With just 2 days before the first pitch is thrown the Mariners took a trip to Salt Lake City for their Spring Training finale. The Colorado Rockies were their final opponent and Brandon Maurer took the mound for the final game while the Rockies sent Jeff Francis out to the mound. During the first 3 innings, then Kendrys Morales came up in the top of the 4th with 1 out took Francis deep to put the M's up 1-0 and hitting the 57th HR of the spring for the team. After that the Rockies took Maurer deep twice, first Troy Tulowitzki and then Todd Helton. The Mariners wouldn't be down for very long as Justin Smoak hit a line drive home run to tie the game. Smoak's HR would be the last one of the spring for the M's to put the Mariners at 58 for the spring. The only other team to hit more homers was the 1999 Chicago Cubs who hit 62.
Tom Wilhelmsen came into the 5th and that was it for Maurer. Wilhelmsen had an easy inning only giving up 1 hit. Oliver Perez came into the 6th and had a 1-2-3 inning as well as Stephen Pryor. In the top of the 8th the Mariners broke the game open; after Mike Zunino's single that moved Jason Bay to third Raul Ibanez drove in Bay with a sacrafice fly, then Brad Miller drove in Zunino with a double putting the M's lead to 4-2. The Rockies got a run back in the bottom half of the inning as Danny Farquhar had another tough outing. In the top of the 9th invitee Brain Sweeney came in and shut the door on the Rockies and secured the M's 22nd franchise record win.
Spring Training is over and the Mariners have shown us that they are ready for the season to begin. Before Monday fans will know if either Casper Wells or Jason Bay will have made the cut. Wells finished the spring with a .189 batting average, 2 HRs, and 14 RBIs while Bay has finished with a .321 batting average, 2 HRs, 6 RBIs, and 17 hits. Whoever manager Eric Wedge chooses one of them will make a great contribution to the Mariners this season. The M's hit a franchise record 58 homeruns and won another franchise record 22 wins, Mike Morse broke the franchise record for HRs with 9 and drove in 15 runs as well. The spring also showed us the future that is waiting to play for this franchise such as Brad Miller, Stefen Romero, Mike Zunino, James Paxton, Taijuan Walker, John Hicks, and much more young guns that are ready for another minor league year to impress the Mariners and telling them they are ready for "The Show".
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Felix wins his Spring Training finale
The Mariners squared off today against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were using a D-League team today. Felix Hernandez started the game for the M's and it would be his final start of the spring. Felix had a good start to his day as he gave up only one hit in the top of the 1st. In the bottom half of the inning Kendrys Morales slashed a single to right field and that brought up Mike Morse. Morse came into the game with 7 HRs for the spring, well he crushed one to left field and tied the Mariners club record with Michael Wilson for the most HRs in spring training. The Dodgers struck back with getting a run of their own in the top of the 2nd. In the bottom of the 3rd inning Morales singled again and then Morse came up and drew a 10 pitch walk which then brought up Jesus Montero. Montero laced a ball into center driving in Morales and giving the M's a 3-1 lead.
In the bottom of the 4th Clayton Kershaw, who started the game, was relieved of his duties and Ted Lilly came into the game. Dustin Ackley gave him a rude welcome by leading off the inning with a triple. Lilly threw a wild pitch and that allowed Ackley to come home and score and put the M's up 4-1. In the top of the 6th Felix ran into trouble, with 2 outs Ted Lilly burned Felix by driving in 2 runs with a double and put the M's lead to 4-3. During that inning Eric Wedge got tired of the homeplate ump calling strikes balls and changing his strikezone and was ejected.
After that the Mariners went off on the Dodgers. The inning began with Jason Bay drawing a walk and then stole 2nd, Ackley followed with a single that moved Bay over to 3rd. Robert Andino then came up and continued his hot spring by singling and driving in Bay and the M's put the lead to 5-3. Brad Miller then walked and after Casper Wells flied out Endy Chavez singled home Ackley and the lead was now 6-3. Then minor leaguer Nate Tenbrink came up and knocked in everyone with a 3-run double and then scored on a wild pitch and after the inning was done the Mariners lead 10-3.
The Mariners bullpen then took over for Felix after the 6th. Charlie Furbush came into the 7th and had a 1-2-3 inning. Danny Farquhar then came into the 8th and had difficulty in the inning by allowing 4 runs. Stephen Pryor entered the game in the 9th to close it out and was successful going 1-2-3 and earning his first save of the spring. The M's improved to 20-11 and with Morse's HR put their impressive spring total to 55. Hisashi Iwakuma will take the mound tomorrow for his final start of the spring against the Cubs.
In the bottom of the 4th Clayton Kershaw, who started the game, was relieved of his duties and Ted Lilly came into the game. Dustin Ackley gave him a rude welcome by leading off the inning with a triple. Lilly threw a wild pitch and that allowed Ackley to come home and score and put the M's up 4-1. In the top of the 6th Felix ran into trouble, with 2 outs Ted Lilly burned Felix by driving in 2 runs with a double and put the M's lead to 4-3. During that inning Eric Wedge got tired of the homeplate ump calling strikes balls and changing his strikezone and was ejected.
After that the Mariners went off on the Dodgers. The inning began with Jason Bay drawing a walk and then stole 2nd, Ackley followed with a single that moved Bay over to 3rd. Robert Andino then came up and continued his hot spring by singling and driving in Bay and the M's put the lead to 5-3. Brad Miller then walked and after Casper Wells flied out Endy Chavez singled home Ackley and the lead was now 6-3. Then minor leaguer Nate Tenbrink came up and knocked in everyone with a 3-run double and then scored on a wild pitch and after the inning was done the Mariners lead 10-3.
The Mariners bullpen then took over for Felix after the 6th. Charlie Furbush came into the 7th and had a 1-2-3 inning. Danny Farquhar then came into the 8th and had difficulty in the inning by allowing 4 runs. Stephen Pryor entered the game in the 9th to close it out and was successful going 1-2-3 and earning his first save of the spring. The M's improved to 20-11 and with Morse's HR put their impressive spring total to 55. Hisashi Iwakuma will take the mound tomorrow for his final start of the spring against the Cubs.
The Dream Team for the USA in 2017 WBC
I know im really late on this blog but just humor me ok? After the loss Team USA suffered to Team Puerto Rico that booted them out of the WBC tournament i started thinking about why Joe Torre was an idiot at picking his players? This is just me, but if Team USA wants to become champions of the baseball world in the 2017 WBC then they are gonna have to choose their players wisely along with never letting Torre manage the team. Why not let Larry Bowa manage the team? I mean he showed more emotion then Torre. Torre to me looked like he was always thinking "Can someone just kill me? Why am i managing this team?". First off if your going to replace Mark Teixeira then why not replace him with an actual hitter, not Eric Hosmer! Here's a list of what i call the 2017 Dream Team.
Catcher: Buster Posey
An MVP with two World Series rings under his belt. He has averaged in his two non-injury seasons .320 batting average, 21 HRs, and 85 RBIs. Not bad for going into his 5th year huh?
First Basemen: Prince Fielder
After Teixeira went down you figure he would be the first choice......WRONG! Eric Hosmer was his replacement. Great choice Torre, Hosmer had only 1 damn hit in 25 at bats in the WBC. Fielder in the last 4 years has played 162, 161, 162, and 162 games and averaged 36 HRs, 113 RBIs, and .293 batting average.
Second basemen: Dustin Ackley
The reason i say Ackley is because he's coming off surgery that removed a bone spur in his ankle that effected his production. During this spring training he has shown off why the Mariners drafted him and last year he had a .989 fielding percentage.
Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki
Ya i know that Jimmy Rollins is still a great SS but lets face it he's getting old. As long as he's healthy then that means you have a healthy average/power hitter.
Third Basemen: Evan Longoria
I know that David "Captain America" Wright was brilliant in the WBC but even though Longoria had his shortest season yet he still managed to put up good numbers and he has averaged 26 HRs and 91 RBIs during his career.
Left Field: Mike Morse
Yeah im going with another Seattle Mariners player because for one thing Ryan Braun was not what you call a clutch player during the WBC, Morse was last year for the Nationals. He has also been slugging the stuffing out of the baseball during the spring.
Center Field: Mike Trout
Ok there's not that much to say accept; Rookie of the Year, Silver Slugger, .326 AVG, 30 HRs, 83 RBIs, .564 SLG, and 46 stolen bases. Adam Jones was horrible by batting a Chone Figgins-like .182.
Right Field: Matt Kemp
Coming off another impressive year Kemp is another average/power hitter that would also give the lineup 7 years of experience.
Designated Hitter: Andrew McCutchen
Coming off his career best year this kid provides speed, power, and average to the lineup.
Starting rotation: David Price, Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Stephen Strasburg
There's no reason to explain why these 5 shouldnt be starters for the USA for the next WBC.
Bullpen: Craig Kimbrel, Tom Wilhelmson, Matt Thornton, Heath Bell, Luke Gregerson, Shawn Marshall, David Robertson
I decided to go with 4 closers and 3 non-closers.
