'TIS BUT A SCRATCH: The M's are -5 games behind at the quarter pole.
I'M INVINCIBLE!: Good news. AL West teams are giving Jack Zduriencik all kinds of time to scrape up a 95 offense. If the M's were in the AL Central, they'd be -8 down.
In poker, you have aces wired, you don't want to let your opponent "call" his way into three extra draws at his straight.
In chess, it's like having a massive attack position, hemming and hawing about it, and suddenly finding that your opponent is threatening an invasion on the queenside.
In the NBA, it's like when the Lakers have the Clippers in and let them hang around 4-6 points down into the 4th quarter. You gotta put the dog down before he gets up and starts biting.
In baseball, it's kind of like allowing your rivals to go 6 weeks with five (5) terrible hitters and still trot along behind you a couple strides.
In any sport, you have the upper hand, you have to kill your opponent then and there. You don't, you're liable to lose. The AL West race, the other clubs have flubbed their chance to take control.
We don't say that means the M's win the pennant. We merely note that the current situation is fine.
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The M's last four games:
It's a bummer, but two or three bounces and we'd be talking about the M's strengths rather than about their failings.
If they'd been losing 9-1, fine. But that hasn't been the case.
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I hate having problems, but the problems that the M's have are --- > among the least bad that you can have. We're sitting here watching them try to come up with a few decent hitters. It's do-able.
I'm still watching. :- ) The last week was extremely painful, but it was not destructive. On your feet, soldier.
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FLESH WOUND RH: Gutierrez showing signs of life, love and happiness in AAA.
HEAD KICK: Dr. Grumpy called everything right up to now, including the 15-lb. weight loss, so would be nice to hear his guesstimate as to what May, June and July might hold for Guti...
.........
Spec points out that Guti, before the problems hit, was OBP'ing .388 with power last year. What would we give to have that again - or even his post-GI average of .221?
Spec notes that even Sick Guti hit much better than our 50-OPS+ air conditioners do.
Will cheerfully admit that watching Saunders' struggles, has given me newfound appreciation for solid-average hitting at a glove position.
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FLESH WOUND LEFT LEG: Dustin Ackley's last ten games, he's hit .315/.450/.630. In his 35 games, he has 30 walks. Super Two is a month off.
HOP AND TAUNT: Supposing that Ackley did not hit in the majors, then he would be Jack Cust -- tons of walks, a .275 SLG, and a 90 OPS+.
This would increase the M's number of competent hitters from 4 (Ichiro, Smoak, Cust, Kennedy) to 5.
There isn't any realistic chance, IMHO, that Dustin Ackley wouldn't at least draw walks -- and in this incredible dugout, that would make him a savior.
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The M's need two bats, plus some scratching and grovelling at the other positions, in order to get up to 95. Oddly, those two bats might very well be Ackley and Gutierrez.
You never know exactly when Super Two has come and gone, but what's the best guess given the 2011 situation, does anybody know?
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FLESH WOUND RIGHT LEG: Chone Figgins with a .267 OBP and .300 SLG this season.
SPIT AT 'IM: The one truly painful headache that Zduriencik has long-term. Figgins is making big money this year and three more; he's reportedly dangerous in the clubhouse; he's a rally-killer, but he's got to play every day and he has to hit at the top of the lineup. It's a true albatross situation.
Figgins seemed like a good idea at the time, to me too, but fans tend not to appreciate the complexity of a GM's problems. All GM's have moves blow up in their faces. With a Bill Bavasi, it's considered indicative of his intelligence. With a Jack Zduriencik, it's considered part of the nature of the business.
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The irony is that Safeco is, IMHO, the real problem here. I'll bet you 9,000 cpoints that:
I don't get this part about baseball, that a team can be aware that Player X only needs a change of scenery ... and yet on principle, won't go acquire that player because it refuses to pay more than that player is worth before the change of scenery.
As far as I can tell, no team would pay 11 cents. Why is that?
Ah, well, we could always deal Figgins-for-Bradley.
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Guard that bridge,
Dr D
Figgins OPS+'ed 90 last year, away from home. This year it is 56 (albeit with a very low BABIP).
He's had NINE walks this year.
Take away the rediculously high number of walks (for him) that he had 3 years ago....and you get a guy that OPS+'s at about 84.
He's a nonstar being paid like one. And he's petulant dude, too (according to general accounts).
M's are going to have to swallow some salary to dump him.
Wouldn't mind seeing Wright as a closer for a game or two. Don't know enough about League's psyche...but a trifecta like this can put a serious whack on a guy.
A brave face in the postgame is one thing, but the pressure on a guy in a situation like this is murderous.