it was. The Mariners bullpen has been struggling lately especially at the backend with Juan Nicasio and Edwin Diaz. Actually Nicasio has had the most trouble pitching in the eighth inning blowing two games that led to losses for the Mariners. The Mariners coaching staff  may have to make some changes there. Also can't be sure how the starting rotation will fair going forward either. It is interesting see how the Mariners will do going forward toward the all-star break in July. I am  sure the Mariners will make at least one trade if not more in the weeks ahead. Go M's. 

Robnison Cano Out Longer

We heard that Robinson Cano would be out sometime because of his hand broken on Sunday in Detroit. Also we knew that he would find out on Tuesday whether he need surgery or not and that would determine how long he would be out however the news that came along instead was that he was going to be suspended for 80 games because of PED’s. I am sure that came to everyone’s surprise. It certainly was for me. I am up vacationing in British Columbia with my cousins and  David my cousin Christy’s husband told me about it.

When I found out what he was taking to be suspended came as much  a surprise to me as well. I take the same medicine myself for fluid intake. All I did was shaking my head and said “You have to be kidding this is what will suspend him for 80 games.”  It is still hard to believe that someone would be suspended on this prescription. Now we have to see how the Mariners will do without Cano for 80 games.

The first game the Mariners played on Tuesday night went eleven innings with the Mariners winning in the end 9-8 on a walk off single by Guillermo Heredia. I have to say that I am never surprised by him. He makes the good plays. Juan Nicasio had another poor outing giving up a run and Edwin Diaz had a blown save in the ninth inning. At least the rest of the bullpen has been doing a good job.

Found out that Nelson Cruz had to leave the game after his at bat in the fourth inning. Ben Gamel pinch run for Cruz and stayed in the game as designated hitter. Not sure how long Cruz will be out but the MRI showed nothing broke or anything like that.

Gordon Beckham right now is playing second base for the Mariners. How long that will last we will have to see. Dee Gordon who was an all-star second baseman is taking some grounders there however the Mariners still want him in center field at this time. Now that Cano is out for half of the season before returning it will be interesting to see what the Mariners will do for the next few months. It is Beckham play that could determine what happens. The story will continue for sure but we do know that the Mariners will have to continue playing the games to win there is no choice there for sure. It will be interesting to see whether they can still continue playing the same level they have been or not. Just another challenge just like last season with the injuries to the starting rotation. Anyway GO M’s.

Mariners Lose First Road Series

It looked like the Mariners had a good chance to win another series because James Paxton was on the mound starting on Sunday. The Mariners looked like they would win the series however it didn’t help that they had to play a doubleheader on Saturday because of Friday night’s rainout. It isn’t an easy thing to do win a doubleheader even against a team like the Tigers who are rebuilding their team.

A team like the Tigers might play above their level against a better team and the Mariners seem to play below the level of the competition. With the Mariners at this point it is really hard to tell though they have been playing better ball on the road then at home. This has happened the last few years for the Mariners. At least this year they are 8-8 at home when they have lost more games at home early on in the season. Often when the season goes on the Mariners seem to get better at home while on the road it levels off. I do hope that the Mariners will start winning at home while continuing well on the road. If the Mariners could win like forty-five wins at home and then forty-two on the road that would give them eighty-seven wins which is a good record. Home and away records on their own don’t seem that fantastic but when you combine them along with playing one hundred and sixty-two games it turns out pretty well. Right now the Mariners look like they need to place second to the Astros at worse because the Red Sox and Yankees are doing so well that whoever doesn’t win the AL east will be the first wild card so to make the second wild card they will have beat out the Angels. I believe that is possible because the Angels right now are playing above their level. If it weren’t for Mike Trout having an outstanding season and a few players playing above their level the Mariners would be solid in second place. On Sunday though Robinson Cano hurt his hand and he might be out for a month or longer so this could hurt the Mariner chances. We do hope that he will return before the all-star break. So the other regulars will have to step up with him out of the lineup. Who plays second base we will know tomorrow. The Mariners often don’t announce who is added to the roster until a few hours before the game.

