Mariners Win Seahawks Win

It was nice to see the Mariners season ended on a good note by beating the Oakland A’s 3-1. It would have been nice to get the same score Saturday night but we can’t have everything.

I recorded the game so whenever I need a baseball fix during the off-season I will watch some or all of this game.

Kyle Seager hit a home run in the first inning with a runner on base to make it 2-0. A good way for Kyle to end of his season so he can have positive attitude during the off-season; I am sure he will be around next season in part because of his contract and the other to help out the youngsters on the team.

I am not sure whether Dee Gordon will be around next season. He may be one of the few in the starting lineup in this final game who may not be in the lineup when next season starts.

It was nice to see Kyle Lewis getting two hits in the game including a double to send him off in a positive way as well. It will be nice if he is in the starting lineup somewhere in the outfield next year.  The Mariners might trade Mallex Smith during the off-season. He didn’t have a very good season this year especially on defense. I expect if he is on the team he will be in left field.

I will comment more about the roster in the days, weeks, and months ahead before training camp begins in February.

Justin Dunn though was the starter in the final game going two innings striking out three. He seems to get more comfortable in each start. We will see whether he will be in the rotation when next season starts.

The Mariners went the rest of the game with relievers. They used six relievers in the game. All six of them have a chance to be on the opening day roster.

Now to football, the Seattle Seahawks beat the Cardinals in Arizona 27-10. Russell Wilson hasn’t lost a game playing the Cardinals in Arizona. Now the Seahawks will have to beat the Cardinals at home. It is a short week as the Seahawks take on the Rams who lost to Tampa Bay on Sunday play on Thursday night football. This will be another important game.

The biggest thing besides winning in Arizona no one was lost for the season like last year. Will Dissly and Earl Thomas both were lost for the season. Of course, Thomas was lost altogether since he didn’t re-sign with the Seahawks.

The defense helped out the Seahawks with defensive end Jadeveon Clowney intercepting a pass early on in the game. They were able to sack Cardinal quarterback Kyler Murray. The Seahawks defense is still a work in progress.

On the offensive side of the ball, Chris Carson was able to run the ball 104 yards on the day without fumbling the ball. The last drive of the day the Seahawks were able to keep the ball for over eight minutes and cap it off with a touchdown by backup running back CJ Prosise. Even if the Seahawks hadn’t scored a touchdown the drive helped to keep the ball out of the hands of the Cardinals so they could make a comeback to win.

Russell had a good day completing 22 out of 28 for 240 yards and a touchdown. Any day he has stats like this along with the running game means the Seahawks will likely win.

Will Dissly had a good game catching seven passes including a touchdown. Any time a tight end can do that it is a good day as well.

Rashaad Penny is expected back against the Rams on the Thursday night so the Seahawks can have the three-headed monster at running back with Carson, Penny, and Prosise. Though Carson is the feature back both Penny and Prosise have something good to offer as well.

We hope for more progress by the defense on Thursday night along with the offensive line. It will be important to keep the ball out of the hands of the Rams.  It will be important for the Seahawks to win to stay on pace in the NFL West Division. Go Hawks!

Huskies Win Mariners Shutout

The Washington Huskies played an important Pac-12 game against the USC Trojans. The Huskies had to win to stay in the race since they had lost already to the California Bears.

The Huskies won 28-14. The difference was the Huskies scoring 14 points in the first quarter without giving up any points.  Also, the Huskies defense caused three interceptions including a big one in the third quarter. USC had just run the ball for 59 yards by running back Stephen Carr; however, quarterback Matt Fink threw an interception. On the second play after the reception Huskies running back, Salvon Ahmed went 89-yards to score. A swing of 14 points; had the Trojans scored it would have put them within seven points.

The Seattle Mariners were shutout by the Oakland A’s Saturday night 1-0. It was the second loss in a row for starter Marco Gonzales who was trying for his 17^th win on the season. So he has to settle for 16. The previous start he didn’t have run support either losing 2-1.

The one run the A’s got was a home run from right fielder Ramon Laureano in the third inning. It was Laureano’s 24^th home run of the season. Both teams had six hits on the night.

Gonzales went seven innings for the Mariners giving him 203 on the season his highest in the major leagues. He ends the season with a record of 16-13 with an ERA of 3.99.

The Mariners had two runners on base with two outs in the 9^th inning but Tim Lopes pop out to end the game. The Mariners haven’t scored any more than one run in their last six games except the win Friday night when they did a comeback to beat the A’s 4-3. The win for the A’s means the wildcard game against Tampa Bay will take place in Oakland.

Justin Dunn will start Sunday the last game of the season against the A’s. Tommy Milone who was supposed to follow Dunn is hurt so it will be the bullpen the rest of the way.

My next two stories on the Mariners will be the final game Sunday followed by the recap of the season.

The Utah Utes beat the Washington State Cougars at home 38-13. The Cougars were only able to score a touchdown along with two fields. The Utes shutout the Cougars in the second half while scoring 17 points themselves after leading 21-13 at half-time; this was the second loss in a row with the Cougars losing to UCLA last weekend.

The Cougars have next weekend off before facing Arizona State on the road the following Saturday.  The Cougars are 3-2 overall but have a 0-2 mark in the Pac-12 conference. It will be important the Cougars get back on track.

Football Saturday

The Washington Huskies play the USC Trojans Saturday afternoon in Husky Stadium. The Huskies have one loss against California Golden Bears in Pac-12 conference play so it will be important for the Huskies to win.

The Trojans will be going with 3rs string quarterback Matt Fink who helped up Utah last week. The Huskies will have to get a good rush on the Trojan QB. It will be important the Huskies score early and often once again.

The Washington State Cougars will be in Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Utes. Both teams losing to the LA schools last week; they each will look to rebound and stay in contention for the Pac-12 North division. I expect this to be a high scoring game.

Sunday the Seahawks will be in Arizona to take on the Cardinals. The Seahawks haven’t had a lot of luck in Arizona but after last week’s loss at home to the New Orleans Saints it will be important the Hawks get back on track. It will be especially important Chris Carson doesn’t fumble. Rashaad Penny is a game-time decision whether he will play after being out last week with a hamstring. It will be important Carson doesn’t fumble if he wants to keep his spot as the number one running back. We will see more of CJ Prosise in the backfield as well. Go Hawks!

Mariners Rally For Win

The Seattle Mariners were able to score two runs in the bottom of the 9^th inning to beat the Oakland A’s 4-3.

