Hunter Strickland and Roenis Elias Moved

The Mariners made two trades today with less than an hour remaining in the trading deadline. Hunter Strickland expected to be the Mariners closer this year, however, was on the injured list until last week was traded to the Washington Nationals for a Double-A reliever. Jerry Dipoto traded Roenis Elias to the Nationals as well. They picked up two more relievers as well. The Nationals feel to make the playoffs they need bullpen help. 

The Mariners will have to bring up a couple of relievers to take over the spots of Strickland and Elias. They could promote a starter, and move LeBlanc or Milone to the bullpen. 

Mariners trade Mike Leake just before the trade deadline ends. He goes to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mariners received infielder 

Jose Caballero the Diamondbacks #19 prospect who is 22 years old and is playing at high level-A. 

Kyle Seager and Mariners Continue Streak

On Tuesday night the Seattle Mariners won again beating the Texas Rangers 8-5 for six straight wins. The last time the Mariners lost was last Tuesday in Seattle against the same Rangers.

Kyle Seager continues to hit well over the last week.  His average has gone up about thirty points. He is now batting .212 where last Tuesday he was around .182.

Kyle Seager loves to hit the ball in Texas. He has been that way for most of his career. You may think the Rangers would want to acquire him. They are in a rebuild themselves so the likelihood is remote but it would be good since all he would have to do is move from one clubhouse to the other. Remember when Ichiro was traded to the New York Yankees his first appearance was in Seattle; something to think about anyway.

Kyle Seager seems to do well when the Mariners have nothing to play for. Enough of that we hope he does well the rest of the way.  Seager hit a home run in the second inning. It looked like centerfielder Delino DeShields had caught the ball but actually went off his glove then over the fence.

Kyle Seager ended up having three hits total in the game along with four RBI’s which produced half of the team’s runs. Besides the home run, he had a single and a triple. The last at-bat he had the opportunity for the cycle if he could get a double instead he made an out.

Mike Leake pitched well early on in the game with fans wondering whether this will be the last of him with the trading deadline ending on Wednesday. Leake figures he isn’t going anywhere but sometimes trades happen even when you don’t think so.

Mike Leake pitched well going into the sixth inning with the Mariners leading 5-1; however, he tired out in the sixth inning when he gave up four runs to having the game tied. My thoughts were here we go again. After the game manager Scott Servais said Leake tired out which had a lot to do with the temperatures in the mid-90s; that being the case why didn’t Servais take him out before all four runs scored.

Reliever Sam Tuivailala came in to get the final out in the sixth inning followed by pitching the seventh inning as well. The Mariners did bounce back to get the final three runs of the game including the triple by Kyle Seager.

Anthony Bass pitching well recently for the Mariners pitched the eighth inning giving up just one hit without a run. Roenis Elias finished the game off in the 9^th doing the same. Elias recorded his 14^th save of the season. It would be interesting to see whether Bass and or Elias be traded on Wednesday; could happen since other teams can use relievers.  

Stay tuned we hope to have a trade or two take place before the Mariners take on the Rangers Wednesday night.

The Mariners haven’t announced who they will be starting on Wednesday night but it could be an opener. Michael Minor is scheduled to pitch for the Rangers; however, he is a hot commodity so he could go somewhere today.

Keon Broxton made his Mariner debut playing in centerfield while Mallex Smith moved over to right field. It looks like Broxton will make his place in centerfield. He had his first hit in a Mariner uniform early on too.  We hope his defense will help out in the outfield along with his batter. He hasn’t hit well but the Mariner brasses believe they fix his swing. It may take a little time but we will see. Go M’s.

A Major Loss For Seahawks

The Seahawks lost their top rookie on Tuesday. L.J. Collier the number one pick was taken off by stretcher. The Seahawks are already thin on the defensive line. Collier might be out for a while; so we will see. One thing for sure it puts him back on his development. I am sure we will hear more details later today or tomorrow.

On the Seattle Mariner's front. Mike Leake hasn't been traded yet so scheduled to start at this point anyway. No other trades happening for the Mariners as well. The deadline is  1 pm PDT. Keon Broxton the Mariners acquired on Saturday is in the lineup playing center field while batting ninth. Mallex Smith leads off, however, he is playing in right field. It will be interesting to see how he looks in right field. Tim Beckham will be in left field. A very interesting outfield for sure. Like Leake will this be the last game we see Beckham play for the Mariners well as Leake.  

Domingo Santana is at dh once again and batting 3rd. Dan Vogelbach is in the cleanup spot while playing first base. Austin Nola is at second base. News is Dee Gordon might be taking a rehab assignment over the weekend so might be back next week in Seattle. 

Tom Murphy is behind the plate since Leake is pitching. He has been catching Leake for several of his last outings. They do seem to work together well.

We will have to see whether Kyle Seager can get out of his slump or continue going the same way.

That's it for now until next time enjoy seeing the Seahawks getting ready for the season and the Mariners seeing how they will do after sweeping the Tigers. Does this give them for confidence playing? We will see. 

Mike Leake Is He Or Isn't He

This is Tuesday, July 30 with one more day left before the trading deadline. Mike Leake will be starting for the Seattle Mariners against the Texas Rangers in Arlington. At least he is scheduled to do so anyway. 

The question is will he make the start or not or will he be traded before or after the start or at all. Most experts believe his value isn't worth taking a chance on him though in July he has been pitching his best of the year. For the season, he has a record of 9-8 with an ERA of 4.25. Not bad at all for a team dead last in the American League West and is in a transition year which they are call re-tooling. 

Mike Leake has two more years left on his contract at $15 million per year, however, the second year there is a $5 million buy out so in general purposes a team could consider having him for one season beyond the two months remaining in this year. Depending on what the other team would give the Mariners in return likely they will give the other team some cash to balance out. 

Mike Leake is averaging six and a half innings per outing in 21 starts. He is just under one walk per start as well as four and a half strikeouts. His high number is in home runs where he has given up 24 on the season. In the 21 starts he is giving up three earned runs a game. Shows even more than what the ERA does. In fact, you can say he has a quality start in almost every game he has pitched. 

