Orioles Win Over Mariners

Right now the Mariners don’t look like a very good baseball team. Actually it has been going on for a while you could say back to the all-star break in July.

The culprit this time like many was the offense and middle relief. The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Robinson Cano hit a home run but they couldn’t score any more runs until late in the game.

Wade LeBlanc who pitched an outstanding game went six innings giving up six hits, 1 walk and striking out four. I heard fans criticizing manager Scott Servais for taking out LeBlanc when he only through sixty-eight pitches. I am sure Servais reason was he wanted to keep LeBlanc’s innings at this mark to be able to use him the rest of the season. It does sound reasonable however the Mariners are in a playoff race and what is usual should not be happening. Other words I believe you have to go with the best pitchers no matter how long until they are eliminated from the playoffs. Since he had only thrown sixty-eights he should have gone one more inning. Servais could have the bullpen ready if LeBlanc gave up a hit in the seventh inning this way he could turn it over to Alex Colome and Edwin Diaz.

Adam Warren came in the seventh inning however he gave up three hits and one run without getting an out. Lefty specialist Zach Duke didn’t do much better giving up a one run in a third of an inning. Nick Vincent who has had a poor season himself gave up a hit but did finish off the seventh inning. So at this point the Orioles were leading 4-1. The way the Mariners offense has been going as of late that is hard deficit to overcome.

The offense did give them a chance in the eighth inning scoring two runs  that included another hit by Cano who actually had three in the game. Nelson Cruz got a single then Cano came home on a Ryon Healy rbi. The Mariners had the bases loaded but only were able to bring Nelson Cruz across the plate. So the score at that point was 4-3 but the Orioles score another run in the ninth but the Mariners weren’t able to produce any more runs. So the final was 5-3.

Right now the Mariners are a five hundred team at best which means unless the offense comes alive and the bullpen besides Colome and Diaz can do the job then they will be home for the playoffs. Diaz by the way was named reliever of the month once again.

Before the game Dee Gordon asked the media to leave the clubhouse because of a scuffle happening in the clubhouse. No details about who was involved however the game showed it didn’t help the offense or bullpen that is for sure; it would be nice though that this turn into something positive the rest of the season. I just hope that I can write positive posts about the Mariners then the same things happening most recently. Go M’s.  

Mariners Need To Find Offense

 

For the second half of the season at least the Seattle Mariners have struggled madly in trying to score runs. In fact right now they are 12^th in the American League in runs scored over the full season. It isn’t like they aren’t getting batters on base because they are 5^th in the AL in batting average they just can’t bring the runners home.

Monday night playing against the Baltimore Orioles in Seattle Mariners did win the game but scored only two runs in a 2-1 victory and had only five hits. Of those five hits two were triples by Cameron Maybin and Mitch Haniger however they were able to score only Maybin who came home on a sacrifice fly to left field by Dee Gordon. Haniger along with Segura, Cruz and Healy are the only ones really producing right now. Healy drove in Cano who walked for the first run of the game in the fourth inning for the Mariners after the Orioles scored their only run of the game. The winning run by Maybin took place in the fifth inning so the doubt of who would win was still intact fortunately the bullpen were able to take care of the Orioles who happen to be a good hitting team though they have the worst record in the AL. The Mariners were unable to get no more than five hits off the Orioles who have one of the worst pitching staffs in the AL.

Kyle Seager continues to struggle like he has most of the season at the plate. At times he looks like he doesn’t know what he is doing at all. In the past thirty games he is batting .181 and as low as .148 in the last fifteen. According to general manager Jerry Dipoto he is being kept in the lineup to see if he can snap out of his slump since he has been a chore member of the lineup for a long time however I think they need to give him at least a couple games off to get his head back in. The problem is that it has affected his fielding at times as well. It wouldn’t be a big problem either if it wouldn’t be for the fact the hitters around him except Ryon Healy are struggling at the plate right now as well and the Mariners are trying to make the playoffs at the same time. I would look at starting Robinson Cano or Ryon Healy at third base for the remaining two games against the Orioles plus the off-day on Thursday then put Seager back in on Friday night against the Yankees to see if that helps at all.

