Mariners Beat A’s In Opening Game

The Seattle Mariners continue to make us shake our heads when it comes to how they play. Even general manager Jerry Dipoto isn’t sure what version of the team will show up in a given series.

The Mariners seem to play better against the teams that they are fighting against to make the playoffs while not so well against teams that are not so good. At least they are still in the playoff hunt at this time.

It was nice to see the Mariners offense get off in the first inning scoring five runs going through the whole lineup. Dee Gordon had a key hit in the first inning as well at the number nine spot. He was playing shortstop as Jean Segura was scratched from the game. He took himself out before the beginning of the game. Manager Scott Servais wasn’t sure why he did so since it was an important game however the Mariners responded well anyway. Ryon Healy wasn’t in the lineup originally had a couple hits and drove in a run himself. Robinson Cano originally set to play first base but went to his normal spot of second base and Gordon moved over to shortstop. Have to see if Segura will be back in the lineup Friday night or not.

Wade LeBlanc who has pitched well most of the season since being put in the rotation was able to go well in a game it was important for him to do so. The Mariners need to take at least three games in this series to have a shot to make the playoffs. LeBlanc was able to go seven innings giving up three hits and three walks without a run being scored. Besides the five runs in the first the Mariners were able to get another run in the second and then a final run in the fourth inning when Mitch Haniger hit a home run. Oakland scored their only run in the eighth inning off of Adam Warren. Nick Vincent took care of the ninth inning giving up no hits and striking out a batter. It was nice to see an easy win 7-1 for a change especially when they can use the win.

The Mariners are now four and a half games behind the A’s. The Houston Astros also lost so the Mariners gained a game against them as well. Right now the Mariners are playing like they are in the playoffs. We do hope they play like a playoff team so they give themselves all the chances to make it. The Mariners did go through something similar when they made their first playoffs back in 1995.

Friday night Mike Leake pitches against Mike Fiers. We hope that the offense does much better this time around against Fiers and that Leake pitches a good game. This is Leake’s second outing after having to miss a turn because of illness.

James Paxton is expected to start on Saturday after being on the disabled list. With teams able to expand on September 1^st the Mariners will not have to take a pitcher off the roster. In fact they will probably add two or three pitchers for the bullpen on Saturday as well along with catcher David Freitas. They will likely add some more players as needed next week. Felix is scheduled to start on Sunday for the final game of this series. No news when Marco Gonzales is expected back from the dl. Go M’s.

Seahawks Busy Before Final Pre-Season Game

The Seahawks signed Tyler Lockett to a three year extension on Wednesday so he will be around for a while longer. He likely will be the Seahawks number two receiver and still run punt returns and kickoffs. Though he hasn’t had the career that he looked like after his rookie season he has done quite well anyway. The biggest issue has been him staying healthy. The positive side is he is a great guy who is positive himself. The punting returning game was weak for at least a couple seasons before the Seahawks drafted him. He was a pro-bowler his rookie season.

The Seahawks made a trade on Wednesday as well and didn’t include holdout safety Earl Thomas. Actually the Seahawks picked up Brett Hundley from the Green Bay Packers for a six-round pick. This means that backup quarterback Austin Davis will have to pack his back. He hasn’t had a very good pre-season for the Seahawks and rookie Alex McGough isn’t ready to become the backup quarterback either. The Seahawks will probably waive him this weekend and then sign him to the practice squad if no one else picks him up.

There is no news still on the Earl Thomas front. He is still holding out to get an extension by the Seahawks or be traded. He likely will come back during the season unless the Seahawks do trade or sign him. He is currently being fined for every day he misses.

On the injury front it looks most likely that linebacker K.J. Wright will miss at least the first game of the season. He is the only key injury on the Seahawks at this time though there are other players out right now. Doug Baldwin is back practicing though he says that he won’t be one hundred percent all season and first round pick Rashaad Penny should be ready to return as well.

Thursday night’s game will be against the Oakland Raiders in Seattle. I am sure head coach Pete Carroll like very much to win this game since the Seahawks haven’t won a pre-season game as of yet. It isn’t as important as being ready for the season opener.  Most of the players in action will be those who will be trying to make the team or continue in the NFL somewhere. Go Hawks!!

Mariners Lose Twice In SD

The Seattle Mariners knew that to have any chance to make the playoffs they really had to go into San Diego and win both games. It was almost a sure thing because the Padres are the worst team in the national league.

On Tuesday the Mariners got one of their best performances out of Felix Hernandez on the season going seven innings giving up four hits and two runs however they lost 2-1 because they couldn’t score any more than one run on eight hits. The one lone run was a home run in the top of the ninth inning by Nelson Cruz.

Wednesday afternoon the Mariners had to do was now split the series but had a poor performance out of Erasmo Ramirez who could only go three innings in an 8-3 loss. The only positive side was Roenis Elias was able to go the rest of the way going five innings giving up one run. The Mariners were able to get nine hits in the game but only scored the three runs. Now they go to Oakland to play a four game series. This is now the most important series of the season if they have any hope in making the playoffs.

The odds are against the Mariners in making the playoffs. They almost have to win every game remaining in the twenty-nine games. They at least have to sweep the A’s in Oakland. We know they can do it because they have done it before.

This is probably going to be the best team the Mariners have field in the last seventeen years but likely will not make the playoffs however I wouldn’t count them out yet. All I know is that I am going to remember this season as a bizarre one. They had winning records the first three months of the season. Also started out July fine as well but then had trouble beating the Colorado Rockies especially in Denver. They lost Robinson Cano in May first because of an injury then he was suspended for eighty games just a couple days later. They played pretty well for the first month without Cano; so much that it looked like they were a better team without him.

The second half of the season the Mariners have looked like the total apposite of the team that played the first half; what makes it real bizarre to me is that they have played awful against the National League West. I would have to say in the previous sixteen years the Mariners have played well if not the best team in the American League playing against the National League. In fact I am sure many would say why the Mariners couldn’t play better against American League teams like they have done against the NL. This year they have played the opposite losing so much against the NL West. They play the NL like the last sixteen years they could be leading the American League West or at least making the playoffs as a wild card. I am sure they would be ahead of the A’s at this point.

Now we have to see who they are against the A’s this coming series and beyond. Will the Mariners be Jekyll or Hyde? The Mariners could win sixteen of their remaining twenty-nine game which would give them ninety wins but probably won’t make the playoffs unless the A’s take a real slide. They only need to win ten remaining games to make ninety wins.

Whatever happens in this series against the A’s I know we will be shaking our heads in one fashion or another. I am sure we will end the season saying to ourselves what could have been. The Mariners had to play a season where they were in the best division of baseball. The Oakland A’s who were not expected to do anything this season has played better than any team in the major leagues in the second half and overtook the Mariners.  Now we will have to see what the Mariners do against them in this four game series. What team will we see? Against the A’s and thereafter; anyway that is it for now. Go M’s.

Huskies Open Against Auburn

The University of Washington Huskies opens against Auburn on Saturday September 1^st in Atlanta Georgia. Both teams are ranked in the top ten of the pre-season poll. The Huskies are ranked number one in the Pac-12 as well. Whatever happens in the first game of the season both teams could still make the National Championship Series if they win out all the way. It is not an easy task but is still possible. Another loss along the way for the loser of the game will be hard to overcome though.

