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Seattle Mariners 2024 Season - Post 1 - Midseason Form

(Apologies for skipping these recaps last season.  And approximately half of this season.  As any writer or baseball fan or otherwise person knows, ruts are hard to dig yourself out of.  Which perfectly segues to….)

This morning, there was an extra anxiousness rattling in my brain, bumping up against all the usual anxiousness.  

I walked the blocks from the bus stop to work, anticipating the serving of breakfast baseball that would be served in 2 hours and the resulting upset stomach that there is no remedy for.

The Mariners would lose and their season would be over.  

It’s not yet July and the Mariners are in first place in the AL West, thanks to slow starts by the Astros and Rangers.  On top of that, the Mariners are 45-37, for a .549 winning percentage, a whole .009 above 54%.  So why the doom and gloom?

Well, for one, the Mariners.

For two, recency bias.  This morning’s game is the last game of a 9 game road trip, one through which the M’s have gone 2-6.  At the same time, the Astros have gone 6-1.  Before that stretch of 8 games for the M’s they held a 9 game lead over the Astros.  This morning, that lead is 4.5.  Possibly 3.5 by lunchtime.  Most assuredly 3.5.  I’m sick already.

This morning’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays starts off with 2 innings of scoreless baseball.

That is broken in the 3rd when Jose Caballero scores from 2nd on an infield single to the pitcher.

Unfortunately, Cabby is no longer on the Mariners.  Traded to the Rays last offseason. 

Rays up 1-0 when Cabby takes advantage of some bad Mariners luck.  George Kirby fields the grounder from Yandy Diaz, but Kirby has to try to beat Diaz to first base as first baseman Ty France is positioned towards second base and not covering the bag.  Diaz beats Kirby to first and Cabby takes advantage of the confusion and sprints home.

I don’t like being on the other side of Jose Caballero’s peskiness and speed.  I don’t like it at all. To quote George Kirby, “Screw Cabby for going home on that play.”

At this point, the Mariners have had two baserunners.  Cal Raleigh walked in the 2nd inning and J.P. Crawford doubled in the 3rd inning.  The M’s take no advantage of either opportunity.  

The M’s let the 4th and 5th inning go by, not by squandering baserunners, but by not having any.

There is a little solace in the bottom of the 5th when Jose Caballero is thrown out trying to steal 2nd base.  

  With 1 out in the Mariners half of the 6th inning, J.P. Crawford walks.

The Rays go to their bullpen, bringing Shawn Armstrong in to relieve Ryan Peppiot.

Josh Rojas grounds to second and the Rays get the force out of J.P. at second but the inning is still alive and Rojas is the tying run at first.

Julio Rodriguez keeps the inning alive with a walk.

Cal Raleigh keeps the M’s season alive with a monster home run to right field, putting the Mariners up 3-1.

George Kirby pitches a 1-2-3 inning to end the 6th.

In the 7th inning with 2 outs J.P. Crawford hits a fly ball single just out of reach of Jose Caballero that scores Mitch Garver and Dominic Canzone, adding 2 insurance runs for a 5-1 Mariners lead.

In the bottom of the 9th, Andres Munoz comes in to secure the win for the M’s.  In the grand scheme of things, salvaging a road trip and not allowing the Astros the opportunity to close the gap in the standings definitely counts as high leverage.  I get it.  Andrez Munoz, likely still having lingering pain from a lower back strain stint on the IL earlier this month, didn’t have it.

He loads the bases with two walks a hit batter.  I can already see the Rays walk off celebration and the Trop going crazy.

Trent Thonton comes in to relieve Munoz, salvage the win and the Mariners season.

Thornton gets Richie Palacios to hit a grounder to 2B Ryan Bliss, Bliss flips the ball to J.P. Crawford to get the force out at second base.  Palacios reaches base safely and the Rays add a run, but now a double play would end the game with a win for the M’s.

The next batter, Ahmed Rosario, the hypothetical tying run, gives the Mariners just what they need.  

J.P. Crawford fields the ground ball, throws to second base for one, on to first for the double play.

A much needed win!

Keeps my doom and gloom away for a least 2 days, with tomorrow being a travel day for the Mariners.

Friday has them begin a homestand with 3 against the Minnesota Twins, who last month were poor hosts and took 3 out of 4 against the Mariners.

Let’s hope the M’s can return the favor.

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Seattle Mariners 2022 Season - Post 7 - Turning Tridents to Pitchforks

Who's to blame for yesterdays heartbreaking 8-7 loss to Houston in Game 1 of the ALDS?

