We Win the Staredown Game

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For what, 5 or 6 innings, even a no-hitter still wasn't good enough.  Earl remarked that this state of affairs isn't good for morale.  The Rangers seemed to be lurking smugly, apparently secure in their belief that not even James Paxton was enough to change the M's status as Ranger "customers."

Then, in three pitches, the game went from 0-0 to 5-0.  The Rangers blinked several times in confusion, trying to process the surprise.  We noticed that James Paxton came out the next inning unafraid to throw strikes.  And we remembered how Lou Piniella used to juggle his rotation so that Randy Johnson would pitch the first game of division series.

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Blowers noted the 3 pitches thingy.  He also noted that Boomstick is starting to get the huge launch velocities.  We note that Boom is starting to blast pitches foul down the 3B line.  Jeff Sullivan was asked, in his Friday chat, Is there any reason to believe that Cruz is not done?  Jeffy's reply, Everything he has done in recent history.  HEH.

Did you see the at-bat where Cashner threw him 5 consecutive pitches, just off the black at the knees?  I am not even joking.  3-1 and then a nibble walk.  They do NOT want to throw ANYthing dangerous to this guy.  That's your best tip that Cruz is hitting his stride.

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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

OK, a dang fine win last night!

Vintage Felix, Haniger was Maniger, there was a "Boomstick Baby" Blast, and Edwin Diaz was flat out bad!  That's "bad" as in "The dude was baaaaad!"

So we know Haniger is good and Diaz is baaaaaad.

And we're learning that Valencia is ugly.  Well right now, anyway.  I'm almost pining for Justin Smoak, certainly for Bucky Jacobsen.

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Rangers, 1 ...

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FELIX 7.1 6 1 1 0 3

It seems that Felix is getting the hang of his new incarnation.

To aiki-Doc, his body language and his pitching motion is much happier.  For instance, he looked like he was standing with his feet a bit wider apart taking the sign - meaning that he was "chambering" his CG to tetherball around his right leg in a "fun, loose" motion.  The acceleration of his CG around the tetherball pole - the point of momentum as he swung around and launched forward - had a swing feel rather than a muscular feel.

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... M's 2

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SNAKEBIT

Haniger's "single" would have been a 3-run shot if it had gone how much farther?  The width of a baseball?  And there were half-a-dozen moments like that.  The M's won anyway.  It is the mark of a "loaded" roster that you can have everything go wrong and still win.

We know the M's are 3-8; we're just noticing yesterday's visual of Seahawks Beat 49'ers with -3 Turnover Ratio.

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Haniger has an OPS+ of 160 and nobody else, except subs, is at 99.

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Corollaries for Moe Dog's Laws of Baseball Physics

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Mo' Dawg (Keith) has an article up under the "All" domain rather than under the "Baseball" domain.  So you won't see it even in the handy-dandy "Active Threads" conversation menu.  Don't miss it.  He lists 15 laws of Mariner physics and that gives Dr. D the chance to run a freebie URL!  Yeah baby!

Picking and choosing from his physics text.  Moe sez, and Dr. D volleys,

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1.  The speed of light is somewhat slower than the pace at which the Mariner bullpen gets bombed.  Einstein said it was impossible. Altavilla says it isn't.

Heh!  True.  We notice however that the M's pen overall has an xFIP of 3.63, #11 among 30 teams.  And Altavilla's xFIP is #2 among relievers, second to Evan Marshall.  We agree with Moe of course and in fact made the point first.  But tough luck has made things look weird.  Objects distort visually when they approach the speed of light.

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Editor's Choice

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Moe sez,

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Martin is broken.  Did you hear the comment about his return to a higher hands approach at the plate?  If you go all of ST and 2 weeks of the season with a new approach AND then toss it aside it means you're lbroken; perhaps only for the time being, but you're broken.  Mike Fiers is a career 1.25 WHIP and 3.84 ERA guy.  He's not bad.  If Martin starts tonight I will yell at my TV.  Oaths may be included.  Hide your women and children.

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And Blissed sez,

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You're spot on with Martin. He had a few moments early last season but over the past 5 months of play has been mostly a rally-killer. Too many other good options to continue down the path of his name inked into the lineup. Let's open that competition back up for AB's Servais! Spring Training wasn't the end of the battle for starting jobs was it?

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Dr. D sez, He'd be interested to hear your lucid, 1-syllable explanations for why the OF rotation did not survive the plane flight out of Arizona.  He doesn't remember the OF bench being frozen out like this even during the Griffey-Buhner days.  Just don't get it.

Great point about revamping the swing in week 1 Moe.

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Blissed also sez,

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Houston 10 ...

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HWMNBN

We promised that we weren't going to be provocative here, so just the fa'ax, ma'am.

GOOD:  In the first two starts, Gallardo has definitely thrown the ball a good +2 MPH harder than he has for several seasons.  That's not the same as throwing it +2 MPH harder for 150 innings, but in a vacuum it is yuuuuge.  (Whoops, almost got provocative...).  Maybe that's what Dipoto had in mind, on some level.

Also, the Mainframe was thrilled that Gallardo came out throwing his 79 MPH curve (as opposed to his inviting little cutter/slider).  It had depth and some bite, and he was able to make it break down to the knees or lower.  We notice here that he threw 22 of them, way high for him, and not a single one allowed a baserunner.  This has Mel Stottlemyre's fingerprints all over it.

92-94 MPH, even wild as he is, combined with an ML average overhand curve, might give fighting chances.  If you are grading #4-#5 starters on a scale of 1-10 ... we rated his performance, objectively, 3 to 4 in both starts.

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... M's 5

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THOR JR.

They said that the HR he hit in the third had an exit velocity of 105 MPH.  A line drive that carried almost 400 feet.   Kyle Seager hit 30 home runs last year and only +4 of them had exit velocities in excess of 105 MPH.

Motter was supposed to be a decent weapon against LHP's -- hence the Denizens' suggestion of giving Danny Valencia a day or two off.  But Motter's laser beam was hit off a right hand change slider.  Later his double was off a jam pitch, hands high, in off the plate for a ball.  He's got 5 hits:  four doubles and a home run.

Question:  have you EVER seen a backup shortstop swing this hard?  Give me a name.

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M's 5 Astros 7 - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Blissedj consoled all of us with his comment that this has been the most viscerally painful week in M's history.  He should feel better this morning, since the M's followed up their suffering --- > by assigning Mitch Haniger the key game-losing flub in right field.  Next up, some random Astro hits a double Wednesday, causing an enraged Edgar to charge out of the dugout, Woody Hayes style, to clothesline the hapless batter and get himself banned from baseball.  He and Pete Rose then set up an offshore poker site and are later killed by pirates.

Who was the guy who said "there's no such thing as a moral victory"?  Was that Bill "Tuna" Parcells, or George C. Patton slapping down a cowardly soldier, or Lloyd McClendon watching an Erasmo start, or what?

It wasn't ALL bad luck.  The Astros had like 18 total bases to our 11.  We will grant that some question exists whether the M's have a JUGGERNAUT.  But they're clearly more talented than last year's 86-win version.  Hey, James Paxton by himself is more talented than last year's 86-win team.

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THE ARIEL MIRANDA

One of my fave 2 or 3 Miranda starts.  He was sticking 93-94 MPH fastballs on the corners, taking charge of counts with authority.  He used his new "foshball" to generate 7 swings and misses out of 30 attempts.  His split was way plus, considering it was his third not second weapon.

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