It Is Getting Close

There are several things about to happen in sports here in Washington State that we could say it is getting close.

The Seattle Mariners beat the Indians two out of the three in Cleveland. The Mariners are now in Houston to play three games against the Astros. If they win at least two out of three in Houston it will mean they are closer to first place. Also, can they go on a long winning streak on this road trip? Will the bats come alive to score more runs? Are they ready to make a trade to bring Ben Revere to the Mariners?

The Seattle Seahawks have been going through OTA’s the last couple weeks. We would call them practice without pads. They are only a few weeks away from practicing with pads, and get ready for the season. Also are they close to signing quarterback Russell Wilson to a long term contract?

Yes the Mariners and Seahawks are good questions and answers to it are getting close; however, there is another event coming and that is the U.S. Open to Chambers Bay next week.

This I would call the biggest sport event in this area ever or for some time. It would be nice besides the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl two years ago if Century Link Field could host the Super Bowl. Of course, what would be really nice if the Mariners could finally play in the World Series. It is where Safeco Field would show the Mariners playing in the big series at least two games. I am sure the crowds would go crazy whether the Mariners won or not. It would be nice to see King Felix leading us in a parade through Seattle.

Though the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay will be an exciting event to see I am sure we will not see very many people going crazy until maybe it is over. It is an event that crowd noise is supposed to stay at a minimum. I would love it if some way the local golf fans decided to do things different by making a lot of noise. What can they do throw everyone out. It is something I would love to do in a library as well. Who’s bright was it to keep it quiet. I understand that during a shot it is important to stay quiet but if the player makes a great shot I think we should be able to go crazy. I know that other players may be in process of making a shot on another hole but they can always wait a few moments until the crowd dies down. Are we not getting close?

It is amazing that we have to be politically correct in what we say or do but can’t we sometimes do what we want. We are in America not in Europe. We are here because we wanted to have the freedom of choice. That should apply being in the library and the golf course.

The whole thing though if we do go crazy we may never have another chance to have a U.S. Open or another golf tournament; however, isn’t it worth the risk.

Time To Turn Things Around Guys

Before the season started the media and fans expected the Seattle Mariners to compete for the division title of the American League West along with the league, possibly play and win the World Series.

So far the Mariners have not competed for either the division or the league championship. If it were not for the Oakland A’s they would be dead last in their division.

In April the season started out where the team could not win because the pitching was bad. They were scoring at least four runs a game almost every game out but neither the starting nor relief pitching was working.  Finally in May the starting pitching was on a roll working just fine.  Before May was over the relief pitching was doing well except Danny Farquhar who was sent down to Triple A.  Two other relief pitchers were sent down as well who both have been traded away.  The only relief pitcher is having trouble now is closer Fernando Rodney who on last Friday June 5 gave up a home run to Tampa Bay in the ninth inning  which cost the Mariners another game losing 1-0. Now Rodney is no longer the closer for the time being until he gets his mechanics fixed.

Going into the last home stand that ended on Sunday June 7 the Mariners were able to get back to .500. Everything looked like they had a chance to get into second place, and possibly take over Houston; however, something happened where they only won two games on this eleven game home stand.

The pitching was good in the eleven games except the few times that Rodney pitched but scoring runs for the Mariners were rare. They did get runners on base. In fact several times had runners on third base with less than two outs and could not get them home.  They had bases loaded as well with no outs and could not get any runners out. I could not believe it at all. I thought even if they hit into a double play they would at least get one run.

Since his return from the disabled list and his ankle injury Austin Jackson has been playing some good baseball. On Saturday night June 6 a game I attended Jackson hit a home run to win the game 2-1. A few games earlier he was on base six times and I believe he scored only once.  The Friday night game that Rodney gave up the home run Jackson actually was on third base where the Mariners could have at least tied the score but he was left stranded.

One of the local newspaper columnists yesterday June 8 called the Mariners brain dead.  A friend of mine at the local coffee shop thought the writer was cruel but he was telling the truth.