So a team looking for someone who is third or fourth starter eating up innings and giving you a chance to win Mike Leake is the guy. Since the Mariners will be paying most of his salary it is a good deal. It will be interesting then to see whether he pitches Tuesday night or not or he is gone by tomorrow or staying put. 

Mariners Sweep Tigers

It is never easy for a team to sweep another in four games no matter how much better or worse of a team you or they are. We know the Mariners have been struggling after getting off to a 13-2 record but the Tigers have the worst record in the major leagues. This series helped the Mariners for sure. We hope this gives them confidence going on the road to Texas and Houston for five games.

The game for a long time didn’t look like the Mariners would win although the Tigers weren’t accomplishing much themselves. The Tigers scored first having a home run off of Tommy Milone in the fourth inning.  Milone came in the game in the third inning after Matt Wisler went the first two innings. Wisler had a good time being the opener going two innings without giving up a hit or a walk while striking out two.

Milone gave up one other run in the fifth inning. He went five innings all together giving up six hits along with the two runs, one walk and five strikeouts.

The Mariners had a hard time getting anything done on the Detroit Tiger starter and Mercer Island’s own Matthew Boyd. The Mariners finally were able to score a run on him after a hit by Tim Beckham and a double by Kyle Seager to make the score 2-1 Tigers. Boyd walked three batters in six and one-thirds innings; however, he struck out ten Mariners.

Hunter Strickland made his first appearance out of the Mariners’ bullpen since he went on the injured list on March 30. He gave up no runs or hits throwing nine pitches in his one inning in the eighth inning.

Strickland was followed by Anthony Bass and Roenis Elias who neither gave up a run.

Domingo Santana hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game. The game went into extra innings. Dylan Moore entered the game late replacing Kristopher Negron after he was pinch-hit by Omar Narvaez.  Moore hit a double then JP Crawford hit a ball dropping in between the Tigers’ center fielder, right fielder, and second baseman. Moore scored all the way from second after having to wait to see whether the ball would drop. Actually, he didn’t wait but he did feel the ball would go down for a hit. So Crawford went away with a walk-off single. It was the second walk-off hit in the series.

The news came out after the game Kristopher Negron had been traded. He was excited and the Mariner players gave him hugs to give him a sendoff. At the time Negron didn’t say where he was going. It wasn’t until later when the news came down.

The Mariners had to make a move since they had acquired outfielder Keon Broxton on waivers from the Baltimore on Saturday. The Mariners made the trade of Negron to the Los Angeles Dodgers officially in late Sunday night. The Mariners received minor league infielder Daniel Castro from the Dodgers. He will be reporting to Tacoma. This was a good deal for Negron going to the Dodgers who are likely to make the playoffs. Playing in the national league will give him additional time on the field. The Dodgers often use utility players. We wish Negron the very best.

We should expect Broxton will be activated before Tuesday’s game in Arlington, Texas.  Mike Leake is scheduled to start Tuesday’s game against the Rangers in Arlington. The question will he actually make the start or be traded beforehand or be traded after the start or not be traded at all. Stay tuned for the next three days to see what may happen before the deadline.  We expect Dipoto should make another move before the trading deadline on Wednesday; however, he did say last week something may not happen either depending on what happens in any talks. Go M’s.

Mariners Look To Sweep Tigers

The Seattle Mariners beat the Detroit Tigers Saturday afternoon 8-1. Marco Gonzales continues pitching well for the second month in a row. He went seven innings giving up six hits, one run, no walks and striking out eight.  Gonzales now has a record of 12-8. He is now one win away from his total of last year.

The Tigers scored first getting their only run of the game in the third inning. The Mariners got at least one hit from every player who started except Domingo Santana.

The Mariners scored three runs in the fourth inning to take the lead for good. Ryan Court making his first start in the major leagues playing the first time in right field had a single to drive in a run in the fourth inning. Later he hit a double in the seventh inning driving in two of the four runs.

Court and Austin Nola carry a big stick since being promoted to Seattle were the big heroes. Nola had two hits in the game driving in three runs as well. So these two players who didn’t start the season in Seattle or had any plans to be in a Mariner uniform playing their first times in the majors' leagues counted for six of the Mariners eight runs.

While Court made his major league debut he was playing the first time in his life in right field in place of Domingo Santana. Having missed a couple games because of a poor shoulder Santana took his spot at designated hitter.

Catcher Omar Narvaez continued his hot hitting having four hits on Saturday scoring two runs though he didn’t drive in a run. Also, Tim Beckham another good day having three hits driving in a run. He made an outstand catch and throw in the 9^th inning. He caught the ball while running than throwing the ball to Court at first base to make a double. Court moved from right field to first base in the 9^th inning.

It was a fun game for sure to watch. Oh yes, can’t forget this game was the first where neither team hit a home run in a Mariner game this season. They had the record which now ends at 107 games. Though it would have been nice to keep the streak alive the game in itself was exciting to watch.

News came during the game the Mariners acquired outfielder Keon Broxton off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. Broxton is known for his defense more than his offense. He was hitting .204 with four home runs for the Orioles after he was acquired from the New York Mets on May 22.

This is now the fourth team Broxton has played for in the major leagues. He began his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates than traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. He only played a handful of games for the Pirates and he played for the Brewers three seasons before being traded to the Mets during this last off-season.  He did show some power in 2017 where he hit 20 home runs but not much of anything else since.

Broxton is many known for his defense playing in center field. A major reason the Mariners picked him up though they believe can help him turn his hitting around too. We will see, wouldn’t we? Picking him up on waivers means the Mariners don’t have much to lose especially this season.

The Mariners still haven’t made a move on the trading front as of yet. Jerry Dipoto has four days remaining to make a trade of one of their players who might be able to bring back a prospect in return. The two likely players are pitcher Mike Leake and utility player Tim Beckham. They are both doing well right now so getting a decent prospect in return could happen. The Mariners don’t really have anyone else to trade at this time with much value unless they decide to trade Marco Gonzales, however, he is considered part of the Mariners future. In his case, the Mariners would have to get a good prospect in return to do so.