Thats my Dream Team for the USA for the 2017 WBC. I just hope that in that year USA shows its dominates of baseball.
Catcher: Buster Posey
An MVP with two World Series rings under his belt. He has averaged in his two non-injury seasons .320 batting average, 21 HRs, and 85 RBIs. Not bad for going into his 5th year huh?
First Basemen: Prince Fielder
After Teixeira went down you figure he would be the first choice......WRONG! Eric Hosmer was his replacement. Great choice Torre, Hosmer had only 1 damn hit in 25 at bats in the WBC. Fielder in the last 4 years has played 162, 161, 162, and 162 games and averaged 36 HRs, 113 RBIs, and .293 batting average.
Second basemen: Dustin Ackley
The reason i say Ackley is because he's coming off surgery that removed a bone spur in his ankle that effected his production. During this spring training he has shown off why the Mariners drafted him and last year he had a .989 fielding percentage.
Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki
Ya i know that Jimmy Rollins is still a great SS but lets face it he's getting old. As long as he's healthy then that means you have a healthy average/power hitter.
Third Basemen: Evan Longoria
I know that David "Captain America" Wright was brilliant in the WBC but even though Longoria had his shortest season yet he still managed to put up good numbers and he has averaged 26 HRs and 91 RBIs during his career.
Left Field: Mike Morse
Yeah im going with another Seattle Mariners player because for one thing Ryan Braun was not what you call a clutch player during the WBC, Morse was last year for the Nationals. He has also been slugging the stuffing out of the baseball during the spring.
Center Field: Mike Trout
Ok there's not that much to say accept; Rookie of the Year, Silver Slugger, .326 AVG, 30 HRs, 83 RBIs, .564 SLG, and 46 stolen bases. Adam Jones was horrible by batting a Chone Figgins-like .182.
Right Field: Matt Kemp
Coming off another impressive year Kemp is another average/power hitter that would also give the lineup 7 years of experience.
Designated Hitter: Andrew McCutchen
Coming off his career best year this kid provides speed, power, and average to the lineup.
Starting rotation: David Price, Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Stephen Strasburg
There's no reason to explain why these 5 shouldnt be starters for the USA for the next WBC.
Bullpen: Craig Kimbrel, Tom Wilhelmson, Matt Thornton, Heath Bell, Luke Gregerson, Shawn Marshall, David Robertson
I decided to go with 4 closers and 3 non-closers.
Thats my Dream Team for the USA for the 2017 WBC. I just hope that in that year USA shows its dominates of baseball.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Why the Mariners are playoff bound
This year's Seattle Mariners team to me looks playoff bound right from the get-go. They have shown that this year they will show off more power and speed to the lineup as well as good pitching, starting and in the bullpen to back up the lineup. Last year the biggest problem was run support. During Felix Hernandez's perfect game the M's only scraped together 1 run. Even though it was enough what would've happened if Felix didn't throw the perfect game? What would've happened if the Tampa Bay Rays scored a run? During this spring the Mariners have shown that they can come back from being down by a few runs. Even though its just Spring Training I see terrific things for this ball club this year.
The Mariners made some great offseason transactions both releasing and signing players. The M's released Miguel Olivo, Chone Figgins (but come on were happy they did that), and Munenori Kawasaki. They also parted ways with John Jaso, who as you know was one of the Mariners best clutch hitters in the 2012 season, Shawn Kelley, Mike Carp, Trayvon Robinson, hitting coach Chris Chambliss, and Jason Vargas. The Mariners did make some terrific addition to the team in Michael Morse, Kendrys Morales, Jason Bay, Raul Ibanez, Jeremy Bonderman, Robert Andino, Joe Saunders, and hitting coach Dave Hansen. Jaso, Robinson, and Vargas were all traded away but in return I have to say we did get some very good players.
Lets look back at the stats that most of these players had shall we?
Chone Figgins: .181 AVG
Munenori Kawasaki: .192 AVG only 20 hits over 104 at bats
Miguel Olivo: .222 AVG, 12 HRs, 29 RBIs
Mike Carp: .213 AVG, 5 HRs, 20 RBIs
Trayvon Robinson: .221 AVG, 3 HRs, 12 RBIs
John Jaso: .276 AVG, 10 HRs, 50 RBIs
Jason Vargas: 14-11, 3.85 ERA, 217.1 IP, 141 strikeouts
Now you must be wondering why would we give up Jaso and Vargas if they had that great of a 2012? Well, before I get into that lets look at the others. Figgins was a no doubter, he was gonna be released either way. Kawasaki barley played and the only thing he was good for is a late inning pinch runner. Carp you cant put any blame on, he was hurt most of the year but I do see a future for him in the Boston Red Sox organization, he has the power and the ability to play everyday if he stays healthy. Now Robinson I was skeptical because during the 2012 year Robinson made some incredible plays in the outfield and I saw him playing this year for the Mariners; Robinson has the ability to hit for either average or power. Now the player everyone was really sad to see leave was Jaso. Jaso came up with so many clutch base hits for the Mariners and was Felix's favorite to pitch with, he caught Felix's perfect game. He posted career highs in HRs, RBIs, hits, and batting average and was also a key player to the Mariners as I said before came up with so many clutch and walk off hits for the Mariners. Now Vargas, why would the Mariners trade away a pitcher who gave them 14 wins? Well, we traded him away to get a player who hit 22 homers last and drove in 73 runs. The Mariners were planning to trade Vargas anyway, during the 2012 season the Mariners got some good offers for him but failed to trade him away before the trading deadline.
Now that I have told the guys who are no longer with us lets get to our new Mariners shall I? First off lets start off with returning Mariner Mike Morse. Morse began his career with the M's but never got his career started and was traded away. During his 4 year stint with the Nationals he showed off his power and had a career year in 2011 by hitting 31 HRs and driving in 95 runs. Morse will provide power, average, and fielding for the Mariners. Next we have Kendrys Morales; here we have a guy who can give you 20-30 homeruns a year along with driving in 70-100 runs. Morales will also provide the same abilities as Morse in the lineup. Jason Bay; well this former Rookie of the Year is trying to rebuild his career with the Mariners after having injury problems with the Mets. Watching some of the highlights and games the Mariners have shown Bay was an excellent addition to the team, he can still play the outfield and hit for average and power. Raul Ibanez; he is now on his 3rd stint with the team and will provide veteran experience for the young kids in the clubhouse. Ibanez still has plenty of pop to his bat and will be in and out of the lineup this season for the M's. Joe Saunders; Saunders is a former All Star who had break out years for the Los Angeles Angels in 2008 and 2009. In those two years he won 36 games and lost 14 of them. Saunders has already made the starting rotation and is set to pitch the 3rd game of the year against the Oakland Athletics. Robert Andino; now Andino has shown me that he can play shortstop and hit at the same time. In the games that the Mariners have televised Andino has made some terrific plays at SS and has shown that he can hit and run.
With all these additions to the organization the Seattle Mariners have made a statement that this year's team is ready to compete not just for the American League West title but also the AL Wild Card. The teams pitching has both veteran experience and young guns to help this team out, the last two spots of the starting rotation are still undecided by manager Eric Wedge, but whoever gets the last two spots will help the M's either way. The Mariners bullpen also has a staff that will help keep the team in close ball games and has their big inning eater Charlie Furbush to pitch long games such as, if one of the starters is taking out early in the game or if the game goes to extra innings. Tom Wilhelmsen is the M's closer for sure. Last year Wilhelmsen took over the closing job after Brandon League blew a number of saves and failed to hold teams and keep the games close. Be sure to cheer for this year's playoff bound Mariners team as they look to make a trip to the postseason for the first time since that amazing 116 win 2001 season.
GO MARINERS!!!
The Mariners made some great offseason transactions both releasing and signing players. The M's released Miguel Olivo, Chone Figgins (but come on were happy they did that), and Munenori Kawasaki. They also parted ways with John Jaso, who as you know was one of the Mariners best clutch hitters in the 2012 season, Shawn Kelley, Mike Carp, Trayvon Robinson, hitting coach Chris Chambliss, and Jason Vargas. The Mariners did make some terrific addition to the team in Michael Morse, Kendrys Morales, Jason Bay, Raul Ibanez, Jeremy Bonderman, Robert Andino, Joe Saunders, and hitting coach Dave Hansen. Jaso, Robinson, and Vargas were all traded away but in return I have to say we did get some very good players.
Lets look back at the stats that most of these players had shall we?