Now the Mariners start a road trip in Cleveland. We can only hope things will get better; however, they start off facing last year Cy Young Award winner Kluber tonight June 9. They are on a eight game road trip before coming home for another eight games. Besides Cleveland they face Houston over the weekend followed by two games against the San Francisco Giants. They come home for two more games against the Giants followed by another weekend series against Houston followed by three games against the Kansas City Royals.

I would really like them to win five of the eight games in both of those series.  It will not be easy but if the pitching continues to be good and the hitting improves just a little bit the possibility is really there. The Mariners need to do well the rest of June and into July. I would really hate to have to spend more time on the Seahawks during the summer like the last several years.

Jackie Z brought in some good players especially Nelson Cruz who has done a better than expected job. In fact without him the record would be worse. Last we he traded for Mark Trumbo. So far he has not done well but I expect him to pick it up. With the acquisition of Trumbo the Mariners have improved the bottom of the batting order by moving down Logon Morrison and putting Brad Miller back full time at shortstop.

For the Mariner to get back into contention for the race Robinson Cano will need to get out of his funk. He shows without hitting at his normal rate the Mariners are not scoring runs with runners in scoring position. The Mariners do not have to big things just do the small things that will score runs.

Though I enjoy the Seahawks I want my focus on the Mariners until at least the regular season starts in September. In fact I prefer the Mariners to be at the fore front until November. Of course I will watch the Seahawks but they would not be my major passion. I would love to see the Mariners make the playoffs at the very least and the Seahawks going to another Super Bowl.  With the pitching of the Mariners the playoffs would give them a very good chance to make the World Series. Yes I still have hope; however, there is a possibility that Jack Z may have to pull off another trade. The most important thing is that Cano has to start working with Cruz and Seager. Go Mariners!

Nice Night at the Park

Saturday Night June 6 I made it to my first Mariner game of the season.  It was around 80 degrees; however, it was really nice because there was some sun out in the area of section 117 I was sitting in.

The sun lasted about the first couple innings and moved on though most of the park was out of it.

What I liked was the wind was blowing a little so it kept the temperature feeling cool. Though I like the sun I feel better when it is not direct in my eyes for very long.  Wearing my glasses helped out as well.

I entered Safeco Field on the right field side. Section 117 is really nice place to sit. I would recommend any around that section to have seats. You can see the action really well.

The early part of the game Felix Hernandez who was pitching for the Mariners was having some trouble; however, he was able to get out without Tampa Bay Rays scoring any runs. He threw about forty pitches in the first two innings. Unlike the previous game struggling with the pitches did not get to him. He was able to strike out batters and get some grounders in good fashion.

The Mariners won the game 2-1. Though a lot of runs were not scored at least the Mariners were able to get the victory, and end the seven game losing streak. We can only hope that they can start scoring more runs but at least the pitching has been real good.

The Mariners scored first, and the Rays tied the game when Felix threw a wild pitch. Zunino had trouble a few other times keeping the ball in front of him, and a few runners stole bases as well. Felix was good on his game after the second inning so he was able to get out any small skirmishes after that.

Willie Bloomquist had a good game playing at shortstop. Though he had not played a lot of games so far this season at shortstop he did a good job. It seemed under the circumstance of not playing a lot at short a lot of balls were hit to him. Also, he hit in the first run of the game.

The game was won in the bottom of the seventh when Austin Jackson hit a home run. He had another outstanding game. Also, he had a double earlier and got far as third base. His defense was solid as well. He has been playing well since he returned from his ankle injury. I told the gal next to me who is a big Austin Jackson fan and calls him AJ that maybe he should get hurt more often. Of course, I was just kidding.

Like I said Felix pitched an outstanding game overall though struggle early. He left the game after seven innings because he had thrown more than one hundred pitches. Mark Lowe pitched the eighth inning without a problem, and Carson Smith who received a standing ovation worked the ninth inning getting all three batters out. He received his first major league save.

The Mariners have decided to give Fernando Rodney a few days off from the closer role. According to Manager Lloyd McClendon that Carson Smith, Mark Lower, and Charlie Furbush will be three likely relievers to close for the Mariners until Rodney gets his mechanics fixed. Lloyd says that there is nothing wrong with Rodney physically just needs to work on his pitches. He should be back closing games in a few days.

