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Q.  All you need is love.  And a swing to right center field.

A.  Is it okay to love Zuumball again?  Yes.  Dr. D chooses hope.  Yeah, yeah, we all know the reasons for cynicism on Zunino, on M's first rounders, on the Mariners in general, on life in Seattle as a concept.  But for the next week I'm going to buy in to Zunino's chances again.  Hey, what can they do to me?

MASSIVE CAUTION DON'T GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES TOO FAR Still am not going to buy into any hopes for a 120 OPS+ scenario at all.  Lessee, over the last week, his best week, what's his OOZ fish rate .... RUNS SCREAMING INTO THE NIGHT it's still 40.3% fishing.  

But.  Zuumball has super easy power, mammoth power.  With a short swing path.  Here's that glorious walkoff again.  That's a shortcut to success, having high exit velocity with a quick path too.  Y'oughta be able to figure something out -- and Zuumball only needs an 80 OPS+ to be a number one catcher.

Adam Jones had a 44% fish rate last season, right.  Rougned Odor fishes, but it works.  Zunino's total inability to tell a ball from a strike, hey, who cares about stuff like that.  If he's going to aim for the ROOT sign in right center I'll stick with him a while :- )

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Q.  Is it crazy to believe in Guy Art Dough?

A.  Of course not.  Anything Jerry Dipoto does is by definition "reasonable."

It's possible to have a little fun, to make a Worst Wager, to be crazy in love with your own opinion that a train wreck is coming .... AND to believe the other side's arguments are interesting.  Save the ridicule for the political blogs.  Baseball is a haven from that.  Everybody's opinion is fine at SSI.

Before the season the Denizens were all split 50-50 as to whether Gallardo is a lost cause.  That's probably still the case.

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Q.  Another start, another night of "live" stuff and 6.24 ERA's.  Where does Gallardo stand with Dr. D right now?

A.  Right where he stands the last month:  he got way better, and is still terrible.  The sooner they swap him out the happier I'll be.

But!  Some folks in uniform think he can figure out a way to harness that 93 fastball and quality overhand curve.  It wouldn't SHOCK me for him to rip off a series of quality starts.

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Q.  What is "Mistake Avoidance?"

A.  Ron Shandler, trying to predict future ERA's for Roto, started things off 20 years ago by analyzing a pitcher's skills into five areas:

• Dominance (K's, nasty stuff)
• Control (BB's, ability to stay ahead in the count)
• Command (K/BB, how good you are at using whatever stuff you have)
• Hit Prevention (hit rate)
• Mistake Avoidance (HR rate, the ability to not throw Yovani Gallardo meatballs in 4-run innings)

This concept of "Mistake Avoidance" is a lost one.  But it has been HWMNBN's missing skill.  His first 12 starts, he's been the personification of a pitcher who would be okay but for this problem.

It says here his shoulder is just gone, and that's why he can't fine-tune his location with enough predictability.  That has shown in his sky-high 4+ walk rate and it shows in the bases-clearing gappers he gives up 1x or 2x a game.

But!  Hey.  If you think differently, if you think the next 12 starts will be a lot better than the last 12, bring it on.  Conversations are uninteresting in an echo chamber.  And stats are backwards-looking; scouts are forwards-looking.

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Q.  Back to the incredible walkoff victory and the .500 record!

A.  Miscellaneous thoughts:

1.  We scratched out a high-scoring victory in the HWMNBN start.  Back to the Big Four (two aces and two Rainiers throwing at their best, trying to support the massive firepower that is the Seattle Mariners Offense).  This MIN-MAX review of Bergman's last start will orient you beautifully to watch tonight's start.  As y'know, we live to serve.

2.  The Mariners' celebration at home plate was fun fun fun.  Zunino hucks his batting helmet 30 feet in the air, Robby whips up the frenzy, everybody thrilled for Zuumball.  These guys seem to like each other.  Here's a Shannon Drayer column about their other home-plate celebration ... of Jean Segura's contract.  Also at My Northwest they point out that Segura's contract puts "paid" to the weird theory that the M's should hold a fire sale on July 31.  

3.  G-Money pointed out that #1 prospect Kyle Lewis starts playing this week.  Dr. D points out that it's just in time.  If Lewis is impressive over the next 6 weeks, enemy ballclubs could get interested (re-assured) and he becomes a glitzy trade chip on July 31.  IF we're talking blockbusters.

4.  The M's are 30-and-30, one-half game behind Cleveland for the pole position in the Wild Card chase.

5.  The last two weeks, the M's have six (6) batters with OPS+ over 140.  To put that in perspective, the best non-Trout number in 2016 was Mookie Betts at 135.  The six Mariners who are throwing up Trout level performances, over the last 15 games, are Valencia - Seager - Cruz - (Segura) - Zunino - Ruiz.

6.  Don't worry about Kyle Seager, even a little bit.  Baseball is up and down.  K-Swag is who he is, a 90-RBI third baseman with a snazzy glove.  And that's quite a player.

7.  Thursday game thread below if so desired.  Bergman vs. Kyle Gibson and his 7.23 ERA.

BABVA,

Dr D