Good Job Gonzales

After having trouble pitching in New York and Boston Marco Gonzales returning home to Safeco Field facing the Kansas City Royals pitched a complete game for the Mariners on Friday Night.

Gonzales was pitching a shutout going into the ninth inning throwing fewer than one hundred pitches. The Mariners were leading 4-0 however he gave up a single that scored a runner from second base then the next batter hit a grounder to Jean Segura to end the game.

The nine innings Gonzales threw ninety-six pitches giving up six hits and striking out seven batters. His control was so good that he didn’t walk a batter at all. In his seventeen starts going one hundred and a third innings he has only walked twenty batters and giving up ten home runs. I believe he has to be the biggest surprise in the Mariners rotation and tied with Mike Leake with being the most productive pitcher outside of James Paxton. Gonzales and Leake are tied with the most wins with eight while he has five losses comparted to Leake’s four.

Felix Hernandez who goes for the Mariners Saturday night has been the least productive pitcher of the three in the rotation and he has a record of 7-6. If Felix wins then he will tie Leake and Gonzales with wins. Right now Felix has an era of 5.10 primarily because he has had trouble getting started in the first inning. He continues like he has in his last couple outings he has a great chance of winning.

Gonzales going the distances allows the Mariners to rest most of their bullpen the last couple of games including Edwin Diaz. We should see him in the game Saturday if the game is close. The Mariners are hoping that Felix can go six innings giving up three runs or fewer. The Mariners are now up again twenty-one games over five hundred at 52-21.

The Mariners scored their first two runs in the fourth inning on a home run by Mitch Haniger with a runner on base and then Mike Zunino hit a mammoth home run in the fifth inning to make it 3-0 at the time. Haniger had his seventeenth home run while Zunino his twelve of the season. Haniger still leads the team in runs batted in with sixty-one. He is turning into a superstar right in front of us. He deserves to be in the All-Star game along with Jean Segura and Edwin Diaz. You could add Nelson Cruz to that mix as well. You would think Paxton would deserve it to if he wins his next three starts giving him ten wins. The Mariners could have at least three starters with ten if not four. Wade LeBlanc who has pitched well as the fifth starter since being inserted into the rotation has a record of 3-0 with an era of 3.38 in sixteen games with eleven being starts. The starting pitching has to be the main reason that the Mariners have the record of 52-31. Outside of Edwin Diaz who has thirty saves in thirty-three opportunities the bullpen has struggled at times. The only other consistent reliever has been lefty James Pazos who has an era of 1.91 in thirty-three games. Now as the primary lefty he should see more action in the second half unless the Mariners pick up a veteran lefty reliever. We hope that Nick Vincent, Juan Nicasio and Alex Colome can pick things up in the second half. If so the Mariners should find making into the playoffs with ease. The Mariners win half of their remaining games will be around the ninety win mark. Go M’s.

Mariners Sweep in Extra Innings

The Seattle Mariners continue to do what they seem has done all season long and that is winning close games with some in extra innings.

Thursday afternoon the game against the Orioles was another tight one. The game was scoreless until the fourth inning when Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer on his return to the lineup after being out with a back injury. The Orioles returned the favor when Machado and Davis each hit solo home runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie 2-2. The game stayed tied into extra innings.

The Mariners made the extra innings not last long scoring two runs in the tenth inning. Dee Gordon reached base on a single then scored on a single by Jean Segura that was bobbled in center field. Gordon himself surprised kept on going when he got the sign from third base coach Scott Brosius.  Segura scored on a hit by Nelson Cruz and then Juan Nicasio came in recorded his first save of the season. You may ask what about Edwin Diaz. Well he had the day off after pitching three straight days. Manager Scott Servais feels that Diaz does his best work when given a day off after pitching three straight days. I am sure he will be back in action Friday night in Seattle if he is needed.

James Pazos was given the win since he pitched the ninth inning. He came in after Nick Vincent pitched the eighth inning after relieving Mike Leake who went for seven innings. Leake gave up five hits including the two home runs in the fourth inning. He walked one batter and struck out six batters. Outside of the two home runs he pitched another outstanding game. You could see he was in control the whole game or at least before and after the fourth inning.

The Mariners now come home for a three game series against the Kansas City Royals who are another team that is struggling this season. They have a record of 25-55 dead last in the American League central division and have won only three games in the last ten games. Like the Orioles they are ripping for the picking. The Mariners who have played well at home with a record of 25-14 should continue the success.

The Mariners have Marco Gonzales going Friday night against Ian Kennedy who has a record of 1-7 with an era of 5.09. Gonzales should be able to get back to his pitching now that he is back in Safeco Field. He did pitch well outside of a couple innings in Fenway Park after having a hard time at Yankee Stadium. He will be followed by Felix Hernandez and James Paxton on Saturday and Sunday. The Mariners have a good chance of sweeping this series too especially if Gonzales does well, Hernandez and Paxton pitch like they did against the Orioles.  

The Mariners will face the Los Angeles Angels Tuesday thru Thursday in a three game series followed by the Colorado Rockies next weekend then they go to Los Angeles and Colorado to face both teams again. These next nine games at home should be exciting to see. Go M’s.

Mariners Continue Close Wins in Baltimore

After beating the Orioles 5-3 in a close game the Mariners went back winning one run games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday night it was a low scoring game where the Mariners won 3-2 and then a high scoring game on Wednesday night 8-7 in eleven innings. The Mariners now have won twenty-two one run games. It does show the difference over the last several years where they lost a lot of one run games. You could say that they have become mentally tough. Along with the one run games the Mariners have come from behind in many of the games as well.

Tuesday night’s game the Orioles score first in the second inning and then Kyle Seager hit a solo home run to tie the game in the fourth inning. The Orioles took the lead again in the sixth inning however Seager hit a single in the eighth inning to score two runs.

Wednesday night in the eighth inning with the Mariners ahead 5-4 Chris Davis hit a three-run homer that looked like it would take the Mariners down 7-5 Kyle Seager hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to tie the game 7-7. In the eleventh inning after it looked like Jean Segura hurt his back he hit a double. With one out Segura now on third base Denard Span hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score the go ahead run. Edwin Diaz came in to get his thirtieth save of the season at the half way mark. He did give up a single but did strike out two batters.

The Mariners and Orioles have a day game on Thursday to end the four game series. It starts at noon Seattle time. Mike Leake will go for his ninth win of the season for the Mariners. He pitches anything like he did on his last outing where he shutout the Red Sox through eight innings in the Mariners only win in Boston. The Mariners now have won fifty games through eight-one games so do the same the second half they will go away with one hundred wins. Even if they go one game under five hundred at 40-41 they will end the season with ninety wins which should get them in the playoffs. Go M’s.

The Lineup Difference

Jean Segura was back in the lineup on Monday night after being out of action for four games. He didn’t get any hits though he walked a couple times and didn’t score any runs however he did make a couple outstanding plays in the field that helped lift up the team.

