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Prologue
In 1996, Greg Maddux lost the sixth and final game of the World Series. Jeter, and Boggs, and Bernie Williams had taken his best pitches the other way, had stacked up a double handful of singles, and they beat him 3-2.
He said something very odd. "It's hard to get people out," said Mad Dog, "If all they want is a single."
As the M's go into Texas after a horrible, painful weekend that could make you swear off baseball ... Robinson Cano is faced with a return-of-service. Derek Jeter does have 5 World Series rings, you realize. He did get them as a result of carrying the flag, up front, during Yankee parades to the plate against great pitching.
People outside Seattle don't "get" Russell Wilson, right? You'd have to watch him play. You'd have to watch Wilson, and you'd have to watch him weekly, and you'd have to watch him respond to crises. Time after time. Then you'd "get" him.
And people outside New York don't get Derek Jeter.
IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES
The devil's in the details. Let us absorb the unbearable pathos of an entire French Shutout Revolution through our consideration of the tragedy of a single Charles Darnay ...
On Saturday, the M's were 6-and-3 coming off of the c'est prepondere heroism of Felix. But in the top of the 1st, Erasmo caked out and hung a slider to put the M's down by two runs.
The feisty M's came back in the bottom of the second against Sonny Gray, who is the heir apparent to the aristocracy before him (Tim Hudson and Danny Haren).
........
Abraham Almonte lined a leadoff single
... THE OTHER WAY ...
and then Brad Miller, taking a cut-down swing (yes, he did), hit a line drive about 85 MPH
... UP THE MIDDLE ...
And, boom. The Mariners had two baserunners against a great pitcher.
Following which Sonny Gray, pitching rather nervously, nibbled-and-picked against Justin Smoak to go down in the count, 2-and-0. I can't think of a good line on which to finish Chapter One. Would that have been the most effective last sentence, Gordon, to just finish with 2-and-0?
Or ... "The Seattle Mariners looked up at the Bastille, considered the guards at the door, and reflected. Then, as one, they moved forward."
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CHAPTER TWO
On 2-and-0, Smoak loaded up for a 425-foot shot off the Hard Rock Cafe. He didn't get quite the tater pitch he wanted, so Mighty Casey tensed his muscles, let the strike go by. "T'aint my style," said Case.
(Is this now a mixed metaphor, or a garbled literary satire, or just a complete waste of a post, or what is this?)
"Not your STYLE?!," moaned Dr. D. "How many swings have you TAKEN with that net in the way?!"
On the second pitch, 2-1, here came a fastball and it split the plate, exactly thigh-high. The Mighty Case tensed his brawny arms again, and let the pitch go. "STEEE-RIKE TWO!" quoth the French Government. :: mixed metaphors can make for a fine Monty Python skit :: "Kill him! Kill the ump!" quoth the starving crowd. "Let them eat cake!" saith Howard, up in the suites.
Emboldened by Justin Smoak's refusal to step into the fight, Gray bounced back from his two lousy pitches and threw a good one. It was strike three.
On precisely those two Sonny Gray pitches -- the ones on 2-0 and 2-1 -- the Bastille of the entire Mariner weekend breached, and was overthrown. The baseball was miserable from those two pitches forward.
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Overkill
Examples could be multiplied. We're just illustrating here; there were at least 50 different pitches this weekend that completely removed Dr. D's will to compete. Not because of the quality of the pitches, but because of the Mariners' confusion and passivity.
Down by 3-1 in the ninth inning Saturday, the Mariners got two runners on base because Willie Bloomquist and Dustin Ackley gave the Mariners
... TWO SINGLES UP THE MIDDLE, INTO CENTER FIELD ...
And then, with the tying runs on base, Michael Saunders stepped up. If it were you, what would you be hoping for, on the first pitch?
>Corey Hart (although his game is inherently "greedy" by virtue of his body type, not his personality)
Dustin Ackley (70% of the time)
Willie Bloomquist
John Buck (although he and Bloomquist do not have the talent to back up their wisdom)
With Mike Zunino being kind of a special case. He's not greedy, but by normal rights, he should be in AA.
(Jeff Van Gundy had a hilarious comment after the 7'8", 350-pound Roy Hibbert got snuffed under the rim by two tiny Thunder players, followed by boo'ing from the crowd. "You don't boo that," Van Gundy said, absolutely straight-faced. "You boo for lack of effort. That's just lack of ability.")
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The Good News
Against Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson, the Mariners were not yet greedy. They went in hungry and ready for a full-throated battle. They fought admirably. The point is, they're capable.
And this whole question is moot in Texas, against everybody but Darvish. Go ahead and chase the two-walks-and-420-foot homer, and then thud heavily around the bases in triumph, glad to be born a baseball player. Against Colby Lewis, the approach is appropriate.
But get your head on straight against Yu Darvish, or the next morning, again we'll be hearing the protests about how early it is.
.......
In the meantime, Robinson Cano said this morning that he has nothing to say this morning. That ain't good enough, bro'.
BABVA,
Dr D