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He's playing the outfield correctly, he's running bases correctly (for now) with a bunch of hustle and determination and he's swinging hard at the first pitch he likes. He won't be able to keep doing that so early in the count - guys are gonna start hitting him up with curves and changeups early to mess up his tempo - but everything about him still screams "aggressor dictating terms" instead of "passive lamb at the slaughter." That slide into first base was a microcosm of Fighting Saunders.
So I'll take some open knees to maintain that approach, especially after seeing Oakland's Opening Day starter twice in three days. If he gets too far out of synch, like you said, send him to the cage with the 60 oz bat for a coupla days to get his rhythm and control back.
Saunders has a month to make it VERY hard to insert Guti back into the lineup.
And Carp had better hurry up too. Seager wants to keep playing, and Figgins for at least one game actually showed up. If Figgins is a chump then Seager steals his playing time no problem. Figgins has a couple of good weeks and Carp is gonna be the one fighting for at-bats.
The good news right now is that we're 2-1 with the King about to step onto the mound, and our MOTO isn't doing much. Ichiro-Smoak-Montero are all swinging fine, but the results are lagging a bit. And nobody's panicking up and down the lineup. Smoak and Montero are going about their business exactly the same way, and the non-MOTO (plus Ackley, who has to be considered part of it even though he's #2) is picking up the slack no problem.
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My concern is still the bullpen (and the BOR), but I was glad to see Delabar come out with fire and mow down Cespedes. The As announcers didn't seem to know Delabar's story, but were very impressed by his "slider that breaks straight down like a fork ball. Hard to hit." We really need bullpen people to step up.
Or we could promote one of these fellas:
- Paxton (5.2 IP, 1 hit, 10 K / 0 BB) - major control issues, I see...
- Capps (1.2 IP, 2 hits, 4 K / 0 BB)
- Carraway (6 IP, 2 hits, 6 K 1 BB)
- Furbush (3 IP, 1 hit, 5 K / 0 BB)
- Jimenez (2.2 IP, 1 hit, 4 K / 1 BB)
Or any of the half-dozen other arms that are about to do special things this week in the upper minors. I still don't understand going with the bullpen we have, but we'll see how it works out.
If they struggle, there ARE reinforcements. We haven't had those in the past. And I love that the Mariners took the heirarchy out of The Big Three by having Carraway pitch Opening Day so that none of Paxton / Walker / Hultzen got bragging rights. Same reason they're all at AA. Their competition is each other more than the opposing hitters. "Anything you can do I can do better..." Maurer is pitching tonight for Jackson. That staff is just monstrous...
I really want to see Noesi, though. Campos did very well in low-A in his first start, but the point of adding Noesi (for me, anyway) was to advance a Campos-like arm several years up the ladder to be of use to us NOW. If he can stay as a starter that's terrific. I think he can.
But he's an arm we need to work out for us, either in the pen or the rotation. It's so frustrating to have SUCH good pitching that's almost here...
Must. Be. Patient.
And not grit my teeth too much as the Pitchers of the Future demolish the minors while the Pitchers of the Present have a bit rougher time in the bigs.
The offense is starting to look Major League Approved. Can't wait til the entire 25 man is. In the meantime...Happy Felix Day. Let's get a couple games over .500 for the first time in a while, shall we?
~G