Baseball Post Season

The Washington Nationals beating the Houston Astros in seven games was a surprise I am sure to most except possibly the Nationals. The first time the road team won all seven games. Now we can discuss Hot Stove.

Felix Hernandez is now a free agent. He likely will sign a minor league deal with a team. Ryon Healy has decided to be a free agent as well. Not a big surprise there either. It was too bad the Mariners couldn't wait to see if they could get something for him though probably would have been little.

Jerry Dipoto will be busy again this off-season though he won't make as many big trades as last season. Most deals the Mariners will make should be minor deals. They will probably make one big trade along the way. With the Mariners expected to play youngers I see the Mariners trading either or both Mallex Smith and Domingo Santana who each had disappointing seasons at least defensively. The question is what they will get for either one. Most likely they will get a prospect or two for them. 

Now time for us to put on our thinking caps to see who we think the Mariners will trade and get in return.  Go M's. 

Mariners Make Minor Announcement

With the World Series almost over no big announcements are made as of yet. The Series will be over Wednesday at the latest depending whether the Houston Astros win on Tuesday night or not.

The Mariners announced on Monday they outrighted to Tacoma first baseman Ryon Healy, pitchers Chasen Bradford, and Connor Sadzeck. All three players ended the season on the 60-day injured list.

Last season Healy started the season as the Mariners third baseman with Kyle Seager going on the injured list at the end of spring training. Healy went on the injured shortly before Seager returned in late May. There were questions about what was wrong with Healy. The major problem was his back. Right now it is hard to know whether Healy's career will go forward or not. If he is available at the beginning of spring training I expect the Mariners will invite him to spring training to see if he can make the team. Both Bradford and Sadzeck likely will be invited to spring training with the big club as well.

I heard the news that Double-A Arkansas pitching coach Pete Woodworth will be named the Mariner's new pitching coach. It makes sense since he does know many of the Mariner pitching prospects.  If it does happen the announcement will likely take place on Thursday or a few days after. 

The Mariners can start making trades starting Thursday if the World Series goes the distance. It could take place Wednesday if the Astros win Tuesday night. It will be nice to write about Mariners again along with football. College basketball is right around the corner as well. 

Seahawks Win But

The Seattle Seahawks needed a win this week after losing to Baltimore last week. They got off to a good start leading 24-0. The first half for the Seahawks was like last week's game except in reversal. The Seahawks were able to capitalize on Falcon's mistakes.

In the second half of the game, the Seahawks played totally differently. They allowed the Falcons to dominate them. The Falcons outscored the Seahawks 20-3; however, the Seahawks did win the game 27-20.

Had the time clock not run out there is a good chance the Falcons would have won. Most of the time the Seahawks get off to a rough start and have to fight back to win. In this case, they had to fight off the Falcons to win.

Justin Britt the Seahawks starting center was hurt in the first half. Word came out he is done for the season. Joey Hunt went the rest of the way. Not sure the change of center hurt the Seahawks offense or nut. Now with the trading deadline ending on Tuesday, it looks like the Seahawks will have to go out and pick up a center. Whether the center is a starter or a backup will depend on who they can get. The Seahawks offense looks like they really need to get a tight end as well since Will Dissly will be out the rest of the season as well. In this case, they really need a starting tight end. Neither Luke Willson or Jacob Hollister are doing the job in the way the Seahawks need. Hollister started the season on the practice squad while Willson was looking for a job. Tight end is an important part of the Seahawk's passing game.

The Seahawks will play Tampa Bay next Sunday at home before going to take on first-place 49ers in San Francisco on Monday night football. It will be important the Seahawks beat TB before heading to SF. The Seahawks will have a bye after the game in SF which is good. It is important to win both these games as the 49ers are undefeated while being two games ahead of the Seahawks. 

Right now the Seahawks are not playing like a playoff team. However, we do know they play better in the second half of the season. At least, now the second half of the season begins. Go Hawks!

Oregon Ducks Win

The game Saturday between the WSU Cougars and the Oregon Ducks was a crazy game. Unfortunately, the Ducks won at the end with a field goal making the score 37-35.

If you were a Washington Huskies fan you wanted the Cougars to win. The Oregon Ducks are undefeated in Pac-12 conference play. They haven't won the North division yet but they have a comfortable lead where they should win it.

The score was tied at 17-17 at half time. The Ducks had an eleven point lead early on in the fourth quarter; however,, WSU was able to score two touchdowns to take the lead 35-34. Both teams have exciting offenses so made it a good game to see. The Cougars have next week off before playing the California Golden Bears on the road. It should be an interesting game. 