Offensively Jake Browning returns for his senior year and fourth year starting at quarterback for the Huskies. Many experts that he had an off-year in his junior year however hoping for return to his play of his sophomore season. When his Huskies career is over he should have all the team records for the quarterback position. Myles Gaskin returns as well as the starting running back. Also he could end his career as the Huskies all-time running back. He thought about going into the NFL draft after his junior year but decided to return after all. Since the Huskies make the running game an important part of their offense sophomore Ahmed Salvon will backup Gaskin. He is expected to be the team’s kick returner as well. Chico McClatcher who missed most of last season will return as the Huskies number one wide receiver while Marquis Spiker will be the other wide receiver. Aaron Fuller is expected to be McClatcher’s back up. He is expected to be the team’s punt returner as well. Likely he will see a lot of action as the team’s third receiver as well. The Huskies are expected to start two tight ends. They are expected to be senior Drew Sample and sophomore Hunter Bryant.

The offensive line is expected to be senior Trey Adams at left tackle, sophomore left guard Luke Wattenberg, junior center Nick Harris Jr., seniors Jesse Sosebee and Kaleb McGary at right guard and right tackle.

On the defensive side of the ball returning as free safety is junior Taylor Rapp who has had an outstanding career with the Huskies and senior JoJo McIntosh at strong safety. Austin Joyner and Bryon Murphy are expected to be the cornerbacks. The Huskies will have outstanding backups as well far as defensive backs go. The top defensive ends are expected to be Benning Potoae and Jaylon Johnson. Sophomore Levi Onwuzunike is expected to be the defensive tackle while senior Greg Gaines will be the nose tackle.  Inside linebackers will be seniors Trevis Bartlett and Ben Burr-Kirven while sophomore Ryan Bowman will be at outside linebacker.  Far as special teams Joe Whitford will be punter, Van Soderberg as place kicker, long snapper A.J. Carty, and holder Race Porter.  You will likely see other players see a lot of action as well on the Huskies team. We are hoping that they will come out strong on Saturday. Being the opening game of the season it is always hard to tell. Go Huskies.

Seahawks Getting Ready For Opener

The Seattle Seahawks have one pre-season game left to see who makes or doesn’t make the team for the opener on September 9. Although they haven’t won a pre-season game yet which is Ok by the way Russell Wilson believes the offense is all ready to go. There is no comment about the defense though.

Doug Baldwin made his first appearance since day one of training camp on Monday so he is set to go however K.J Wright went in for surgery so don’t know how long he will be out. Right now rookie Shaquem Griffin is expected to take his spot.  Looks like he and his twin brother Shaquill will be in the lineup together. Shaquill will be starting at the cornerback position that Richard Sherman played for a number of years. Although Shaquem Griffin will be ready to go playing K.J. Wright’s linebacker spot there will be a drop off on the defense. Wright and Bobby Wagner are the best linebacker duo in the NFL. There are other questions on the defense as well like who will start across from Shaquill Griffin at the other cornerback spot along with who will start at Earl Thomas safety spot and the defensive line still not sure who will be at the end spot from Frank Clark.

Over the last several years the Seahawks offense has sputtered in the first half of the season along with at least half of a game. Russell Wilson’s plays in the fourth quarter have given the team a chance and often win those games. The running gave has looked better in pre-season over the last couple year. For the Seahawks to be successful this coming season the running game has to be good so that they can allow the defense to stay off the field as long as possible. The last couple years though a successful defense they have had to be on the field longer than necessary. Regardless of how good the defense is this upcoming season it won’t be as good as previous seasons we all know that.

Outside of K.J. Wright the starting team is pretty good health although some players have missed time during training camp both on the defensive and offensive sides.  

The fourth and final pre-season game will take place on August 30 against the Oakland Raiders in Seattle. The first string will likely not play in the game or only start for one series. Go Hawks!    

Mariners Come Up Short

I am sure everyone was hoping that the Mariners would sweep the Arizona Diamondbacks by winning Sunday’s game but they ended up losing 5-2.

The Mariners have the sixth best record in the American League being a few percentage points behind the Cleveland Indians. Unfortunately the Indians have pretty well clinched a spot in the playoffs having a thirteen game lead in the American League Central. The Mariners are now five games behind the Oakland A’s for the second wildcard. The Houston Astros are six and half ahead of the Mariners in the division. The New York Yankees who have the first wild card spot right now have nine more wins than the Mariners. So it is going to be hard for the Mariners to make the playoffs no matter how well they play. They have Monday off then play two games in San Diego followed by four in Oakland. For the Mariners to have any chance to make the playoffs they need to win all six games or at least five of them. A tall order since the pitching and offense have been struggling though they are seventeen games above five hundred right now with seventy-four wins.

The Mariners led off the game in the first inning with Mitch Haniger getting a hit along with Denard Span with two outs then Kyle Seager drove in Haniger to take a 1-0 lead. It stood until the third inning when Mike Leake had his only bad inning pitching giving up three singles then a three-run homer to give the Diamondbacks a 5-1. The score stayed that way until the top of the ninth when Ben Gamel got a hit then scored on an error. The Mariners had a chance loading the bases without any outs however like in any of their recent games were not able to bring in any runs. Mitch Haniger lined out to third base and then Robinson Cano hit into a game ending double play. So close but so far at the same time with a 5-2 loss.

Mike Leake was able to go six innings despite the five runs in the third inning. Roenis Elias finished the final two innings giving up just one hit. With Monday off before facing the Padres the bullpen will be rested.

For the Mariners to have any chance in the six games remaining on this road trip the pitchers can’t give up big runs like Leake did in the third inning and the offense has to score more than two runs along with taking opportunities to score with the bases loaded with no outs. They need to be able to get at least a sacrifice fly to score one run in these opportunities or a single to drive in a couple. Also the offense will need to add on when taking a lead as well. Though the team has done well in one run games and extra innings it would be a good idea to win by at least two or three runs to take pressure off of the bullpen. The relievers have had trouble outside of Colome and Diaz along with the offense so the Mariners need everyone to step up especially in key situations. They could still win a high percentage of their thirty-one remaining games and still not make the playoffs. Right now though they need to think about taking of the Padres and A’s before coming home to face the Orioles and the Yankees.

Winning at least ninety games for the Mariners will be a big accomplishment after quite a few years but likely won’t make the playoffs anyway. For them to do it they must win every series remaining on the schedule. It may take at least a couple sweeps as well. We have to remember to enjoy the ride and the season even if they fall short in making the playoffs. So Mariners we are rooting for you and looking for “Refuse to Lose the sequel”. Go M’s.

Mariners Taking Series

The Seattle Mariners have one more game to go in the series against the Diamondbacks Sunday afternoon however they did win again to take the series and we hope a nice sweep before heading to San Diego for a couple games.

The Mariners never seem to win games easy except once in a while. Saturday night was another won when winning by one run 4-3 in the 10^th inning. Denard Span hit a home run then Edwin Diaz got his fiftieth save even though he gave up a couple hits. In fact Mitch Haniger had to make an outstanding catch to end the game otherwise the game would have been tied or the Diamondbacks would have won. The Mariners continue to win in extra-inning games. They are now 13-1. Now manager Scott Servais will have to get a Edwin Diaz like haircut because of the 50 saves. It will be interesting to see how he looks in that shave.

The scoring began in the first inning when Mitch Haniger led off the game with a home run then third baseman Eduardo Escobar tied with a home run in the bottom of the first. So the score stayed 1-1 until the seventh when the Diamondbacks scored two runs. The Mariners tied the game in the ninth to make it into extra inning. The Mariners though had several opportunities to score runs to make an easy victory but not on this day. Twice they had the bases loaded and couldn’t even bring one run inning. In total the Mariners had twenty-eight runners left on base in the game. I am not sure if I have ever seen that stat being so high.

