Lloyd is drinking stupid juice

Mariners were on the losing end of yet another heart breaker last night, as the Angels capped off comeback win after Carlos Perez hit his first major league homerun off Dominic Leone to walk the M's off. So, we all know that the Mariners pitching hasn't been the best and there are a couple players who we would like to see get the call up and players who we would like to get sent down, but there's another problem the Mariners have. . . their manager. Last night manger Lloyd McClendon said in a post game interview that he is "managing their innings", referring to both young pitchers Taijuan Walker and James Paxton.

Yeah OK Lloyd here's the thing when you have a pitcher that is clicking and isn't even over 100 pitches. . . why take him out of the game? "Managing their innings" was perhaps the most idiotic thing I've heard McClendon say during his tenure in Seattle. What is there to manage? Your pitchers are having a great game why take them out?! I mean be serious people if you were in Lloyd's shoes what would you have done? I'll tell you what I would have done, I would have kept Paxton in since he was rolling through the Angel hitters and only at 91 pitches! Also when Danny Farqhuar put two one and nobody out I would have made a change even though I'm not a fan of Charlie Furbush.

Lloyd's managing techniques are starting to get to me. By that I mean his ridiculous match up lineups and pitching changes. WHY LLOYD?! Last year Lloyd actually made great decisions but this year its like all he does is sit in the dugout with his thumb up his. . . well you get the point. Things are just going down hill for the Mariners, yes I know were only 5 games under .500 but were lucky that were not the Milwaukee Brewers for crying out loud!

Another thing, why is Seth Smith leading off? I know Austin Jackson is on the DL but come on Smith hasn't done diddly poo since Opening Day! I mean look I know I have been skeptical of Rickie Weeks but I think it will do him some good to start and maybe lead off. Thankfully though Brad Miller maybe starting in the outfield then we wont see Ackley get reps. . . which isn't a bad thing. Ackley has also been a big problem, after starting off hot he hasn't just cooled off he's frozen solid! I think its time Ackley goes down and Franklin Gutierrez gets the call up. Guti's been tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A Tacoma and I think he's ready to come back and shine like the old Guti we remember.

Another option the M's should make is send both Farq and Leone down to Tacoma and give Justin Germano a call up along with Logan Bawcom. Both are relievers and have been pitching well in Tacoma, though Germano is starting he began as a reliever and could come back as one. Another thing is that when the 8th inning comes up. . . put in Carson Smith! I mean the kid is going to be the Mariners closer after Fernando Rodney's contract is up after this year (that's just my guess).

Look all these suggestions that I have made wont hit Lloyd's ears or eyes but these are a couple things that need to be taken care of otherwise the Mariners season and playoff expectations are going to go straight down the pooper! Also, if things don't pick up after this month I think Lloyd's tenure as manager will need to come to an end. That's what I give Lloyd is til the end of the month to try and get this Mariners team back to its playoff expectations. Now, for that to happen the team needs to do its part as well, the pitching needs to get better, the bullpen needs to get their heads out of their butts, the hitting with runners in scoring position need to improve, and most important of all. . .smart decisions in key situations need to be made.

Mariners 25 man Opening Day roster projection

So far this Mariners spring training has shown us a lot of good things to come. Not just with Nelson Cruz but with players you didn't see coming. Players like David Rollins and Tyler Olson are making some noise, both are two pitchers nobody saw coming.

Both pitchers have been on fire this spring. Rollins has appeared in 4 games 4 innings with 4 strikeouts and Olson has been just as impressive going 5 innings in 3 games with 8 strikeouts in 3 games!

Both of these young pitchers could make the Mariners Opening Day 25 man roster, but they may not which is why I'm ready to give my projection for the M's Opening Day roster. And yes I know that Opening Day is a little over 4 weeks away but I still believe that these 25 guys will be the key for the Mariners to make a charge this season towards getting back to the postseason for the first time since their 116 win season. I also believe that this year's Mariners team will make a push towards winning the team's first World Series ever!

Lets begin with my projected pitchers shall I? I know your answer and its yes so I'll start off with my 5 man rotation.

1. Felix Hernandez
2. Hisashi Iwakuma
3. J.A. Happ
4. Taijuan Walker
5. James Paxton

There's your starting 5 rotation. Now I think most people would be saying right now "Yeah out of 4 of those guys I think your right but Walker come on dude!" Well here's the thing.....Walker is ready to show all you jerky haters out there what he's made of! Seriously Walker has been impressive this spring, yes again I effing know its spring training and don't give the old "look at Brad Miller last year" crap on me.

Walker has made a big impact this spring training in his 2 starts he's gone 5 innings and struck out 6 batters. His changeup and breaking ball have shown that he's ready to prove he was worth not trading as so many people wanted Jack Z to do with Walker. I truly believe that Walker will have a season worth remembering, including 10+ wins!

Now for our bullpen guys.

Danny Farqhuar
Charlie Furbush
Dominic Leone (setup guy)
Fernando Rodney (closer)
David Rollins
Tyler Olson
Carson Smith
Tom Wilhelmsen

There so far that's 13 spots filled. Now you see that Olson and Rollins are on my projected roster and I've already given my thoughts on why they should make the team so there's no point in discussing that. Although there is something I should interject about the bullpen. Let's say Olson or Rollins doesn't make the team, I actually have Danny Hultzen as a wild card to make the ball club. The Mariners may not use him as a starter but they could use him or Roenis Elias as a long innings reliever so there's my thoughts on that.

And now lets move onto my final 12 spots on the roster.

Catchers

Mike Zunino
Jesus Sucre

Infielders 

Robinson Cano
Kyle Seager
Logan Morrison
Chris Taylor
Brad Miller
Rickie Weeks (OF)

Outfielders
Dustin Ackley
Nelson Cruz
Austin Jackson
Seth Smith

There's my starting 25! Now I will give my wild card players who will be in the call ups/injury replacement categories. Now D.J. Peterson may get the call up early in the season so we might see him in late June or early/late July.

Endy Chavez, James Jones, Justin Ruggiano, Stefen Romero, Willie Bloomquist, Jesus Montero, John Hicks, Patrick Kivlehan, and Franklin Guiterrez all will be in the same category as Peterson. Now, most people may not agree with my projected lineup but I would say about 22-23 of the players I picked will make the team but I do believe that all 25 will make the cut.

Mariners Talk Podcast Episode 4

On this edition Gary Hill from 710 ESPN Seattle joins me and we discuss the Mariners, our top 10 favorite Mariners games of all time, and we go into the upcoming week for the Mariners

http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-129537/TS-861622.mp3

Astros get Farq'd Mariners take the series

The Mariners were looking to end the drought of losing series after series to the Houston Astros today on Star Wars day. The Mariners did just that today, Danny Farqhuar was responsible this time for bailing the Mariners out of an Astros attempt at a comeback. So Twitter-verse invented a new hashtag......#MayTheFarqBeWithYou. And boy was the Farq with the Mariners and with Farqhuar himself. The Mariners were able to pull out the win and take the series from the Astros and improve their record to 14-15. Another positive about today's win was that the Mariners got some revenge on Collin McHugh, who earned his first MLB win off the Mariners while striking out 12.

The Mariners got off to a quick start in the top of the first inning. Michael Saunders continued his tear as lead off hitter with a lead off single to begin the game, and on a throwing error on a pick off by McHugh Saunders was able to scoot on down to third. Robinson Cano put the M's up 1-0 on a productive ground ball out for his 17th of the season. The Astros got a run back in the bottom of the second as Alex Presley homered off starter Brandon Maurer and so the game was nodded up at 1-1.

The top of the third the Mariners decided to get a couple runs back. Dustin Ackley started off the inning by drawing an eight pitch walk, John Buck followed Ackley's walk with his first double of the season and after Saunders struck out Willie Bloomquist delivered a nice 2-run double to put the Mariners back in front 3-1. Cano decided to get back into the RBI category by tripling home Bloomquist, and so the M's lead went up to 4-1. Corey Hart decided to get into both the hit and RBI category as well with his first hit of the game and put M's up 5-1.

