Seahawks Make Trade Saturday Morning

The Seattle Seahawks in the forge of releasing players to get down to the 53-man roster made a trade Saturday morning. They picked up defensive end Jadeveon Clowney from the Houston Texans. The Texans in return will receive defensive ends Barkevious Mingo and Jacob Martin. Both players were listed as linebackers but their primary job was to get to the quarterback on the pass rush. 

The arrival of Clowney the Seahawks wouldn't have kept Mingo anyway, so this trade helps him out going to a club that wanted him. Martin, on the other hand, will be missed on the Seahawks. Clowney may only be on the team one year because he could become a free agent after the season unless the Seahawks are able to sign him to a multi-year contract. The Seahawks give the Texans a third-round pick in the trade as well. If Clowney isn't able to be signed the Seahawks will get a third-round pick in return.

Players already mentioned as being cut by the Seahawks are quarterback Paxton Lynch. Not a big surprise as Geno Smith outperformed him during pre-season. I hope Lynch is able to be picked up by another team. Also, DeShawn Shead who was trying to make a comeback with the Hawks, running back Xavier Turnier, safety Salom Luani, defensive end Logan Tago, offensive tackle Elijah Nkansah, and wide receiver Jazz Ferguson, The cuts will have to be made by 1 pm pacific time on Saturday so I will update more of the cuts coming up plus any more trades that might happen as well. 

Gonzales Unable To Get #15

Friday night Marco Gonzales was going after win number 15 in Arlington, Texas; however, he lost 6-3.

Going into this game he had a record of 2-2 in five starts for the month of August.  He had come off his best start of the month beating Toronto 3-1 on August 25^th when he gave up one run on three hits. This time he went only five and two-third innings giving up all six of the runs the Rangers scored.

The sixth inning was the toughest on Gonzales when he gave up three runs. He will try again to get his 15^th win in his next outing.  Erik Swanson came in finishing off the game going two and third innings. He did an outstanding job striking out five of the seven batters he faced without giving up a hit. 

Swanson has done a good job for the most part since returning to the Mariners on July 17. In his last six appearances, he has gone eight innings giving up only two hits.

When the Mariners acquired Swanson along with Justus Sheffield from the Yankees for James Paxton in the off-season the thought he could be at the end of the rotation starter; however, as of late he is showing good value in the bullpen. It would not surprise me if he is one of the seven or eight relievers in the bullpen when next season begins.

Saturday night the Mariners will start with the opener then go with Tommy Milone. I am not sure why Milone is actually still on the team. He hasn’t done well either starting or coming in the second inning.

Milone is 32 years of age so being part of a rebuild doesn’t seem to commute in my mind anyway. Had he been pitching well I might be thinking differently. I understand the Mariners bringing up Milone in May after he had signed a minor league deal and started the season in Tacoma.

I don’t expect Milone to be on the team next season so why is the point he is still around. This being the last game of August he will have to show something because he likely won’t get in a lot of games in September unless it is early on with double-A Arkansas being in their league playoffs. I just hope he is able to keep the Mariners in the game so they have a chance to win. Go M’s.

Mariners Win So Do Seahawks

The Seattle Mariners Thursday night beat the Texas Rangers on the road in Arlington Texas 5-3.

Felix Hernandez started his second game since coming off the injured list. He didn’t pitch as well this time as he had in his first outing, however, he was able to pitch through five innings. He gave up three runs on five hits while walking one and striking out three. His three runs came over three innings. He gave up a home run to left fielder Will Calhoun in the first inning, the only home run in the game. He gave up a run in the second and the fourth innings as well. 

The Mariners scored three runs in the second inning to take a 3-2 lead after two innings. Two of the Mariner runs were on an error by the Rangers first baseman dropping the ball on a play where it should have been a double play.

The Mariner’s bullpen did a good job over four innings giving up only two hits without surrendering a run. The Mariners scored two runs in the 9^th inning; Matt Magill had come in the 8^th inning recorded the win going the final two innings.

Marco Gonzales will be starting on Friday night going after his 15^th win on the season. He has the most wins on the Mariners staff. Mike Leake traded at the end of July to Arizona had nine wins. Currently on the staff Wade LeBlanc has six wins.

On Sunday the Mariners can add players to their roster. Most likely will be primarily relievers including Austin Adams who was pitching well before going on the injured list. Also, Braden Bishop is expected to join the Mariner outfield on Sunday as well since being in Tacoma on a rehab assignment. Bishop has been out since June 5.

The Seattle Seahawks beat the Oakland Raiders Friday night at home 17-15. Both teams played their backup players all game long.

Geno Smith expected to be the Seahawks backup quarterback started the game. He threw a touchdown pass in both the first and second quarters. He completed four out of seven passes for 107 yards. Paxton Lynch competing against Smith threw only seven passes but completed only one for four yards.

CJ Prosise fighting for one of the backup running back spots led the Seahawks once again with 42 yards on five carries. Whether he makes the roster will depend on how healthy the Seahawks feel he can stay. His talent has kept him around because he has been injured most of the time.

When it comes to backup receivers I am sure the Seahawks staff will look at the previous games along with passes to decide who makes the team. No receiver caught any more than one pass in this game.

Saturday is the day the Seahawks along with the rest of the NFL have to trim their roster to 53. Some of the decisions will be hard to come by. Also, I would not be surprised if the Seahawks pick up players off the waiver wire or make some trades. Stay tuned to see who the most familiar faces not returning to the Seahawks and those who just made it.

Yankees Sweep Mariners

Wednesday afternoon, the New York Yankees beat the Seattle Mariners 7-3 in a three-game series as well as for the season.

All three games started out the same way where the Yankees scored first with a home run with a runner on base. The Yankees are the number one team in the major leagues for wins and home runs.