We can hope that the Mariners can now start winning a few games in a row so they can get back into the race. Maybe today and the next road trip the Mariners can start scoring four runs and more. All these games on this home stand the Mariners have scored three runs or less.

I see the Mariners will do some winning as long as the pitching holds up, and get some timely hitting. It looks like they have a solid everyday lineup with getting Mark Trumbo from Arizona. It is a wonder what they will do with the bench but right now it the least of their problems. Go Mariners!

Mariners Release Ruggiano

On Thursday June 4 the Seattle Mariners released outfielder Justin Ruggiano after the trade for Mark Trumbo the day before. They had to bring up Jesus Sucre to replace Welington Castillo who was sent to Arizona as part of the trade.

I am sure like most Mariner fans were as surprised as I was with the release of Ruggiano. The Mariners had to remove Ruggiano, Weeks, or Ackley. To be honest I thought it would be Weeks. I knew likely Ackley would stay because he is a left handed batter and he would likely be used for defensive purposes.

Ruggiano is the best defensive player of the three and his bat is not too bad either. Not any worse than the others. For some reason Manager Lloyd McClendon did not like Ruggiano very well. He should have been used more when Austin Jackson was injured and he was out for about three weeks. Ruggiano was the best defensive outfielder next to Jackson but for some reason was not used much during that time.

McClendon did not give much of an answer why Ruggiano was released other than the extra outfielder will not play much. It is obvious that McClendon did not like Ruggiano for some reason.

I now see that within the next few weeks likely the Mariners bench will be totally changed except the return of Sucre. None of the other three players Bloomquist, Weeks, and Ackley are hitting at all. Weeks likely will DH against left handed pitching and pinch hit when necessary.  Person-ally I believe Franklin Gutierrez could do a better job in place of Weeks especially on the defensive side.

Ackley on the other hand has little purpose on the team now. He would only be used sparingly mainly as a defensive replace-ment for Seth Smith. He would be better traded to another team. Maybe he can get his career going with another team.

Willie Bloomquist only value is as a versatile player who can play multiple positions, and play defense. He now has very little value as a hitter. It would be best to replace him with someone younger who has the same skills, and can hit. He could still be good to keep if both Ackley and Weeks are replaced with better players. He could be used with his limited skills with upgrade in those two positions.

The trade for Trumbo upgraded the team for sure especially at the bottom of the batting order but the bench needs to be upgraded as well. I look forward to see what happens there.

The Mariners are losing a lot of close games so any upgrade even little could put them over the top in winning those close games. We know the pitching and defense will keep them in the games. It is nice to see the starters are doing well now, and the bullpen has been upgraded to get back to where it was last year. Go Mariners!

Mariners Make Trade for Trumbo

I was going to write about Rodney whom I will still do; however, the Mariners made a trade for Mark Trumbo today.  They gave up catcher Welington Castillo, Dominic Leone, and a couple minor leaguers to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Mariners received a pitcher left hander Vidal Nuno in the trade as well.  I don’t know much about him; however, the Mariners may use him as a starter along with long relief.

In this trade means that the Mariners likely will have Jesus Sucre returning as the backup catcher; he was the backup when the Mariners acquired Castillo just a couple weeks ago from the Chicago Cubs.

The Mariners will need to remove someone off the roster since two major leaguers were traded for Trumbo and Nuno. With the return of Sucre the Mariners likely will take off one of the extra outfielders. Since Willie Bloomquist is the only one who can play shortstop right now besides Brad Miller it will not be him.

It is sort of amazing in my eyes because last Saturday the Diamondbacks were playing the Milwaukee Brewers on Fox Sports 1. I thought at the time it would be really good if the Mariners could get Trumbo. He does strike out but does have power as well. The Mariners need help in the outfield. Trumbo is by far not a very good fielder but can play there well as first base. The Mariners really need someone with speed as well so they may be looking to making another trade. It is a possibility they could be trading Dustin Ackley soon.

It will be interesting to see where Trumbo will fit in the lineup. He could bat between Seager and Morrison especially against left handers. The Mariners could move Seager up to second in the batting order as well. I believe whatever happens it will help the Mariners at the bottom of the batting order whatever way they decide to go.