A player that is in the status of Segura comes back it really helps out the team. Dee Gordon mentioned that after the game.

Felix Hernandez had another good outing going six innings and giving up three runs on four hits. The Mariners did take an early lead scoring two runs in the second inning. Felix did struggle a bit in the early innings walking three batters fortunately he bared down not to give up any runs. The Orioles first run came in the fifth inning when second baseman Jonathan Schoop hit a solo home run. The Orioles tied the score 3-3 getting two runs off of Felix however the Mariners made good when Guillermo Heredia walked to load the bases followed by a single by Dee Gordon to drive in the final two runs in the seventh inning.

The Mariners’ bullpen took over in the seventh inning with James Pazos then Alex Colome and finished up with Edwin Diaz getting his twenty-eighth save. No hits were compiled by those three; Colome and Diaz both struck out two batters.

It will help out if Felix can continue to pitch six innings in the same fashion giving up three runs or less. Tuesday the Mariners will have James Paxton on the mound. We hope that he can get back to his ace pitching after having a couple poor performances. Again if he can go at least six inning keeping the game close than the Mariners have another great chance in winning.

The Angels lost on Monday night so the Mariners are now three and half games behind. The Angels lost as well so they now tied with the Oakland A’s both being ten and half games behind the Astros or seven games behind the Mariners. The schedule the Mariners will be playing now after the tough series against the Yankees and Red Sox it will be hard for those others to catch up unless the Mariners totally fall on their faces.

Although the Mariners could use another starter in the rotation the trouble with the bullpen in the last two series the Mariners might go after another reliever as well. Nick Vincent is back off the disabled list along with Juan Nicasio. Both of them struggling getting another reliever wouldn’t be bad. The Mariners may look at picking up a lefty to team with Pazos. We know whatever the case Dipoto can do something to improve the Mariners.  Go M’s.

Moving On To Baltimore

On Sunday the Seattle Mariners lost to the New York Yankees 5-0. Right now the Mariners are 1-5 on the current road trip. They could have won a game in New York while winning another in Boston. They had leads that got away including the one they were leading 10-5 against the Red Sox then lost 14-10. If they can sweep the Orioles that will give them a 5-5 for the road trip which I am sure most of us would jump up and down on though be better with at least one or two wins heading into Baltimore.

Sunday’s game the score was 0-0 going into the fifth inning. Marco Gonzales struggled once again in the fifth and the sixth inning. It was lower part of the lineup that allowed the Sox to score three runs in the fifth and then first baseman Mitch Moreland hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning to put the game out of reach.

Red Sox Ace Chris Sale dominated the Mariners going seven inning giving up four hits and striking out thirteen Mariner batters. He walked only one batter and lowered his era to 2.56. Not an easy thing to do go out and beat the ace of a team though the Mariners have done so on several occasions.

Casen Bradford and Nick Vincent each pitched an inning for the Mariners to keep the bullpen rested.

News came out that Nelson Cruz was American League player of the week. A lot of that had to do with him hitting two home runs, a single and driving in seven runs in the game that looked like they would win before blowing the 10-5 lead. He hit well against the Yankees as well. Cruz spent a year in Baltimore before coming to Seattle so we hope that he continues his hot hitting there as well.

Jean Segura will be back in the lineup Monday against the Orioles. The Mariners lineup will look like normal except that Chris Herrmann will be at catcher and batting eighth just ahead of Guillermo Heredia. If you are wondering about Mike Zunino he struck out three times on Sunday after having Saturday off. I am sure the Mariners have him working on his swing.

Felix Hernandez takes the mound on Monday against the Orioles. If he pitches anything like he did in New York the Mariners should win the game. The rest of the series will be James Paxton on Tuesday followed by Wade LeBlanc and Mike Leake. This shows that the Mariners have a pretty good chance winning all four games though winning three would be OK as well. We hope that the starters can go six innings so the bullpen continues to have rest. We hope that they get back to normal after pitching poorly against the Yankees and Red Sox. Andrew Cashner goes for the Orioles Monday and he has a record of 2-8 with an era of 4.72 so a good sign for the Mariners. It is important that they get to him early and we hope that Felix will be able to go six innings at least. Go M’s.

Mariner’s Even Series Against Sox

After a terrible game Friday night losing 14-10 when they had been up 10-5 the Seattle Mariners rebounded Saturday night to win 7-2.

Mike Leake had a fantastic game pitching a shutout over eight innings giving up three hits, walking two and striking out five. Scott Servais said that he would have let Leake go the distance but closer Edwin Diaz hadn’t pitched for several days and need to get in some action. Diaz looked like he hadn’t pitched for several days giving up two runs on three hits. Of course we often know that closers don’t pitch very well with large leads either when a save isn’t needed.

Leake helped out a pitching staff that had problems during the road trip. Mel Stottlemyre Jr had a talk with the pitching staff before the game so do hope that will correct the pitching. On the pre-game show before Saturday’s game he mentioned how important it was not always throw the fastball when getting behind. We will see over the next several days whether the talk got through to the pitchers besides Leake.

Sunday the Mariners will face Chris Sale. It could be a tough day however Rodriguez who pitched Saturday has had a good year before this game and the Mariners have had a good games against top pitchers over the season. Marco Gonzales goes for the Mariners and we hope that he rebounds from his previous start. Having to pitch in Fenway Park isn’t much easier than doing so in Yankee Stadium. It will be important that Gonzales pitches outside to the lefties while inside to the righties. This will allow hits to go only off the green monster in left field. Often balls that would be home runs or doubles can turn into singles in Fenway. The importance is to keep the hits to a minimum like Leake did. Monday the Mariners will go to Baltimore to face the Orioles for four games before heading back home. The Orioles are struggling this season so the Mariners should have success there. I just hope the pitchers were able to listen to Stottlemyre.

Mariners Swept

 

What happened in New York to the Mariners was not what we wanted to see they got swept by the Yankees. The Yankees did exactly what we didn't want them to do so. The Yankees won all three games because the home runs the Mariners pitchers gave up. Thursday's game started off quickly with Aaron Judge hitting a two-run homer and then Miguel Andujar hit another two-run homer in the first inning. James Paxton settled down the rest of the way however he only pitched five innings because he threw 107 pitches that included three walks and nine strike outs.

 

The Mariners did follow up scoring two runs in the second on a home run by Kyle Seager with Nelson Cruz onboard so the score 4-2 stayed that way until the sixth inning when Cruz hit a double to lead off the inning then Ben Gamel drove him in with two outs. The Mariners were not able to score further. Yankee starter Luis Severino went five and two-thirds inning giving up three runs on eight hits. Just like the Mariners bullpen the Yankees pitchers didn't give up a run either. The Mariners did have opportunities to score through out the series but left many runners on base. The middle relievers were the big difference for the Yankees in the prior two games plus closer Aroldis Chapman who throws over one hundred miles an hour. Yankee starter Severino  has a record of 11-2 while Chapman has twenty-two saves.