Wade LeBlanc will be starting on Monday in the makeup game against the Twins in Minnesota. This will be his third start since taking over for Erasmo Ramirez when he went on the disabled list. If he continues pitching this way Ramirez will probably find his spot in the bullpen. Mike Leake will take the mound on Tuesday in the first game of two at home against the Texas Rangers. The Mariners take on the Tigers Thursday through Sunday this time at Safeco Field. No pitcher has been announced yet for the Wednesday game since both Gonzales and Hernandez pitched on Saturday. Gonzales would have been the scheduled pitcher if it were not for the rainout on Friday. There is a possibility the Mariners will bring up a pitcher from Tacoma to start that game.  Ariel Miranda could have been the choice however he pitched the first game of a double header on Sunday for Tacoma so it wouldn’t be him.  Go M’s.

Mariners Split Doubleheader

The Seattle Mariners played a doubleheader on Saturday because Friday night’s game was postponed because of rain. Actually Saturday morning it rained almost all the way up to game time however they were able to get both games in without interruption.

The Mariners lost the first game 4-3 and then won the nightcap 9-5. In the first game Marco Gonzales was going along just fine giving up a run in the fourth inning and then he had trouble in the sixth inning giving up two double and then a two-run homer to shortstop Jose Iglesias his second of the season. That was what cost the Mariners the game. Manny Acta was managing with Scott Servais being at his daughter’s college graduation in getting her master’s degree. I sort of wonder if Servais would have been there taken Gonzales out after the second double.  Erik Goeddel who the Mariners brought up from Tacoma when Ichiro became a special assistant pitched the final two innings gave up two hits and struck out two without giving up a run. His earn run average is now at 1.69.

In the second game Robinson Cano and Ryon Healy who each hit doubles in the first game came back to each hit a home run. Healy’s home run was a two-run blast in the fourth inning for the Mariners to take a 3-2 lead. Cano hit a three home run in the fifth inning that chased Tiger’s starter Michael Fulmer giving the Mariners a 6-2. Unfortunately in the bottom of the fifth former Mariner John Hicks hit a two-run homer off of Felix and the Tigers scored three runs to come within a run of the Mariners’ 6-5. Felix got the win though he gave up eight hits and five runs in the five innings he pitched. James Pazos who has been pitching really well pitched the sixth inning giving up no hits against three batters. He threw seventeen pitches with one being a ball. He was followed by Nick Vincent in the seventh, Juan Nicasio who struggled and lost the game in his last outing in Toronto the day after James Paxton’s no-hitter. Dan Altavilla who was activated off the disabled list as the twenty-six player added because of the rule when playing a second game in a doubleheader caused by a rainout. He got all three batters out including striking out one. Sunday the Mariners will have to deactivate a player. I expect it will not be Altavilla. My guess would be that Casey Lawrence sent back to Tacoma.

Ryon Healy’s home run was his seventh of the season and since he was activated from the disabled list. He continues to be a very hot hitter for the Mariners and now his batting average is at .272. The game in which James Paxton pitched the no-hitter he has shown playing pretty well at first base too. At this point he has shown that Jerry Dipoto did an excellent job picking him up from the Oakland A’s. It allowed the Mariners not to pay a free agent player a high salary either.

Although the Mariners only scored three and had four hits in the first game they showed that they can come back and score nine runs in the second game. The Mariners now have a record of 22-16, being a game and a half behind the first place Houston Astros and in third place. Look forward to see the Mariners take Sunday’s game to take another series on the road. They will complete the road trip playing the Minnesota Twins in a make-up game for an earlier rainout.  James Paxton will take the mound on Sunday to finish the series in Detroit. The Mariners should be in good standing if Paxton can pitch close to what he has done in his last two outing. Wade LeBlanc will pitch in Minnesota on Monday. We hope for another good outing by LeBlanc. Go M’s.

