June 2017
Holy bananas, these guys were loaded with hitting!
Posted by SABR Matt on 06/30/17
5 Comments
Just take a look at that swing, just after contact. Fred McGriff instructional videos can't teach you to have better "back leg special" form than that. Note the back leg is taking all of the weight in the swing, the hips stay closed until after the bat clears the zone and are just now exploding out, his eyes are looking right out along the top of his bat, the energy has a distinctly upward trajectory (he's leaning waaaay back on follow-through - without a giant uppercut, he is still giving the ball lift). This is the model for how you produce pulled fly balls when you get your pitch and still... Read More
me, in Seattle? shirley you jest
Posted by jemanji on 06/29/17
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SABRMatt notes that the M's are rumored to be talking to Billy Beane about ... Sonny Gray?! Dr. D's 'thoughts,' however dubious, are solicited. As Clint Eastwood's main squeeze famously said, "dreams are like clouds floating across a sky-blue mind." And what could be sky-er blue than MLB trade rumors in July... clouds float across Dr. D's mind thusly:
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1) Drew Smyly's TJ surgery clears what, $10M next year when they non-tender him. It also clears the rotation of all hopes and aspirations of having that particular young strikeout rotation member. Clarity can be a wonderful thing... Read More
why wait till July 30 to talk trade - DiPoto will be done by then
Posted by jemanji on 06/29/17
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Here is a local Sox column, real good read, on the Sox' need to deal Jose Quintana. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-jose-quintana-trade-v... This piece also acknowledges Chicago GM Rick Hahn's laughable belief that Quintana is worth approximately the same as the U.S. land mass between New Orleans and Colorado. No word on whether U.S. ambassadors will be required to cut a deal on the downlow.
Here are a bunch more Quintana trade rumors. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/chicago-white-sox The Astros have a sizable offer on the table but are "not budging" in response to... Read More
und, sabermetricks too? Vot next?
Posted by jemanji on 06/29/17
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Every person, up to and including Edgar Martinez, has his plusses and minuses. At BJOL there is a chap named Dave Fleming who unapologetically manifests several of each. On the one hand, he's on the James team and he writes well. On the other hand, he's a drag to talk politics with and he has your grampa's aversion to watching baseball strikeouts of any kind. There could be other things to put on the ledger, we're guessing, but those are the ones that affect MY life the most.
Combining all four of those ingredients into one tasty Jell-O fruit dessert, we've got his latest BJOL article... Read More
Thus saith the muse, Dept.
Posted by jemanji on 06/27/17
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Casey at the Bat -- or -- Rime of the 2017 Mariners ... 's all usually just a break here or there makes the difference between fame and just-fer-fun.
The original poem "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" speaks of a sailor (below, the 'umpire') back from an adventure. The sailor grabs a passerby (the victim-guest) by the elbow and slowly lulls him into the story, until the victim-guest buys in to the supernatural sense of foreboding. The sailor weaves a tale of a cumulative, gathering danger, which makes Tuner's little joke such a genius application for our AL enemies in 2017.
Tuner doesn't... Read More
Posted by jemanji on 06/27/17
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7 Comments
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Out of town here for a coupla days amigos. Imperative to manicure the SSI grass for the afternoon's cricket match, what say. Cheerio.
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Brock and Salk ask, "What do the Mariners have now in Felix Hernandez?" They lament the possibility (?) that he's not Ultra King Felix (TM) any more. :: blinks :: The question at SSI has been, for about a year, whether he's going to be a quality #2 (top end) or whether he's going to limp along as a #4.
Felix' last outing, and his season-long 7:1 control ratio, give real hope that he's got some years of #2 in him. Dr. D has always bet the over with... Read More
no disrespect intended, Jose
Posted by jemanji on 06/24/17
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3 Comments
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SEEMS LIKE WE SAW THAT GUY SOMEWHERE BEFORE, Dept.
Excited! I was jazzed during the game. He looked to me only one notch short of Classic King Felix:
GOOD
Nice life on the fastball, 91 and 92 without strain, good-to-quite-good precision with the pitch
Was capable of throwing the sharp changeup/dry spitter -- 88 MPH with two strikes, start at top of knees dive to shins
Always has had an excellent overhand curve
Slider consistently hit the black
Four quality pitches, way cool (compare Felix Saturday to Andrew Moore Friday. Felix is better)
Body language, presence
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NOT SO GOOD
Used to be... Read More
guess the origin of that phrase, kiddies
Posted by jemanji on 06/24/17
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8 Comments
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BAKER'S DOZEN
Not that you millenials hit a lot of bakeries any more. Used to be -- what, the sixties? -- that the store would give you your dozen donuts, and then maybe add a 13th. To show you that its heart was in the right place.