The Mariners added an extra run in the top of the fourth when Saunders singled home Buck to put the Mariners lead to 5 runs, Buck was able to get a one out double before Saunders singled him home. Maurer though had a tough bottom of the fourth. After getting the first two batters out the Astros strung together a couple hits including a 2-run double by Chris Carter but was able to get the next batter out. Ackley would drive in a run in the top of the fifth, the Mariners would load the bases thanks to a single, a walk, and Stefen Romero getting hit by a pitch. Ackley would draw the M's second bases loaded walk in the series and so the Mariners lead got pushed to 7-4. The Astros got an extra run in the bottom of the fifth thanks to Jonathan Villar.

Maurer's day was done after the fifth inning so manager Lloyd McClendon went to the bullpen again and had to put his faith in his bullpen for the third day in a row.

The M's would get their final run in the top of the eighth inning. After a lead off double by Romero and Ackley moving him over with a productive out John Buck got his third hit of the ball game and drove in Romero to put the Mariners lead to 8-4. Charlie Furbush was brought into the bottom of the eighth and was taken out after giving up two straight hits. Farqhuar was then brought in to not only get out of the inning but to also try and earn a rare 6 out save. Marc Krauss singled on the first pitch Farqhuar threw, that allowed Jason Castro and Matt Dominguez to come around to score.

Farqhuar was able to settle down and get the next three batters out. He would give up a run in the bottom of the ninth but was able to shut the Astros down and secure the win, the save, and the series for the Mariners. The Mariners now will head to Oakland for a 4 game series against the first place A's, including a double header on Wednesday. After the game Abraham Almonte was optioned to Tacoma, no one has yet to be called up but we could see the M's getting a reliever to help out their tired bullpen.

PLAYERS OF THE GAME: John Buck 3-4 2 2B 2 R RBI
                                         Robinson Cano 2-5 3B R 2 RBI
                                         Danny Farqhuar 2 IP 2 K 1 R 1 ER SV

Mariners enjoy home weather in a win over Yankees

With the tarp off the field and the temperature at a chilly 46 degrees Robinson Cano made his return to Yankee Stadium. Though, last night on Jimmy Fallon Cano surprised a couple Yankee fans. Though I'm not going to get on that its more fun to talk about the Mariners 6-3 win over the Yankees. As Cano made his way to the plate for the first time did he ever get the warmest welcome from New York's greatest fans.......that was sarcasm by the way. CC Sabathia took to the mound for the Pinstripes looking to improve to 13-4 against the Mariners in his career. At first things looked like he would earn that 13th win very easily......that didn't happen though.

After a 1-2-3 first for Sabathia, Chris Young took to the mound for Seattle looking to earn that first win of the season. Young ran into trouble in back-to-back innings. First Mark Teixeira drove his third homer of the season over the right field fence, and then in the following inning Young's inning didn't start off the way he wanted it to. He walked the first batter he saw then gave up a single to Brett Gardner, after getting two outs with Brian McCann up to bat Gardner took off to steal second and on the throw from catcher Mike Zunino the ball rolled into center allowing Brian Roberts to score to make it 2-0.

Things really started to go the Mariners way in the top of the fifth. Zunino lead off by legging out an infield single which was ruled an out at first but was overturned upon further review. Zunino's single would be followed by two other singles by Willie Bloomquist and Abraham Almonte, so here is a familiar site for M's fans bases loaded and no outs, well you can guess that M's fans on Twitter were saying that they wouldn't score. Cano drove in the M's first run with a productive ground ball that allowed Zunino to score from third, Corey Hart then drove the first pitch he saw into right center field that allowed Willie and Abraham to score and so the Mariners took the 3-2 lead. Justin Smoak added the last run of the inning for the M's with an RBI single to right to make it 4-2.

The top of the seventh saw the Mariners scoring two more times with two outs. Cano lead off the seventh with a hustling infield single and then to top things off stole second. So with two outs Dustin Ackley came in to pinch hit for Cole Gillespie, and after a tough home stand he drove in Cano with a 2-out single to put the M's up 5-2. Zunino added to his terrific night by driving in Ackley with his career high 4th hit of the night.

Fernando Rodney was brought in to finish off the Yankees in the 9th, it wouldn't be easy though. Rodney sent us on another roller coaster ride as he gave up a run but was able to close out the game. So the Mariners move to within 3 games of .500 and will go for a series win tomorrow. Though the forecast for tomorrow in New York doesn't look good as the rain pelted the teams tonight and will probably be continuing tomorrow so we may have a double header on Thursday.

PLAYERS OF THE GAME: Robinson Cano 1-5 R SB RBI
                                         Corey Hart 1-4 2B 2 RBIs R
                                         Mike Zunino 4-5 R RBI
                                         Dustin Ackley 2-2 RBI R

Seager ends the M's losing streak and beats the Astros

What is better than an afternoon at the ballpark with your family? How bout a walk off losing streak ending win by the Mariners? That's was what took place at Safeco Field today in front of 13,739 fans who turned out to watch the Mariners end the 2nd longest losing streak by any team in the majors this year. Chris Young took to the mound today looking to earn his first win of the season and go deep into the ball game to rest the bullpen as well.

Young's day started off pretty well as he went 1-2-3 in the first inning. Though in the top of the third inning is where he got into trouble. After walking the lead off hitter he got the next two batters out, so it looked like Young was going to get out of the third with no damage........*BUZZ* WRONG!!!!! Young walked Dexter Fowler and following that the Astros only All Star from last year Jason Castro doubled that drove in Matt Dominguez and Fowler. So, the Astros lead 2-0 after the third inning and that meant thanks to the eight game losing streak all the "faithful" Mariner fans said "That's it games over".

Thankfully those Mariner fans were proven wrong. But getting back to the recap of today's game. The Mariners had a one threat going in both the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings but were turned away both times. In the fourth with one out Robinson Cano extended his hitting streak to four games with a one out single and then Corey Hart walked. Justin Smoak though came through not in the good way but in his usual "we have a scoring opportunity so ill screw it up" way by grounding into one his trademark double play inning killers. Then in the bottom of the fifth the M's got their first two hitters on base. First Kyle Seager drew a nice six pitch walk and then Nick Franklin snapped an 0 for 13 stretch with a single, so you figure that Lloyd McClendon would have Ackley bunt the runners over........*BUZZ* WRONG AGAIN!!!!

Instead Ackley looked at two strikes then grounded into a double play, following him Mike Zunino popped out to end what could have been a possible scoring inning for the Mariners. Young was at 97 pitches after the sixth inning but headed out to pitch the seventh and I have to give him credit for keeping the M's in the game. Chris Carter though hit his second home run of the season and put the Astros lead to 3-0. So, after the seventh inning the Mariners trailed 3-0, Chris Young's day was done, and they were nine out away from being swept by the Astros and pushing their losing streak to nine games.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning Smoak got on with a bloop single to left, so Seager came up looking to help his team out. He did and in a big way, Seager blasted his first homer of the season and really put a positive charge in his team as they were now down by only a run. In both the eighth and ninth inning the Mariners bullpen had to be put to work. First was Charlie Furbush. After Charlie got the first two Astro hitters out he walked Jesus Guzman and gave up a single to Alex Presley, so the Astros were threatening to score again and the man to face Furbush with two one would be Carter. Furbush though showed no signs of fear as he struck out Carter to end the threat.

Fernando Rodney was called in the ninth to keep the game at a one run game. Rodney got the job done but it took him some time to do it as he threw 28 pitches to get out of the ninth.