The Mariners are expected to go with an opener once again on Sunday with Tommy Milone expected to come in either the second or third inning. The Mariners haven’t announced as of yet who the opener will be.

Having beaten the Tigers three of the games so far going with an opener again is a good idea continue to see how it works out.  The Mariners will head to Arlington Texas to take on the Texas Rangers then onto to Houston over next weekend to face the Astros. The Mariners do have Monday and Thursday off. So the players continue to have a lot of rest days since the all-star break. Besides having August 1^st off the Mariners have four other off-days in August. Three of the four days will take place in the first half of the month. In September the Mariners will have one day off per week. The season ends for them on September 29^th at home against the Oakland A’s. Go M’s.

Mallex Smith Walk Off Single

The Detroit Tigers got off to an early start hitting two solo home runs in the second and third innings to take the lead 2-0; however those were the only runs they scored the whole game. Starter Yusei Kikuchi settled down going six and two-thirds innings walking no batters and striking out four while giving up seven hits.

The  Mariners were able to tie the game at 2-2 in the seventh inning when Dan Vogelbach hit a double followed by Tom Murphy’s two-run homer. Murphy had a double earlier; however, he wasn’t able to be driven home.

The excitement happened in the ninth inning. First, in the top of the inning, JP Crawford made one of the most outstanding stops having to dive for a ball between him and Seager. He threw from his knees to get the batter.

In the bottom of the 9^th inning Kyle Seager walked, Austin Nola had a sacrifice bunt moving Seager to second base. Omar Narvaez pinch hit for Negron, however, the Tigers intentionally walked him. Both Seager and Narvaez moved on to third and second because of a wild pitch. Manager Scott Servais decided to use Ryan Court as a pinch hitter for Dylan Moore. Court hit a hard one on the very first pitch but was caught by the outfielder to make it two outs.

If you wonder who Ryan Court is. He was brought up from Tacoma earlier in the day when Tim Lopes went on the seven-day concussion list. Lopes had made his major league debut on Thursday when he got hit in the head in one of his at-bats.

Mallex Smith came up with two outs and lined a single to right field to score Seager and win the game. Now the Mariners have won three games in a row including the first two in the series against the Tigers.

The Mariners have a Saturday afternoon game before finishing off with the Tigers on Sunday afternoon. Marco Gonzales who has been pitching well since having a bad May goes to the mound for the Mariners on Saturday. He will be going for his 12^th win on the season. The Mariners haven't announced yet who will pitch on Sunday. They likely will go with an opener before Tommy Milone takes the mound in the second or third inning.

The Mariners will have Monday off before playing Texas Rangers on Tuesday in Arlington. They will play the Houston Astros next weekend.

In other local sports news; the Seahawks started training camp on Thursday and on Friday Bobby Wagner who didn’t participate in any action signed a three-year extension to stay with the team. Very good news all the way around; he is the captain of the defense. The Seahawks have their first exhibition game on Thursday, August 8 in Seattle.

Let’s Make It Three In a Row

The Seattle Mariners beat the Detroit Tigers Thursday night 10-2 to make it two wins in a row. The Tigers are not good either hitting or pitching so it would be nice to see the third win a row Friday. Actually getting a sweep would be good too.

Thursday night the Mariners faced Tiger starter Drew Verhaegen who now has an ERA of 14.40. Looking at his stats Thursday night was his first start of the season which sort of surprised me.

Verhaegen had appeared in ten games prior to Thursday night. May 4 was his worst performance where he gave up six runs in one inning. Every one of his ten appearances he didn’t go any more than one inning.  He spent early on in the season on the injured list and until Thursday he was in triple-A for a couple months.

Erik Swanson pitched as the opener for the Mariners going two innings giving up a walk and striking out three. He didn’t give up any runs but he didn’t have his best control.

Wade LeBlanc came in as the main pitcher or whatever name you want to call it in the third inning. He gave up a home run in the top of the third inning to former Mariner catcher John Hicks; however, the Mariners scored five runs in the bottom of the third inning  primarily on a grand slam home run by Tim Beckham to take a 5-1 lead.

The Detroit Tigers scored another run in the 5^th inning because of an error which shouldn’t surprise us at all. Kyle Seager though hit a home run for the Mariners in the fifth inning to make the score 8-2.

Dan Vogelbach hit a double in the corner of left field in the 8^th to score two more runs making the game a runaway 10-2. Wade LeBlanc pitched six innings giving up the two runs which one was earned on four hits, walked one and struck out four. LeBlanc though I am sure he doesn’t like coming in out of the bullpen has done his best coming in after the opener.

Sam Tuivailala came in and pitched the ninth inning for the Mariners. It is his third game since coming off the injured list on July 15. The Mariners are hoping Tuivailala will be able to stay healthy so he can be a major player next season coming out of the bullpen.

Hunter Sutherland the Mariners closer at the beginning of the season is on a rehab assignment. The Mariners are hoping he will be ready to be activated next week when the team goes on the road. The Mariners are hoping to get Felix Hernandez going so and be able to send him out on a rehab assignment. Not sure of his time table though. Felix did say he hopes to pitch before the season is over especially if he wants to get a pitching job next year.

Tim Lopes who came up when Dee Gordon went on the injured list started his first game at second base in the major leagues. It turned out to be an interesting game for him. Lopes walked in his first at-bat in the third inning and scored. Later he was hit in the head by a pitch but stayed in at the time. In fact, he ended up stealing second base and scored for the second time. He did get an official at-bat, however no-hit in the game. The Mariners did take him out of the game replacing him with Dylan Moore. It will be interesting to see whether he will be back in the lineup on Friday. Stay tuned.

Tim Lopes finally made it to the major leagues. He was drafted in the 6^th round by the Mariners in 2012. In September 2016 he was traded by the Mariners to the Toronto Blue Jays as the player to be named later. The Mariners signed him this last off-season as a minor league free agent.