 

The Yankees are a hard team to beat at home having a record of 29-11 leading the major leagues. The Mariners home record is 25-14 and is number two to the Yankees. The Mariners still have a good road record being 21-15 which is tied for sixth in the major leagues with the Chicago Cubs. Now the Mariners go to Boston. The same scenario goes in this series where they have to keep the Red Sox power to the minimum as well. Go M's.



Blown the Lead

Wednesday night it looked like the Mariners were going to beat the New York Yankees leading 5-0 going into the fifth inning unfortunately they came back and won 7-5 on a walk-off in the ninth inning.

 I wouldn’t have minded the loss so much if the game had been against anyone except the Yankees. The Mariners play the Yankees again this afternoon New York time so in a few minutes. The Mariners have James Paxton going so we do hope that they can bounce back from this loss that should have been a victory. I guess this will happen once in a while but the Yankees make it disturbing. I am sure the Yankees will feel that they will win this game as well. The odds look pretty well in their favor but with Paxton on the mound the Mariners do have a good chance to rebound. Whatever does happen win or lose the Mariners can get back on track once again. They are not in this position just by accident or luck unlike some on the east coast may think. The reason the Mariners have been doing well is because of their starting pitching. We do have to see that the bullpen starts getting back on track too. The bullpen is going to be real important the second half of the season.

The Mariners are giving Jean Segura the game off on Thursday. It is probably a good idea since he has  been playing every game. Andrew Romine will be playing short and batting ninth. His brother Austin will be catching and batting eighth for the Yankees. Mitch Haniger will be playing in center field once again however batting second. Denard Spain will be batting third instead. The rest of the lineup looks the same. We are hoping for the best before heading to Boston to face the Red Sox. Go M’s.

News just came out that Segura isn’t starting because of an infection in his right finger so more than giving him a rest. We hope that he will be back on Friday.

One Down Two to Go

Tony Gonzales may have lost in New York however he had won five straight so if he continues on the same way I will take this loss.

I find it interesting about the fifth inning. I am sure I have mentioned it before but that seems to always be a key inning. Often pitchers falter in the fifth inning. If they can make it through that inning than often is a success; it is like getting through the first inning as well. I know to that some pitchers may have trouble in other innings as well whether before or after the fifth inning.

I have mentioned before that the most difficult job for a manager is when to take a pitcher out of the game. I think it would be when they are starting to tire but how is determined as well. The importance is that the pitcher is honest with the manager when they go out to the mound to check on them. It is difficult when the manager doesn’t know the pitcher that well because they are knew on the scene.

On Tuesday night’s game against the Yankees it was a tie going into the fifth inning. Earlier in the season Gonzales struggled in the fifth inning but in recent times he has been able to go into the sixth and seventh inning. Like I said he had won five straight games so a lapse makes sense we just hope he can get back onto going further into the games.

The positive side the Mariners didn’t have to use up their bullpen however the Yankees didn’t either. Gonzales pitched six and one-third innings before taken out for Nick Rumbelow who recently called up and pitched in his second game. He went the remaining one and two-thirds innings. The final score of the game was 7-2 and most of the scoring came from the long ball. I mentioned yesterday that was a key to the game. We can hope the Yankees got it out of their system.

Felix Hernandez goes for the Mariners Wednesday night and we hope that he rises to the occasion. It will be good to see some of the old Felix or the new Felix or whatever. The key is for him to be able to go at least six innings without giving up many runs and win the game. It would be nice for the Mariners to go into Thursday’s game with a win regardless what happens then. Of course I want them to win these two games in New York but the key is to get at least one win before going into Boston. I still believe the Mariners can split the road trip 5-5 it will be a success though 6-4 would be even better.

The offense only got two hits in the game with Dee Gordon hitting a double leading off the game and then Nelson Cruz hitting a home run in the seventh inning so the Mariners have only getting ahead with the offense as well.

Whenever doubt comes in the Mariners always turn things around so I expect that to happen once again. Go M’s.  

Mariners in the Big Apple

The Seattle Mariners start this road trip playing in New York against the Yankees. The Yankees like the Red Sox will be a tough team to play since they will be battling between the two of them to win the American League East for the rest of the season. None of the other teams in the division have a chance to make the playoffs.

Just like in Seattle over the weekend playing the Red Sox it will feel like they are already in the playoffs. The Mariners will likely play either the Yankees or Red Sox.

Marco Gonzales will pitch the first game in New York. How he does will determine things go for the series most likely. He will have to pitch his cutter successfully and keep all his pitches down since Yankee Stadium is known for being a hitter’s park. Also important the middle of the batting order can hit some balls themselves out. It is important to that Dee Gordon and Jean Segura get on base along with Denard Span, Ben Gamel, and Guillermo Heredia at the bottom of the order. It would be nice if Ryon Healy and Mike Zunino could hit some balls out as well.

As we know it will be important that Gonzales and the other starters can go at least six innings. Gonzales lately has shown that he can get into the seventh and eighth. Juan Nicasio has been activated off the disabled list so it will help the Mariners out in the bullpen with him along with Alex Colome and Edwin Diaz. The other relievers especially James Pazos will have to do their parts so the big three will not be over used. The other relievers are able to go two innings if necessary.

This will be important for the Mariners to do the same in Boston as well. Going into Baltimore next Monday the Mariners win three of the games regardless which way it will help to make a successful road trip. Go M’s.

Look at the Tacoma Rainiers

The Seattle Mariners have the day off before going on a ten game road trip to New York to face the Yankees then Boston to take on the Red Sox again next weekend and the Baltimore Orioles before coming home to wrap up the month of June against the Kansas City Royals. If the Mariners can split the road trip which they should be able to that will be good going into July. This will make June a successful month whether it is a record around five hundred.

Before looking at the Rainiers the Mariners did make a move Monday morning activating reliever Juan Nicasio and catcher Chris Herrmann off the disabled list along with sending pitcher Rob Whalen and catcher David Freitas. While Herrmann was on the disabled list Freitas started games with Mike Leake on the mound; Herrmann could catch Leake  as well depending on whether the Mariners face a right handed starting pitcher or not. Herrmann is a left handed hitting catcher who can play first base as well. It would not surprise me to see him start occasionally at first base well at catcher. Nicasio will be back in the rotation pitcher either the seven or eighth inning. Nick Vincent who is on the disabled list is expected to go on a rehab assignment if everything goes well. He had some issues so his assignment was delayed. He could be activated either in Boston or Baltimore depending how things go. Getting Vincent back will help out the bullpen too.