So here we go again, the Astros brought in former Mariner Josh Fields to close things out. Cano lead off the inning with a nice blooped single and Corey Hart extended his hitting streak to six games as he lined a single down the left field line. So with two on and nobody out Justin Smoak had a shot to win this game......didn't happen though. Smoak went down swinging and so the M's were down to their final two outs. Smoak however would be the final out, as Seager stepped in with already a home run under his belt, he swung at the first pitch he saw from Fields and it was a no-doubter walk off home run.

The Mariners losing streak is finally over!!!! Man have I waited to say that for a whole damn week. After today's win me and a lot of other Mariner fans were like Lou Brown in Major League 2 "I LOVE THIS $%^ AND I MAY MOVE TO ENGLAND!!!!"

The M's have the day off tomorrow and its a much needed one. Though during this upcoming day off manager Lloyd McClendon needs to make some changes to this lineup, such as taking Abraham Almonte out of the lead off role as Almonte after today leads the majors in strikeouts with 33. If you see here on Sodo Mojo my co-host from Mariners Talk podcast says that Seager should be moved into the lead off role and that Almonte should be the #2 hitter.

Again the M's have a day off tomorrow and will face the Texas Rangers for a 3 game series starting on Thursday. After the day off we may see Cole Gillespie get a call up.....you never know.

PLAYERS OF THE GAME: Kyle Seager 2-3 2 HR 5 RBIs 2 R BB
                                         Robinson Cano 2-4 R
                                         Chris Young 7 IP 3 R 3 ER 6 K 5 BB

SeaTalk Intenitonal Podcast Mariners Talk Episode 3

http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-129537/TS-852261.mp3

Offense carries Elias to first victory

You figure going to Texas would mean 65-70 degree weather and very humid.......that wasn't the case on Monday in Texas. The Mariners and Rangers squared off for game one of a four game series, at the start of the game the temperature was recorded at 52 degrees and Logan Morrison was scratched from the lineup due to a tight hamstring so Michael Saunders got the start in right field. Roenis Elias took to the mound seeking his first major league win. The Mariners offense decided to end a 21 scoreless inning streak and give Elias seven runs which helped him earn his first win of both the season and in his career.

Things started out slowly for both teams with both pitchers having to throw a lot of pitches. The Mariners were able to get the Rangers starter Colby Lewis to throw 28 pitches in the top of the second inning. Kyle Seager had himself a game, his first at bat was the most impressive. With two strikes Seager was able to foul off five pitches and work the count to full and finally on the tenth pitch of the at bat he singled up the middle for the M's first hit of the game. Justin Smoak singled to right following Seager's single but Dustin Ackley popped out to the end the threat for the Mariners.

The Mariners struck first blood in the top of the fifth inning when Mike Zunino destroyed and 0-1 pitch from Lewis that traveled 422 ft. Next inning though the Mariners offense really came together. Robinson Cano lead off the top of the sixth inning with a single and with one out Saunders tripled home Cano to put the Mariners up 2-0. Seager followed up Saunders's triple with an RBI single up the middle. Smoak was able to get on thanks to Kevin Kouzmanoff bobbling a ground ball and thanks to Seager hustling beat the throw to second, Ackley continued his hot start by driving in Seager with a single to left and on a fielding error by Alex Rios Smoak was able to mosey on over to third.

Zunino kept the scoring going for the Mariners as he singled to left to drive in Smoak to put the M's up 4-0. Abraham Almonte loaded up the bases with an infield hit and on the next play Brad Miller hit a chopper to Lewis and on the throw home it looked like there would be a force out at the plate but Lloyd McClendon challenged the play. On the replay it was revealed that J.P. Arencibia bobbled the exchanged and so the play was ruled a fielder's choice and a run scored, though Ron Washington didn't agree with the call and decided to do a Lou Pinella impression and was ejected. The Mariners got their final run of the inning off a Cano sacrifice fly and so the M's lead 7-0 after six innings.

Elias would go on to pitch into the seventh inning, he gave up a run on an RBI single by Kouzmanoff and after striking out Michael Choice for the second out of the seventh McClendon came out to relieve the 25 year old. Yoervis Medina was brought in to finish the seventh for the Mariners and he got the job done with the first batter. Medina would go out in the eighth inning and would would two but thankfully he got a double play and then got Elvis Andrus to line out to Saunders to end Medina's night.

Danny Farqhuar ended both the Mariners and the Rangers night in the ninth. Farqhuar gave up back-to-back singles to begin the ninth inning, Farqhuar settled down after that. He got Kouzmanoff to pop out, struck out Jim Adduci, and got Robinson Chirinos to fly out to end the game.

So the Mariners take game one of their seven game road trip and game one of their first series against the Rangers and move to 7-5 and improved their road record to 5-2. Tomorrow night the Mariners will send Blake Beavan for his first and possibly his only start of the season. Good news for the Mariners is that Taijuan Walker will be making possibly his last rehab start in Tacoma.

Players of the Game: Roenis Elias 6.2 IP 1 R 1 ER 5 K
                                Kyle Seager 2-4 R RBI
                                Michael Saunders 2-5 3B R RBI
                                Mike Zunino 2-4 2 R 2 RBI HR

SeaTalkIntentional Podcast Mariners Talk

http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-129537/TS-849383.mp3

Felix bullies the A's in home debut

What do you get when you have 38,968 fans and 25,000 have yellow shirts and K cards? You get the first Supreme Court of the season and King Felix Hernandez didn't disappoint the fans. The day before this game he and Macklemore did a commercial for the #ChangeTheGame campaign for anti-bullying but boy it seemed he didn't want to promote anti-bullying against the Athletics.

Felix improved to 3-0 for the first time in his major league career and also improved his record against the A's to 17-7 in 31 starts with a 2.60 ERA. Though the bullpen nearly fell apart in the top of the eighth, thankfully they were able to hold the A's off and Fernando Rodney shut the door and shot his arrow to finish off the A's.

The Mariners offense the other night was only able to get one hit of Angels starter Garrett Richards, tonight was different story as the M's hitters decided to pound the A's pitching staff with 12 hits. Abraham Almonte got things started with the first pitch as he drilled a line drive to left and thanks to his amazing speed he was able to leg out his third double of the year, following that Brad Miller laid down a bunt that turned into a base hit thanks again to speed.

If you remember early this year the Yankees coaching staff said that Robinson Cano never hustled........well things change, Cano legged out his second infield hit of the season and on the play Almonte scored the first run of the game.The Mariners were able to load the bases with one out, but unfortunately Kyle Seager popped out on a high 3-2 pitch and Stefen Romero struck out on an off speed pitch and so A's starter Tommy Milone escaped the first with minimal damage.

Lets talk more about King Felix. Felix began the game off by retiring the first 10 batters he faced and struck out 6 batters in the first four innings. Felix continued his domination while his offense decided to give their King the run support he deserves.

The bottom of the fourth started off on what looked like a lead off home run by Seager but after replay review it turned out that Seager just missed his first home run of the year by a few feet, so after running around the bases and thinking he finally got that big hit he was searching for he ended up striking out on the next pitch, Romero struck out as well on another off speed pitch. So with two outs the Mariners decided to put the 2000 slogan to work again "2 outs so what?".

Dustin Ackley got his second hit of the game and following that Mike Zunino grounded to Josh Donaldson who's throw went wide and into the crowd which allowed Ackley to score Zunino was then able to score on another error by the A's and so the M's pushed their third run across.

The Mariners added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Ackley got things started with a half swinging single to left and following his single Zunino drove an inside pitch into the A's bullpen to give the M's a 5-0 lead. After a pitching change by the Athletics Brad Miller showed off his impressive power swing by driving a long one over the center field wall for his third homer of the season and pushing the Mariners lead to 6-0. After the sixth inning Felix went out and struck out the side to push his strikeout total to 11 for the night and while the M's were up to bat Felix decided that he wanted to throw one more inning even with 100 pitches under his belt.

Felix hit the first batter he saw in the eighth and then gave up a single to Eric Sogard. Lloyd McClendon then made the smart decision of coming out to relieve Felix of his duties for the night, and so Felix walked off to a standing ovation from 38,000+ fans giving thanks to the King for one amazing night.

