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There isn't any amount of theorizing that's going to pique our interest in a 2017 pennant race, like there isn't any amount of grousing that is going to stand up to an 8-game winning streak. A picture's worth 1,000 words, eh. Monday afternoon's game was just such a picture.
Our fillin #11 starter, whats-iz-Ganglion, scrounged 5 innings and held the Rockies to 5 runs. The Skip was positively giddy about the "ultra quality start" Coors adjusted. We ain't kidding. He was gushing all over the performance in the postgame. One of yer all-time great 9.00 ERA's, but ya, we know what he meant.
This is why Dipoto and Servais work so hard at these "stoploss" 88 MPH sinker-slider guys - a win or two in May can be the difference. 'Member, it actually WAS, last year.
So the M's are up 6-5 when whats-iz-eleven is carried off the field to a Gatorade shower and then Servais goes one pitcher at a time for approximately 12 outs, which is prototypical 21st century baseball. Everybody got one out except James Pazos, who got four. Remember the cliche about the picture? You get Sugar Diaz in the 9th the way he was Monday, you get Pazos throwing like that ... Suddenly Zip-Vincent-Zych is starting to look like a flotilla of P.T. boats you can rescue outs with. If you're careful.
Leaving the M's on this big winning streak, two, with Ariel Miranda and James Paxton next. Resistance is futile. ... no, really, there are the seeds of a bullpen-offense-and-TOR hot streak here, as there are seeds of a hot streak with a lot of teams. We got two good games coming up now, see what we're saying. Enjoy a game of baseball.
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The highlight video shoulda had more Pazos. It had a Seager double and a Diaz ground ball. But if you didn't see the game, yes. Edwin Diaz was untouchable. It makes a difference whether you expect any particular choice among the following 9th innings:
LO A gutpunch blown save
MID-LO You wind up winning but it felt like you coulda shoulda lost
MID A Cishek type gets you to the wire, not super convincingly
UP A glorious superstar closer makes the other team wish it weren't playing in front of a TV audience
If Sugar is back, which at the moment he is, that's important.
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We do the reading so you don' have to. Worth your clickthrough are all of the following
1. Bob Dutton's three takeaways are all interesting.
2. Sodo Mojo, which is usually fine with us, has bailed on the 2017 season. Say what?! Come OFF it you weenies. But their mock trade "announcement" column sounds fun.
3. We can probably afford to not focus real much on Hisashi Iwakuma's return. As Iwakuma's biggest fan I can see the benefit in clarity here, especially if Miranda is going to step up.
4. Dan Altavilla may have turned a corner. No link. Just a travel advisory. From Scott Servais in the postgame.
5. Ryne Harper is a Mariner as we type this, like, a Mariner in uniform Tuesday. A reliever who loves his CURVE ball, which is worth a sentence.
6. The Seattle P-I has an enjoyable article discussing a trade for PIT starter Gerrit Cole. So how's that grab yer, Sodo Mojo. Good line in the last section that the M's need to do something about the "musical chairs" in their rotation. Now that you put it that way. Right, it does seem like Dipoto's responsibility to give his club a set rotation pretty quick here, extenuating circumstances or not. ... and sorry about the clickbait subtitle up there. Just felt like it. :: winning smile ::
7. We could get in a few games about 2:30 pm I think Mojician. :- ) email me or CMS me or something?
8. Dr. D took a sec to throw in this morning coffee stub jus' so you'd have a little something Mariners to chat around the office coffee pot. As you know, he lives to serve. So if you're inclined feel free to throw a mini-comment in the pot for his edification also. Honestly, he relishes each Denizen and their accompanying word bubbles.
9. Watch for Miranda fastballs inner third for called strikes. Not to overdramatize, but that's sort of the pivot point for a possible $50M asset over the next several years, whether the lad is really threatening to put that live fastball in places where it will do the Mariners some good. The offspeed stuff is already way more than good enough ... IFF he's going to zip strike one in there to both sides of the plate.
Enjoy,
Jeff