Chone Figgins: .181 AVG
Munenori Kawasaki: .192 AVG only 20 hits over 104 at bats
Miguel Olivo: .222 AVG, 12 HRs, 29 RBIs
Mike Carp: .213 AVG, 5 HRs, 20 RBIs
Trayvon Robinson: .221 AVG, 3 HRs, 12 RBIs
John Jaso: .276 AVG, 10 HRs, 50 RBIs
Jason Vargas: 14-11, 3.85 ERA, 217.1 IP, 141 strikeouts
Now you must be wondering why would we give up Jaso and Vargas if they had that great of a 2012? Well, before I get into that lets look at the others. Figgins was a no doubter, he was gonna be released either way. Kawasaki barley played and the only thing he was good for is a late inning pinch runner. Carp you cant put any blame on, he was hurt most of the year but I do see a future for him in the Boston Red Sox organization, he has the power and the ability to play everyday if he stays healthy. Now Robinson I was skeptical because during the 2012 year Robinson made some incredible plays in the outfield and I saw him playing this year for the Mariners; Robinson has the ability to hit for either average or power. Now the player everyone was really sad to see leave was Jaso. Jaso came up with so many clutch base hits for the Mariners and was Felix's favorite to pitch with, he caught Felix's perfect game. He posted career highs in HRs, RBIs, hits, and batting average and was also a key player to the Mariners as I said before came up with so many clutch and walk off hits for the Mariners. Now Vargas, why would the Mariners trade away a pitcher who gave them 14 wins? Well, we traded him away to get a player who hit 22 homers last and drove in 73 runs. The Mariners were planning to trade Vargas anyway, during the 2012 season the Mariners got some good offers for him but failed to trade him away before the trading deadline.
Now that I have told the guys who are no longer with us lets get to our new Mariners shall I? First off lets start off with returning Mariner Mike Morse. Morse began his career with the M's but never got his career started and was traded away. During his 4 year stint with the Nationals he showed off his power and had a career year in 2011 by hitting 31 HRs and driving in 95 runs. Morse will provide power, average, and fielding for the Mariners. Next we have Kendrys Morales; here we have a guy who can give you 20-30 homeruns a year along with driving in 70-100 runs. Morales will also provide the same abilities as Morse in the lineup. Jason Bay; well this former Rookie of the Year is trying to rebuild his career with the Mariners after having injury problems with the Mets. Watching some of the highlights and games the Mariners have shown Bay was an excellent addition to the team, he can still play the outfield and hit for average and power. Raul Ibanez; he is now on his 3rd stint with the team and will provide veteran experience for the young kids in the clubhouse. Ibanez still has plenty of pop to his bat and will be in and out of the lineup this season for the M's. Joe Saunders; Saunders is a former All Star who had break out years for the Los Angeles Angels in 2008 and 2009. In those two years he won 36 games and lost 14 of them. Saunders has already made the starting rotation and is set to pitch the 3rd game of the year against the Oakland Athletics. Robert Andino; now Andino has shown me that he can play shortstop and hit at the same time. In the games that the Mariners have televised Andino has made some terrific plays at SS and has shown that he can hit and run.
With all these additions to the organization the Seattle Mariners have made a statement that this year's team is ready to compete not just for the American League West title but also the AL Wild Card. The teams pitching has both veteran experience and young guns to help this team out, the last two spots of the starting rotation are still undecided by manager Eric Wedge, but whoever gets the last two spots will help the M's either way. The Mariners bullpen also has a staff that will help keep the team in close ball games and has their big inning eater Charlie Furbush to pitch long games such as, if one of the starters is taking out early in the game or if the game goes to extra innings. Tom Wilhelmsen is the M's closer for sure. Last year Wilhelmsen took over the closing job after Brandon League blew a number of saves and failed to hold teams and keep the games close. Be sure to cheer for this year's playoff bound Mariners team as they look to make a trip to the postseason for the first time since that amazing 116 win 2001 season.
GO MARINERS!!!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Spring Training Update
Well, Spring Training is coming to a close in just 7 days! The Seattle Mariners ST has been a very amazing one this year, as we have seen baseballs flying out of the park everyday! The Mariners have now hit 52 HRs. They added 2 more today after they pounded the Reds 16-0! Michael Saunders took us back to the WBC as he was on fire today going 3-4 with a homerun and drove in 2 runs. Jesus Montero, who was hit in the head with a bat just last week, had a monster day hitting a grand slam, going 3-3, and driving in 6 runs. Brandon Maurer continued to impress Eric Wedge by going 6 strong inning and striking out 7. Endy Chavez made his Mariners return today as he was added to the roster as a non-roster invitee.
Wedge today announced the first three starting pitchers for the series with the Oakland A's. Felix Hernandez will start his 6th consecutive opening day, Hisashi Iwakuma will start the 2nd game, and lefty Joe Saunders will start the third game. Last week the Mariners parted ways with Jon Garland as he was released along with Mike Jacobs. Kameron Loe today went on Twitter and announced that he had made the opening day roster. The 25 man roster was released today and I gotta say I'm very impressed with Eric Wedge's choices. Brandon Maurer made the team and will be apart of the Opening Day roster, Casper Wells impressed Wedge enough to make the cut, and Robert Andino who I think will be one hell of a player this year also made the opening day roster. The Mariners star prospects failed to make the 40 man roster. Mike Zunino, Taijuan Walker, James Paxton, and Danny Hultzen will begin the season at Double-A Tennessee. Now Wedge hasn't decided the final 2 pitching spots and has said that nothing has been finalized yet. That means we must wait in anticipation for the final two starting spots. Wedge has some great choices for the final 2 spots. He has Maurer who has impressed everyone in being the only member of what has been dubbed the Mariners "Big 4" of prospects pitchers to remain in camp.
Maurer has gone 3-1 this spring with a 0.90 ERA in 6 games, he has started 3, with pitching 20 innings, and he has struck out 22. Wedge also has Blake Beaven, who is coming off an 11 win season where he struggled and was demoted through the mid point of the season and then called back up and had an impressive 2nd half. Beaven has gone 1-1 this spring in 4 starts with a 6.52 ERA. Erasmo Ramirez has also made a fine impact on Wedge but has had some tough games the last week. Jeremy Bonderman will make his final spring training start tomorrow against the Kansas City Royals. Bonderman is the final choice for Wedge but is not on the active roster. Bonderman hasn't pitched in the big leagues for 2 years and coming off Tommy John surgery.
Big decisions will be made this week. Who knows who will be the final two spots in the starting rotation? Only time will tell us and we just have to wait one more week to find out. Oh man, I forgot to mention, Raul Ibanez and Jason Bay made the active roster to. Both have had an exceptional spring training. Ibanez is now on his 3rd stint with the ball club and will provide what Ken Griffey, Jr., provided the Mariners in 2009 and that is veteran experience to help out the young kids. Ibanez has been playing like he is a kid though; he will be turning 40 this June hit an impressive .348, hitting 4 homeruns, driving in 13 runs and has just been having a good ol' time playing again with the team who got him started. Bay on the other hand is trying to get his career back with the Mariners; the former Rookie of the Year has had some injury troubles in the past with the Mets and is now trying his best to get back to that All Star player he was when he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox. Bay has done a great job at proving that he still has pop in his bat by batting .319, hitting 2 homeruns, driving in 6 runs, and providing great defense in the outfield.
Now I did mention this but Robert Andino made the 25 man roster and I have to admit when I heard the Mariners traded Trayvon Robinson for him I was like "Oh God nice move JZ! You just pulled a Bill Bavasi.," but he has done a great job at proving me DEAD wrong. Andino has shown me that he play shortstop still and he also showed off his bat as well. He has batted .283 and again showed off his terrific fielding abilities. He is going to provide the Mariners with a great late inning pinch runner speed, being there to give Brendan Ryan a day off, and giving us a great weapon in making a run to this years playoffs. Although to get to the playoffs the Mariners first have to go through a now tough tough American League West. The A's and the Los Angeles Angels are both threats for the AL West Title and being a dangerous Wild Card team to. Either way Mariners fans are in for one great year!
Wedge today announced the first three starting pitchers for the series with the Oakland A's. Felix Hernandez will start his 6th consecutive opening day, Hisashi Iwakuma will start the 2nd game, and lefty Joe Saunders will start the third game. Last week the Mariners parted ways with Jon Garland as he was released along with Mike Jacobs. Kameron Loe today went on Twitter and announced that he had made the opening day roster. The 25 man roster was released today and I gotta say I'm very impressed with Eric Wedge's choices. Brandon Maurer made the team and will be apart of the Opening Day roster, Casper Wells impressed Wedge enough to make the cut, and Robert Andino who I think will be one hell of a player this year also made the opening day roster. The Mariners star prospects failed to make the 40 man roster. Mike Zunino, Taijuan Walker, James Paxton, and Danny Hultzen will begin the season at Double-A Tennessee. Now Wedge hasn't decided the final 2 pitching spots and has said that nothing has been finalized yet. That means we must wait in anticipation for the final two starting spots. Wedge has some great choices for the final 2 spots. He has Maurer who has impressed everyone in being the only member of what has been dubbed the Mariners "Big 4" of prospects pitchers to remain in camp.