Mariner Rainout

 

Friday night the Seattle Mariners and the Tigers had a rainout in Detroit. The teams are expected to play a doubleheader on Saturday. It is raining in the morning however supposed to clear off a couple hours before the first game is expected to start.

Earlier in the week there was talk that Cano, Seager and Segura each would get a day off. No lineup showing yet for the first game. It is possible that one of the guys will get off the first game while another will get the second game off with one playing both games of the doubleheader. Whoever plays the doubleheader may get Sunday off or they may decide to give a day off on Monday against Minnesota. The three players haven’t missed a game yet although Cano did play designated hitter one time while Nelson Cruz was on the disabled list.

Marco Gonzales is expected to pitch game one while Felix Hernandez is supposed to go in game two. I am sure the Mariners are hoping that both pitchers can go at least six innings and we hope that both games are not close where Edwin Diaz has to close out each game. James Paxton is expected to pitch on Sunday for the Mariners.

On Monday I will be going on vacation however I will hope to write here while I can depends on the internet access that I can get. I am planning to write a journal and take pictures on my web site while traveling up into British Columbia. You can visit www.herbnightingale.com.  Go M’s.

 

 

Mariners Take Two In Toronto

The Mariners continue to do what the plan is for the season and that is winning series which they did once again the Toronto.

The opening game of the series James Paxton pitched a no-hitter the first one of his career along with his first complete game in a 5-0 victory. In game two the Mariners had a 2-1 leading going into the bottom of the eighth. Juan Nicasio came in the game as the third relief pitcher after Wade LeBlanc pitched the first five innings giving up one run on four hits. His one run was a solo home run in the fourth inning. LeBlanc could have gone longer because he threw only fifty-six pitches however it was only his second start of the season. Likely he will pitch six innings in his next start if he pitches like he has.

Nicasio struggled in the eighth inning giving up five hits and four runs in a third of an inning. Obviously it was his worst outing of the season though he had trouble early on in April. Unlike before he actually was throwing the ball hard but was getting the ball right over the plate so he gave up four straight doubles. We hope that he is able to correct things because it is important that he pitches in the eighth inning. The Mariners could move Nick Vincent to the eighth inning or bring in Edwin Diaz earlier but they really don’t want to do either. So the loss was Nicasio’ s first of the season and the final score was 5-0.

On social media besides some saying they should get rid of Nicasio others said that the Mariners just have to win the series so no big deal. I wrote in saying that is a loser’s mentality. It is not that I am against winning the series is the goal after the second game it should not be said. I am fine with saying it when the series is over. Other words I would rather win the first two games of the series instead of having to count on winning the third game. Fortunately on Thursday night the Mariners beat Toronto handedly 9-3. The game started off well with Kyle Seager hitting a grand slam home run in the first inning. The next four innings the Mariners scored a run in each inning though they did have a chance to score more runs. Thankfully the lead was enough they didn’t need to do so. Mike Leake pitched a good game for the Mariners going seven innings giving up six hits and two runs. He walked one batter and striking out six.  The two runs for Toronto happened on a home run by Russell Martin in the second inning. So Toronto didn’t get another run until the bottom of the eighth. What made the series besides Paxton no-hitter in game one was that the Mariners pitchers only gave up two home runs in the series which is a big deal because Toronto leads the American League in hitting home runs and the Mariner pitchers usually give up home runs.

In this game Kyle Seager hit another home run besides the grand slam along with hot hitting first baseman Ryon Healy and Mike Zunino. Healy’s batting average continues to climb and is now at .260. Zunino on the other hand continues to struggle at the plate when he isn’t hitting home runs having a batting average of .190. I am sure we would be fine with it long as he is able to hit home runs when needed. Jean Segura was a hitting machine in the last two games having seven hits including four in this last game. Segura was the lead-off hitter in this game as Dee Gordon didn’t play because of a ball that was hit off his big toe in Wednesday’s game. He was available for pinch running but the nature of the game it wasn’t necessary. He is expected to be back in the lineup on Friday night against the Tigers in Detroit.