The Mariners bullpen though was not as hot as Felix was, Lucas Luetge was brought in and walked the first batter he saw on four straight pitches so McClendon decided to relieve Luetge and give Danny Farqhuar a shot. That didn't fan out as great as McClendon intended, as Farqhuar walked Jed Lowrie with the bases loaded so that brought the A's first run home, Farqhuar was able to strike out Donaldson but McClendon went to the bullpen for the third time in the inning and brought in Charlie Furbush to try and stop the bleeding.

Furbush gave up an RBI single to Brandon Moss which made it 6-2, following that Yoenis Cespedes legged out a fielder's choice and on the play Sam Fuld scored and made it a 3 run ball game. To make things worse Furbush threw a wild pitch that allowed the fourth run to come across and score, thankfully on the very next pitch Furbush got Alberto Callaspo to pop out to Justin Smoak to end the nightmare inning.

Rodney was then called upon in the ninth inning to close things out and secure the M's 6th win and 1st place in the West. After giving up a lead off double to John Jaso Rodney settled down and Daric Barton to pop out and fooled Sogard with one nasty changeup. A's manager decided to send in another pinch hitter in Mariners killer Coco Crisp, so McClendon decided to make a quick trip to the mound to talk things over with his closer.

What ever Lloyd said to Rodney it worked, as he threw three straight changeup's to Crisp and got him to swing on the third one for the final strike of the game. Rodney shot that arrow towards the heavens and earn Felix his third win of the season and earned his third save of the year.

So the M's are back in first place in West, I know its early but you gotta take in the fact that the M's are over .500 and are in 1st place. Tomorrow the M's send Erasmo Ramirez to the mound who will look to have a better outing against Oakland than last time where he allowed five runs on seven hits, Sonny Gray will go against Ramirez and so tomorrow's game is basically a rematch of last Sunday's game.

Players of the Game: Felix Hernandez 7+ IP 4 H 2 R 2 ER 0 BB 11 K
                                Mike Zunino 2-4 HR 2 RBI 2 R
                                Brad Miller 2-5 HR RBI R
                                Dustin Ackley 3-4 2B 2 R

Mariners tee off to sweep the Angels

The Mariners were unable to take batting practice today because of the weather, so they decided to take their batting practice during the game. The Mariners finished off their first sweep of the season of the Angels with an 8-2 win thanks to the strength of 3 home runs and a spectacular pitching performance by James Paxton. Justin Smoak added his second home run of the season late in the game and Corey Hart hit his first Mariner home run of the season right after Smoak. Stefen Romero added his first hit and RBI in the majors as he went 2-3 tonight. The Mariners also added 4 more 2-out RBIs giving them 18 for the season.

The game got off to a rough start for both starting pitchers. Hector Santiago made his Angels debut, but he began his night off by having difficulty locating his pitches as he walked Abraham Almonte and Robinson Cano. Although the Mariners would not score in the inning, Santiago managed to strike out Brad Miller and Smoak and got Hart to fly out to end the threat.

Paxton also had difficulty locating his pitches in the bottom of the first. Thankfully after giving up a lead off double to Kole Calhoun and walking Mike Trout, he got Albert Pujols to ground into a double play and then got David Freese to line out to Almonte to end the threat.

The Mariners would strike first in the top of the third inning. With two out Miller got things started with a hustling double, after that Cano singled up the middle and Miller hustled around to score to give Cano his first RBI as a Mariner. Things would be quiet for both teams for a couple innings. Paxton stole the show though. After a rough first inning he would strikeout 5 batters through the next 4 innings, and even though the home plate umpire had an inconsistent strike zone Paxton still found a way to strike guys out.

In the top of the fifth inning the Mariners would add another run to the box score. After Zunino lead off with a single and Willie Bloomquist walked Almonte grounded into a double play but Miller hit soft line drive to left which allowed Bloomquist to score. So the M's took a 2-0 lead after 5 innings.

The sixth inning was the big inning for the Mariners. After back-to-back singles by Smoak and Hart Angels manager Mike Scioscia came out to end Santiago's night. Fernando Salas was brought in to face Romero, who got his first MLB hit 2 innings ago, this time Romero decided to hit a laser down the left field line that scored Smoak and so the M's now had a 3-0 lead. After Ackley grounded out Zunino came up and blasted his first home run of the season and put the Mariners up 6-0.

Mariners would get two more runs in the top of the ninth inning with two outs. Smoak and Hart went back-to-back and the Mariners cushion on the Angels was now 8-0. Hector Noesi was brought in to finish the game for the M's, though his one inning of work wouldn't be easy as he gave up two runs but managed to get the last three outs to secure the Mariners first sweep of the season and their first sweep against the Angels since 2006.

The Mariners begin the season 3-0 for the first time since their "Refuse To Lose" 1995 season, they now will make the trip to Oakland for a four game match up against the defending AL West Champs.

Roenis Elias is set to make his major league debut in the series opener against the Athletics, he will face Jesse Chavez who is making his first start in the majors since June 24, 2012. The Mariners will look to continue their hot start in Oakland by continuing to drive in runs with two outs but the last time a Mariner pitcher made his MLB debut against the A's, Brandon Maurer got rocked for six runs so Elias will look to have a better outing than Maurer did.

Players of the Game: James Paxton 7 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 9 Ks
                                Mike Zunino  2-4 1 R HR 3 RBI
                                Justin Smoak 2-5 2 R HR 1 RBI
                                Corey Hart    2-5 2 R HR 1 RBI

NOTES: Mike Trout went 2-3 in last night's game whereas the rest of the Angels team went 1-26. Out of the 26 runs the Mariners scored in the 3 game series against the Angels 18 of them came with 2 outs. The Mariners also finished the series going 12-28 with runners in scoring position.

Smoakin hot Mariners off to 2-0 start

Last night during the 6 run ninth inning I was thinking to myself "OK Mariners save some runs and hits for tomorrow".......what I didn't know was that they already saved up some runs and hits for tonight. Justin Smoak and Brad Miller lead the way for the Mariners as they helped Erasmo Ramirez earn his first win both in the season and against the Angels. The Mariners red hot offense pushed 8 more runs tonight against C.J. Wilson and the Angels and moved to 2-0. Stefen Romero made his major league debut tonight along with Corey Hart and John Buck making their Mariners debut.

The Mariners got the scoring going in the top of the third. After Romero flew out to lead off the inning both Dustin Ackley and Buck singled, Abraham Almonte would then double home Ackley and so the Mariners drew first blood in this game. M's weren't done, with two outs Wilson intentionally walked Robinson Cano and Smoak decided to make him pay by drilling one into left center field that cleared the bases and so the M's hammered Wilson for four runs in the third.

In the bottom of the fourth the Angels got their two cents in, and by two cents I mean two runs thanks to Raul Ibanez's first home run of the season and so the M's lead was cut to just 2 runs.

That lead would be put to 3 runs thanks to "Crazy legs" Miller, as he hit his first round tripper of the season and his first home run off a left handed pitcher. Hart lead off the top half of the sixth inning with his first hit as a Mariner then two outs later Ackley provided another 2-out RBI for the Mariners by hitting his first extra base hit of the season with a double.

Ramirez provided the M's with another great pitching performance. Ramirez went 7 strong innings and struck out 6 Angel hitters. Tom Wilhelmsen was brought in for Ramirez in the bottom of the eighth inning and this time Tommy Boy didn't have the success he had last night. Though the Bartender didn't seem to have control problems but the defense made a mistake that would allow a run to score, Lloyd McClendon then decided to bring in Joe Beimel for his Mariner debut. Beimel didn't even need to throw a pitch to get out of the inning as he picked off David Freese to end the inning.

