The Seattle Mariners off season has been looking like a playoff maybe even a World Series one. The M's just got done signing closer Fernando Rodney to a 2 year, $14 million dollar deal. So, again the Mariners are making noise in the offseason and are trying to see if they can pull off a playoff season and maybe perhaps a World Series title. The Mariners football counterpart the Seahawks just got finished with winning their first Super Bowl title in franchise history. So the Mariners have very high expectation's this year, especially when it comes to the playoffs cause lets face it the Mariners have been going-on 13 year playoff-less drought and with the signing's they have had they will look to end that drought this year.
Here is my newest projection on the Mariners with their newest additions.
Starting players
C Mike Zunino
1B Justin Smoak
2B Robinson Cano
SS Brad Miller/Nick Franklin
3B Kyle Seager
CF Dustin Ackley
RF Abraham Almonte
LF Michael Saunders or Nick Franklin
DH Corey Hart or Logan Morrison
Bench players
Logan Morrison
Willie Bloomquist
Nick Franklin or Carlos Triunfel
John Buck
Starting Rotation
Felix Hernandez
Hisashi Iwakuma
Taijuan Walker
James Paxton
Erasmo Ramirez or Scott Baker (if he makes the Spring Training cut) or a free agent
Bullpen
Blake Beaven
Stephen Pryor
Lucas Luetge
Yoervis Medina
Charlie Furbush
SU Danny Farqhuar
CL Fernando Rodney
The first thing that is up for discussion is the Brad Miller/Nick Franklin battle that will be going on at the beginning of Spring Training. To me its a no brainier, Miller will win this position battle no doubt. I mean last year Miller played great at shortstop so why replace a good thing with a struggling hitter? It would be just like having another version of Brendan Ryan......and seriously who wants that? For some reason after the All Star Break pitcher's figured him out. Franklin batted a horrible .194, struck out 77 times, and was less patient at the plate and swung at pitches that even Vladimir Guererro wouldn't have swung at.
Depending on how both Franklin and Carlos Triunfel does during Spring Training one of them will get a spot on the 25 man roster. Both have not produced hitting wise in the major's but they need to fill the 25 man roster with someone right? Now if Franklin fails at getting the spot at shortstop there is always a possibility that the M's will give him a shot in the outfield just like Ackley last year.
Next thing I should discuss is the 5th spot in the starting rotation. If the Mariners don't sign Ervin Santana then the final spot will go to either Ramirez or the non-roster invite Scott Baker. Ramirez is the first choice of course, but again if the front office goes out and spends a little more money on a possible big pitcher free agent then Ramirez could be seen doing early inning appearances in the bullpen. Also I came close to putting tom Wilhelmsen on the roster but decided better, why you ask, do I even need a reason? Or should I remind M's fans of the game in Boston on August 1st of last year?
I thought not. Wilhelmsen last year began the season with a great start, but then all of a sudden he had control problems and had major meltdowns and blew saves left and right. Danny Farqhuar on the other hand pitch amazing once he was given the closer position he was light's out, so with Rodney being signed Farqhuar will become the setup man.
Now before I end this post I do want to get on the bench players. First Willie Bloomquist, I'm happy that he has been brought back to his Northwest roots to play with the Mariners as a utility player and a speedy late inning pinch runner. Then we have John Buck, probably my favorite signing besides Cano this off season. Buck provides the necessary veteran role that 2nd year catcher Mike Zunino needs to learn about his position and become a better catcher and hitter. Basically the M's signed a bench player who still has a great arm as a catcher and can hit for power.
This off season has seen a number of great signings and the season is less then a month away from beginning. My only hope for the Mariners is that the team can improve with their hitting with runners in scoring position to help out Cano and score to win more ball games. If they do that, I see an 87-89 win season, with a Wild Card title and hopefully a World Series berth.
Let the season BEGIN!!!
Showing posts with label Dustin Pedroia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dustin Pedroia. Show all posts
Friday, February 14, 2014
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
A slugfest in Seattle
After last night's massacre the Mariners were looking to give their second All Star ace Hisashi Iwakuma his first win since June 10th when he beat the Houston Astros. Iwakuma got an easy 1-2-3 inning to start off the game, moving into the bottom of the first inning Nick Franklin was able to extend his hitting streak to three games with a one out single to center. With two outs Kendrys Morales extended the Mariners streak of hitting a homerun in consecutive games to 17 with a two-run homerun to put the M's up 2-0. Former Mariner David Ortiz lead off the top of the second inning with a long homerun to put the Red Sox first run on the board. Iwakuma had a tough second inning after the lead off homerun by Ortiz as Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jose Iglesias singled with one out, Iwakuma was able to get out of the jam by Brock Holt to ground out and then striking out Jackie Bradley, Jr., Iwakuma ended up throwing 29 pitches in the second inning to put his pitch count to 40 after the inning ended.