The Washington Huskies will be at home next Saturday against Utah.

The basketball season is coming up soon. So keep you up to date on the Huskies, Cougars and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Huskies and the Bulldogs both will have different lineups this year. The Huskies have lost most of their starting lineup and so has the Bulldogs.  The season starts in about two weeks. 

Cougars Vs Ducks

The Washington Huskies have a bye week before playing Utah next Saturday. Another big game will be difficult to win.

So the only game to see will be the WSU Cougars against the Oregon Ducks. It is a rivalry game though not as much as Washington and Oregon. The Cougars have won four straight against the Ducks so I am sure Oregon wants to win badly especially being undefeated in the Pac-12. The Ducks probably already won the North division but I am sure they would like to win all the games before the conference championship game.

Sunday the Settle Seahawks travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons. The Falcons aren't having a good season but the Seahawks do need to win after losing last week's game to the Ravens.

Whatever you do enjoy the football games. 

Football Thursday

Baseball is my favorite sport which I am sure you are not surprised. I wonder how many are shocked that the Washington Nationals are up two games to zero in the series. Thursday is an off day for the series as the games now go to Washington DC. The Astros do have the pitching to get back into the series but will need to win game three. So now look at football instead.

The Washington Huskies have this weekend off while the Washington State Cougars get to face the Oregon Ducks. Without looking things up I heard the Cougars have beaten the Ducks four straight. After a tough battle with the Huskies last Saturday it could be in the cards for the Cougars to win. For Husky fans, it will be important that the Cougars win if Washington still has any chance though slim to win the Pac-12 North division. 

The Seattle Seahawks go to Atlanta to take on the Falcons. On Tuesday they made a trade with the Detroit Lions picking up safety Quandre Diggs. The Seahawks have injuries along with some poor play out of the safety position so they decided to pull off the move.

The trading deadline is next Tuesday. The Seahawks really need to look at picking up a tight end after losing Will Dissly to another season-ending injury. The offense is off. They are going with two backup tight-ends along with using an extra offensive lineman on running downs. I like Luke Willson but he isn't a starting tight end and neither is Jacob Hollister who started the season on the practice squad. 

Anyway, enjoy the World Series as long as it last. We can see what Jerry Dipoto has up his sleeve after the series is over. In the meantime, let's enjoy football. 

World Series Begins

Tonight the World Series begins between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros. 

We all know the Nationals being in the World Series means the Seattle Mariners are the last team not to play in the World Series. We do hope this changes over the next few years with the group of young players the Mariners have in their system by trade and improved farm system.

I know a lot of people are disappointed in the record the Mariners had but they had to start over by scratch. With the age of the team even if they had won 90 games they wouldn't have overtaken the Houston Astros. 

Not only do I look forward to this series I am waiting to see what moves Jerry Dipto will make during the off-season. It will become interesting after the World Series is over. 

We do know that Dipoto will not make many moves since they have the players they want for the next several years and they plan to play the youngsters this coming season. 

Most likely they will trade a few more of the veteran players along with those who don't fit into the plan. The bullpen looks to be one area to add on as well. In 2019 they ended the season with only Brandon Brennan being the only pitcher who started the season in the bullpen.  The bullpen was the weakest link and the one spot costing the Mariners wins in the first half of the season. The bullpen did improve over the second half of the season. They have twelve pitchers returning to compete for the bullpen spots right now anyway.

The starting lineup won't change a lot although Dee Gordon will probably be traded. The outfield should be interesting with several players vying for playing time. First base could be interesting to whether seeing if Evan White will start the season for them or in the minor leagues. Daniel Vogelbach may be the designated hitter at least against right-handed pitching. Either he or Domingo Santana will share DH or both could be gone as well.  The Mariners could use several different players in the DH spot.

So enjoy the World Series before the work of the off-season. Go M's. 

A Loss By Seahawks

I guess every team is going to have a lousy game at some point in the season. Well, Sunday was the day for the Seahawks. 

Russell Wilson had a bad day throwing including giving up a touchdown to former Husky Marcus Peters. It was his first interception giving up on the season. It was bound to happen but it would have been nice to occur when the Seahawks had a big lead.

We could see right away that Wilson was having an off day. It would have been nice if the Seahawks could have run the ball more; however, they weren't successful in that part of the game either. 

Before I forget the final score was Baltimore 30 Seattle 16. DK Metcalf had a catch than a fumble in the fourth quarter that gave the Ravens a second touchdown. Take away the two turnovers it would have been an interesting game. The Seahawks may have won the game even if it took a field goal to do so.