Miller added two more runs in the top of the ninth inning. Ackley lead off the inning with a walk and 2-outs (yes again) Miller literally destroyed the first pitch he saw into the right field seat for his second homer of the game and his fourth multi home run game in his career. Fernando Rodney was then brought in for his Mariner debut in the ninth, man last night saw a lot of players making their Mariner debut. Getting back to the game, Rodney only allowed a lead off single to Ibanez after which he struck out Howie Kendrick and got Hank Croger to ground into a game ending double play.

So, last night saw a lot of first's. Four players made their Mariner debut, Romero made his MLB debut, and Rodney fired the first arrow of the season. All and all it was one great game to watch as the Mariners put their 1st place record to 2-0.

The M's will look to go 3-0 for the first time since 1995.......hmm wasn't that a good year? I cant remember anyways the M's will send James Paxton out for his season debut.

Players of the Game: Erasmo Ramirez 7 IP 6 H 2 R 2 ER 6 K
                                Justin Smoak 2-4 2B 3 RBIs
                                Brad Miller 2-5 2 HRs 3 RBIs 2 R

NOTES: The Mariners hot start is thank not just for 18 runs but for how those runs have been scored. The M's in two game are 8-29 with runners in scoring position and 14 of those runs have come with 2 outs. Brad Miller's 2 home run game was his 4th in his career.

Mariners offense dazzles on Opening Day

Opening Day has finally arrived and with it a brand new season and a brand new Seattle Mariners team. The team didn't seem like they wanted to show off their high powered offense from spring training. It seemed that Jeff Weaver was going to shut down the Mariners and it also looked like Felix Hernandez would lose control of his pitches and emotions, but the M's found a way to pull out their 8th straight Opening Day victory.

The Angels though got off on a bad start to the season as Vladimir Guerrero threw out the first pitch to hitting coach Don Baylor, on the throw Baylor's knee slipped out and after being helped off the field was taken to a local hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured right femur. Baylor will undergo surgery today. My thoughts and prayers are with Baylor for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery.

Things didn't start off the way the Mariners wanted it to, the Angels $144.5 million dollar fish Mike Trout decided to start off his season by destroying an 86 mph slider over the left field fence to put his up by two runs. The Mariners answer back with a run of their own in the top of the third as Michael Saunders drove in Justin Smoak with a sacrifice fly to right.

The Angels added an extra run in the bottom of the third inning as Felix showed signs of both losing control of his pitches and his frustration. Felix was finally able to get out of the troublesome 3rd inning after throwing 30 pitches.

After the third inning Felix was able to calm down and locate his pitches. He would finish the night by striking out 11 Angel batters, the Mariners were able to add a run in the top of the sixth inning, Kyle Seager just missed hitting a 3-run home run by a matter of feet but was still able to drive in Smoak but unfortunately Logan Morrison was thrown out by at least 6 steps trying to score from first. Felix went back out in the bottom of the sixth inning with 90 pitches already under his belt, after Josh Hamilton lead things off with a single King Felix got David Freese to ground out and struck out both Raul Ibanez and Howie Kendrick to end both the inning and his season debut.

So Felix's night was done and as he left the game down 3-2 the Mariners decided that now was time to begin showing off their young powerful lineup. The Mariners comeback began with one out as Dustin Ackley ripped a single into left field, after that Mike Zunino swung at the first pitch and drove a deep fly ball to left field and just missed hitting a 2-run home run by inches but either way Ackley scored from first to tie the game on Zunino's first major league triple. Mike Scioscia came out and relieved Weaver, following the pitching change Abraham Almonte drove what would basically be the game winning run for the Mariners.

With Felix's night done manager Lloyd McClendon had to go to the bullpen. The Mariners would use 3 different pitchers in the bottom of the seventh inning, Yoervis Medina would get the first batter he face to pop out to Smoak but then gave up a single to Erick Aybar. Charlie Furbush would then get his first batter to fly out but was taken out after being hit by a line drive off the bat of Mike Trout. So for the first time the Bartender was brought into face Albert Pujols, and as we all know of what Tom Wilhelmsen did last year you could understand me being nervous as hell during the entire at bat. Thankfully Wilhelmsen got Pujols to line out to Almonte to kill the Angels threat in the inning.

Wilhelmsen would go out in the bottom of the eighth and what an inning it was for Tommy Boy. The Bartender got Hamilton to fly out, struck out Freese, and got Ibanez to ground out and for a brief moment Wilhelmsen looked like his old self from last year. The Mariners decided that to add some insurance runs for security reasons.

With two out in the top of the ninth after Brad Miller singled and Robinson Cano doubled Justin Smoak smashed a 3-run home run to right to put the M's up 7-3 and made Fernando Rodney sit down as his services was no longer needed. The M's put up three more runs with two outs, after three consecutive walks to Morrison, Seager, and Saunders Ackley decided to use his bearded powers to clear the bases and put his team up by 7 runs with a 3-run triple.

So one helluva of a 9th inning Lord Farqhuar was brought in to finish off the slug-fest. It was easy, Farqhuar went 1-2-3 and secured the Mariners first win of the season and the team's 8th Opening Day win in a row. With this win Felix Hernandez improves his Opening Day record to a perfect 5-0, not bad huh? Also not bad for Mariners getting their first win on ESPN. On one more note and this is not an April Fool's joke the Mariners are in first place.......yeah I know its the first game so sue me. Also the M's finished the game with going 4-9 with runners in scoring position.

Players of the Game: Felix Hernandez 6 IP 4 H 1 BB 11 K
                                Justin Smoak 2-4 1 2B 3 R 3 RBI
                                Dustin Ackley 2-4 1 3B  1 R 3 RBI

NOTES: Erasmo Ramirez will take the mound tonight for Game 2 of this 3 game series against C.J. Wilson. Ramirez will look to earn his first win against the Angels as he is 0-2 in 3 starts against Los Angeles with a 2.41 ERA.  

Mariners off to a good start

Its been a whole month since the Seattle Seahawks won their first Super Bowl in franchise history. Now, Seattle fans have the Mariners to watch. So far the Mariners have started the spring 6-1 after today's win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, and yet there is already worry about this team. The worries aren't coming from the M's players hitting or the Nick Franklin trade rumors, the worries are being focused on two of the Mariners prime pitchers Hisashi Iwakuma and Taijuan Walker.

Both pitchers have started the season injured. Walker has been shut down for the week due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder but ESPN reported that Walker may not be in the starting rotation until early/late April, but to be honest Walker should be back on the mound before the start of the season as he is taking medication to take the swelling down.

Iwakuma though is a different story, Kuma will have his right middle in a splint for three more weeks, he would have needed to throw 22 simulated innings or minor league innings to even be ready for the season. So you can imagine how both Seattle sports talk radio shows and the fans are reacting to this. Me though, I'm not worried. Kuma and Walker's absence will be missed but until they return the Mariners do have either Scott Baker, Blake Beaven, Erasmo Ramirez, and Randy Wolf to cover until they return. The worst case scenario is that Brandon Maurer gets called to be a starter and we can all remember his dismal season last year.

Putting both Kuma and Walker aside, the Mariners first 7 games of the season has seen the team hit, the speed, and great pitching that shows that this Mariners ball club is ready for the 2014 season and are wanting to make noise to push for the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

Now, how about we talk about the hitters now, shall I? First off Corey Hart, he's suppose to be having knee issues but the other day he didn't show any signs of that as he stole home plate. Hart signed a one year, $6 million dollar deal with the Mariners and so far he's taken only 6 at bats and in those at bats he's drawn 3 walks, 2 hits, and he's scored 3 times when he gets on base, so Hart's knees for some odd reason seem to be healed. As for Logan Morrison he's been getting at bats and making the most of it. Morrison was acquired from the Miami Marlins in a trade for pitcher Carter Capps, and again he's really done a great job in Spring Training. He's had 12 at bats and has had 5 hits and driven in 2 runs.

