Tuesday, May 24, 2005
MIKE, WHAT WAS THAT?
The Towel isn't just for Matt Thornton.
It's also for situations like tonight.
Case in point, the top of the 9th for the Mariners.
2 outs, nobody on, down 3-2. Jeremy Reed is scheduled to come up. But wait, who's that coming to the plate?
Why, that's Willie Bloomquist!!!
Willie Bloomquist?!?
The Mariners want Reed to succeed. But how is he supposed to succeed if he isn't allowed to hit in that situation? I don't care what "The Book" says. Let Reed hit. Who knows, he may have been able to get on base.
Bloomquist got on with a base hit, bringing Wilson Valdez to the plate. Great. Mike Hargrove pinch hits for Reed, but won't pinch hit for Valdez? Tell me where's the logic in that?
Why in the blue hell is Dave Hansen on the 25-man roster if he's not going to be used? He's only one of the best pinch hitters in baseball. I'd say he has a little more pop in his bat than Willie Bloomquist or Wilson Valdez. But what do I know? I'm a guy who's part of one of the few non-stats oriented blogs in the Mariner blogosphere!
What if the M's would have tied the ballgame or taken the lead?
---Put Bloomquist at shortstop.
---Move Winn to center field, Ibanez moves to left field, Hansen becomes the DH.
Yes, Valdez is a better defensive shortstop than Bloomquist. Ibanez in left field isn't exactly a great move. But it's the price you pay when you want a guy like Hansen hitting in the top of the 9th with a 1-run deficit. It also speaks to the fact that this bench is still awful after all these years. Please come back, Bucky Jacobsen.
Games like tonight are the ones that drain me. It's bad enough that Joel Pineiro spent the last 10 days trying to turn into a Backstreet Boy than working on his mechanics. But the way this game turned out for the Mariners, my goodness.
Mike Hargrove threw in the towel tonight. Thanks, Grover.