The A’s started the scoring with Marcus Semien leading-off the game with a home run. The Mariners tied the game in the bottom of the first inning. The Mariners took the lead in the third inning scoring one run. The score stayed 2-1 until the seventh inning when the A’s first baseman Matt Olson hit a two-run homer making it 3-2.

The Mariners were able to get three hits, and two runs off of A’s closer Liam Hendricks in the bottom of the 9^th including JP Crawford’s walk-off double scoring Shed Long for the winning run.

Justus Sheffield pitched five innings giving up only the one run in the first inning. He gave up five hits and four walks so he did have to go through some adversity. He was followed by Brandon Brennan for the second day in a row pitching the sixth inning.

Zach Grotz gave up the first hit followed by Taylor Guilbeau who gave up the two-run homer to Olson. Anthony Bass came in to finish off the seventh inning without giving up a hit. Erik Swanson who has pitched well since going into the bullpen pitched the 8^th inning followed by Art Warren. Both Swanson and Warren look like two guys who may have a spot in the Mariner bullpen next season. The same may go for Bass as well as Brennan.

Marco Gonzales who lost in his last outing on Sunday 2-1 against the Orioles will be pitching Saturday for the Mariners. The last game of the season on Sunday Justin Dunn will start the game for the Mariners. He likely will go two innings to finish the season off. Depending on his pitch count the Mariners may decide to have him go further. Go M’s.

Mariner Loss In Felix Final Game

 The Seattle Mariners lost to the Oakland A’s Thursday night 3-1. Felix Hernandez went five and one-third innings giving up the three runs.

It was like so many games Felix pitched where the offense decided not to show up for the game. I predicted the home run by Matt Chapman in the second inning right after Marcus Semien walked on a swing I believed should have been strike three. It has happened many a time a batter was called out on a swing like that.

In the bottom of the 5^th inning though Dylan Moore made a spectacular catch with the bases loaded to end the inning. Felix had thrown already one hundred pitches so it was fitting Servais came out in the sixth inning to take Felix out of the game after the first out.

The Mariners only run came in the 5^th inning when Kyle Seager had a single then came home on an Austin Nola double. The rest of the night it felt like the players were just like the fans there to see the final chapter of Felix Hernandez. There was no energy at all from the hitters.

It was fitting two of the four hits the Mariners had on the night were from Kyle Seager who will probably be the only remaining Mariner next season when Jerry Dipoto and Scott Servais came in. The one other hit besides Seager’s two, Nola’s double was a single by Domingo Santana.

I do hope the Mariners offense does come alive for the final three games on the season. Justus Sheffield starts Friday night followed by Marco Gonzales on Saturday, and Justin Dunn will start the final game of the season Sunday afternoon. Go M's.

Nearly A No-Hitter

The Marines sad season against the Houston Astros finally ended Wednesday night losing 3-0. Zack Greinke was pitching a no-hitter the second one of this season if it had actually happened when Austin Nola who had come into the game for Dee Gordon in the 8^th inning had a single with one out then Tim Lopes followed with another single which caused Houston to take Greinke out of the game. Besides the two hits, Greinke gave up 1 walk and struck out 9 Mariner batters.

This shows the Mariners to be on par or at least closer they will need to improve in the starting pitching along with the chance of hitting the Astros starters themselves.  Next year will be another perimeter to see where they are at when it comes to the Western Division and the rebuilding of the club. I see the team doing better, however, 2021 will be the year we need to see a good improvement.

Well, tonight it will be Felix farewell game it looks like. We hope he is able to pitch well so we can have the good memories instead of going out poorly. Whatever happens, we thank you for sticking around Seattle when you could have gone elsewhere. We are sorry the Mariners were not able to make the playoffs or get into the World Series while you were here. The country deserved to see you when you were pitching at your best. We hope somehow you can get you pitching back in order. Again thank you Felix.

Astros Win

We shouldn’t be surprised the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners Tuesday night 3-0.

Justin Dunn pitched two good innings as the Mariner opener without giving up a run. He looked like the pitcher the Mariners will have next year and the years ahead. The, unfortunately, the Mariners have to take on the Astros who have the best starting staff in baseball.

The Mariners were only able to get two hits off of Astros' starter Gerrit Cole who went seven innings. Also, Cole struck out 14 Mariner batters while walking none. Other words, he was dominating in the game. Cole is now 19-5 with an ERA of 2.52. He has four wins without a defeat against the Mariners. He has struck 14 Mariner batters in three of the four games.  JP Crawford and Dee Gordon each had two hits in the game. Only Mariners with any hits.

Gerrit Cole will be a free agent going into next season. It would be nice if the Mariners could sign him. They do have money available with Felix Hernandez contract ending. He would be a good signing for the Mariners to have an ace on the squad.

Tommy Milone went four and one-third innings for the Mariners. He gave up three runs on three hits. The Astros scored a run in the fourth inning and two more in the seventh inning before Milone left the game. Milone gave up a home run in the seventh inning.

Yusei Kikuchi will be making his last start of the season for the Mariners on Wednesday night. He will be followed by Felix Hernandez on Thursday night making likely his final appearance for the Mariners. However, long Felix pitches he should get loud applause when he leaves the game.

It is amazing to think the season is now down to five games. It will be another interesting off-season speculating on any more moves Jerry Dipoto will make to bolster the roster as part of the rebuild. Go M’s.

Down To The Final Six Games

The Seattle Mariners final six games on 2019 begin on Tuesday. The Mariners take on the Houston Astros who have won all but one game. I am sure it tells us something about rebuilding.

The two remaining games against the Astros the Mariners will be playing some of those playing a significant part in the future of the team. We will see Shed Long, Kyle Lewis, JP Crawford, Justin Dun, and Justus Sheffield the core group.

Other players possibly being in the mix who was not expected to be in the rebuild in Austin Nola, and Tim Lopes with other pieces like Donnie Walton, Dylan Moore, Dan Vogelbach, Braden Bishop along with relievers Zac Grotz, Taylor Guilbeau, Erik Swanson, and Art Warren.

Other players who will be around possibly just another year or two in catchers Omar Narvaez, Tom Murphy, Kyle Seager, and Domingo Santana. 

Over the weeks ahead we will have to see what moves general manager Jerry Dipoto will make to improve the Mariners for the coming season.  

The Mariner final games will be against the Oakland A’s. The other team besides the Astros the Mariners is hoping to leapfrog in two or three years.  Go M’s.  