The San Francisco 49ers continued to go undefeated beating the Redskins in Washington D.C. 9-0. So the Seahawks are two games behind the 49ers while still being a game ahead of the Los Angeles Rams. 

The Seahawks to win the NFC West they will need to beat the 49ers in the two games against them. The Seahawks still have a good chance to make the playoffs now with a record of 5-2, but can't afford another loss like this one. We hope Russell Wilson is able to bounce back next week against the Falcons in Atlanta.  Go Hawks!

Huskies Lose

Saturday's game was frustrating especially with the Huskies losing in the end 35-31. This was frustrating after the Huskies had a lead of 28-14 to the Oregon Ducks in the 3rd quarter. I know the Ducks would probably come back and make it a game.

The most frustrating part was the defense where the Huskies had so many miss tackles by the defense along with allowing several big plays. They did a good job stopping the Ducks running game for the most part. 

The offense did a good job for the most part as well. The receivers did a good job especially missing the team's top receiver Aaron Fuller out with a leg injury. If they had scored once in the fourth quarter they would have won the game. It was so close in the end too where the ball just missed the receiver catching the ball at 58 secs remaining on 4th down.

The one thing I didn't understand was when the Huskies ran the wild cat offense a few times on third and short. They did a terrible job each time. They need to practice it more before trying in the game. Not successful at all. Stay with the regular offense and not try to trick the opposition's defense. Or at least use a hand-off off to a receiver to go around the end or a screen pass. 

As expected the Washington State Cougars beat Colorado on Saturday late afternoon 41-10. It ended the Cougar's three-game losing streak. The Cougars got off to a good start leading 21-3 after one quarter. 

WSU quarterback Anthony Gordon threw the ball a lot completing 35 of 51 passes, scoring four touchdowns with one interception. Running back Max Borghi led the Cougars with 105 yards on 12 carries. Receiver Brandon Arconado caught five passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.

Seattle Seahawks are home today against Baltimore Ravens. Hopefully, the Seahawks will win and break the tie for wins for the top three teams in football in Washington state. 

Another Saturday of Football

I remember the days when we could only see one or possibly two football games on Saturday, and now you can see a game all day long. Also, if you don't like one you can change to another game.

The Washington Huskies are playing a big game today against the Oregon Ducks. This game should be a good one to see. There is a lot of implications as well. The Huskies need to win to stay in the race for the Pac-12 North Division. If they lose it is over basically.

The Huskies will need to score early against the Ducks which isn't easy. The Ducks have given up 25 points in the last five games is what I heard though I read 52 points. Either case, they are playing good defense. Time to check to see which is true, so right back with you. The 53 points must have been written backward because the answer is 25. Hard to believe a team can give up those amount of points. You would have thought Stanford and California, which by the way each beat Washington could have scored at least 25 points combined even losing too. So not an easy task for sure on Saturday for the Huskies to overcome; however, they are playing at home.

The Washington State Cougars need to win as well. Not just to be in the race but to make any bowl game. They have lost three games in a row all in the Pac-12. They take on Colorado at home before facing the Oregon Ducks in Eugene. Whatever happens on Saturday with the Ducks and Huskies this will be a tough game for sure for the Cougars. 

Sunday the Seattle Seahawks take on the Baltimore Ravens with the return of Earl Thomas to Seattle. Thomas first appearance in Seattle in a different uniform. He will play showing the Seahawks made a mistake in not re-signing him. This will be an important game for the Seahawks to keep up with the SF 49ers.

So this weekend will be exciting but important in the northwest for college football. Go teams!

Looking Forward To the World Series

I don't have a favorite though having the Astros winning would be nice. Gives the Seattle Mariners more of a challenge. 

The Mariners might be the only team now not to play in the World Series; however, I wonder if any team that has been in the World Series hasn't won it 

When the World Series is over we can see what moves Jerry Dipoto will make to improve the  Mariners for next season. The Astros and Nationals are showing it is pitching that will get the team to the next level. He has acquired Marco Gonzales and Yusei Kikuchi along with Justus Sheffield and Justin Dunn. Also, we can't forget Logan Gilbert and other pitchers he has drafted in the last couple of years.

These pitchers along with outfielders Kyle Lewis, Jarred Kelenic, and Julio Rodriguez for the future. Also, I like outfielder Jake Fraley who I believe has the attitude for a team to make the playoffs. 

Kyle Seager we hope can get back to where he was a few years ago as the veteran presence on the team. Shed Long and JP Crawford as the 2nd base-shortstop duo along with Evan White at first base. Go M's. 

Only One Left

Now that the Washington Nationals are going to the World Series it leaves the Seattle Mariners the only team not to make the World Series.  