Tim Lopes was having his best season in pro-ball when the Mariners recalled him in the place of Dee Gordon. He was hitting .302 with 10 home runs and 60 RBI’s. The most he had done in his minor league career. No surprise he stole a base in his first start either since he had 24 stolen bases in Tacoma. Dee Gordon is expected to be out for a while so Lopes should get his opportunities to play we just hope he is fine. Go M’s.

Vogelbach Leads M’s To Victory

Wednesday afternoon the Seattle Mariners finished the series off against the Texas Rangers winning 5-3.

The pitching was outstanding for the first four and a half innings when Dan Vogelbach hit the first of his two solo home runs in the game. The Mariners bottom of the batting order was able to get on and score three more runs to take a 4-0 lead.

The lead was short-lived in the top of the sixth inning after two outs the Rangers had back to back single then second baseman Rougned Odor hit a three-run homer to take the lead 4-3.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Dan Vogelbach responded with his second home run of the game making it 5-3. No more scoring happened the rest of the way.

So the game came down to two innings the fifth and sixth innings. Mike Leake pitched for the Mariners his first since he almost had a perfect game last Friday. He had a little trouble early on but settles down until the sixth inning when the Rangers scored on the Odor three-run homer. The Mariners had trouble getting Odor out in the series since it was his fourth homer in the three games.

Mike Leake ended up pitching seven innings giving up 9 hits, 3 runs, no walks and striking out 7. He was relieved by Anthony Bass who didn’t give up a hit and struck out two in the eighth inning. Roenis Elias came in the 9^th inning taking care of the Rangers quickly on five pitches including a pop up to end the game.

Domingo Santana didn’t play in the game after being taken out early in Tuesday’s game. An MRI was taken so the Mariners are hoping the results will come in on Thursday. The Mariners have the day off so resume action on Friday against the Detroit Tigers at home. The Mariners are hoping Santana won’t have to go on the injured list.

With Thursday off and the trading deadline only six days remaining, I hope Jerry Dipoto will have a busy day. With the injuries not too many players to trade right now. Having another outstanding game on the mound the Mariners might be able to trade Mike Leake. The only other player or make it two would be Tim Beckham and Roenis Elias. I am sure Leake would get the best value in return. Stay tuned Go M’s.

Tommy Milone Rough Night

Left-handed starter Tommy Milone had a rough night for the Mariners on Tuesday night leading to a Texas Rangers win 7-2.

Milone gave up a home run to lead-off hitter and former Mariner Sin-So Choo in the first inning. The Mariners did tie the score in the bottom of the first with Mallex Smith leading off with a hit followed by another hit by JP Crawford. It was hard for the Mariners to get many hits after that. In fact, they only had seven hits total in the game.

The Rangers were able to tack on more runs in the second and third inning off of Milone. The Rangers scored two in the second and three in the third inning. They didn’t score again until the eighth inning when Rougned Odor hit his second home run of the game. In all Odor had three hits in the game. Until this series Odor has been struggling at the plate outside of hitting home runs. The two home runs Tuesday gives him 17 on the season. He is now batting .203 while spending the season under .200.

Tommy Milone went six innings for the Mariners giving up nine hits, six runs, no walks, five strikeouts, and three home runs. As you can see the home runs were the big factor.

Matt Magill made his first appearance for the Mariners after being acquired from the Minnesota Twins recently. Magill pitched the last two innings for the Mariners giving up one hit the home run to Odor.

Domingo Santana had to leave the game in the second inning because of a sore right elbow. We will find out Wednesday how well he will be and how long he will be out. Earlier in the day, Dee Gordon went on the 10-day injured list with a left quad occurring in Monday’s game during attempted pickoff at first base. According to manager Scott Servais, he won’t be back for a matter of weeks not just days. So the likelihood Gordon is traded before next week’s deadline is slim to none.

The Mariners promoted infielder Tim Lopes from Tacoma. When he appears in a game it will be his major league debut. There is a good chance he will be in the game on Wednesday. The Mariners had Austin Nola at second base on Tuesday after playing mostly at first base though he can catch as well. Nola has been hitting well although he didn’t get any hits on Tuesday.

If Santana is out for several days it will be an interesting lineup for sure. Mallex Smith will be the only true outfielder in the lineup. The Mariners have to put Santana on the injured list to this means Jake Fraley likely will be brought up to Seattle from Tacoma.

The question now will Jerry Dipoto be able to pull off any trades by next Wednesday the end of the trading deadline. Stay tuned. Go M’s.

Marco Gonzales Continues Positive

The Mariners pitching has been up and down all season long. The problem has been mainly in the bullpen but the starters have been inconsistent as well.

Marco Gonzales has been the Mariners most consistent starter though he has been up and down as well. He started out with a good March and April, however, May wasn’t good at all for him as most of the team. Marco though recovered for a good June and July.

Last year Marco had a record of 13-9 and right now he stands at 11-8 this season. He has started 22 games for the Mariners this season while last year he started 29 games. So he should be able to match last year’s starts at least which means seven more starts the minimum. Say Marco wins at least three games he will have won 14 games. This is good on a team re-tooling who will probably have more than 90 losses.

Monday night Marco Gonzales went seven innings giving up seven hits, two runs, no walks, and four strikeouts. The no walks were a good sign because Marco has 33 walks which is one more than he had all last season.  Marco should have had one run against him because a foul ball was caught by a fan who was wearing a Texas Rangers jersey who took the ball away from Kyle Seager. The ball was going into Seager’s glove when the fan stuck his in taking the ball away. The home plate umpire should have called fan’s interference but I guess he felt all things go in the stands. If the fan was wearing a Mariner jersey I would have more been for it though still upsetting. Had Seager been able to make the catch it would have been the third out instead the batter drove in the runner.