The M's did that for us on Saturday, rack up their 12 and then give us an extry, proving to all our satisfaction that they like to win at baseball. The 13th run was Jarrod Dyson scoring from 2nd, showing us that yea verily is their heart in the right place (crushing hapless enemies with no fleeting thought toward mercy).
The M's have a video up. Check OUT!... Read More
Come sing along with the Mainframe
Posted by jemanji on 06/22/17
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Originally published on March 13, 2017, after Moore's early spring training outing. - Dr. D
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1 - ULTRA KING FELIX (TM) PITCH SEQUENCE
This was Andrew Moore's pitch chart to the first Reds hitter on Saturday, the LH Jesse Winker. Fastball HI for 1-0 ripped off by the ump hey ain't no thang, Fastball PAINTED for 1-1, Changeup / Splitfinger SHINS 1-2, Fastball POUND KNEES grounded through the infield for a base hit.
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This used to capture the essence of a King Felix (TM) at-bat: four, five, six pitches and none of em nowhere near the center gridsquare -- and yet only one ball on the... Read More
Consider this an experiment - lessee if youse guys like this sort of post
Posted by SABR Matt on 06/22/17
22 Comments
I'm conducting a little experiment.
A few days back, I mentioned that, when I was in college, I had a personal project idea - go through the best teams in baseball and look for their best player that I hadn't heard of before (no hall of famers, no players famous for other reasons) and look him up. I would peruse his statistical profile, his photographs, written histories, and media commentary, and give that forgotten star some love, just for the sake of showing appreciation for the rich history of the sport.
I now wonder whether this crew might find such a project, reprised and updated, to be... Read More
no way you no-hit THIS team, baby
Posted by jemanji on 06/22/17
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13 Comments
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AIN'T LIFE GRAND!, Dept.
The M's have a 3-0 sweep of the star-studded Detroit Tigers, they are clear Next-Up in the Wild Card race by themselves, He Who Must Not Be Named has been voted off the rotation island by DiPoet, and his replacement is Andrew Moore. In the 4-0 game.
The game's on TV. And a few miles away. What, you want Dr. D to butter your toast for you?
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5 INNING, 1 OUT, 0 ON - JARROD DYSON BUNT SINGLE
Let's just go with favorite moments. Justin Verlander had thrown a perfect 5.0 innings with about 15 strikeouts, the kind of game that makes you wonder how base hits ever occur... Read More
did you know I have the game's 2nd WICKEDEST fastball? ... me either
Posted by jemanji on 06/22/17
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9 Comments
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JAMES PAXTON
His rhythm had been 1-2 on a scale of 10 the last two games. In this one it was a 5 on average ... 4-5 to start the game, 7 in the second, 3-4 for a couple innings after, 7 again later. Blowers pointed out you don't see a lot of 7-foot golfers; it's too much area to control on the arc. Same reason you have to let a miracle lefthander slowly figure his career out. Good thing is, the trendline on the rhythm is "up" and quickly going up.
Paxton fanned 8, walked 2 and gave up 3 earnies. Against a less right-handed power team he'd have given up, oh, 2 runs in 6. But give the... Read More
Kyle knows what's up
Posted by The Sherminator on 06/21/17
13 Comments
Hey all! Sorry I went back to lurking and hoarding my potatoes for a bit. I just walked with my bachelor's this weekend, and the leadup was a little hectic. I'm back now, I think, just in time for the stars to align and the team to hit its stride! Here's my first guest post, to make up for my prolonged absence.
So Doc, that note about Zunino staring down CB "The Balk Affair" Bucknor (seriously, does anyone remember that extra-innings balk he called on Furbush a few years back? The one where Furbush literally didn't move an inch? He inspires the same visceral hatred in me that some feel for... Read More
courtesy of one-half our Larkin-Sabo connection
Posted by jemanji on 06/21/17
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24 Comments
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PLAYOFFS BA-BEH
Still -1.5. But the three teams between us and 'Rays are all .500, so we're the thinnest possible whisker behind them. In this first half of parity, Matt figures 88 wins could easily qualify and 85 might possibly. ... let's say 87; the M's would have to go 51-38 to do that. That's equivalent to a 93-win season, and 93 wins over the course of one-half a year is exponenentially easier than being a 93-win TEAM. So, nothing farfetched in the least.
