Sunday, April 11, 2004
LAY OFF THE SIX-PACK
Well, the Mariners finally pushed it over the top today and got their first win, and if they found a way to cough it up after the A's served them a win on a silver platter, then we could REALLY REALLY worry about this team, not that we aren't worried enough to begin with.
Here comes the recap, inning by inning, you know the drill.
top 1 -- Ichiro 1-3; Winn 2-2...full looking K (on corner); Boone 6-3
bot 1 -- Kotsay 2-0...drag bunt between Cabrera/Moyer; Kielty 0-2...looking K (same as Winn); Chavez first pitch double RF; Dye 2-0...5-4-3 DP
>> Mulder looked solid in the first and got through it quick. Moyer fell behind on a couple hitters, and needed a double play to get out of it. It was the first hinting of the turbulence Moyer would face for most of the afternoon.
top 2 -- Edgar 5-3; Aurilia 4-3; Ibanez 0-2...(corner pitch on 0-2?)...single LF line (Kielty cuts off, holds to single); Cabrera (Spiezio may be ready by next road trip...maybe before leaving) 0-2 looking K
bot 2 -- Karros 0-2...(close pitch on 0-2)...single LF under diving Aurilia; Durazo 3-1...BB; Crosby base hit CF (KARROS SCORES, no throw from Winn, hmm); Miller (Niehaus noting Moyer misses AGAIN with first pitch) 3-1...full BB; Scutaro 3-0...sac fly CF (DURAZO SCORES, runner to third?); Kotsay single RF (CROSBY SCORES, runner to third); Kielty F5 (hustle Bloomquist); Chavez (first pitch ball, 30 pitch of inning) 4-pitch BB; Dye (JARVIS WARMING) 2-2 6-3 (Aurilia bobbles, stays with it)
>> Mulder's only hiccup of the inning was letting Ibanez battle back from 0-2 to put a ball down the line. Cabrera had a pathetic at-bat, striking out on three pitches, the last of which he watched. Moyer had a brutal inning. He walked three, gave up three hits, and let three runs cross the plate as the A's sent all nine hitters to the plate. It got so bad that Kevin Jarvis was warming up in the bullpen. I had Moyer down for 38 pitches in the inning, referenced to the first pitch to Chavez being the 30th, according to Niehaus.
top 3 -- Wilson (only second to get first pitch ball from Mulder) 2-0...4-3 (Scutaro up middle, Wilson slow as hell); Bloomquist 1-3 (Mulder tall); Ichiro 0-2...1-3 AGAIN
bot 3 -- Karros (ball)...1-2 swing K; Durazo 0-2...HBP arm (sidearmed?); Crosby (1-1 pitch corner uncalled) 2-2...full fly LF; Miller (Durazo delayed steals, throw REALLY close) 2-0...2-2 (pitch damn close)...full (70 pitches) swing K
>> Mulder cruises again, this time getting two grounders back at him. Wilson was out on a ball that Marco Scutaro fielded from near-behind second base. Ron Fairly then called the ability to beat out grounders "an asset." No $h!+, Ron. Ichiro grounded out to the first for the second at-bat in a row. Moyer got out of the third unscathed, but with a pitch count at 71. He had an okay inning other than when he beaned Durazo and fell behind on Miller. Great moment of the inning: DURAZO STOLE SECOND?!!?!! COME ON!!!
top 4 -- Winn 1-2 fly CF; Boone 6-3 (pulls Karros, who tags); Edgar 2-0...double RF (494th career); Aurilia 0-2 looking K
bot 4 -- Scutaro 1-2...headfirst slide single under Bloomquist (beats Aurilia throw); Kotsay GIDP 3-6-3 (Scutaro ran down, chased toward second by Cabrera though, not first); Kielty 0-2...1-3
>> Mulder had no trouble in the 4th except for falling behind to Edgar and allowing Edgar's 494th career double (so said Dave and Ron). This was Moyer's easiest inning, even with the leadoff single, but he was helped by the double play.