The Rangers had a two-run lead going into the bottom of the second inning when first baseman Austin Nola hit the big blow of the game with a three-run homer his third since being called up from Tacoma on June 16. Nola is hitting very well having a batting average of .349 and is fielding well at first base without having an error so far. We should expect seeing more of him at first base. He can catch as well since he caught a lot in Tacoma before being promoted. Having him on the roster allows the Mariners using catcher Omar Narvaez at DH on occasion with Tom Murphy behind the plate so if an injury occurs they still have Nola to backup.

Besides Nola’s home run Kyle Seager had a home run as well in the eighth inning. The Rangers had a one home run in the game to in the 9^th inning. The score ended 7-3.

The Seattle Mariners now have a record of 41-62 and are 10 ½ games behind the fourth-place Rangers. The Rangers to have struggled since the all-star break with both teams going 2-8 in their last ten. The Mariners two wins were Friday’s almost perfect game by Mike Leake and Monday’s game.

With the Rangers struggling as well we hope the Mariners can end up winning this series. At home, the Mariners are 21-31 while 20-31 on the road. This homestand should be a good one since they do take on the Detroit Tigers over the weekend who has a worse record than the Mariners. The Tigers are 30-65.

Tuesday night the Mariners will start Tommy Milone instead of going with an opener. Mike Leake will follow on Wednesday afternoon. It would be nice if he could almost match his last outing. The Mariners do have a good chance in winning this series. Let’s do it Tuesday night. Go M’s.

Seahawks Veterans Report and More

The Seahawks veteran players will be reporting this Thursday for training camp while the rookies have been there for a week.

Big news came over Monday morning when veteran defensive end Jarran Reed was suspended for violating what is called the NFL’s personal contact policy. Reed will miss the first six games of the season though he will be able to participate in training camp.

I am sure there will be some fans who will think the Seahawks should release Reed for his actions. The problems with the personal contact policy the suspension of players doesn’t seem to be consistent. Last week wide receiver Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs was not suspended at all under the same policy though videos heard the sound much worse than Reed’s actions.

Neither Reed nor Hill was charged by police though everyone was surprised Hill was not suspended. Reed did apologize to his family, Seahawks team and Seattle fans for his actions though he didn’t agree with the NFL decision, however, he plans to be a better person.

Jarran Reed started on the other side from Frank Clark who was dealt to all teams the Kansas City Chiefs during the off-season prior to the NFL College draft. Now the Seahawks will have to see whether they need to go out and get another veteran defensive end or go with what they have until his return. Also, the Seahawks could wait to see whether a veteran defensive end is released during training camp from other teams. Stay Tuned.

Another question will Bobby Wagner sign a new contract before the veteran’s report on Thursday. If not, will Wagner not report or just sit out practice. Another thing to stay tuned as well. At least we know Russell Wilson will be at quarterback since he signed the largest NFL contract during the off-season.

The Seahawks opening pre-season game will take place in two weeks from when the veteran players report on August 8 against Denver Broncos at Century Link Field. Go Hawks!

Mariners Season Continues The Same Way

The Seattle Mariners lost Sunday’s game 9-3. So the Los Angeles Angels took the series over the weekend and the season.

The Mariners will not play the Angels again this year which is odd in itself since the season still has two months remaining. The Angels took ten of the nineteen games. Just think the Mariners could have won the series if just one game would have been different. Also, if they didn’t give up so many home runs especially to Mike Trout.

Sunday’s game the Angels were leading 1-0 going into the fourth inning. The Angels scored for runs all with two outs. So similar we see to Saturday night when the Angels won in the 9^th inning. Albert Pujols had a single then Brian Goodwin hits a home run off of Yusei Kikuchi. The Angels scored a couple more runs that could have been prevented as well.

I have to say getting tired of a team where the pitchers are giving up too many home runs and the fielders can’t get to balls. This is happening over and over again.

I wonder how much the shifting is hurting the position players getting to balls they should get to.  It is possible they wouldn’t get to them anyway but something I do think about.

When it comes to playing this game the all-star break didn’t do any good for this team for sure.  I don’t want to be over critical but the same things are happening over and over again as I stated earlier.

Let’s stop shifting all together to see how much better the fielding will be. Another thing can we get pitchers who won’t throw home run balls so often. The Mariners are on a steak where there has been a home run in every game. It would be awesome if the Mariners had home runs in almost every game but actually the opposition has had many of the home runs. 

This series against the Angels they had five home runs while two by the Mariners. The Mariners home runs were both by Daniel Vogelbach in game one when Mike Leake almost pitched a perfect game. Four of the home runs by the Angels were in Sunday’s game. The lone home run on Saturday was by Mike Trout in the 9^th inning making a big difference in the game after fielding miscue by Tim Beckham.

The pitching coaches (they have more than one by the way though only one has the title) need to seat down with the pitchers on how not to throw home run pitches.  The problem isn’t just this season it has been going on for several years. I know the ball is juiced this year so more home runs are being hit by record numbers but the problem is location as much as the ball. Stop making mistakes were throwing the ball especially to guys named Pujols and Trout. 

Anyway I will try not to mention this again.

Now the Mariners take on the Texas Rangers for three games before facing the Detroit Tigers next weekend at home. It will follow by going to Texas to take on the Rangers for two and the Houston Astros for three before returning to Seattle. Go M’s.

Saturday Night’s Mariner Game Tight Until The End

Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels became another familiar story which has happened too often this season. The game was tied 2-2 in the top of the 9^th inning.

Roenis Elias who came into the game in the 9^th inning; Kole Calhoun walked then with two outs then Luis Rengifo hit an infield popup which neither Elias or first baseman Tim Beckham could catch. Originally it was listed as an error but was changed to a single. It doesn’t really matter other than effecting Elias ERA.

David Fletcher hit a single to score Calhoun from third base. Now came up Mike Trout who the Mariners continue to allow hit had a ball leave the park for a three-run homer. So instead of going to the bottom of the 9^th inning still tied at 2-2 the Angels led and won 6-2.

What more can we say about the Mariner’s season so far? They continue losing games they should win or at least stay in to win at least.

