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This was the 50th time that a Mariners team won a game by 1-0.  Seeing as you get 1.2 such victories per calendar year, it's a good time to savor the fact that you are a baseball fan (and over 7.  The 6-year-old my wife took to the game hated every second of it).

And it was a real 1-0 win, complete with Vintage WBC-San, Edwin Diaz and all the trimmings.  This was Iwakuma's third Vintage(TM) start in four attempts.  If Iwakuma is back to Top-of-the-Rotation (TOR) performance, as he has been for almost a month, that would give us a leg up on the string of lockdown starts that we're looking for.  Sunday we all fall under a hush as Mike Montgomery goes to the mound; Wednesday we get back an Angry Felix; once every five days we get James Paxton ... 

'course the M's are about as likely to swing back around 5-0 for Kuma's next start as ... oh, you getting caught in a Vaporeon trample.  But if they did, he'd know what to do with it.  He's nestling into that rock step like an eaglet into a craggy rock, he's leaning into that flamingo, he's dottin' his i's and crossin' his t's.  You want starter's rhythm, let's get a .gif of this beside the dictionary entry.

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Last start, Dr. D accused Iwakuma of having the slider of his life.  A totally premature statement.  SATURDAY he threw 20-of-22 sliders for strikes (!!) which, for one day, took us firmly into Greg Maddux territory.

'Kuma threw 12-of-13 slow curves for strikes.  He brought his shu'uto up a tadbit into the strike zone (9-of-12).  He nibbled only with the fastball.  The result, nine (9) consecutive overeager Houston Astros processed into Blue C Sausage.  "It's one thing to have a game plan, another to execute it," Mike Blowers replied to Mo Dawg's Paxton post.

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EDWIN DIAZ 

Seven innings gone, 1-0 lead to protect, Diaz in, that must be a setup man!  And not a moment too soon.

You and I, as fans, went rapturous over the first two strikeouts.  The dugouts were probably more rapturous at George Springer then loading up on a 100-MPH fastball and --- > very nearly catching it in the teeth.  He swatted it away from his face in the nick of time, but the three-bouncer to Robinson Cano told Joaquin Benoit it's all over.

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STEVE CISHEK

22 saves.  siiiiighhhhhhhhh.

The M's have talked about "internal options."  See the previous section.  Diaz can close any time, such as next game.  Whether he DOES isn't the biggest deal in the world; a lot of the time the 8th is the tougher inning.

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EARL WEAVER

"There's only one winning streak I believe in, and that's the one-game winning streak.  Put eight of those together and you really have something."

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Enjoy,

Dr D

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image:  madmagazine.com