One player that seems to having a difficult time at the plate is Abraham Almonte. Almonte is predicted to be Seattle's lead off hitter but right now I'm thinking at being placed 8th in the lineup. Almonte has had 12 at bats and has only managed 1 hit. Almonte last year played in 25 games and finished with a .264 batting average and showed off his speed as well. If Almonte wants that lead off role he needs to pick things up and get some hits, because he's a great lead off hitter candidate because of his speed. One more concern is Stefen Romero he is hit less in 11 at bats this spring........nothing really more to say.

Romero is projected this year to possibly make his MLB debut this year, but to do that he's going to need to show manager Llyod McClendon that he's ready to make that jump. Dustin Ackley though has been tearing the cover off the baseball this spring. Ackley entered this spring with more beard and he has done nothing but show the fans that this may be his year. Ackley has had 10 at bats and has 6 hits to go with 1 homerun, and 6 RBIs.

There's a lot we can say about Ackley and the other players but I think I will finish things off by saying, that this team looks prime and ready for Opening Day in Anaheim. The Mariners can be that team that come straight out of spring training and make a loud noise in the American League. Yes Kuma and Walker will be out for a little bit but again the Mariners have the necessary replacement pitchers to help the team at the start of the season until their two prime starters return. Another thing is that this Mariners team looks to be the team that breaks the dead last in hitting streak they have had. Only time will tell. Tonight the Mariners face the Cleveland Indians at 7.

2014 Projected Seattle Mariners

The Mariners now have a manager and his name is Lloyd McClendon. Since that job is now filled the Mariners front office can get started on free agency.

Below is my projected  25-man roster for the 2014 Opening Day Seattle Mariners. I will also give my reasons on some of the starters.

CF Shin-Soo Choo
LF Dustin Ackley
RF Abraham Almonte
3B Kyle Seager
SS Brad Miller
2B Nick Franklin
1B Justin Smoak
C Mike Zunino
DH Nelson Cruz

Bench Players
OF Michael Saunders
C Jesus Sucre
C Jesus Montero
SS Carlos Triunfel                                                                                                                                                                                              

Starting Rotation
SP Felix Hernandez
SP Hisashi Iwakuma
SP Taijuan Walker
SP Erasmo Ramirez
SP James Paxton

Bullpen
RP Blake Beaven
RP Carter Capps
RP Charlie Furbush
RP Lucas Luetge
RP Yoervis Medina
RP Stephen Pryor
CL Danny Farquhar

These 25 players will be the ones who will try and turn a fourth place team into a winning playoff ball club. There are three guys on the list that weren't on the Mariners roster last year, those three guys will be my projected free agents that will be signed during the off-season  I'll explain Nelson Cruz first. Cruz was offered a 1 year $14.1 million dollar contract by the Texas Rangers, but Cruz denied the contract so Jack Z will put out the money to snag up this 2x All Star slugger. Even though he was one of the many players that was suspended due to the PED bio-genesis scandal he still will bring 20+ homerun power to the team if he signs. Jack Z should offer Cruz a 1 year deal but go with $18 million dollar deal.

Now Shin-Soo Choo is an interesting projection for me. Choo began his career in Seattle but was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Ben Broussard and then two days later hit his first MLB homerun against the Mariners (ironic huh?). Choo has become a great hitter for a couple teams and he has shown his ability to hit for average and hit the long-ball. I also think that with the walls being moved in at Safeco he'll be an even better hitter, both average and power wise. My guess is that Jack Z will offer him a 3 year $27 million dollar contract.

Looking at the starting rotation. With Jason Vargas signing with the Royals I don't see anyone that Jack Z will go after. Ramirez last year was one of the best inning eater starter's the M's have. But I will say this, the Mariners could use more then just one lefty in the starting rotations. In the bullpen the Mariners have already said goodbye to Oliver Perez , so I have Blake Beaven as the best candidate for long reliever this upcoming season. He's had been starting pitchers and if the time comes to need a former starter he is the best option the Mariners have.

Danny Farquhar had an amazing rookie season, filling in for Tom Wilhelmsen who couldn't save a game after the collapse in Cleveland in the early part of the 2013 season. Farquhar saved 16 games out of 20 opportunities last year. Setting up for Farquhar this upcoming season (if he's healthy) will be Stephen Pryor. Everyone knows what Pryor has got, in the 7 games that he appeared in he never allowed a run and with his 96-100 mph fastball he's the best candidate for either the setup or (if McClendon wants him to) the closer position.

Michael Saunders wont be in the starting role this season, he showed signs that he was finally coming into his own but after he went down with an injury last year he suddenly couldn't play like he used to. So, Saunders will be on the bench as a late inning replacement, pinch runner/hitter, and as a day off player the same goes for Jesus Sucre (excluding the pinch runner thing). Now as for Jesus Montero and Carlos Triunfel these guys may have not had the best season last year but they fill up the roster, and its not a bad idea to have the speedy Triunfel come in as a possible game winning/tying pinch runner for a slow runner.

So, this is my projection for the 2014 Seattle Mariners. 

As you can see I have Jack Z signing only two players......well I hope he signs them. My faith in the M's front office isn't exactly high but maybe they will surprise us all this year. If they don't sign anybody I still see the M's having a turn-around season this next season. This Mariners ball club is young and ready to show what they are made of with their pitching and their lineup of young talent.

The Fresh Prince shines in his debut

Tonight was the night of all nights. Taijuan Walker's major league debut and he was brilliant to start off his career. Walker went 1-2-3 in the first two innings and retired the first 8 batters before giving up a double to Jonathan Viller, on a ground ball to Brad Miller Justin Smoak failed to catch the relay and on the error Viller scored and the Astros took the 1-0 lead. The Astros didn't have the lead for long though, after Kendrys Morales and Smoak walked Dustin Ackley tied things up with a single to right and then Abraham Almonte (who was also making his MLB debut) was able to beat out the attempted double play and the M's took the 2-1 lead.

In the top of the fifth inning the Mariners gave Tai some more runs. After Brad Miller lead things off by singling and then stealing a base, Kyle Seager drove him in with a single to put the M's up 3-1, Ackley added two more runs to the scoreboard with a 2-run single to center and so Ackley not only helped out his average but helped out the team by putting them up 5-1. Walker's final inning of work went by quick, he only needed 11 pitches to go 1-2-3 again , Walker finished the night with 2 strikeouts and only threw 70 pitches. Carter Capps was brought into the bottom of the sixth inning and went 1-2-3 in both that inning and in the bottom of the seventh inning as well. 

In the top of the eighth Dustin Ackley's hot night continued as he hit a one out triple, following that Abraham Almonte got his first major league hit and his second RBI of the game with a single and the Mariners pushed their lead to 6-1. Charlie Furbush took the mound in the top of the eighth and went 1-2-3, both the Mariners starting pitching and bullpen was on their A-game tonight. In the top of the ninth inning Ackley added one more hit and RBI to his amazing night and put the M's up one more run 7-1, in addition Ackley pushed his average in August to .403. 

Oliver Perez finished things off for the Mariners and secured Taijuan Walker's first major league win in his debut. Perez though almost had his head taken off by a line drive single by L.J. Hoes. Perez was ok except for having to change his shorts after the game. So, the Mariners won their second game in a row and their 61st game of the year. Tomorrow the M's will try and win the series as they will send Joe Saunders out to the mound. 

NOTES: Today the Mariners traded away Mike Morse to the Baltimore Orioles for outfielder Xavier Avery and also optioned Erasmo Ramirez to Tacoma as a paper move. 

Eight is enough for Prince Kuma

Ok, so yesterday Joe Saunders choked and gave up 4 runs and Hector Noesi gave up a grand slam and our winning streak came to an end. But who says we cant start fresh with the Minnesota Twins? Hisashi Iwakuma was looking to keep his perfect record in tact as he took the mound for the Mariners. Iwakuma has pitched 3 times against the Twins and holds a 3-0 record and a 0.00 ERA in 20.2 innings. Not bad huh? 