Maurer has gone 3-1 this spring with a 0.90 ERA in 6 games, he has started 3, with pitching 20 innings, and he has struck out 22. Wedge also has Blake Beaven, who is coming off an 11 win season where he struggled and was demoted through the mid point of the season and then called back up and had an impressive 2nd half. Beaven has gone 1-1 this spring in 4 starts with a 6.52 ERA. Erasmo Ramirez has also made a fine impact on Wedge but has had some tough games the last week. Jeremy Bonderman will make his final spring training start tomorrow against the Kansas City Royals. Bonderman is the final choice for Wedge but is not on the active roster. Bonderman hasn't pitched in the big leagues for 2 years and coming off Tommy John surgery.
Big decisions will be made this week. Who knows who will be the final two spots in the starting rotation? Only time will tell us and we just have to wait one more week to find out. Oh man, I forgot to mention, Raul Ibanez and Jason Bay made the active roster to. Both have had an exceptional spring training. Ibanez is now on his 3rd stint with the ball club and will provide what Ken Griffey, Jr., provided the Mariners in 2009 and that is veteran experience to help out the young kids. Ibanez has been playing like he is a kid though; he will be turning 40 this June hit an impressive .348, hitting 4 homeruns, driving in 13 runs and has just been having a good ol' time playing again with the team who got him started. Bay on the other hand is trying to get his career back with the Mariners; the former Rookie of the Year has had some injury troubles in the past with the Mets and is now trying his best to get back to that All Star player he was when he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox. Bay has done a great job at proving that he still has pop in his bat by batting .319, hitting 2 homeruns, driving in 6 runs, and providing great defense in the outfield.
Now I did mention this but Robert Andino made the 25 man roster and I have to admit when I heard the Mariners traded Trayvon Robinson for him I was like "Oh God nice move JZ! You just pulled a Bill Bavasi.," but he has done a great job at proving me DEAD wrong. Andino has shown me that he play shortstop still and he also showed off his bat as well. He has batted .283 and again showed off his terrific fielding abilities. He is going to provide the Mariners with a great late inning pinch runner speed, being there to give Brendan Ryan a day off, and giving us a great weapon in making a run to this years playoffs. Although to get to the playoffs the Mariners first have to go through a now tough tough American League West. The A's and the Los Angeles Angels are both threats for the AL West Title and being a dangerous Wild Card team to. Either way Mariners fans are in for one great year!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Mariners get beat by a Cub?!
The Seattle Mariners faced the Chicago Cubs tonight and at game time the weather was perfect with the temperatures at a nice 84 degrees. Jeez now why cant Washington be like that in March? I mean today where i lived it began cloudy and windy, then it started snowing, followed by rain, and finally it was sunny. Well getting back to the game, Jon Garland started the game for the M's. Garland is battling for a spot in the 5 man rotation. David Dejesus began the game for the Cubs with a lead off double, Garland then went 1-2-3 to get out of the inning. Garland then went 1-2-3 in the top of the 2nd inning but in the bottom half of the inning the Mariners struck for the first their first run of the game with Jesus Montero doubling then after a pass ball that moved him down to 3rd Jason Bay singled him home to give the M's the 1-0 lead. Then in the top half of the 3rd the Cubbies pitcher Jeff Samardzjia took Garland deep; yup thats right the pitcher hit a home run.
We go now to the bottom of the 3rd and the Mariners bounce right back with Michael Saunders getting on after a throwing error, Robert Andino doubled, and next Raul Ibanez singled home Saunders. Justin Smoak then hit a deep fly ball to left that scored Andino pushing the M's lead to 3-1. Now before i write about the next innings lets turn back the clock to the 2001 ALCS. Kazuhiro Sasaki came into the top of the 9th to help the Mariners take Game 4 to extra innings. Rookie second baseman Alfonso Soriano came up to the plate with one on. Sasaki threw a changeup that Soriano drove to deep center field and game the Yankees a 3-1 win and lead in the series. They then won the next game and eliminated the 116 winning Mariners from the playoffs. Well this time Soriano didnt win the game but he did put the game to a 1 run game.
Well lets move to the bottom of the 6th shall we? Justin Smoak swung that mighty bat of his that he has been using all spring long and hit a long fly ball that said bye-bye and put the Mariners up 4-2. Then in the top of the 7th Erasmo Ramirez; who is also battling for a spot in the 5 man rotation; did not start off well. The inning went like this; single, double, then pitcher Samardzjia singled home his 2nd RBI, and finally Darnell McDonald then singled another run home. In the top of the 8th the Cubs added one more run against Ramirez to put the lead to 7-4. Garland wouldve gotten his 2nd win of the spring if Ramirez wouldve held on to the lead. Felix Hernandez is scheduled for the M's final night game of the spring tomorrow night. Michael Saunders once again struggled as he went 0-5 with 4 strikeouts and lowered his average down to .178. Jason Bay however continued his spring training tear by going 3-4 raising his average to .371 and driving in 1 run. The loss ended the M's 6 game winning streak and put their spring training record to 17-8 and the Cubs put their record to 13-14.
We go now to the bottom of the 3rd and the Mariners bounce right back with Michael Saunders getting on after a throwing error, Robert Andino doubled, and next Raul Ibanez singled home Saunders. Justin Smoak then hit a deep fly ball to left that scored Andino pushing the M's lead to 3-1. Now before i write about the next innings lets turn back the clock to the 2001 ALCS. Kazuhiro Sasaki came into the top of the 9th to help the Mariners take Game 4 to extra innings. Rookie second baseman Alfonso Soriano came up to the plate with one on. Sasaki threw a changeup that Soriano drove to deep center field and game the Yankees a 3-1 win and lead in the series. They then won the next game and eliminated the 116 winning Mariners from the playoffs. Well this time Soriano didnt win the game but he did put the game to a 1 run game.
Well lets move to the bottom of the 6th shall we? Justin Smoak swung that mighty bat of his that he has been using all spring long and hit a long fly ball that said bye-bye and put the Mariners up 4-2. Then in the top of the 7th Erasmo Ramirez; who is also battling for a spot in the 5 man rotation; did not start off well. The inning went like this; single, double, then pitcher Samardzjia singled home his 2nd RBI, and finally Darnell McDonald then singled another run home. In the top of the 8th the Cubs added one more run against Ramirez to put the lead to 7-4. Garland wouldve gotten his 2nd win of the spring if Ramirez wouldve held on to the lead. Felix Hernandez is scheduled for the M's final night game of the spring tomorrow night. Michael Saunders once again struggled as he went 0-5 with 4 strikeouts and lowered his average down to .178. Jason Bay however continued his spring training tear by going 3-4 raising his average to .371 and driving in 1 run. The loss ended the M's 6 game winning streak and put their spring training record to 17-8 and the Cubs put their record to 13-14.
The Mariners Wild Wild West
So far this spring training has giving Seattle Mariners fans some excited things to look forward to this 2013 MLB season. The Mariners made some very interesting transactions this offseason. The big one was re-signing Felix Hernandez to a 7 year deal worth $175 million dollars and basically made him a Mariner for life. The Mariners also went out and signed a few veterans including Jason Bay, Kelly Shoppach, Joe Saunders, and Raul Ibanez (who will make his 3rd stint with the team this year). The Mariners did make some sacrifices as well trading Jason Vargas to the Los Angeles Angels for Kendrys Morales. The Mariners were then apart of a 3 team trade in which they traded away clutch hitter John Jaso to the Oakland A's for Nationals slugger Mike Morse. The team had now added power to a great lineup of young guns who can hit for average and power. The Mariners pitching rotation is still to be decided with as 4 pitchers are in competition for the 5th starting role.
The Mariners are going to have an extra competitor in the AL West this season as the Houston Astros joined the American League in the offseason. The Astros last year finished dead last in the NL Central at 55-107. They dont pose a big threat in the AL West but both the Oakland A's and Los Angeles Angels do. The A's are coming off a season were they had a second half that helped them win the AL West. The Angels have added Josh Hamilton to their impressive lineup of power hitters. The Mariners matched up pretty well against their division rivals last year. Though they had a bellow .500 winning percentage against all of the teams they improved dramatically from 2011.
The Mariners began the 2011 season on the road against the A's who they had a 7-12 record against last year. They began by taking 3 out of 4 games from the A's in the opening series, two in Japan and 1 in Oakland. They then played the A's 4 days after that taking 2 out of 3. They had to wait till June to see them again where they lost that series dropping 2 out of 3 to them. A month later the A's took another 2 games out of a 3 game series from the Mariners. The final two series the Mariners were swept in both 3 game series and they lost the last 7 games against the Athletics.
The Rangers gave the M's trouble in the beginning by taking the first series in Texas 2 games to 3. A month later the Mariners bounced back and took 2 out of 3 from the Rangers in Seattle and then made a trip down to Texas where they played a 3 game series and after losing the first game the M's bats went crazy winning the 2nd game 10-3 and in the 3rd game they walloped Derek Holland and the Ranger bullpen 21-8! In July the M's and Rangers split a 2 game series in Seattle and then in September split another 2 game series and won the final 3 game series in Seattle 2 games out of 3.
