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The MLB.com one-page snippet on tonight's ballgame. The batter-pitchup matchups don't exist but
1) Miranda is perfectly fine as #4 starter provided? The 2-3 deep flies in the game don't go over the wall. Here's the ultimate synergy situation with three CF's and a big cold park. (My friends had to leave Monday's game early because of the weather.)
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LOST WEEKEND
The Angels came back on a 1000:1 shot Sunday, or the M's would be 3-5 despite themselves. Remember than any batted ball has a 70% shot of hitting a fielder, and you need like 8 balls to fall in to come back from 9-3 in the 9th. In a sense that's not really the M's fault. It woulda been if they'd blown a 6-3 lead, mebbe, but not at 9-3.
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... for me as well as for the M's. Mine was quite a bit more pleasant. But here's a Monday Game Thread if anybody is still chatting the Mariners when they're 1-6. :- ) More in 10 min's...
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ENOUGH! COMEDY! JOKES!
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The Mariners' site has a StatCast up on Dyson's catch last night to double off Mike Trout. Always fun.
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ANGELS 5
If you want folks to reassure you that Gallardo is doing well, ask anybody with the Mariners. Not trying to be snide. They're committed to him and that's how pro sports goes in the days of these kinda bucks. The TV crew praised every decent Gallardo pitch with gusto and Servais said that Gallardo threw the ball "crisply."
If you want somebody to tell you the truth, ask somebody who noticed 10 baserunners in 5 innings, and umpteen cripple pitches the Angels missed -- this being Gallardo's upside scenario. He brought his BB's down by making the Angels prove they could hit HR's. The weak Angels lineup couldn't rebuke Gallardo in this one. Well, only 1.8 times per 9 innings.
Dr. D suspects this will be a Grand Theme in April-May: Reduce the BB's from 4+ to 2+, under penalty of a steady rainfall of deep enemy fly balls -- with runners on. Hopefully enough of them will be caught on the warning track. Check him on this prediction, boys.
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Will cheerfully admit we did not expect to see him touch 93-94 MPH (though the location was maybe AA level). Good on him. Will also be glad to admit that the curve ball was major league average. Have admitted many times before, and will admit again, that Yovani is tricksy. It's fun to watch him make a hitter top a 3-2 curve ball into a 5-3 groundout to end the inning.
Also will be glad to admit that 10 swingthrus were more than we expected to see in any Gallardo start this year. 4 K's offers the faithful a glimmer of hope.
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JACK BILLINGHAM
As most Denizens know, Dr. D's boyhood team had an impossible collection of 8 regulars who were, each of them, lordly on offense as well as defense. The Reds would always have a good pitcher or two - Gary Nolan or Don Gullett or somebody, and those guys would go 15-3 in front of the Big Red Machine. (Hmmmmmm speaking of James Paxton ...)
But on Jack Billingham Day it would become a desperate contest between JB's "atom balls," with Dave Concepcion diving left and right every inning, and Johnny Bench's attempts to reach the fences two or three times and overcome the natural deficit posted by the starting pitcher.
Often it worked for Billingham. Note carefully the line of 15-10 records alongside 88 ERA+'s on his baseball card. Sparky Anderson wasn't the original Captain Hook for nothin'.
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Back in the 1980's, they had a Magic-Bird duel going on TV. The score was 65-62 or something. Bill Russell was commenting and casually remarked, "If either of these teams were playing ANY other team in the NBA right now, they'd be up by 20 points." The other analysts were stunned. But that can be the way in a series like that.
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TOP TEN THINGS ABOUT YOUR MARINERS MORNING
10. Five words: less Dr. D this morning. At least YOU don't have to write this up, pokey
9. Sure, Houston won, but we were missing Tyler O'Neill check this shtick out
8. Jarrod Dyson performed 2 miracles in 3 games ... and like we sez, defense and baserunning is always more aesthetically pleasing than 5 homers. Speed Never Slumps
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KING FELIKKKKKKs
Number of K's corresponding to his last start. Corresponding to his next, Servais sez
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"I just sat down stairs with Rick and Scott, and they're pretty confident he's going to make his next start," Dipoto said shortly before Tuesday's game against the Astros. "Felix feels good, he went out and did his pregame work and felt perfectly good about it. It was a precautionary measure taking him out of last night's game, which I think was the right thing to do.
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In the book of Ecclesiastes chapters 1-3, King Solomon (rich as Croesus, or Midas, or richer) has everything he could possibly have. Wine, women, song, entertainment, riches, unsurpassable knowlege, all of it. He sets out to investigate, methodically, which will make him happiest.