The Yankees in all had four home runs on Wednesday. Gary Sanchez had a two-run homer in the first inning. The game stayed that way until the fourth inning when Kyle Seager hit a two-home run for the Mariners to tie the game. It was the lone hit the Mariners got off of former Mariner James Paxton; he lasted only five innings because he had trouble getting the ball over the plate so ended up walking five batters. The unfortunate part the Mariners were unable to take advantage of the walks except in the case of Seager’s home run.

Justus Sheffield was only able to go four and one-third innings for the Mariners giving up six hits and five runs including two home runs. Though he only went that long Sheffield’s stuff actually looked good. We hope he can look better next time and be able to record a win. 

Matt Wisler who came in for Sheffield yield a home run well as Wade LeBlanc in the 9th inning. The Mariners had their final run in the 9th but it was too late.

Now the Mariners go to Texas to take on the Rangers in a four-game series. We hope the Mariners can do a better job on the road. It won’t be an easy task; after the series against the Rangers they play two games in Chicago against the Cubs then back to Texas to take on the Houston Astros in a four-game series. Last time the Mariners were in Houston the Astros swept them in three. 

On Sunday when September arrives the Mariners may bring up a few players from Tacoma to get some playing time. The Mariners double-A team in Arkansas start a playoff series against Tulsa on Wednesday night. Arkansas had their way in the regular season against Tulsa so they should win the series before moving on. We should see a few of their players when their season is over. The most notable will be starting right-hander Justin Dunn the Mariners number two prospect.

Thursday night the Seattle Seahawks take on the Oakland Raiders at CenturyLink Field. It will be the last pre-season game before the regular season begins next week. This game will be important for quite a few players since the Seahawks will be trimming their roster having to cut down to 53 players from 90. The last few cuts will be interesting since there are several players on the bubble to. News came out David Moore expected to be the Seahawks number three wide receiver won’t have to go on the injured list so may only miss a couple games. The question then who takes his spot as the third receiver in those two games. Tyler Lockett is the number one receiver followed by Jeron Brown at two.

Both the Washington Huskies and the WSU Cougars seasons start on Saturday. They will both be playing at home. Go Huskies and Cougs.  

Yankees Shut Out Mariners

The Seattle Mariners continue having trouble with the New York Yankees Tuesday night 7-0. The Mariners were only able to get four hits off of Masahiro Tanaka. The Yankees though were able to get to Yusei Kikuchi early with Aaron Judge hitting a two-run homer in the first inning. Kikuchi hadn’t pitched for nine days since his last start where he shut out the Blue Jays in Toronto 7-0 on two hits.

Kikuchi lasted only four innings total in this game. He gave up a three-run homer to Brett Gardner in the third inning. It would have been a tough time for the Mariners to come back in this one.

JP Crawford, Omar Narvaez, Kyle Seager, and Tim Lopes were the four players getting the four hits off of Tanaka. Reggie McClain came in for Kikuchi. He went three innings giving up three hits, a run in the fifth inning and striking out four. McClain has done a good job coming out of the bullpen since being promoted from Tacoma. The Yankees scored their final run in the ninth inning.

The Yankees and the Mariners play a day game before the Mariners go to Texas to play the Rangers over the next four games.  James Paxton back in Seattle for the first time since being traded to the Yankees will start for them while Justus Sheffield who was part of the trade for Paxton goes for the Mariners. This will be his second start since being recalled last week. Paxton is 10-6 with an ERA of 4.43 on the season, however, he is 5-0 for the month of August. The Mariners will try to avoid the sweep of the series and the season as well.

The news came out on Tuesday Keon Broxton was suspended two for throwing his glove at the home plate umpire where he was tossed out of the game. Sounded like he was going to appeal his suspension but he didn’t play on Tuesday night. We will see whether he is in Wednesday’s game or not.

The Mariners are now 56-77 with 29 games remaining. How many more games you think they will win?  Can they make it to 70 wins on the season? Go M’s.

Home Runs Hurts Milone Mariner Lose

Matt Wisler was the Mariners opener in the first game against the New York Yankees on Monday night. He did a fine job in his one inning of working including striking two batters.

Tommy Milone came in the second inning for the Mariners but did not fare as well. He gave up two home runs to put the Yankees ahead 4-0. The Mariners did respond with three runs of their own in the bottom of the second inning when Dylan Moore hit a home run with two runners on base. It was Moore’s second home run in two days.

Milone gave up another home run in the fourth inning to Mike Ford his second of the game. If Ford’s name sounds familiar he was in training camp in 2018 as a rule 5 player; however, the Mariners sent him back to the Yankees his previous team.

The Mariners had a final run in the 7^th inning when Mallex Smith hit a home run. Smith didn’t start the game for the Mariners; he entered in the third inning when outfielder Keon Broxton was ejected for throwing his batting gloves after being upset on a strikeout which hit the home plate umpire. He apologized after the game not realizing the gloves hit the umpire. He said it was his fault.

Tommy Milone went five innings giving up the five runs to the Yankees. The three home runs he gave up were what cost the Mariners the game. He has given up 22 home runs on the season with seven in the month of August. With September coming up with call ups will he start again or even be around to pitch.

Erik Swanson pitched an inning out of the Mariner bullpen. He gave up a hit without a run while striking out one. Wade LeBlanc finished the game for the Mariners going two innings without giving up a hit and striking out two. LeBlanc was sent to the bullpen when the Mariners promoted Justus Sheffield from Arkansas and Felix Hernandez activated off the injured list. Personally I think the Mariners should have pitched Wade LeBlanc in the second inning instead of Milone; however, we don’t know whether the results would have been different or not.

