Gimenez now 2-and-9
On Geoff Baker Live, one of his 8,000 listeners asked why Josh Bard isn't up yet (thanks Moe!). Geoff remarked, with a pleasant but weary air of indulging the hopelessly naive, that Chris Gimenez played in Cleveland for Wedge.
Oh.
Now, don't jump out of the blocks on "Ready;" let's wait for the blank to fire. 25th man Rudy Rostering is a common, accepted, and often useful blending of the politics-vs-production needs in a sports locker room. Coaches keep guys around who set the pace in the practice drills. Hey, you know that Coach K's 12th man is the best blinkin' 12th man in the ACC. No joke.
But what coaches don't do, is put Rudy into the middle LB slot on first-and-ten, opening drive, against USC. If they did, they wouldn't be scheduling USC for very long.
Gimenez has started 11 games, of which the Mariners have won 2 and lost 9.
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Saturday against the Rays, you might object, the M's only gave up 3 runs. Well, nobody is saying saying that Gimenez' very presence on the field causes radioactive destruction: we're talking about tendencies, about degrees of separation.
Just the same, though the M's roped and doped and got out with only 3 ... Doogie had sixteen kinds of trouble getting into rhythm, and you were left with the distinct impression that Fister's own experience solved the problem.
And we were interested to see that Gimenez did veer off the all-fastballs-all-the-time game that he has favored in the past. But the bigger issue is simply --- > calling what the hitters aren't looking for. The results aren't there. Well, they are there, but we don't think you're going to want to see them.
If you dare ... runs allowed by the Mariners in Gimenez' eleven starts:
- -6, Bedard L vs. Cle - all six runs in real early, despite lots of Erikkk K's
- -8, L vs. Tor - okay, maybe Ray's fault
- -7, Felix L vs KC - the 7-0 loss after which Wedge screamed them out
- -3, in close Detroit loss (we're not saying Gimenez can't catch at all; talking tendencies)
- -9, Vargas humiliation to Oakland 9-1
- -6, Fister humilation to ChiSox 6-1 (Doogie gave up 14 hits, fanned only 1)
- -5, the 5-4 loss to Cle in which League suffered the barrage of mortar shots
- -1, a 2-1 win vs LAA after which Fister praised Gimenez for the heater-fest
- -7, an 8-7 comeback in which Vargas got knocked out early, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
- -7, a 7-1 Vargas loss (6 runs, 4 BB, 1K)
- Today, the 3-2 loss to Tampa in which Doogie barely survived the 2nd
As we all know, Bedard is particular about his catchers, and after Gimenez caught him once on April 10, Gimenez hasn't caught Bedard again.
Gimenez also caught Felix once, April 16, the KC screamout game. Like Joe Piscopo told Johnny Dangerously, my mother hung me on a hook once. ONCE.
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So that's 11 games, and --with this rotation-- Gimenez has had the SP knocked out 7 times? Give 'im a mulligan on the passed balls and I bet Voros McCracken could get 4 QS in 11 games with these guys.
I'm all for giving the manager a roster slot to keep one of his war buddies around ..... until it starts costing him. This is wayyyyyy past, "starts" costing him.
.........
As degrees of separation go, those 7 K.O.'s in 11 starts have hurt the Mariners a lot worse than any .188-hitting glove man coulda. Mess up your own hitting, but don't mess up my Juggernaut Rotation, wouldja please?