M's 9, Tigers 19
everything coming up roses for the M's (well, Boog anyway)

.

THE KING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE KING

There's a bright side to everything, up to and including food riots in Banana Republics.  As any 12-step counselor could tell you, the first step in correcting a problem is ... hurling a trash can through a storefront window.  Or if you're more inclined to an intellectual solution, to replace guys pitching bad with guys pitching good.

Felix has a bright side to his own life.  Like, $25M per year, and mob-hugs any time he steps outside his car.  To work out hard for 4 months and then pull something is frustrating, no doubt.  Felix is kewl and the Goddess of Proportion does not wish to seem harsh.  But:

(1) The Mariners have scored 5+ runs in 11 of their last 15 games.

(2) If the Mariners had given up no more than 4 runs a game they'd be on an 11-4 streak, minimum.  Sabermetric formulas establish this conclusively.

(3) Felix has given up 39 hits and 6 homers in less than three complete games' worth of innings.  Rather than list helplessly on battery power as the Lights of Zetar (your garden-variety league MOTOs) approach , I'd rather haul the Enterprise into dry dock and commandeer a lesser ship with Warp 2 capability.

(4) Max Povse and a competent bullpen would give up 4 runs a game.

(5) QED.

.

DR D PRESCRIBES LORAZEPAM TO BALLPLAYERS?!

Not really.  Try deep breathing first.  Or staring at Jamie Moyer until the fringes of placidity set in.

By "command" they don't mean location in the zone, exactly, though that's what you'll hear.  They're talking about making the ball break late, making a backup slider swerve to nip the corner inside, expanding the zone just outside a guy's red area, stuff like that.  Max Povse and Andrew Moore did this in Spring Training, better than anyone other than James Paxton.

Could they handle the pressure of doing this in triple-decker stadiums "with the ground rumbling under their feet" as JeDi put it?  I dunno, could Chase De Jong?  Dr. D is a man of great mercy; Povse and Moore would be pitching the 6th and 7th in Detroit the next couple days.  It would be May before they were scheduled.  May 1, 2 at the earliest.

They wouldn't throw long strings of shutouts.  But I bet you they could keep it inside 19 runs a night.

.

MANIGER GETS "LAYERED"

(1) Sad, sad, sad.  We were all wondering about the 125 runs and the Fred Lynn season.  At a minimum, we won't be watching that spectacle on Wednesday.  This is sad.  But remember your 14-Day Cleanse principles.  A Diet is not for 3 weeks.  If you're going to be on it forever, what difference does it make whether you lose 1 lb. or 2 lbs this week?  And if Maniger is bound for Cooperstown, what difference does a trip to the 15-day DL make?  He's got 3,000 Mariner runs and RBI in his future.  Who cares about the next 20.

(2) Jean Segura is (a) back and (b) hitting real good right off the bat.  Maniger was super cool, but let's not forget that we replaced him with 203 base hits.  I got yer Ichiro vs Haniger dilemma right here, pal.

....

Ben Gamel was supposedly joining the M's even before Maniger's injury.  Also, Boog Powell after Maniger's injury?  Boog hit 15-for-26 in the spring, and had a 12:6 EYE in Tacoma.  Now, it is true that big league pitchers won't walk Boog.  But he is seeing the ball super great, and they will throw him cripple strikes like they do Motter, dude.

.

DEFINE "NICE NIGHT AT THE BALLPARK," WOULD YOU PLEASE

For a quarter century, 25 years, we had suits who woulda said "Hey, we're spending $150M.  You still get a nice night at the ballpark.  Couple injuries?  That's the way the cookie crumbles.  You better be there when we come home."  Now, for 1.1 years, we've got suits who say "Um, no.  MY cookie doesn't CRUMBLE."  Neither does Dr. Detecto define "nice night at the ballpark" to include four enemy home runs.

The M's will handle this aggressively.  My way would probably be:

1 Paxton 2 Gallardo 3 Miranda pull 'im after 5.1 IP 4 Moore 5 Povse   RP Iwakuma   Smyly, Felix second half 'rentals'

LF Gamel-Motter CF Dyson (Heredia) RF Boog-Heredia

It's a team that could rack up a 114 OPS+.  With Paxton in the ace hole, it needs only four SP's to throw 90's and it would be fine.  Question is, who those four 4.40 ERA starters would be.  Hey, isn't Dipoto supposed to be a trade kinda guy?