Now a look at the Tacoma Rainiers who look different at times depending who is up or down from the Mariners team. They will now have starter Rob Whalen back since being sent down Monday. He has a record of 7-3 with an era of 4.50 and has walked only twenty-five batters in 72 innings. If you walk a batter about every three innings that isn’t bad at all; Ariel Miranda who made a brief start for the Mariners has a record of 5-0 in nine games including eight starts. He spent the end of May on the disabled list. I am sure we will see him in Seattle again before the season is over.

The Rainiers have a record of 36-24 right now and second in their division. Not bad for a team that has a history of changes always happening. Sunday they beat the Iowa Cubs 12-3. Bryan Evans who spent time at Arkansas and Tacoma last year made his return to the Mariner organization and Tacoma after starting the year in the Mexican League. Unfortunately he didn’t have a good outing only going three and two-third innings giving up three hits and three runs. Also he walked three batters and gave up two home runs. Christian Bergman and Casey Lawrence have done well in the rotation. Bergman has a record of 4-4 while Lawrence has a record of 5-2 with an era of 2.52. Wouldn’t be surprised we see him up with the Mariners if the team needs him.

The three primary relievers in the Rainiers bullpen have been Shawn Armstrong who spent a little time with the Mariners has pitched in twenty-five games has a record of 1-2 with an era of 2.64 over thirty and two-thirds innings. He has struck out forty-one batters as well. Mike Morin who had a real brief time last week with the Mariners was sent down after going through waivers. He has pitched in twenty games as well for the Rainiers. He has a record of 2-1 with an era of 3.24. The third pitcher out of the bullpen is Dario Alvarez who has no record pitching in twenty games with an era of 1.71. The Rainiers have other pitchers in the bullpen but have seen little action.

When it comes to the regular position Daniel Vogelbach who has gone up and down between the Mariners and the Rainiers has a batting average of 2.89 with ten home runs and twenty-six runs batted in. He is the only real first baseman on the team right now. Gordon Beckham is the primary second baseman since he was sent back down after spending some time on the Mariner roster when Robinson was put on the disabled list before being suspended for eighty games and then Dee Gordon also went on the disabled list. He is batting .279 in thirty-eight games. He has played a little first base well as shortstop. This will help if the Mariners need another utility player. Zach Vincej is the primary shortstop though he has played some second base as well. He currently is batting .256 while playing in forty-eight games. He is not big in home runs though he has five and has twenty-six runs batted in. Seth Mejias-Brean is the primary third baseman though he started the season at double A Arkansas. He has played in thirty-one games for the Rainiers batting .259 and has five home runs.

In the outfield Ian Miller who got the Ken Griffey Jr Award as the best hitter in the Mariner minor leagues last season has played in sixty games with a batting average of .293. He has only one home run is more known for his speed has seventeen stolen bases and has twenty-six runs batted in. Veteran outfielder Cameron Perkins is on the disabled list however should be coming off soon has a .293 too. He isn’t known for home run power either though he has four right now. John Andreoli who has played some center field well as left field is batting .282. He spent a little while with the Mariners as well. The other outfielders on the squad have nothing really to write about.

Wade LeBlanc Two Hitter

 

Saturday Evening Wade LeBlanc pitched a marvelous game leading the Mariners to a 1-0 shutout over the Boston Red Sox. This gives the Mariners a 46-25 record with ninety-one games remaining.

Mookie Betts lead off the game with a single then LeBlanc gave way by getting twenty-two batters out straight before giving up a single to Eduardo Nunez in the eighth inning with two outs. Nine of the twenty-two outs were by the strike out. LeBlanc didn’t walk a batter either and it was the first time he pitched into the eighth inning in any of his starts. LeBlanc is third in the major league for a pitcher who has started at least eight games with an era of 2.06.

The Mariners scored their lone run in the third inning when Dee Gordon was able to reach on a single and he was moved over to second on another single then came home on a hard hit through short to score Gordon. Neither the Red Sox nor Mariners could score another run.

The Mariners are showing right now that they can compete with the top teams in the American League. After finishing up tomorrow against the Red Sox the Mariners will go to New York to take on the Yankees and then the Red Sox again next weekend. After the Red Sox they will finish the road trip with four games against the struggling Orioles in Baltimore before finishing the month of June at home against the Kansas City Royals. Most people figured that June would be a tough month for the Mariners but they are showing that they are up for the challenge.

In July before the all-star break they will face the Angels once again at home along with the Colorado Rockies then go on the road to face both of them as well. We will really see what they will be like at that point. Also we will see if Dipoto goes out and picks up a pitcher or two before the trading deadline. All I know is that the Mariners are making believers out of everyone.

The question is who will be the one coming out of the rotation if the Mariners do get a starting pitcher. Felix Hernandez is the only questionable pitcher at this point. Do you keep him in the rotation if he continues to sputter or send LeBlanc or Gonzales to the bullpen or go with what they had talked about early on going to a six-man rotation. One thing we know it is good to have a hard question like that. At the beginning of the season no one knew except maybe Dipoto and Servais that they would have as strong a rotation as they do. We knew that James Paxton would be the ace and Mike Leake would eat up innings but the other three spots were questionable for sure.

Anyway LeBlanc we congratulate you on a wonderful outing and we hope it continues for you. It is so nice to see the Mariners twenty-one games over five hundred. We hope that at the end of the next road trip the Mariners will be around the same spot however a team that never seems to give up who knows they could be higher than  twenty-five games above .500 Go M’s.   



 

Mariners Split First Two Games

 

The Mariners have split the first two games against the Red Sox. This series will show how close or not the Mariners are with the top of the American League along with what needs that they need. The first game the Mariners lost 2-1 on Thursday night and then came behind to beat the Red Sox 7-6 Friday night. The Mariners continue to show that they can make a difference in the game when they are behind.

 

 

Friday night's game the Mariners had a home run in the first inning by Jean Segura and then scored two more runs in the second however the third inning was the inning where the Red Sox scored their  six runs so things didn't look good for the Mariners however the relief pitching was outstanding especially Rob Whalen came in the fourth inning after Chasen Bradford finished off the third inning after James Paxton left the game. Whalen who had just called up on Wednesday pitched four innings giving up one hit and a walk. Ryan Cook pitched the eighth inning; he walked two batters and gave up a hit as well but didn't surrender a run. Edwin Diaz got his twenty-sixth save though he walked a batter and gave up a hit as well. The bullpen is still showing their strength in the most part despite getting batters on base.

 

 

The Mariners scored a run in the fifth inning to bring the score closer 6-4 then Mike Zunino hit a solo home run to get within one run in the seventh and then in the eighth inning Denard Span pitch hitting for Heredia hit a double to bring in two runs to make the final score 7-6. The Mariners continue to make big plays at the end of a game. I am sure those who have doubts will wonder how long this will continue but it has been going on for at least a month so I can't see it not continuing.