Had it been like the old format where the team with the best record in the American League faced the team with the best record in the National League the Mariners would have made the 2001 World Series by winning the 116 games. Just think of it only the Mariners and Cubs have won that many games in a season.

I think the reason the Mariners didn't go to the World Series in 2001 besides not able to hit against the New York Yankees most of America was rooting for New York because of the awful day of September 11. I wonder how different that series would have been if that day had never happened. We will never know.

The Mariner fans are always looking back on 1995 and 2001 which makes sense but let us focus on the future like Jerry Dipoto is in his rebuilding process. It will be nice if the Mariners can make it to the World Series in a couple years and make the playoffs for several years running putting them in a position to go to more World Series. 

Remember the Seattle Seahawks were terrible for a while until Mike Holmgren then Pete Carroll hit the town. Everyone thinks of the Seahawks as being winners but it wasn't always that way. Let it happen for the Mariners where the culture of winning is happening on a regular basis. Let T-Mobile Park become a place where it is hard to get tickets. Go M's. 

Seahawks Get Ready for Ravens

The Seattle Seahawks will be back at practice to get ready to take on the Baltimore Ravens this coming Sunday at 1:20 pm. 

The Ravens coming to town means Seahawk fans (the 12th man) will see the return of safety Earl Thomas. It will be interesting to see what kind of reception he will get at Century Link Field since the last time we saw him in a Seahawk uniform last year was when he was carted off the field in Arizona where he gave out the middle finger. Not a class act for sure. 

I always liked Thomas as a player for the Seahawks but the gesture was not good as far as I was concerned. I know he wanted a new contract; however, the injury in that game showed why the Seahawks were reluctant to give him one. It will be interesting what kind of response he will get from the 12th man. Since the 12th man is a class group I expect he will be given a standing ovation.

The news came out that Will Dissly who was injured last year in the same game as Thomas and was lost for the season was hurt once again and he will be lost for the rest of the season once again.  Such bad news since he was playing good ball including being one of the best tight ends in the NFL We hope to see him again next season in a Seahawk uniform.

Left tackle Duane Brown will likely miss another game but should be back in a couple weeks. It is tough to miss your best offensive lineman. The Seahawks do have Jarran Reed back after his suspension to be a cornerstone of the defensive line.

It will be important for the Seahawks to win since the San Francisco 49ers are undefeated right now. Go Hawks! 

Seahawks Win After Slow Start

The Seattle Seahawks got off to a bad start giving up a touchdown to the Cleveland Browns in the opening kickoff. The Seahawks always defer when they win the opening coin toss. This can be a drawback not taking the ball first.

The Seahawks gave up three touchdowns in the first half trailing 20-6 before making their comeback with two touchdowns trailing 20-18 at the half. Russell Wilson illustrated a great drive at the end of the half where it concluded with Jared Brown scoring a 17-yard touchdown with 22 seconds remaining in the half.

The Seahawks scored a touchdown in the 3^rd quarter to take the lead 25-20. In the 4^th quarter the Browns to the lead once again with a touchdown followed by a two-point conversion so they would have a three-point lead. Russell Wilson like he does often was able to get another touchdown to take the lead and get the win.

It looked like Tyler Lockett had a touchdown but it came short by inches so Chris Carson was able to run it in for the lead. Lockett’s catch made it first down so the Seahawks had four chances to punch it but Carson made it on the first try.

The Seahawks were again lucky in some respects because of turnovers made by the Browns; however, we will take the win in whatever fashion especially being down 20-6.

The Seahawks will be at home next weekend after having two games on the road. They take on the Baltimore Ravens at home. Won’t be easy as the Ravens are 4-2; they are at the top of the AFC North division. The Seahawks have beaten the other three teams in the division so it won’t be easy to sweep the AFC north division. We do hope the Seahawks are able to do so.

The Seattle Seahawks are now 5-1 a game behind the San Francisco 49ers who are 5-0. They beat the Los Angeles Rams on the road Saturday 20-7 putting the Rams at 3-3. The Seahawks don’t play the 49ers until November 11 in San Francisco. The 49ers play the Redskins in Washington next week followed by Carolina Panthers at home than Arizona Cardinals on the road before facing the Seahawks. The 49ers could be undefeated when they face the Seahawks. Important the Seahawks keep winning too. Go Hawks!

Keep Going Around the Mariners Infield A Look At 2nd base

Dee Gordon at a sold season in 2019 at second base; however, the thought is he will probably be traded during the off-season or before the trading deadline in 2020.

Jerry Dipoto and the Mariners want to go with the young players to build on toward the future in making the playoffs.