Take two Gamel base hits, a Zeus shutout, and call me in the morning,

Dr D

Blog: 

Comments

1

Loved the Haniger perspective Doc.  Having just gone through the food changing lifetime choice myself, and having learned a ton about how weight fluctuates, it's the long-term treand that matters.  Been fortunate that my loss has been a roughly steady 2 pounds/week (starting at 240, down to 206), but I know that, because of fluctuations, I could weigh in at or above my current weight despite fat loss.  The parallel of course is that success is defined over the longer term, not over the snapshot.  That's how it will be with Haniger.

"Lights of Zetar" reference?  Worst Star Trek episode of all time.  Or close to it....

2

I took around 3 years to go 252->under 200, and can back up the statements here as well. Slow and steady wins the race. My goal was more in the 0.5-1.0 lbs/week range, as that's typically been a more long-term sustainable change. I wonder if that has more to do with the target diet being a new habit closer to the old one, or if it's the smaller 'delta' back to the new normal when done which doesn't awaken old habits... or something else entirely? For sure, as much weight as you and I have lost, padna, the delta-shift back to 'maintain' from 'lose' at the end is much smaller than the shifts along the way to keep the weight moving downward.

Side note, heh.

3

My target is another 25-30.  I'll be slowing my rate down by reducing my deficit - probably once I crack below 200.  The calorie intake is sustainable.  But no matter what, the fluctuations will still be there, even when I end up in maintenance.  But at age 54, I can already do more than I could 5-10 years ago.  Either way, as in the Haniger thing, stuff  happens and almost nothing is linear.  There are lots of complexities at work.  In the weight loss journey, and in a sports (or any other career).

4

What are you two doing for healthy nutrition?

For me "eating clean" means "eating without simple carbs."  A workout early in the day ensures that I won't want to "waste" the effort on ice cream later.  :: sigh :: some months it works better than others.

Or, there's the Ichiro diet.  Burn 10,000 calories a day and then eat anything at hand, preferably 10-12 ice cream bars a day.

5

...is absolutely everything.  Whether you choose Atkins, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem - they all work on the basis of a calorie deficit.

I've found that if I carefully weigh out what I eat and account for everything that goes in, monitor my activity so that I burn 1000 calories more than I take in, I'll lose about 2 pounds per week.  Works like clockwork.  I'll slow down as I have less to lose in order to stay healthy.

There are all kinds of tools now to estimate your calorie burn based on age, height and current weight (it changes as you change btw), put that together with Fitbit type devices and you have all the tools you need.

I shoot for 1g protein per pound of lean body mass and let the rest take care of itself.  No food is off-limits if it fits in my budget.  That's what makes it sustainable.  I eat chocalate chip cookies and a glass of milk every night.  I put a teaspoon of sugar on my strawberries.  Carbs are no issue, fat is no issue (unless I don't eat enough of it for what the body needs).  The combination that gives me a calorie deficit is all that matters.  The combination of carbs and fat that keeps me satiated is how I stay on track.  Counting calories gets easy after awhile and I'll probably never stop doing it until they're feeding me with a spoon at the nursing home...

And I started this about 40 pounds heavier than the last time you and I saw each other.

7

like with the Atkins diet, but at the end of the day it's all about calories in vs. calories out.  Our bodies are simply chemical engines, and any engine needs fuel to run.

It's not a 'sexy' way to approach dieting, but by having a reasonably clear idea of how many calories are in a given piece of food is all *I* have ever needed to keep track of to lose 20lbs relatively quickly.  After that, it does come down to physical activity--and I've engaged in far too little of that lately.

8

Nobody would have noticed the thinness of my soup if you hadn't spewed it across the table Russ.  Thanks for nuttin'.  

You DO have to admit that the Zetarians radar-screened across the dial at the level of a high-school production, and that's entirely appropriate (to ominous music) as Tigers and Indians lineups approach our beloved WBC-san.

9

THe dialog was terrible..  The aliens that wanted to control the yoeman's body "to live out our lives" as if it was somehow moral for them to take control of another for their selfish reasons just seemed like an untenable script.

And I'm a huge fan of the original series....

10

the relationship with Scotty and the new girl was comically underdeveloped and then overplayed

None of the usual camp or humor to dilute the usual amateurish feel

Minimal Spock epicness

Droning, dull tempo

No cool ideas or visuals

Lots of illogic, such as the shields not affecting the lights but phasers and atmospheric pressure (??) do

The gross immorality as Kirk explains 3-year-old demon possession ethics to ancient genius and wisdom

.....

very few episodes that bore me to death.  This is one of 'em :- )  I guess it's lucky for Star Trek that they didn't attempt a 4th season.  "Spock's Pancreas" probably would have led the season.