 

 

I am sure that general manager has his eyes open to go out and get another starting pitcher before the trading deadline. Although they have gotten good performances out of Marco Gonzales and Wade LeBlanc neither has a long record over a period of time. I am not saying to take one or the other out of the rotation but they still need to get another starter. Plus we are not sure how Felix Hernandez will do in the long run either. He seems to be pitching well at home but poorly on the road. James Paxton though he had a bad outing on Friday night only pitching two and a third innings and Mike Leake are the only ones the Mariners can count on for the remainder of the season and what happens if someone in the rotation gets hurt? The remaining of this series against Boston along with Yankees in New York and the Red Sox again in Boston will not only measure the Mariners it will show their weaknesses even if they win a majority against those two teams or split the series. Also it would be nice to get a pitcher that has had success against the Houston Astros and the Angels whether as a starter or reliever. They still have about thirteen games against both of those teams so the Mariners need to have success by at least splitting or winning a majority of the games. They can't afford to lose a lot against either one. The last series against both teams show they likely will hold their own. It would be nice to get a starting pitcher that has had some success in the playoffs as well since at this point unless they collapse they should be able to make it. Even if they win half of the remaining games to be played they will win 90 games which should qualify them for the playoffs. The importance for us fans is to enjoy the ride. As we know it doesn't come around here very often. Go M's. 

Situational Hitting

😊😊😊😊😊😊 

 

When it comes to big games that come down to one run especially in the 9th inning I hear a lot of criticism from fans. Thursday night the Seattle Mariners fell to the Boston Red Sox 2-1. Felix Hernandez showed that he still has it especially at Safeco Field and in big games. He gave up the two runs in seven innings though the Red Sox had eight hits. Fortunately he had one walk and gave up a home run in the sixth inning to make the difference.

 

 

David Price the outstanding left handed pitcher for the Red Sox went seven innings giving up five hits and one run on a sacrifice by Guillermo Heredia. The great thing about Heredia is he is able to produce in situational hitting. The Mariners had the opportunity to do the same in the ninth inning with Haniger and Cruz  both walking however Kyle Seager struck out and Ryon Healy hitting into a double play to the end the game.

 

 

I don't know whether teams that are good at situational hitting have the better chance to win than those who don't? I believe though if you win a lot of one run games situational hitting has to play a part into. The Mariners have won a lot of those games this season but recently at least been a lot of walk-off hits or in their case the closer has done a great job as well and hasn't had a lot of blown saves. I don't really look at the other teams around major league baseball but I believe teams do have issues at not completing situational hitting. The Mariners do have Dee Gordon, Jean Segura, and Guillermo Heredia who are all good bunters. Although Servais isn't a big fan of bunting he can count on those three for sure to help in that area. The Mariners have been like many other teams where power especially home runs happen frequently. They key though is having contact hitters that have power as well. Mitch Haniger and Nelson Cruz are those kind of hitters though I am sure they strike out some as well but they are not like Mike Zunino, Ryon Healy and Kyle Seager who strike out frequently. Those three have had moments of success when things count but have failed numerous times as well. Like most power hitters though they can go on good long streaks while other times they fail. The importance though is when this happens and whether they are struggling all at the same time. The Mariners right now are nineteen games above five hundred so success happens more often at this point. I am sure they will have some losing streaks but I think to that they will continue have winning streaks like they have so far this season. I think it is frustrating when they have a close game like Thursday night that they could have scored at least three runs to win. I am sure though the Red Sox will go through a spell like that as well. These three  series the current four games against the Red Sox plus the one in New York against the Yankees and the one at Fenway Park in Boston the Mariners will break about even. I am sure if they don't win many games though they could all be like Thursday night people will say that the Mariners don't measure up. I wouldn't agree if the games are all by a run or two still means to me that they are a good team along with Boston and New York. A team could just run across of a little bad luck. Whatever happens though these two weeks the Mariners can still make the playoffs and I expect them to unless injuries happen to key players. I am sure Dipoto will look to bolster the club by trading dead-line. At this point we might as will enjoy the ride. We haven't had a ride like this in some time and they are an entertaining  team. Go M's.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Mariners Sweep Angels

 

The Seattle Mariners game to finish off the series against the Angels was exciting at the same we weren't sure whether they would win however this is a season that could turn out very special just ask manager Scott Servais.

 

 

I hope that everyone who has  Facebook were able to see some or all of it live. If not you can still watch it on Facebook. It was one of the most exciting games of the season for the Mariners though there can be more to come like it.

 

 

The Mariners started scoring two runs in the second inning though they could have score even more runs however that was how the game went along the whole time. Denard Span scored the first run when Ben Gamel singled him in and then Ryon Healy scored on a Mike Zunino double. Andrew Romine who started in place of Kyle Seager struck out with Gamel and Zunino on third and second base. Seager was not available because of personal reasons. David Fletcher who was making his major league debut had three hits including a triple for the Angels. Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the third to make the score 4-1. I am sure many thought that the Mariners were going to coast to victory the way they have been playing however starter Marco Gonzales didn't pitch well going only five innings in the game.

 

The Angels scored two runs to tie the game at 4-4 in the top of the sixth inning. The Mariners had a chance to score runs in the bottom of the sixth inning because with no outs they had the bases loaded with Mike Zunino at the plate but he struck out and then Andrew Romine hit into a double play to end the inning. Next thing that happened would have made us think that the Mariners would lose the game because the Angels hit back to back home runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 6-4 lead. In the bottom of the seventh inning things did go a bit crazy. Dee Gordon scored all the way from first on a double by Jean Segura. With one out a ball was hit to left fielder Justin Upton who caught the ball however he made a poor throw into the infield so Segura tried to score but was called out at the plate though he looked safe but the replay by the officials was not overturned so the Mariners went into the eighth inning behind 6-5.

 

I am sure we all figured that the Mariners would have to do something in either the eighth or ninth inning. Well Ryon Healy hit a home run into the upper deck to tie the game 6-6 in the eighth inning. The Angels were not able to score in the top of the ninth so figure the Mariners had a chance to win the game. After Segura got his third hit of the game with one strike Mitch Haniger hit a towering ball for a walk-off homer run so the game ended with the Mariners winning 8-6.

 

Now the Mariners will face the Boston Red Sox in Safeco Field for a four game series Thursday thru Sunday. Unless they totally collapse this seven game home stand looks like to become a success. Thursday's game Felix Hernandez will face David Price. This should be an interesting game. At this point it is hard to know who will win this game. Will Felix pitch like he did in Tampa Bay or how he did in his last game in Safeco Field. I am sure we are all hoping like the Safeco Field game. Price has had his up and downs this season as well so I give it a toss up though the Mariners the way they have been play as of late I give them the edge. The Mariners have a record now of 44-24 so twenty games above five hundred.

 

I suppose the Mariners could go into a slump or more injuries that keep them having a winning record the rest of the way which is unlikely though possible. Even if they go five hundred the rest of the way they will win ninety-one games.  I see the Mariners staying on course and win around hundred games. Whether they win the American League West division or not they should be in the playoffs as a wild card. Whatever the case we should see an exciting ninety-four games remaining. I am sure they will lose some games they should win but they may win some that they should lose. We can all hope for a summer that we haven't seen since 2001. Go M's.