Now the Angels. Well, the Mariners didn't see them until May and the first series wasn't pretty, the M's were swept in a 4 game series in Seattle. In June the M's came back and took 2 out of 3 from the Halos in Anaheim. The M's then went back to Anaheim in August and took another 2 out of 3 from the Angels and at the end of the month through the 2nd of September the M's lost 2 out of 3 at home. The M's took one more trip to Anaheim and avoided the sweep in the final game by winning 9-4 but losing 2 out of the 3 games. The final series with the Angels was also the final series of the year for the Mariners and they took the final 2 games from the Halos in nice fashion with a 6-1 win in the 2nd game and in the final game of the year blew out the Angels 12-0.
Looking back to last season and looking forward to this season I am predicting that both myself and Mariners fans are going to enjoy a winning season. Both in the AL West and against other opponents.
The Mariners are going to have an extra competitor in the AL West this season as the Houston Astros joined the American League in the offseason. The Astros last year finished dead last in the NL Central at 55-107. They dont pose a big threat in the AL West but both the Oakland A's and Los Angeles Angels do. The A's are coming off a season were they had a second half that helped them win the AL West. The Angels have added Josh Hamilton to their impressive lineup of power hitters. The Mariners matched up pretty well against their division rivals last year. Though they had a bellow .500 winning percentage against all of the teams they improved dramatically from 2011.
The Mariners began the 2011 season on the road against the A's who they had a 7-12 record against last year. They began by taking 3 out of 4 games from the A's in the opening series, two in Japan and 1 in Oakland. They then played the A's 4 days after that taking 2 out of 3. They had to wait till June to see them again where they lost that series dropping 2 out of 3 to them. A month later the A's took another 2 games out of a 3 game series from the Mariners. The final two series the Mariners were swept in both 3 game series and they lost the last 7 games against the Athletics.
The Rangers gave the M's trouble in the beginning by taking the first series in Texas 2 games to 3. A month later the Mariners bounced back and took 2 out of 3 from the Rangers in Seattle and then made a trip down to Texas where they played a 3 game series and after losing the first game the M's bats went crazy winning the 2nd game 10-3 and in the 3rd game they walloped Derek Holland and the Ranger bullpen 21-8! In July the M's and Rangers split a 2 game series in Seattle and then in September split another 2 game series and won the final 3 game series in Seattle 2 games out of 3.
Now the Angels. Well, the Mariners didn't see them until May and the first series wasn't pretty, the M's were swept in a 4 game series in Seattle. In June the M's came back and took 2 out of 3 from the Halos in Anaheim. The M's then went back to Anaheim in August and took another 2 out of 3 from the Angels and at the end of the month through the 2nd of September the M's lost 2 out of 3 at home. The M's took one more trip to Anaheim and avoided the sweep in the final game by winning 9-4 but losing 2 out of the 3 games. The final series with the Angels was also the final series of the year for the Mariners and they took the final 2 games from the Halos in nice fashion with a 6-1 win in the 2nd game and in the final game of the year blew out the Angels 12-0.
Looking back to last season and looking forward to this season I am predicting that both myself and Mariners fans are going to enjoy a winning season. Both in the AL West and against other opponents.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Mariners beat the World Champs
Well, tonight the Mariners played host to the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants. Young Brandon Maurer took to the mound for the Mariners. Maurer started off by getting the first batter to go down on three pitches. He then hit a batter and gave up a single to Hunter Pence but got out of the inning with a nice 3-6-3 double play. Michael Saunders lead off for the M's and got a nice single to left and then Franklin Gutierrez got a lucky hop for his first hit. But Barry Zito then came back and struck out Kendrys Morales, Mike Morse, and Kyle Seager to get out of the inning. Maurer then got a nice 1-2-3 inning. Zito then struck out two more batters to begin the bottom of the 2nd he then hit Brad Miller that brought up Nick Franklin. Miller stole 2nd and Franklin got a nice RBI on his first hit of the game which was a double.
Maurer had another 1-2-3 inning in the 3rd but gave up an RBI double in the 4th that tied the game up at 1. In the bottom half of the 5th Guti double and was moved to third by Saunders grounding out to first. Morales brought home Guti with a sacrifice fly that put the M's up 2-1. Tom Whilhelmsen came on in the top of the 6th to get an inning's work under his belt, unfortunately it was not a good inning of work as he gave up two runs. In the bottom half of the inning the Mariners began the rally with Seager singling, Jason Bay walked, Kelly Shoppach was hit by a pitch, Miller scored Seager with the M's second sac fly of the game then Franklin hit the 3rd sac fly to score Bay and the Mariners went up 4-3.
Charlie Furbush came on in the 7th and pitched a scoreless inning. Morales gave the Mariners an insurance run with his 4th homer of the spring. Saunders drove in one more run in the 8th with a stand up triple. After that the Mariners bullpen finished the game with Stephen Pryor throwing a 1-2-3 8th striking out 2 and then Kameron Loe shut the door on the defending World Champs. The Mariners have now won 6 games in a row and push their spring training record to 17-7 and the Giants now go to 9-11. Both pitching staffs did well in strike outs the Mariners pitching staff struck out 10 and the Giants struck out 13. A comeback game like tonight is just something I look forward to this season.
Opening Day is close and you can go pick up your Mariners tickets now at the Mariners website. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @IrishCARBomb21.
Maurer had another 1-2-3 inning in the 3rd but gave up an RBI double in the 4th that tied the game up at 1. In the bottom half of the 5th Guti double and was moved to third by Saunders grounding out to first. Morales brought home Guti with a sacrifice fly that put the M's up 2-1. Tom Whilhelmsen came on in the top of the 6th to get an inning's work under his belt, unfortunately it was not a good inning of work as he gave up two runs. In the bottom half of the inning the Mariners began the rally with Seager singling, Jason Bay walked, Kelly Shoppach was hit by a pitch, Miller scored Seager with the M's second sac fly of the game then Franklin hit the 3rd sac fly to score Bay and the Mariners went up 4-3.
Charlie Furbush came on in the 7th and pitched a scoreless inning. Morales gave the Mariners an insurance run with his 4th homer of the spring. Saunders drove in one more run in the 8th with a stand up triple. After that the Mariners bullpen finished the game with Stephen Pryor throwing a 1-2-3 8th striking out 2 and then Kameron Loe shut the door on the defending World Champs. The Mariners have now won 6 games in a row and push their spring training record to 17-7 and the Giants now go to 9-11. Both pitching staffs did well in strike outs the Mariners pitching staff struck out 10 and the Giants struck out 13. A comeback game like tonight is just something I look forward to this season.
Opening Day is close and you can go pick up your Mariners tickets now at the Mariners website. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @IrishCARBomb21.
No respect for thier uniform
Well, yesterday while watching the Puerto Rico-Dominican Republic World Baseball Classic semifinal game and the only thing that I could just see is the way the DR team disrespected their uniform. What I mean by that is that most of the players hat their hats crooked, their bills weren't bent, and one of the players had his hat offset and crooked. To me the Dominican Republic players don't have respect for the uniform that they wear. Especially Fernando Rodney! When he played for the Detroit Tigers his crooked hat wasn't accepted by Alan Trammel and he told Rodney to put his cap on correctly. Rodney constantly kept his has tilted. It's not just Team DR its other players in the MLB.
If you remember Milton Bradley he played with a straight bill. Felix Hernandez has his hat crooked and I know he's on the Mariners but I don't like it. CC Sabathia has his hat crooked to. Players in baseball seem to be getting worse. Now the visible tattoos, the beards, jewelry, and crooked hats are just becoming of players looking scruffy in baseball. Now the beards yea they are ok the tattoos are ok to but the jewelry that some players wear on the field is getting messed up. I mean Jose Reyes wears a diamond incrusted rosary on the field! Why would anyone wear such a gaudy piece of jewelry on the field? Now the Phiten necklaces are acceptable but the gold chains and the silver ones is just too much. If players want to wear a small cross necklace under their uniform thats fine. But I see a lot of the players wearing 24 karat gold crosses and chains for them.
Going back to when I started playing baseball I was tough that you don't wear any jewelry on the field unless it was a cross under your jersey, you wear your hat correctly and bend the bill, and earrings were not accepted to wear on the field. Now Ken Griffey, Jr., did wear his hat backwards during BP but when the game started he was serious and respected his uniform. The only thing he did wrong was wear an earring when he played. I think that if coaches continue to let their players to wear their hats crooked and not bend the bill and wear gaudy jewelry I think that players are gonna be wearing their hats backwards in games. Joe Madden has said that he likes Rodney the way he wears his hat. If I was the commissioner I would put a rule out that all players should wear their hats correctly, not to wear gaudy jewelry, and to bend their hat bills. I will be writing a letter to the commissioner of the MLB asking him to enforce this action to be taken.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Luck of the Irish strikes the Mariners
Well a happy St. Patty's day to all. The Seattle Mariners went into today's game against the Texas Rangers having mostly major leaguers on the team while the Rangers basically had a minor league team, I mean i never even heard of 99% of the players who played for Texas today. For some reason the major leaguers had some real trouble hitting of the minor leaguers. Blake Beaven started the game for the Mariners and pitched 3 perfect innings before giving up a run in the 4th. Well like always the Mariners came back and took the lead as Raul Ibanez crushed his 3rd home run of the spring over the right field fence. Beaven the continued his strong outing by shutting the Rangers D-league team out not allowing a run as he put in 6 terrific innings. He then went into the bullpen and threw an extra 19 pitches.