top 5 -- Ibanez 4-3 (8 groundouts Mulder); Cabrera 1-2 looking K; Wilson (1-0 ripped foul LF)...6-3 (Crosby bobbles, still gets Wilson)
bot 5 -- Chavez HR CF (OAK 4-0); Dye 0-2 looking K (good way to bounce back at least); Karros 2-2 6-3 (Cabrera nearly comes off bag); Durazo first pitch single RF under Cabrera; Crosby 1-2...swing K
>> Mulder ended up with 13 groundball outs the day after Tim Hudson had 18. Mulder sliced through the patsies in the Mariner lineup easily, and caught Cabrera looking again. Moyer was solid in the inning after the Chavez bomb. He finished his outing with 101 pitches in five innings, which is positively Bad Freddyesque. He's had two sketchy starts in a row. Moyer's delivery seemed like it was slightly different, like he was more upright or something before he was throwing the ball.
top 6 -- Bloomquist 0-2 looking K (WOLF PRIDE!!); Ichiro 4-pitch BB (1st Mulder walk); Winn hard base hit LF; Boone 2-0...hard hit double off Chavez glove into LF foul territory (ICHIRO SCORES, Winn to 3rd); Edgar base hit CF (WINN SCORES, Boone to 3rd); Aurilia 2-0 weak fly Karros; Ibanez (BRADFORD WARMING) 6-3
bot 6 -- JARVIS IN??!!?!! (Mateo, anyone?) Miller 3-0...full BB; (VILLONE WARMING) Scutaro (pulls bunt back) 1-2...5-4-3 DP; Kotsay (backstop 0-1 pitch) 4-3
>> Mulder finally ran into some trouble in the 6th, as the top of the Mariner lineup finally did what it was supposed to do, with the Ichiro walk followed by three hits, including the Edgar hit, on which he drove in his 1200th run. Mulder walked Ichiro on four pitches, fell behind Boone and paid for it, and fell behind Aurilia, who popped out. In what I think was Melvin's worst decision of the day, Jarvis was brought in with the Mariners down two runs in the 6th to keep the game close. Somehow the word "Jarvis" and the phrase "keep the game close" don't go together unless a secondary phrase, "failed to," is involved. But this decision didn't backfire on Melvin, though Jarvis really tried to with the leadoff walk, and threw a ball that hit the backstop on the final hitter. The double play helped immensely to bail out Jarvis. I'm iffy on Jarvis, as most of us are, and to keep the game close in long relief in that situation, I would have gone to Julio Mateo, who had not pitched since Thursday and had more than enough time to rest since and could rest more with the off day afterward.
top 7 -- Cabrera 1-3; Wilson 6-3 (again); Bloomquist 4-pitch BB; Ichiro (MECIR WARMING) 2-0...2-2 base hit RF (Bloomquist sent, Scutaro deked, safely to 3rd); Winn hard hit sliding diving catch running in by Kotsay CF (Jeremy's Magnolia Moment).
bot 7 -- VILLONE IN; Kielty 2-2...full swing K; Chavez (Niehaus watching Masters, Phil wins) 1-2 lineout Aurilia; Dye (HASEGAWA WARMING) 3-0...base hit LF (Dye 6gm hit streak); Karros ("Villone working on some chewing gum" --Niehaus) 1-0 low off Wilson's glove (WP, runner to 2nd)...3-0 IBB (nearly thrown away); Durazo lined Cabrera
>> Cabrera and Bloomquist were dead weight as Bloomquist got on base and Ichiro did his job. Mark Kotsay ended the "rally" with his running-inward diving catch off Winn, which Jeremy called his Magnolia Moment. Mulder pitched a solid outing today, not quite as good as Hudson's the day before, but solid nonetheless. Villone got the first two out, which salvaged the fact that he got into a pretty decent jam, getting two runners aboard while throwing a wild pitch inbetween.