 

 

 



Look at Seahawks Linebackers

With Earl Thomas not being at mini-camp and a good chance not at training camp unless he gets a new contract or is traded the Seahawks are now looking at the other guys who may have a lot of playing time. Kam Chancellor is not in training camp as well however his return is in doubt because of neck injury that happened at the end of last season. He is expected to take some tests to see if he is able to perform or not.

Bradley McDougald is the one who has the most experience of the safeties in camp. He has played both safety spots in place of Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. What is known right now that McDougald will start this season but which spot is in question though he can play either one the Seahawks prefer him in strong  safety that has been Chancellor’s spot. If Chancellor is able to return than McDougald then will be at Thomas’s position. Of course if Thomas returns along with Chancellor than he will back up at both positions.

Other listed players at free safety are Alex Carter out of Stanford who was signed to the Seahawks practice squad at the end of 2017, T.J. Mutcherson who the Seahawks signed as a free agent out of Central Florida, and Tedric Thompson the Seahawks drafted last year in the 4^th round and played in nine games for them.

The strong safeties that are vying for spots on the Seahawks are Maurice Alexander, who started last season for the Los Angeles before being waived, and  Delano Hill a third round pick in 2017 by the Seahawks and the likely replacement for Chancellor.  

At this point Hill has to be the favorite to play in place of Chancellor while McDougald will be in Thomas spot. The other free safeties the Seahawks have in camp look more like being backups. If Thomas doesn’t come back I would not be surprised if the Seahawks go find an experienced free safety that might be on the market.

Without Chancellor and or Thomas the secondary will not be the same that the Seahawks have known since they both came on the scene. In fact Seahawks defense can still be good but not where it has been since they have to replace Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett on the defensive line as well.  Go Hawks!!

Good Start to Home Stand

 

Despite the fact that Mike Trout now has four home runs against the Mariners in two games at Safeco Field the Mariners continue to win. You would think that the Mariners would either walk him or throw nothing he can hit the important thing is that the Mariners are taking care of the other players on the Angels roster.

 

 

Tuesday night Mike Trout had three of the Angels six hits in the game.  Luis Valbuena who had two of those hits was thrown out by Mitch Haniger trying to stretch a single into a double.  Actually it should have been a double however Haniger threw the ball right on to Jean Segura. Speaking of Haniger he had two home runs to match Trout's and so did first baseman Ryon Healy with the Mariners winning 6-3.

 

The Mariners continue to keep winning whether they are ahead or the other team starts out ahead. They should be called the comeback kids for sure. Today's game starts at 1:10 pacific time with the Angels starting their best pitcher Garrett Richards while the Mariners start Marco Gonzales who is doing quite well himself these days. It would be nice if the Mariners can sweep the Angels but if they don't it is time to move onto the Red Sox who will be in town for four games. The Red Sox have had a good season themselves but I believe in the Mariners. Not only this isn't the same old Mariner team they have been playing outstanding ball for the last month as well. It has all started with the starting pitching and every game it seems that a different player steps up to the challenge. It helps to that each player is rooting for their teammates as well. You can call them a true team.

 

The series against the Red Sox Felix Hernandez pitches Thursday followed by James Paxton, Wade LeBlanc and Mike Leake who pitched another outstanding game against the Angels going six innings giving up four hits the one run to Trout however he did walk three batters that is unusual for him. Whatever the case he does have seven victories. So we say thank you Mariners for playing such good ball and we hope this will be a season that we will remember for years to come. Go M's.

 

 



Mariners Continue to Win

 

The Seattle Mariners continue winning behind the pitching of Wade LeBlanc and the hitting of Nelson Cruz. The game starting out with us saying once again oh no a home run by Mike Trout. He continues to hammer the Mariners and they also got a home run off of Albert Pujols but Nelson Cruz hit a homer run to even the score 2-2 with Jean Segura continue his hot hitting getting three hits in the game.

 

In the fourth inning Cruz got his second homer along with Ryon Healy hitting a two-run homer himself to take a 5-2 lead. It looked like clear sailing but the Angels did load the bases with LeBlanc pitching however he was able to strike out Ian Kinsler to end the rally before Mike Trout was ready to bat again. LeBlanc yelled with excitement after striking out Kinsler. Sure makes the Mariners feel like a different team.  Trout did hit another home run in the eighth inning off of Ryan Cook but the Angels were not able to do more after that. Edwin Diaz was able to record his twenty-fourth save. The Mariners have a record of 42-24 with identical records at home and the road 21-12.

 

 

The Mariners have Mike Leake going for them Tuesday night after having an outstanding game last time out pitching into the eighth inning.  He will be going for his seventh win as he has a record of 6-3. The Mariners are hoping that he will be able to go eight innings once again.

 

In other local baseball news the Washington Huskies men's team will be going to the College World Series for the first team in the school's history. They had exciting game beating Cal-Fullerton in extra innings Sunday. The Huskies women's softball team lost last week in the finals of the women's championship against Florida State. So baseball is on the rise in the northwest for sure. Go teams.

 

In football  Earl Thomas says that he won't report to Seahawks mini-camp or training camp if he doesn't have a new contract.  He is going into the season with one year left on his current contract and he doesn't want play the year without a new contract. We will have to see whether he will be fined or the Seahawks will be willing to give him a new contract or trade him. We haven't heard about any other Seahawk players who are going to stay away at this time. He was a popular player with the fans but this might make him not so much any longer. I am not sure whether he will be popular with his teammates either.



Mariners Take Another Series

The Mariners continue on their roll winning another series and not an easy thing to do when you are in a four game series on the road even though you are playing a team that is not that good.

The amazing thing is that all three wins against the Rays were by one run each time. The lone loss was Saturday when Felix Hernandez was not able to go any more than three innings giving up six runs five that were earned on seven hits. The Mariners lost that game 7-3 which means the Rays outscored the Mariners by one run in the series though the Mariners won three games. I would call that irony.

The Mariners now have won twenty-one one run games and lost nine. The Mariners now have forty-one wins so twenty that were won by more than one run. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues.

James Paxton was able to go seven innings giving up five hits and three runs while walking no batters and striking out ten. We would have to say if this is a regular occurrence for Paxton than the Mariners will win a lot of games. James Pazos who has had an outstanding season so far did give up a one run in a third of the inning before being lifted for Alex Colome who gave up a hit and a walk in two-thirds of an inning. Edwin Diaz got the save his twenty-third of the season though he gave up two hits. Actually the runner who was on first base was thrown out by Mitch Haniger trying to score the tying run to end the game so the final score was 5-4. The Mariners scored all the runs on three homers. Nelson Cruz had a solo shot while Kyle Seager and Mike Zunino had two-run homers each.