Carter Capps then came in for an inning of relief and was perfect! He struck out 2 of the three batters he faced. Kameron Loe then came into the 8th to put in for some work for a spot on the M's bullpen for the season. Not a very good inning for Loe as he allowed 2 hits and 2 runs. But the Mariners once again had a clutch inning and with two outs Brad Miller stepped in a lined a triple to right center field and that brought up Kendrys Morales. Well Morales took a swat and lined as what seem to me would be a single (as the game was on TV) over the right field fence for his 4th HR of the spring. With Ibanez's and Morales's homers that pushed the M's MLB leading total to 43. The team's record for home runs in a single spring training is 51 which they had in 1999. The M's just have to average a homer a game to break it.
Now in the 9th the Mariners sent out Danny Farquhar who if you remember we got in the Ichiro trade last year. He had a good 1-2-3 inning getting his 2nd save of the spring. The Mariners won their 4th game in a row and pushed their record to 15-7. The Rangers dropped to 10-11. In another note Felix Hernandez threw a minor league game today and went 4 innings and struck out 6.
Happy St. Patrick's Day and be sure to follow me on Twitter @IrishCARBomb21
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Mariners make it 3 wins in a row and the roster gets smaller
The Seattle Mariners opener is getting closer but until April 1st we just have to settle for Spring Training. Today the Mariners faced the Colorado Rockies. Erasmo Ramirez took the mound for the M's battling for one of the two vacant spots on the Mariners starting rotation. Ramirez gave up a run in the bottom of the 1st but the Mariners came right back in the top of the 2nd as top prospect Nick Franklin singled home a run to tie the game at 1-1. The Mariners didnt get a run until the 5th. They scored three runs one came off the bat of Kenrys Morales as he hit his third HR of the spring. Mike Morse then got on base and scored on a Jesus Montero double. Peguero then singled in Montero putting the M's lead to 4-1. Ramirez entered the 6th inning for his final inning of work giving up 1 run but got out of the inning thanks to the Rockies batting 2-12 with runners in scoring position today. The Mariners then got their final run of the day in the top of the 7th with two outs. Mike Jacobs stepped up and hit the M's MLB leading 41st home run of the spring.
The Mariners then handed the ball to Charlie Furbush in the bottom of the 7th inning. Furbush threw a perfect 7th inning and allowed 1 hit in the 8th. After Furbush Eric Wedge gave the ball to one of the M's WBC players Oliver Perez. Perez shut the door on the Rockies and got his second save of the spring. The Mariners improved to 14-7 and won their 3rd game in a row. Michael Saunders had another tough day as he went 0-5 with 3 strikeouts. Saunders who was the MVP of Pool D of the World Baseball Classic is having a really rough spring for the M's hitting .161. Another Mariner who had a great 2012 Kyle Seager went 1-4 today. Seager who lead the M's in HRs and RBIs last year is hitting .222 this spring. You know it is just spring and they are just having rough games, dont worry M's fans they are gonna have a great year.
On another note from this past week of cuts the M's made they sent down their Big 3 pitchers to minor league camp. But Brandon Maurer remains. He has shown off his pitching techniques and has a great chance at making the Opening Day roster. The other cuts for the Mariners included Alex Liddi, Bobby LaFromboise, Yoevis Medina, Vinnie Catricala, and Carlos Truinfel were optioned back to Triple-A Tacoma. Francisco Martinez and Julio Morban were optioned to Double-A Jackson. Aaron Carroway, Ronny Paulino, John Hicks, and Oregon State prospect Stefen Romero were sent down to minor league camps. The Mariners now have 47 players remaining on the spring training roster. Top prosepect Mike Zunino remains on the team and the M's now have 8 outfielders to choose from for the Opening Day roster. Who is gonna make the cut? Guess were just gonna have to find out.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter @IrishCARBomb21
The Mariners then handed the ball to Charlie Furbush in the bottom of the 7th inning. Furbush threw a perfect 7th inning and allowed 1 hit in the 8th. After Furbush Eric Wedge gave the ball to one of the M's WBC players Oliver Perez. Perez shut the door on the Rockies and got his second save of the spring. The Mariners improved to 14-7 and won their 3rd game in a row. Michael Saunders had another tough day as he went 0-5 with 3 strikeouts. Saunders who was the MVP of Pool D of the World Baseball Classic is having a really rough spring for the M's hitting .161. Another Mariner who had a great 2012 Kyle Seager went 1-4 today. Seager who lead the M's in HRs and RBIs last year is hitting .222 this spring. You know it is just spring and they are just having rough games, dont worry M's fans they are gonna have a great year.
On another note from this past week of cuts the M's made they sent down their Big 3 pitchers to minor league camp. But Brandon Maurer remains. He has shown off his pitching techniques and has a great chance at making the Opening Day roster. The other cuts for the Mariners included Alex Liddi, Bobby LaFromboise, Yoevis Medina, Vinnie Catricala, and Carlos Truinfel were optioned back to Triple-A Tacoma. Francisco Martinez and Julio Morban were optioned to Double-A Jackson. Aaron Carroway, Ronny Paulino, John Hicks, and Oregon State prospect Stefen Romero were sent down to minor league camps. The Mariners now have 47 players remaining on the spring training roster. Top prosepect Mike Zunino remains on the team and the M's now have 8 outfielders to choose from for the Opening Day roster. Who is gonna make the cut? Guess were just gonna have to find out.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter @IrishCARBomb21
Friday, March 15, 2013
Two games and an ex Mariners burns the M's
Well today the Seattle Mariners had a split-squad game. The first game they squared off against their AL West rival the Los Angeles Angels. The tatted up Jeremy Bonderman took the mound for the M's today. The offense helped him out in the top of the 2nd inning with a 2-run HR by Julio Morban. But then in the bottom half of the inning the Angels got those 2 runs back. Then in the top of the 4th inning Justin Smoak added to his impressive Spring Training by hitting his 3rd homer of the spring. Bonderman had a great game picking up the win and going 5 strong innings only allowing those 2 runs in the 2nd. Morban added another homerun in the 8th and finished the day with 4 RBIs. Nick Franklin, Raul Ibanez, and Jesus Montero drove in a run as well and the M's won the first game 8-3.
Now in the 2nd game of the split-squad day the M's faced the Netherlands team who is preparing for the finals in the World Baseball Classic. The teams had a moment of silence for Greg Halman who was murdered 2 years ago. Halman played for both the Mariners and represented for the Netherlands in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. There was also a memorial video as well that brought not only the fans to tears but also the players who knew and play along side Halman.
Jon Garland started for the M's in this game. Garland is fighting for a spot in the starting rotation......and tonight's start really hurt him. Former Mariner Wladimir Balentin knocked his former team around and drove in 5 RBIs as the Netherlands beat Seattle 8-1.
The Mariners improved to 13-7 and pushed their Spring Training leading HRs to 39!!! WOW! Be sure to follow me on Twitter @IrishCARBomb21 and just keep checking out my daily blogs.
Now in the 2nd game of the split-squad day the M's faced the Netherlands team who is preparing for the finals in the World Baseball Classic. The teams had a moment of silence for Greg Halman who was murdered 2 years ago. Halman played for both the Mariners and represented for the Netherlands in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. There was also a memorial video as well that brought not only the fans to tears but also the players who knew and play along side Halman.
Jon Garland started for the M's in this game. Garland is fighting for a spot in the starting rotation......and tonight's start really hurt him. Former Mariner Wladimir Balentin knocked his former team around and drove in 5 RBIs as the Netherlands beat Seattle 8-1.
The Mariners improved to 13-7 and pushed their Spring Training leading HRs to 39!!! WOW! Be sure to follow me on Twitter @IrishCARBomb21 and just keep checking out my daily blogs.
A country weeps for its baseball team
Team USA entered tonight with one last chance at moving on to the Final Four of the World Baseball Classic. They teed off against Puerto Rico who they beat 7-1 in their 2nd game of Pool D. Joe Torre gave the ball to Ryan Vogelsong to help USA into the Final Four. The top half of the 1st Puerto Rico got to Vogelsong by scoring first. Team USA hitters then continued to struggle by being held to 2 hits as Team PR sent Nelson Figueroa shut down this All Star packed lineup. In the top of the 6th Vogelsong was relieved of his pitching duties and Torre brought in Indians Vinnie Pestano.......that wasn't the best decision as PR scored 3 times and put the game to 4-0.