Scott Servais, obviously. For managing the Mariners to their 1st playoff appearance in 21 years, defeating Toronto last weekend, only to lose a close game on the road.

Robbie Ray. For throwing a hittable pitch to one of the best hitters in the league.

Eugenio Suarez. For getting the M's and fans all hopped up on good vibes. And for only hitting 1 home run yesterday.

Julio Rodriguez. For only hitting for half of the cycle yesterday.

Lee Harvey Oswald. Dallas is close to Houston. Maybe? Texas is big.

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Seattle Mariners 2022 Season - Post 6- Navigating the Uncharted Waters of October Baseball

There was no Mariners game today.

No game 3 of the AL Wild Card round vs the Toronto Blue Jays.

There didn't need to be.

Out running Saturday errands with my wife, I took occasional glances at the score and when I saw it was 8-1 in favour of the Blue Jays, I took solace in the Mariners win the day before and set my expectations for a loss and a Sunday Game 3.

Over coffee and, distractedly reading a new library book, I saw the Mariners had cut the lead, Carlos Santana doing much of the heavy lifting. The score was 8-5.

In the checkout line at Safeway, I checked again. Seeing J.P Crawford was at the plate with the bases loaded, 2 outs, the M's down by 3, with a 9-6 score.

I saw the "In Play, Run(s)" notification.

And the baffling

"J.P. Crawford doubles (1) on a pop up to second baseman Santiago Espinal. Cal Raliegh scores. Mitch Haniger scores. Adam Frazier scores."

My brain does not have the imagination to make sense of that play description.

After picking up out Target order, with the game entering the 9th inning, we put the game on the car radio.

Cal Raleigh doubled, and for the 3rd time in 8 days earned himself a statue at T Mobile park. Adam Frazier doubles him home and the Mariners take their first lead of the game.

We listen, waiting in the ferry line, as George Kirby comes in to pitch the 9th for the Mariners. His first relief appearance ins first big league season.

His first big league save!

Off to Houston for the first 2 games in a best of 5 series.

The Astros who led the AL West all season.

The Mariners are navigating uncharted waters!

Not making it look easy, but making it look like they belong!

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Seattle Mariners 2022 Season - Post 5- What We Do in September

Are the Angels the Colin Robinson of the MLB?

For proof, I submit Shohei Ohtani's post season numbers. Or Mike Trout's, whose lone taste of playoff baseball was a hopefully forgettable 3 games in 2014. Or Albert Pujol's resurgence this year in St. Louis after he escaped Los Angeles.

The Angels, no being content to drain the talent of their own players, the hopes of their fans, set out this weekend to drain the playoff hopes of the Mariners and Mariners fans. Could the Angels set off a doom spiral that saps our heroes of their energy and ability to play baseball and results in the M's missing out on the playoffs for the 21st straight year? Sounds like something an energy vampire would try to do, especially an energy vampire who is a division rival.

And they did try.

2 close 1 run losses for the Mariners Friday and Saturday night.

The M's looking down right anemic on Sunday in a 5-1 loss.

Monday wasn't looking better, the Mariners holding on to a 1-0 lead through 4 innings. A 1 run lead is exactly what an energy vampire would want you to have. All they tasty sweat and anxiety.

Except, Logan Gilbert had been pitching brilliantly for the Mariners.

Maybe he brought some garlic fries from home in his bag and waited til the 5th inning to share them with the boys.

Carlos Santana and Ty France specifically.

Santana's grand slam in the 5th inning and later solo homer in the 9th inning secured the 9-1 win.

And what could have been 4 game series swept (the negative form of sweep?) ended with a hearty win. Keeping the vibes good and the playoff hopes alive.

And, coincidentally, a stake through the heart of the Angels season, a mercy really, eliminating the Halos from the 2022 postseason.

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Seattle Mariners 2022 Season - Post 4- I Picked the Wrong Year to Lose Discipline on These Recaps

(Apologies for the lack of recaps. Life gets in the way. My work ethic gets in the way. Let's pretend that the recaps have been constant through the season. Thoughts after the Mariners/Angels brawl. The 14 game winning streak. Wild Card watching. It's all been here. Okay, but it will be now. Okay, but I can hope. Ah, hope, which brings us to....)

In a different year, a lesser year, the Mariners season ends this past weekend. Unofficially, of course. They still have to limp through the final 22 games, but after giving up 5 runs (and the lead) in the 9th inning against the Defending World Series Champs and Maybe Even Better This Year Than Last Atlanta Braves the wind is let out of the Mariners sails, no bottom of the 9th rally in that game, and then over the course of the next month we watch as the 6 game lead we have over Baltimore for the last wild Card spot becomes 5, than 3 a week later, than 1, than a tie going into the last two games of the season, and ultimately this season ends the way all Mariners seasons have for over 20 years. In a different, lesser year.