Yusei Kikuchi goes Tuesday night to see if he can have the Mariners even the series. In his last outing, he pitched a complete game with a shutout. He will be facing fellow countrymen Masahiro Tanaka going for the Yankees. Tanaka went six and a third innings against the Mariners back on May 7 giving up two runs in a Yankee victory. We hope things are different this time. Go M’s.

Mariners Win Another Series

Sunday the Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays at T-Mobile Park 3-1. Marco Gonzales had a good day going seven innings giving up only three hits along with the one run. He did walk two batters however struck out five on 99 pitches. His lone run came in the sixth inning when the Mariners were leading 2-0 going into it.

The Mariners scored in the third inning on a solo home run by Dylan Moore his sixth of the season. They scored another run in the fourth inning and the final run in the seventh inning.

In all the Mariners had four hits in the game scoring three runs on them was a good sign. Besides Moore’s home run Kyle Seager hit a double to drive in a run and Omar Narvaez had a sacrifice fly. JP Crawford and Austin Nola had the other two hits in which led to Mariner scores.

The win was Marco Gonzales 14^th of the season surpassing his 13 wins of last year. Matt Magill had the save his fourth since taking the closer role and the second in the series against the Jays. The Mariners now have won four series in a row all 2-1 series.

The Mariners now take on the New Yankees Monday night thru Wednesday afternoon. They will then go on the road to Texas facing the Rangers for four games followed by two against the Cubs in Wrigley Field then back to Texas four games against the Houston Astros. Hopefully, they will do better this time as they were swept in Houston at the beginning of August in three games which included a no-hitter.

The Mariners will start with an opener on Monday against the Yankees followed by Yusei Kikuchi on Tuesday after missing his last start in the rotation. In his last game, he went the distance throwing a shutout. It wouldn’t be an easy task against the Yankees.

Justus Sheffield will make his second start after being promoted from Arkansas. He will be facing ex-Mariners James Paxton who he was traded for in the off-season on Wednesday afternoon. For the Mariners to take another series at home they will need to keep the Yankees from hitting home runs which isn’t an easy task.

Felix Hernandez is expected to make another start  on Thursday in the first game in Texas.

The Mariners top draft picks in 2017 and 2018 Evan White and Logan Gilbert continues to perform well at double-A Arkansas. White has had multiple-hits in his last three games along with playing fantastic defense at first base. Also, he has shown more power at the plate this year with 16 home runs.

Gilbert continues well going up levels in the Mariner farm system for his first season in professional ball. Arkansas is his third stop after starting at low-level A West Virginia followed by high-level A Modesto.  He has an ERA of 2.17 with Arkansas in eight starts. The way he is pitching he should find his way into the Mariners starting rotation sometime in 2020.

So as the Mariners close out this series against the Yankees we hope for continued success this month and in September when we should see some of the Mariner prospects in uniform. Go M’s.

Mariners Lose Seahawks Win

The Seattle Mariners game started an hour earlier than the Seahawks. The Mariners were home against the Toronto Blue Jays though it felt like a road game because of the fans making their way down from Canada while the Seahawks were in Los Angeles taking on the Chargers. With the Seahawk fans in attendance, it felt like a home game.

Felix Hernandez made his return looking more like King Felix than old arm often injured Felix. He ended up going five and two-thirds innings where he gave up two runs on three hits, walked three and struck out four.

The Mariners scored two runs in the first inning on a walk by Mallex Smith, a hit by JP Crawford and a double by Kyle Seager.  The Jays tied the score at 2-2 in the third inning when they hit two solo home runs. It was really the only blemish on Felix pitching Saturday night.

The Mariners took the lead in the fifth inning when Omar Narvaez hit a three-run homer. So when Felix departed from the game they were leading 5-2. It looked like Felix would get the win he deserved; however, the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead. The Blue Jays scored four runs in the seventh plus additional run in the eighth to win 7-5.

Off the field news, Mitch Haniger rehab assignment is on hold as he is having trouble with his back. Sounds right now he may not return the rest of the season; I will keep you up to date.

The Seahawks, on the other hand, dominated Saturday night’s game against the Chargers winning 23-15. The starting unit looked sharp in this the third pre-season game. Russell Wilson played into the second quarter. The Chargers led 3-0 on a field goal in the first quarter but it was all Seahawks in the second quarter scoring sixteen points making them lead 16-3 at half-time.

Russell Wilson looked good passing the ball except for a couple times when he missed receivers wide open, however, they did catch six of his nine throws for 73 yards.  Geno Smith came in the second quarter for Wilson going the rest of the way. Smith had missed last week’s game.

Smith looked like the guy who will backup Wilson for the season. He threw the ball seventeen times with eleven completions. Neither Wilson nor Smith had touchdown throws. All three touchdowns came through the running game. Rashaad Penny scored the first touchdown in the second quarter.  Geno Smith had a touchdown running the ball too. He ran six times for 24 yards.

The Seahawks scored their final time in the third quarter on a touchdown run by C.J. Prosise. The often injured made his return in this game leading the Seahawks in rushing with 32 yards on five attempts. He caught a pass for 15 yards too. Prosise showed what he can be when healthy. For his sake and the Seahawks, we hope he will stay healthy and make the team. He like some other Seahawk players will have to look good next Thursday in the final pre-season game at home against the Oakland Raiders.

The Chargers ended up scoring 12 points on two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make the game sort of interesting. The touchdowns though were against the Seahawk backups.

Before the game, we learned David Moore expected to be the third wide receiver on the team had an injured shoulder and will miss some time. This will give several receivers a chance to shine and make the team into the regular season.