In 2019 Gordon went on the disabled list a couple times but still played a lot of the season. He ended up hitting .275 with 22 stolen bases. He spent most of the season batting at the bottom of the order. Mallex Smith spent a good part of the year at the lead-off spot though he struggled early on in the season and was sent down to triple-A Tacoma for a short period. 

In September the Mariners had Shed Long hitting at the top of the batting order. He played mostly in left field though next season he could play a lot of second base if Gordon is traded during the off-season. Not sure whether second base is Long's position for the long term but it could be. He could play some third base well as the outfield. With Kyle Seager at third right now Long would only play to give Kyle a day-off. The outfield is getting crowded so Long would only play in the outfield to give a player a day off as well.

I can see Austin Nola who came on the scene this year after spending many years in the minor leagues playing some second base though most of his playing time will probably be at first base until Evan White is ready to take over full-time. Nola is another who could play some third base and outfield too. Also, Nola has been in a catcher in recent years in the minor leagues so he likely is the third catcher unless Narvaez or Murphy are traded during the off-season where he could be the backup catcher too.

So at least for a couple years or so, second base is taken care of on the Mariners if Gordon is traded to another team. The Mariners will likely pick up a prospect or two for Gordon. The Mariners could use him in a multi-player deal as well. There is thought the Mariners may trade Santana or and Mitch Haniger too. Go M's. 

Weekend Football

The Washington Huskies and the WSU Cougars are both playing this Saturday. It is important both teams play to stay in the race for the Pac-12 North Division. The Oregon Ducks are in first place at this time. 

Washington Huskies take on Arizona in Tucson, Arizona for the second week in a row on the row. The Huskies lost last week to Stanford 23-13 in their worst game of the season. With two losses the Huskies can't afford another loss.

WSU is on the road in Arizona taking on Arizona State. WSU is 0-2 in the Pac-12 while Arizona State is 1-1.

The Seattle Seahawks are on the road as well taking on the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland. The Seahawks hope to win as they should to keep up with the San Francisco 49ers who are undefeated. 

It will be nice if all three teams can win on the road. 

The Nationals Onto the NL Championship

The Washington Nationals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday night 7-3 to move on to take on the St. Louis Cardinals who beat Atlanta earlier in the day 13-1. Both series went five games.  The Nationals won the game in the 10th inning when former Los Angeles Angel Howie Kendrick hit a grand-slam home run. It is something he will remember for the rest of his life.

I am bringing this up because the Nationals along with the Seattle Mariners are the only two teams in the history of the major leagues who haven't played in the World Series. So who are you going to root for then the Cardinals or the Nationals? 

I will be rooting for the Cardinals not just because we don't want the Nationals to make the World Series but I have always been a fan of the Cardinals. As a kid, I rooted for the Cardinals when they made the World Series. 

Today the Houston Astros will be at home playing the 5th game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Will history repeat itself with a road team making the Championship Series.  If the Rays win this would mean three of the four teams advancing won on the road. The Rays win means we will see Mike Zunino playing in the AL Championship.  

So will the Mariners be the last team to stand who hasn't been to the World Series we will know next week. 

Dipoto Always Busy

Though major league baseball playoffs are happening right now we do know Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto is hard at work although we don't hear anything right now. 

We know the Mariners will have to get a new third-base coach along with some to work with the outfielders.  Also, a new pitching coach even though Paul Davis is still in the organization and a new bullpen coach. 

I am sure Dipoto is searching through to see anyone who may be available to add to the roster or acquire in a trade. We know Dee Gordon is on the trading block though Mitch Haniger and Domingo Santana both could be traded as well. The Mariners will look at picking up a starting pitcher and or relief pitcher in a trade or free agency if not too costly.

Dipoto may look into picking up an infielder or utility player in the mold of Dylan Moore and Austin Nola to compete in spring training. Both of them have a good chance of sticking next year but no hurt in looking.

The Mariners may look at picking up a catcher too if they decide either Omar Narvaez or Tom Murphy can be traded in the right package. Right now they are both at the highest value they will
ever be in a trade. I don't see them having another season like 2019.

In college basketball, it was media day in Las Vegas where the Washington Huskies were named to be #3 in the Pac-12 conference this coming season. Pretty good for a team that lost four out of their five starting players from last year.  The Huskies have a couple of highly touted freshmen coming on board so it should be good once again this year. If they do finish third they should be able to go to the NCAA tournament once again.  The season starts in just about a month.

The Seahawks are back at practice to get ready for the Browns in Cleveland this Sunday.

Mariners 1st Base 2019 and Beyond

The Seattle Mariners began 2019 with Jay Bruce and Edwin Encarnacion splitting most of the time at first base along with Daniel Vogelbach on occasion. Vogelbach was designated hitter when he was in the lineup most of the time against lefties.

