Geoff Baker has a very fine feel for the game of baseball.  Once again he puts his finger on the most important issues that face the Mariners going forward -- this time, Felix Hernandez' competitive disposition.  It goes directly towards the question of whether Jack Zduriencik and Don Wakamatsu want to build their pennantwinner around Felix Hernandez or not.

Baker quotes Felix:

"I'm not frustrated ... I made good pitches, they just hit the ball in the holes."

This comment is perfectly reasonable, unless you're interested in living on planet Earth rather than dozing among the tangerine trees and marmalade skies.

We had a perfect vantage point for all those smoked liners and one-hoppers against the fences.  The Angels were loading up on their big toes and launching Felix' pitches into the power alleys.  Several times the outfielders scrambled to cut off hard-hit balls and hold the Angels to singles rather than doubles.

When guys hit the ball in the holes against Randy Johnson or Pedro Martinez, that's when the other guys get 7 hits in 5 innings -- not 11 hits in five innings, as Felix gave up.

Hernandez struck out a piddling 3 out of 30 hitters, and he leaves with the honest impression that he pitched great, but the baseball just happened to sneak through a few gaps.

I'm not down on Felix, but his comments are genuinely alarming.  If I'm Jack Zduriencik, Felix' remarks are as disquieting as if he'd shrugged, "Well, it's just a game.  I've got important things to do tonight."  ... Felix didn't say that latter, but the state-of-mind is disturbing.

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Equal time dept:  If Lopez hadn't botched the DP grounder, the Mariners would have won the game.   Also, to Felix' credit, he did not mention this after the game, although during it he took a good 3-4 seconds to stand there with his hands on his hips in protest.

If Lopez wouldn't have rushed the play -- it was overeagerness, not disinterest -- Felix would have escaped with a win.  But the Mariners still would have played lousy, and Felix still would have performed poorly -- 5 stolen bases given up, just for example.

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=== Tippy Hernandez, Dept. ===

Further:

"For me, I think it was a good performance, I made good pitches, they just hit the ball in the holes. It's unbelievable, I made great pitches to them.

They've got a great lineup and I just wanted to go out there and make my pitches. That's what I did today, but they've got a good lineup. It was a good performance from them.''

YOU MADE YOUR PITCHES?!

:: pushes jaw shut with back of hand ::

You have one of the best fastballs in the major leagues, and your slider is probably THE best pitch in the major leagues, and you have a strikeout curve, and a strikeout changeup .... and you threw them the way you wanted to ... and you got smashed, and it's just one of those things?!

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In case you wanted saber-oriented proof that it wasn't simple bad luck, rather than just observation?  For our good alphanumeric-bound friends with us today, you'll notice that Felix had 3 walks and 3 strikeouts last night.  There.  Now go grab a coffee down the hall while we talk psychobabble.

We kid.  Don't write in.  :- )

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YOU MADE YOUR PITCHES?!

If you (1) have Felix Hernandez' stuff,  (2) execute exactly the pitches you want to, (3) give up 11 good solid hits and 6 runs, and then (4) shrug there's nothing you can do about it, then ...

You are tipping your pitches, telegraphing your pitches, or refusing to think along with the hitters.

That's all.  That's what's going on when a great pitcher gets blasted and doesn't know why.  He's tipping -- or the equivalent.  End of story, drive home safely.

If Randy Johnson throws his pitches and gets 11 balls smacked into the power alleys, then the hitters know what's coming.  Move on, next discussion.

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In this case, it's not "tipping"; it's "the equivalent."

Although the Mariners resist believing this, they have gotten out-scouted and out-thought for ten years.  The 2001 ALCS was the most glaring example, but it's a decades-long syndrome.  The other teams simply come in with better preparation as to strategy, tactics and advance scouting.

They get a player who is brainy enough to help them with this -- Kenji Johjima -- and they deeply resent any threat to their comfort zones and ingrained patterns.  (The fact that Johjima happens to be in the starting lineup is irrelevant.  He has been broken to the yoke of the Mariners' "coin of the realm," the almighty fastball.)

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=== And Take This With You, Dept. ===

As for him feeling pressure to be the stopper, the ace:

"I don't feel any pressure, no. It's one of those things where I try to win every game that I can, but that's not going to happen.''

Hernandez said Wakamatsu hadn't spoken to him, but when told about the stolen base comments, he replied:

"That team is...part of the game is stolen bases. They have fast runners. For me, I just wanted to hold the runners, but -- they're good.''

King-O-Vision translation:  FORGET YOU.  Did everybody get that?  And you can quote him.

Can you understand the problem that Wakamatsu has this morning?

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It wasn't Felix' worst day ever, because he gave up the most runs.

It was his worst day ever, because he refused to do as his manager wished, and because afterward he said that's the way it's going to be.

Cheers,

Dr D