Justin Smoak continued his hotstreak by leading off the bottom of the second with a single to center extending his hitting streak to three games, following that Michael Saunders drew a walk to put the first two batters on for the Mariners. After Mike Zunino struck out Dustin Ackley was able to draw the second walk in the inning to load up the bases with only one out, Brad Miller then came up and on the second pitch he saw lined a ball down the right field line to empty the bases, Miller's bases clearing double pushed the Mariners lead to 5-1 and that was all the M's got in the second. Iwakuma had another tough inning in the third but this time it would cost him dearly. With one out the Red Sox put together four straight hits with two two-run homeruns from Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli, the Sox got an extra run on a sacrifice fly by Holt that scored Saltalamacchia and after the third the Red Sox had a one run lead 6-5.
Morales only needed one pitch to tie the game back up at 6-6 as he drove his thirteenth homerun of the year and second of the game over the center field fence. Kyle Seager extended his hitting streak to nine games with a single to right field, Michael Saunders continued to have a hot bat as he drove one to deep center field to score Seager from first and Saunders slide into third safely for his second triple of the year and the Mariners took the 7-6 lead. Blake Beaven came into the fourth inning to relief Iwakuma and didn't start out very hot, on an 0-2 pitch he hit Daniel Nava and then walked Shane Victorino and after that Pedroia singled to right that allowed Nava to score and the Red Sox retied the game at 7-7. Beaven was able to get out of the inning without allowing another run by getting Ortiz to pop out and then striking out both Napoli and Saltalamacchia. The Red Sox were able to take the lead in the top of the fifth inning when Bradley drove one out into the right center field seats.
The Mariners wouldn't get another run until the bottom of the eighth inning but in the top of the eighth the Red Sox got an additional three runs. Victorino lead off the eighth by hitting his fourth homerun of the year and the fifth for the team then both Iglesias and Holt had RBI singles to put the Red Sox lead to 11-7. Miller drove in the Mariners final run of the game when he grounded into a force out as Saunders scored. After that the game was sealed after that as the Mariners couldn't muster up a rally to tie or win the game, Beaven took the loss in the game and Iwakuma had his shortest outing in his career. Aaron Harang will go out looking for his fifth win of the year and his fourth quality start in a row. Tonight's loss puts the Mariners back to 10 games under .500. Ibanez's 13 game hitting streak came to an end last night as he went 0-5.
Justin Smoak continued his hotstreak by leading off the bottom of the second with a single to center extending his hitting streak to three games, following that Michael Saunders drew a walk to put the first two batters on for the Mariners. After Mike Zunino struck out Dustin Ackley was able to draw the second walk in the inning to load up the bases with only one out, Brad Miller then came up and on the second pitch he saw lined a ball down the right field line to empty the bases, Miller's bases clearing double pushed the Mariners lead to 5-1 and that was all the M's got in the second. Iwakuma had another tough inning in the third but this time it would cost him dearly. With one out the Red Sox put together four straight hits with two two-run homeruns from Dustin Pedroia and Mike Napoli, the Sox got an extra run on a sacrifice fly by Holt that scored Saltalamacchia and after the third the Red Sox had a one run lead 6-5.
Morales only needed one pitch to tie the game back up at 6-6 as he drove his thirteenth homerun of the year and second of the game over the center field fence. Kyle Seager extended his hitting streak to nine games with a single to right field, Michael Saunders continued to have a hot bat as he drove one to deep center field to score Seager from first and Saunders slide into third safely for his second triple of the year and the Mariners took the 7-6 lead. Blake Beaven came into the fourth inning to relief Iwakuma and didn't start out very hot, on an 0-2 pitch he hit Daniel Nava and then walked Shane Victorino and after that Pedroia singled to right that allowed Nava to score and the Red Sox retied the game at 7-7. Beaven was able to get out of the inning without allowing another run by getting Ortiz to pop out and then striking out both Napoli and Saltalamacchia. The Red Sox were able to take the lead in the top of the fifth inning when Bradley drove one out into the right center field seats.
The Mariners wouldn't get another run until the bottom of the eighth inning but in the top of the eighth the Red Sox got an additional three runs. Victorino lead off the eighth by hitting his fourth homerun of the year and the fifth for the team then both Iglesias and Holt had RBI singles to put the Red Sox lead to 11-7. Miller drove in the Mariners final run of the game when he grounded into a force out as Saunders scored. After that the game was sealed after that as the Mariners couldn't muster up a rally to tie or win the game, Beaven took the loss in the game and Iwakuma had his shortest outing in his career. Aaron Harang will go out looking for his fifth win of the year and his fourth quality start in a row. Tonight's loss puts the Mariners back to 10 games under .500. Ibanez's 13 game hitting streak came to an end last night as he went 0-5.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Boston Massacre in Seattle
The Mariners came into tonight's game with their King on the mound. Felix went out looking for his first win in four starts. Felix did not struggle in the first inning as he only gave up the one out single to Jonny Gomes and following Gomes's single got Dustin Pedroia to ground into an inning ending double play. The Bellarmine Prep grad and Washington native John Lester took the mound for the Red Sox looking to get his ninth win of the year, he got the Mariners to go 1-2-3 while striking out two batters. David Ortiz lead off the top of the second inning for the Red Sox by singling to center, Felix got Mike Napoli to strikeout looking following him former Mariners outfielder and first basemen Mike Carp singled to put runners at first and second for the Red Sox. Felix didn't let the pressure get to him as usual, he got Jarod Saltalamacchia to line out to Raul in left and finished the inning by getting Jose Iglesias to strikeout swinging.