Mariners Lose Despite Outing By Gonzales

Marco Gonzales had one of his best outings of the season going for his 17^th win on the season instead he had to settle for his 12^th loss losing 2-1.

I guess we can say he knows how Felix Hernandez feels having lost many times around this score. The Mariners offense wasn’t able to give Gonzales any run support.

The Mariners started the game off with Shed Long’s triple followed by JP Crawford’s single for the Mariners only score on the day. The Mariners had five other hits but couldn’t muster any more runs. The Orioles tied the score in the bottom of the first inning.

The game was tied until the 7^th inning when Chris Davis, not having a very good year like most Orioles, hit a solo home run which barely made it out. Sometimes those things happen.

The Mariners on a positive note came home from a 4-2 road trip as the Mariners did sweep the Pittsburgh Pirates before losing two out of three to the Orioles. We hope the Mariner Youngers learned from this trip to help out for next season. Only time will tell what good it did.

The Mariners now have Monday off then playing two final games against the Houston Astros. I am sure they will be glad to have the Astros off their backs this season. Justin Dunn will start on Tuesday as the opener. We will have to see whether it will be the final one or he will have an appearance over the weekend.

Yusei Kikuchi will make his final start of the season against Houston on Wednesday. I am sure he has learned a lot this season. He will probably return home to Japan to prepare for next season.

This will be the last week for some of the Mariner players. As we know some won’t be back next year.  I will let you know who I think will not return.

In football, the Seattle Seahawks didn’t play well on Sunday. I thought the Seahawks had a good chance to beat the New Orleans Saints without Dree Brees but it wasn’t the case. The Saints came to play not willing to give the game to the Seahawks at home. It was Pete Carroll’s first loss as the Seahawks coach in the month of September.

The final score was New Orleans 33 Seattle 27 but the game wasn’t really that close.  The Seahawks gave two early scores to the Saints as well.  The Saints scored on a punt return then Chris Carson fumbled the ball for the Seahawks.

The Seahawks had trouble stopping the Saints running game as well. The main thing though the Saints wanted the game more than the Seahawks though Seattle never gave up since the final score was by only six points.  

The Seahawks are now 2-1. They go next Sunday to Arizona to take on the Cardinals who are 0-2-1. The Cardinals lost to the Carolina Panthers at home Sunday 38-20.

The Seahawks should be favored in Arizona although they haven’t always done well on the road in Arizona. It will be important they win this game to stay in the hunt for the division and the playoffs. The following week they will be home on Sunday night football against the Los Angeles Rams.

Mariners Win and So Do Huskies

The Washington Huskies began the day playing BYU in Provo Utah in the early afternoon while the Mariners were in Baltimore taking on the Orioles.

The Huskies beat BYU 45-19. The Huskies began the game scoring on their first drive taking just under three minutes to score the first touchdown. BYU scored on their first possession of the game; however, they settled for a field goal after quarterback Zach Wilson was sacked.

The rest was Huskies scoring two more touchdowns and a field goal. BYU Cougars did score a touchdown just before the half making it UW 24 BYU 12 at halftime.  The Huskies defense caused turnovers along with other mistakes by BYU Washington scored 21 unanswered points before the end of the third quarter.

The Seattle Mariners season is winding down. They have one game remaining on Sunday before coming home to play two games against Houston then finishing out four games coming up Thursday through Sunday against the Oakland A’s.

Baltimore scored three runs in the second inning then the Mariners got on the board with a home run by Shed Long in the third inning making it 3-1. The Mariners tied the game in the top of the fifth inning. Long had another of his three hits on the day. The Orioles though scored another run in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a one-run lead 4-3. They had the bases loaded so the Mariners got out of that one.

In the eighth inning, JP Crawford hit a three-run homer with Dylan Moore and Shed Long on base. This put the Mariners up 6-4 but the Orioles tied the game with a two-run homer. The game went into extra innings where Tim Lopes pinch-hitting for Braden Lopes drove in Mallex Smith with the winning run.

Justus Sheffield started the game for the Mariners going four and one-thirds innings. He left giving up four runs with the bases still loaded though he did strike out his last batter. The Mariners went with nine relievers the rest of the way. Erik Swanson recorded his second saves in as many opportunities coming in for Dan Altavilla in the 13^th inning.

Austin Adams who has been a bright spot in the Mariners’ bullpen when healthy had to be helped off the field in the 7^th inning when he hyperextended his left knee while making an out at first base on a toss by first baseman Austin Nola. He is expected to have an MRI on Sunday; however, manager Scott Servais thinks he will be OK which is good with the season almost over.

Marco Gonzales goes Sunday for his 17^th win on the season. Not sure whether this will be his last outing or he will go again next weekend in Seattle. Whether he wins or not Gonzales has had a good season for the Mariners.  He is expected to be near the top of the rotation next year.

In a night game, the Washington State Cougars were upset by UCLA in Pullman. It was a higher scoring affair that was close for sure. The final score was UCLA 67 WSU 63. The Bruins scored fifty of their sixty-seven points in the second half. The Bruins forced a fumble with 59 seconds which might have allowed the Cougars to come back to win.

Anthony Gordon Cougar’s quarterback threw for 570 yards and nine touchdowns with two interceptions while Bruin’s quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson had 507 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. Talk about a wild game for sure.  UCLA was down by 32 points in the 3^rd quarter when they made their comeback.

Sunday the Seahawks will be home against New Orleans. It would be nice to have another exciting football game with Seattle winning.

Orioles End Mariners Win Streak

Friday night the Mariners went into Baltimore to play the Orioles the team with the second-worst record in the major leagues but lost ending a five-game winning streak for the Mariners 5-3.

The Mariners started off the first inning with rookie Kyle Lewis hitting his sixth home run in September. He has tied the record of most home runs in the first ten games when a player has been called up to the major leagues. It put the Mariners up 2-0.

The bottom of the first though Felix Hernandez struggled on the mound. The first two batters got on base for the Orioles followed by a home run so the lead evaporated fast for sure. The Orioles scored another run to make it 4-2 going into the second inning.

Felix Hernandez these days seems to have trouble early on in games. If it isn’t the first inning it will happen in the second most likely. It is the last road game for Felix to pitch this season and likely for the Mariners. There is a possibility the Mariners could sign him to a minor league contract during the off-season; however, Felix will have to work hard during the off-season to make it back to the Mariners or the majors for that matter.