top 8 -- MECIR IN; Boone (RHODES WARMING) 2-0...2-2...full swing K (bad pitch up/in); Edgar fly Dye RF; Aurilia single CF; Ibanez 4-3
bot 8 -- HASEGAWA IN (does this make sense?); Crosby 0-2 looking K; Miller 0-2...base hit CF through the box; Scutaro 2-0...lineout DP 5-3
>> Mecir had two outs before allowing the Aurilia single. Ibanez came up and grounded to second, after which Niehaus said "he was way out in front of the change." Yep, that's your 3 year, $13.25M free agent right there; he gets baited by the change. Hasegawa had a solid inning, getting ahead on the first two hitters and getting the only batter he fell behind (Scutaro) to line into a double play.
top 9 -- RHODES IN; Cabrera (shows bunt on 1st pitch)...0-2 swing K way outside; Wilson infield hit; (MCCRACKEN RUNS) Bloomquist base hit RF (McCracken to 3rd); Ichiro ("Rhodes earringless" --Niehaus) 3-1 (GUARDADO WARMING) base hit RF (MCCRACKEN SCORES, Bloomquist to 3rd); Winn ("Would Melvin send the runner from first base?" --Fairly) Winn swings out of shoes on 1-0 pitch...base hit LF (BLOOMQUIST SCORES, Ichiro to 2nd, poor Mulder); Boone 2-2 bouncer 1-3 (runners to 2nd and 3rd); Edgar IBB; Aurilia (HAMMOND WARMING) 1-2 (barely outside on 1-2)...full...fly Kotsay CF
bot 9 -- DAVIS (pinch-ran for Wilson)/OLERUD IN (Hansen left on bench); Kotsay 2-0...base hit CF; Kielty pathetic pop bunt foul...(MYERS WARMING) bunt foul again...0-2...swing K; Chavez (nice Davis block on 2-0) 3-0 Aurilia backpedaling one-handed catch; Dye F2
>> I thought nothing would happen here, as the Mariners had their impotent third of the lineup coming in Cabrera/Wilson/Bloomquist. Cabrera struck out again. Wilson got the infield hit on a play in which I really think the Scutaro threw beat him, but Karros bobbled it. That proved to be somewhat pivotal. Bloomquist, Ichiro, Winn got consecutive hits to tie the game. Rhodes blew his first save of the year; is this something the A's fans should get used to? Niehaus had said earlier that he thought Guardado was going to come out to work the 9th. The fact that Guardado didn't come out for the 9th was (I think) Melvin's best decision of the day. He left Hasegawa in (off day the next day). Chavez flew out on 3-0, but I think this inning had the gamebreaker for the Mariners. Kotsay led off with the single and Bobby Kielty couldn't get the bunt down. Imagine the A's situation with a runner on second and Chavez and Dye to come to the plate? This was the first concrete indication that the A's were giving the Mariners this game.
top 10 -- HAMMOND IN; Ibanez loopy fly LF just fair double; Olerud (shows bunt) sac bunt E1 (off heel of Hammond's glove, into foul territory, runners 1st/3rd); Davis (GUARDADO WARMING) sac fly LF (IBANEZ SCORES, Olerud to 2nd on throw); Bloomquist base hit CF (OLERUD SCORES, Bloomquist to 2nd on throw); (HARVILLE WARMING) Ichiro (Bloomquist steals 3rd) grounder to 2nd, BLOOMQUIST SCORES EVADING TAG (FC); Winn FC 5-4 (Ichiro forced); Boone HR LF (2-run); HARVILLE IN; Edgar 2-0 fly Kotsay CF
bot 10 -- GUARDADO IN (second day in a row, NOT A SAVE SITUATION); Karros weird leaping catch at track CF Winn; Durazo fly RF track; Crosby 1-2...full BB; Miller 2-0...Winn fly CF
>> The Mariners got a bounce on the extremely lucky Ibanez dying quail of a double that just got inside the LF foul line. Olerud laid the bunt down (Olerud and a ground ball in the infield is a sure out on any cleanly fielded ball), and Hammond muffed it. That was the final nail in the coffin for the A's in this game. If the Mariners didn't win it after that, hoo boy. Three things that were nice to see in the inning: Ben Davis driving in the go-ahead run and finally having something good happen for a change, some motion on the basepaths (Bloomquist stealing third, yes, I'm giving him some props here, perish the thought), and an instance of power off the bat of Bret Boone. I said Melvin made a good decision not bringing in Guardado for the 9th, and here is where it reaped its dividends, as Guardado got a much more soft landing this time with a five-run lead. It was two days in a row for Everyday Eddie. I'm guessing this was a typical Guardado outing: two balls to the track, a walk, falling behind another hitter, and then a ball almost to the track to end it.