Now the Mariners will have to see if they can win the series on Sunday over the Angels. Yusei Kikuchi goes for the Mariners. As we know anything goes when it comes to Mariner’s pitching. The best answer would be Kikuchi could match what Mike Leake did on Friday night.

The best news of the day happens before the game when Edgar Martinez enters the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York. A day we will remember the rest of our lives. Sort of like the day he hit a double scoring Joey Cora and Ken Griffey, Jr. to beat the New York Yankees in 1995. It is only fitting Junior will be welcoming Edgar in.

Mike Leake Makes Friday Almost Perfect Night

In my last post, I said it would be nice if the Mariners could end the losing streak by beating the Angels at least once so Mike Leake took care of it in the first game of the series.

Going into the 9^th inning Leake was pitching a perfect game. We know it isn’t an easy accomplishment to do. The last one was by Felix Hernandez on August 15, 2012. I remember where I was at on that day. I was working. Someone came by to tell me Felix was pitching a no-hitter. He didn’t say it was a perfect game but was a nice surprise to find out later.

Mike Leake ended the perfect game by giving up a single to right field to 2^nd baseman Luis Rengifo. He walked the next batter catcher Kevan Smith. The Mariners were leading 10-0 with no outs so there was no question they would win the game but whether Leake could preserve the shout out and end with a complete game. He was able to with the next batter Matt Thaiss grounding out followed by leadoff hitter Brian Goodwin popping up in the infield. The third out would be the toughest one with Mike Trout coming to the plate, however, Leake was able to rise to the occasion to strike him out to preserve the shoutout.

You wonder what feeling Leake had going into the top of the 9^th inning and then after by giving up the single. I am sure disappointment and relief at the same time.

How did the Mariners score the ten runs they did in this game? Though Leake was pitching a perfect game the score was tied at 0-0 going into the bottom of the 4^th inning. With two runners on base Dan Vogelbach hit his first of two home runs in the game to take the lead 3-0. Omar Narvaez dhing hit a single followed by a double by Kyle Seager then catcher Tom Murphy had a single driving in both of them. It may have been a double but a great throw by Kole Calhoun from right field got Murphy trying to stretch it into a double. So the Mariners led 5-0.

In the fifth inning, Vogelbach hit his second home run to make it 8-0. The Mariners finished the scoring in the sixth inning when JP Crawford hit a double to drive in Dee Gordon and Mallex Smith. Dan Vogelbach did have an opportunity to hit his third two-run homer but the ball was caught at the warning track. Along with Leake’s almost perfect game, it would have been a sight to see Vogelbach hitting another three-run homer. Also, no Mariner has driven in nine runs in the game either.

There was talk before the game with the trading deadline looming that no team had any interest in trading for Mike Leake. I am sure this game increased his value. I am sure everyone is thinking what a way to go out if this was the last game he pitches for the Mariners. Whether he leaves or stays we thank you, Mike Leake, in pitching one of the top games in Mariner history.

No pitcher has been announced for Saturday night’s game for the Mariners yet. Wade LeBlanc could start like he did in his last outing or come in after the opener. Not sure who the opener would be either. Erik Swanson recently called up was the opener on Wednesday in the loss to the A’s in Oakland.

So let’s relax and enjoy Saturday night’s game whether the Mariners win the game or another loss comes our way. Go M’s.

A Great Mariner Weekend

While the current Mariner players try to snap a six-game losing streak we get to see the Baseball Hall-Of-Fame honor Edgar Martinez.

I believe this will be special beyond the induction of Griffey Jr because Edgar played his whole career in Seattle.

Edgar was on the two best years in Seattle Mariner baseball history. The first was 1995 when they came from a deficit in August to tie the Los Angeles Angels at the season’s end then win the final game over the Angels to make the playoffs for the first time.

All of us Mariner fans have seen the video of him knocking in Joey Cora and Junior to beat the Yankees. We will never forget to see the grin of junior when the other Mariner players pile on him.

The other season was 2016 when the Seattle Mariners won 116 games to tie the Chicago Cubs for the most ever wins in the history of the major leagues. Unfortunately, the Mariners were not able to make the World Series losing to the Yankees. If it were not for 9/11 which I am sure we all wish had not happened they probably would have made and won the World Series. 

Edgar Martinez was on that team in 2001 as well. What more can we say for the legend of the Mariners. There is a street named after him along with Dave Niehaus. Our favorite play by play announcer who made the hall-of-fame as well.

Not only is Edgar in Cooper’s Town so is Junior along with fellow teammates Jay Buhner, Jamie Moyer, Dan Wilson, and Randy Johnson. I am sure there are other of his other teammates making the way besides a lot of fans. I wish I could be there.

I visited the baseball hall-of-fame in late May 2011. It was an experience I will never forget. I hope to make it there again so I can see these great men of baseball past.

So we hope the Mariners can beat the Angels this weekend in Seattle to help Edgar make it in on Sunday. I am sure those on the team this year who were on the team last year will be thinking of Edgar as well since he was the team’s hitting coach. I am sure those who get to be coached to whatever degree by Edgar in the future will be honored to hear his words about hitting.

Thank you Edgar for the memories; we look forward to hearing your speech whether live or not. I am sure we will want to listen to your words over and over again just like the video in 1995. I am sure they will show the video during his introduction into the hall-of-fame.

Another Loss Another Sweep

Right now losses continue for the Mariners. Be really interesting to see whether they will have some wins coming up the rest of July or not. Thursday is an off-day then the action continues on Friday with a three-game series against Los Angeles Angels at home.

This month the Mariners are having a lot of off days. Not only two this week they have two more next week as well. We wonder if that is a good thing or not. So far they haven’t won a game since the all-star break so may not be good at all. It allows the players to think too much, at least that is how I see it any.

Wednesday the Mariners lost to the Oakland A’s for another two-game sweep. The final was Oakland 10 Seattle 2.