Tyler Lockett is the sure number one receiver while Jaron Brown is expected to be number two.  With the absence of Moore means DK Metcalf this year’s number two draft choice may turn out to be the man for the third spot, however, he is coming back from an injured knee. He was expected to miss the opening game of the season, however, now he could be activated for the game.

Other candidates for the third and fourth spots are John Ursua this year 7^th round pick, 4^th round pick Gary Jennings, rookie free agent Jazz Reynolds, Malik Turner, and Terry Wright. JD McKissic expected to be the Seahawks third running back could see action at wide receiver as well. The same goes for C.J. Prosise if he can make the team too. Both were wide receivers in college.

Mariners Start New Home Stand with a Win

The Seattle Mariners continue to do well over the last ten days beating the Toronto Blue Jays Friday night 7-4.

Justus Sheffield making his first start in the major leagues struggled in the game, especially in the first inning. He ended up allowing two runs; however, it could have been a lot worse. He did settle down after the first inning although he did give up another run in the third. He went for a total of four innings.

We hope Sheffield will do better in his next outing after getting over his nerves. Not sure when the next start will be, however, we do know he will make another start at some point. The Mariners had to make a move to add Sheffield to the roster. They ended up putting Corey Gearrin on waivers where he was picked up by the New York Yankees. So we may see facing him next week. Gearrin was the last member of the bullpen who had pitched all season for the Mariners. Not a big surprise he was put on waivers though he had done well for the Mariners as of late.

The Mariners tied the score in the second inning which included a solo home run by catcher Omar Narvaez. The Blue Jays took the lead briefly scoring a run in the top of the third, however, the Mariners responded with a run of their own making it 3-3.

JP Crawford hit a home run in the fifth inning to take the lead once again temporarily; the Blue Jays responded with a run the top of the sixth inning to tie once again 4-4. It didn’t last long once again when the Mariners scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning the last time either team scored.

Dee Gordon had three hits in the game including a double and a triple. He has been hitting .295 since coming off the injured list. Kyle Seager continued his fantastic hitting as well as getting two hits including a double driving in two runs.

The Mariners had other opportunities to put this game away. Daniel Vogelbach had the bases loaded facing a lefty when he hit a lazy pop up to the Rays third baseman. Vogelbach has had a terrible time in August hitting only .140. Of his eight hits for the month three of them have been home runs.

The Mariners ended up using five relievers over five innings. Rookie Zach who came in for Sheffield in the fifth inning was the only one giving up a run in the sixth inning, but an error by Mallex Smith caused the run to score. He pitched one and one-third innings giving up two hits while striking out one. Matt Wisler came in to finish off the sixth inning giving up a hit and striking out one.

Sam Tuivailala, Anthony Bass, and Matt Magill finished off the last three innings without surrendering a run.  Magill who gave up the winning run on Wednesday in Tampa responded back getting his third save on the season.

Jake Fraley making his second start in center field had his first hit in the major leagues. Also, he scored a run as well.

Felix Hernandez takes the mound on Saturday night against the Jays. I am sure the Jays will have plenty of fans in the stands once again. Last year he pitched well against the Jays. When he left the game he shouted: “not in our house”. I hope we get the same feeling Saturday. How long Felix will go we will have to see. It would not surprise me if he goes about the same distance as Sheffield went on Friday night.

Felix will want to show Seattle and the Mariners how he is doing so he may have an exceptional game, on the other hand, he could look not so good as well. It will be interesting to see how many starts Felix will make the rest of the season and whether he can stay healthy at the same time.

The Mariners will have to make another move with Felix making the start. It will be interesting to see who goes this time. There is a good possibility Sheffield is sent back to Arkansas. The Mariners gave Yusei Kikuchi time off in this rotation so the Mariners will throw him against the Yankees. He is scheduled to start on Tuesday against New York. Go M’s.

Seattle XFL Has Name

This week the name came out for the Seattle new XFL team who begins play in February 2020. The name of the team is the Seattle Dragons. They have a coach in former Seahawk great quarterback and Coach Jim Zorn.

                                                                                            

The Dragons don’t have any players of yet. They will have a draft in October. They are going to be players with some familiar names who have played ball in the Northwest.

The Dragons first quarterback will be the most interesting one to come about along with the running backs and receivers.

I am sure the rules are going to be somewhat different than the NFL. The NFL may take some of the rules and apply to it if they turn out to be good ideas.

The XFL obviously won’t be as good as the NFL; however, we hope it will be entertaining and stick around for a while. Go Dragons!

Seahawk Running Backs

Watching the first two games of the pre-season it is hard to know how the Seahawks running backs will do this coming season. Neither Chris Carson nor Rashaad Penny has played a lot.

Carson has looked better in his brief appearances but it doesn’t mean a lot; for one thing, Penny has had to run behind the second string which isn’t a good thing. Since he was a first-round pick last year I know a lot of fans have doubts in Penny. Being a first-round pick didn’t automatically have Penny as the starter though I am sure many of us thought he should be.

Both Carson and Penny should have many yards on the season. Carson will be the first one on the field as the starter. Penny likely will come in the second or third possession though the Seahawks may bring him in on third down in the first possession.

The Seahawks have been working on getting Carson the ball more on passing downs. Penny had done well in the passing game already however having both excel well help the Seahawks and the players.

Having Carson and Penny on the team is good because Carson is a punishing back on short downs while Penny can break for long gains. If both players can carry the ball for about the same amount it will help out tremendously. Being two different types of runners will allow the Seahawks to change up things.

JD McKissic may look to be the Seahawks third or fourth running back. With his speed, they can put him out as a receiver as well. He will probably be on kickoffs and may spell Tyler Lockett on punt returns as well. His spot isn’t assured but I feel he will be there. He will probably run the ball three to five times a game.