There i am and the USA fans and players were facing elimination down 4 runs. In the bottom of the 7th the USA finally got on the board when Giocarlo Stanton singled home Joe Mauer, thats all the USA could muster in the 7th. In the bottom of the 8th Shane Victorino started off by striking out. Jimmy Rollins then singled. Brandon Phillips then caught a break when a bad hop went into left and the USA had 2 on with 2 outs. Ryan Braun who hasnt been the most clutch hitter on the team then came up and lined a pitch down the left field line for a double scoring Rollins. USA now had hope. Joe Mauer came up and being the patient hitter he is walked to load the bases. Then it was the always reliable Stanton's turn.......well he came through by popping out for the 2nd out. Then Ben Zobrist who for some reason had a blank look on his face as if he was high came up and walked and the USA were now down 1 run! Eric Hosmer unfortunatley then grounded out to end the inning.
The USA then went into the bottom of the 9th 3 outs away from dissapointing the country again. J.C. Romero came into the 8th and got Hosmer to ground out and PR left him in to close it out for PR. Former Seattle Mariners player Adam Jones stepped in to begin the 9th. Jones had struck out in his last at-bat and had some in my opinion good choice words for the home plate ump. If you saw the game you would know why i say that. Jones struck out again by swinging at a ball that was way outside. Victorino then stepped in and struck out and the USA was now down to its final out of the WBC. Rollins then came up and for some reason swung at the first pitch and popped out to end the USA's journey and World Baseball Classic.
Watching Puerto Rico celebrate on US soil and realizing that our country failed again in the WBC was heart breaking. I cried, i admit it i cried because i was sad that our country battled back and failed to show the world that as the inventors of the sport we cant say that our country is better. Team USA had so many players that shouldve played on this team. Prince Fielder, Justin Verlander, David Price, Mike Trout, and many more didnt seem to give a shit about playing for their country. Instead they decided that because they are not getting paid they dont want to play. In my opinion if the players dont care about playing and representing their country then the USA shouldnt be in this tournament. The Dominican Republic, Japan, and other countries players have so much pride and could care less about getting paid that they take time out of Spring Training to play in this World Cup of baseball tournament.
The United States will now have to wait another 4 years for the next WBC tournament. Team Japan is making its 3rd trip to the finals. Dominican Republic is back after getting eliminated by Netherlands in the 2009 WBC. Puerto Rico is making its first trip to the finals as well. Will the USA ever get to the finals and win the whole tournament? Were gonna have to wait another 4 years to find out.
There i am and the USA fans and players were facing elimination down 4 runs. In the bottom of the 7th the USA finally got on the board when Giocarlo Stanton singled home Joe Mauer, thats all the USA could muster in the 7th. In the bottom of the 8th Shane Victorino started off by striking out. Jimmy Rollins then singled. Brandon Phillips then caught a break when a bad hop went into left and the USA had 2 on with 2 outs. Ryan Braun who hasnt been the most clutch hitter on the team then came up and lined a pitch down the left field line for a double scoring Rollins. USA now had hope. Joe Mauer came up and being the patient hitter he is walked to load the bases. Then it was the always reliable Stanton's turn.......well he came through by popping out for the 2nd out. Then Ben Zobrist who for some reason had a blank look on his face as if he was high came up and walked and the USA were now down 1 run! Eric Hosmer unfortunatley then grounded out to end the inning.
The USA then went into the bottom of the 9th 3 outs away from dissapointing the country again. J.C. Romero came into the 8th and got Hosmer to ground out and PR left him in to close it out for PR. Former Seattle Mariners player Adam Jones stepped in to begin the 9th. Jones had struck out in his last at-bat and had some in my opinion good choice words for the home plate ump. If you saw the game you would know why i say that. Jones struck out again by swinging at a ball that was way outside. Victorino then stepped in and struck out and the USA was now down to its final out of the WBC. Rollins then came up and for some reason swung at the first pitch and popped out to end the USA's journey and World Baseball Classic.
Watching Puerto Rico celebrate on US soil and realizing that our country failed again in the WBC was heart breaking. I cried, i admit it i cried because i was sad that our country battled back and failed to show the world that as the inventors of the sport we cant say that our country is better. Team USA had so many players that shouldve played on this team. Prince Fielder, Justin Verlander, David Price, Mike Trout, and many more didnt seem to give a shit about playing for their country. Instead they decided that because they are not getting paid they dont want to play. In my opinion if the players dont care about playing and representing their country then the USA shouldnt be in this tournament. The Dominican Republic, Japan, and other countries players have so much pride and could care less about getting paid that they take time out of Spring Training to play in this World Cup of baseball tournament.
The United States will now have to wait another 4 years for the next WBC tournament. Team Japan is making its 3rd trip to the finals. Dominican Republic is back after getting eliminated by Netherlands in the 2009 WBC. Puerto Rico is making its first trip to the finals as well. Will the USA ever get to the finals and win the whole tournament? Were gonna have to wait another 4 years to find out.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
The most annoying loss ever........of all time.
Well i take you can guess what this blog is about. Earlier tonight the USA watched as their countries team was defeated by the Dominican Republic. But thats not what made the loss annoying. It was what the Dominican fans had at the game that made it annoying. Back in 2010 the World Cup had a problem with noise. The noise came from a vuvuzela. Those horns that made the broadcast sound like we were watching a bee hive made it hard for the players to hear and made it hard for fans to hear the broadcasters. Now there are these things called pump horns!
In tonight's 3-1 loss USA just couldn't comeback and win. Like in the loss to Mexico i was stressed all game and pissed. But this game i had a headache after the 3rd inning! It was because of those stupid pump horns the DR fans came with. I tweeted this but i really hope that the DR fans that brought pump horns left with carpal tunnel! I mean those damn things got on my nerves but im going to get back to what happened in the game.
The game started out good for the USA. In the bottom of the first Eric Hosmer drove in the first run with a single that score Brandon Phillips. After that.......uhh lets just say the DR pitching staff shut down the USA hitters. DR tied the game when Hanley Ramirez hit a 75 mph knuckle ball 451 ft, oh ya Ramirez definitely took his steroids tonight. But after that both pitching staffs were lights out! In the top of the 9th Chris Kimbrel came into the game. Kimbrel began the inning facing Nelson Cruz. Cruz lined one into to right center field where Giancarlo Stanton made a great stop (but the dive wasn't necessary). Kimbrel got Carlos Santana to ground out moving Cruz over to 3rd. Eric Aybar then pinched hit for Ricardo Nanita. Aybar broke the hearts of USA fans there at the stadium and around the country watching, lining one to right scoring Cruz.
DR scored once more to make the game 3-1. In the bottom half of the 9th Fernando Rodney came into the game with his hat crooked again! Adam Jones struck out to begin the inning. Ben Zobrist and Shane Victorino then pop out to end the game and i had to watch Rodney do that stupid pose and then the whole team to look in the direction he was pointing. UGH!!! Now tomorrow night USA has one more shot at the Final Four against Puerto Rico. Now remember that they took care of PR 7-1 in their first meeting. If USA wins they will play Netherlands in the Final Four. DR will be playing the 2-time defending champions Team Japan.
You know the only thing that made this loss more annoying then seeing some of the DR players wear their hats crooked and disrespects their uniforms, Fernando Rodney doing that stupid pose, the home plate umpire being stupid and being inconsistent with calling strikes, or the whole DR team running out and celebrating as if they won the game when Aybar singled home Cruz......it was those STUPID pump horns!!!!! I mean the DR fans were acting like it was a friggin soccer game! Can someone tell them that this is baseball?
Be sure to watch Team USA tomorrow night and follow me on Twitter @IrishCARBomb253.
In tonight's 3-1 loss USA just couldn't comeback and win. Like in the loss to Mexico i was stressed all game and pissed. But this game i had a headache after the 3rd inning! It was because of those stupid pump horns the DR fans came with. I tweeted this but i really hope that the DR fans that brought pump horns left with carpal tunnel! I mean those damn things got on my nerves but im going to get back to what happened in the game.
The game started out good for the USA. In the bottom of the first Eric Hosmer drove in the first run with a single that score Brandon Phillips. After that.......uhh lets just say the DR pitching staff shut down the USA hitters. DR tied the game when Hanley Ramirez hit a 75 mph knuckle ball 451 ft, oh ya Ramirez definitely took his steroids tonight. But after that both pitching staffs were lights out! In the top of the 9th Chris Kimbrel came into the game. Kimbrel began the inning facing Nelson Cruz. Cruz lined one into to right center field where Giancarlo Stanton made a great stop (but the dive wasn't necessary). Kimbrel got Carlos Santana to ground out moving Cruz over to 3rd. Eric Aybar then pinched hit for Ricardo Nanita. Aybar broke the hearts of USA fans there at the stadium and around the country watching, lining one to right scoring Cruz.
DR scored once more to make the game 3-1. In the bottom half of the 9th Fernando Rodney came into the game with his hat crooked again! Adam Jones struck out to begin the inning. Ben Zobrist and Shane Victorino then pop out to end the game and i had to watch Rodney do that stupid pose and then the whole team to look in the direction he was pointing. UGH!!! Now tomorrow night USA has one more shot at the Final Four against Puerto Rico. Now remember that they took care of PR 7-1 in their first meeting. If USA wins they will play Netherlands in the Final Four. DR will be playing the 2-time defending champions Team Japan.
