... and that 175-122 is with the A's using:

• Brett Anderson, with a 2.01 ERA vs. the M's in 10 starts
• A 9K left hand tough guy, deployed against the M's 7-8-9 hitters
• Grant Balfour, who should be a closer
• Brian Fuentes, who saved 48 games for the Angels in 2009 and 24 last year

And with the M's using their #4 starter.  I wonder if Klat can do a "Hustle Board" that counts the pitches thrown by both sides every night?

Brett Anderson's ERA+ was 148 last year; Trevor Cahill's was 139.  Ryan Rowland Smith's wasn't.  The pitch counts against MLB's best pitching staff?

• Friday:  184 vs 108
• Saturday:  175 vs 122

Now do you get it?

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Remember:  20 pitches is the benchmark for an inning in which the pitcher is going to be lucky to be left in the game.

Starting about pitch #21, all the batters are .400 hitters for the rest of the inning.

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Of course, (1) the M's offense won't average 20 pitches per inning all year, and (2) the A's defense didn't do their pitchers any favors.

But on the other hand, the Mariners were stealing critical bases, they were laying off tough pitches, and they were (3) putting the A's in a position to make a mistake.  Close sports contests are all about making your opponent uncomfortable, kiddies.  The M's disrupted the A's rhythm.

As well, (4) the M's won't be facing 139-148 ERA+ pitchers all year.  

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The M's aren't the 1975 Reds, that is for sure.  But they are also not the 2010 M's, and that is already definite.  After two games.

Just reporting the news.  Our complaint department is open sometimes, somewhere.

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=== House Money ===

SSI is blowing off the Fister vs. Giovanni game, so you'll probably have to check LL for the postgame. Sully gives you a good 90 down the line, win or lose.    

But even if the M's are 2-and-1 going into Arlington, we got yer 11 runs a game right here, Ronnie.  Retard, Pinata and Feeblix, attorneys at law.  You'll be hearing from them the first of the week. 

And MLB's announcers are welcome to keep breaking into M's games with the presumption that the other team is in charge of the ballgame.  Makes the victories sugar-sweet.

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=== Team Japan Indeed ===

On TV, they said that Ichiro addressed the ballclub as a group, right before opening day.  Let me read that sentence again.

We'd talked for years about how Ichiro was the logical captain of the Mariners, as he is of Team Japan.  But of course the clubhouse has been stuffed with Carlos Silvas, Adrian Beltres, various and sundry "teammates" who evidently resented Ichiro's presence in the room with them, much less being able to accept his leadership. 

.....

After win two, Ichiro was walking around the field pounding teammates on the back with a disconcerting friendliness and joy.  He initiated several little exchanges with other people, as if enjoying interaction with MLB(TM) players. (?!)  

It was the first time in 11 years, the first time, that (from the stands) I'd seen Ichiro teammates with anybody other than Johjima.

Ichiro is the ultimate technician.  He really is.  .... and 3,000 years ago, one of their popular punishments was to lower men into deep, muddy, swampy, 6-foot-wide wells and leave them there for a long time.  Not exactly from 2005 to 2010, but for several days.

I'll bet that when they were pulled back out, the sun looked awfully bright.

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Cheerio,

Dr D