The end of the first Baltimore 4 Mariners 2; it stayed that way until the fourth inning when Kyle Lewis up to bat once again this time hit a double leading off the inning. Omar Narvaez and Austin Nola each hit infield grounders allowing Lewis to score. The Orioles responded with a run in the bottom of the fourth too.

The Mariners had the opportunity to still win the game but neither team scored again after the fourth inning. Lewis had two of the Mariners four hits.  Kyle Seager had a single before Lewis home run and Dylan Moore had a single too.

Not only were there no runs scored after the fourth inning no hits happened for either side too. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised by two teams that are not very good though I think the Mariners have a better offense than the Orioles.

I guess we can say back to the drawing board for Saturday.  Justus Sheffield will be making his sixth start since being called up on August 23. After his first start that was shaky, he has shown signs of a pitcher the Mariners were willing to give up their ace pitcher for. He does have the stuff to pitch in the major leagues we can see. How long it takes him we don’t know at this point; however, we will see him pitching every five days next season. We should say the same for Justin Dunn though he has only pitched twice for the Mariners so far.

The Mariners have eight games remaining in the season for the players to show what they have going into next season. Far as September call-ups Kyle Lewis and Shed Long are showing they should be in Seattle when next season begins. Go M’s.

Football Friday

Well, it is another football Friday in the Pacific Northwest. Some call it Blue Friday for the Seahawks while Huskies fans may call it “Purple Friday” or “Go Dawgs Friday” and the Cougars “Crimson Friday”.

I find it hard in some degree to keep up with football though I do listen to some on sports radio throughout the week. I am big baseball fan writing about the Mariners at Sodomojo.com as a contributor writer. The season is winding down more football.

I appreciate everyone here reading my blog whether about the Mariners, the Seahawks, the Huskies, and Cougars. I amazed how so many this read across the world. Keep tuning in. I am a contributor writer also at thehuskyhaul.com where I write about the University of Washington football and basketball.  I preview and write about what happened in the games. The other two writers primarily do feature stories. So check out sodomojo and thehuskyhaul. I am sure you will enjoy both especially being baseball and football fans.

It seems there is always a lot of news off the field in football especially in the NFL which isn’t usually good news. We could use Antoine Brown as an example.  I won’t get into it because he isn’t a Seahawk thankfully. A talented receiver who can’t get along lawfully with women; he isn’t in jail yet but stories are true then wouldn’t be long.

So speaking of the Seahawks they will be taking on the New Orleans Saints at home. The Saints will be without Drew Brees at quarterback. We will have to how things work out. The Seahawks will have to keep the pressure on the quarterback. Not give away too many long passes.

Speaking of pressure the Seahawks offensive line needs to do a better job protecting Russell Wilson. Always seems they have trouble early on in the season especially. We want Wilson to stay healthy. Also, they need to do a better job allowing the running backs to thrive as well and stay healthy too.

Rookie second-rounder receiver DK Metcalf looks like he is going to be the good second receiver to Tyler Lockett. He continues having games like he did against the Steelers last week we will see more double coverage on him meaning Lockett and other receivers will have single coverage which will be good news. Go Hawks!

The Washington Huskies have an early afternoon game this week playing in Provo Utah against the BYU Cougars. Another test for the young Husky secondary; they will need to put pressure on the Cougar’s quarterback Zach Wilson who is a scrambler as well. A win would make the Huskies 3-1. The Huskies next week play at home against USC Trojans who actually lost in double overtime to BYU last week. After Saturday’s game, it is all Pac-12 games the rest of the season for the Huskies until bowl games. Go Dawgs!

The Washington State Cougars take on UCLA at home tomorrow night.  The Cougars are 3-0 in non-league games. Last Friday night they beat the Houston Cougars on the road 31-24; a big test-winning a close game for WSU instead of high scores in the previous two weeks.

Anthony Gordon is a redshirt senior making the most of his opportunity to start in his final season at the Palouse. It seems Head Coach Mike Leach likes going with a veteran quarterback. He keeps playing like he has the opposing coaches will go away shaking their heads. Against Houston, he completed 36 of 48 passes for 440 yards and three touchdowns and one interception. Go Cougs!

The Oregon Ducks will be traveling to northern California to take on the Stanford Cardinal late Saturday afternoon. The Ducks have a 2-1 winning lopsided games twice after losing to Auburn in the opening game 27-21. Best to the Ducks until they play Huskies and Cougars.

The Oregon State Beavers have this week off so they will be watching the Ducks and Cardinal game since they take on Stanford at home next Saturday late afternoon. They have a 1-2 record right now. They are in the process of getting their football program back in order. Best to them unless they play the Huskies and Cougars too.

That’s the rap on this weekend in football. Enjoy the games you can see. Have a wonderful weekend.

Mariners Sweep Pirates

The final game of the series on Thursday afternoon was closer than the first two games but turned out the same result the Mariners winning 6-5 in eleven innings.

The Mariners scored first with four runs in the second inning which included a sacrifice bunt by Yusei Kikuchi and an error by Pirates starter Joe Musgrove. Unfortunately, Kikuchi was able to let the Pirates off the hook giving up four runs himself in the second inning. Musgrove made up for his pitching in the top of the second inning by hitting a double driving in a run and then scoring himself.

Kikuchi was able to pitch through the fourth inning without giving up another run; however, manager Scott Servais figured it was enough for him. Kikuchi started his 31st game for the Mariners which is more than he did in Japan. There is a possibility he could start two more times but the Mariner might decide against it or have him go only a few innings. The Mariners do have more pitchers in the bullpen so they could use just relievers in those games.

The Pirates took the lead in the 5th inning off of rookie relieve Zach Grotz so Musgrove left the game after five innings leading; however, the Mariners tied the game in the seventh inning.

The Mariners had six relievers go after Grotz each going an inning each. They only allowed two hits the rest of the way. Dan Altavilla came first playing in front of family and friends since he is from the Pittsburgh area. His fastball and slider were dominating where he struck out two. 

In the top of the 11th evening with Shed Long on third and Omar Narvaez on third hit a ball where the Pirates first baseman Osuna handled the ball ended up getting Nola at first after  Narvaez had stopped to get in a rundown. Long scored before Narvaez was tagged out.

Erik Swanson pitched the bottom of the 11th walking one batter but struck out three. Swanson recorded his first save while Brandon Brennan got the win.

The Mariners now go to Baltimore where they only have to win one game to have a winning road trip the end of the season. Felix Hernandez will start the game on Friday probably his last on the road for the Mariners. Go M’s. 

Four Wins In a Row For Mariners

It has been a while probably early on in the season the Mariners have won four games in a row if I am correct.