A year before Julio Rodriguez. Before this season, Julio was hope and potential for Mariners fans. But with a strong Spring he earned his way onto the Mariners opening day roster, and, after a bit of misunderstanding involving the umps and the strike zone got resolved, he showed the league he's a superstar. Like face of the game, superstar. Not maybe, not next year. Now. Right now.

A year before Eugenio Suarez. The Mariners acquired Suarez in an offseason trade with the Reds, taking on his contract in order to get Jesse Winker on a better deal. Suarez had his trademark pop the last couple seasons, but his average hovered around .200. He made it clear before the season though, that his season would be all about "Good Vibes". And while his average is .235, he's kept up the homers and the vibes, lead the team in both.

So two days ago, Sunday. After getting that elusive 3rd out in the top of the 9th and with the score 6-7, down a run, Julio Rodriguez jogs to the Mariners dugout, a smile on his face.

Like he knows something we don't.

With 1 out, with 1 swing, Julio ties the game.

And Eugenio, minutes later, with 2 outs, ends the game.

Good teams have to shake off bad Top of the 9ths if they want to walk it off in the bottom of that inning.

The Mariners ARE a good team.

And the remaining 22 games?

Today and tomorrow against the San Diego Padres are their only remaining games against teams with a winning record.

And while that sounds like a sure thing, time to start counting chickens, there are 13 games against divisional foes that would love to prolong the Mariners playoff drought. I don't care what the Angels record is, any team with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani can cause problems.

It'll be a fun last month of the season.

With or without another one of these recaps.

With or without the playoffs. (But please with.)

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Seattle Mariners 2022 Season - Post 3 - A Maybe Misleading Logic Quiz

Team A and Team B play a baseball game on a Friday night.

 Team A is in 1st place in their division.  They have their ace pitching in the game.

Team B is in 5th (last) place in the same division.  Their starting pitcher has an ERA more than double the ERA of the ace of Team A.

 While Team B has homefield advantage, their recent month-long struggles at least even that out.

 Before the game, one of Team B’s starting outfielders is revealed to be suffering from a sore shoulder and is scratched from their starting lineup.

 The final score of the game is 6 – 1.

 Knowing all of the above information, which team won the game?

 Pencils down.

  Maybe one of the 60 games the Astros will lose and one of the 60 games the Mariners will win came together in last night’s 6-1 Mariners win.

 Maybe it’s the end of the Mariners nightmare May and the beginning of a winning streak.  Something they haven’t had in over a month.  By winning streak, I mean a win and then a win in two subsequent games.

 And, as always, maybe it’s just a blip, an outlier, enough to get hopes up before the losses continue to pile up tomorrow.

 But  damn, for a night it was good to see the Mariners up 4-0 after an inning, off of two run homeruns by Julio Rodriguez and Kyle Lewis.

 Homeruns later by Ty France and Taylor Trammell added the insurance that didn’t need to be cashed in.

 Chris Flexen, emboldened by the run support, threw a strong 7 innings and more than earned the win.

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Seattle Mariners 2022 Season - Post 2 - Early Batflips, Conspiratorial Strike Zones, and a 2nd Straight Series Win

Some losses are just losses. A game your team wasn’t supposed to win. A game whose factors compiling the outcome are arbitrary.  A game where ancient weather gods seem to have it out for your heroes.

Others, you’re begging to be mind wiped so you forget where you just invested your last 3 hours (and countless hours of preexisting fandom).  A blowout loss to a division rival, for example.

And still others, as much as you want your favourite team to brush off the loss, show up to tomorrow’s game ready to write a W on a clean slate; you can’t help but think reflection on today’s L could be healthy for them (and yourself).

Take last night -

9 times out of 10 (not a stat corroborated by sabermetrics,) a 5 run first inning makes the other 8 innings irrelevant.  Bump it up to 9.5 if the 5 runs belong to the home team.  9.75 if runs 3-5 were punctuated with a J.P. Crawford batflip.

That .25 though.  

J.P.’s 2 fielding errors, uncharacteristic for the wizardly Gold Glover, made possible a 4-run inning for the Texas Rangers in the 5th, completely erasing the Mariners early lead and giving the Rangers a 6-5 lead.  

The batflip and error(s) are obviously unconnected coincidences.  Probably are. Very likely.  I think.  Am now unsure.

Nah, I’m not going to blame the loss on J.P.’s hubris.  Batflips are often rad, and errors happen.