It amazes me that managers or even in the case of the Mariners keep players in the lineup that are struggling at the plate without giving them a few days off. If the Mariners were not in the playoff race then that would totally be different but that is not the case with them. Right now the Mariners would have to win quite a few of their remaining twenty-four games to get into the wild card. In fact I would have to say winning fourteen of those games probably won’t be enough unless the A’s at the same time wins only eight game which is unlikely as well. Winning fourteen games would give the Mariners a good season of ninety-one wins however not make the playoffs anyway. Although it would be a good season for the first time in a long time for the Mariners they would still not make the playoffs and that is the point isn’t after all.

So right now the Mariners have to go with their hottest hitters in the lineup though not many along with the pitching doing well to have the chance to make it. The offense right now makes it very unlikely for them to make it so these guys have to rise to another level to make it which I hope they do so.

Regardless what happens the remaining twenty-four games with a good record Jerry Dipoto will have another busy off-season to add and improve the team. I am sure that is obvious to any Mariner fan that is for sure to plug some holes. In the meantime let’s enjoy the rest of the season. Go M’s.

A's Even Series

We were all hoping that the Seattle Mariners would win the final game of the series on Sunday so they take 3 out of 4 games but that didn’t happen. The problem had to do with the offense and the bullpen again like what has happened over the last several weeks.

Felix Hernandez pitched well the first five innings however like in many of his starts the offense scored only one run in the first inning. Right fielder Piscotty hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to tie the game at 1-1. The sixth inning was Felix and the Mariners downfall where the A’s scored four runs. In part the problem was that Mike Zunino had a pass ball and Felix a wild pitch that lead to the A’s 5-1. At that point it didn’t look good for them because not sure if the offense could come back. In the top of the eighth inning the Mariners did score a run to make it 5-2 though they did have the opportunity to score even more runs. All the Mariner relievers had to do is keep a hold so the Mariners had some chance to score in the ninth inning however James Pazos just called up from Tacoma gave up a single and a walk then was replace by Justin Grimm who came up as well with Pazos gave up a three-run home run to Piscotty to make the score 8-2 and that was it.

Shows to me that Scott Servais should only rely on the pitchers in the bullpen who have been there most of the season; if they were not in the playoff race than I would say go for it but not now. Also would change if the Mariners are mathematically out of the race as well. The Mariners have won seventy-six games and are fifteen games above five hundred because the duo of Colome and Diaz in the eighth and ninth innings. The rest of the bullpen has mostly been down though they have had their moments at times. The success now will have to rely on the starting rotation going at least six innings and the top of the lineup. Outside of Ryon Healy who is hitting well right now and Ben Gamel the bottom of the lineup has holes in it. Earlier in the season the success the whole lineup was doing well except Zunino. The Mariners need to find another catcher in the off-season to work alongside Zunino.  He has shown over the last several years except for a short period of time he isn’t going to hit the ball on a consistent basis with an occasional home run.

Now the Mariners take on the Baltimore Orioles in a three game series starting Monday in Seattle followed by three against the Yankees next weekend. It will be important that the Mariners take all the games or at least five of six to have any more chance to make the playoffs. Facing the Orioles at the same time the Yankees will be in Oakland to take on the A’s. The Mariners will need the Yankees to sweep that series at the same time the Mariners do the same to the Orioles.

Mariners Looking To Take Series

Sunday the Seattle Mariner can see if they can take the series against the Oakland A’s. Saturday the Mariners looked like they were going to take the third game real easy being ahead 8-1 going into the fifth inning when the A’s scored two runs to make it 8-3. Still looked good going into the bottom of the eighth inning when Alex Colome pitching for the first time in a week gave up four runs including a solo home run Khris Davis 40^th of the season. It always seems like he gets all of his home runs when playing the Mariners though it isn’t true but many of them anyway. Actually this year he doesn’t seem to hit as many. I don’t think the Mariners have given up as many as last year.

Edwin Diaz came in the eighth inning with two outs and finishes the game off for his 51^st save. It was a week since his last save. It is something else how many one run saves that he has had this season and how many of them where he had to come in after the Mariners were leading by at least three runs because of the bullpen. I don’t blame Colome really because the Mariners should have pitched him earlier in the week. I believe every pitcher in the bullpen other than possibly a long reliever needs to pitch at least twice a week.