The important thing though is that the Mariners won the game no matter how difficult they made it on themselves. At least the offense came through when necessary.

Wade LeBlanc pitched well in the game going six innings giving up one hit, two walks, striking out six and giving up the home run only in the first inning. On the other hand Nick Vincent didn’t have as good an outing as the game before allowing the two runs in the seventh. He was relieved by Zach Duke but he didn’t pitch and Adam Warren came to get the two remaining outs in the seventh inning. Also he pitched the eighth inning as well. Alex Colome pitched the ninth and was recorded with the win.

Although he continues to struggle though he was given the day off on Friday Kyle Seager drove in the tying runs in the ninth inning with a double. We do hope that is the start to him getting back on track. The Mariners can sure use his bat for the stretch run and we hope the playoffs.

The Oakland A’s won again so the Mariners are still four games behind them so very important for the Mariners to continue winning especially going to the series against the A’s next weekend when they start a four game series on Thursday. The Mariners are hoping that James Paxton will be ready to go in that series. Mike Leake pitches Sunday afternoon while Felix Hernandez takes the mound on Tuesday in San Diego followed by Marco Gonzales on Wednesday. Go M’s.    

Mariners Win Opener in First Game in Arizona

I wonder how many are surprised as I am with the pitching in his three starts since coming off the disabled list and rehab assignment by Erasmo Ramirez.

Right now Ramirez is one of the best pitchers going for the Mariners besides Mike Leake who is expected to pitch Sunday in Arizona after missing his last start because of illness.

Ramirez was able to go six innings with a quality start as they call it these days giving up six hits walking one batter striking out six and giving up three runs. Actually only one was an earned run since the other two scored because of throwing errors by Jean Segura and Dee Gordon who are both generally very steady in the field.

Mitch Haniger led off the game with a single one of three hits he got for the Mariners against his old club. Jean Segura was considered the major parcel of the trade but Haniger is looking like a guy that might turn out to be the major player in the deal though Segura is no slouch either as he is batting .315 right now. Segura actually drove in Haniger as part of the four run inning the Mariners had in the third inning to take a 4-0 lead. The Mariners extended the lead on a home run in the fifth inning before the Diamondbacks scored a run in the bottom of the same inning to make it 5-1. The Mariners then scored their sixth and final run in the sixth inning before the Diamondbacks scored two runs on the errors by Segura and Gordon to make the final score 6-3.

This was a game where the Mariners were able to add on after scoring the four runs in the third inning. Lately the Mariners have had trouble adding on runs along with the pitching whether the starters or the bullpen.

The bullpen was able to shut down the Diamondbacks without giving up a hit in three innings. Nick Vincent took over for Ramirez after Gamel pitched him for Ramirez in top of the seventh inning. Vincent was taken over in the eighth by Colome who like Vincent struck out two batters and then Edwin Diaz struck out one batter while recording his forty-ninth save  of the season now a Mariners record. If you have followed the Mariners closely you know on his next save the fiftieth after words manager Scott Servais will have to get a Diaz haircut. Something they decided on early in the season if Diaz was able to do so. This was finally a game that Diaz was able to close out without having just a one run lead going into the ninth.

The Mariners finally won a game where the offense and the pitching came together. It has been a while since this has happened. We hope in the Mariners final thirty-three games this will happen more often than not.

Wade LeBlanc who has had his troubles of late starts for the Mariners Saturday night. This is another game the Mariners have a good shot of winning if LeBlanc is able to pitch five or six successful inning. Robbie Ray starts for the Diamondbacks. He has an era of 4.91 in sixteen starts and is averaging five innings per start. We hope that he is able to only go the five innings if not less in this game. It would be nice the Mariners could score four runs at least early in the game like Friday night and then add on as well. This will be important since Zach Greinke will go on Sunday. He has a record of 12-8 with an era of 3.09. The Mariners hope that Mike Leake who faces Greinke on Sunday will have an outstanding game like in his last outing. How well he does in part is how much he is over his illness. If he does pitch well this make a good game to see and who knows the Mariners could sweep the series which would be very good indeed. The Mariners need to take as many series the rest of the way as they can to have any chance to make the playoffs.

The Mariners are hoping that James Paxton will be available in the A’s series that will take place next weekend. After the Diamondbacks the Mariners will face the Padres in San Diego for two games. Later they will play the Padres in Seattle.

The A’s will be for four games ending the month of August and begin September. The Mariners will have reinforcements at the end of the series against Oakland. It would be very good if the Mariners can take at least three of the four games before going into Oakland while at the same time take three of four in Oakland. That would give the Mariners six wins in eight games and put them in good position to take over the playoff spot from Oakland. Although it won’t be easy the Mariners did do a similar deal in 1995. Actually that year they began September in third place and tied the division leader the Angels at the end then had to play an extra game where the Mariners won. Wouldn’t it be exciting if the Mariners could pull something almost like this again for their first return to the playoffs in seventeen years. Go M’s.

Seahawks in Minnesota

The Seattle Seahawks take on the Vikings Friday night in Minnesota. The Seahawk are hoping to run the ball a lot against the tough Vikings defense. This will be the Seahawks third pre-season game and the most important one to be ready for the regular season in two weeks from Sunday.

The Seahawks will be without first-round pick Rashaad Penny who is expected back when the season begins and J.D. McKissic who injured his foot this week is expected out for four to six weeks. So that means the Seahawks will see action by Chris Carson who is the starting running back who missed the second half of last season, Mike Davis who played pretty well in the second half of last season after being on the practice squad and C. J. Prosise. The Seahawks are hoping to see Prosise play a lot in this game. So far he has had a lot of injuries in his career and missed most of last year. When he has played he has shown a lot of talent both running and catching the ball. The Seahawks are hoping that he will be the third down running back they expected when he was drafted.

The Seahawks have switched tackle George Fant who was out all of last season from the left tackle position over to the other side of right tackle. The Seahawks have been disappointed in the play of right tackle Germain Ifedi who continues to drawing penalties and being pushed around. Ifedi is expected to start the season at right tackle however he continues playing poorly the Seahawks are hoping soon the Fant will be able to take his spot.

The Seahawks will have several injured players back in this game while at the same time will be without a few players as well. They will have right guard D.J. Fluker who dislocated a finger in last week’s game. He has been hurt a good amount of the time during the training camp. I am sure the Seahawks are hoping a healthy Fluker that will help the line all the way especially with Ifedi.

Free agent receiver Brandon Marshall who has expected to be the second receiver to Doug Baldwin is expected to see more action this week along with the full first string unit of the Seahawks on the offensive side of the ball. Also receiver David Moore who has had a good training camp is expected to see action on kick-off returns as well since McKissic will be out for a while.

This game will be important one to see how the Seahawks will do going into the regular season. Outside of a few players we will see the majority of the players that will be starting for the Seahawks when they start the season in two weeks. I am sure we will see the backups later in the game especially those who are competing for a roster spot. The cut down to fifty-three players won’t happen until after pre-season game number four. It used to be that teams would cut down their rosters throughout pre-season games but that has changed where now they wait until after the last pre-season game. It does help the teams depending on who stays healthy and those who do not. You will see a few players like the Seahawks did early in the week when punter Jon Ryan was released however he asked to be released so he could hook up with another team which he did on Tuesday signing with the Buffalo Bills.

Anyway this week will be an exciting game to watch to see where the Seahawks will be going into the season. We will have a better idea how the team will look. Just hope that no more injuries will happen. Go Hawks!!

Playoffs or Not For Mariners?