Justin Dunn started his second time as the opener ahead of Tommy Milone. He still had some nervousness since he did walk three batters in two innings. Fortunately, the Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t score any runs while Mariners got two runs early on a double by Dylan Moore bringing in Kyle Seager and Tom Murphy.

In the fourth inning, the Mariners scored their final two runs on back to back solo home runs by Kyle Lewis and Tom Murphy.  The Pirates got their only run in the eighth inning off of Anthony Bass. Matt Magill came in the game to save the day. The first two Pirates got on in the 9^th inning on bloop singles; however, they were not able to go further with Magill getting his fifth save on the season. Right now he is the Mariners closer when needed.

Tommy Milone came in the 3^rd inning after Dunn. He went five innings giving up two hits, no runs, no walks, and one strikeout; his best outing in some time.  Final Seattle 4 Pittsburgh 1.

The Mariners have an early game starting in a little over an hour and a half from now. I don’t see any lineup shown yet but probably seen as soon as I post this. Yusei Kikuchi will start today game for the Mariners. We hope it will be his seventh win on the season. The Pirates are having trouble with the Mariners for sure. Too bad they can’t play them more. However, the Mariners do go to Baltimore to play the Orioles so maybe the same thing.

Felix Hernandez is scheduled to make his next to the last start on the season and probably for the Mariners. We hope the best for Felix as he looks to turn around his career. His final game will be on Thursday, September 26 so come out to King’s Court and root Felix on as the Mariners look to spoil things for the Oakland A’s.

Until next time enjoy today’s game and I will let you know how it goes if you are not able to see the game or hear it for that matter. Go M’s.

Marco Gonzales and Bullpen Shut Out Pirates

This is a good way for the Mariners to start this six-game road trip by blanking the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-0.  The Pirates only two more victories on the season than the Mariners; also, in common with the Mariners they are dead last in their division.

Marco Gonzales went seven innings for the Mariners giving up only six hits; he didn’t walk a batter and struck out four. Gonzales isn’t known for throwing the ball hard like former Mariner Jamie Moyer. Gonzales like many pitchers this season has had problems getting out of the game early. When he is successful early most likely he will have a game like this. Also, like other pitchers, he does give up his fair share of home runs as well. He now has won 16 games going with 11 losses. Not bad for a team that is losing more than winning. He is the ace of the team though he is more situated as the second or third starter on the team.

Austin Nola who had troubles recently; like he usually does find a way out had three hits in this game. He was one hit away from getting the cycle.  All he needed to do hit a triple. Not an easy task since he isn’t a fast runner. Also, Narvaez had three hits in the game. Both Narvaez and Nola had home runs in the sixth inning. The Mariners had only scored two runs before the sixth inning so this made the score 4-0. The Mariners scored two more runs in the seventh inning including a home run from rookie Shed Long. It was Long’s fourth home run in his short period of time on the Mariners.

The Mariners are hoping to use Shed Long next year in the super-utility role. If you want to know what super-utility role is it is where a player plays almost every day like a regular but plays multiple positions. Right now the Mariners have been playing Long a lot in left field though second base is what he has been used to playing.

At Tacoma in his limited time there before being put on the injured list where he was for two months until the end of August he played second, third and left field. Whether super-utility role will actually happen may depend on whether the Mariners trade second baseman Dee Gordon during the off-season or not.  Far as position players go Gordon and Kyle Seager are the last two remaining ones with high contracts. Seager will be harder to trade because of his high contract but the way he has hit in August where he batted .323 with nine of his 22 home runs hit. He hasn’t done as well in September batting only .192 though he has four home runs.

Dee Gordon has had a solid season batting right now at .276 along with 22 stolen bases. His best month was July before he went on the injured list on July 23 for a left quad sprain. He was batting .341. He batted .250 in his return in August and has hit .293 for September. He is still a solid defensive player at second base with eight errors on the season. Last year he had 10 errors at second base after returning from center field when Robinson Cano was hurt then suspended for 80 games.

It is hard to know what general manager Jerry Dipoto feeling is about trading either Gordon or Seager but I am sure he has thought about it and I am sure there have been teams who have spoken to Dipoto about both even if it has been only been casual.

The Mariners reactivated Domingo Santana off the injured list. He pinch hit for Marco Gonzales in the eighth inning grounding into a double play since the Mariners are in a National League park there is no designated hitter. I wish they would change things around and use American League rules in NL Parks when playing inter-league games and NL rules in American League parks.  Home field isn’t as much a home advantage as in other sports though there are some places that do have an advantage but I am sure it depends on the season.

We may see Santana continue pinch-hitting in this series than on Friday taking on the Orioles in Baltimore they will have the designated hitter back and likely will be put in the spot. His shoulder is better so they may give him a shot back in the outfield but probably not until they return home next week for the final series of the season again Houston and Oakland. Go M’s.

In other local sports, Russell Wilson was named NFC player of the week for the win over the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-26. Wilson completed 29/35 for 300 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.  Rookie receiver DK Metcalf had a touchdown along with two by tight end Will Dissly.  Tyler Lockett Wilson’s favorite receiver had ten catches for 79 yards.  CJ Prosise again the Seahawks third-down back ran the ball twice and caught three passes as well. The key to Prosise is to stay healthy since he has spent more time injured the last three years than playing.

This Sunday the Seahawks will be home against the New Orleans. The Saints though will be without starting quarterback Drew Brees who will be missing six weeks. The Seattle should win at home with ease but that is why we play the games you never know what will happen. Go Hawks!

Another Walk-Off Win For Mariners

 Sunday was one of those games where neither team deserves to win because the pitching was horrible.

Justus Sheffield started off well for the Mariners.  I am not sure why Servais left him in the game as long as he did. Servais should have taken him out sooner.

The Mariners scored first in the fourth inning then the Chicago White Sox responded big in the fifth inning scoring eight runs. Six of the runs applied to Sheffield while Brandon Brennan relieving for him gave up the other two runs. The White Sox got two more in the sixth inning making the lead 10-5.

I am sure most Mariner fans thought it was over for the team and another loss recorded. Kyle Lewis has been on a rampage since being called up a week ago decided it wasn’t over and hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning. The Mariners scored two other runs to tie the game 10-10 going into the ninth inning.

Reliever Austin Adams came in the 9^th inning and struck out the side. So could the Mariners scored one run to win instead of going into extra innings? The Mariners were able to load the bases with Dee Gordon put on intentionally.  Tom Murphy was able to work the count to 3-2 before being walked bringing in Braden Bishop who had pinched run for Austin Nola. So we could say it was truly a walk-off win for the Mariners.