Marco Gonzales will go to the mound for the Mariners in game one followed by Felix Hernandez on Saturday and then James Paxton on Sunday. The Tigers are in third place of the American League Central however they have a record of 15-21 compared to the Mariners 21-15 record. The Tigers are even at home with a record of 8-8 which is the same as the Mariners are at home however the Mariners have a road record of 13-7. This does give the Mariners a good shot at winning this series at Detroit. Go M’s.

Seahawk Football

This time of the year I don’t write much about the Seahawks but is getting closer since training camp is just around the corner. Last weekend the Seahawks had about seventy rookie drafted and free agents in town for the coaches took look at them and going through drills along with plays. I would say likely fifty of those guys won’t be invited to camp. Next week will be another round of ota’s. In the NFL that means organized team activities. Most of the Seahawk players including rookies and free agents will be involved. It is not required for veteran players to be at though many will be there. It is possible that Earl Thomas won’t be there this coming week. He has one more year left on his current contract and he is looking for an extension. Understandable that he doesn’t show up because he is showing a statement plus I am sure he doesn’t want to get hurt. He did miss the last part of last season. He did say though he plans to show when training camp starts up.

The deal of ota’s is to go through plays though there is no contact involved. In the past the Seahawks have bent the rules and lost a draft choice along with being fined. In fact this year Coach Pete Carroll has made it real clear not to have any contact. Primarily the players go through the play book and run plays. It would be like us playing sandlot football but we would not be able to touch anyone. This does give the coaching staff some ideas of what the players can do although they can’t tackle. It is good to see the running backs and receivers make cutting moves. This is especially true with players who haven’t been in camp before.

Free agency period has ended now though I am sure there are a few players that a team can still pick up. The camp coming up you will see the Seahawk draft picks along with handful of rookie free agents. The Seahawks have always been a team goes to if you are a rookie free agency since Carroll has been head coach. They have had several of them make the team over the years including wide receiver Doug Baldwin. It will be interesting to see who they give a chance to. The Seahawks have several players that were on their practice squad last year so they are hoping that some of them will make the everyday roster this year. Also some of these rookie free agents could stay around on this year’s practice squad.  Often other teams take a chance on players the Seahawks have released. Those who go on the practice squad have to be put on waivers first and during the season can be picked up by other teams well as the Seahawks. Anyway we give the best to these players trying to make a career in the NFL. Go Hawks!

Paxton No-Hitter

In his last outing James Paxton threw sixteen strike outs then tonight (Tuesday) he throws a no-hitter while walking only three. Also he only struck out seven in this game.

The Mariner position players made some outstanding plays in the game. Two of those plays were by Kyle Seager including the final game of the play. This was Mariner’s sixth no-hitter in the history of the ball club and the first one on the road. Paxton was the second Canadian to throw a no-hitter and the first one in Toronto. This was the first time that he pitched a complete game in his career as well. What can you say about a guy who no doubt is the ace of the Mariners. Whether he will pitch another no-hitter this year or ever again we do see a pitcher that could win twenty games with this year.

The bonus to all this is the bullpen had the night off so they got to have another day of rest. I didn’t realize that Paxton was pitching a no-hitter until the seventh inning. During that period from the seventh until the ninth not only did the position players make outstanding plays Paxton got stronger. In the ninth inning he was up to one hundred miles on his fast ball. His curve ball that he had trouble with early in game was outstanding later on as well.