Travis Homer the Seahawks drafted in the sixth round this year may be the third back as well. He may come in on third downs when taking out Carson or Penny out of the game. Again he wouldn’t run the ball too many times depending on whether Carson or Penny stays healthy. Homer makes the team primarily for his work on special teams.

CJ Prosise is still on the roster; however, again he has spent most of his time on the sidelines. He has more talent than McKissic or Homer, so he would be the right choice if he stayed healthy. This is his last chance to make it for the Seahawks. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is released by the Seahawks.

Another running back is Bo Scarbrough a free agent out of Alabama. He was a favorite of mine while in college. Though I am rooting for him his chances making the team is not as great as the rest of the running backs.

Xavier Turner is another running back the Seahawks signed as a free agent after being released by the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals signed him as a college free agent. The Seahawks like Turner so he does have a chance to make it. How much we will see.

Nick Bellore is listed as the only fullback on the Seahawks roster. He is a veteran who can play linebacker as well. The reason he makes the team will have to do with special teams and his flexibility.

Carson and Penny are the only sure guys to make the Seahawks at running back. The Seahawks may go with three or four running backs. If they go with five will depend on how many wide receivers they go with as well.

We will have the answers in just over a week after the next two pre-season games. The Seahawks play the Charges in Los Angeles this Saturday followed by facing the Oakland Raiders at home next Thursday. Look forward to seeing the running backs go this season. Go Hawks!

Mariners Throw Final Series Game Away

Wednesday game against the Tampa Bay Rays was one of those games where we weren’t sure who wanted to win the game.

The Mariners had the opportunity to win the game well as sweep the series against the Rays. The Rays scored a run in the first inning when leadoff hitter Tommy Pham walked stole second and third then scored on a sacrifice fly.

The Rays scored another run in the third inning when one of my favorite ex-Mariners Guillermo Heredia hit a home run off of Wade LeBlanc making the score 2-0. The Mariners scored three runs in the top of the fourth for a lead that didn’t last long. The big hit was by left fielder Tim Lopes. The Rays scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth giving them the lead back to 4-3. The Rays scored another run in the sixth inning to take 5-3 which stood until the ninth inning.

In the 9^th inning, Daniel Vogelbach hit a home run to get the game closer being down 5-4. With Jake Fraley making his major league debut being on third base and Dee Gordon on second after stealing the base Mallex Smith hit a triple to bring them both home to take the lead back 6-5. There was one out with Smith at third; however, the Mariners were not able to bring him in.

The Mariners brought in Matt Magill to save the game; however, he gave up a leadoff home run to tie the game. The Rays were able to load the bases without anyone out. It didn’t look good for the Mariners. They came back a couple times to go for victory but Magill threw a wild pitch catcher Omar Narvaez wasn’t able to handle so the game ended with the Rays winning 7-6. Not a pretty sight at all.

At least the Mariners were able to go 6-3 on this road trip taking two out of three from the Detroit Tigers, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Rays. The Mariners now come home to face the Blue Jays over the weekend starting Friday night. As we know T-Mobile Park will be filled with some if not many Blue Jay fans coming down from Canada. We hope the Mariners can make it an uneventful weekend for the team from the North.

The Mariners will have Justus Sheffield brought up from Double-A Arkansas to start on Friday followed by the return of Felix Hernandez on Saturday and Marco Gonzales on Sunday.

Soon we will be seeing some other players coming up from the minor leagues. We will see pitcher Justin Dunn up from Double-A Arkansas at some point probably when they complete their season and play in the league playoffs.

Oh can’t forget Kyle Seager’s hitting streak ended though he did score a run and drive one in as well. Also, Austin Nola didn’t have a hit and Tommy Murphy didn’t play. We shouldn’t have been surprised the Mariners would lose the game.

Mariners Winning Ways Continue On The Road

The Seattle Mariners road trip comes to an end Wednesday afternoon in Tampa Bay. Once again they beat the Rays on Tuesday night to take the series. Winning Wednesday the Mariners would sweep the Rays. The Mariners won 7-4 on Tuesday.

Right now the Mariners top hitters are batting 3-4-5 in the lineup. Seager hit a two-run homer in the first inning off of Diego Castillo who was Tampa’s opener. Not an easy task since Castillo throws around one hundred miles per hour regularly.

 Matt Wisler the Mariner’s opener had a little trouble giving up a hit and a walk, however, was able to get out of the first inning without giving up a run.

Tommy Milone came in the second inning for the Mariners. He gave up two runs in the second and two more in the fourth inning put the Rays up temporarily at 4-2. Milone has had trouble pitching the last couple of months. If we can take anything positive from his outing he didn’t give up a home run. He has had trouble giving up home runs having given up 19 on the season.

The Mariners rebounded in the fifth inning with two runs including a double by Austin Nola to tie the game 4-4. In the sixth inning Tom Murphy who had two home runs on Monday hit a two-run homer for a 6-4. Kyle Seager had his second hit of the game in the seventh inning a double driving in a run ending the scoring 7-4.

The Mariners bullpen continued they're fine pitching giving up one hit over three innings without giving up a run. On Wednesday afternoon the Mariners will likely go with another opener followed by Wade LeBlanc before coming home to face Toronto over the weekend. The Mariners will have Thursday off.

It has been announced Justus Sheffield will be promoted from Arkansas to pitch on Friday followed by Felix Hernandez return on Saturday. Marco Gonzales will finish the series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. Go M’s.

Mariners Win Third Game In a Row

The Seattle Mariners are having one of their best road trips on the season. They took two out of three from the Detroit Tigers which wasn’t a big surprise, then took two from Toronto Blue Jays after losing the first game and now have beaten the Rays in Tampa 9-3.