The Mariners scored their two runs in the second inning when Dylan Moore hit a triple driving in Tim Beckham followed by Dee Gordon driving in Moore.  The A’s scored two runs in the bottom of the second when Jurickson Profar hit his first of two-run home runs off of opener Erik Swanson.

Erik Swanson was called up on Tuesday to be the opener on Wednesday. I am not sure why they allowed Swanson to go two innings. It didn’t help Tommy Milone who came in the third inning. He pitched four and one-third innings giving up five runs on five hits. Of the five hits, three of them were home runs. Next time go back to one inning for the opener.

What was really interesting Milone was warming up in the second inning then was sat down after Swanson gave up the home run? He had to get up again to warm up for the third inning. I hope they learned to enter him at the beginning of the second inning.

Cody Gearrin came in for Milone to finish off the seventh inning. He did fine, however, Matt Festa gave up three runs in the eighth inning including the Profar home run.

I am sure manager Scott Servais is learning the bullpen for the Mariners isn’t very good. The Mariners will need to look to have a new one next year. I am sure there will be other changes next year as well but the bullpen will have to be the main one. I will get back to that another time. Go M’s.  

Losses Continue

The Seattle Mariners lost to the Oakland A’s Tuesday night 9-2. It is the fifth loss in a row with four after the all-star break. The last time the Mariners won was on July 6 in Seattle against the A’s 6-3 in Marco Gonzales previous start.

Tuesday game was tight with the Oakland A’s leading 2-1 going into the fifth inning. With shortstop Marcus Semien at the plate with two outs, the home plate umpire called what looked like a strike three ball four. The call really irked Gonzales where he gave up back to back home runs to Matt Chapman and Matt Olson giving the A’s three more runs when they should have been out of the inning.

In the third inning, the home plate umpire Brian O’Nora was hit in the head on a backswing by Domingo Santana. It may have been the reason O’Nora made the call in the fifth a ball instead of a strike.  Though the turnaround in the game the Mariners blamed on the umpire Marco Gonzales should have gotten back to his pitching instead of being so mad at the umpire.

Gonzales gave up another run in the sixth inning his last one of the night. So in six innings, he gave seven hits, six runs, one walk, and five strikeouts. The A’s scored three more times one in the seventh and two in the eighth inning.

The Mariners two runs were scored on two solo home runs off the bat of catcher Omar Narvaez. The Mariners take on the A’s Wednesday afternoon. Erik Swanson called up on Tuesday is scheduled to start the game. Not sure how long he is meant to pitch. He could be the Mariner’s opener in the game.

The Mariners will have Thursday off the second off day this week then play three games against the Los Angeles Angels, three against the Texas Rangers, and finish the homestand with four against the Detroit Tigers.  The three games against the Angels is a strange look in the schedule because this ends the Mariners and Angels playing for the season. Funny to see all 19 games are wrapped up before July ends.

Mike Leake is scheduled to start Friday’s game against the Angels. With the trading deadline getting closer to the end and Leake expected to be traded by the end of the month will he actually make the start. Stay tuned. Go M’s.

Mariner’s Make Moves On Monday

Though the Mariners had the day off on Monday they made news off the field. The news didn’t have to do with any trades it had more with the minor league teams promoting or releasing.

The biggest news was last year’s number one draft pick, Logan Gilbert was promoted for the second time this season. He started the season at low-A West Virginia then promoted to High-A Modesto on May 1. Now he is making his way to double-A Arkansas who now have 14 of the Mariners top 30 prospects.

It looks like Gilbert is on the fast track to the majors. Also, catcher Cal Raleigh drafted in the 3^rd round last year is being promoted to Arkansas as well from Modesto. He was player of the week in the Texas League. He had eight home runs in his last ten games and has 22 home runs on the season.

Depending on how they do in Arkansas, the rest of the way will see how Gilbert and Raleigh do going into next spring. Gilbert might be in the Mariners rotation next year. He probably be in the second half of the season if he doesn’t start the season. Raleigh might be in Seattle in the second half of next season. For sure we should see him in 2021.

The Mariners made other moves sending several players from rookie ball Everett up to low-level A West Virginia. The Tacoma Rainiers made a few moves with Dave McKay and Parker Markel being sent down by the Mariners. Also, reliever Sam Tuivailala was activated off the 60-day injured list. He will now make his first appearance for the Mariners this season. Likely he is the Mariners number one reliever in the bullpen right now. The Mariners should make another move in the bullpen to since there is another spot open. The Mariners should make that announcement before Tuesday’s game against the Oakland A’s.

Everyone is still looking in anticipation who the Mariners will be trading and receiving back over the next couple weeks. Most everyone is expecting starting right-hander Mike Leake to be dealt. Also, Dee Gordon and Tim Beckham could be going elsewhere as well.  More updates will come forward today. Go M’s.

Seahawk Rookies Report Wednesday

For the first time, the Seattle Seahawk rookies will report ahead of the veterans. The rookies will report on Wednesday to start training while the veterans will come on board next week.

It will be interesting to hear stories during this week and thereafter to who makes the team and the ones do not.  With the XFL starting next spring we may not hear the end of those who will be released by the Seahawks and other NFL teams.

Doug Baldwin announcing earlier he was retiring gives a chance to at least one rookie to make the Seahawks at the wide receiver spot. DK Metcalf was the biggest rookie name at wide receiver as he was drafted in the 2^nd round out of Ole Miss. In recent weeks he has been working out with quarterback Russell Wilson which should give an edge up on the other receivers.  Other two rookie wide receivers drafted by the Seahawks were Gary Jennings and Jazz Ferguson. With Tyler Lockett being the only receiver starting for sure gives an open door for the rest of the receivers whether rookie or veterans. There is a possibility Jennings and Ferguson could make the team as the third, or fourth receivers though wouldn’t be easy.

Seahawks number one draft pick LJ Collier we will hear a lot about this summer as well. Though he is listed as a defensive end he could do like Michael Bennett when he was with the Seahawks splitting time at end and tackle. The defensive line will be interesting this summer too because no one has a sure starting spot.