You know the only thing that made this loss more annoying then seeing some of the DR players wear their hats crooked and disrespects their uniforms, Fernando Rodney doing that stupid pose, the home plate umpire being stupid and being inconsistent with calling strikes, or the whole DR team running out and celebrating as if they won the game when Aybar singled home Cruz......it was those STUPID pump horns!!!!! I mean the DR fans were acting like it was a friggin soccer game! Can someone tell them that this is baseball?
Be sure to watch Team USA tomorrow night and follow me on Twitter @IrishCARBomb253.
Beast Mode and Zunino going to work
Well Joe Saunders took to the mound today for the Mariners. As the weather look perfect for baseball Saunders' start wasn't. The Mariners played the Cincinnati Reds today and they took Saunders to the cleaners. As Saunders was pounded in his 3.2 innings of work giving up 9 hits, 7 runs, 5 were earned and as of that performance his spring training ERA went up to 9.45! OUCH! Well as the Mariners trailed the Reds 7-3 going into the bottom of the 5th it was starting to look like they would lose their 8 game out of the last 9! But that wasn't the case today!
Mike Morse ate his Wheaties today as in both the bottom of the 4th and 5th inning he showed off his power again! Hitting two long blast today and hitting a double. Beast Mode (as he's called) went 3-3 today and he scored 3 runs to boot with his 2 HRs, 5 RBIs, and a double. Now i cant just talk about Morse other wise this would be a boring blog. Kendrys Morales and Justin Smoak both doubled home a run as well. Now before the bottom of an inning there is always a top. 22-year old Brandon Maurer came in to work. Now this kid is having one strong spring training and may make the Opening Day 25 man roster! Maurer went 4 innings striking out 4 and not giving up a run.
In his return from the World Baseball Classic Oliver Perez kept the game at 7-7 by throwing a scoreless 9th inning. Carlos Peguero lead off the bottom half of the 9th by striking out. Peguero had a tough day today going 0-4 and striking out twice. But i dont think he's really that worried about it cause his spring training batting average only dropped to only .324........wait what?! Yeah i typed that correctly, Peguero has been tearing the cover off the ball this spring. The Mariners then decided to send a pinch hitter up for Jesus Sucre and they chose their 1st round pick Mike Zunino who hasn't been hitting all that much this spring training. Well like i said with Mike Morse, Zunino ate his Wheaties today to! Zunino swung and crushed the ball and the Mariners won in walk off fashion winning 8-7!
Today's win pushed the Mariners spring training record to 12-7. Tomorrow the Mariners have split squad games. Jeremy Bonderman and Jon Garland will take the mound and and are scheduled throw 4 innings. Bonderman will be facing the Angels and Garland will have and interesting opponent......the Netherlands! The first time the Mariners had split squad games they spilt the games winning one and losing the other maybe they will have better luck this time.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter @IrishCARBomb21.
My Team USA WBC Timeline
You know 7 years ago i was watching my first World Baseball Classic game and i remember it very well. It was Team USA and South Africa, now Team USA won of course but the MVP of the game is what i remember the most. Ken Griffey, Jr., went 4-4 with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs. At that moment watching my hero who inspired me to love the game of baseball and become a Seattle Mariners fan playing like the 1997 MVP year Jr. After that i continued to watch the USA in the first WBC but was disappointed as the USA were eliminated by Team Mexico. Of course i had to watch the then current Mariner Ichiro and Team Japan win the first WBC.
3 years later There i am glued to the television set watching my country play again. Team USA wins their first game 6-5 over Team Canada. Team USA continued to play well through out this tournament. They lost a few games along the way but continued into the finals for the first time. So there i am watching Team USA going against the defending champs Japan. Through 3 innings USA was on top 2-1 but after that all hell broke loose and Japan scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 4th inning. USA held Japan up until the 8th. USA scored twice and i was saying were gonna come back. It was all for nothing as Japan scored 3 more times and won the game 9-4 and eliminated Team USA from the WBC and USA was denied again of what rightfully should be there's! Japan went on to win the 2009 World Baseball Classic by beating South Korea in 10 innings.
4 years later The excitement has been building up now for weeks! I watched other games but now after waiting 4 years Team USA took the field against the team that knocked them out of the first WBC......Team Mexico! Now after the surprising defeat that Italy handed Team Mexico i was thinking that USA was gonna make mince meat out of them. I was wrong. Mexico's pitching dominated the USA's hitters and they fell 5-2.
Our next opponent was Italy and boy was i worried. After Italy smashed Canada 14-4 i was thinking "Oh no please, please, please win this game USA". Now through 4 innings i was getting more worried about the USA getting eliminated in the first round as Italy was leading 2-1. Then all of a sudden the USA's bats woke up! David "Captain America" Wright came up with the bases loaded and 2 outs. I was thinking just get a solid hit. Well he did more then get a solid hit, he drove the ball to deep left-center field for an "international salami". USA held on to win 6-2 and was set to take on Team Canada in a win or go home elimination game. USA had me worried but their bats woke up and Team USA beat Canada 9-4.
3 nights ago Team USA gave the ball to 21 game winner Gio Gonzalez to keep Puerto Rico at bay. Gonzalez pitched 5 brilliant innings striking out 5 and not allowing any runs. Captain America as David Wright's new nickname suits him well as he drove in 5 more runs for the USA in helping them defeat Puerto Rico 7-1.
Now March 14, 2013
The United States waits as R.A. Dickey (who was not sharp in his first outing giving up 4 runs) takes the mound tonight against the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic has always been the heavy favorites to win the WBC every year. The main reason is because they have hitters who can drive the ball. They have speed to boost their power hitters as well. Now if USA loses this game then they face elimination again but this time they will have to go against Puerto Rico again but if they do win then they can just sit the next game as a win tonight guarantees them a spot back in the Final Four of the WBC. I wish our boy's in blue good luck tonight and i will be cheering loud and proud. Be sure to catch the game on MLB Network at 7 ET and 4 PT.
3 years later There i am glued to the television set watching my country play again. Team USA wins their first game 6-5 over Team Canada. Team USA continued to play well through out this tournament. They lost a few games along the way but continued into the finals for the first time. So there i am watching Team USA going against the defending champs Japan. Through 3 innings USA was on top 2-1 but after that all hell broke loose and Japan scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 4th inning. USA held Japan up until the 8th. USA scored twice and i was saying were gonna come back. It was all for nothing as Japan scored 3 more times and won the game 9-4 and eliminated Team USA from the WBC and USA was denied again of what rightfully should be there's! Japan went on to win the 2009 World Baseball Classic by beating South Korea in 10 innings.
4 years later The excitement has been building up now for weeks! I watched other games but now after waiting 4 years Team USA took the field against the team that knocked them out of the first WBC......Team Mexico! Now after the surprising defeat that Italy handed Team Mexico i was thinking that USA was gonna make mince meat out of them. I was wrong. Mexico's pitching dominated the USA's hitters and they fell 5-2.
Our next opponent was Italy and boy was i worried. After Italy smashed Canada 14-4 i was thinking "Oh no please, please, please win this game USA". Now through 4 innings i was getting more worried about the USA getting eliminated in the first round as Italy was leading 2-1. Then all of a sudden the USA's bats woke up! David "Captain America" Wright came up with the bases loaded and 2 outs. I was thinking just get a solid hit. Well he did more then get a solid hit, he drove the ball to deep left-center field for an "international salami". USA held on to win 6-2 and was set to take on Team Canada in a win or go home elimination game. USA had me worried but their bats woke up and Team USA beat Canada 9-4.
3 nights ago Team USA gave the ball to 21 game winner Gio Gonzalez to keep Puerto Rico at bay. Gonzalez pitched 5 brilliant innings striking out 5 and not allowing any runs. Captain America as David Wright's new nickname suits him well as he drove in 5 more runs for the USA in helping them defeat Puerto Rico 7-1.
The United States waits as R.A. Dickey (who was not sharp in his first outing giving up 4 runs) takes the mound tonight against the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic has always been the heavy favorites to win the WBC every year. The main reason is because they have hitters who can drive the ball. They have speed to boost their power hitters as well. Now if USA loses this game then they face elimination again but this time they will have to go against Puerto Rico again but if they do win then they can just sit the next game as a win tonight guarantees them a spot back in the Final Four of the WBC. I wish our boy's in blue good luck tonight and i will be cheering loud and proud. Be sure to catch the game on MLB Network at 7 ET and 4 PT.
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About Me
Im a huge Seattle sports nut. Thats basically about me. But im an upcoming blogger who writes only about the Mariners, Seahawks, Sounders, and when they come back the Sonics. Now if you would like me to write about something tweet me and i will write it. Now i should mark that im also Irish and have a beard that is feared above Brian Wilson's beard. His beard can kiss my beard's ass!