Marco Gonzales got off to a rough start like he does on many occasions; luckily he gave up only one in the first inning. The Mariners though had a 3-0 lead scoring three times in the top of the first inning in thanks to catcher Tom Murphy’s three-run homer. Gonzales went five innings. He had a hard time in the fifth inning as well giving up a two-run homer to right fielder Austin Meadows; plus left two hitters on base before getting out of it.

Erik Swanson came in pitched two solid innings giving up a walk while striking out one. Lefty Taylor Guilbeau made his second appearance of the season for the Mariners going one inning, giving up a hit and striking out one without allowing a run. Corey Gearrin finished off the game pitching the ninth inning without giving up a hit.

Tom Murphy was the hitter of the game going three-for-three with two home runs. Also, he walked once as well so was on base four times.  Austin Nola continued his hot hitting having two hits including a home run and driving in three runs. JP Crawford had two hits as well. Kyle Seager had a hit extending his streak to 13 games.

News from Tacoma outfielder Jake Fraley didn’t participate in the Rainiers game Monday leaving the park. Update Fraley has been promoted to Seattle taking the place of Domingo Santana who goes to the injured list. Santana wasn't hitting well just playing dh so good idea to wait for him to be able to play in the field. I would like to see him play some first base well as right field when he is healthy. 

Seahawks Loss In Minnesota

The Seattle Seahawks lost to the Minnesota Vikings Sunday night on Fox TV 25-19. Being a pre-season game it isn’t whether you win or lose it is how you play the game.

I would say the game had good points and bad ones too. This was the second game of the pre-season and the first action by quarterback Russell Wilson. He looked good throwing the ball. The Seahawks only scored a field goal in the time Wilson was in the game.

It was penalties primarily stopping the Seahawks in two possessions. After two nice passes by Wilson in the first possession the Seahawks offensive line had a penalty where the offense wasn’t able to go anywhere after that, and they had to kick.

The second possession the Seahawks were able to get near the red zone on a couple good passes to Tyler Lockett. Also, Jared Brown had a good catch as well. Penalties cost the Seahawks again and had to settle for a field goal.

The same thing happened to the Vikings after a couple long passes and pass interference by the Seahawks they had a penalty along with some good rushes the defense was able to stop for the Seahawks. The Vikings settle for a field goal too.

The highlights of the first half was a good tackle by defensive lineman Poona Ford for a two-yard loss. It looked like a fumble with the Seahawks recovering, however, the Viking running back shown on replay was down so they kept the ball. Another play was interception by DeShawn Shead returning the ball 88-yards for a touchdown giving the Seahawks 10-3 lead. It looks like Shead is back for the Seahawks. Likely he will be playing in the nickel defense. He can play cornerback or safety if the Seahawks need him to as well.

The Viking though was able to tie the game with a touchdown by their offense under a minute to go in the first half. It was against the Seahawks second unit.

Paxton Lynch vying for the backup quarterback role came in the middle of the second quarter. He didn’t play extremely well along with the rest of the second unit.

J. T. Barrett making his Seahawk debut only threw three passes and one was critical turning into an interception for a touchdown making a big difference in the Seahawks losing.

2^nd round Seahawk receiver DK Metcalf is going to lose a little time because of an injury to a knee. It isn’t serious so he should not miss much time. They expect him back early on in the season.  As we know injuries are part of the game.

In other football news, college ball will be starting on Labor Day weekend. The Washington Huskies will take on Eastern Washington at home on August 31. The WSU Cougars will be at home as well taking on New Mexico State. Both games should be interesting as the Huskies and Cougars will be going with new quarterbacks.

I will let you know how things go all season long for the Seahawks, Huskies and Cougars. Go teams!

Kikuchi Blanks Jays

In one of the best outings on the season by a Mariners pitcher happened on Sunday in Toronto when Yusei Kikuchi shut out the Blue Jay 7-0.

Kikuchi went the whole way for the Mariners giving up only two hits, walked one, and struck out eight. His best outing since he came to Seattle from Japan.  This shows what he is capable of the Mariners will have success with Kikuchi on the mound.

This was an added sight since the Mariners used seven relief pitchers on Saturday in the win over Toronto 4-3. The Mariners decided to go with all relievers in the game since this was the first time needing a fifth starter since Mike Leake was traded on the last day of the trading deadline.

Depending on how many relief pitchers they need to use in the next few days they may use a group of relievers once again or bring a pitcher like Justus Sheffield from double-A Arkansas or use Felix Hernandez if he is ready to go after doing a rehab assignment. They have a day off on Thursday when the Mariners return home to play the Blue Jays so they may not need to use the fifth starter once again until facing the New York Yankees at home.

The Mariners had four home runs in the game. Kyle Seager continues his hot hitting getting another home run on Sunday in the second inning. Tom Murphy had a home run in the fourth inning helping the Mariners score four runs. Also, Austin Nola had a home run before Murphy in the same inning. Centerfielder Broxton had a home run in the seventh inning.

The Mariners had an interesting lineup. Tim Lopes led off once again playing in left field. Dee Gordon batted second playing shortstop in place of JP Crawford.  Domingo Santana was back in the lineup at dh. He didn’t get a hit in the game though.

Marco Gonzales is expected to pitch Monday in Tampa. He may be followed by an opener on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Mariners are currently 4-2 on this road trip. Go M’s.

Seattle Seahawks Take On Minnesota Viking

It is Sunday the Seahawks are in Minnesota to take on the Vikings on at 5 pm.  Russell Wilson and the starting offense should see their first action of the pre-season together. The question is how long will they play one series, one quarter, or one half.

