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The M's hit 157,000 crucial line drives on Monday. This coming from an all-lefty lineup, battling a 96 MPH lefty who could wrap his slider around a tree?
A few of Dr. D's fave "Hard RBI" Monday:
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1. Brad Miller picks a bad hop. Forget what inning. He had to charge a slow hopper which, just as he got there, nipped the edge of the grass and took a high hop.
Miller yanked his glove up, glommed the ball in the palm of his glove, and flourished the mitt on up to shoulder high. Then he tossed a contemptously slow ball over to Smoak at 1B.
Has Miller made an error yet?! He had a rep for getting careless on the easy ones, but maybe the adrenaline of MLB(TM) baseball has cured him of laziness.
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2. Raul Ibanez hits the game-winning homer -- on an 0-2 pitch! Blowers said that 12 of Rauuuul's 22 homers have tied the game or put the M's ahead.
I think he also said that Rauuulll has a 13-game hit streak. This season has well-and-truly ossified into "Ridiculous" territory.
Raul's OPS+ is 143 -- the highest of his career. His 9th-most similar batter, career wise, is given as Edgar Martinez at b-ref.com.
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3. Justin Smoak rips a double down the 3B line, giving the M's a 1-0 lead.
We've talked about Smoak's grimace. Tonight he did not have it. Is it simply that I never noticed that he loses the grimace, hitting righty?
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4. Justin Smoak lasers a 370-foot three iron, deep to left-center field, for another double. Hitting lefty.
On this shot, Smoak not only had zero grimace, but right at the moment he made contact, he sunk his weight deeply and "kept it underside," in aiki relaxation mode.
As we recall, it was a hot fastball low-away; Smoak simply sank down and rejected it. As pretty a swing, and result, as you'll ever see. Joe Mauer, baby.
In the 15 games since he returned, he's been hot. But in this particular game, he looked like a franchise player. It was sweet, like ice cream.
"Now here I go again I see the crystal vision" - Stevie Nicks
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5., 6., 7., etc.
- 2 in, 2 on, 2 out, in the 5th inning, Felix buries Mike Napoli on three pitches. All changeups.
- Two on, 1 out, 4th inning, Mike Zunino fouls off several pitches to force a walk ....
- ... And, in the 9 hole, Brendan Ryan does not come to the plate. ::YEAHHHH:::
- ... and Michael Saunders in the 9 hole, LH-on-LH, makes Lester jittery and Saunders also walks. For an RBI.
- In the 6th, Mike Zunino gets a vicious 2-2 cutter from Jon Lester, boring in on his hands. Zunino, with his KBIZLT swing, pulls the hands in and, head very quiet, rifles a clean shot into LF. Two men on with nobody out.
- In the 6th, Raul Ibanez turns around a 94 MPH fastball for a line single up the middle.
- 7th inning, we get Wallbanger doubles from Smoak, Saunders, and Franklin sandwiched around a gritty single by Brad Miller.
- etc.
There are a lotta mo' ... I'll bet you there were 10 to 12 clean line drives and long, low-trajectory fly balls. The Red Sox woooonted this 'un, and the M's destroyed them. Fair and square.
Been awhile, dudes.