Tuesday's game was extra innings but it was not a 50-50 coin flip. The M's had 15 baserunners to the Tigers' 10, and a 5:6 EYE... Read More
we had it won until James Pazos showed up
Posted by jemanji on 06/20/17
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26 Comments
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WILD CARD
The Mariners are -2 below .500, the Rays +1 above it. By my math this leaves the M's 1.5 games out of the playoffs, magic number of 89. And the big kids get out of school tomorrow, rotationally speaking.
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ROTATION
Speaking of which, Servais had a more predictable quote on this Monday. Forget where it was. The gist was, when Felix and Iwakuma get back Friday-Saturday, we'll figure out what to do with the Rainiers starters at that time. Maybe Gaviglio will head out to Tacoma; maybe he'll be our long man. We'll decide then.
Heavy sigh. I guess it's possible the M's believe... Read More
who doesn't root for a gentleman soldier?
Posted by jemanji on 06/20/17
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10 Comments
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LIFE LESSONS
You watch these major leaguers - ANY of them - take a 90 MPH fastball in the short ribs. Or in the shoulder blade. Or off the elbow. And they kinda growl, and take four seconds, and then go on with their lives. The average major leaguer compared to the average guy on the street? Joe Mainstreet, hit in the shoulder blade with a 90 MPH fastball, would probably think he'd been sniped and had had four seconds to LIVE. The pain tolerance of ballplayers, man.
But catchers especially. You see them take 90, even 95, foul tips right off their masks and just adjust the mask. YOU... Read More
form over functionality, Dept.
Posted by jemanji on 06/19/17
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4 Comments
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Somebody STAP meh before I Gamel again!
Kain't help it. Very much aside from Gamel's freakish BABIP-driven statline, there are 29 things that make this player more fun than beating the San Francisco 49er's. Tell you one thing about sports... how should we put it. One time last year my son and I ran down to the YMCA to get in some basketball. The place was deserted, except for two high school kids, maybe 10th grade. Take what you can get. :- )
Clueless, I sauntered up to the kids and axed if they wanted to go a few minutes of 2-on-2. They looked at me weird but said, yeah, I guess. ... Read More
when great actors play in bad movies ...
Posted by jemanji on 06/19/17
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My son dragged me to the lasted Pirates of the Caribbean serial. The movie was unfunny, it was grotesque in spots, Johnny Depp mailed it in. The movie was lifeless and the cameos were self-congratulatory. But! I was glad that I went. The guy who plays Capt. Barbosa is riveting. And the backdrop, the water and the whirlpools and nature at its most threatening, was enjoyable.
There are a lot of movies like this: Movie Blows Chunks, Actor Rocks Hard. The Last Stand was a cruddy movie overall. But there is something about Arnold Schwarzenegger where I just enjoy every scene he's in. I... Read More
Iwakuma coming back too
Posted by jemanji on 06/19/17
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DR'S DIAGNOSIS ON CHRISTIAN BERGMAN
Scott Servais appeared to be undecided about his rotation guillotine, come high noon on Felix Friday. Reading between the lines, the Mainframe sees Servais as genuinely hesitant. If so, that would be a clear surprise to Dr. D who regarded Bergman the automatic victim.
How did Bergman throw on Sunday? Nowhere near as well as his [In-Texas 6 IP*, 4 H, 2 ER] line would lead you to believe. That's not to knock Bergman, who competes hard, and who has shown that he can trick major league lineups to a certain extent. He can keep you in a game, within reason... Read More
Momentarily going by K-Pax as he resumes his search for his timing
Posted by jemanji on 06/17/17
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James Paxton returned and fired a 35-for-41 strikes blizzard that had many people -- notably Dr. Detecto -- thinking he'd never walk a batter again, all the rest of his born days. His last two starts, he reminded us that he's still early in his career, early in his new low-slot incarnation especially. This speed bump may have knocked a wheel out of alignment, but does nothing to diminish SSI's enthusiasm. True, it's a bit of a letdown that K-Pax will not run a 1.75 ERA the next ten years. :- / Demote him to "sensational young pitcher" and leave it at that.
Paxton sez,
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"I'm trying to... Read More
that is, should you wish to venture outside SSI for some reason
Posted by jemanji on 06/17/17
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The TNT has a good piece on the Mariners' crowded outfield, and exactly what Servais intends to do about it.
