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DaddyO: DiPoto constructed this roster according to his offseason plans. He can't jettison them less than two weeks into the season. But (chuckles) he can in May.
Dr. D: If you want to /rant how bad the M's are, in the comments below, 'ave at it. :- ) No hard feelings whatsoever. But there are probably a few amigos here who wouldn't mind reading an optimistic take on the season. For those few:
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The M's were 0-for-16 with runners in scoring position against Oakland, 0-for-20 in their four losses before Monday. I don't know what they were Tuesday, but it wasn't good. Average with Runners In Scoring Position is a luck stat, period.
The M's have lost three one-run games; give us three, maybe four balls that fell in -- even the way Beltre's "double" did last night -- and the M's are 4-3. And, per Pythagoras, they are .500 right now, 28 runs and 28 losses.
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If this were football?, then 2-and-5 would be it for the season. But consider the differences between football and baseball; the differences aren't limited to just the 162 vs 16 games factor. Luck is much, MUCH more important in baseball.
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Guest: Time to emotionally check out and enjoy the game of baseball...my way of dealing anyway.
Dr. D: Yeah, that's the great thing about just watching sports, instead of being on a team. You just change the channel and erase the previous universe from existence for 20 hours. I like 'net chess when I'm in that mood :- )
Moe Dawg put up a list of M's hitters against LHP's ... Seager 2-13, Cruz 2-13, Cano 3-17, etc etc etc. The entire point is that Kyle Seager has a career's worth of work against LHP's, and it's not 2-for-13.
- Seager vs LHP: .250/.300/.410
- Cano vs LHP: .290/.340/.440
- Cruz vs LHP: .280/.370/.550
Yes, I'll grant you. If we're done in September and Adam Lind has slugged .061 with 0 RBI in 500 at-bats, we're going to be bad in 2016.
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MtGrizzly: When do you sit Marte for a game (or two) and get Sardinas some time at SS?
Dr. D: My personal opinion is that Marte looks just fine. He's got an out-of-zone swing rate of only 12% and a swing-miss rate of only 8%. It's one week in and he's a young player you're hot on. Wayyyyyy too early to put pressure on him.
But if we're talking from a positive standpoint, that Sardinas could help the club, sure. Would be intriguing to get him some AB's at SS, LF, certainly CF when we have a groundballer on the mound.
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etowncoug: This mariner team is pretty bad. Not a surprise given an offseason where the roster got worse on almost every move the GM made.
Dr. D: My personal opinion -- reviewing the first week -- is that (1) the pitching looks playoff-caliber. Up and down the staff. And their team ERA is 115, with 71 K's against only 20 walks and 6 homers.
Lemme read that again: their pitching STAFF has 10.4 K, 2.9 BB and 0.9 HR. Against good-hitting teams.
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(2) as to the offense
They have a team full of Latin players who look like their timing is slightly off in the cold Seattle air. For example, Nelson Cruz is stiff and mechanical, jumping too early, and yet he's still .296/.387/.630 through sheer technique.
I think their lineup has not yet hit on 8 cylinders, and that's baseball. For sure the combination of "meh" hitting and terrible luck makes the whole experience maddening.
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(3) as to the bad luck, including RISP
For all their problemos, including tough opponents that is! ... , a hit here and a hit there, and they'd be sitting on 3 or 4 or 5 wins. The next week may bring another 2-5 record, or maybe a 5-2 record. You really do have to play 50-60 games before things find their level.
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LIFE PRESERVER OVER THE BOW: the Rangers started last season 7 wins, 15 losses. They were -9.5 back after one month's play. As late as May 19, they were -7 under .500. They won 88 and the division.
See you tomorrow morning for another Panic article,
Dr D