But the Mariners are aiming to prove they belong in the conversation.  

Maybe, maybe, the Dodgers can consider a 5-0 lead after the 1st inning a sure thing.  Take that W to the bank and call it a chicken. Or maybe the Dodgers wouldn’t do that. Maybe part of being a team that is considered a sure thing is the knowledge that nothing is sure until 9 innings are played.

 I need to remember that myself.  

W’s aren’t sure until they’re sure.  The same for L’s.  

We can appreciate and use progress, dance a bit and flip our bats, but if it’s early in the game we gotta play out the other 8 innings.

 And Julio Rodriguez’s should remember the called 3rd strikes of his first 13 Major League games. Not all of them.  But the 8 (!) that occurred when strike 3 would have been called a ball by a robo-ump.  Robo-umps may be something from our not too future dystopian future, but I’ll appreciate that Julio’s getting better calls as I avoid thought crime and cry loyalty to an authoritarian King Algorithm.  Or if a Julio from the future shows up to terminate the remaining human umps I’ll understand.

No, no.  And please no, Future Julio.

And as much as it seems a conspiracy by Big MLB, though with Rob Manfred still commissioner….., no, as much as it seems like a conspiracy, it’s a younger player learning the ropes and experiencing some bad luck at the same time.  

 Speaking of bad luck, Adolis Garcia’s diving catch to rob Julio of a double in the 9th inning?!?

 Maybe there is something going on.  Where’s my white board?

 Julio has had some bad luck early on.  Bad luck that can offer some fuel when the hits start coming and the strike zone normalizes.

 At the end of the day, the Mariners were on the losing end of things, 8-6.

 Remember it, take the lessons, but take also the 2nd straight series win.

The Mariners took 2 of 3 from the Rangers after doing the same to the Astros.

 Sweeps are nice, but take the series wins.

The now 7-6 Mariners host the Kansas City Royals for 3.

Let’s hope the lessons learned last year have stuck.  Don’t let Salvy Perez kill you!!

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Seattle Mariners 2022 Season - Post 1 - 6 Games In, 1 More Before Coming Home

While it may be true that the rain falls on both the Mariners and The Other Guys, the Mariners have gotten the windy and soggy end of things early on to begin the season.  Well, not early, early on.  Things started off good with 2 1-run wins in Minnesota against the Twins.  Then losing the next 2 to split the series. Then off to Chicago’s Southside and losing 2 games vs the White Sox.   And damn, the weather has done the M’s no favors.   Sure, you only mention the weather as a factor in a loss, but damn. Game 7 of the season, closing the series in Chicago, hoping to stave off a sweep before the home opener vs the Astros tomorrow -

1st inning, both teams go down in order.

Jared Kelenic put the Mariners on the board in the 2nd inning with a 2 run home run after  Eugenio Suarez got on base with a walk.

In the Sox half of the 5th, the wind wreaked havoc, turning two infield pop ups into an error, and a RBI single; giving the White Sox a run and making the score 2-1.

Cue my cursing White Sox manager Tony La Russa and the ancient weather gods he paid off.  

I’m having flashbacks to last night’s game where the weather gods gifted the White Sox with 4 runs in the 2nd inning.  A Tim Anderson single gives the Sox runners on 1st and 2nd.  Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert is made of stronger stuff than me, is not phased by weather, weather gods, bad luck, or Luis Robert - Gilbert strikes out Robert to end the inning and the chaos.

Mitch Haniger leads off the 6th, tries his own hand at ancient weather god worship and reaches on an infield pup up that should have been caught BUT NO he gets greedy (isn’t that always the risk with ancient gods?) and gets thrown out going for 2nd base.

The ancient gods mock Haniger’s hubris as J. P. Crawford hits a double that would have put Haniger on 3rd if not scored him.

Alas.

Andres Munoz relieves Logan Gilbert and Munoz strikes out the side of Sox, and nearly breaks the radar gun hitting 103 MPH.

Cal Raleigh homers for the M’s in the 7th, maybe aided by those weather gods.

That makes the score Mariners 3, White Sox 1.

This is not a comfortable lead.

Not against the White Sox.  Not when weather mischief is afoot.

In the top of the 8th inning, Mitch Haniger, realizing he had it in him all along, no need for weather gods, hits a 2 run bomb to make the score 5-1.

Let’s note that after Mitch’s home run, the Mariners loaded the bases but failed to score.  Let’s note it and more on.  2 stranded baserunners in the 9th.  Note it and move on.

The White Sox had apparently used up all of their weather related favors and are unable to add any more offense, resulting in a 5-1 win for the Mariners.