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Playing time in the outfield is a premium commodity since Mitch Haniger returned last Sunday from the disabled list and reclaimed his job in right field after missing nearly seven weeks. Club officials view Haniger as a cornerstone of their future, and his performance to date, though still a small sample size, continues to validate that view.
When Haniger suffered a strained right oblique muscle on April 25 in Detroit, the Mariners plugged in Ben Gamel, who quickly established... Read More
never, ever draft a High School pitcher ....
Posted by jemanji on 06/16/17
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7 Comments
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Stub here for a fresh battery of questions at G-Money. When he put up that great article last week, and the ballclubs started drafting, first thing you noticed was that G's "ones to watch" hitters flew off the board like Peregrine Falcons. Also, he reacted to Sam Carlson like "He'd a been fine at #17 overall" and the Mariners promptly said exactly the same thing after they drafted him. Guess my question there would be what caused the tumble to #55; the trend against High School pitching is strong, but that strong? Teams just felt skittish about the 6-months-a-year Minnesota snow, I... Read More
s been 2 starts without a 6-0 win. Less' go Big Maple
Posted by jemanji on 06/16/17
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5 Comments
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At My Northwest, we are reminded that the 29-man Rainiers Roster has its downside:
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While the moves have proved to be necessary, the conversations to send the players down are not fun.
“It’s hard,” manager Scott Servais said. “Unfortunately it’s not really their fault. It started with the bad outing and now the long guy has to wear it and often times he’s wearing it with a plane ticket back to Triple-A. It’s not a great conversation to have.
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This hadn't occurred to me. The starter gets KO'ed early, and the bullpen phone rings, and they say your name - and hearning your name means that... Read More
Posted by jemanji on 06/16/17
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6 Comments
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Mo' Dawg sez
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Last night [Andrew Moore] had his first AAA start that would be labeled as "cruddy": 6 innings, 7 hits, 4ER's, 0 BB.s and 6 K's. He gave up 3 runs in the 2nd (and 4 of the 7 hits, it looks like). 89 pitches, 63 strikes.
Even when he's bad, he's not far from pretty good.
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Here is a table of 2016 Quality Starts leaders. If an MLB star is able to go 26-for-32 in a season, he's competing for hardware as the best pitcher in the game. If he goes 22-for-30 or 22-for-32 he is David Price or Cole Hamels. Chris Archer had 19 and we are not talking about #3 starters here.
So... Read More
hey, keed, any other club would have a spot for ya
Posted by jemanji on 06/15/17
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17 Comments
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WILD CARD
We are -1.5 games back of Tampa for the last playoff spot; the Rays' elimination number is 94 for us. Granted, we're running in a big pack and chewing mud, but we're only into the second turn.
The kewl thing was this. 5 games ago, our Liddle Three handed a .500 record to our Spahn and Sain. Who promptly botched the opportunity, going 0-2. But the Liddle Three took the ball back and ... went 2-1, which hands the ball back to our ace lefties. Awrite, feebs. Pitch good this time.
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ZUUMBALL
Was leading the American League in June RBI before the game Wednesday. Promptly... Read More
Mr. ZoomByYa declares the code red ... for the M's enemies
Posted by jemanji on 06/15/17
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3 Comments
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In Dyson's first two months here, I thought "Well, that's one more part-time hero who died in the sun of overexposure." He hit an empty .229 in April and his .203 in May was not empty, but it was ummm .203. A two hundred hitting Jarrod Dyson is not what we signed up for, even if he did have a couple homers that month. Even worse, he looked like he couldn't hit much - getting behind in counts, failing to punish pitchers when he did get ahead, and so forth.
Not that it made him a bad player. Even at a 70 OPS, let's say, Jarrod Dyson can definitely help a team. ... more in a role, but... Read More
Dr. D is feeling distinctly chill about the M's rotation
Posted by jemanji on 06/13/17
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8 Comments
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HE WHO PUT HIMSELF SOLIDLY BACK INTO THE RAINIERS DERBY
Sorry, Yovani backers, Dr. D's cable went out at the best possible moment and he missed the first half of the game. Else the Mainframe would render appropriate homage to a 6 IP, 3 ER start that featured 5 whiffs, only 1 walk and (no real surprise here) 0 homers. No, this is not an urban legend. Documentation is searchable on the internet. It includes a ton of hard 2" by 12" cutting fastballs thrown with a big lead. Good on yer. It's a beginning, somethin' to build on.
