Astros Swept

I am sure we are all surprised that the Mariners swept the Astros in a four game series. It is one of the hardest things to do no matter how good or bad the other team is however the Mariners did it in fine fashion.

The Astros have what most would call the best five-man starting rotation in the major leagues and the Mariners faced their top four pitchers.

What made the sweep amazing beyond the fact they were able to score some runs against the Astros the Mariners starts were able to match up with them. In the first game the Mariner hitters were able get to Justin Verlander early scoring six runs in the first two innings making him an early exit.

A breakdown of the pitching in the series the Mariners scored total of twenty runs with fifteen of them against the starters. So the Astros bullpen which was the questionable part of the pitching gave up only five runs.  The Mariner pitchers gave up a total of thirteen in the series with 8 runs and half of those were by James Paxton in game number one in five and two-third innings. Mike Leake and Wade LeBlanc each gave up two runs in their starts with Leake going six innings and LeBlanc five. The biggest surprise was in the final game of the series Erasmo Ramirez making his first start of the season coming off rehab and pitching in Felix’s spot shut out the Astros in five innings. The fifth inning was the inning he had the hardest time however was able to get through it.

The Mariners’ bullpen gave up five runs in fourteen and a third innings. Two runs in the first game and then three runs in the final game. The two middle games they didn’t give up a run at all. Edwin Diaz got a save in all four games. The last pitcher to get four saves in a four game series was Joe Nathan when he was with the Minnesota Twins in 2004; quite an accomplishment for sure.

Another big story of the series was Scott Servais changed the lineup around including inserting Mitch Haniger in the leadoff spot. It all started off with Haniger leading off the first game of the series hitting a home run off of Verlander. It was awesome the rest of the way. In total he had nine hits in seventeen at bats and drove in four runs. Not bad for first four games leading off. I am sure we will see him at leadoff in the Oakland A’s. As long as he is hitting well I am sure we will see him in that spot.

Sunday’s game the Mariners hero in the 4-3 victory was Ryon Healy who hit a home run to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the ninth after the Astros scored all three runs of theirs in the eighth inning. He then drove in the winning run with a single in the top of the tenth inning. What an exciting way to finish off the Astros.

The Mariners now go to Oakland to take on the A’s still a game and a half behind them. The Mariners will be able to come closer if they can win at least two of the three games. They do that they are a half a game behind the A’s while they sweep the A’s they will trade spots and have a game and a half lead over them. While the Mariners and A’s play the Astros will be at home against the Colorado Rockies for two games. Of course we will be rooting for the Rockies. The Astros then will go to Oakland next weekend while the Mariners will be home to play the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Astros then will come to Seattle next week to play the Mariners Monday thru Wednesday. We are hoping at that point the race between the Mariners, Astros and A’s will be real tight. I am sure the stands will be filled with big crowds for those six games. Go M’s.

Three and One To Go

I am sure everyone is surprised that the Mariners now have beaten the Astros three times with a chance of a sweep on Sunday afternoon. Erasmo Ramirez is expected to make his first start of the season for the Mariners in the place of Felix Hernandez.

Since it is his first start and coming for rehab starts in the minors I believe that Ramirez will not pitch any more than five innings depending on his pitch count. I expect that Felix Hernandez will be the first one to come out of the bullpen to pitch depending on the score.

Wade LeBlanc went five innings for the Mariners giving up two runs on three hits all in the second inning when second baseman Yuli Gurriel hit a single than right fielder Josh Reddick hit a double and then first baseman Tyler White drove them both in on a single.

The Mariners scored their three runs in the fourth inning when they had four straight hits beginning with Nelson Cruz single followed by Kyle Seager had a double to drive him in, catcher Chris Herrmann hit a triple to bring in Seager and Ryon Healy drove in Herrmann with a single.

Nick Vincent came in the sixth inning and went one and a third innings then left specialist Zach Duke got one out and then Adam Warren came in for him to finish off the seventh. Alex Colome pitched the eighth inning. He did struggle giving up two hits and a walk before getting through without giving up a run.

Edwin Diaz came in the ninth to seal the victory striking out two batters and getting his forty-fifth save.

Since Colome and Diaz each pitched in all three wins against the Astros I don’t expect either one to pitch in Sunday’s game. I expect the most likely closer would be James Pazos who hasn’t pitched since Wednesday against the Texas Rangers. No one else would look like the choice to close the game if necessary.