At linebacker, the Seahawks have two who have a good chance to make the team this year in Cody Barton out of Utah and I am sure fan favorite Ben Burr-Kirven drafted in the fifth round out of Washington. He was leading tackler for the Huskies and in the country this last year. Since the Seahawks have their starting linebackers pretty much in line they will be playing special teams most of the time though they may play linebacker sparingly as well. They could shove out a couple of linebackers who are coming back as well.

Wide Receivers, defensive line, and linebacker will be where we will hear most from the rookie croup but there will be at least a couple will try to make on the offensive line and the defensive backfield. We will get to them down the road.

Travis Homer drafted in the sixth round out of Miami will be competing at running back. The Seahawks really like him as the third-down back along with special teams. He probably won’t see much other action if he makes the ball club since the top two running back positions are pretty well sewn up. The Seahawks could go with four running backs so this would give him a good shot.

While continuing on the Mariners for the rest of the season I will be giving out how the Seahawk players do and the news coming out. Best to the rookies to see who makes it and those who don’t? Go Hawks!

Mariners Swept in Anaheim

Friday night the Mariners were thrown a no-hitter against them, and then Saturday they were beaten once again. On Sunday things did look on the bright side for a while leading 3-1 which included a solo home run by Austin Nola his second home run on the season and solo home run by Domingo Santana.

The Angels scored a couple runs in the fifth inning to tie the game at 3-3. Kikuchi was relieved in the fifth inning with no outs. The score stayed the same until the eighth inning when Anthony Bass allowed a couple hits and was relieved by Roenis Elias with two outs.

The Angels had rookie Matt Thaiss at the plate. He isn’t even hitting .200 however Elias gave up a home run scoring three runs to take the win away from the Mariners. Not only is Thaiss not hitting well the home run was his first in the major leagues.

Elias has been struggling on the mound in his last several outings. I have heard suggestions in trading him. Too bad Dipoto didn’t pull the plug on a trade already because now Elias value isn’t as great.

Getting swept in the first series after the all-star break isn’t a good sign. The Mariners now go to Oakland to take on the A’s. They have Monday off then return home against the Angels on Friday. We hope the Mariners can win at least one game against the A’s. After the Angels the Texas Rangers come in to face the Mariners.

The highlight this week could be whatever trade or trades Dipoto can pull off. He seems to be taking his time in doing so. I am sure he is talking with other teams however I wish we got some news on trades.

It would be nice to trade some players who have no future in Seattle or in the case of one Mac Williamson release him. Whatever the case may be enjoy the Mariners day off on this Monday. Go M’s.

Can Mariners Look Not To Be Swept

The Seattle Mariners lost again on Saturday 9-2 against the Angels in Anaheim. Not a great start after the all-star break. At least they scored two runs and had six hits.

Wade LeBlanc started Saturday night’s game after going seven games where he came in for the opener. The Mariners should look to begin with the opener once again since LeBlanc does better when they use one. He gave up 10 hits, six runs going four innings.

The bullpen did a good job outside of David McKay who gave up a three-run homer to Albert Pujols. Earlier Kole Calhoun and Mike Trout had home runs off of LeBlanc. Almost every series the Mariners play against the Angels all three of them get at least one home run. Mike Trout homered two games in a row. By this point, the Mariners should know not to pitch to those three. They feast of Mariner pitching.

Yusei Kikuchi goes Sunday afternoon for the Mariners. We hope he is able to pitch well enough for the Mariners to win and not get swept. Also, it would be nice not to give up a home run to Trout.

I am sure everyone is looking for when Dipoto pulls a trigger on a trade. The trading deadline is in 17 days. I expect at least one trade if not more. The big three being traded would be Mike Leake, Tim Beckham, and Dee Gordon. They could trade Roenis Elias who might have his highest value right now. So trader Jerry pull your magic wand. Go M’s.

Tyler Skaggs Honored Mariners No-Hit

It was nice to see how the Angels honored their fallen teammate on Friday night, however, did the Mariners help out so much that they didn’t get a hit in the game. In fact, if Omar Narvaez hadn’t walked it would have been a perfect game.

We will miss you Tyler Skaggs. We wish you were still here to start against the Mariners. Though we would still root for our home team it would be good to see your pitching too.

I am not sure why the Mariners haven’t figured out they shouldn’t be pitching to Mike Trout. After the leadoff double, Mike Leake should have walked Trout to give a chance for a double play. The way he pitched though it wouldn’t have made a bit of difference, we don’t know that for sure.

I am sure we hope this is not a sign for the second half of the season. I wonder what has happened to Dee Gordon’s defense anyway. I wondered if he was thinking at all when looking for making a double play and dropping the ball. Not at a good time either.

On the positive side, at least the Mariner’s box score is easy to read. Just kidding by the way.

The Mariners haven’t announced who will be pitching on Saturday night so I expect they will be going with the opener followed by Wade LeBlanc. Sunday Yusei Kikuchi is scheduled to pitch. Oh, by the way, the good news Kikuchi and his wife had a son born over the all-star break. You can’t have a better all-star break for sure.

Now we have to keep our chins up. I hope the Mariners do the same. It would be nice to win as many or close to as losses. Have a great day and until next time.

Signing Bobby Wagner

I have listened on the sport radio programs locally about the Seattle Seahawks to sign Bobby Wagner to an extension.

I hope it takes place soon. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Seahawks wait until just before training camp starts so their name is still out there. He does deserve an extension so let’s get it over with so I don’t have to hear about it any longer.

I am sure the print media has gone over it as well. One thing I know for sure is Bobby Wagner is the best linebacker the Seahawks ever have. Also, he is the most experienced and best player on the defense as well. So let’s do it.

Training camp will be starting soon so it will be interesting to see what happens and who makes the team. The defensive line and backfield will have the most competition.

Now that Doug Baldwin is retired who will take his spot along Tyler Lockett will be interesting too along with whom the third receiver be too.

Enjoy the summer getting ready for football season. Though the Mariners are not doing well like most years in this century enjoy what will look forward to the future.