Jay Bruce who the Mariners acquired from the New York Mets for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in May. At that point, Vogelbach ended up at designated hitter most of the time with Encarnacion playing first base.

When Encarnacion was traded to the New York Yankees Vogelbach played some first base well as DH.  The Mariners brought up Austin Nola from Tacoma when Encarnacion was traded. Nola had been a career minor leaguer, however; Jerry Dipoto and Scott Servais decided to give him a chance to play some first base though he had done a lot of catching in Tacoma. This allowed flexibility for the Mariners to.

Austin Nola ended up being a surprise being able to hit well in the major leagues. He ended up playing a lot at first base while Vogelbach spent more time at DH. Vogelbach ended up being the Mariner’s representative in the All-Star game. It was a bit of a surprise when Omar Narvaez and Domingo Santana was having better seasons but Vogelbach was popular with the fans. 

In the second half of 2019, Vogelbach started slumping especially against left-handed pitchers. He did end up with 30 home runs but only a .208 batting average.  Right, it is hard to tell whether Vogelbach will be on the Mariners in 2020.  A lot could depend on whether they can trade Domingo Santana or not.

The Mariners don’t have room in the outfield where Santana struggled defensively most of the season. I could see Santana at DH and first base too if he stayed with the Mariners. He could play the outfield on occasion too.

The future at first base is in the hands of Evan White the Mariners number one draft pick in 2017. When it happens will be when he is ready. Defensively he is already major league ready it is his hitting that is in question.

If Evan White has outstanding spring training in 2020 he likely would be the starting first baseman. This would lead the Mariners having to trade either or both Santana and Vogelbach. Austin Nola could play first base on occasion while spending the rest of the time at second base along with occasion at third base and the outfield.

Major league rosters are expanding to 26 players in 2020 so a spot is open for two utility players or an extra infielder or outfielder. Austin Nola could be the designated hitter against lefties if Evan White is on the roster, and Santana is traded. Nola would still play first base on occasion if White is struggling at the plate or at least against top right-handed pitchers.

The Mariners could play Omar Narvaez at first base on occasion if White starts the season at triple-A. At some point, though White will be in Seattle during the 2020 season since Jerry Dipoto wants to go with youngsters; this will only happen if they think White is ready.

I hope White is ready to face major league pitching because his defense will help the Mariners for sure. He is able to cover more area then either Nola or Vogelbach. Go M’s.

Sunday Off

If you anticipated something from me on Sunday I am sorry. I decided to give myself the day off from writing here. It hasn’t happened in a while but since the Seahawks didn’t play no preview to mention.

The Washington Huskies had their worst game of the season losing to Stanford on Saturday 23-13. It didn’t help Stanford had the ball twice as long as the Huskies and quarterback Jacob Eason was out of sync except with wide receiver Aaron Fuller.

Eason looked so bad you wanted to think how anyone would believe he could start in the NFL well as any college team. I guess it happens or maybe it was the Stanford defenses that cause the problem too.  He was throwing the ball too hard most of the time for the receivers to catch the ball. For example, on a fourth-down where the Huskies were hoping to score he threw a ball to tight end Hunter Bryant which went right by him so fast when Bryant was making his cut.

We do hope Eason and the rest of the Huskies will bounce back next week in Arizona. The Huskies can’t afford another loss though I am sure most of us think they couldn’t afford the loss against Stanford.

I am not sure why most figured the Huskies were favored by a large margin going into the game except Stanford had a lot of injuries, especially on the offensive line. They were down to six healthy offensive linemen and they controlled the line of scrimmage. The Huskies haven’t won at Stanford since 2007 so they should have taken care of business without thinking they would win the game in the first place by just showing up. That is what I think anyway.

Washington State Cougars had Saturday off. They play at Arizona State next Saturday while the Huskies are in Arizona.  The Cougars have lost two games in a row without a victory in the Pac-12 so they have to rebound after the last two terrible games.

The news came out during the bye week that defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys resigned. I am sure most Cougar fans didn’t put the whole blame on the collapse of the Cougar's defense. We will have to see how the defense plays the rest of the way.

The Seahawks will be back in action getting ready for their next game this coming Sunday against the Browns in Cleveland. A game the Seahawks should win but don’t overlook the Browns. The Seahawks can’t afford a loss especially after beating the Rams on Thursday night.

Next time I will be looking at the Mariners first base choices going into next year and how I thought the position looked like during 2019.  