The Mariners have a record of 68-50 now being five games behind the Astros and a game and a half behind the A’s. Depending on how things go today the Mariners will have three games in Oakland against the A’s so could be in a good place if they can sweep the A’s. Go M’s.

Mariners Do It Again

The Seattle Mariners had another giant hill to climb on Friday against the Houston Astros. They were facing Gerrit Cole who was having a very good season for the Astros. In his last outing against the Mariners he was pitching a no-hitter for much of the game until the Mariners were able to score runs against him.

The same again happen on Friday night in a manner of speaking. The game was zero to zero until the bottom of the fifth inning when the Astros scored two runs off of Mike Leake however the Mariners were able to come back and score two runs of their own in the top of the sixth inning. In the end those were the only runs that the Astros scored in the game.

Mike Leake again was able to go toe to toe with one of the Astros top pitchers. Because of his pitch count at ninety-seven at the end of six the Mariners went to the bullpen in the seventh inning with Adam Warren. Although he had some problems giving up a hit and a walk he was able to get out of the seventh without giving up a run.

In the top of the eighth with the bases loaded Nelson Cruz hit a double to bring in Mitch Haniger and Jean Segura while Denard Span went to third base. He scored on a grounder that Kyle Seager hit to the second base. Span was running on contact so Astros had no chance to get him out at home plate. So the score was 5-2 going into the bottom of the eighth which turned out to be the winning score. Alex Colome and Edwin Diaz were able to finish off the game with Diaz recording his forty-fourth save of the season. Also it was the first time this season a team was able to beat Justin Verlander and Cole back to back.

In other news manager Scott Servais announced that Felix Hernandez has been moved to the bullpen. What his role is not defined yet but may take a little time because of how a reliever must warmup before a game. The Mariners haven’t announced yet who will pitch on Sunday but Servais that the pitcher likely will go only four or five innings before going to the bullpen. There is a possibility that Felix could be used on Sunday as well. I believe that could depend on the score in the game as well.

Saturday’s game will be another tough one for the Mariners in the same manner as the two previous games and of course we hope that the game turns out in the same way. The Mariners will have Wade LeBlanc going for them and he will be facing Charlie Morton who has a record of 12-2 with an era of 2.81. Like the previous two games the Mariners will have to pick their spots to score some runs and that LeBlanc will have to keep them in the game just like Paxton and Leake. We hope that the Mariners can pull this game out as well. Since the Mariners will need the use of the bullpen on Sunday I see LeBlanc having to go as long as he can regardless of how he is pitching. If the Mariners can get seven innings out of him with a close score than the Mariners will have a good chance in winning this game to. Go M’s.

Seahawks Lose Pre-Season Opener

The Seattle Seahawks lost the first pre-season game Thursday Night 19-17 in really a meaningless game. The defense showed not to bend most of the time giving up four field goals and a touchdown while Seahawks scored two touchdowns and a field goal.

The first touchdown had the most meaning because it was in the first possession of the game for the Seahawks. The Colts went down the field first as the Seahawks won the toss but decided to kick off first which is common for them. The Seahawks offense looked good with quarterback Russell Wilson scrambling though it was more because no one was open instead of being rushed by the Colt’s defense. Chris Carson started at running back however first round pick Rashaad Penney saw action too in that drive. They both looked good running the ball. At least for the first time anyway the first string offensive line did a fine job.

Besides Russell Wilson and the offense doing well rookie linebacker Shaquem Griffin had a fine game as well. I didn’t watch much of the second half however I did like the work of the defensive line as well. I hope that they are able to rush the quarterback frequently. Although sacking the quarterback looks exciting I am up for rushing them in a manner they have to throw the pass sooner so that causes more interceptions. Getting the ball back in my mind is more important to me in good field position or getting a touchdown. A sack that causes a fumble is good to. I just want to see the defense not have too many penalties. Of course that goes for the offense as well since penalties can cause the ball to go back to the other team.

Next week the Seahawks play the Chargers in Los Angeles on national television. We should expect Russell Wilson and the first team offense going at least two possessions or going for most of the first half. Usually the third game is where we see more of them. It will be interesting to see who shines more on the team of the newcomers. Go Hawks!  