I am sure most Mariner fans are dumbfounded or disappointed or whatever other adjectives you want to use because after Wednesday’s game the chances became even harder for the Mariners to make the playoffs losing to the Astros 10-7.

Wednesday’s gave wasn’t as close as the score indicates. The Mariners offense did come alive scoring five runs in the sixth inning that included a two-run homer by the ever hot Mitch Haniger. The problem in this game was that starter Marco Gonzales gave up eight runs in three innings. The bullpen which has had problems throughout the season only gave up two runs in six innings to give them somewhat of a chance.

What the Mariners have to do to make the playoffs is to play playoff baseball and that might not be enough to make it anyway. It was the kind of ball they were playing back in May and June however we haven’t seen that for some time other than the series where they swept the Astros in Houston.

For the Mariners to have any chance to be in the playoffs they must win at least twenty of their remaining thirty-four games and then the A’s would have to win no more than sixteen of their remaining thirty-five games.  This is a season where the Mariners can have the best record in the last decade and still not make the playoffs. They are playing in the best division of baseball with the Astros expected would be good but the A’s have done great as well. In fact they have played even better ball than the Mariners did back in May and June since the all-star break if not before then.

The Mariners split the remaining thirty-four games they will end the season 89-73 which many years might get them in but not this one. I believe even with that record us fans will be disappointed in what could have been. The way they have been playing of late the record might be less than eight-nine wins.

All we can do right now as fans is to enjoy the ride and we hope that the Mariners will play in the way that we can enjoy the ride. Even if the team doesn’t make the playoffs let the last thirty-four games look like playoff baseball. One way that can happen if Dipoto can go out and pick up another starting pitcher; he mentioned at the beginning of the season picking up Mike Leake and Marco Gonzales at the end of last season was for this season. Let’s do the same thing this year where the pitcher they pick up is for next year as well. We look at the rotation right now and it doesn’t look so well for the rest of the season. We hope when Paxton gets back soon he will be the ace type of pitcher along with Mike Leake. Without another starter the other three spots don’t look that good though Wade LeBlanc might be alright if he hasn’t pitched too many innings in the manor of Gonzales. The Mariners might be OK if Felix pitches similar to what he had done coming out of the bullpen when Paxton went on the DL.

The starting pitching is only the beginning though for playoff baseball. The offense has to get going as well. They need to consistently score at least four runs a game and the defense needs to do a better job as well. The top of the batting order has done well but the Mariners need more out of five through nine especially from Kyle Seager who has not played very good ball. We hope that Servais giving him the day off on Wednesday and playing Cano at third will help. In fact playing Cano at third at least another game or two might be a good idea as well. The Mariners need to have all their regulars play at a good level as well. Let’s make the next five weeks look like playoff baseball and who knows what may happen. Go M’s.

Astros Even Series

I guess you could say it would eventually happen the Houston Astros beat the Mariners on Tuesday night. It was one of those games down to the end before knowing who would win. In the end the Astros won 3-2.

The game actually had more offense than the score indicated as the Astros had ten hits and the Mariners had nine. You would have thought that the Mariners could have scored more runs since they did not hit into any double plays while the Astros hit into six of them. Sometimes baseball games can be stranger than fiction. The game was still played with the roof was open at Safeco Field despite the air quality in the area.

It was an interesting game in the fact that both teams had to go with the bullpen throughout the game. It was expected with the Astros throwing Brad Peacock however the Mariners were supposed to go with starter Mike Leake who had an outstanding start in his last outing but he came to the ballpark ill so the Mariners started reliever Nick Vincent which was his first in his major league career. He actually didn’t do a bad job going two innings giving up one hit and a walk in two innings without a run. Peacock only went an inning and a third for the Astros giving up three hits. Unfortunately the Mariners weren’t able to score any runs while Peacock was pitching.

The Astros went with a rookie pitcher making his debut in Framber Valdez who went four and a third innings giving up two hits and a run to the Mariners. He recorded the victory for the Astros while the Mariners brought in Ross Detwiler who was expected to start Tuesday night in Tacoma. He actually went further going six innings for the Mariners giving up eight hits and three runs including a solo home run to outfielder Josh Reddick in the fourth inning. Of course he recorded the loss despite a good effort. If he had started the game he would have had a quality start. Lefty Zach Duke finished the game going in the ninth inning for the Mariners. So the Mariners were able to use the bullpen at the minimum using three pitchers all together. I expect that the Mariners will bring up another reliever in place of Detwiler who likely will be sent back to Tacoma since he did go six innings.

Marco Gonzales who originally was supposed to start on Sunday but was pushed back will go for the Mariners Wednesday afternoon. The Mariners are hoping with a couple extra days off he will be refreshed and able to go at least six innings and a quality start to have the Mariners win the series. The loss to Astros on Tuesday night means that the Mariners are now four and a half games out of the lead.

The importance for the Mariner hitters is to be able to drive in runs with runners in scoring position. They certainly had the opportunity on Tuesday night. In fact in the eighth inning when they scored their second run of the game they had the bases loaded with Kyle Seager up to bat when he struck out however the catcher had a passed ball so Mitch Haniger scored the second run. The Mariners were unable to score another run though the opportunities to score two runs were there too.

The Mariners after finishing Wednesday afternoon’s game they will have Thursday off and head to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks have a one and half lead ahead of the Colorado Rockies and three and half ahead of the Dodgers. It is important that the Mariners play better in this series than they have against both the Rockies and the Dodgers. So this series is important to both teams so the action should be like being in the playoffs. We hope better from the Mariners. Go M’s.

5th Straight Win Against Astros

Going into Monday night’s game against the Houston Astros at Safeco Field the Mariners had a terrible series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. One of the reasons that the Mariners didn’t get swept by the Dodgers was Saturday’s game the pitcher for them had a balk that allowed the winning run in the tenth inning. Anyway I hope this series will put the Mariners back on winning track.

The Astros started the scoring in the first inning with a home run by Marwin Gonzales however the Mariners were able to get two runs of their own in the bottom of the first inning with a single by Mitch Haniger leading off followed by a double by Robinson Cano and then another hit to get Cano home. It would have been nice to get more runs in that inning however the way the offense has been going we can’t be cozy or can we? I figured since Gerrit Cole who has a fine season so far the team needs to score against him when the opportunity arises.

In the third inning the Astros scored three runs to take a 4-2 with two of the runs drove in by no other than Marwin Gonzales with a double. He had a total of three hits in the game. I thought at that point the Mariners should have taken Felix out of the game but the Mariners thought different and he was able to pitch six innings without giving up another run after the third. The Mariners did close the gap scoring a run in the fourth and sixth inning that included a double by Mike Zunino that scored Ben Gamel who returned after spending around three weeks with Tacoma. He started in right field and Mitch Haniger switched to center with Denard Span in left field. The Mariners also had Jean Segura back as well. All of them contributed in the game for the Mariners. The Mariners sent Guillermo Heredia to get his bat up and going again. The Mariners aren’t expected to face too many lefties over the next ten games. So Cameron Maybin will be the presence in center field while Heredia is gone though Haniger played there Monday night.

With the score 4-4 it looked like it was going to be another one of those one run games whether the Astros won or the Mariners come from behind. Robinson Cano had something else in mind in the bottom of the eighth inning with two runners on base he hit a home run to make it 7-4. Of course by no surprise Edwin Diaz came in to shut the door on the Astros to get the victory for the Mariners with his 48^th save. Alex Colome who pitched the eighth inning got the win for the Mariners.