The Mariners now have Monday off while traveling to Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates for three games.  It is followed next weekend with three games in Baltimore against the Orioles. The Mariners should have a winning record on this final road trip of the season.  They come home than to finish the season facing the Houston Astros in two games and the Oakland A’s in four. So you add it up the Mariners have 12 games remaining in the season.

Marco Gonzales will be going on Tuesday after his 16^th win on the season followed by Justin Dunn making his second start for the Mariners. He will be followed by Tommy Milone. We hope Dunn will not be so nervous this time. The series finally we will see Yusei Kikuchi for the Mariners.

Domingo Santana is expected to see action on this road trip after being out because of his right shoulder. He likely will start at designated hitter on Tuesday.  Go M’s.

Other good news, the Huskies, Cougars, and the Seahawks all won over the weekend. The Huskies are now 2-1, Cougars 3-0 and the Seahawks 2-0.

Felix Hernandez Plus Extra Innings

In his previous outing, Felix Hernandez gave up 11 runs in Houston to the Astros. On Saturday Felix looked a bit like his old self.

Felix went seven innings giving up one run on five hits, a walk, and four strikeouts. He gave up a run in the seventh inning after leading 1-0 after the fifth inning. Shed Long hit a home run off of Chicago White Sox starter Dylan Cease who exited after the 5^th inning giving up three hits including Long’s homer.

The game stayed that way with a tie of 1-1 until the bottom of the 10^th inning when Omar Narvaez hit a walk-off home run off former Mariner Alex Colome who had the save against the Mariners on Friday night. Ironically Narvaez was traded to the Mariners for Colome after last season.

This was the first game where rookie Kyle Lewis didn’t get a hit after getting at least one in four games. In fact, the White Sox may have figured him out finally where he struck out three times. He did get on base once with a walk.  Now we will see how he responses on Sunday. The Mariners had six hits for the game including Long and Narvaez’s home runs.

Before the game Ichiro received the franchise achievement award; he was the first Mariner player to receive the award. For the first time in front of a crowd in the USA, he spoke in English for five minutes thanking the fans, the organization, and the city for welcoming him in 2001. We look forward to another speech when he is inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame.  Not sure what his duties will be going forward for the Mariners but we do know he will be around for years to come. We thank you Ichiro for all the baseball we saw coming out of your talent.  Go M’s.

Mariners Lose Series Opener

The Mariners lost to the Cincinnati Reds in the final game of that series on Thursday. I was hoping playing the Chicago White Sox the Mariners could win the opening game of the series and end a one-game losing streak. The White Sox didn’t have a good pitcher. He didn’t last long in the game but neither did Yusei Kikuchi.

The Mariners were able to score three runs in the bottom of the first inning after Kikuchi gave up a solo home run.  The problem the White Sox scored runs in each of the first four innings which were good enough to win.

Kikuchi was only able to last two and a third innings giving up five runs.  The Mariners still had a chance to win though they were down 5-3 since the game was still early; however, Wade LeBlanc who came in for Kikuchi didn’t fare much better.  He went two innings giving up three runs which included two doubles to the White Sox.

Brandon Brennan, Matt Magill, and Erik Swanson did well following LeBlanc. They didn’t surrender a run to give the Mariner bats a chance.  When LeBlanc left the game the score was 8-5.

Dan Vogelbach pinch-hitting was able to hit a double to drive in two runs to make it real interesting at 8-7. The White Sox hit a home run in the top of the 9^th inning however the Mariners were unable to score in the bottom of the 9^th to lose 9-7.

Felix Hernandez goes Saturday for the Mariners. We hope he is able to pitch better than he did in his last outing when he gave up eleven runs to the Houston Astros in two innings. It would be nice if Felix can pitch well in his final outings. Including this game, he will have three games remaining to pitch.

Saturday night the Mariners will be honoring Ichiro. I am sure there will be a big crowd at the game. He is still around the team helping the players.

Mariners Unable To Sweep Reds

For two-thirds of Thursday night’s game, it looked like the Mariners were going to win and sweep the Reds; however, things fell apart for the bullpen.

The Cincinnati Reds did score two runs in the first inning off of rookie Justin Dunn making his first start in the major leagues. Dunn had struggles with his control walking five batters. He and the Mariners were fortunate only giving up the two runs because he didn’t yield a hit at all.

Dunn last two-thirds of an inning when Zac Grotz came in to relieve him. He finished off the first inning well as pitching the second.  Tommy Milone came in the third inning and went four and two-thirds innings.

The Mariners tied the game in the second inning when Dylan Moore hit a two-run homer then took the lead in the third inning when Omar Narvaez hit a two-run homer as well.

Rookie Kyle Lewis continued his hot hitting in his third game. He had a double in the second, a single in the third and his third homer in three games in the fifth inning. He is making it look easy in the major leagues so far. I am sure the Reds are glad they won’t have to face him again for a while. After his homer, the Mariners were leading 5-2.

Things looked fine until the seventh inning. Tommy Milone who came in the third inning started having trouble. He was able to get two outs before Dan Altavilla came in. The Reds scored five runs in the seventh inning including a grand slam off of Altavilla. The Reds lead 7-5 at the end of the seventh.

The eighth inning wasn’t any better when reliever Matt Wisler gave up two home runs each with a runner on base. This gave the Reds an 11-5 lead making it hard for the Mariners to come back which they didn’t. It was the final score.

Art Warren came in to finish off the eighth inning getting the final out after surrendering a hit and a walk. Erik Swanson pitched the 9^th inning without a scratch while striking out two.

The Mariners start a three-game series Friday night against the Chicago White Sox at T-Mobile Park. Yusei Kikuchi will start Friday night followed by Felix Hernandez on Saturday and Justus Sheffield on Sunday.

The Mariners are expected to see JP Crawford back at shortstop on Friday night. We may see Domingo Santana in the series as well. Not sure whether he will be at designated hitter in this series or pinch-hit.

The White Sox are similar to the Cincinnati Reds having trouble winning on the road while doing well at home. It will be nice if the Mariners can take at least two of the games against Chicago as well. Go M's.

Kyle Lewis Does It Again

For the second game in two days at the same time his second game playing in the major leagues Kyle Lewis hit a home run. In both instances the Cincinnati Reds pitcher was throwing a no-hitter when Lewis came to the plate.