It does look like the days of Austin Jackson in leadoff is over. The last few days he is doing better not leading off. He could bat second against left handers and low in the batting order against right handers. What I like best is that Zunino is left as the only hitter batting below .200 in the lower third of the batting order where before they had three hitters Zunino, Ackley, and Taylor.

With the acquisition of Trumbo whoever is batting in seventh, eighth, and ninth in the order will not have as much pressure to produce. I believe that all the hitters need to relax and be themselves.

OK now to Fernando Rodney the Mariners closer. If you follow the Mariners at all you know that Rodney is not performing up to his normal level, and what the Mariners need him to do.

There are those who believe that Rodney should no longer be the closer. According to Manager Lloyd McClendon he is still the closer.  Many people by what I have read think that Carson Smith should be the closer. I am sure someday he likely will be but not right now. McClendon does not believe he is ready to take on the task as closer. The Mariners do not have anyone else who could fit the bill right now unless it is by committee.

I see the Mariners finishing off the current home stand with Rodney as closer. It is possible if he blows any more save situations in the remaining four games against Tampa Bay the Mariners could make a change at least temporarily.

I see that Rodney may need to take a couple weeks off as closer, and get back into the right frame of mind.  I could see the Mariners using Rodney in either the seventh or eighth inning. He has been used as a setup man in the past so it would not be unfamiliar territory for him. If the Mariners go by bullpen committee I could see Carson Smith faces tough right handers in the ninth inning, and either Charlie Furbush or Joe Beimel facing left handers.

The thing about closers is that often they go downhill very fast and never recover. Rodney being in the last year of a two year contract likely he will not return next season. The Mariners could be looking into getting another closer right now. Whoever that is anyone’s guess; again since closers go downhill fast no one real good is available at this time to take a chance on.

There is a possibility that the Mariners could go after getting a pitcher who is being used as a setup reliever now and is ready to move into being a closer but is being blocked right now on his current team.  

The Mariners just finished being swept by the New York Yankees. They do have Dellin Betances who is a setup right handed reliever who throws with a lot of power. Not sure if the Yankees would be willing to trade for him. The Mariners and Yankees have a history in making trades so the possibility could happen. I am sure the Mariners would have to give up a top prospect and more to get him.

I am sure that Jack Z. the Mariners general manager did some talking with the Yankees while they were town. Of course, you could say the same thing about Cleveland, and Tampa Bay. So we can say let’s stay tuned.

The Mariners do need to look toward the future what will happen in the bullpen whether it is at closer or not. It would be great if Carson Smith could stay at setup man for a few years while the Mariners get another closer.  All this is speculation of course. Go Mariners!

Tiger Woods in Town

I am sure the biggest event in Pierce County ever at Chambers Bay golf course happens in two weeks.

Today Tiger Woods arrived in town take some shots on the course to get ready for the U.S. Open. He arrived by his private plan at Narrows Airport which happens to be only five minutes from where I live. Of course, if I had known I would have gone to the airport to see him come in.

Last week Phil Mickelson came in for a day to do the same thing as Tiger. It does make sense that they have some idea how the course works. Mickelson played nine rounds and I am sure Tiger is doing the same thing.

I am sure other golfers will come and check it out before the tournaments happens. It is possible that some have already showed up but not the names like Mickelson and Woods.

I do not have a pass or a ticket to any days of the tournament so I will be watching like most everyone else. I do know several people that will be working as volunteers during the U.S. Open.  My friend Art will be working security at the 8^th hole. So if you happen to be going say hi to Art. Another friend will be serving drinks primarily to the golfers which seems to be a great job to have. I am sure he will get in some good talks with them.

The U.S. Open will be the best thing to happen in this area for some time. I am sure it will benefit greatly financially. I know that people are renting out homes to those coming into town.

Here in my home town of Gig Harbor there are a lot of awesome homes that I am sure will have people staying in them including golfers themselves.  In fact my old neighborhood on the east side of Gig Harbor has really great places.  Also, there are some good places in University Place where Chambers Bay golf course is at along with nearby Lakewood.