Take two episodes of Requiem for Methusaleh and call me in the morning!

12

...always gave me the willies as a boy.  Still don't care to see it.   Perhaps it was the modulated voice of the Zetarians..... creeeeeeepy.  *grins*

16

A couple days at least, is interesting.  Not sure if that's good or bad, can see cases for both (gamer or dumb to test it?).  I know timetables are usually 3 weeks to 9 from searches though some are ok within a week.  they do often recur but also often not for years if at all.

17

Suddenly we're in the scenario where Heston and Miranda - the short-term backups we'd envisioned in case of Gallardo+injury, remember that preseason thread? - are already in play. For an organization which seems determined not to repeat the rushing-youngsters mistake of the past, alternate options preceeding Moore and Povse are... thin. (What ARE those options right now?) And the fact is, we've still got Kuma and Gallardo throwing every 5 - and flashes of hope allowed for, I can't imagine both end up being viable options for much longer. We're probably going to need to replace one, within the next 3-4 weeks, if we want to remain competetive every night of the week.

Maybe JeDi throws his hands up and says, "Well, this is the nightmare scenario for which we wanted to have 11+ options available." There should be a pair of arms left in that 11-long lineup, aside from Povse and Moore, though... who are they? What's their status so far this year? My guess is DiPoto isn't ready to risk the long-term upside of his assets before going to those two.

With regard to Haniger... all I can say is, I also am glad we have Segura back first. I was so glad to see the pair of them in the lineup together, too...

18

(assuming memory serves...)

The silver lining in the rotation is: EXTENDED turns for Miranda, Gallardo, Heston, Kuma, and potentially Overton/deJong mean we KNOW who we go to war with when the King and Smyly return to headline along with Paxton.

Same deal with Heredia/Dyson/Gamel/Powell awaiting Haniger's return. Segura out uncovered the wizardry of Motter... maybe lightning strikes again. (Or is it a fifth time, now, after Paxton-Segura-Haniger-Motter... ?)

20

He's got ML time where he maintained impressive control and ground ball ratios.  He's yet to allow a walk or a run in Tacoma and created 16 grounders in 17 balls in play vs. El Paso after Overton was knocked around last week.  Nothing stunning, but he could frustrate teams in the pitching positive parks.

21

1 Pax 2 Iwakuma 3 Gallardo 4 Miranda, probly ...

5-6  Overton, Heston (40-man)  I fancy Evan Scribner for a 6-start jaunt

7-8  Moore, Povse AA

Whalen injured, Smyly, Felix

Weber hmmmmmmm

22

To tell you the truth, I thought since the beginning of the season that Dipoto stashed Moore and Povse in Arkansas so they could be called up to every east coast park, sort of on a moment's notice. 

And here we go.  Or should go. 

Overton?  11.92 MLB career ERA.  8.44 in Tacoma this season.  I am not a buyer.

De Jong?  OK, I could live with him getting a rotation shot, but I don't believe that he is Moore or Povse.  

Heston blew up in '16.  

I agree with Matt here (twice in two days!).  Let's see how serious we are about winning now, and not "weathering the storm."  (IMHO) the best arms we have are 1. Moore 2. Povse 3. De Jong.

Both of Moore and Povse would be in their normal work schedule to throw the game in Cleveland on the 30th.  

Heck, I would call em both up.  Marshall is terrible.  Set him free.

This offense can still score runs. Give me some reliable innings out of the rotation and we might be fine, as it would keep us away from the noodle arms in the bullpen.

Valencia showed some life last night.  Vogs has been on base 4 times in two games.  Segura rips. Cruz hasn't shown even a little age related decline (as I suggested he would).  And we still have Goldilocks Motter.

And a HOF'er named Cano.

6 innings and 3 runs out of Moore or Povse would be just ducky.  They've shown they've got the stuff.

23

With all these guys.  Marshall looked decent at least before yesterday.  I'm ok either way with him. 

Overton hasn't pitched as well in season as I saw in the spring.  Was it just one game or does he have it in him to approach that in 2/3 of starts?  I'm not done with him except in the pen.  Let him start in Tacoma a few turns and see what's there as a starter.  De Jong as well.