Gameball: Shigetoshi Hasegawa. 2 innings, 2 hits, 2 K, no walks. Shut down the A's in the 8th and 9th, and was the least turbulent pitcher out of the bullpen today.
I'm not going to normally choose a goat, but...
Goat: Bobby Kielty. The winning run was on first, he had a chance to move it to second for Chavez and/or Dye to drive it in, and he failed miserably.
The closest thing to a Fireworthy Offense for Bob Melvin in the game was bringing in Kevin Jarvis in the 6th to keep the Mariners within two runs when a well-rested Julio Mateo was presumably available. If Jarvis ends up being truly Jarvislike, we might be looking at a big fat six-pack of L for the Mariners.
But for me, Melvin gets a little respite from me for holding off on Guardado until the 10th and leaving in Shig for the 9th. There was an off-day the next day, Shig nailed down the 9th, and the closer-to-be was still available if the Mariners got the lead in the 10th. Luckily, the Mariners got a really big lead in the 10th and Eddie got his promised soft landing.
And yeah, if you were listening to the KOMO postgame show after the game and heard a David from Ellensburg that was stammering all over himself and sounding like a total dumbass...yeah, that was me.
Here comes the recap, inning by inning, you know the drill.
top 1 -- Ichiro 1-3; Winn 2-2...full looking K (on corner); Boone 6-3
bot 1 -- Kotsay 2-0...drag bunt between Cabrera/Moyer; Kielty 0-2...looking K (same as Winn); Chavez first pitch double RF; Dye 2-0...5-4-3 DP
>> Mulder looked solid in the first and got through it quick. Moyer fell behind on a couple hitters, and needed a double play to get out of it. It was the first hinting of the turbulence Moyer would face for most of the afternoon.
top 2 -- Edgar 5-3; Aurilia 4-3; Ibanez 0-2...(corner pitch on 0-2?)...single LF line (Kielty cuts off, holds to single); Cabrera (Spiezio may be ready by next road trip...maybe before leaving) 0-2 looking K
bot 2 -- Karros 0-2...(close pitch on 0-2)...single LF under diving Aurilia; Durazo 3-1...BB; Crosby base hit CF (KARROS SCORES, no throw from Winn, hmm); Miller (Niehaus noting Moyer misses AGAIN with first pitch) 3-1...full BB; Scutaro 3-0...sac fly CF (DURAZO SCORES, runner to third?); Kotsay single RF (CROSBY SCORES, runner to third); Kielty F5 (hustle Bloomquist); Chavez (first pitch ball, 30 pitch of inning) 4-pitch BB; Dye (JARVIS WARMING) 2-2 6-3 (Aurilia bobbles, stays with it)
>> Mulder's only hiccup of the inning was letting Ibanez battle back from 0-2 to put a ball down the line. Cabrera had a pathetic at-bat, striking out on three pitches, the last of which he watched. Moyer had a brutal inning. He walked three, gave up three hits, and let three runs cross the plate as the A's sent all nine hitters to the plate. It got so bad that Kevin Jarvis was warming up in the bullpen. I had Moyer down for 38 pitches in the inning, referenced to the first pitch to Chavez being the 30th, according to Niehaus.