A good win, as a 3-4 record is a lot better than a 2-5 record.  

The M’s ride that 3-4 record and a windy win back home for their home opener against the Houston Astros tomorrow.  In Seattle.  Where a stadium with a retractable roof can keep any weather god mischief away.  A very good thing.  It’s the Astros, after all, and I don’t need to say more than that.

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Seattle Mariners 2021 Season - Post 11 - The hit that almost was in the game that almost was in the season that almost was (and still could be but probably not)

Bottom of the 9th.  Game tied 3-3.  

Jake Bauers is on 1st, or rather is rounding 2nd, may as well be crossing the plate already. Mariners season a foot to the right of the foul line.

Jarred Kelenic strikes out on the next pitch.

The 10th inning is a trainwreck, and Boston wins 9-4.

It can’t be overstated how crucial yesterday’s game was for the Mariners.

Now with 16 games left, and 4 games and 3 teams behind for the second Wild Card spot, the prospect of playoff baseball for the Mariners is pretty grim. But there’s still 16 games left. Make the blood sacrifices to your local baseball gods!!!

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Seattle Mariners 2021 Season - Post 10 -  A weekend hangover and 3 More Weeks

Weekend plans got derailed for the Mariners, but we’ve all had that happen. Friday afternoon it’s all potential, you’ve got friends from Phoenix in town.  Friday night lives up to it.  Saturday night is a mess.  Sunday almost salvages things, but doesn’t. Then you wake up Monday morning to asses the damage.

Sure, it wasn’t what you wanted it all to be. But it could have been much worse. And you gotta just get out of bed because Monday has it’s own promises and responsibilities. Truth be told, the weekend knackered all of the AL Wild Card hopefuls not named the Toronto Blue Jays. And today brings the Red Sox into town for 3 games.  If the Mariners happen to sweep the Red Sox, they’ll be tied in the Wild Card standings.

The Mariners have 3 games to gain on the wild Card spot in 3 weeks time.

Possible.

In a season where progress was the goal (- head office speak for “Next year, we promise), the M’s have already surpassed even the more generous pre-season predictions. Their 77 wins is already 2 more than my optimism allowed. And there’s 3 weeks left! Maybe I’m just hedging my hopes, but the season is already a success. Playing meaningful baseball in mid-September is a bonus. And that bonus continues today against the Red Sox.

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Seattle Mariners 2021 Season - Post 8 - Toro V Graveman and the Multiverse of Chaosball

Picture it. Kendall Graveman comes in to pitch the 8th. August is ending, and the Seattle Mariners are less than a 5 games out of a playoff spot.   It’s a 0-0 tie in a must win game against the Houston Astros. For most of the 2021 Graveman is the Mariners lights out closer, but he is sweating as he loads the bases.

Abraham Toro comes to the plate. An 8 pitch battle. Toro hits a grand slam, breaking the tie.

Though there’s still more than an inning left to play, Graveman knows he has just lost the game. He looks over to the Mariners dugout and sees….

Here’s where the universes diverge.

One in which Graveman hangs his head as Mariners manager Scott Servais trots from the dugout to console the reliever while also calling in a fresh arm from the bullpen.  A month later, when the Mariners miss the playoffs by 7 games ( enough to be definitive, but a small enough number by which to play “What If”), this game is pointed to by many fans as the point of no return for the season.  The couchside managers use it as their proof that General Manager Jerry Dipoto needs to be fired and run out of town.

There’s the universes in which either Graveman or Toro are injured or scuffling in AAA and this battle never happens.

There’s the universe in which the Mariners clubhouse morale never recovered from July 27th.  They go from a playoff contender to pretender in the month following, and this game means nothing to either team.  The couchside managers still want blood.

And then, there’s the universe in which you, I, Kendall Graveman, Abraham Toro, and everyone else lives in.

On July 27th, Kendall Graveman and Abraham Toro showed up at T Mobile Park for the Mariners and Astros game and were informed that they had been traded for each other.  Other players were involved in the deal, but they were the 2 main pieces.  

The Mariners players balked at the loss of Graveman.  Clubhouse vibes cratered for the few days following the trade.  

But, Abraham Toro can hit. And he did last night.

This peek into the many diverging multiverses, is the definition of  Chaosball.   The definition of  Fun Differential.

Abraham Toro’s grand slam was all the offense the Mariners would need last night, because Yusei Kikuchi was superheroic himself, shutting down the Astros for 7 innings. The Mariners won 4-0.

With 29 games left, the Mariners are 3.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox for the 2nd Wild Card spot.  The Oakland A’s are a game better than the Mariners, the Toronto Blue Jays a game worse. There’s still a good chance for our M’s. Anything could happen!

