PROPS TO BASEBALL's FIRST 6-SECOND DOUBLE - Smoak's GWRBI soared majestically out and kicked off the middle of the warning track in CF at Detroit.  There are 420' handbills posted nearby.   

Austin Jackson looked like Randy Moss on a deep route trying to chase the blast down, but he was a good 10 yards from its landing place when it finally came down.

As Blowers immediately noted, the crosswind was 20-25 mph, and reduced the ball's distance.  In a dome, that ball would have been 440 to center.  

Don't ever remember any specific "double" with that much hang time, though I'm sure that Cecil and Prince Fielder trash-talk about hang-time singles and doubles all the time.

Once again, the blow was huge, coming in a 2-2 game, taking the lead back after an 0-2 game, and leaving the Tigers visibly unnerved.

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SLOPS TO the "REPLACEMENT LEVEL PLAYER" CONSTRUCT - Wedge sat Cust down again, this time against a mediocre RHP.  Wedge  was rewarded by 12 hits from 8 different hitters, notably the DH, Adam Kennedy.

The M's got down 2-0 early .... and then ripped off 7 consecutive runs.  The scoreboard progressed like this:

• 0-2
• 2-2
• 3-2
• 4-2
• 7-2

I felt like I was watching the Big Red Machine with Don Gullett on the mound :- )

RELEASE JACK CUST RIGHT NOW.

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If the message is, "we're going to try to get up off the canvas," There are several Mariners I'd rather watch hit than Jack Cust, notably Adam Kennedy, Luis Rodriguez, but also including Michael Saunders, and including Mike Wilson.

That is, unless Replacement Level Players actually occur.  In this universe and not just on Deep Space Fangraphs.

We are talking about trying to find a "replacement level" DESIGNATED HITTER, ARE WE NOT?  If there is ONE rlp in baseball, we could improve our club, free.  Right?

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One of these days would you like Dr. D to give yer the truth about RLP's?  I've got it here in my desk drawer.  Beware, though:  truth is usually nuanced.

The RLP concept is useful as a pivot point for baseball math -- actually, indispensible.  Has been since James in the 1980's.  

It is decidedly not useful when used as an assumption of which dynamic options a GM has at his fingertips, from one moment to the next.

Want to know how often a GM actually gets RL performance when he deploys an RL player?

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PROPS TO DR. K'S 1st-INNING K CHART - Again Thursday, 3 K in the first inning, 2 in the second, 1 in the third, and then three the rest of the way.

Pineda has not given up a home run in his first 125+ batters and again today, there was nothing close to the warning track .... nope, edit to add, I forgot about a fly ball to left-center that was caught close to the warning track.

I'm not sure where this will end.  They go up, the first time through the lineup, take legit swings ... and get combusted.  Nothing left but one uncharred ankle with shoe still on it.

So then they protect the plate and all hope of HR's are gone.  What's the endgame on this?

Pineda with 4 victories in April.  The countdown to 20 W's is on...

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SLOPS TO THE DOGHOUSE - Mike Wilson is slugging .600, .700 in AAA, in limited AB's.  

As Bill James would ask:  if you are not going to allow this guy a chance when the time is right, that's fine.  But!, then why is he here?

I don't mean, "You should give him a chance."  I mean, "you should cut him and get him out of the organization."

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Mike Wilson is like 28 years old or something; letting him "groove in" for 2011 is irrelevant at his age/arc.  He's a journeyman who has been stalled-out and rotting at his level of development for years.  

He was the #26 Mariner in two spring trainings, including one three years ago.  The Mariners have a calamity at DH.  The glove position that is open is LF.

Would like to know (1) what Wilson's personality disorder is, or else (2) why this man is not released.

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The Ryan Howard wannabe they brought up, that guy needs another game or 200 in the minors.  But Mike Wilson, that guy would be an interesting try.  What's the holdup?

BABVA,

Dr D