Sunday Felix Hernandez takes the mound for the Mariners. This will be his second start since back in the rotation after he replaced James Paxton was hit in the forearm that landed him on the disabled list. Paxton pitched Saturday for the first time since the mishap going five innings giving up two hits walking four batters and striking out ten. He gave up two of his three runs in the fifth inning when he was tiring out. Bradford, Duke and Vincent all pitched well before Colome came into the game. So Mariners let’s take care of them Sunday afternoon so then they will be three and a half games behind the A’s in the standings.

Opening of NW Football

While the Seattle Seahawks were getting their roster down to 53 players the northwest colleges were playing their first games of the season. The Washington Huskies played the big game of the four northwest Pac-12 teams taking on Auburn back in Atlanta Georgia. The games was competitive however the Huskies ended up losing 21-16. The difference in the game was that Auburn was able to score a touchdown in the 4th quarter while the Huskies were only able to get a field goal along with the fact that the Huskies made too many errors especially having opportunities to score. The positive side though the Huskies are still in the running for the national championship series but they would have to win all the remaining games on the schedule. Next Saturday they take on North Dakota in Seattle followed by Utah on the road in two weeks. Other then the errors in the game they will win both those games if they play the same as against Auburn. Myles Gaskin led the Huskies in rushing with seventy-nine yards that gave him the all-time career rushing for the Huskies going passed Napoleon Kauffman. Jake Browning threw for 296  yards with one touchdown  18 completions in 32 throws. Not bad at all in the first game against a good opponent. Receiver Aaron Fuller had the most catches and yardage with 7 for 135 yards however it was Quinten Pounds who scored the only touchdown on his only reception of 13 yards. I am sure next week against North Dakota the offense will be more crisp along with the defense.

The Washington State Cougars had their opening game at the same time as the Huskies against Wyoming. winning 41-19. The game actually was close until the fourth quarter when the Cougars scored twenty-one points to the Cowboys zero. The Cougars got the initial lead of the game in the first quarter scoring a field goal and then a touchdown then the Cowboys came up with a safety so the Cougars led at the end of the first quarter 10-2. The Cowboys got a touchdown to close with in one point in the second quarter than the Cougars had a field goal but the Cowboys had another touchdown to lead at half time 16-13. Wyoming had a field goal in the third quarter then Cougars had a touchdown to take another one run lead at 20-19. The Cougars dominated the fourth scoring three touchdowns including the last one with forty-four seconds left in the game. Gardner Minshew was the starting quarterback for the Cougars. It wasn't known by the public until the Cougars took the field. He threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns. The Cougars also had two running touchdowns as well.  The next two games the Cougars will be at home playing next Saturday against San Jose State followed by Eastern Washington. Both of those games should be high scoring since San Jose State and Eastern Washington are known for their offenses doing so well as the Cougars.

The Oregon Ducks had an offense explosion beating Bowling Green 58-24. The big quarter was the second for the Ducks when they scored thirty points to take a half time lead of 37-17. They scored fourteen in the third and seven in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Justin Herbert rushed for a touchdown along with throwing five other ones. The Ducks had to come back after being down ten to nothing in the first quarter. The Ducks take on Portland State next week followed by San Diego State.

The Oregon State Beavers had to take on a big program in Ohio State and as suspected lost however big time 77-31. Basically that is all you can say about that game. The third quarter was only quarter that the Beavers outscored the Buckeyes 17-14. They take on Southern Utah next Saturday followed  by Nevada the following week. Hopefully things will go much better for the Beavers the next two weeks.

Now to look at the Seattle Seahawks roster going into the first regular season game next Sunday in a couple surprise moves they put quarter Austin Davis and cornerback Byron Maxwell on the injured reserve list which means both will miss the whole season. I would have thought that Seahawks waive Davis and Maxwell instead. Among those waived by the Seahawks were veteran linebacker D.J. Alexander, last year's third round pick wide receiver Amara Darboh, cornerback Mike Tyson sixth round pick of last year. and seventh round pick this year quarterback Alex McGough who might return on the practice squad. The Seahawks put on tight end Ed Dickson signed as a free agent to the reserved/non-football injury. They acquired tight end Darrell Daniels from the Indianapolis Colts for wide receiver Marcus Johnson and safety Shalom Luani from the Oakland Raiders for a seventh round pick of next year.