The defense look really shady tonight. Nick Franklin had one and Kyle Seager added two more to the M's total for tonight, but thankfully it didn't hurt them. Iwakuma got through the first inning even after an error and a fielder's choice. The M's didn't get things started until the bottom of the second inning. Kyle Seager lead things off with his 26th double of the year and following him Justin Smoak singled and that put runners at the corners to begin the inning for the M's. Both Mike Zunino and Dustin Ackley hit back to back RBI singles to put the Mariners up 2-0. Brad Miller made it 3-0 on his sixth double of the year scoring Zunino and Ackley moved to third, and finally Officer Nick Franklin sent his eighth home run into the right field seats and the M's put up a six spot in the second and chased Twins starter Kevin Correia as well. 

In the bottom of the sixth the Mariners got two extra runs on the board. Michael Saunders lead things off with a single and then Henry Blanco doubled him home and the M's put their seventh run on the board. After that Ackley checked in with his third hit of the game by doubling home Blanco and the Mariners lead 8-0. Iwakuma gave the Mariners six innings despite having thrown 51 pitches through 3 innings. He was able to get out of a bases loaded jam in the third inning without allowing a run. He finished the night with 101 pitches and striking out 9 batters. 

Danny Farquhar was brought into the top of the seventh inning and with the way he pitched last night you would have never thought he had an ERA over 7. Farquhar threw two innings of shutout baseball while giving up just one hit and striking out 3 batters. Finally Oliver Perez was brought into the ninth and he didn't have the best outing tonight. Perez after getting two outs gave up two doubles that scored two runs for the Twins but after that Perez got Drew Butera to fly out and that was the ball game. 

The Mariners have now won 9 out of the last 10 games. Dustin Ackley's bat has come alive since the All-Star Break batting .421 (8-19). Raul Ibanez's bat seems to have cooled off though since the All-Star Break batting .150 (3-20). Nick Franklin's eight home runs are the most by an American League second basemen in his first 49 games since Hall of Famer Joe Gordon (NYY) in 1938. Tonight's win has also moved Seattle up in the standings; they are now 10 games back in the American League West and are only 7.5 back in the Wild Card. 

You can definitely say that the Mariners are the hottest team (next to the Tampa Bay Rays) in baseball. Tomorrow night the King's Court will be in session as Felix Hernandez will look to get his 12th win of the season. 

Sweeping beginning to the second half

The day after the Mariners score 4 runs with only 1 hit the M's sent their ace Felix Hernandez out to go for his 11th win of the year and try. The Mariners were also looking for both their sixth win in a row and their second sweep in a row. The Mariners though went 1-2-3 in the first inning against Jordan Lyles. Felix matched Lyles by going 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first inning while striking out one batter and only throwing 10 pitches. Kendrys Morales made sure when he lead off in the top of the second inning that his team didn't have to eight innings without a hit, as he lined the first pitch he saw into center field. Kyle Seager was able to get on as he hit a ground ball that shortstop Jake Elmore couldn't handle and so everybody was safe, after Justin Smoak struck out Michael Saunders drew a walk. Dustin Ackley put the Mariners on the board first with an RBI infield single, Elmore was able to come up with the ground ball but thanks to Saunders' awesome speed he slid safely into second base. 

After a visit to the mound Lyles drilled Henry Blanco with one, so the Mariners took a 2-0 lead and Brad Miller made it 3-0 with his first hit of the ball game. The bases were still loaded with only one out "Officer" Nick Franklin got out the rye bread and mustard out and hit his first major league grand slam of his career and put the Mariners up 7-0. After thirty minutes the Mariners had 7 runs on only 4 hits......jeez talk about deja vu huh? Felix went back out and only needed to throw 15 pitches to go back into the dugout. At that point in the bottom of the second inning I was getting grief from a couple of my followers about jinxing Felix, I tweeted before the game that Felix was going to throw a no hitter against the Astros and he gave up a one out single to Carlos Corporan and so once that happened the tweets started flying in about me jinxing the man. Oh sure like you haven't tweeted the same thing and it didn't happen. The Mariners though were quiet through the next two innings.

In the top of the fifth inning Raul Ibanez doubled to start things off for the M's, Morales followed up with an RBI single into center that put the M's up 8-0. Seager then came up and on the fourth pitch fouled one off but he accidentally let go of the bat and hit a small kid, Seager looked into stands looking to see if the kid was ok and after they told Seager the kid was ok Lyles threw one in and hit Seager on the shoulder, Texas then showed just how classy they are by cheering that Lyles had hit Seager. Trust me that wouldn't be the last time Texas showed their classiness but I'll get to that later, Smoak lined a single to once again load up the bases for the Mariners. Astros manager Bo Porter had seen enough and relieved Lyles and brought in Lucas Harrell to try and get out of the inning. Saunders grounded into a fielder's choice and on the play Morales scored from third and the M's lead grew to 9-0, Ackley then drove in the tenth run of the game for the M's with a sacrifice fly to left. 

Felix threw two more shutout innings. In the bottom of the fifth inning Felix got into his first real jam of the game. Justin Maxwell lead off the inning by getting on first after Miller bobbled one and couldn't get the speedy Maxwell, but if anyone looked at the replay like I did Maxwell was clearly out and so the umps made their first mistake in the game. Felix then had an eight pitch battle with Brandon Barnes with Felix winning the fight by striking out Barnes. Elmore then legged out an infield single as Miller couldn't make the long throw from the outfield, Felix then got one of his get out of a jam double plays. Felix then went out in the bottom of the six inning which would be his final inning of work. Brett Wallace lead off the inning by singling into left, Felix then was able to get Jason Castro to fly out and then walked Chris Carter but Felix came back and struck out both Corporan and Marc Krauss to end the inning for the Astros and end his start off in fashion. The Mariners got their 11th run of the ball game in the top of the the 7th inning, after Saunders walked and Ackley singled Brad Miller singled home Saunders as Elmore tried to make the diving play but the ball bounced off his glove and went into center.

As the game went into the bottom of the seventh inning God Bless America was sung and as the camera's went across the crowd and Texas showed just how arrogant they can be as some fans were on their phones either talking or texting and the worst part was that most of the fans (including one Mariners fans) didn't remove their hats and they showed just how society has gone down. Hector Noesi was brought into the bottom of the seventh inning and after getting the first two batters out gave up a two out double to Elmore. Following Elmore's double Altuve broke up the shutout with an RBI single into left field driving in Elmore. The Mariners added their final run of the game in the top of the top of the eighth as Saunders extended his hitting streak to 10 games with an RBI double and so the M's lead was put to 12-1 with that double. Lucas Luetge went out in the bottom of the eighth inning and had an easy 1-2-3 inning but in the bottom of the ninth Bobby LaFromboise was brought in and Astros teed three straight hits off him including an RBI single by Barnes. LaFromboise then walked Elmore and finally recorded the first out of the inning by striking out Altuve.

After that strikeout Eric Wedge brought in Danny Farquhar to try and end the game, but unfortunately Matt Dominguez drove in another run with a sacrifice fly and then Blanco made a mistake as Castro struck out but thanks to a wild pitch and a bad throw by Blanco Barnes and Elmore scored. Farquhar finally got Corporan to pop out to end the game and secure the Mariners their 46th win of the year. The Mariners now travel back home to Seattle to play the Cleveland Indians and you know they are looking for some payback from the embarrassing four game sweep of the M's back in May. If they Mariners want to take this three game series from Cleveland their bullpen needs to get better and stop giving up runs late in the ballgame. Today's win now puts the Mariners only 11 back in the AL West and only 9 games back of second place in the American League Wild Card. So far the Mariners are .600 baseball in the last 10 games, lets hope this team can keep things going and maybe even make another Refuse To Lose comeback. 