top 3 -- Wilson (only second to get first pitch ball from Mulder) 2-0...4-3 (Scutaro up middle, Wilson slow as hell); Bloomquist 1-3 (Mulder tall); Ichiro 0-2...1-3 AGAIN
bot 3 -- Karros (ball)...1-2 swing K; Durazo 0-2...HBP arm (sidearmed?); Crosby (1-1 pitch corner uncalled) 2-2...full fly LF; Miller (Durazo delayed steals, throw REALLY close) 2-0...2-2 (pitch damn close)...full (70 pitches) swing K
>> Mulder cruises again, this time getting two grounders back at him. Wilson was out on a ball that Marco Scutaro fielded from near-behind second base. Ron Fairly then called the ability to beat out grounders "an asset." No $h!+, Ron. Ichiro grounded out to the first for the second at-bat in a row. Moyer got out of the third unscathed, but with a pitch count at 71. He had an okay inning other than when he beaned Durazo and fell behind on Miller. Great moment of the inning: DURAZO STOLE SECOND?!!?!! COME ON!!!
top 4 -- Winn 1-2 fly CF; Boone 6-3 (pulls Karros, who tags); Edgar 2-0...double RF (494th career); Aurilia 0-2 looking K
bot 4 -- Scutaro 1-2...headfirst slide single under Bloomquist (beats Aurilia throw); Kotsay GIDP 3-6-3 (Scutaro ran down, chased toward second by Cabrera though, not first); Kielty 0-2...1-3
>> Mulder had no trouble in the 4th except for falling behind to Edgar and allowing Edgar's 494th career double (so said Dave and Ron). This was Moyer's easiest inning, even with the leadoff single, but he was helped by the double play.
top 5 -- Ibanez 4-3 (8 groundouts Mulder); Cabrera 1-2 looking K; Wilson (1-0 ripped foul LF)...6-3 (Crosby bobbles, still gets Wilson)
bot 5 -- Chavez HR CF (OAK 4-0); Dye 0-2 looking K (good way to bounce back at least); Karros 2-2 6-3 (Cabrera nearly comes off bag); Durazo first pitch single RF under Cabrera; Crosby 1-2...swing K
>> Mulder ended up with 13 groundball outs the day after Tim Hudson had 18. Mulder sliced through the patsies in the Mariner lineup easily, and caught Cabrera looking again. Moyer was solid in the inning after the Chavez bomb. He finished his outing with 101 pitches in five innings, which is positively Bad Freddyesque. He's had two sketchy starts in a row. Moyer's delivery seemed like it was slightly different, like he was more upright or something before he was throwing the ball.
top 6 -- Bloomquist 0-2 looking K (WOLF PRIDE!!); Ichiro 4-pitch BB (1st Mulder walk); Winn hard base hit LF; Boone 2-0...hard hit double off Chavez glove into LF foul territory (ICHIRO SCORES, Winn to 3rd); Edgar base hit CF (WINN SCORES, Boone to 3rd); Aurilia 2-0 weak fly Karros; Ibanez (BRADFORD WARMING) 6-3
bot 6 -- JARVIS IN??!!?!! (Mateo, anyone?) Miller 3-0...full BB; (VILLONE WARMING) Scutaro (pulls bunt back) 1-2...5-4-3 DP; Kotsay (backstop 0-1 pitch) 4-3
>> Mulder finally ran into some trouble in the 6th, as the top of the Mariner lineup finally did what it was supposed to do, with the Ichiro walk followed by three hits, including the Edgar hit, on which he drove in his 1200th run. Mulder walked Ichiro on four pitches, fell behind Boone and paid for it, and fell behind Aurilia, who popped out. In what I think was Melvin's worst decision of the day, Jarvis was brought in with the Mariners down two runs in the 6th to keep the game close. Somehow the word "Jarvis" and the phrase "keep the game close" don't go together unless a secondary phrase, "failed to," is involved. But this decision didn't backfire on Melvin, though Jarvis really tried to with the leadoff walk, and threw a ball that hit the backstop on the final hitter. The double play helped immensely to bail out Jarvis. I'm iffy on Jarvis, as most of us are, and to keep the game close in long relief in that situation, I would have gone to Julio Mateo, who had not pitched since Thursday and had more than enough time to rest since and could rest more with the off day afterward.