On Tuesday night it was Lewis first game in the major leagues and his second at bat. Wednesday night it was in the seventh inning when Lewis came to bat with two runners on base. The Reds were leading at the time 2-0 when Lewis came to bat. I wondered how many fans wondered whether he would hit another home run. Regardless what they were thinking he did hit his second home run in as many nights. This gave the Mariners three runs and the lead in the game.

In the seventh inning Austin Nola and Kyle Seager each drove in a run making the score 5-2. In the top of the 9^th inning the Reds had the bases loaded with two outs. Anthony Bass pitching threw a wild pitch on third strike which brought in a run and the batter made it to first loading the bases again. The Reds could have scored more runs to tie or go ahead.

Interesting thing happen though on the wild pitch with the run scoring; both catcher Omar Narvaez and manager Scott Servais thought the ball hit the batters bat so it should be a foul ball but the umpire didn’t see it that way and the play is not reviewable. Servais felt the umpires should discuss the play and overturn it. Anyway, Servais ended up getting kicked out of the game. The next batter grounded out to end the game.

Marco Gonzales pitched a good game despite Sonny Gray of the Reds was pitching a no-hitter going into the sixth inning before facing Kyle Lewis. Gonzales went seven innings giving up five hits, two runs, two walks while striking out seven. Brandon Brennan relieved Gonzales in the eighth inning striking out two.

Sam Tuivailala started the ninth inning giving up two walks while striking out one. Bass then came in to finish the 9^th inning recording his fourth save the second in two days against the Reds.

Justin Dunn the Mariners #5 prospect is expected to make his major league debut on Thursday night. He will start probably going a couple innings then Tommy Milone will come in to pitch several innings as well.

Other news JP Crawford is expected to return Thursday or Friday after being out for several weeks with a hamstring inj. Also, news came out outfielder Jake Fraley will miss the rest of the season because of a sprained ligament injury on his right thumb he hurt in Houston last Saturday. Outfielder Domingo Santana may return this weekend or when the Mariners go on the road next week. He likely will be inserted as the designated hitter.

Jake Fraley though missing the rest of the season is expected to compete for one of the Mariner outfield spots in spring training. Who the competition will be a lot depends on what moves general manager makes during the off-season. Fraley for sure is part of the plan to be included in the rebuilding of the Mariners. Go M’s.

A Mariner Come From Behind Win!

It has been a while since the Mariners have come from behind to beat another team; it happened on Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds.

It wasn’t one of those great come from behind wins but we should take it. The Red’s took the lead first in the 2^nd inning when centerfielder Phillip Ervin hit a triple to right field where rookie Kyle Lewis missed played the ball then followed by a single to score Ervin. We have to excuse Lewis because it was his first game playing in right field after all.  Lewis made up for it in the fifth inning hitting his first career hit which turned out to be a home run tying the game.

The Mariners took the lead in the sixth inning when Dylan Moore hit his eighth home run of the season. The Reds took the lead again in the seventh inning when Brian O’Grady pinch-hit with a two-run homer making it 3-2 with the Reds leading. Kyle Seager though spoiled it for the Reds by hitting a two-run homer himself in the 8^th inning giving the Mariners the win 4-3.

Justus Sheffield had another good outing starting the game for the Mariners. He had a quality start going six innings giving up seven hits, one run, walking three and striking out four. Look forward to his next outing.

Dan Altavilla recorded the win as the third reliever in the game going one inning giving up no hits or run while walking one and striking out one. Anthony Bass pitched the ninth inning getting all three of the batters out without surrendering a hit or a walk; he recorded his third save on the season.

Besides Kyle Lewis making his major league debut, Donnie Walton did too coming into the game late at shortstop. The Mariners also brought up pitchers Justin Dunn and Art Warren from double-A Arkansas.  Dunn may make his debut on Thursday while Warren coming out of the bullpen could see action on Wednesday.

The Mariners are expecting JP Crawford back soon and we may see Domingo Santana before the season is over as well. Go M’s.

Seattle Mariners Back Home

The Seattle Mariners begin a six-game homestand against the Cincinnati Reds and then the Chicago White Sox. The Mariners come home after a 2-8 record on the last road trip including losing six games in a row. They lost two games to the Chicago Cubs after splitting four games with the Texas Rangers then were swept by the Houston Astros over the weekend concluding with a big loss on Sunday 21-1. The Mariners almost had a no-hitter thrown at them by Gerrit Cole. He gave up one hit to Shed Long who hit a home run giving the Mariners the one run well as one hit.

Now the Mariners have to see how they can rebound against the Reds. The Reds are in the process of rebuilding as well though they have been through it for several seasons.  They are fourth in the National League Central with a record of 66-77. Not a bad record since the three teams ahead of them is the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Milwaukee Brewers all with winning records. The Reds do have a losing record on the road; however, the Mariners aren’t playing well at home either.

Justus Sheffield had a good outing in his last performance going five innings without giving up a run. The Mariners are hoping he will respond with another good outing on Tuesday night.

The Mariners are expected to add Justin Dunn along with Kyle Lewis to the Mariners roster before Tuesday’s game though no announcement has been made. They might add another couple players from the double-A Arkansas roster as well.

Seeing Dunn and Lewis in the lineup will give the Mariners more of an idea whether they both are ready to be in the major leagues next season. Both of them are in the Mariners top 10 prospects list. Dunn the Mariners are hoping will be in the starting rotation next season while Lewis is in the outfield.

With 18 games remaining the most important thing now is get through with a positive way in these games seeing who will be invited back for spring training. Go M's.

Seahawks Win Mariners Lose

I am sure we are all familiar with the Seahawks winning a lot over the last decade while the Mariners lose. 

The Mariners can learn a lot from the Seahawks on how to build a team especially since they are in rebuilding mode. The Mariners do have several prospects who do look like they will be superstars or at least quality players. Right now the pitching is awful for the most part.

Sunday the Seahawks ending up beating the Cincinnati Bengals 21-20. The Bengals actually outplayed the Seahawks. Like we here sometimes "it is better being lucky than good." This was the case on Sunday though the defense came through at the end of the game.

Former Husky wide receiver John Ross had a big day against the Seahawks scoring two touchdowns on seven receptions for 158 yards. The Seahawks defensive backs had a hard time keeping up with him. Also, on the television broadcast, it was mentioned several times where the Seahawks kept all three linebackers in the game on passing downs instead of bringing in an extra defensive back. They mostly spoke about Mychal Kendricks was exploited. 