Miller Time in Houston

The Mariners opened the second half of the season on the road in Houston going against the Astros looking for their fourth win in a row. Ironically Joe Saunders took the mound looking for his fourth win in a row as well. Brad Miller (@SergioMiller) got the second half started on the first pitch of the game by singling to center, but the Mariners went 1-2-3 after that. Saunders had almost an identical inning, he gave up a two out double to the Astros All Star Jason Castro but got the third out by getting Chris Carter to ground out. The Astros got their first run on the board in the bottom of the second inning, with two out Brandon Barnes (@TheBarnyard15) went deep for his fifth home run of the year and so the Astros took the early 1-0 lead. The top of the third inning saw another easy inning for Astros starter Bud Norris as he only gave up a two out single to Nick Franklin. 

The top of the fourth saw things pick up for the Mariners, Kendrys Morales lead things off with a single and then Kyle Seager looked at the first pitch of his at bat and extended his hitting streak to 15 games and the Mariners team streak for home runs in consecutive games to 23 as he hit his sixteenth homer of the year and the Mariners took the lead 2-1. After Michael Saunders was hit by a pitch Mike Zunino drew a walk and finally Dustin Ackley took Norris's third pitch he saw down the left field line that allowed both Saunders and Zunino to score and the Mariners took the 4-1 lead. The Astros came back in the bottom of the fourth inning, with two outs Justin Maxwell singled off Saunders, Barnes then drove in Maxwell with a triple and the Astros chipped away the deficit to 4-2. 

Saunders got into jam in the bottom of the fifth inning, as Jake Elmore singled with one out, Jose Altuve followed with a single of his own and all of a sudden Saunders was in deep trouble with only one out. With runners at the corners both Saunders and the Mariners got a huge break as Castro hit a hard ground ball that hit Altuve, with that one play Altuve was out and Elmore had to go back to third base and Saunders came back and struck out Carter for a huge third out. 

The top of the sixth saw the Mariners getting a few extra runs, Zunino drew his second walk with one out, Miller then looked at the first two pitches for balls and on the third pitch drove what was a no doubter into the upper deck for his first major league home run and put the Mariners up 6-2. The Astros though didn't go down without a fight, in the bottom of the sixth with one out Maxwell drew a walk, Barnes singled, then Matt Dominguez walked and after that manager Eric Wedge saw enough and went to bullpen and got Yoervis Medina to try and get out of the bases loaded jam Saunders got himself and his team in. Medina got the job done but gave up a run as Brett Wallace grounded out Franklin and Maxwell came into score. After six innings the Mariners lead 6-3.

 In the top of the eighth inning former #1 pick by the Mariners Josh Fields was brought in from the bullpen for the Astros to try and keep the game at 6-3. Fields walked both Zunino and Ackley to start off the inning. Brad Miller then battled Fields in a ten pitch at bat, at the end of the battle Miller won by hitting his second home run of the game and putting the Mariners up 9-3 on the Astros. Miller's home run marked the second time that a Mariners rookie had hit his first two home runs in one game, Franklin did it against the Padres back in May.

The Astros again fought back in the bottom of the eighth, Danny Farquhar came into the game. Maxwell lead things off with a single and then Barnes lined one down the right field line and slide safely into second to complete the cycle and became the second player to hit for the cycle against the Mariners this year. Dominguez grounded out to Miller for the first out and one the play Maxwell scored and the Astros chipped away another run. Oliver Perez was then brought in for Farquhar to try and get out of yet another jam, Wallace only made things worse as he hit a two run home run and the Astros only trailed 9-6. After Altuve hit a two out triple Tom Wilhelmsen was brought in and he did his job by getting Carter to ground out for the third out. 

Justin Smoak lead off the top of the ninth for the Mariners by hitting his ninth home run of the year and giving Wilhelmsen a big insurance run. Wilhelmsen went out in the ninth looking to earn his 20th save of the year. He got the first two batters to strikeout but Barnes continued his hot night by legging out an infield single and moved to second on a defensive interference. Dominguez drove in his third run of game with a two out single but after that Tommy Boy got Wallace to ground out to end the game. 

NOTES: Tonight's win pushes the Mariners record to 44-52. The M's are now only 11.5 games out of the first place Athletics and are now only 10 games out of second place in the Wild Card standings. Raul Ibanez extended his hitting streak to five games tonight and Michael Saunders extend his to eight games. 

Mariners slugfest too much for the Halos

With the Red Sox out of Seattle the Mariners were looking to have better success against their American League West rival. Safeco Joe Saunders took to the mound looking for his first win against his former team and looked to win his third game in a row. Saunders had an easy start to his night as he threw 15 pitches in the first inning. After Brad Miller grounded out Michael Saunders singled up the middle. Raul Ibanez continued his amazing season as he lined the ball into right center field that allowed Michael to score and on the relay to home Ibanez was thrown out trying to extend his double into a triple, so the Mariners took the 1-0 lead once again. Safeco Joe got into a jam in the top of the second inning, things went a little south after Joe gave up doubles to both Mark Trumbo and Alberto Callaspo. Joe caught a break on the second double as Justin Smoak couldn't catch the pop out, when the ball finally landed Trumbo tagged up from second and got in safely to third.

Safeco Joe got out of the inning by striking out Chris Iannetta and Collin Cowgill, so the Angels left both runners on and Joe escaped without surrendering a run. Kyle Seager lead off the bottom of the second by extending both his hitting streak to 13 games and the Mariners streak of hitting a homerun in consecutive games to 20 with his 15th homerun of the year. Thanks to Seager's homerun the Mariners took the 2-0 lead after two innings. The Mariners opened up a can of whooping in the bottom of the fourth inning as Ibanez lead things off by sending his 24th homerun of the year into the Hit It Here Café, his homer measured an impressive 438ft. Kendrys Morales singled up the middle and following that Seager drew an eight pitch walk. After Smoak flew out for the first out of the inning Mike Zunino put the Mariners up 4-0 with an RBI single to left, next Dustin Ackley hit a perfect ground ball into center field that allowed Seager to come in and score to put the Mariners up 5-0.

After Ackley's single manager Mike Scioscia had seen enough and relieved Jerome Williams and brought in Garrett Richards to try and stop the bleeding. On only the second pitch Richards threw one in the dirt that bounced behind the plate and allowed Zunino to score and Ackley moved up to second. Richards recovered and struck out Brendan Ryan and Miller to end the inning, so after four innings the Mariners had a comfortable 6-0 lead. Safeco Joe kept the Angels at bay by not surrendering a run for the rest of his start. Saunders threw seven shutout innings and struck out 5 batters. Saunders had 101 entering the seventh inning and finished his night off with an eight pitch 1-2-3 inning. Ibanez added another run for the Mariners in the bottom of the seventh inning by hitting his second homerun of the night, Morales followed up Ibanez' homerun with a homerun of his own so the Mariners took the 8-0 lead.

Danny Farquhar came in the top of the eighth inning. Farquhar's relief appearance went south very quickly, the first batter he faced was Erick Aybar and lined one to Seager at third and thanks to a bad bounce Seager couldn't handle the ground ball so Aybar legged out the infield single. Mike Trout then tripled home the Angels first run of the game and after a mound visit Albert Pujols singled home Trout to put the score at 8-2. After Farquhar struck out Howie Kendrick manager Eric Wedge decided to bring in a left hander to throw to Josh Hamilton. Lucas Luetge came in and threw only two pitches and gave up a double to Hamilton after that Wedge made another pitching change to try and get out of a potential disastrous inning. Yoervis Medina came in and got the final two outs but allowed the third run to come in and score. Medina would come back out in the ninth and got a 1-2-3 inning to finish the game off.

NOTES: The Mariners put their record to 41-52 and Joe Saunders put his record to 8-8. Tomorrow Felix Hernandez will take the mound and go against Jered Weaver. Hernandez does not have a great record when going up against Weaver as he is 1-6 when pitching against Weaver. Weaver will look to win his third game in a row.