Mike Leake will be pitching Tuesday night for the Mariners. Brad Peacock coming out of the bullpen will be going for the Astros. The Mariners are now three and half games out of first place while the Astros and A’s are at the top of the division. So still a tight race with one of the three teams going home at the end of September while the other two are in the playoffs. Of course winning the division is the most important thing so they don’t have to play the wild card game. We and the Mariners will take either spot though winning the division would be the best thing. Now two more games against the Astros then the Mariners have a day off on Thursday.

The Mariners than will go to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks in another interleague series followed by two games against the San Diego Padres and finish the road trip with four games in Oakland against the A’s. They will have an eight game home stand in early September against the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and the San Diego Padres. Go M’s.

Decision Made in Kicking Game

I have to start out by saying that I didn't see much of the Seahawks pre-season game number two against the Los Angeles Chargers. I actually spent some of the evening out going to a couple local spots that music was playing. Actually the first spot was on the waterfront at Skansie Park in Gig Harbor. Interesting was a wedding was taking place next store so could hear some music at the reception too. I didn't count that as one of my couple spots then I went to my favorite coffee shop that had a group playing country music. I stayed there for about forty-five minutes. Actually I saw a few people that attended both just like me and then when I got in my car I turned on the Seahawk game to listen on my way home. At that point the score was 7-6 in favor of the Charges who in the end won the game. So now the Seahawks are 0-2 in pre-season games which really mean a whole lot really. The importance is that the offense and defense are ready for the season. The next game number three will be the most important of the four games since the starters will see more action in that game. It will take place on Friday night which is a good thing because Saturday afternoon I am going to my high school reunion. The final game of the pre-season is only important because the backup players and those on the fringe will see a lot of action. So this is a good game to see if you want to know who these guys are especially those who will be gone when they cut down to fifth-three players before the regular season begins.

So today it was announced who was released and who one the job as the punter and place kicker. The Seahawks could have waited another we or two to do so but decided this was the right time. Actually Jon Ryan who has been the long time punter for the Seahawks asked for his release. He knew the writing was on the wall. He did compete to retain the position but knew that 2018 fifth-round pick Michael Dickson got the job. One thing we know that no one really picks a punter that high in the draft unless they plan to keep him. Also it allows the Seahawks to save money on the salary cap to be used elsewhere. I want to thank Jon Ryan for the great job he has done over the many years he has been with the team. I know many others in the media and elsewhere have done so as well.  By the way Dickson has done an outstanding job in the pre-season games so far having the best stats of any punter in the NFL. I hope that the Seahawks will have him around long as Jon Ryan has been. I am sure that Ryan will hook up with another team soon. 

The Seahawks released kicker Jason Myers as well. The Seahawks signed Myers shortly after last season was over but later on signed veteran kicker Sebastian Janikowski who had kicked his whole career with the Oakland Raiders before getting hurt before last season. Obviously the Seahawks felt Janikowski was the best choice of the two.

The Seahawks also signed a couple players in the place of Ryan and Myers as well. I thought it is sort of unnecessary since they have ninety in camp and will trim down to fifty-three players when the season begins. I guess the two guys will have a chance to play and see what they have but what are the odds for them to make the opening roster. It is slim unless someone gets hurt in the process. Anyway that is what the Seahawks and many teams do this time of the year.  I wish the best to Ryan and Myers. I am sure we will see Ryan punting for a team real soon in the meantime he will be able to enjoy a little time off. I am sure that Myers will get a shot with another team as well. 

Any it will be interesting see what happens on both the offense and defense sides of the ball before the season begins and who will stick with the Seahawks. Right now the Seahawks have to decide what they will do at right tackle since Germain Ifedi continues to have trouble with going offsides and he was pushed around by the Charges defensive line. Two of his backups are injured right now. So I am sure the Seahawks will be looking around the NFL to see who they can get to compete with him. We hope that Ifedi can find a way to get back into the game and be a good right tackle.

Mariners Lose Game and Series

I don’t know really what to say after this series against the Dodgers. Sounds like the Mariners can’t handle teams that have more fans in Safeco than they do. The series against the Blue Jays was terrible. This happened after going 6-4 on the latest road trip including sweeping the Astros. The Mariners almost were swept in this series only to win Saturday night in part because of a balk. They may have won anyway but we don’t know for sure.

Friday’s game was a sure embarrassment and Sunday was the same. I am not sure whether the players really care right now or not. It didn’t help that the Mariners decided to go with Elias and rest Gonzales for a couple extra days. I don’t mind resting Gonzales but the Mariners should have had a better solution than Elias. At this point he isn’t even a sixth starter or possibly a long reliever. He gave up five runs in the first inning after having two outs. On the radio broadcast Ryan Rowland-Smith says that he has an outstanding curve ball. He should have thrown it more or maybe it wasn’t working either. Whatever the case pitchers need to go with their best pitches instead of relying on ones they are not good at.

The Mariners were facing Kershaw so the chances of winning were low thought they did a good job against the Astros pitchers so the possibility was there. Some reason the team didn’t show up for this series. If you don’t know the Mariners lost 12-1. Elias went three innings giving up the five runs so the remaining seven runs were given up by the bullpen. Chase Bradford who returned to the team came in for Elias pitched three innings giving up three runs with two being earned. Matt Festa who was promoted from double A Arkansas went two innings giving up a run on three hits and then utility player Andrew Romine pitched again going one inning giving up three hits that included a three-run homer in the top of the ninth. The only good thing about this game was that the rest of bullpen were rested and didn’t have to pitch. Would not be surprised if a couple more moves are made in the bullpen going into Monday night’s game against Houston; the Astros beat the A’s so they are back in first place after being tied for a day. The Mariners are now 4.5 games behind the Astros. I am sure the Astros are looking for payback but I hope that the Mariners can rebound and become closer to the Astros and the A’s. We will see what they are made of.

News came out after the game that Guillermo Heredia is being optioned to Tacoma and Ben Gamel is returning because the Mariners are facing several right handers in a row. I hope that Gamel will help put a spark into the team. Go M’s.

Mariners Win in the Tenth Inning

 

The Mariners have another extra inning win and not surprising a one run game once again. They are now 12-1 in extra innings and haven’t lost a game with Edwin Diaz on the mound though he and Colome made it harder this time.

The Dodgers took the lead in the first inning 1-0 and then the Mariners scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning making it 4-1. It stayed that way until the Dodgers had two home runs in the top of the eighth inning off of Alex Colome. It was the first time he gave up any runs in about a month. It would have been nice if the Mariners could have scored some runs between the first and the eighth but they are offensively challenged right now.

I am sure everyone was hoping that Robinson Cano would recharge the offense that has been stagnant since the all-star break but not so far any way although he did have a couple hits in the game.

The Mariners still had a 4-3 lead when Edwin Diaz entered the game to get another save however he gave up a home run himself to tie the score. The Mariners were unable to score in the bottom of the ninth and the Dodgers weren’t either in the top of the tenth.

This is when things got crazy that allowed the Mariners to score. Mitch Haniger led off with a single then Cameron Maybin hit a roller but was able to beat the throw to first to avoid a double play. Robinson Cano was able to get on an infield single then Nelson Cruz walked to load the bases. With Kyle Seager at the plate third baseman Justin Turner faked toward the bag which caused reliever Dylan Floro to have a balk that Maybin in to give the Mariners the win; an odd way to win the game for sure however the Mariners will take it.

Dodgers Beat On Mariners

Friday night the Seattle Mariners didn’t look like a team that is playing for a spot in the playoffs. Instead they looked more like the Baltimore Orioles or the Kansas City Royals who are at the bottom of their perspective divisions.

