1. Ackley's hot spot has always been the RF gap. He was never really an Ichiro-type "up the middle/ other way guy." I think what's changed is that he's more patient and less out in front of the ball which equals fewer 4-3's. He's squaring it up. That and he's become more situational (as a vet should). Oh...plus his homers now have that Seager-esque launch angle. He used to hit ropes over the fence. Now he hits V-2's that are screaming over the Channel looking for London. Ah 'fer shure he will slump badly for a bit; it seems to be part of his DNA. But he's got that 55+ xB-hit look going doesn't he.
2. Morrison better be helping with the glove. He sure isn't with the bat.
3. Weeks looked something exactly like a power-hitting veteran RH hitter who knew who was behind him and was looking to go yard on any FB in the zone that was chucked up there by the lefty he is supposed to feast on. Which come to think about it is exactly what we're paying him to do. Terry Crowley indeed. It was really a great Z moment Skipper moment Weeks moment and M's moment. The game from FO to the field as it is meant to be! Earl/White Rat style. As the Hanson brothers would say "Eddie Shore? Old time hockey?"
4. I don't know about you guys but I'm becoming quite enamored with our two "F-Bombs:" Furbush and Farquhar. Along with the Alias Twins I'm betting the pen is a strength again this year. Rodney meltdowns not withstanding.
5. Dodgers? Who 'dat?
6. Go team.
Moe
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The Golden Mainframes for this weekend:
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Hanson Brothers Award
And you thought the Angels series was the stuff of behind-the-portables rumble legend. Next series along, we get back-to-back 10th-inning wins ... on the road. That makes twice already in the last 30 years. In 1984, Alvin Davis and Mark Langston were rookies and Gay-lerd Perry had only just retired. (That's how he spelled his name for phonetic purposes, LrKrBoi29.)
Dr. D is way, wayyyy too jaded to put up with sports that fall anywhere short of vicarious disembowelment. The more vicious, lengthy and protracted the athletes' suffering, the better D likes it. We are .03% of the way into this AL West turf war and the carnage is so disgusting that we would need a Nitrous rebreather to enhance our pleasure any further.
Click elsewhere for your small "sample" size pregame prayers. At SSI, we know what we've seen. Baseball without anaesthesia.
It's a little early yet for a ballclub to find its "personality," but that's what 200 homers and 15 blown saves will do for yer.
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"Malice at the Palace" Sucker-Punch Award
You know how contrarian Dr. D gets. Personally, he rather enjoyed it when Ron Artest waded swinging into a hostile Detroit crowd. But we were nowhere near as surprised to see that, as we were when J.A. Happ noodled around picking at his umbilical all March and then --- > waved "hey howzit" to us 'net rats and kicked Sonny Gray in the unmentionables.
Happ threw a celery-crisp, short-arm fastball to any area of the zone he wanted. He dropped a power hook Right. At. the knees, twenty (20) different times. He even showed a changeup that disrupted his command not a whit.
Strikes: 54. Balls: 28. Roenis Elias-style white knuckle moments: not a single one. Somebody buy that kid a lemynade.
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Weaver on Baseball Award
Top 7 on Sunday. M's up 4-3 on Oakland. Two men on base.
Rickee Weeks stepped up to pinch-hit for Seth Smith, knowing that (a) Robinson Cano was on deck, (b) Nelson Cruz was in the hole, (c) he was going to get a fastball and (d) center field in Oakland was a loooooong ways down the block.
He swung hard. Hit Tracker will show 420 feet plus. The standings will show the Mariners in first place. And they wonder why Dr. D favors bats on the bench. Can we get an Amen from the congregation? How many Desi Relafords does it take to equal that one swing?
It's an interesting philosophical debate: do you want to control matchups from the top half of the inning or the bottom half? A very touchy dilemma except YOU ALWAYS WANT TERRY CROWLEY UP FOR THE KEY AT BAT.
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Prescience Self-Award
As the emperor has forseen, this bullpen is capable of botching at least -10 more games than it did last year. Fortunately, we got one back.
And fortunately, Alias Smith and Olsen might cut that -10 to -5. Fresh blood, babe.
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Floyd Mayweather "How's the View From Down There" Gloating Award
You've noticed, of course, that the Seattle Mariners are in first place. And that the Dodgers just shot their Kershaw and Greinke bolts over the weekend. SSI is setting the over-under at 2.5 wins. Bet the over.
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Jordan Spieth 1-Iron Award
Tony Blengino (grudgingly) pointed out last year that Dustin Ackley's pulled fly balls have a dirty mcnasty shape to them.
We been counting. Three pulled fly balls so far this year. Two homers. Sunday's, sadly, was only off the Phillies-Nationals score panels in right field. Double. For those into newfangled Society for American (?!) Baseball Research numbers, that's a SLG of 3.333 on pulled flies. (For those into Japanese Baseball Research, WBC-san will be just fine. You heard it here first.)
Sometimes Dr. D cannot tell whether there is anybody on the other side of an argument. Is this Ackley 1-iron thing something we need to stay on?
Agggghhhhh .... who can resist typing the slash line. .357/.400/.857. Should finish the year out at 1.5 WAR, easy.
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Phil Rizzuto "Hey, We Get the Inner Game Too" Award
Logan Morrison made a Jeteresque throw to home, harpooning Billy Butler as he flopped in and saving the Mariner victory. On another play, he gesticulated wildly for Mike Zunino to throw a double play ball to Felix Hernandez. On at least ten other plays Sunday, Morrison performed miracles in the field. It could have even been twenty.
On behalf of the entire heads-up Mariner defense this week, LoMo gets our Golden MainPhil.
Enjoy,
Dr D
Comments
Yeah it'll be interesting to see what happens when he stops seeing pitches middle in. Those are the ones that he can turn on. Will he take what they give him and go the other way with the pitch away or will he continue to try and pull them? That's typically when he gets out if sorts - trying to pull everything regardless of where the pitch is thrown.
His fastball velocity is down around 91 and his cutter is 89 and flat. He needs to stay far away from high leverage situations
Pitch F/X data does not support your scouting. FB is only a tick down from last year's average speed. Keep in mind it's early. The movement on his cutter is in line with previous seasons. Methinks you're looking for some sort of confirmation bias.
Would you please match your tone to that of the community here?
........
As a separate issue I don't know whether F/X demonstrates a poor week for Farquhar or not. Whether it did or didn't it's not the end of the discussion. Nobody anointed F/X (and our interpretations of it) the final word.
Farquhar has looked poor to me and that's not the end of the discussion either.
.........
Let's chat in a friendly way. Your camera angle is welcome junior. Would welcome a detailed discussion of the F/X data for Farquhar's first week.
I will admit I haven't looked at F/X data at all. Nada.
But (based on my eye only) I like the way Farquhar looks. He just looks confident and poinsed as if he knows he can get guys out.
That's all.
I like the way our pen is looking.
Moe
Actually was attempting to simply meet the no-nonsense tone with which Matt usually communicates. Certainlhy he has earned the benefit of the doubt that I have not. I'll reform. BTW I wasn't saying "end of discussion" just responding "matter-of-factly."