I am sure that people will be talking about the tournament for years to come. In fact, it would be nice if everything goes well that a regular tournament would come to Chambers Bay every year.  This place would be a great to host a tournament every year. I am sure that there are other courses in the area that would love to host a tournament especially closer to Seattle.

The weather here in the northwest is wonderful especially in the summer and early fall. It could host a tournament in September if the PGA tour has an opening. People here would really be up for it.  The PGA will find that out with the U.S. Open.

The Seattle area is really big on sports especially when it comes to winning sports. You can see that with the Seahawks with their recent success going to the Super Bowl two years in a row. Also, the Mariners do really well when they have winning baseball though it hasn’t happened a lot lately.

Anyway, I will be looking at going to the Narrows Airport to see any golfers coming in. It is one really nice airport for small planes.  

Mariners Going the Wrong Way

I am sure that all of us Mariner fans were hoping that our team had turned the corner coming home after sweeping the Rays in Tampa Bay. The problem the Mariners decided to go the wrong way and lose three out of four games to the Cleveland Indians.

The one game the Mariners won on Friday night would have been a game we may have expected to lose since TaiJuan Walker was pitching and we never know how he will go. Fortunately the Mariners got Walker’s best performance of his career. The Mariners may have been swept by the Indians instead.

The positive side is the Mariners now get to go against the New Yankees who they seem to almost always do good against, and they have their ace King Felix Hernandez pitching the first game of the series. He is always good to end a losing streak.

The thing about the series against the Indians is that they did not come in and beat up on the Mariners they just found a way to win. Actually the Mariners in some ways were lucky to be still in Sunday’s game because Cleveland had a whole lot of hits but could not find a way to score. Some of it had to do with some really good plays the Mariners made on defense like the one Logan Morrison made a double play. He caught a difficult hit down the first base line, and he was able to throw home to get the runner after touching the first base bag. Seeing the replay it was something else.

Again the problem the Mariners had was bringing home runners; however, the team had few hits on Sunday as well. Saturday the Mariners lost in the same fashion not driving in runners. In some ways I do not remember the game that well except that the bullpen did a really good job keeping them in the game. OH yeah I know I did not see most of the game I was at barbeque; however, I was able to see last few innings. I know that Roenis Elias went only five and a third innings; the bullpen did not give up any runs. Manager Lloyd McClendon said that though Elias did not pitch one of his best games he at least kept them in the game. Other words he was saying the offense did not come through again.

It looks to me like the Mariners need to make a change or two to the team. They now have played fifty games which we have been told a magic number to evaluate the team. Generally the team is good in the bullpen but the starting pitching needs help. Losing Paxton to an injury did not help out at all but with the way Walker is going up and down we do need more depth in the starting pitching.

Another area we all know because everyone of Mariner fans have been talking about for a few weeks is the offense and the bench plays. Oh yes we can’t forget the bottom of the batting order. First of all Robinson Cano is not playing up to what a superstar is expected to do but even so he is not the major problem since Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager are picking up the slack. The bottom of the order what is hurting the Mariners most of all. Dustin Ackley is playing very good defense especially lately but the Mariners are not getting any production out of left field. Even using Ruggiano or Weeks has not helped either though I do not think they are playing enough as well. Since Ackley isn’t producing offensively the Mariners need to use more of Ruggiano and Weeks in left field. In the case of Weeks maybe more at designated hitter; they should use Seth Smith some in left while Nelson Cruz in right field. This should be the best way to go when Cruz is not designated hitter. Cruz is sort of limited in range to playing right field so maybe he should play left field instead. So maybe turn it around and have Ruggiano along with Smith playing right field which is what we thought would happen coming out of spring training. Anyway the Mariners need a steady player in left field.

I am not sure what else to say except a few little changes will help the Mariners in the long run. I am not sure whether Castillo is the solution as the backup catcher either. Although it would help if either he or Zunino could hit for an average of .200; not good when seven through nine are all under that magic number. I won’t mention it again for a little while unless a change does happen. We can only hope. Hopefully the Yankees will help us out along with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Mariners can still salvage a winning record on this home stand. Go Mariners!