The Mariners playing before a sell-out crowd of over forty-six thousand which more than half were wearing Dodger blue. Also this was a game the Mariners had the best chance of winning because of the pitchers they are facing this weekend.

The game actually started in good fashion. Wade LeBlanc looked good on the mound. He sailed through the first and second inning looking good then gave up a solo home run in the third. I thought that was fine at the time that the Mariners could still win a low scoring tight game. In the inning he gave up another solo home run which made me think that is OK. However he gave up a two-run homer that made it 4-0; alright a bit tougher but it is still manageable for the Mariners to come back from.

In the bottom of the fourth inning Ryon Healy hit a solo home run to make it 4-1. I thought all right they have a good chance to come to win. Of course it turned out I was all wrong. LeBlanc started the fifth inning then left the game with one out and reliever Christian Bergman entered. I am sure hoping that he would stop the bleeding but that didn’t happen the bleeding continued. At the end of the fifth inning the score was 7-1. At that point I thought the chances of the Mariners to win the game were pretty unlikely but maybe the offense will get to the Dodger pitching. Not on that didn’t happen Bergman gave up two home runs in the seventh inning so the score now was 11-1. The only bright spot was that Bergman left the game after the seventh inning. James Pazos pitched the eighth inning giving up no hits but a walk. The Mariners had utility player Andrew Romine who has pitched in a game before throw in the ninth inning. He did the same as Pazos just giving up a walk.

I am sure the players will forget this 11-1 loss going into Saturday night’s game but I hope that they feel embarrassed at the same time allowing the Dodgers to win a lopsided game in their park. I hope they get the attitude of “not in our house”.  It reminds me of the Toronto Blue Jays in Seattle in front of a large amount of their fans as well letting them win three out of four games. This shows me that the Mariner players need to grow up in my mind anyway. If they expect to make the playoffs they have to play better ball and keep their minds into the game at all times. This continues where the Mariners don’t make the playoffs regardless of how many wins they end up with that changes will have to take place after the season. I feel they need to find players that have playoff experience and want to be in the playoffs as well. I do know that they have a few players who have been in the playoffs like Nelson Cruz, Robinson Cano and Cameron Maybin but this ridiculous. Not only should they feel embarrassed they should feel bad because the Mariners team is the longest running team not be in the playoffs and they have a real chance to make it this year.

Erasmo Ramirez will be making his second start of the season on Saturday night for the Mariners against left Rich Hill. For the Mariners to win Ramirez will have to pitch almost as well as he did in his first outing shutting out the Astros thru five innings. It would be nice if he could go six innings in this game.

The Mariners have decided to slide Marco Gonzales next start to Wednesday so he won’t be starting like he was supposed to Sunday. The Mariners felt that he could use a few extra days of rest. Roenis Elias is expected to come off the disabled to start the game. I expect that Christian Bergman will be sent back down to Tacoma. Felix Hernandez is expected to start on Monday against the Houston Astros in the place of James Paxton who went on the disabled list after being hit on his left arm in his last outing. Felix made his first appearance out of the bullpen in that game and did an outstanding job going five and two-thirds innings giving up two runs on a homer against the Oakland A’s.

Now it is time for all the players to start playing their A game for the rest of this series along with the three game series against the Astros at home. Go M’s.

The Running Game

Last week the Seahawks first pre-season game against the Indianapolis Colts  the running game in the first quarter looked better than any time last season. I am sure some of it had to do with the running backs along with the offensive line. Saturday night we will likely see more of the offense against the Los Angeles Chargers. I am sure everyone is looking for improvement in the running game. What makes this so important is that it will help out Russell Wilson and the passing game as well.

The most important thing though is that both the line and the running backs stay healthy. Right now first-round pick Rashaad Penny had to go to Philadelphia to have surgery on a finger. Not a big deal and Pete Carroll says that he should be ready to go in the first regular season game. This means that Chris Carson who has been looking good in camp will likely be the opening day running back with Penny get in some reps as well. Also means that Mike Davis will see more action during pre-season as well and should get some carries in the opening game too.  We hope that C.J. Prosise will be healthy enough to get in on third downs along with some play at wide receiver. If he isn't ready to go than J.D. McKissic will see added time there. It would be good to see five healthy running backs during the season.  The Seahawks also brought in rookie free agent Gerald Holmes to help out. Whether he makes the squad will depend on how he looks and the health of the other players. He may end up on the practice squad. 

Another important thing is that the offensive line stays healthy as well. They did lose two backup right tackles against the Colts. Germain Ifedi  who continues to struggle at right tackle with penalties is still the starter right now however the Seahawks could look to move him over to guard or have left tackle backup George Fant who missed all season last year move over to right tackle. The problem with that he lacks the experience already at left tackle and the right side is much different playing so I am sure the Seahawks don't want to move him over there. It will be important that all those lineman stay healthy because of the lack of depth or at least the quality would suffer for the Seahawks. 

It will be interesting to see the Seahawks passing game go this week. I am going to keep more of an eye on it than last week. Just like the offensive line and running back the Seahawks can't afford injuries at the receiver position. The line continues to be important with the passing game giving Russell Wilson enough time to get the ball to the receiver. Doug Baldwin continues to be out for the pre-season. At this time he is expected back for the first regular season game. I am sure we will get more news on that coming up.

I have three high school classmates that are going to London planning to see the Seahawks take on the Oakland Raiders in a regular season game. It will be interesting to see their intake on the game. One of the classmates she goes to London twice a year. In the spring and the fall. She was there for the Royal Wedding as well. Also have another school mate that lives outside of London so she could be going to the game as well. I am not sure of that right now. Anyway enjoy the game on Saturday. Go Hawks!!

A Look At the Tacoma Rainiers

Thursday the Seattle Mariners have off after playing for twenty straight days so again I figured to look again at the Tacoma Rainiers the Mariners Triple A team. We are familiar with a few of their players because they have spent some of the time with the Mariners this season. The Rainiers begin their longest and final series of the season where they play eleven games in twelve days starting Thursday night. The Rainiers do have a losing record however they could still end up with a winning record especially if they do well on this home stand. They have a record of 59-62 and are in third place of the Pacific Coast League northern division. They are two-and a half games behind the second place Reno. Of the eleven games at home the first four are against Fresno who leads the northern division  ten and a half games ahead of the Rainiers. They are followed with three games against Reno and they end the homestand with four against El Paso. The final road trip will be three in Las Vegas, then El Paso for three that ends the season on September 3. The Mariners will be able to recall any players they want on September 1 when the rosters expand to forty.

Gordon Beckham who spent a little time on the Mariner roster when Dee Gordon went on the disabled list leads the Rainiers in batting with an average of .311. First baseman/designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach leads the Rainiers in home runs with nineteen and rbi's with 58. The odds are pretty good that Vogelbach will have more than twenty home runs and sixty rbi's on the season for the Rainiers. Another name that might not be as familiar to some Mariner fans is Ian Miller. Last year he had the Ken Griffey Award as the best player in the Mariners minor league system. He played part of last year in double-A well as Tacoma. This season he has been with the Rainiers the full season he leads the team in runs with 56 while stealing 26 stolen bases. Where he stands and how the Mariners look at him to be on the big club next season or in the future at that matter is hard to know at this point. It would not surprise me he is involved in a trade during the off-season if he isn't figured part of their future. Right now the Mariners have at least five  outfielders in front of him in Denard Span, Guillermo Heredia, Mitch Haniger, Cameron Maybin (who will be a free agent when the season is over) and Ben Gamel. 

