Trying to focus on the positive ... :- )
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=== Jakubauskas ===
Didn't see the whole game, but the AB's I did see, Jaka wasn't hitting his spots. Which underlines San-man's caution that you might want to judge new pitchers after seeing both their best and worst games :- )
Roto-monsta Taro argues against Dr. D's wish for Chavez to get some PT in center field. The logic being that Franklin Gutierrez is good and Endy Chavez isn't.
We're posting his analysis here, with kibitzing, NOT for the purpose of correcting or debating. :- ) It's promotoed to front-page because the analysis is worth emphasizing. My own noodlings are in there just roundtable-style.
Thanks amigo.
Taro sez:
Meanwhile, Sandy vectors Taro's interesting analysis with an argument that maybe Chavez will continue to hit:
Nice numbers, Taro...
The thing that I’m wondering about with Endy is this … could he actually be the second coming of Raul Ibanez. Ibanez was, in fact, a #4 OF until age 30. He didn’t break .800 until age 29. (No, I don’t mean this LITERALLY - but in the sense that Ibanez was a guy whose stats said he wasn’t worth giving PT to — only to become an All-Star in his 30s).
BTW, with Endy Chavez swinging the bat so well by his standards ... I DO like Endy in CENTER field.
If and when Franklin Gutierrez finds his level as a lousy hitter, at least for 2009, a Chavez/Gutierrez jobshare would IMHO be a worthy tactic for chasing the pennant.
You could have Chavez and F-Goot split the 600 PA's in center, and then give them another 200 in the corners at times, and they'd have 800 PA's between them. That would be about right, if they're going to turn out to be light-hitting glove specialists.
The Jackalope, of course, being the mythical creature that comes unexpectedly boundin' out of the indy wilderness in our hour of despair, and informs us we have no need to feel so blue about our rotation problemos.
D-O-V noodlings on Jaka thus far ...
I/O: On the day that D-O-V laments the 74 OPS+, Griffey bombs the M's into the lead and Ichiro's grand slam collects 10 team bases in one swing.
Crunch: :- ) Am only too glad to see a game in which the M's ram my shtick back down my throat, and here's hopin' they do it about 153 more times...
Even sweeter to see Jered fold under the pressure and fumble the ball that opened the floodgates. Console yourself with another doob, pokey.
The nice thing with Gross is that hes not liable to cost much either and hes off to a slow start thankfully.
Asides from the OF vs GB RH pitching, we pretty don’t have anywhere else to plug a bat. What we COULD use is an upgrade at SS, but that may be difficult to fine.
A more realistic upgrade would be finding a backup LH middle infielder that can hit a little (I’m NOT sold on Cedeno being anything either than terrible with the bat).
So THAT's what it looks like, to see a ballclub go out and challenge the division champs. Buy that manager a sody pop.
It was complete joy, from start to finish, to watch the April 14 Mariners throw pitch after pitch with the intention of beating the LA Angels. The Seattle Mariners haven't challenged their opponents like that, for at least five years.
=== Jarrod Washburn ===
Nice game of pitch-and-catch with Gutierrez today. :- ) Fun to watch.
A life sensei once enlightened us: the way that people get others to take extreme positions -- is to take an extreme position at the opposite side. In other words, if you want to get people saying that there is no such thing as global warming, then start preaching straight-faced that we have five years to live. LOL.
