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The question on Andrew Albers is not whether he could feasibly make a #2-3 starter in the big leagues.  (That's a question for Marco Gonzales, who pitches Wednesday.)  The question for Albers is whether the Mariners can go 2-2 in his four starts here.  Since they've now gone 1-0, logically they'd have to go 0-3 to avoid that.  :: wry smile ::

Here is some video of the dude.

Pitch 1 - 69 MPH change curve outside corner.  (But here is an awesome earlier look at his weird overhand high-60's change curve.)

Pitch 2 - 77 MPH slider, garbage swing LH-on-LH.  Cool that the lefty couldn't see it, even though it "hung" stomach high in the center.

Pitch 3 - 88 MPH center cut fastball, whiff.

Pitch 4 - 88 MPH fastball thigh high center cut, batter's timing messed up.

Pitch 5 - High out-and-over fastball thrown out 7-3 by the left fielder. ...

Please check out this YouTube of Albers' debut in 2013.  He throws scads of centered lowballs and the Royals hit them all at fielders.  IIRC, Albers had allowed 0 runs through his first 2 starts when coming up in 2013.  

Also, Albers has a 1+ walk rate for his 5-year career, over 80-90 innings, with 4 strikeouts a game.  The idea is here, gentlemen, that --- > you won't win 300 games in the bigs by hurling 87-MPH fastballs down the middle.  Nor will you win 30.  But Albers is a funky pitcher, with a funky overhand lefty motion, and he seems to benefit from novelty factor.

I'd be interested to know if Jerry Dipoto had precisely this idea in mind:  that by the time the league adjusts, Albers will have served his purpose and be gone.  Something similar occurred with Sam Gaviglio.

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The M's are 60-61 and are a game to a game-and-a-half behind the Royals, Twins, and Angels, none of whom are good.  So, having the sewage of the 5-game losing streak hosed off us mostly by Dipoto's scrub, let's get back to --- > M's bats and bullpen against their rotation.  Gotta stay around .500 till the #1-2 starters get back.

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Jarrod Dyson had a big double play assist that was tracked at 93.8 MPH by StatCast.  Imagine if a pitcher of his leanness and bodyweight threw a 94 MPH fastball.  LOL.

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Nelson Cruz has 96 RBI already.  You know I didn't associate him with being a 5-time All-Star?  He's got 25 of his 29 WAR since his age-30 season.  So far.  For Raul Ibanez it was 20 of 20 WAR after his age-30 season; for Jamie Moyer it was 44 of 48 WAR.  The city of Seattle has seen its share of super late bloomers.

....

Kyle Seager hit .250/.320/.405 the first half, 85 games, that based on a .271 BABIP.

Kyle Seager hit .270/.340/.570 the second half, 30 games, that based on a .271 BABIP.  He hit 10 homers the first half, and 8 homers the second half.

....

Albers went 77 pitches before Scott Servais pulled him for the bullpen, which blew down the last 20 hitters in order counting Albers' contribution.  Emilio Pagan fanned 4 of 6 batters and David Phelps is supposed to be activated in the next day or two.  Servais said that Marc-O gets "a little more of a leash" than his 4.1 IP last time.

Am I the only one?  I enjoy this 4-5 IP shtick tho'aly.

BABVA,

Dr D