Looking at the other two players Gordon Beckham and Daniel Vogelbach will likely be brought up when the PCL season is over. Likely neither one will see much action in September especially with Robinson Cano back on the team. Beckham I am sure will be a free agent at the end of the season. The Mariners may re-sign him to either add depth to the infield or take the place of Andrew Romine as the utility player. This is up in the air because no one knows at this time where Dee Gordon and Robinson Cano will play for the Mariners next season. I am sure Jerry Dipoto and Scott Servais may have an idea. I could see Dee Gordon returning to center field next season and Robinson Cano taking his spot again at second base. This is the case than you will see Ben Gamel in left and Mitch Haniger in right with Heredia as the fourth outfielder. The Mariners could decide to keep Denard Span who could be a free agent if the Mariners buy out his contract for around $4 million. If he plays for the Mariners his contract will be around $12 million. The Mariners could look at trading Gamel as well. Gamel will be another who will be recalled at the beginning of September if not before hand.

Another outfielder that might see action again with the Mariners next season is John Andreoli who was called up a couple times to the Mariners but only batted five times. With the Rainiers he is batting .285 but has only three home runs so he is a similar outfielder to Ian Miller or for that matter Ben Gamel and Denard Span but bats right handed instead of left like they do. His chances on the Mariners next year would be as a fourth outfielder. This again would depend on what Dipoto decides to do during the off-season. He might be called up in September as well but might only limited duty.

Looking at the infield besides Beckham the other choice at this time is Zach Vincej who was called up when Kyle Seager went on paternity leave and did a find job for a little bit of time he was in there. He and Vogelbach are the only ones to be on the 40-man roster at this time. Three other infielders on the Tacoma rosters are second baseman Adam Law, Seth Mejias-Bean and Danny Muno who are all under thirty years of age. Although they don't look to be starters for the Mariners in the future could be utility players or be involved in a trade. Zach doesn't have a high batting at .238 but his on-base percentage is over three hundred and he has only six home runs. Adam Law has spent half his season at double A and then the other half with the Rainiers. He is batting .280 with the Rainiers with three home runs. His father Vance and grandfather Vernon both played in the major league. I remember having his grandfather's baseball card when I was a young kid. Mejias-Bean has had an average season with the Rainiers but not much power either with seven homer runs Muno has been hurt since the end of June and he has average below two hundred with only one home run. So all these guys don't look to be regulars in the major leagues at this point anyway.

Catchers position right now is occupied by Dan Freitas who has spent some of the season with the Mariners as the second catcher. He is batting .351 with the Rainiers in twenty-six games while with the Mariners he is batting under two hundred in twenty-nine game. He has had a solid minor league career so he could be a solid number two catcher whether with the Rainiers or elsewhere. He looks to me like he could have some power however he hasn't shown it in his career so far.  Cameron Rupp the Mariners signed recently on a minor league deal only has played in twenty games for the Rainier with an average just above one hundred. He hasn't had an oppressive career far as at the plate. Hard to know whether he will return next season. A third catcher is Garrett Kennedy who is like Rupp hasn't shown himself to have a high batting average or power either.

When it comes to pitching not a lot to talk about there. They do have three pitchers who have seven victories that tie for the lead. They are Christian Bergman who recently was brought up to the Mariners when James Paxton went on the disabled list, Casey Lawrence who recently sent down by the Mariners and Rob Whalen who pitched earlier for the Mariners as well.  Lawrence has the lowest era of 2.75 far as starters go. Both Bergman and Whalen haven't been as impressive being over five earn runs per game. Shawn Armstrong led the Rainiers in saves with twelve and an era of 1.93. Ryan Cook, Mike Morin and Nick Rumbelow  all have had success in the Rainiers bullpen before and after spending some time with the Mariners. Ryan Garton who had some success with the Mariners last September has had a fine season in Tacoma with an era of 3.22 in twenty-nine games. Not a lot to look at with Tacoma far as a future with the Mariners. Dan Altavilla spent a little time with Tacoma just like Seattle but has been hurt for a good period of the year. He still may have a solid career in the major leagues ahead of him. He is now starting a rehab assignment with the Rainiers so we could possibly see him in a Mariner uniform come September. Besides these guys not a lot of other good pitchers for the Mariners to pick from on the Rainier staff. I will do a rap up on the Rainiers when their season is over. I expect not to add much then what I have mentioned here. Look forward to see a few of them this September for the Mariners. Those in the bullpen will get the bulk of the work out of those players when opportunities arise.

Dee Gordon Home Run Powers Mariners Over A's

Wednesday afternoon in a game the Mariners really needed to win it took them twelve innings to beat the Oakland A’s. The pitching was outstanding for both teams though the Mariners had opportunities to score runs in regulation time having a total of ten hits.

 

We have to give Mike Leake a big ovation since he was able to go eight innings shutting out the A’s giving up only two hits and walking one batter. Also he struck out six batters. For a while he looked like he may pitch a no-hitter. A’s pitcher Brett Anderson almost matched Leake going seven and two-thirds inning giving up five hits, no walks and two strike outs. Leake threw ninety-five pitches while Anderson had The Mariners tried get to the A’s bullpen to beat them but it took until the twelfth inning to do so. Mike Zunino walked and then Dee Gordon hit a home run to right field to score two runs. Mitch Haniger had a double after Guillermo Heredia got an out. Denard Span was not able to hit in Haniger so the score was 2-0 going into the bottom of the twelve inning.

The Mariners had Edwin Diaz read to go so he came in to get his forty-seventh save of the season. He gave up one hit however struck out three batters to record the save.

The Mariners now take on the Dodgers in Seattle starting on Friday to go over the weekend. So they are having a needed day off on Thursday though I always miss not seeing them play.  The Mariners have a record of 70-52 with forty games remaining. They split those games they will end with ninety wins. It would be good to see if that would be enough to make the playoffs but I am not sure whether it will. A lot depends how the Mariners do against the A’s and the Astros along with how they are playing against other teams. The Dodgers on the other hand are 64-57 and have gone 3-7 in the last ten games compared to the Mariners 6-4 record. The way the Mariners have been playing of late it is hard to know what direction they will go. It will be important that the guys do well at the plate and in the field. The Mariners will face two lefties on Saturday and Sunday in Rich Hill and Kershaw so it will be real important that the Mariners win the game Friday night. We know how the Mariners played the Astros it is possible to beat both of them but they will have play in the same manner.  The key for the Mariners is that the starting pitchers will be able to go at least six innings per game to give any chance to win.  Wade LeBlanc will take the mound for the Mariners on Friday followed by Erasmo Ramirez on Saturday. They both pitch like in their last outings the Mariners will be in good shape. Gonzales will have to do better in his next outing as he goes against Kershaw on Sunday.  Long as Alex Colome and Edwin Diaz keep pitching the way they have the bullpen will be in good shape. It will continue be interesting to see how Servais fills out lineup on a daily basis. Cano could be playing first base again on Friday while he could be going anywhere on Saturday and Sunday since Healy will probably be in the lineup. All we shout out now is go M’s.

Mariners Lose Paxton

Tuesday Night when the Seattle Mariners could use a good win against the Oakland A’s a line drive hit James Paxton on his left arm where he had to leave the game.

The score was tied at one  with one out when A’s Jeb Lowrie hit a ball up the middle that ended up hitting Paxton’s left arm and he had to leave the game. Mitch Haniger led off the game with a double and with two outs was singled home by Nelson Cruz. In the bottom of the first leading off shortstop Marcus Semien hit a home run to tie the game. Paxton was able to get the next batter out however Jeb Lowrie hit the ball that struck Paxton. He went after to retrieve the ball but let it stay on the ground. With the trainer and manager Scott Servais he walked off the field. Later it was learned that Paxton had no broken bone so should be OK however he will likely spent some time on the disable list.

