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Wasn't it Pete Gray who invented that phrase?
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14-AND-17 with +8 RUN DIFFERENTIAL
Don't know why I hadn't thought of it this way, but the Mariners are missing their #1, #2, and #3 starters. And their Mike Trout. (Everybody else has played close to 30 games, to Haniger's 20, but Haniger is still #7 in the American League in WAR.) Yet the Mariners are close to .500 and have a +151 -143 run differential.
So, we've been about an 85-win team about to add four big names at the trade deadline. LOL. Well, maybe not. But we were missing Segura too, with Felix and Smyly, so the run differential ain't really all that bad. Maybe you even count Steve Cishek's injury, considering the games we blew in the late innings.
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HEREDIA IN CENTER FIELD! READ ALL ABOUDDIT!
Scott Servais finally noticed the following:
- Heredia 133, Gamel 156, Motter 130 OPS+
- Dyson 60
So the first three jardineros were minding the garden on Saturday. Every cotton-pickin' one of our OF's had two hits per man out there, and remember, those ain't our big boys. We blasted the Rangers' #3 starter for eight runs.
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Ben Gamel reassured Dr. D about his scatterchart. First, he one-arm inside out-ed (??) a hitter's count fastball back up the middle. He might as well have been Dan Vogelbach on that at-bat, gentlemen. Later, he deliberately socked a line drive over the shortstop's head Ichiro-style. Hey, I ain't saying the Truth lives or dies with a couple of hits. Just saying it was sweet to see, y'know?
He had only one hit the night before, BUT he lost a home run on the deep right-center warning track that woulda been out of half the parks in baseball. Also he had another 95 MPH+ fly ball caught, this to right field, if I remember.
If your age-23 AAA stats are supposed to represent your possible age-27 American League stats, Gamel's were .300/.358/.472. He hit 14 triples that year -- ten homers and scads of extra base hits. I presume some of the XBH were swatted and some of them legged out....
"One arm inside outted"? You get a new phrase ever day at SSI, babe.
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Taylor Motter had his usual two doubles. He's the same player he was when he was "slugging .600." He's a guy who lays off pitches he can't hit, and takes a big rip at pitches he can. His O-Swing % is still in the teens (!!) and you still love his chances to stick the landing on 2+ WAR in 350-400 at-bats. Best comp yet remains --- > Jeff Sullivan's "Brian Dozier Lite" suggestion.
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Neither Gamel nor Motter figure to ever make any All-Star teams. But as background scenery for Sudden Jean Segura and Nelson "How Good Is He Going To GET" Cruz, they'll do. Have you ever seen a sports team where all the players are super fun to watch, and the team itself is agony personified? The Slick Watts / Dick Snyder Sonics were kinda like that, around 1975. Anybody remember those guys?
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Admittedly, Jarrod Dyson is pretty easy on the eyes. You get games like this one! But I'll take 5.6 runs per 27 outs in center field over 3.3 counting legs. And Guillermo Heredia can field a little bit, too.
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RAREFIED TERRITORY
That 130 OPS+ ... that would have put you #14 in the league last year, just ahead of Manny Machado and Adrian Beltre. The Mariners have seven (7) batters clipping along at 130 and every one of them has looked it. Can you name them? Don't call Kyle Seager; he's only at 100. And Danny Valencia is only there if you limit his stats to his last couple weeks. Seven OTHER guys.
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MAKING THEM SEE ZYCH
While we watch the losing M's with half-lidded eyes, Tony Zych is getting his re-orientation out of the way. Saturday he threw game #8. That slider was back to Wipeout Status, showing a -14 MPH separation and nasty late bite. That's CLEEEANNN, man. He's just about back.
In fact, the last 14 days we have the following relievers throwing lights out:
- Edwin Diaz
- Nick Vincent
- James Pazos
- Mark Rzepczynski
- Now Zych
Vincent and Zip haven't allowed a run in weeks, and Pazos has fanned 14 of the last 36 men he's faced.
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Dillon Overton Sunday,
Dr D
Comments
3
Jean Jean the Hitting Machine had the quintessential Ichiro game last night.
Rocket ball liner to center for a hit.
Fliner to left center (right over the shortstop) for a hit.
Hard one-hopper for an out.
Rocket-ball liner right to the third baseman for an out.
45 foot swinging bunt for an infield single. :)
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Never saw a guy launch a bat so quick. And on top of that he likes to go to RF. Loooong look at the ball.
Blowers said he was using that little swing in BP to pepper the upper deck...
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We finally got a playoff berth! Eight years in the wilderness and we arrived!. Big Tommy Burleson emerged as a scoring force, Freddie Brown could carry a team on his back, and did. Big Leonard Gray was the power forward enforcer. Rifle Rod Derline firing three pointers in a two pointer universe. And of course, the irrepressible Slick Watts. What kept us back? The unexpected fade of the great Spencer Haywood.
Me? I was dating my current wife and preparing to enter my freshman year at a basketball backwater called...Gonzaga. Hey, big game tonight against the Big sky powerhouse Weber State! I remind my family and friends I went to GU games when going to GU games wasn't cool. But my beloved Sonics were always a mere radio away.
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That's all I'm sayin'
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But had a typewriter with margin release "MR" that we used to use as a replacement for Gray ...
Rod Derline :- ) the quintessential early Sonic, like Glen Abbott and Danny Meyer in the Kingdome...
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Rise like a Phoenix from the ashes of broken arms and dreams to be pretty formidable once Cishek gets back...that is if it doesn't get burnt out from pitching from the 6th inning on every game. It's encouraging to see Chase make it through 6. Any revised thoughts on him after seeing everything go right?
It's sad to see that Shae Simmons doesn't look like he's returning any sooner than the All-Star Break
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Simmons was intriguing...looks like he may be toast.
I'll settle for getting Altavilla back on track and Cishek healthy.
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That the bullpen would start the season with struggles but be considered a strength by the end of the year. Simmons may be later than expected but still probably in time for the postseason roster. Pagan has gotten some lumps out of the way and people don't seem to see his talent just yet. When he eventually has a run of dominance all of a sudden he'll be talked about kindly again. I see what Doc's saying about Ryne Harper, there's Mark Lowe's potential return although that may amount to nothing. And we're not even talking about Vieira yet, or 18yo Rule 5er Paul Paez. There's still more arms down there.
Speaking of Rule 5, how about Chuck Taylors start in the system? He came from Arizona because that's where we get our hitters now. If only I could find a story about him changing his swing. His and Braden Bishops strong starts are being mostly ignored (Did read some on both from Jason at PI) because our outfield is both hitting and fielding. It can happen. Taylor is largely BB, doubles and triples fueled 1.035 OPS with 1 HR and .411 BABIP so we'll see change on that. He physically has the frame but not yet the build of a hitter. Good profile overall with good BB/K ratio in his career that's jumped to 1.07 this year which is energized by a quick swing with hands close to his body. Defensively he plays CF but doesn't quite have the speed or range usually associated, especially considering Dipoto is in charge. With his arm being the weak skill, although he apparently throws at lower trajectory to maximize it, it seems he's best suited for LF. He wouldn't be the first Chuck Taylor in MLB but he could still be the first Chuck Taylor All-Star. I don't know what kind of shoes he wears though.
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Start of year it was all, IF IF IF - and the OF a collection of 'ifs'. IF hasn't disappointed, but suddenly the OF is butting in, trying to remind us that they can hold up their end of things. Man, but a DysonGamel-Haniger-Heredia or Heredia-Haniger-Motter combination would inspire a lot of confidence as the 'next 3 up' for a critical inning!