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True Crime - a short story

“It’s always the husband.”

“Is that an official stat?”

  The two podcast hosts shared a giggle, and Elaine appreciated their easy comradery.  She imagined herself invited into that intimacy, three friends just having brunch.

Not that reality wasn’t pretty good itself.  Elaine took in the color and crunch of early Fall leaves during a light morning jog on her birthday.

  “On her birthday, too.”

“What an asshole. Flowers, chocolate, anything.  Our new merch, even!  Anything but murdered.  If Tyler murdered me for my birthday, I’d be pissed.”

  Weird coincidence.  

  “Right?  So Elaine Torres, she’s 29...”

  Weirder.

Her phone buzzed a text notification.

Luke wasn’t feeling great, coming home from work early.

  ‘’… her husband comes home early from work.”

“Run girl, run!”

  So she did.  She ran.  

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Seattle Mariners 2021 Season - Post 7 - Games 81 and 82

With the SEASON AND THE FATE OF THE WORLD ON THE LINE (see yesterday’s post), how will our heroes head back home?   Let’s start with last night- Justus Sheffield?

4 innings.

Oh no.

4 runs.

Uhhhhhh.

No decision.

Okay?

He kept the M’s in the game and gave the bats a chance to win.

And, things could have been a lot worse.

That isn’t an insult.  In fact, the opposite.

2 of his 3 strikeouts were Vlad Guerrero Jr. with a runner on 3rd base.  Clutch. Seriously.  

Those strikeouts won the game as much as Dylan Moore’s 10th inning homer.

As much as J.P. Crawford’s highlight reel defensive plays and 3 hits, one of which was a hustle RBI bunt single. Last night was a wild and wildly long game, but after 10 innings the Mariners beat the Blue Jays 9-7.

And today’s breakfast baseball?

Oh man.  Yusei Kikuchi breezed through 7 innings.  After giving up a leadoff home run to  Marcus Semien.  That was the only run he’d give up.

The Mariners picked up 2 runs in the 1st inning, a Jake Fraley solo bomb in the 2nd, and a Shed Long 2 run bomb in the 3rd.

The Blue Jays added a run in the 8th, so the M’s decided  to add 2 runs in the 9th.

To be safe. For insurance.

Even though the Mariners were up 7-2, after Paul Sewald gave up a single and a walk, it’s time to worry.

This is the Mariners bullpen.

This is the Blue Jays lineup.

Paul Sewald strikes out 3 straight batters to end the game.

The Mariners are heading back home for 3 against the lowly Texas Rangers after taking 2 of 3 against a better (on paper and maybe in reality) opponent. After performing that feat twice in one week, both times on the road.

LET’S GO!!!!

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Seattle Mariners 2021 Season - Post 6 - Prologue to Game 81, Pressure in the Kitchen

2 months later, and the Mariners are still hanging in there.

Not leading the AL West.

Not in either of the 2 Wild Card spots.

But hanging in there.

Sweeping the Rays.  

Taking 2 of 3 from grandpa La Russa’s boys in Chicago’s Southside.

Getting roughed up by the Buffalo Blue Jays yesterday.

Today is their 81st game of the season, the last game of the 1st half of the season.

Which seems fitting.

Every game holds the same weight, 1/162 of the entire season.

Simple math.  Science.

But poetry tells me not all games are created equal.

In our hearts, we know this.

Opening Day, is oversized, it’s own special gravity.  Has the magic to start an early season winning streak propelling a team to October, or a string of losses that feel like quicksand by May.  Just 1 game of 162, of course.  But more than that.

The Final Game of the Season, likewise.  Just 1 of 162.  But Game 162 heroics can clinch a Division Title or a Wild Card spot.

There are other games sprinkled throughout the season that loom larger than just a single game.  A walk-off against a division rival, for example.  Or a rally that works like smelling salts on a game, a recent slump, a season.

I’ve got a feeling that today’s game, Game 81, is one of those OVERSIZED games.

For good or ill.

I don’t know what the baseball gods are cooking up.

But I do know that Justus Sheffield will be serving from the mound for the M’s today.

He’s been roughed up recently.

Going against a Blue Jays lineup that can rough up pitchers (see yesterday).

But, if he can keep Vlad Jr and friends from feasting, he can deliver the M’s an opportunity to win the game.

If the Mariners win today, they can ride that momentum and Yusei Kikuchi to take tomorrow’s game to win the series.  Ride that series win to a series against the Rangers that should be a win if not a sweep.  Ride that momentum to a matchup against the underperforming Yankees and then the similarly underperforming Angels before the All Star break.  Take the momentum of a strong first half finish, and who knows?