The Seattle Mariner Catchers

This last season the Mariners have had the best catcher’s duo in a long time if ever. Together Omar Narvaez and Tom Murphy had 40 home runs. Also, from June on they had Austin Nola who was brought up from Tacoma. He primarily played first base along with some second and a little catching. He was considered the Mariners 3^rd string catcher which helped out a bit allowing sometimes using Narvaez and Murphy in the game at the same time. One of them would catch while the other was the designated hitter.

The question is will both catchers be back this coming season or will Jerry Dipoto trade one of them for another area of need. You have to figure both Narvaez and Murphy will be at the highest level of trade bait they probably will be. I don’t expect they both will have as good a season next year as in 2019.

The Mariners have a catching prospect Cal Raleigh who was drafted last year in the third round.  He is another key to the Mariners rebuild however; I don’t see him on the team until 2021 or 2022.

So does Dipoto trade either Narvaez or Murphy for another needed piece to the puzzle or keep both of them next year.  Though I like to see them around again next season getting another player at a position more needed or a prospect or two sounds good too. Austin Nola can be used as the backup catcher or the Mariners can acquire another catcher in the same way they did Tom Murphy.  We will see, won’t we?

Seahawks Win

The Seahawks and the Rams came down to the last seconds to see who would win the game. The Rams missed a field goal as time ran out giving the Seahawks the win 30-29.

In some people’s opinion, Russell Wilson had one of his best games ever; however, with just over two minutes remaining in the game safety Tedric Thompson dove and caught an interception. It wasn’t called an interception so the Seahawks had to have the play reviewed and it was overturned.  The Seahawks offense all they had to do was get a first down to guarantee the win; however, Russell Wilson did a lateral that almost turned the ball over. We can give the Rams some credit for a good defense at the time but better playing on the side of the Seahawks would have helped.

The Rams were able to get several first downs marching down the field but a penalty for taking too much time moved the Rams back and a couple good stops by the Seahawks the Rams had to kick a field goal which they missed.  I will take the game for sure but the Seahawks need to play better especially on the defensive side. Rams are a good team so taking the win is good.

The Seattle Seahawks are now 4-1. The next game will be on Sunday, October 13 in Cleveland against the Browns. The Seahawks are in second place in the NFC West division. The San Francisco 49ers is 3-0 after having a bye week. They will take on the Browns at home on Monday night football.

Seahawk Thursday

Tonight the Seattle Seahawks play the Los Angeles Rams at home on Thursday night.  We are hoping this will be a tight game in the favor of the Seahawks. We do know the Seahawks do well on national television so we hope for the same.

Left tackle Duane Brown along with running back Rashaad Penny and cornerback Neiko Thorpe will be ready to play. Rashaad Penny and Thorpe were both out with hamstring injuries. Penny has been out the last two weeks while Thorpe missed three games. 

The Los Angeles will be without former Washington Huskies safety Taylor Rapp with an ankle injury. Also, linebacker Bryce Hager is out with a shoulder injury. Everyone else for both teams should be ready to go.

It will be especially nice to have Penny back to give Chris Carson some time off. Although Carson is the number one running back Penny gives the Seahawks more speed. Carson should get a lot of the carries; however, Penny will give them a different look when he comes in. We should still see CJ Prosise on many of the passing downs.

It will be important for the Seahawks offensive line to have a good game because the Rams have a very good defensive line and we don’t want Russell Wilson running for his life. Go Hawks!

Look At the Mariners’ Bullpen For 2019

The Seattle Mariners bullpen probably was one of the reasons the team won only 68 games for the season. So much that the team turned over the roster in the bullpen; none of the pitchers starting the season in the bullpen end the season in the bullpen.

Over the season the Mariners used 33 pitchers out of the bullpen. Cory Gearrin was the last pitcher who started the season with the Mariners but didn’t last. The Mariners put him on waivers August 23, and he was picked up by the New York Yankees. It turned out good for him because he is now in the playoffs. He led the Mariners in appearances at 48. He had a decent ERA of 3.92. Obviously, the Mariners staff didn’t feel he was part of the team’s future.

Hunter Strickland the Mariners signed as a free agent during the off-season to be the team’s closer, however, injuries early on in the season he ended up pitching in only four games for the Mariners. Shortly being activated off the injured list the Mariners traded him along with Roenis Elias to the Washington Nationals for three prospects. One of the prospects was Taylor Guilbeau who became the Mariner's left-handed specialist in the middle of August. Elias pitched in several roles in the Mariners’ bullpen including closer before the trade to the Nationals. He was tied for second in appearances for the Mariners at 44 games with Anthony Bass and Brandon Brennan. Actually had he not been hurt and on the injured list for a while, Brennan would have been the only reliever on the team for the season. The Mariners see him as a member of the bullpen for 2020.