Mariners Beat Verlander

I am sure most Mariner fans were like me Thursday night hoping that the Mariners would find a way to win the opening game of the four against the Astros in Houston.

Our surprise came early because the Mariners scored right off the bat with Mitch Haniger hitting a home run leading off the game followed a triple by Denard Span, a double by Segura and a single by Nelson Cruz. I read later this is the first time in the history of the major leagues a team hit a cycle in reverse. The score was 3-0 at the end of the first.

It was not only the first time Haniger hit a home run leading off a game it was the first time he hit in the lead-off spot. In the end he had four hits and missed the cycle by not hitting a triple. The same went for Segura and Denard Span missed the cycle by not hitting a double.

In the second inning Span hit a home run with two outs with Haniger on base and was followed by Segura with a solo home run so just like that the Mariners were up 6-0.

Verlander was only able to last the two innings and was replaced by Brad Peacock who went two innings as well however he didn’t give up a run on two hits. The Astros though did score a couple runs in the third inning to make the score 6-2. The Mariners extended the lead to 8-2 in the sixth inning however the Astros scored two runs of their own in the bottom of the same inning to make it 8-4.

The game was nervous I know because James Paxton wasn’t his normal self and he did have some struggle. He left the game in the bottom of the sixth after the Astros scored the two runs. The Astros had the bases loaded and Paxton wasn’t able to strike out the batter. The ball was narrowly caught by second baseman Dee Gordon. Nick Vincent replaced Paxton with two outs. He was able to get the final out in the sixth inning but gave up a run in the seventh inning. He was replaced with runners on base by Alex Colome who with one pitched had a grounder that ended the inning. Colome was able to give up no hits or runs in the eighth inning with the score at the time 8-5.

I was thinking in the seventh inning the bullpen can’t blow this game the Mariners had such a large lead off of Verlander. Edwin Diaz came in the ninth inning picking up his forty-third save however he did give up a solo home run to Tyler White making the final score 8-6. Although I was nervous it was nice to see the team win the first game of the series.

The Mariners will have Mike Leake going for them on Friday night against right hander Gerrit  Cole who has a record of 10-4 with an era of 2.64 and his last outing against the Mariners he nearly pitched a no-hitter. We only hope that the Mariner hitters learned something from that experience.

Whatever happens the rest of this series at least the Mariners were able to win the first game of the series. The Mariners did recall a couple of pitchers from Tacoma in Casey Lawrence and Nick Rumbelow while Chasen Bradford was optioned to Tacoma. I expect one or both of them will be ready on Sunday when Felix Hernandez is scheduled to pitch. Not sure whether Felix will start or not however the Mariners will have them ready to go early in the game if necessary.

I expect this new lineup with Mitch Haniger leading off followed by Denard Span and Jean Segura will happen again on Friday Night since it was such a success. The Mariners do face three right handers in a row until Sunday when Dallas Keuchel goes for the Astros.

We now hope for more success by the Mariners before heading to Oakland to face the A’s on Tuesday when Robinson Cano is expected to be reactivated form his suspension as well.

Thursday Night Football

Well it has finally arrived pre-season football for the Seattle Seahawks after being in camp for two weeks. I am sure the players are looking forward to hitting someone else besides their teammates.

The Seahawks will have another look on their team with a number of changes to the roster plus new starters. I look forward to seeing how the offense looks now that Brian Schottenheimer is the offensive coordinator. Chris Carson looks to be the one to start at running back ahead of first round pick Rashaad Penny. I am sure we will see plenty of both during the pre-season; whatever the case the Seahawks should be in better hands over last season.

I will find it interesting if the offensive line will be better this year over last season. If not it will be a long season again for the offense and quarterback Russell Wilson. One improvement is that left tackle Duane Brown will be around all season which should help the line out. The big question will be the right tackle on the other side German Ifedi continues to have trouble going off-sides and other penalties as well. Right now he isn’t having any favors with head coach Pete Carroll. George Fant who is backing up Duane Brown and missed all of last season because of injury may have a chance to see what he can do on the right side.

The only player we most likely won’t see during the whole pre-season is wide receiver Doug Baldwin who is hurt. We will probably see him when the regular season begins. Jaron Brown who has played his whole NFL career with rival Arizona we will probably see starting in Baldwin’s spot. Tyler Lockett we will probably see on the other side starting at receiver. We will see a number of other receivers as well.