top 7 -- Cabrera 1-3; Wilson 6-3 (again); Bloomquist 4-pitch BB; Ichiro (MECIR WARMING) 2-0...2-2 base hit RF (Bloomquist sent, Scutaro deked, safely to 3rd); Winn hard hit sliding diving catch running in by Kotsay CF (Jeremy's Magnolia Moment).
bot 7 -- VILLONE IN; Kielty 2-2...full swing K; Chavez (Niehaus watching Masters, Phil wins) 1-2 lineout Aurilia; Dye (HASEGAWA WARMING) 3-0...base hit LF (Dye 6gm hit streak); Karros ("Villone working on some chewing gum" --Niehaus) 1-0 low off Wilson's glove (WP, runner to 2nd)...3-0 IBB (nearly thrown away); Durazo lined Cabrera
>> Cabrera and Bloomquist were dead weight as Bloomquist got on base and Ichiro did his job. Mark Kotsay ended the "rally" with his running-inward diving catch off Winn, which Jeremy called his Magnolia Moment. Mulder pitched a solid outing today, not quite as good as Hudson's the day before, but solid nonetheless. Villone got the first two out, which salvaged the fact that he got into a pretty decent jam, getting two runners aboard while throwing a wild pitch inbetween.
top 8 -- MECIR IN; Boone (RHODES WARMING) 2-0...2-2...full swing K (bad pitch up/in); Edgar fly Dye RF; Aurilia single CF; Ibanez 4-3
bot 8 -- HASEGAWA IN (does this make sense?); Crosby 0-2 looking K; Miller 0-2...base hit CF through the box; Scutaro 2-0...lineout DP 5-3
>> Mecir had two outs before allowing the Aurilia single. Ibanez came up and grounded to second, after which Niehaus said "he was way out in front of the change." Yep, that's your 3 year, $13.25M free agent right there; he gets baited by the change. Hasegawa had a solid inning, getting ahead on the first two hitters and getting the only batter he fell behind (Scutaro) to line into a double play.
top 9 -- RHODES IN; Cabrera (shows bunt on 1st pitch)...0-2 swing K way outside; Wilson infield hit; (MCCRACKEN RUNS) Bloomquist base hit RF (McCracken to 3rd); Ichiro ("Rhodes earringless" --Niehaus) 3-1 (GUARDADO WARMING) base hit RF (MCCRACKEN SCORES, Bloomquist to 3rd); Winn ("Would Melvin send the runner from first base?" --Fairly) Winn swings out of shoes on 1-0 pitch...base hit LF (BLOOMQUIST SCORES, Ichiro to 2nd, poor Mulder); Boone 2-2 bouncer 1-3 (runners to 2nd and 3rd); Edgar IBB; Aurilia (HAMMOND WARMING) 1-2 (barely outside on 1-2)...full...fly Kotsay CF
bot 9 -- DAVIS (pinch-ran for Wilson)/OLERUD IN (Hansen left on bench); Kotsay 2-0...base hit CF; Kielty pathetic pop bunt foul...(MYERS WARMING) bunt foul again...0-2...swing K; Chavez (nice Davis block on 2-0) 3-0 Aurilia backpedaling one-handed catch; Dye F2
>> I thought nothing would happen here, as the Mariners had their impotent third of the lineup coming in Cabrera/Wilson/Bloomquist. Cabrera struck out again. Wilson got the infield hit on a play in which I really think the Scutaro threw beat him, but Karros bobbled it. That proved to be somewhat pivotal. Bloomquist, Ichiro, Winn got consecutive hits to tie the game. Rhodes blew his first save of the year; is this something the A's fans should get used to? Niehaus had said earlier that he thought Guardado was going to come out to work the 9th. The fact that Guardado didn't come out for the 9th was (I think) Melvin's best decision of the day. He left Hasegawa in (off day the next day). Chavez flew out on 3-0, but I think this inning had the gamebreaker for the Mariners. Kotsay led off with the single and Bobby Kielty couldn't get the bunt down. Imagine the A's situation with a runner on second and Chavez and Dye to come to the plate? This was the first concrete indication that the A's were giving the Mariners this game.
