1
And I think, despite running into Oakland's buzz-saw pitching staff and not playing well...that this offense is significantly better than advertized...we'll see.
M's 4
Weaver's third law: if you play for one run, that's all you'll get. Don't play for one run unless you absolutely know that run is the ballgame.
There are times when one run is worth ten earlier runs.
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=== Don Wakamatsu ===
An amazing, and inspired, decision in the 9th inning to hit Junior for Figgins. Junior stepped up and I was puzzled.
I asked my son, "I wonder why he doesn't pinch-hit Junior for one of the two righties up after Figgins? If he wants to get Junior in there at all?"
John rolled his eyes, annoyed with my naivete. "Come on, dad. A fly ball ties the game. Figgins isn't going to give you a sac fly here."
HEH!
We listed another Wakamatsu variable or ten in this post. But whether you agree or disagree, don't sell short the solid-steel cajones that Don Wakamatsu used to quite possibly turn this April around.
:standing O:
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=== Franklin Gutierrez ===
Cannot beLEEVE the way this chap looks in the batter's box. :blinks: Controls the strike zone, keeps his head back, stalks his pitch, does something with it.
If this dude does groove into a 120 OPS+ he really is going to be the big star that he's gotten so much credit for in the past.
He came in and grabbed that sinking liner the other day and I asked John, "how many CF's catch that in the AL?" "Oh, maybe five." New catchphrase: a five-center-fielder catch.
The one in the 9th, at the wall in right-center, that's a 3-CF catch. Seemed like he flew laterally in the air about 15 feet before snagging it gracefully just before the wall-vector collided with his own.
For one week, this guy has looked like a REAL star.
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=== Ichiro ===
You can tell when he's un-grooved by how many times he adjusts his batting helmet. When he's in a zone, dialed in, he leaves it alone.
He's been messing with the helmet a lot. And bobbling balls in the OF. I wonder what's up.
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=== Milton Bradley ===
The phrase in Ball Four, not wishing to be overly vulgar, "You couldn't pull a needle out of him with a tractor."
He'll relax into his game soon enough. Just brutal right now, though.
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=== 3 Runs a Game ===
The M's hitters are better than this. End of story.
Team BABIP was .236 going into the ballgame Saturday, OPS+ 65 ... it's a slump, not a death sentence. Let the M's get their real games on and then judge them.
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=== Frank Francisco ===
Have never seen a pitcher look more miserable than Francisco did Saturday ... after the first hitter got on.
If they have to put Feliz in the 9th, great -- that takes him out of the high-leverage situation. Let Felix pitch when the score's 5-2 and the game's over.
If Francisco can't bounce back from his shell shock, to give the Rangers great 8th innings again, the Rangers' bullpen could face some tumbleweeds ahead.
=== Never Say Die ===
What was it, Thursday that the M's came from 6-1 down (?) to bring the tying run to the plate, whereupon Casey Kotchman pinch-hit (and slap a perfect fungo to take the SS to the bag for a GIDP)...
Tonight again, 3-1 down and the M's went up there and put pro AB's on the Rangers.
It's not a question of lazy AB's. It's the opposite. The M's, under crushing early-season pressure, are way too tight.
But I'd rather have that than a Hargrove entitlement season. These M's will get into the rhythm of the season shortly.
Probably Monday,
Dr D
Comments
2
You have to hit Harrison. Its early and the guys aren't nearly this bad, but I've got offensive concerns about DH (Griffey and Sweeney), SS, and 1B.
3
I'm not saying this team does not have any flaws...but I do think we are contenders And I. think you are way overestimating the Rangers...their bullpen is hideous.
4
It's not just the pitching, though we've seen some real good pitching. A lot of it is poor hitting on the other end.
What. happened. to Sweeney. The guy is swinging through 89 fastballs at the letters.
DH, SS, 1B concerns, no doubt.
5
I think Wak has committed some mistakes in how he's managed the team coming out of ST that have contributed to a lot of the M's woes so far.
An 11 man pitching staff was a mistake, because of how Wak likes to use his pen and his bench. Drayer says the team wants to go back to an 11 man pitching staff; IBIWISI. From his comments and roster moves, it seems clear to me that he is uncomfortable being short in the pen and long in the bench.
I think Wak waited too long to get Sweeney in to a game. I understand his thinking; Sweeney's a vet and doesn't need the PT to stay sharp. I just don't think it's wise to have your hottest hitter ride the pine for the first three games of the year.
I also think he didn't do a good job of mentally preparing the team for the season. There was no crescendo in focus, no smooth transition to the real games. ST ended kind of sloppy, then they had some wierd games in Albuquerque where the weather played havoc and a number of AA guys got a fair amount of playing time.
All that being said, he of course has the ability to overcome all that. And I think he'll learn a lot from the start of this year about things to do to try to ensure a better start.