Both teams didn't score until the fourth inning. The Mariners began the bottom of the fourth inning on a great note, Kendrys Morales singled and following him Kyle Seager singled to right, on the single Morales was able to hustle into third and the M's had runners at the corners with nobody out. Lester was able to get Jason Bay to strikeout but after that it was all Mariners; Justin Smoak lined a double down the left field line that brought home the Mariners first run of the game and following Smoak's double Mike Zunino was able to draw a seven pitch walk.
After a quick visit to the mound by the Red Sox pitching coach Michael Saunders was able to be patient and draw the bases loaded walk that put the Mariners up 2-0, Lester finally was able to get out of the inning by getting Brad Miller and Nick Franklin to pop out and if anyone was happy to get out of the was Lester as he threw 39 pitches in the inning. The Red Sox bounced back in the top of the fifth inning by getting two runs back to tie the game up.
Raul Ibanez lead off the bottom of the fifth inning by extending his hitting streak to 13 games by hitting his 22nd homerun of the year and putting the Mariners up 3-2. The Mariners had another big inning in the bottom of the sixth inning as Smoak and Zunino lead off the inning by singling, after that Lester exited the game and Alex Wilson came into relief him. Saunders was able to take a 2-0 pitch deep to center field that scored both Smoak and Zunino to put the Mariners lead to 5-2. After Miller and Franklin were unable to add to the lead Ibanez decided that he should be the one to do so, he singled up the middle driving in Saunders for his 51st RBI of the season. The Mariners weren't done there, the bottom of the seventh inning saw four more runs come across for the M's.
Seager lead off the inning by walking, Smoak then drove in his second run of the game with his second double of the game as well. Saunders was able to get his second double of the game as well driving in Smoak on the play and the Mariners now took a 8-2 lead. Brad Miller got his first hit of the game as well and drove in the ninth run of the game and following that Franklin checked in with his first hit of the game and drove in Miller and after the bottom of the seventh inning the Mariners had a 10-2 lead.
Oliver Perez was brought in the top of the eighth to relief Felix and ended up giving up two additional runs. Going in the bottom of the eighth inning the Mariners weren't looking to score anymore runs but after Morales lead off by getting hit by a pitch, Seager walking and Smoak walking as well Zunino grounded out on a check swing that allowed Morales to score and the Mariners had an 11-4 lead after the eighth. Yoervis Medina came into the ninth inning and shut the door to secure the Mariners their 40th win of the year and Felix's first win since June 15th.
Both teams didn't score until the fourth inning. The Mariners began the bottom of the fourth inning on a great note, Kendrys Morales singled and following him Kyle Seager singled to right, on the single Morales was able to hustle into third and the M's had runners at the corners with nobody out. Lester was able to get Jason Bay to strikeout but after that it was all Mariners; Justin Smoak lined a double down the left field line that brought home the Mariners first run of the game and following Smoak's double Mike Zunino was able to draw a seven pitch walk.
After a quick visit to the mound by the Red Sox pitching coach Michael Saunders was able to be patient and draw the bases loaded walk that put the Mariners up 2-0, Lester finally was able to get out of the inning by getting Brad Miller and Nick Franklin to pop out and if anyone was happy to get out of the was Lester as he threw 39 pitches in the inning. The Red Sox bounced back in the top of the fifth inning by getting two runs back to tie the game up.
Raul Ibanez lead off the bottom of the fifth inning by extending his hitting streak to 13 games by hitting his 22nd homerun of the year and putting the Mariners up 3-2. The Mariners had another big inning in the bottom of the sixth inning as Smoak and Zunino lead off the inning by singling, after that Lester exited the game and Alex Wilson came into relief him. Saunders was able to take a 2-0 pitch deep to center field that scored both Smoak and Zunino to put the Mariners lead to 5-2. After Miller and Franklin were unable to add to the lead Ibanez decided that he should be the one to do so, he singled up the middle driving in Saunders for his 51st RBI of the season. The Mariners weren't done there, the bottom of the seventh inning saw four more runs come across for the M's.
Seager lead off the inning by walking, Smoak then drove in his second run of the game with his second double of the game as well. Saunders was able to get his second double of the game as well driving in Smoak on the play and the Mariners now took a 8-2 lead. Brad Miller got his first hit of the game as well and drove in the ninth run of the game and following that Franklin checked in with his first hit of the game and drove in Miller and after the bottom of the seventh inning the Mariners had a 10-2 lead.
Oliver Perez was brought in the top of the eighth to relief Felix and ended up giving up two additional runs. Going in the bottom of the eighth inning the Mariners weren't looking to score anymore runs but after Morales lead off by getting hit by a pitch, Seager walking and Smoak walking as well Zunino grounded out on a check swing that allowed Morales to score and the Mariners had an 11-4 lead after the eighth. Yoervis Medina came into the ninth inning and shut the door to secure the Mariners their 40th win of the year and Felix's first win since June 15th.
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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!