top 10 -- HAMMOND IN; Ibanez loopy fly LF just fair double; Olerud (shows bunt) sac bunt E1 (off heel of Hammond's glove, into foul territory, runners 1st/3rd); Davis (GUARDADO WARMING) sac fly LF (IBANEZ SCORES, Olerud to 2nd on throw); Bloomquist base hit CF (OLERUD SCORES, Bloomquist to 2nd on throw); (HARVILLE WARMING) Ichiro (Bloomquist steals 3rd) grounder to 2nd, BLOOMQUIST SCORES EVADING TAG (FC); Winn FC 5-4 (Ichiro forced); Boone HR LF (2-run); HARVILLE IN; Edgar 2-0 fly Kotsay CF
bot 10 -- GUARDADO IN (second day in a row, NOT A SAVE SITUATION); Karros weird leaping catch at track CF Winn; Durazo fly RF track; Crosby 1-2...full BB; Miller 2-0...Winn fly CF
>> The Mariners got a bounce on the extremely lucky Ibanez dying quail of a double that just got inside the LF foul line. Olerud laid the bunt down (Olerud and a ground ball in the infield is a sure out on any cleanly fielded ball), and Hammond muffed it. That was the final nail in the coffin for the A's in this game. If the Mariners didn't win it after that, hoo boy. Three things that were nice to see in the inning: Ben Davis driving in the go-ahead run and finally having something good happen for a change, some motion on the basepaths (Bloomquist stealing third, yes, I'm giving him some props here, perish the thought), and an instance of power off the bat of Bret Boone. I said Melvin made a good decision not bringing in Guardado for the 9th, and here is where it reaped its dividends, as Guardado got a much more soft landing this time with a five-run lead. It was two days in a row for Everyday Eddie. I'm guessing this was a typical Guardado outing: two balls to the track, a walk, falling behind another hitter, and then a ball almost to the track to end it.
Gameball: Shigetoshi Hasegawa. 2 innings, 2 hits, 2 K, no walks. Shut down the A's in the 8th and 9th, and was the least turbulent pitcher out of the bullpen today.
I'm not going to normally choose a goat, but...
Goat: Bobby Kielty. The winning run was on first, he had a chance to move it to second for Chavez and/or Dye to drive it in, and he failed miserably.
The closest thing to a Fireworthy Offense for Bob Melvin in the game was bringing in Kevin Jarvis in the 6th to keep the Mariners within two runs when a well-rested Julio Mateo was presumably available. If Jarvis ends up being truly Jarvislike, we might be looking at a big fat six-pack of L for the Mariners.
But for me, Melvin gets a little respite from me for holding off on Guardado until the 10th and leaving in Shig for the 9th. There was an off-day the next day, Shig nailed down the 9th, and the closer-to-be was still available if the Mariners got the lead in the 10th. Luckily, the Mariners got a really big lead in the 10th and Eddie got his promised soft landing.
And yeah, if you were listening to the KOMO postgame show after the game and heard a David from Ellensburg that was stammering all over himself and sounding like a total dumbass...yeah, that was me.