We should be expected to see quarterback Paxton Lynch play in the second half once again. How long he goes might be for a quarter or a little beyond. The Seahawks signed J.T. Barrett last week who was let go by the New Orleans Saints only a couple days later. Geno Smith is out right now, however, he is expected back soon. The main reason Barrett was signed.

The Seahawks are expected to have only two quarterbacks. The backup quarterback to Russell Wilson is not expected to see much action during the season unless he has an injury. The way Lynch played last week he should have the edge right now.

Many teams in the NFL are not playing their first team during the pre-season. They feel going through scrimmages is the better way to go so injuries don’t happen during the pre-season games. This is why many are wondering whether to move back to two pre-season games or three at the most.

We do know the owners will still want to make money they are even if pre-season goes back to two. So the questions will the NFL go to an 18-game regular schedule if they do remove the two games. The likelihood is yes. There is talk even if they expand the regular season the maximum games players will play still will be 16. Doing so this will make even more important to have a good second-string quarterback or a team will start the second offense against a team they feel they can beat. How the fans will feel about that will be interesting although they are already seeing less of the first offense already during the pre-season. The regular season will feel different if they do go to 18 games.

Bobby Wagner is expected to play in the second game as well. He sat out the first pre-season game as well. How much he will play maybe just like Russell Wilson. It will depend on how much time the defense is on the field.

The second half we will be seeing players who are competing to make the 53-man roster. We should see several wide receivers along with offensive linemen who are looking to be the backups. This goes for the defense as well. On the defensive side, the question is finding defensive ends who can rush the quarterback. This is an area the Seahawks look to be weak at right now.

Anyway, enjoy the game. We will see who comes out favoring toward the third pre-season game and the regular season.

When it comes to injuries linebacker Shaquem Griffin injured in last week’s game did practice some this week but the Seahawks are not sure whether he will play Sunday. The same goes for running back Bo Scarbrough. First-round pick defensive end L.J. Collier injured early in camp is coming along, he isn’t expected to play in this game but he could get into the third game or the final pre-season game. If not, the opening game of the season he should be ready to go. Tight end Will Dizzly has been working out, however, his injury from last year the Seahawks are taking their time to get him into a game. It is possible he could see action in game three or four of the pre-season. For sure he will be in when the season begins. Go Hawks!

LeBlanc Loss

The Seattle Mariners lost to the Blue Jays in Toronto 7-3. Matt Wisler started the game as the opener than Wade LeBlanc went the rest of the way giving up seven runs on eleven hits, walked one, struck out three, and gives up four home runs.

The Mariners continue giving up home runs. They have given up 211 home runs on the season compared hitting 192. Not a significant difference, however, the Mariners are second in the major leagues in giving up home runs. Only the Baltimore Orioles have given up more at 252. The Los Angeles Angels and the New York Yankees are tied at third with 202. The only other team giving up at least two hundred home runs is the Philadelphia Phillies. The only team in the National League hitting home runs frequently which shows how bad they are since they don’t use the DH except on the road in inter-league games.

The Mariners had LeBlanc go seven innings because they plan to go Saturday afternoon with relievers only. This spot is the first time since the training deadline when they traded Mike Leake to the Arizona Diamondbacks they have to need a 5^th starter because of the number of off-days they have had.  The Mariners plan to start Reggie McClain in the game. He has gone three innings then two in his last two relief appearances so he likely will do the same. How many relievers the Mariners use in this game I am not really sure.

No player had no more than one hit in this game for the Mariners; Tim Lopes who has been hitting good so far drove in the Mariners first two runs in the second inning. The hit brought in Kyle Seager who continues to hit and Dan Vogelbach who walked. The Mariners final run didn’t score until the eighth inning when Dee Gordon hit a triple then Mallex Smith hit a single with two outs.

News is Felix Hernandez is supposed to make his next rehab assignment with the Tacoma Rainiers. Also, Mitch Haniger is expected to play for the Rainiers as well since they are currently at home. Felix might make a start for the Mariners soon, while Haniger will probably stay on with the Rainiers for a while since he has been out for some time, and it is like being in spring training again.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Haniger and Braden Bishop are not activated to the Mariner roster until the September call ups unless an injury occurs to someone on the roster right now. 

The Mariners will be moving on to Tampa Bay to take on the Rays for the final of this road trip for three games before returning home next weekend to take on the Blue Jays. We hope Mariner fans are packing the park instead of letting the Blue Jays pack it out.  Go M’s.

Mariners Take Series In Detroit

The Seattle Mariners after splitting the first two games in Detroit beat the Tigers on Thursday afternoon 7-2. This gave the Mariners a 6-1 record over the Tigers for the season.

Matt Wisler continued doing a good job being an opener for the Mariners. He gave up one hit but not any runs in one inning. Tommy Milone who has struggled the last couple months on the mound came in the second inning. He went four innings six hits, two runs, didn’t walk a batter, struck out three and gave up a home run to Miguel Cabrera in the 4^th inning.

Cory Gearrin came in the sixth inning for Milone. He did a fine job getting all three outs on six pitches. Sam Tuivailala, Matt Magill, and Anthony Bass each pitched an inning without giving up a run. Good job once again by the bullpen.

Kyle Seager continued his hot having two hits including a double driving in three runs. Mallex Smith had a good game getting three hits, scoring a run and two stolen bases. Austin Nola playing first base had three hits as well. Catcher Omar Narvaez had two hits one being a double too. 

Dylan Moore starting at second base had a home run in the seventh inning. He moved to left field when Dee Gordon entered the game late. Gordon had a double, stole a base and scored a run too. A good game for the two speed guys in Gordon and Smith.

The Mariners promoted Taylor Guilbeau from Tacoma and put Brandon Brennan back on the 10-day injured list for his right shoulder. Brennan left Tuesday’s game against the Tigers after throw just two pitches. He had thrown a lot of pitches in the bullpen before coming to the mound. Guilbeau is a lefty acquired from Washington Nationals at the training deadline.