The Mariners acquired Austin Adams from Washington Nationals on May 4. He became a bright spot in the Mariners’ bullpen with his enthusiasm. He did spend some time in July on the injured list. Also, near the end of the season, he was hurt once again. He is going have to undergo ACL surgery. So likely he will miss at least the early time of next season. The Mariners look to him to pitch in either the seventh or eighth inning for them.

The Mariners ended the season with 11 pitchers in the bullpen because of the expansion of the roster in September.  Many of those pitchers will compete to make the roster as one of the eight members of the bullpen. With the rosters expanding from 25 to 26 next year this will allow teams to carry eight relievers along with five starters. They will be able to have an additional infielder, outfielder, or catcher as well.

Besides the eleven pitchers ending the season in the bullpen the Mariners will likely acquire a few more pitchers during the off-season plus allowing some additional pitchers off their double-A Arkansas team to compete. In September Zac Grotz, Reggie McClain, and Art Warren spent time in Arkansas as well; so those three will be competing for spots along with several other pitchers.

Erik Swanson the Mariners acquired along with Justus Sheffield from the New York Yankees last off-season for James Paxton has a real shot to make the Mariners as a reliever. He has spent most of his career as a starter but showed the Mariners in September he can be a valuable piece of the bullpen.

Whether the Mariners have a winning record next season or not the bullpen will be much improved next year. They showed that in the second half of the season. It will be interesting to see if the Mariners will pick up a closer or go with one of the guys who are on the roster right now.  Matt Magill who the Mariners acquired from the Minnesota Twins on July 21 ended the season as the closer so he may get the shot as the closer when next season begins.

It will be interesting to see what the bullpen will look like next season. I expect a combination of veterans and youngsters. Go M’s.

Mariner Season Over Now to Analyze

The Seattle Mariners ended the season 68-94. Though the team was in rebuild mode I am not sure fans expected the team to have only 68 wins especially getting off to a 13-2 start.

Over the days ahead look at what they did and what we hope will happen next year.

I will begin with the starting pitching. Marco Gonzales had a solid season with a record of 16-13 with an ERA of 3.99. He could have had another win or two having pitched very well in his last two outings without any help by the offense.

Yusei Kikuchi didn’t have a very good season for his first one in the major leagues; however, everyone in the Mariner organization is hoping for success next year and beyond. He had to get acquainted with being in a new country, and the loss of his father.

Justus Sheffield came up to pitch for the Mariners when Mike Leake was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks at the end of July when the trading deadline ended. He shows promise though he wasn’t able to go more than five innings. We are expecting more from Sheffield next season. If he can get into the sixth innings more times than not and have a record around .500 it will be a good year.

Justin Dunn came up in September to make a few starts. He got off to a rocky start because of nervousness; however, he did show us what the future may look for him.

Wade LeBlanc and Tommy Milone both started early on in the season; however, manager Scott Servais and or general manager decided to go with an opener which was less successful than they would have liked. Both LeBlanc and Milone did OK at times but don’t show much to be on the team in the future. Except in the final game of the season, Milone came in after Dunn went a couple innings while LeBlanc was moved to the bullpen in September. They both might be invited back for spring training but I don’t see them making the team. If either does maybe as the fifth starter at the beginning of the season before Logan Gilbert is inserted into the starting lineup. Gilbert may start the season at double-A Arkansas or triple-A Tacoma if he isn’t on the Mariner staff. At some point, he will be there next year.

Erik Swanson who was part of the trade bringing over Justus Sheffield from the Yankees for James Paxton started early on in the season with mixed reviews. He was sent down to Tacoma in mid-June then returned on July 16. The Mariners used him as an opener a few times then moved him to the bullpen where he found success. The Mariners now will Swanson primarily in the bullpen. If he does start it would likely be as an opener or an injury causes one of the starters to be out for a period of time.

So the Mariners starters next season should be Gonzales, Kikuchi, Sheffield, Dunn, and Gilbert whether at the beginning of the season or during the season. The Mariners could acquire another starter whether by trade or free agency.

Next time I will look at the bullpen. In other news found out Monday pitching coach Paul Davis will be reassigned to another position within in the organization while third base coach Chris Prieto and bullpen coach Jim Brower contracts haven’t been renewed. Prieto worked with the outfielder as well. The outfield defensively didn’t go over well this season so not sure whether it was part of his dismissal; I will get into that when I write about the outfield. The bullpen wasn't much success for the most part though improved in the last half of the season. I will get into the bullpen on my next post about the Mariners.