The breakdown of the Seahawks roster as it looks now two quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and newly acquired Brett Hundley from the Green Bay Packers, six backs including fullback Tre Madden and J.D McKissic who will start the season injured, five receivers in Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, veteran Brandon Marshall, Jaron Brown who played for the Arizona Cardinals up to this year and David Moore who was on the practice squad last year, three tight ends including Daniels who they just picked up from the Colts, Nick Vannett, rookie Will Dissly from the University of Washington, nine offensive lineman, ten defensive lineman, six linebackers including rookie Shaquem Griffin the twin brother of cornerback Shaquill Griffin,  five cornerbacks and four safeties still without Earl Thomas. The Seahawks go with Sebastian Janikowski at placekicker, Mike Dickson at punter and long snapper Tyler Ott at long snapper. The look at the Seahawks roster at this time.

NFL Cutdown and College Football Begin

The Seattle Seahawks and the rest of the NFL are trimming their rosters down to fifty-three players by mid Saturday after while the University of Washington Huskies will be taking on Auburn in a couple hours and the Washington State Cougars take on Wyoming . 

I will have a break down of how both games later today took place and who the Seahawks released and put on the can't perform list as well. The Seahawks will probably pick up a few players as well who were released or make a trade too. It will be interesting to see how many running backs the Seahawks keep and whether they will keep a full back or not. Most likely they will have one of the three tight ends they keep will be the fullback when necessary. Also how many receivers, defensive backs, linebackers and lineman on both sides of the ball. I would not be surprised if the Seahawks pickup someone who can rush the quarterback. 

The Huskies game maybe their best opener they have ever have played. We will have an idea how good they will pay when taking on Auburn. For the Cougars it will be interesting to see who will end up starting at quarterback. At this point no one has been named the starter. Wide receiver they will going likely with eight often with four in the game at the same time. It will be interesting to see how well their defense will be this year. It maybe difficult to tell playing against a team like Wyoming in the first game out. The Huskies are favored to win the Pac-12 however it will be nice to see the Cougars have a good spot in the conference as well. Until next time enjoy the football 

A's Even Series with Mariners

Friday Night’s game between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland A’s started out like Thursday’s except in reversal. Friday night the A’s were able to get five runs in the first inning after the Mariners went down one, two, and three. It looked hopeless at the time when the Mariners really need another win to stay in the race. In the second inning they took a baby step scoring a single run by catcher Chris Herrmann with two outs driving in Nelson Cruz who lead the inning off with a single.

In the fourth inning Cano and Cruz hit home runs back to back and then after a single by Kyle Seager the game was tied on a home run by Ryon Healy to make it 5-5. The A’s added on a single run in the fifth off Mariner starter Mike Leake. At the time I thought that Leake should have been removed in the bottom of the fourth inning but he didn’t give up a run that inning though he gave one up in the fifth inning then Adam Warren came in to finish off the fifth and pitched the sixth inning as well when he gave up another run.

The reason I thought Leake should have been taken out of the game in the fourth inning because the Mariners had come back to tie the game and he hadn’t pitched well. The Mariners I believe left him in because they didn’t have a long reliever available for this game though I would have brought in Warren then for a couple innings since they are in a playoff game or at least when Leake gave up another hit.

The big problem though was that the Mariners offense was not able to get any more runs off the A’s relievers.  Starter Mike Fiers was taken out in the fourth inning after giving up the four runs that inning with two outs. In the five and one-third innings the Mariners offense were only able to scrap two hits. They actually came in the eighth and ninth inning which did give some hope to see if the Mariners could come back to tie or go ahead in the game.

The positive thing coming in this game was that the Mariners offense were able to come back to tie the game to give them a chance to win the game. Although they were unable to add on they at least made the A’s pitch the backend of their bullpen in this game so on Saturday this could be an advantage to the Mariners. It is very important that the Mariners win both of these two remaining games in the series to have any chance to make the playoffs.

Now being September the Mariners will be able to call up some players to the roster. I just hope that they won’t need to use any of them unless the Mariners have a large lead. Now we will see what the team is made in these next two games and going forward. Go M’s.