The Mariners promoted #2 prospect 18-year old Julio Rodriguez outfielder from low level A West Virginia to high-level A Modesto. This is Rodriguez first professional ball in the United States.  The Mariners want to see him play some ball in the Arizona Fall League too.

The Mariners don’t know yet who will start Friday or Saturday in Toronto against the Blue Jays. Sunday Yusei Kikuchi is expected to start though. The Mariners could go with an opener and use the bullpen the rest of the way on Friday and or Saturday. They could bring up Justus Sheffield from double-A Arkansas as well. Go M’s.

Mariners Power Light Goes Out Again For the Most Part

The Mariners offense lasted one game as they lost to the Detroit Tigers 3-2 after beating them five straight so far this season. The Mariners take on the Tigers in Detroit in a day game on Thursday. The game will begin in the morning just after ten o’clock Seattle time.

The Mariners did have a little power in the game but was about it. JP Crawford pulls a ball down the right-field line for a home run in the fourth inning. Dan Vogelbach hit his 27^th home run in the fifth inning. The Mariners were not able to muster any more runs to beat the Tigers.

Marco Gonzales went six innings for the Mariners giving up 11 hits, 3 runs, one walk, and struck out six. A solid outing, however, he took the loss taking his record to 12-10. Of the 11 hits, he gave up only extra-base hit in the game a double. The Tigers scored two runs in the second followed by another run in the third.

Reggie McClain had another solid relief appearance in his third time coming out of the Mariner bullpen. His first appearance was rocky probably because of nerves but went three innings in his second game going three innings without surrendering a run. This time he went two innings giving up one hit, one walk, and striking out one without giving up a run. Right now he is giving the Mariners the effort to give him a good shot for next year.

Mariners Power Light Comes On

I guess you could say the Detroit Tigers were welcomed hosts as the Mariners beat them in the first game of the series Tuesday night 11-6.

Kyle Seager who has been hitting great in his last fifteen games with an average of .389 had three home runs while driving in six runs. His last home run in the 9^th inning went off the glove of the outfielder going over the fence. The outfielder collided with his fellow outfielder. One of the most unusual home runs to say the least. The Mariners celebrated in the dugout after that.

Catcher Tom Murphy had two home runs each right after Seager’s first two.  Everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Domingo Santana and Dan Vogelbach. Santana has struggled since being in the DH because of his shoulder and Vogelbach since the beginning of the second half.

In his last outing Yusei Kikuchi had a good solid one but this time he only lasted three and one-thirds innings. He gave up nine hits, five runs including two home runs. He was replaced by reliever Zach Grotz who went one and two-thirds inning. He gave up the last run the Mariners surrendered in the fifth inning.

Brandon Brennan came in to start the sixth inning but was pulled after throwing two pitches. Though he was found to be OK according to manager Scott Servais they will do more evaluation Wednesday. This was Brennan’s third outing after coming off the injured list because of his right shoulder. Mariners just wanted to be careful.

The rest of the way in four innings the Mariner’s bullpen gave up two hits and struck out six batters without giving up a run; a very good showing from the bullpen.

Marco Gonzales will go Wednesday night for the Mariners. He will be trying to win his 13^th game of the season for the second time to tie his win total of last season. The Mariners haven’t announced their pitcher for Thursday afternoon though they might go with an opener.

After this three-game series, the Mariners will be in Toronto taking on the Blue Jays over the weekend then finish the road trip in Tampa Bay next week for three games.  The Mariners are hoping to have a successful road trip after going 1-7 at home.

In football, Tuesday was the last day of training camp for the Seattle Seahawks. Now they will get ready to play the Vikings in Minnesota on Sunday.  Go teams!

Mariners Are Back At It Again

The Seattle Mariners take on the Detroit Tigers in a three-game series in Detroit. Yusei Kikuchi will take the mound for the Mariners.  The Mariners swept the Tigers in Seattle at the end of July; however, they haven’t done well since. We hope the Tigers are good medicine.

The Mariners are 1-7 in the last series at home. We do hope this road trip will see them playing better. It was especially disappointing being swept by Tampa Bay over the weekend celebrating Edgar Martinez Hall of Fame induction. You would have thought it would give the players the emotion to win at least one game. The final game of the series they lost 1-0.

Most of the season we can’t blame the offense for the losses but Sunday’s for sure. In other news, Braden Bishop is going on his rehab assignment in Modesto and Mitch Haniger should follow soon. Jake Fraley came off the injured list in Tacoma on Tuesday. We hope to see him well as Bishop and Haniger in a Mariner uniform soon.

In other local sports news, the Seattle Seahawks signed quarterback J.T. Barrett to a contract. He takes Geno Smith spot who is out with an injury for at least a week. They made some other moves too.

I am not sure when waiving players at this point why you bring in more players. Right now they have over 90 players at the practices. These players coming in the likelihood of making the 53-man roster for the season plus the practice squad isn’t great.

I shouldn’t be surprised bringing Barrett on board because it is like needing enough catchers in major league spring training because of all the pitchers in camp. I am sure they need to have three quarterbacks to throw to all the receivers. In the end, the Seahawks will likely have two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster with maybe a third on the practice squad. So when Geno Smith returns they will have four quarterbacks.

Let you know about Barrett, he was on the roster of the New Orleans Saints last year backing up Drew Brees. He was released a couple days before the Seahawks signed him. Unless he is impressive we may not remember his name in a few weeks.

The Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars are practicing getting ready for game one in two weeks from this Saturday. Get pumped up while we see how the Mariners do the rest of the season.