I look forward to seeing the whole defensive side of the ball to. It will be especially interesting to see the Griffin twins in the game at the same time. There will be a lot of competition on the defensive side especially on the line. No longer having Michael Bennett who is now with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cliff Avril now retired along with Dion Jordon being hurt not knowing how long he will be out Frank Clark is the most experienced player out there and who knows how he will play with new players on his side.

No news on Earl Thomas other than he still isn’t in camp and when he will report or be traded. The competition there will be interesting as well since Kam Chancellor is now retired.

It will be interesting for us all to keep our eyes open with so many new players. How the team will do for the season we can only speculate at this time. Whatever the case I hope the Seahawks will give us some exciting times. Go team!

Mariners Lose Another Series

It is never easy to see a team to lose a series however at least it wasn’t at home so can always turn off the television or in this case Facebook. Yes those of you who are outside the Mariner market and can’t see their games most of the time were able to do so on Wednesday.

Again they lost a series to a team that is under five hundred for the second time in a row. In fact the Texas Rangers are now 51-65. The reason the Rangers do win is because of the offense. Every starting pitcher on the Rangers has an era over four and several above five. Yovani Gallardo who started last year for the Mariners with a record of 5-10 has a higher era this year over six in eight appearances pitched today against the Mariners. He now has a record of 6-1 for the Rangers only because the Rangers are scoring a lot of runs for him just like in this game where the final score was 11-7.

 Could you imagine if the Rangers had pitching like they do their offense? They have six hitters that are batting over .270 and their lowest batting average hitter Joey Gallo who is hitting only .202 hits them when they count as he has thirty-one home runs along with 71 runs batted in that leads the Rangers and is second in total bases. So to beat the Rangers you have to out slug them which the Mariners were unable to do so in this series.

Catcher Mike Zunino continues to be hot lately hitting two home runs in the game however they were both solo. The first home run in the fifth inning made the score 5-2 which could have helped the Mariners out however the Rangers scored two more in the bottom of the fifth and his second homer was in the ninth inning when the Rangers were up 11-2 before the hit. Although it helped out in a manner of speaking hope that he can save some home runs when the Mariners really need it.

Marco Gonzales who has been the Mariners most consistent pitcher with the most wins with twelve had a terrible outing and I expect heat had something to do with it. He was only able to go five innings giving up twelve hits and allowed seven runs. Even with giving up so many runs his era is still at 3.79. He didn’t walk a batter but only struck out three batters and giving up two home runs.

Sam Tuivailala who the Mariners acquired about two weeks ago from the St. Louis Cardinals came in for Gonzales however he strained his Achilles tendon  and was sent back to Seattle for x-rays and will go on the ten day disabled list. The Mariners will bring up a pitcher from Tacoma most likely to replace him while at the same time Jerry Dipoto will look at the waiver wire to see who may be available to acquire. Look forward to see you again Sam when you are up and ready to go. Ryon Healy had to leave the game as well because of the heat.

Now the Mariners go to Houston to take on the division leading Astros in a four game series. It would be nice to see the Mariners at least split the series. Thursday should be the most exciting game since James Paxton will go for the Mariners while Justin Verlander goes for the Astros. The last series in Seattle the Mariners didn’t have to face Verlander. We hope that the Mariners offense can come to life in the game.

Manager Scott Servais has talked about moving Dee Gordon out of the leadoff spot. Gordon again went hitless in Wednesday’s game. The Mariners facing Verlander could move Denard Span into the leadoff spot or he may decide to wait until Robinson Cano comes back next Tuesday to be put in the third spot. Segura likely be moved to the leadoff spot when the Mariners face a lefty and move Gordon down to ninth in the order. It isn’t new for Gordon since he batted ninth several times last year for the Miami Marlins. Whatever the case we know that the Mariners offense has to come alive if they have any chance to make the playoffs; right now the Mariners are two and half games behind the Oakland A’s. Next Tuesday the Mariners will start a three game series in Oakland so it would be nice if the Mariners could still be at the same spot or better when they go against them. The Mariners have a pretty good record of late playing in Oakland so it would be nice to sweep the A’s there. Go M’s.