Edit to add, Bob Dutton relayed a Yo-Ga nickname. Anyone who... Read More
Since we're talking about young blood - the next batch is about to hit the system
Posted by G_Money on 06/12/17
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What to look for in round 1:
- Most people have Seattle on a hitter. Some pitching under performed this year and "Seattle likes to go for right-handed hitters" which means they apparently don't realize it's Scott Hunter's first time running a draft for us. That said, here's your most-talked-about bats for us:
1) Jake Burger - a RH 3B built like Youkilis. Expect the same 3B/1B crossover - which makes him a lot like DJ Peterson. Hopefully he hits better, faster. He's built like a fireplug but he's several inches taller than Seager. He's got enough pop for a corner and can hang at 3rd for a... Read More
Not pictured: the services we will be receiving tonight
Posted by jemanji on 06/12/17
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1 Comments
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M's 0, BLUE JAYS 4
A shame that we got back to .500, had our Spahn and Sain going, and things didn't work out. Thass' OK. MLB is a hunnerd games long; you gotta let the odds work in your favor over a long run. You can't "force" a victory as in the NFL.
James Paxton is throwing 93% fastballs when behind in the count. That means on his off days, great lineups can stalk the 2-0 counts and try to put good swings on a challenge fastball. Donaldson managed an off-field HR doing that on Sunday. Of course this doesn't work when Paxton is throwing 40 of 50 pitches for strikes, LOL.
Also, it... Read More
we were bound to find our 3-4 starters sometime, right? Right?
Posted by jemanji on 06/10/17
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4 Comments
In the water-cooler chat, one cubicle to your right, Mo' Dawg wonders if we might not be better off with the 3-4 starters we gots already.
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Bergman's better right now, too. He was creamed in one start, but has been nails recently, otherwise: 25 innings, 17 hits, 3 ER's.
Gallardo is scheduled up on the 12th and Bergman the 13th, but Moore wouldn't throw until the 14th, which is Gaviglio's start. You could move Bergman and Gaviglio up a day each...or you look to the 17th in Texas to let Moore bump Gallardo (or the 22nd at home vs. Detroit).
Hey, I'm kind of to the point where I'm not... Read More
Gaviglio rox. And the Rookie Drew Smyly shoots for +1
Posted by jemanji on 06/10/17
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2 Comments
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SAM GAVIGLIO
Moe sez,
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I'm also pointing out that we've got someting pretty nice in Gaviglio. His career AAA line of 1.24 WHIP, 8.8 H/9, 2.4 BB/6.6 K/9 has translated to 1.21, 8.4, 2.5 and 5.9. He's not smoke & mirroring it, either. He stays in control, pounds the edges, and doesn't buckle. He's giving up 1.9 HR/9, but he's been a rock in 4 of his 5 starts. In those 4 starts, he's thrown 22 innings, allowing 19 hits and just 3 ER's. I've said that Gallardo was going to get lapped by Moore this season and now he's been lapped by Gaviglio, too.
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Against Toronto, it was a Tale... Read More
Speed kills, but so does precision
Posted by moethedog on 06/10/17
5 Comments
OK, I Shouted this, but maybe it's better as a Post, for all to comment on, scoff at, or ignore.
Matty beat me by miles to the whole Haniger thing, but I beat him by a bit to the Andrew Moore bandwagon. G's in, too. Doc, ditto. Heck, almost all of us.
Moore was great again for Tacoma last night. Matty said, "Give him the cal!"
I followed with the stuff below: Chew away.
With you Matt. I've been all in on Moore since last season. Heck, I didn't think there was really anything for him to learn at AAA that he didn't already know or have. I'm also pointing out that we've got someting... Read More
Dr. D, like the M's, delivers at the last moment
Posted by jemanji on 06/08/17
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13 Comments
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Q. All you need is love. And a swing to right center field.
A. Is it okay to love Zuumball again? Yes. Dr. D chooses hope. Yeah, yeah, we all know the reasons for cynicism on Zunino, on M's first rounders, on the Mariners in general, on life in Seattle as a concept. But for the next week I'm going to buy in to Zunino's chances again. Hey, what can they do to me?
