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GAMEFLOW
Wed 6:48pm: ChicagoMariner A great piece of Cuban slang for Tuesday's walk off: ahi nama. Ahi-nama is Cuban slang meaning "here it is/ this is it" - with the suggestion of having reached the best or ultimate, therefore you do not need to look anywhere else. Probably originally from spanish "aqui nada mas".
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After the Tuesday gutpunch there was nothing more to be seen of the Orcs' will to win, either. Watching the game, Dr. D got a constant image of the A's playing in "throwback uniforms," playing a contest between two teams 100 years separated in evolution. I'd like a good explanation, from somebody, as to why we do not have these three things:
- Protective "teleprompter" shield in front of the pitcher's mound, also used for instructions from dugout (cf. helmet mikes)
- Gold piping on the uniforms of active Hall of Famers such as Miguel Cabrera, David Ortiz and Nate Karns
- If there is a .300-point winning gap between two teams, make the sad sack wear "throwback uniforms" (all major sports)
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WBC-San
As much as Dr. D got on him in the Shout Box last start ... it was nice to see him throw an authentic Iwakuma game. At one point he had 50 strikes, 18 balls, and yet they couldn't punish him for it. His fastball was sharp and located, the shuuto had a late bite, and he was poaching one strike per inning with the change curve. He had 'em in between.
The Orcs did wind up with a few "consolation" runs, pretty much by luck. Hey, had you noticed that Iwakuma has started throwing a cut fastball to lefties? For those who just joined us, the "cutter" breaks gloveside a half a foot, in onto the handle of a lefty's bat, and produces weak contact on a bad part of the bat (as opposed to a swing and miss). Iwakuma's cutter got several swings and misses, though.
An interesting adjustment. Kuma is still the #39 ranked starter in tennis and his Fielding-Independent Pitching (a theoretical ERA) is down to 3.97, which is #24 in the league. It looks like we're going to get a #2-3 SP quality season out of Iwakuma after all?
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LEONYS MARTIN
In the second inning, rifled another line drive into RF, driving in Sardinas. His percentage of hard-hit balls in 2016 is higher than Cano's and Cruz's. Siiiiiighhhhh when he cramped his hammy from too much baserunning, the entire city of Seattle held its breath. Turns out he's day-to-day. New York City used to go through this with Mickey Mantle's knees, too. Get used to it.
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ADAM LIND
Lookout Landing used to take some guy who was having a terrific (or a horrific) season and set a poll asking, dourly, "What do you bet will be Russell Branyan's slugging percentage from here to the end of the season?"
Lind's homer yesterday, where he dipped the knees so low and scooped it into the bleachers ... what would you bet on his doing from here on out? If it's his usual .290/.380/.500, the M's are going to need a downhill water slide on the infield and a pool at home plate to catch the baserunners.
SSI poll: if Martin and Lind are really going to jump into the fray from the top turnbuckle, what do you bet will be the pesky rodent Angels' fire-sale date?
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RUN DIFFERENTIAL WATCH
As to the M's offensive attack on Wednesday, it's not a good game to review. How do you "analyze" a 17-punch flurry of blows by Kimbo Slice? There comes a tipping point, in pro sports, where the usual tit-for-tat chess strategy flies out the window. "Yes, Brent. Looks like Angola's now down 70 after that no-look by Magic Johnson. They probably need to start going under the screens."
44 - Run differential before the game (in 45 games. Most irritating)
54 - Run differential after the game (in 46 games. That's more like it)
700 exactly - how many runs will the average AL team score this season (4.32 per game)
774 - projected M's run scored (#2 in the league) (playing in Safeco)
584 - projected M's runs allowed (#1 in the league) (playing without Paxton)
98 WINS - loosely speaking, how many W's would a team get if it had +1.00 run differential per game
101 WINS - precisely speaking, how many W's would a team expect if it scored 774 runs and allowed 584
? - why are so many Mariners having UP years together, if "settled science" has ruled out coaching as the cause
#2 - where does the M's OBP rank among 15 AL teams
#2 - where do the M's homers rank
#2 - where does the M's pitching WHIP rank
#2 - where does the M's win total rank
#2 - in what Orkland pitching slot would Iwakuma, Karns, Taijuan and Miley reside
#2 - where does Jerry DiPoto rank among Jedi (Yoda 1, Qui-gon 3, Obi-wan 4) (jedi transcend "settled science")
75.2% - what is the current M's playoff probability, per Fangraphs
Approaching 1 - what is the current M's playoff probability, per runs gained and lost so far
Be Afraid,
Dr D