But, if Sheff decides to serve meatballs tonight?

The demoralized Mariners lose game 3, lose to the Rangers, and have no fight left for the Yanks or the  The Angels Angels before using the All star break to lick wounds that won’t heal til next season.

There are 81 more games, of course.

But this evenings game, coincidentally Youtube’s MLB Game of the Week - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdzmp9nemKI

is a big one.

There is pressure in the kitchen.

Bless the Sheff.

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Seattle Mariners 2021 Season - Post 5 - Baseball After 1 Month

After 4 straight losses, 3 of them by a 2 run deficit, things are starting to settle back in to the heartbreaking familiar.

Last night’s game seemed to offer the hope that the inevitable gravity dictated slide might be postponed, but a bullpen meltdown and a rare Evan White error doomed the M’s for the game, and almost certainly the season.  

1 month down, why play the other 5?  Sure, the Mariners were technically still above .500 at 13-12, but give them the 2 games left in April and that could be easily fixed.

And today, even before the first pitch of their brunch game against the Astros, came the news that Marco Gonzales would miss at least 2 starts while on the injured list.  Injury on top of insult.

And Mitch Haniger was out of today’s lineup, 2nd game in a row.  He should be good for tomorrow though.

And Kyle Lewis, needing a day’s rest would be watching the game from the dugout.

 You could feel the gravitational pull of the cellar.

 A Kyle Seager double gave the Mariners a runner in the 1st inning, but they were unable to bring him home.

Yusei Kikuchi gave up a walk, but nothing else.  

0-0  tie at the end of the 1st inning.

 Taylor Trammell lead off the 3rd inning with a home run, putting the Mariners up 1-0.

Yusei Kikuchi strikes out Myles Straw twice, but the umpire feels bad for Straw and lets Straw take 1st base.  True story. 

 The Astros strand him at 1st.

Through 3 innings, Yusei Kikuchi has not given up a hit, and has given up 1 walk.  And whatever the Straw at bat was.

Kikuchi strikes out the side of Stros in the 6th inning.

Kikuchi gives up a double to Carlos Correa with 1 out in the 7th inning, the first hit he’s given up. With trouble brewing, he helps himself out with a great sliding play to field a ground ball and get the out on the next play.  A ground out to short ends the Astros threat.  

Kikuchi’s day ends as well. 7 innings pitched, 7 strikeouts to match, 1 hit, 1 walk, and the Straw at bat.

He’s still in line for the win, but that line is a tightrope as the Mariners haven’t added to their 1-0 lead.

The M’s don’t add anything in the 8th, but neither does Anthony Misiewicz give up anything in the bottom of the inning.

The Mariners refuse to pad their slim lead in the 9th.

Kendall Graveman comes in to pitch the bottom of the 9th.

He gets Kyle Tucker to look at strike 3.  

1 out.

Jose Altuve grounds out to short.

2 outs.

Alex Bregman singles to left.

YIKES!!

Carlos Correa hits a fly to no man’s land, shallow center.

YIKES!!

Taylor Trammell on the run.

This could be the difference between the M’s riding a hot start to the end of April, or heading into May with a losing record.

The season is on the line!!!

AND THEN THE SMILE AND VICTORY!!!

MARINER’S WIN!!!

FANDOM RESIGNATION IS DELAYED AT LEAST 1 MORE DAY!!!

[sameverything]

Seattle Mariners 2021 Season - Post 4 - The Kind of Disrespect You’re Okay With

2 out of 3 for the weekend series against Houston.  The loss, a 1-0 game that could have one our way.

Monday morning, the various Power Rankings are unimpressed.

Later that evening, the Mariners take a 4-3 game against the Dodgers.

Tuesday, against the Dodgers,  a 1-0 loss that could have one our way.

Going back almost 2 weeks, the Mariners are 8-3, the 3 losses all being 1 run games.  Yes, sure, 5 of those wins have been 1 run games.  So the argument for an 11-0 record over that span could also be an argument for 3-8.

So yes, the Astros were depleted, several players not playing due to possible COVID exposure.  And yes, the Dodgers were a bit hungover from their epic weekend bender with the Padres.

And yes, the Mariners are outplaying expectations and maybe talent, and yes, the season is barley 1/10 of the way in, CALM DOWN!

But, at 11-7, the Mariners record puts them 2nd in the AL West behind the streaking Oakland A’s, 3rd overall in the American League

Only those A’s, the Red Sox (hosting our M’s for 4 games starting tonight), and the Dodgers (who barely avoided a sweep at our hands) have better records in all of baseball.  (The Giants and Brewers are also 11-7.)