MASSIVE CAUTION DON'T GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES TOO FAR Still am not going to buy into any hopes for a 120 OPS+ scenario at all. Lessee, over the last week, his best week, what's his OOZ fish rate .... RUNS SCREAMING INTO THE... Read More
Posted by jemanji on 06/07/17
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20 Comments
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Moe pointed out that Guillermo Heredia is mashing lefties and Ben Gamel is crushing righties. Maybe over the next two-three years they will perform even better if spotted for 400 AB's per season each. Of course you have Dyson and Haniger along with very possibly Boog Powell and of course Tyler O'Neill next year. Nelson Cruz and Danny Valencia are also corner players competing for time.
Don't forget that Boog Powell was running an OBP of .441 this year at Tacoma and has a career OBP of .391 in the minors. Pretty sure Beane would find a way to get him 200 AB's a year.
It reminded us of... Read More
You can't stop Danny Valencia, you can only hope to contain him
Posted by jemanji on 06/06/17
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21 Comments
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Q. K-Pax gave up runs! And how could this be?
A. Two things ... first, Dr. D agreed with Kreuger who was spot on, attributing "the ebb and flow of pitching." Paxton was coming off an emotional high in his first start back. His biorhythms looked down a tadbit.
Also, it was a case where the results were a skosh worse than the quality of the pitches deserved. Sometimes you deserve 1-2 runs and give up 3. Sometimes you deserve 1-2 runs and give up 0. That's what it sez here. ... in any case, you get a "down" game from K-Pax and he stretches his record to 5-0, 1.69.
Was pretty bummed... Read More
Seattle Mariners about to lock in a franchise SS
Posted by jemanji on 06/06/17
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43 Comments
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or so the reports have it. And the graduation caps create a black cloud overhead like Army bloomin' scored on Navy. ... there were already a few celebration comments in the other thread.
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Q. Is that a "win" financially for the ballclub or for the player?
A. Who. Even Cares. On so many levels.
Saber blogs have spent the last 10 years agonizing over the Exact Right Price for this player or that. Mostly it's an exercise in testing out our math. Payrolls are not ossified; they are what the ballclubs want them to be. If you want to post an analysis for us go ahead.
I'll focus on the fact... Read More
not sure where Zeus and Bora$ fit in though
Posted by jemanji on 06/06/17
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23 Comments
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Mo' Dawg brought up a point we hadn't kicked around:
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Absolutely [the M's roster has lots of cheap young ML-established talent]. There are four big contracts: Felix, Cano, Cruz, Seager. Cruz's goes away in two years. Heck, you could trade him away in about 10 minutes if you wanted to.
After that, a good-to-better OF that is dirt cheap. Segura is still really cheap, for what you get. Soon enough he just get's Cruz's money. He can pocket Valencia's paycheck next season, or buy hiim for $8M (If he keep hitting like this, hell get a bigger multi-year payday somewhere).
Paxton is going... Read More
Gamel and Heredia 1-2 for awhile
Posted by jemanji on 06/05/17
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34 Comments
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Wow! Easily the best column I ever saw from Shannon Drayer. That's not meant as a back-handed compliment. In fact am going to keep this post short in order to focus the Denizens over to MYNW, over to Shannon's 6-for-6 night. The first paragraph and the last are just solid/routine, but the six paragraphs in the middle ... any one of them could have headlined some other MyNorthwest baseball page. Way to hit the ground runnin' there amiga.
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Paragraph 1, we wuz gonna say. The last week hasn't been a hot streak only. It's an indication of how well this team is CAPABLE of playing. ... Read More
Calculation Of Baseball Objectives in the Laboratory, dept.
Posted by jemanji on 06/05/17
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11 Comments
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A quick look behind the Mainframe's compute grok on this kind of fetch. As y'know, we live to serve.
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00100 PITCHING TEMPLATE IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
00200 PROGRAM-ID. TRIANGULATE MARINER STARTING PITCHER PRESENT EFFECTIVENESS - FUTURE CEILING.
00300 INPUT key characteristics Miranda 6.4.17.
00310 WORKING-STORAGE VALUE 1 'Loose plus left hand fastball.' 'Eccentric ARMside breaking pitch.' 'K rate > 8.' 'HR rate > 1.1.' 'High pitch location.'
00400 CALL AMERICAN LEAGUE PITCHERS MATCH WORKING-STORAGE VALUE 1.
00500 This is a comment line. Retrieved = Drew Smyly.
00525 ... Read More
Nice to finally see a Scrub SB that the Mainframe *likes*
Posted by jemanji on 06/05/17
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11 Comments
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Q. Is Dr. D a fan of sinker-slider pitchers?