Now the Mariners come home this week to face the Angels for three games followed by four against the Boston Red Sox. The Mariners will have Wade LeBlanc, Mike Leake and Marco Gonzales to face the Angels. This should be a good chance that the Mariners take the series against them. The Red Sox they will have likely Felix Hernandez, James Paxton, Wade LeBlanc and Mike Leake. It will be interesting to see how Felix will do in that series. He has pitched better at home and I am sure the Mariners coaching staff are working on getting his fastball to work.

The Angels will be without Ohtani who has been reported going to need Tommy John surgery which would mean he would probably be out for the season. Also shortstop Simmons is on the disabled list as well. The key to the series still has to do with Mike Trout and how the Mariners decide to pitch to him. Go M’s.

Strong Starting Pitching

 

Friday Night the Seattle Mariners had another strong pitching from their starting rotation. Again it is the surprise Marco Gonzales who is now 4-0 in his last five starts. He has pitching so well that he has only given up three runs in his last 33 and 1/3 innings with an era of  0.81. Although he isn't known as a strike out pitcher he has struck out twenty-one batters in that same mount of time while walking nine. Right now you would have to say he must be the second pitcher in the starting rotation behind James Paxton though it is close between him and Mike Leake who has been pitching outstanding as of late as well. Wade LeBlanc went only four innings in his last outing but before then had been pitching pretty well too. Only Felix has had trouble pitching though he was outstanding in his last outing last Sunday.

 

 

The Mariners have Felix going today against Blake Snell. Both pitchers pitched outstanding last Sunday. Snell left the game after six innings with a 1-0 in which the Mariners came back and won the game against the Rays bullpen. We hope to that Felix can go again Saturday afternoon in the same way. The Mariners are now 40-23 on the season. If they go 50-49 the rest of the season that will give the Mariners a record of 90-72. It certainly better than anyone of us expected at the beginning of the season. Not only due able but the Mariners could win even more games. This will depend whether the starting pitching can continue going late into games and that there will be any serious injuries that can hurt them.

 

Dee Gordon seems to be struggling at the plate lately however Jean Segura got a hit and drove in a run along with Mitch Haniger. Segura getting only one hit was a surprise since he has been hitting multiple times as of late.  The Mariners took a 4-0 lead scoring two in the third plus one each in the fourth and fifth inning. The Rays scored a run in the bottom of the fifth. The Rays scored a run with homer off the bat of second baseman Arroyo to make the score 4-1. It stayed that way until Alex Colome gave up a home run after getting the second out in the eighth inning. He gave up a two-run homer so the Mariners brought in Edwin Diaz to get a four out save in which he did. The Rays had a runner on first with two outs in the bottom of the ninth however Mike Zunino through him out to end the game.

 

Now we will have to see whether the Mariners can get a win today or tomorrow or both against the Rays. At the worst they will lose both games and come home with a 3-3 record on this road trip. I have a strong feeling that the Mariners will come no more than one loss or a sweep against the Rays. The Mariners still have a one game lead over the Astros and 4 1/2 over the Angels. Go M's.

 

 

 

 

 

Shortsop Jean Segura

 

Right now you have to say that Jean Segura the shortstop of the Seattle Mariners is a hitting machine. He leads the major league in multiple hit games. His fielding isn't good as well though he  does make some mistakes every once in while. He does have a strong arm so he can make tough plays that deep in the hole look easy as well. Right now he has five errors, with fifty-eight putouts and one hundred fifty-eight assists.

 

 

After Thursday's night win in Tampa Bay where Segura had two more hits his batting average is at .341. There are times like most hitters where he struggles at the plate but it doesn't happen very often. He doesn't walk often and he often hits balls that are out of the strike zone but he knows how to put the bat on the ball. He can hit the ball to all fields and can drive in runs when needed though he currently is batting second in the batting order. Last year he was the leadoff hitter most of the season so he can hit either first or second. I am sure he could hit anywhere in the lineup if needed. He is second on the Mariners in stealing bases with thirteen behind Dee Gordon. He is twenty-eight years old and has played full seasons in the majors since 2013. Right now he is into his third straight season hitting over three hundred. I expect that he is only get better when he gets closer to thirty years old. He signed a seven year contract with the Mariners last May 2017 so he will be around for some time and be the key player for many years to come. At some point it wouldn't surprise me if he ends up batting third in the lineup. Just like Mitch Haniger who the Mariners picked up in the trade from Arizona he will be a superstar. These two will become the core players in the lineup. Of course we can name quite a few already in the lineup as core players. At this point the Mariners have a strong lineup though at times Ryon Healy, Guillermo Heredia and Mike Zunino do struggle at the plate in the bottom of the order. All three though play good defense though.

 

The Mariners after beating Tampa Bay 5-4 have a record of 39-22 and still a one game lead over Houston. Mike Leake had an excellent game pitching into the ninth inning. In total he gave up two runs. He was relieved by Alex Colome who struggled a bit after not pitching for four games however on an excellent play by Kyle Seager the Mariners won.  Friday  Marco Gonzales goes for the Mariners followed by Felix Hernandez and James Paxton on Sunday. The Mariners will come home to play three against Los Angeles Angels and four against the Boston Red Sox before heading back on the road. June we will see how the Mariners will do. The importance is that the players stay healthy. Go M's. 

Running Back Positon

 

Last Wednesday I went over the offensive line and now a look at the running backs. We are hoping that both positions will be improved over last season since the Seahawks primarily didn't have a running game. Actually I believe the problem had to do with the line though Chris Carson had a good season in limited action in only four games before being injured. He was picked in the seventh round in 2017 and still showed a lot of promise. In his limited action he had 49 carries for 208 yards at an average of 4.2 yards. Unfortunately he didn't get into the end zone for a touch down. Eddie Lacy who the Seahawks signed as a free agent last year had sixty-nine carries in only nine games for 179 yards for an average of 2.6. He had fewer yards in more games than Carson. Thomas Rawls who was to share the load with Lacy played in twelve games but had only 157 yards on 58 carries for 2.7 average. For those to be the main two running backs showed how disappointing season it was.

 

 

So the Seahawks decided to go out and draft a running back in the first round in Rashaad Penny with the 27th pick out of San Diego State.  This was only the third time in the history of the Seahawks that they drafted a running in the first round. The previous were Curt Warner and Shawn Alexander. Penny is considered a back that could be on all three downs since he is a good pass catcher. Also he may be on special teams running back kick offense. Another running back Mike Davis could see action. He spent most of last season on practice squad but did see some action late in the season that the Seahawks liked to bring him back for another try. Though Penny will likely be the starter Carson and Davis should see a lot of action to depending on how Penny does. Returning as third down specialists are C.J. Prosise and J. D. McKissic who actually was in more games than any other running back on the Seahawks and he averaged 4.1 yards per carry however he isn't recognized as someone who could be an every down running back. If Prosise can stay healthy since he has had the problem since being drafted by the Seahawks and McKissic both performing well they may keep five running backs. These two could keep the Seahawks from having another receiver on the team since both were ones in college and could set up outside to. This all could be decided by whether the Seahawks decide to keep a fullback or two or not as well. The main candidates at fullback are Tre Madden who played in eight games last year for the Seahawks though had no carries and caught only two passes. The other candidate is Jalston Fowler who the Seahawks signed as a free agent. If either one makes the team they will be used primarily for blocking though could catch the ball out of the backfield. The Seahawks could use one of their tight ends in the backfield as well.