Felix Hernandez came in for Paxton in his first relief in the major leagues. He actually did a fine job. His only mistake was giving up a two-run homer to Lowrie in the third inning. Lowrie was not kind at all for the Mariners Tuesday night. Felix ended up going five and two-third innings giving up five hits with the two runs. Also he walked two batters along with striking out two. Not bad for a guy’s first outing in relief. Unfortunately he was recorded with the loss. Now his record is 8-11. Felix now has lost four games in a row after having a record of 8-7. With Paxton likely going on the disabled list Felix is probably going to step in his spot of the rotation since he had a good outing. Nick Vincent pitched the eighth inning giving up no hits and striking out one. Adam Warren pitched the eighth inning giving up a hit, a walk and striking out one without giving up a run.

With Paxton out for the near future the Mariners will likely add a reliever to the roster. The most likely one will be Chasen Bradford who was sent down several days ago.

Besides Mitch Haniger’s double and Cruz rbi the only other run the Mariners had was a home run by Cameron Maybin which was his first with the Mariners. So far the Mariners hitting hasn’t been good in this series against the A’s. Actually they have had hits but unable to drive in many runs. Again the Mariners were in a one run game against the A’s and again they lost.

Mike Leake will go for the Mariners in today’s afternoon finally of this series against the A’s. He has an era of under three against the A’s this year and he will face off against lefty Brett Anderson who has a history of doing very well against the Mariners. We hope that the Mariners bats can come alive on Wednesday. It comes to my mind that if the Mariners lose this game the sweep against the Astros has gone for not since they will be swept by the A’s and loses ground by the three games. The Mariners always seem to get into trouble when they have been in a playoff race the last few years. Most recently they missed out the playoffs by a game. Last year they weren’t in the race because of so many injuries to the starting rotation. Every starter was out a significant amount of time except Ariel Miranda who made every start last season. Now he is pitching in Japan. It is tough when a player like Kyle Seager has an important role on the team and he is having a terrible season. He is getting home runs and driving in runs like in most years. For a while his fielding was outstanding but his fielding has been terrible as of late since he has been back from paternity leave. Robinson Cano started Tuesday night’s game at first base in his return from suspension however he may play some at third as well. Right now Seager is batting .227 and has struck out one hundred times in 117 games but it has been his struggle in the field along with making poor decisions at the plate as well. He isn’t playing the kind of ball a player of his kind should be on a playoff team. If the Mariners don’t make the playoffs again I wouldn’t be surprised if general manager Jerry Dipoto may do something at third base during the off-season. The Mariners need players that can play baseball at playoff level over a course of a season. Go M’s.    

Cano Activated Tuesday

The Seattle Mariners now have Robinson Cano returning Tuesday night after being on suspension for eighty games. Last week he spent two games on rehab assignment for triple A Tacoma and then three games in rookie ball Everett on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. He said that he was all set and ready to go.

An offense that did a good job for the first month or so that he was on suspension has had problems the last month scoring runs is welcoming him back. The games he missed the Mariners were 46-34. This means that he was six games above five hundred when he was suspended. It was odd situation because he had just gotten hurt and would have spent some time on the disabled list anyway.

In the last month the Mariners have been playing about five hundred so shows how they did before this skid without Cano. The offense really needs a shot in the arm. In some respects so does the defense though Dee Gordon has played as well if not better than Cano at second base which is not an easy fate.

Casey Lawrence who pitched three innings ineffectively was optioned back to Tacoma as Robinson Cano was activated Tuesday.

We should know in a few hours where Cano will be in the lineup and what position he will start in his first game back. With Gordon nursing pain in his left shoulder wouldn’t be surprised if Cano starts his first game back in his familiar spot of second base. The question to that many are asking whether he will bat third in the batting order. That is a good question. Jean Segura has been hitting well in the third spot since manager Scott Servais changed the batting order when they played the Astros in Houston. There is a possibility that Cano could go to the second spot in the batting order or Segura shifting back to the second spot. Cano could move to the fifth spot in the batting order where Kyle Seager has struggled a good part of the year. This could depend where he is playing as well. The importance is what makes the Mariners a better team offensively. One thing for sure he will likely bat somewhere between second and fifth depending how he  is hitting and other players as well.

Manager Scott Servais feels that Cano will feel uncomfortable as he returns to the team which is understandable. We will have to see how the fans respond when the Mariners return to Seattle to play the Dodgers on Friday. Much of that will depend on how he plays and the Mariners are too. The Mariners win both games remaining in Oakland and he is hitting well contributes to the offensive output I expect that he will get a really good response. Otherwise it will be hard to tell. I am sure everyone is hoping that the Mariners will go on a good win streak in the meantime. Go M’s.

Mariners Lose Opener on Monday

The Seattle Mariners went into Oakland to see if they can beat the A’s after sweeping the Houston Astros. This being the first game of the series it always seems to be an important game especially when the season is coming to a close and every game counts for something.

During the season especially the last month or so it is easy to wonder who these guys are. The first seven inning the Mariners looked like a team that wasn’t playing nineteen games above five hundred instead of one that is nineteen games below.

Marco Gonzales who has twelve victories on the season and the most wins by any starter on the team had trouble in this game. He was able to go only five innings throwing ninety-seven pitches which are around his limit. The Mariners don’t want him going over a hundred pitches if possible. In the five inning he gave up eight hits, walked three which is unusual for him and struck out four. He has been striking out more than four hitters a game though he isn’t overpowering and throws more like Wade LeBlanc or Jamie Moyer.

The Mariners did have a solid chance after five innings being down 4-1 though the offense wasn’t going well however Casey Lawrence who recently was brought up from Tacoma pitched the remaining three innings however he gave up three runs all in the sixth inning to make it 7-1.

The Mariners offense came alive in the eighth inning when they scored a run off of starter Sean Manaea who had been going along smoothly before had and then in the eighth inning he was replaced by former Mariners Emilio Pagan who gave up two hits and yield another run to make it 7-3.

The odds were still against the Mariners to win the game because they would have to score five runs to win in regulation time. Mitch Haniger continues blistering the ball hit a double that allowed the Mariners get closer to winning. He had three hits in the game while Jean Segura had four out of the team’s ten hits. The Mariners came in a whisper to win the game scoring three runs off of reliever Jeurys Familia who the A’s had recently picked up from the New York Mets. The Mariners had the tying and leading run on base after closer Blake Treinen came into the game. Treinen actually had trouble giving up two hits but struck out three Mariners to close the door. So the Mariners did have another one run game however this time they were not able to secure the win.

James Paxton who is expected to be the stopper will go for his eleventh win for the Mariners against right hander Mike Fiers who is making his second start for the A’s since being traded over by the Detroit Tigers. He went five and a third innings giving up four hits and a run. We hope that the Mariners can get off early and often against him. Fiers the Mariners beat back in May when he was pitching for the Tigers. The Mariners won the game 7-2. This would be great for the Mariners so Wednesday’s afternoon game would be for winning the series. The Mariners will have Mike Leake going for them against lefty Brett Anderson. Back in May he did beat the Mariners 3-2 going against James Paxton. We hope that the Mariners will have a better answer for him next time.

The Mariners are now two and a half games behind the A’s. The Mariners win these two remaining games then they will be only a half a game behind them. The Mariners have done well against them in Oakland. This season they were 2-1 against the A’s in Oakland before Monday night’s game. Go M’s.