A. Quite the reverse.
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Q. Then why eyes slideways on Sam Gaviglio?
A. Because within this template he's got some special things going.
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Q. What's the similariity to Lincecum.
A. Just a fanciful one. Gaviglio is a short(er) type of righty who tucks the ball way into his aiki CG ... rocks his R shoulder back to CF ... crests the roller coaster over the top ... and throws downhill with nice late downbite. Here is a video. Remind you of Timmy a bit, physically? :- ) It's fun to watch. He's functional as well as decorative, since this... Read More
Posted by jemanji on 06/03/17
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Jeff G. (RockiesJeff) sends along the following update on his son Jeremy, who he coached in high school and who is now in the Royals' system:
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Forgot to give you an update on Jeremy. He is still at Extended Spring Training in AZ. His last three roommates moved up to A ball but nothing for him yet.
He has been moved to a starter which he likes much more. Mentally there is a big difference for the kids being used to something. Their comfort zone.
Anyway, the last four outings Jeremy has done well with about a 0.500 WHIP. Last week he texted me telling me they told him he couldn't throw his... Read More
M's enjoying the patronage of their 'customers'
Posted by jemanji on 06/03/17
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It is a bittersweet fact of Life, Love and Hope that --- > you don't always get what you deserve. Sometimes you train perfectly all your life to go into outer space and then somebody forgets to check the O-ring on your space shuttle. Other times you're a big-mouthed blogger with nothing much to say who winds up on the letterhead of the best sports site in the Northwest. The race isn't always to the swift, although that's the way to bet.
Christian Bergman pitched kinda bad yesterday, the first three innings, and got a shutout for it. He perked up and threw kinda good the next three... Read More
Mariners with 5th win in 6 games
Posted by jemanji on 06/03/17
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If you missed the first inning, it was like a 1966 Paul Hornung power sweep behind Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston. In other words, the X's and O's on the chalkboard came to life on the green grass. In real sports that almost never happens; it's worth celebrating when it does.
Jake Odorizzi is a very fine pitcher, ranked #31 in both leagues combined by BJOL and therefore about #15 or so in the American League. He came into the game on a roll. He threw the ball very well in the first inning. For all that, the Seattle Mariners defended the strike zone like famine wolves on the Alaskan... Read More
Odorizzi vs Bergman
Posted by jemanji on 06/02/17
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THREE (LIFETIME MEMORIES) ON A MATCH, DEPT.
The Indians' magic number for eliminating the Mariners is, well, 105. No way Dr. D goes into fire sale mode until the enemy has the five inch death punch down to within about 90 games. Y'feel me? Tonight it's a hot Jake Odorizzi against the pick of the Mariner Scrub litter, Christian Bergman. (Their pick of the litter, not mine.) PREVIEW
Scott Servais had a summary which is of course inferior to one you'd find at SSI, but still and all, it's from Bergman's acting manager so it's worth throwing in alongside the road:
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"The key for Bergman is... Read More
Here it is, Hit it: M's 5, Rockies 0
Posted by jemanji on 06/01/17
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"James Paxton is a top of the rotation stud." - Scott Servais
"What, you mean before he wins twenty?" - Wiseacre Dr. D
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Baseball is an interesting game. By "interesting" we mean that it arouses our curiosity, that it catches and holds our attention, that it gives the cement mixers of our minds enjoyable themes to churn. For me the most ponder-able theme last night was --- > how do you throw 36 strikes vs. 5 balls in three innings, and waltz off scot-free? I Am Amused By the Simplicity of This Game.
Paxton wound up against Rox leadoff Charlie Blackmon (.326/.363/.621, and 46 RBI... Read More
Posted by jemanji on 06/01/17
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Wednesday M's 5, ROCKIES 0
James Paxton mortifies an elite NL lineup. Also, Steve Cishek throws quite well. With a closer-quality performance in the 6th and 7th, for just a moment Dr. D got a flash of an NL All-Star pitching staff. For a moment, you understand.
Kyle Seager, Danny Valencia and Mike Zunino continued to light the enemy up, with two hits each. The M's went up 3-0 early and celebrated their victory for two hours.
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Tuesday M's 10, ROCKIES 4
The Rockies' talented young lefty Tyler Anderson had come in hot, and the M's had come in struggling vs lefties. Servais seemed to find... Read More