If the Mariners take the series at Fenway, and Monday morning still brings disrespect from the Power Ranking Gods, it’s okay.

If the A’s stay hot and take the spotlight for a little, that’s okay too. It’s another month til we play them.  By then, they may have fizzled.  

Or the Mariners may have succumbed to the gravity or reality by then.  2019 and the M’s 13-2 start before the disaster that was the rest of the season is still fresh in the memory of every Mariners fan. 

There’s a difference between 2019 and 2021, more than the obvious 700 some-odd days.  In 2019, the Mariners had just torn things down and begun a rebuild.  In 2021, that rebuild is taking definite shape.  So two season ago, a 13-2 start was a mirage. In 2021, 11-7 is still too good and too soon to be probably sustainable, but it’s much less a fantasy.

The Mariners may not have the respect of the league yet.

Let them sleep on us as we chip away, chiseling our place at the big teams’ table.

[sameverything]

Seattle Mariners 2021 Season - Post 3 - Catching Up, and Double Double Headers

The Mariners ended up taking both games from the Twins last weekend.  And, after a rain delay on Monday, split a double header against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.  Their loss in game 2 of the double header is likely due to their confusion after taking an early 4-0 lead.  Uncharted territory.

Yesterday’s rain delay means another double header in Baltimore to finish the series.

Marco Gonzales starts for the Mariners.  He needs a solid start after struggling in his first two games this year.  I’d love to see him go all 7 innings of the shortened first game.

After the Mariners are sent down in order in the top of the 1st, Marco Gonzales gets two quick outs before some trouble sets in.  A walk to Maikel Franco sets the stage for a Trey Mancini 2 run home run.  Two singles follow.  Ramon Urias pops up the end the inning.  Not the start that Marco needed, but something he can shrug off if the Mariners put some runs on the board.  Orioles up 2-0.

2nd inning goes better for Marco, but not for the M’s bats.  Still 2-0 Orioles after 2 innings.

Same after 3.  Good to see Marco settle in.

Top of the 4th, Mariners get runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs, but can’t make it happen.

Marco retires the Orioles in order and has now retired 10 in a row.

Top of the 5th-

MARINERS TIE IT UP ON A MITCH HANIGER 2 RUN HOMER!!

Top of the 6th, J.P. Crawford with a 2 out 2 bagger scoring 2!!!

Mariners 4, Orioles 2.

Rafael Montero comes in to pitch for the Mariners in the bottom of the 6th.  

Marco Gonzales really found his groove after the 1st inning.  Solid 5 innings.  good to see him do well.

A double play and a ground out retire the Orioles in the 6th.

Mariners up by 2 going into the 7th inning, essentially the 9th inning per this year’s double header rules.

Kendall Graveman makes quick and easy work of the Orioles in the bottom of the 7th inning to get the save and secure the 4-2 win.

MARINERS WIN GAME 1 OF THE DOUBLE HEADER!!!

-- Here’s hoping Marco’s ability to shake off a rough start is a metaphor for the season at large.

--Mitch Haniger continues a strong start to the 2021 season after missing 2020 and half of 2019 due to injuries.

-- J.P. Crawford, the Mariners glove-first shortstop, has a 5 game hitting streak after his 2 RBI double that ends up scoring the winning runs.

-- Rafael Montero and Kendall Graveman were great in relief, securing the Mariners win.

With the win, the Mariners are now 7-5.  

Early on in the season, but that’s good to tie for the AL West lead with the Los Angeles Angels.  If the Mariners win game 2 today, they’ll be on top of the division.

Game 2 will be after a short intermission.

No score after the 1st inning.

In the 3rd, the teams trade a Dylan Moore homer for a Freddy Galvis homer.

In the 5th inning, Mitch Haniger homers (AGAIN!!) , but without a corresponding homer from the Orioles, symmetry is broken.  Aesthetic concerns aside, the Mariners will have to settle for a 2-1 lead.

Strong 5 inning start by Justin Dunn, another Mariners pitcher who got the solid start they needed.

Will Vest and Keynan Middleton each put in a solid shutout inning for the M’s, Middleton getting the save.

MARINERS WIN 2-1!

M’S TAKE BOTH GAMES OF THE DOUBLEHEADER!!

AT 8-5 THEY HAVE A HALF GAME LEAD ON TOP OF THE AL WEST!

They’re back home tomorrow for the first of 3 games against a depleted Houston Astros team and then 2 games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Very good day for the Mariners, especially Mitch Haniger and the Mariners pitching.