We have heard a lot about the Seahawks offensive line is one of the best if not the best in the NFL by left tackle Duane Brown. Sunday the offensive line looked like the one we have seen for several years where Russell Wilson had to run for his life. We hope they will improve over the weeks ahead.

I don't know whether it is practice time or early season woes, however, I always get tired how the Seahawks always get off to a terrible start every season. Often even throughout the season, they play better in the second half of a game than the first half. The only thing helps is they do make the playoffs on a regular basis. I heard booing throughout the game to from the stands and I don't blame them at all. At least they do improve otherwise it would be hard to continue watching this team.

Next week the Seahawks are in Pittsburgh to play the Steelers. It would be nice to beat up on them because of our experience in the Super Bowl against them when the officials did a terrible job. The Steelers though are not a very good team right now. They got off to a terrible start losing to the New England Patriots 33-3. 

The Seattle Mariners can't beat the Houston Astros losing on Sunday 21-1. This was the second sweep this season in Houston. The Mariners have only beaten Houston once all year and have lost like 15 times.  Felix Hernandez lasted two innings plus giving up 11 runs. The bullpen obviously didn't do much better. The Mariners only run came on a home run by Shed Long which happened to be the only hit they mustered for the day. I wonder if they should start Felix again. Maybe wait until the final game of the season?

The Arkansas Travelers the Mariners double-A team lost in the playoffs in the final game of the series 5-1 on Sunday to Tulsa so their season is over. The Mariners will likely promote right-handed starter Justin Dunn and outfielder Kyle Lewis for sure. May here about a couple of players being brought up too. 

The Mariners have 18 games remaining on the schedule. They play the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox this week beginning on Tuesday. They do have a good chance of winning all or most of these games. So come out and see these games as the season is coming to a close. Go M's. 

Washington Huskies Upset Again and More

The Washington Huskies football game Saturday night ended up being delayed for more than two and a half hours because of lightning.  In the end, the California Golden Bears upset the Huskies for the second straight season. Also, end the Huskies home win streak of  15 going back to 2016. The final score was Cal 20 Washington 19. The Huskies play Hawaii next Saturday afternoon at Husky Stadium. Neither quarterback could muster much of a passing game though they try. Both teams defense didn't play up to par probably because of the delay.

The Seattle Seahawks take on the Cincinnati Bengals at home Sunday afternoon to start the regular season. Rain is forecasted. I am sure everyone is hoping no lightning will happen at CenturyLink Field.

The Washington State Cougars had another lopsided victory as expected beating Northern Colorado at home 59-17. The Cougars now go to Houston, Texas next Friday night to face another Cougar team in the University of Houston. This should be a better match between two teams who both like throwing the ball.

In baseball, as no surprise, the Seattle Mariners lost to the Houston Astros on the road 2-1 in a pitching match between Yusei Kikuchi and Justin Verlander. The Mariners scored first in the third inning for their only one with Dee Gordon driving in Shed Long. Dee Gordon was the only one really able to have success off of Verlander who went seven innings. Verlander recorded the victory as the Astros scored a run in both the sixth and seventh innings. Austin Adams surrendered the run in the seventh inning to record the loss. The Mariners will look to see if they can salvage a win in this four-game series. Felix Hernandez starts for the Mariners against Gerrit Cole. Go M's. 

Seattle Seahawks Defense Going Into Sunday

Sunday the Seattle Seahawks will open at home against the Cincinnati Bengals. The question going into the season is how well the Seahawks will defense play; a look at the Seahawks defense.

The number one question with the trading of Frank Clark just before the college draft was how the Seahawks were going to rush the quarterback. Everyone including the coaching staff wondered how?  Last Saturday the Seahawks acquired defensive end Jadeveon Clowney from the Houston Texans. Since he will make the first game his first time playing for the Seahawks it will be interesting how much he will play? The Seahawks have number one draft pick LJ Collier backing up Clowney. He hasn’t played during the pre-season either. I am sure they will do some alternating at the spot. Clowney will play a lot on passing downs I expect.

At the other defensive end spot will be Ziggy Ansah the Seahawks signed as a free agent during the off-season. He has seven years in the NFL with the Detroit Lions. Ansah saw no action during the pre-season so it will be his first action for the Seahawks as well. So how much he plays against Cincinnati is in question too. He is backed up by Rasheem Green and Braden Jackson. Ansah may see action primary on passing downs as well.

Al Woods will be one of the tackles in the middle with Quinton Jefferson being his understudy. Poona Ford known for stuffing on rushing downs will start at nose tackle. His backup is expected to be Bryan Mone.

The most experienced starters and the best on the defense side will be at linebacker. The strong side linebacker will be Mychal Kendricks with Bobby Wagner in the middle and KJ Wright on the other outside linebacker spot.  Kendricks will be backed up by second-year pro Shaquem Griffin while Cody Barton a rookie will back up Wagner. Fellow rookie and former Washington Husky Ben Burr-Kirven will be Wright’s backup. All three backup linebackers will see plenty of action on special teams.

Another area in question is in the secondary. The Seahawks will start Shaquill Griffin at left cornerback with Akeem King as his backup. This will be Griffin’s third year with the Seahawks.  Tre Flowers will start at the right cornerback with Neiko Thorpe shown as his backup. Thorpe plays to will be mostly on special teams where he is listed as the captain.  Newly acquired Parry Nickerson is listed as the third right cornerback. He could see a lot of action as the third cornerback in the Seahawks nickel package.

At strong safety, the starter will Bradley McDougal while Lano Hill is listed as his backup. At free safety known for years as Earl Thomas spot will now be played by Tedric Thompson. He is now in his second year with the Seahawks. He played a lot when Thomas was injured. He has had a lot of people wondering if he can start at free safety.  He doesn’t play well at strong safety the Seahawks could go with one of his backup’s rookies Marquise Blair or Ugo Amadi.  McDougal can play equally well at both safety spots so the Seahawks could move him over from strong safety and start Lano Hill.

The question about the pass rush besides the defensive ends the Seahawks might send any of the linebackers at times as well. This will put extra pressure on the defensive backs as well. Lack of experience in the defensive backfield we will wonder whether the Seahawks be able to stop on long passes. They will have to mix things up if the Seahawks start the season giving up too many points.

The Seahawks have a tendency to start the season slowly so how they begin the first few weeks won’t answer how they will do over the season. So we shouldn’t panic at all. The Seahawks should make the playoffs this season. Go Hawks!