 

 

The Seahawks should have a successful season long as Penny, Carson, and Davis have a good season. Again a lot of that depends on the offensive line. This could be a long season if none of them has a good season. Without a good running game the Seahawks might only win eight games at best unless Russell Wilson can pull some tricks. A good running game will help Wilson not having to scramble so much and make the passing game more honest as well. Next time be looking at the wide receiver position. Go Hawks!

Mariners Split Series With Astros

The Seattle Mariners ended up splitting series with Astros in Houston. In a way that is a good thing however they did win the opening game to the series on Tuesday 7-1.

I know some fans think it is OK and in some ways it is playing on the road losing the second game in the series but in a way I think it is a losing attitude as well. I believe that a team could win two games when taking the first game especially having opportunities to win. I know on the road splitting is good as well but if the Mariners don’t make the playoffs by a game or two we can look back at this and say they could have made it. In June it is hard to think about winning as many games as possible but that should be the attitude. I am sure the Mariner players feel that they should have won both games.

The Mariners opened the scoring in the 4^th inning with a home run by Nelson Cruz however Wade LeBlanc struggled in the bottom of the inning and gave up three runs including a two-run homer to Evan Gattis. It was his 9^th homer of the season. The park in Houston has a short fence in left field so being a power hitter you think that Gattis would have more home runs.

Wade LeBlanc started the game only last four innings. Up until that point he hadn’t given up a run but manager Servais must have seen something that told him that LeBlanc wasn’t going to do better so he put in Chase Bradford who has done excellent all season. Bradford pitched in an inning then James Pazos came in the 6^th inning gave up one hit. At that point the Mariners were behind 3-2 so had a chance to win. In the seventh inning the Mariners took the lead scoring two runs that included a solo home run by left fielder Denard Span that was his first with the Mariners. Leading the game 4-3 it looked like the Mariners had a good chance to win the game however Juan Nicasio had another bad game and gave up four runs without an out. Nicasio has had a lot of good games but does have some games where we can shake our heads and this was one of them. I am not sure why Servais didn’t take him out when the signs happen. So the Astros were leading 7-4. The Mariners got a home run by Kyle Seager but couldn’t get over to score a tie the game at least and lost 7-5.

This was one of these games we could have said yes maybe a victory was in hand. Before the game Servais said that Nick Vincent is ready to go out on a rehab assignment along with catcher Chris Herrmann; it will be nice to have both of them return soon. It would be nice to have Vincent back in the mix and  be nice to have him and Nicasio sharing the seventh inning with Alex Colome in the 8^th inning and Edwin Diaz closing in the 9^th.

Nicasio said coming out of spring training he could pitch in every game. I am thinking whether the Mariners are pitching him too much or not enough to be effective all the time? We hope that he can be a second half of the season pitcher that will help out the Mariners tremendously.

Now the Mariners will take on the Rays in Tampa Bay. It would be nice for them to take three out of four games especially that starting pitcher Chris Archer was put on the disabled list and won’t be available this series. The Mariners are scheduled to face Blake Snell again on Saturday against Felix Hernandez. We hope to have another good pitching duel between them. Go M’s.

Mariners Draft Day Three

The Seattle Mariners on Wednesday drafting rounds eleven thru forty. The odds are against any of these players making it to the major leagues. The most recent draft pick to make it was Andrew Moore who pitched for the Mariners for a short period because of injuries last year. He was recently traded to Tampa Bay Rays however he is pitching in the minor leagues. He was a second round draft pick by the Mariners. The odds are good that he will make it.

The most recent draft pick on the Mariners right now is Dan Altavilla who was drafted in the fifth round in 2014. The only other player drafted by the Mariners the same season Ryan Yarbrough traded to Tampa Bay when they picked up Drew Smyly last year. He was picked right ahead of Altavilla as a fourth round pick. In 2013 Tyler O’Neill the Mariners drafted  in the 3^rd round was traded to the St. Louis last July for Marco Gonzales who is now in the starting rotation for the Mariners. Other players in the major leagues who were drafted the same year by the Mariners seventh round pick Tyler Olson out of Gonzaga is a left handed pitcher now for the Cleveland.  Emilio Pagan the Mariners traded to the Oakland A’s during the off-season for Ryon Healy in the  tenth round and Zack Littell  eleventh round pick now with the Minnesota Twins.

The most successful draft in most recent years is 2012 when the Mariners drafted Mike Zunino as the 3^rd overall pick in the first round is the regular catcher, Edwin Diaz in the 3^rd round is the team’s closer, Joe DeCarlo who was drafted between them with second pick as a shortstop is now catching with AA Arkansas. He was invited to training as non-roster invitee. Other players most known because he played well last year with the Los Angeles Dodgers is Chris Taylor. According to Jerry Dipoto the worst trade he made as Mariner general manager. Taylor was drafted fifth round in 2012 and the last to have some success as a reliever is Dominic Leone a thirteenth round pick by the Mariners and now he is on the disabled list for the St. Louis.

Now we look at this draft eleven thru forty for the Mariners. In the eleventh round they finally took a high school senior in Damon Casetta-Stubbs from Vancouver Washington a right handed pitcher. He had committed to Seattle University however choose to sign with the Mariners. The next high schooler the Mariners took was Holden Laws with the sixteenth pick out of North Carolina. The only other high schoolers were Jack Montgomery a left handed hitting second baseman out of Simsbury, Connecticut with the 38^th pick, Jacob Maton from Glenwood High School in Illinois, and  David Rhodes out of Langley British Columbia both being right hand pitchers with the 39^th and 40^th picks. I would not be surprised if those three don’t sign and play college ball.

A look at the positions the Mariners picked up in these rounds of eleven thru 40^th. The Mariners drafted fifteen pitchers, six second baseman, two shortstops, one third baseman Cal Hernandez out of Oral Roberts with the twenty-sixth pick, four outfielders and one catcher Dean Naveraz  from San Diego State with the 19^th pick. All these players all have interesting stories. One to give you is the 18^th round pick Noah Zavolas a right handed starting pitcher from Harvard University who was Ivy League Pitcher of the year and threw a no-hitter against their rival Yale. Over the months and years we will see who may make the Mariners or who they may trade to pick up other players. I hope these are players that will make the Mariners a stronger farm system. In the meantime Mariners play ball.