Oh by the way the final score in the game was 5-0. The Mariners scored their first two runs in the third inning. Dee Gordon on base with one of his three hits after a Ben Gamel hit. Gamel came home on a Cano hit and then Gordon on a Cruz hit. In the fourth inning Mike Zunino hit a two-run homer with Ryon Healy on base. Healy by the way played a really good first base. The Mariners final run was in the fifth inning with Mitch Haniger driving in Robinson Cano. So Paxton had to pitch with no support after the fifth inning though he had no problem for sure. Wade LeBlanc take the mound for the Mariners on Wednesday. We hope to see a good outing out of him so the Mariners can take series no matter what happens on Thursday.

Another Mariner Road Trip

The Seattle Mariners just finished a home stand where they went 3-3 against division rivals the Oakland A’s and Los Angeles Angels. It would have been nice to have gone 4-2 which they had the chance especially after the last road trip where they went 7-3.

We are hoping on this road trip where they can win at least four games in seven games. They start in Toronto Tuesday playing the Blue Jays before going onto  Detroit Tigers over the weekend and then do a makeup game with the Minnesota Twins on Monday before returning home. The next home series will be two against the Texas Rangers and then four against the Tigers.

The Blue Jays are like the Mariners where they have won nineteen games and are in third place in the American League East behind the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. The Red Sox and Yankees are doing so well that the Blue Jays are six and a half games out. This series will be important to them as much as it is for the Mariners so it should be quite an exciting series. I look at Dee Gordon having a good series because of the field in Toronto. It isn’t as fast a field as it once was but should still benefit Gordon. James Paxton will go on the mound the first game after pitching seven innings with sixteen strike outs unfortunately the Mariners lost the game.

The Blue Jays will have Marcus Stroman going in the first game. He is 0-4 so far in the season in six starts with an era of 7.52. It will be really good if the Mariners can get to him early on in the game. Wade LeBlanc will take the mound on Wednesday for the Mariners. Last game he pitched four solid innings in his first start of the year so hopefully he will be able to go at least five innings. If Paxton can go at least seven innings with a good lead than the Mariners’ bullpen should be in good shape to relieve LeBlanc.  The third final game of the series Mike Leake will go for the Mariners against ex-Mariner Jay Happ who has been pitching well since going to the Blue Jays. It will be nice if the Mariners can win the first two games before facing Happ.

They key in the series is not only to have the starters to be able to go at least six innings except LeBlanc who  probably go only five innings because it is only his second start that the top of the lineup continues what they have  been doing while the bottom of the order do a better job. First baseman Ryon Healy has been doing well as of late but the Mariners need to have Mike Zunino hit more consistently though he did hit a home run in the win on Saturday against the Angels in the only win of that series. Also Ben Gamel needs to get going. He will likely start Tuesday night’s game however the remaining two games the Blue Jays will start two lefties so Guillermo Heredia will likely start them. Though is batting average has gone down recently since being called back up from Tacoma he still is batting .289. The thing about Heredia is he is able to hit the ball and willing to take walks along with not striking out much. He has seven walks in 42 plate appearances and has struck out four times which is pretty good I have to say. He still continues to be in on any rallies that Mariners have especially late in the game. His defense still continues to do well. Since he has been activated Mike Zunino has a batting average of .180 with thirteen strike outs. He is striking out about half of his at bats. He does have four home runs but he has only walked three times. If he continues to struggle it would be nice to put in Freitas at least one more time per week. My suggestion would be rest Zunino two games in a row. This way he can work on his hitting in practice without having to worry about catching.

It is important that the Mariners can win a fair share of games on this road trip to stay with the Angels and Astros. The Angels are playing the Colorado Rockies on two road trip inter-league play before going home to play Minnesota Twins Thursday thru Sunday followed by Houston and Tampa Bay next week. The Astros besides playing the Angels next week they currently play the A’s in Oakland winning 16-2 on Monday while playing again Tuesday and Wednesday. They will go home for a three game series against the Texas Rangers before going to Anaheim. So that is how things going on right now for the Mariners, Angels and Astros.