Moore or Povse for now.   Heston was vomit inducing yesterday.  Was it just a bad game?  I don't think so with him.  

24

If Diaz could vault up from AA why not Povse and Moore?  Love yer East Coast warm weather / short flight concept.  Whether Adam Moore is up to meeting the Indians in his debut...

27

Unless there's a particular RH pitcher you think Dyson owns, but for most purposes he's in basically the same spot at 9 just with 1 less PA.  Heredia, from my perspective, gives pro AB more frequently than everyone we've seen up top prior to this year for a long time.  

29

I knew when I woke up this morning with the post-disaster hangover that if I could just get myself over to SSI, I'd get my dose of optimism to pick me up. Dr. D did not disappoint. Thanks for that.

The Felix loss is more emotional, rather than sabermetric. If we succeed, Felix MUST be a part of it. He deserves it. We deserve it. Though I'd like it, I don't think we'll see Povse/Moore yet. Heston/De Jong/Overton will get the first shot, given 40-man restraints. I do agree there's room for Povse if we jettison Marshall.

Haniger's 6-week haitus has greater potential for disruption and will nag at us, not unlike his oblique. Gamel might be fine, but I'm not yet a Boog believer. Prove me wrong, Boog!

30

They'll give him some stem cells or something and the default is for him to be back before the ASB, as with Smyly.

that's twice you guys said 6 weeks for Haniger.  Is somebody reporting that?

33

...you can quickly change directions, running, swing a bat at full strength, and throw as hard as you can without it grabbing you, basically.  Because if it's only mostly fixed, playing will only make it worse again.  That's why these things take a long time to recover from oftentimes.

34

I'm curious to see if his newfound patience vs. RHP translates to the majors; he's doubled his walk rate and cut his strikeout rate by 50%.  Of course we're talking about 62 PA, so who knows, but Gamel showed extra power in spring training with 8 extra base hits in 62 AB.  So I wonder if the Mariners are pushing Gamel to follow Mitch Haniger's example and become more of a pitch stalker and less of a slap hitter.  

36

Basically flat and around the bottom 1/3 of the league.  The good news is that Adam Eaton is in the same range @ 3.5º and is a reasonable comp for Gamel, but it will be worth tracking to see if he starts to hit at a higher exit angle (Mitch Haniger was sitting at 10.3º between Josh Donaldson and Evan Longoria).  The recently DFA'd Leonys Martin had the lowest launch angle on the team @ 5.2º.

38

One thing he does bring is basically no split difference.  He and Heredia, both, in fact.

And Gamel has a better than good enough glove.

I thought he was a MLB OF'er when we got him, still think so. 

With the lefty on the mound today, we may see Heredia-Segura-Cano-Cruz-Seager-Motter-Valencia-Zunino-Dyson, depending on Seager's hip and how much stock we put in Valencia's homer.

Personally, I would drop Dyson, as I would never start him vs. LHP and Valencia, as I'm giving Vogs a chance to show he's an everyday guy.

Edit:  Lineup is up.  Seager still out.  Motter at 3B and Gamel in RF.  Both Valencia and Dyson starting.

Felix DL'ed for soulder inflammation, Haniger for right oblique strain.

De Jong, Overton and Fien all recalled.  No Moore/Povse.  I'm not in agreement with that. Not at all.

40

And I agree: the Mariners are not putting their best talents on the big-league mound.  Moore and Povse are the better talents, but the Mariners don't want to start their service clocks (I assume).  Alternately, either guy could be called up in a few days as DiPoto keeps the talent rotating back and forth to the minors.

The Giants won some WS by shredding service clocks early and fighting for today instead of tomorrow.  The Ms don't have a LOT of talent in the minors, but what they do have tends to be pretty close to ready.  Bach is up - let's see what else happens in the next week or two.

It's hard to mount a comeback in the standings on the backs of your less-talented players, after all.

42

starting today, even though his other hit was a seeing eye popup.  The HR and pair of walks bought him some rope.

We've got 4 games before Felix' turn, so I'm not sure what the starters mean just yet. 

Fien?  Que?

From the 10th through yesterday Dyson has a .351 OBP with 5 steals.  I don't think he's the problem. 

47

The usual 4 suspects and then TBA.  Here's to Dillon Overton.  Perhaps De Jong waits in the wings for Miranda, who is not nearly as beloved by the M's as he is by several SSI Denizens.

48

Has used up some rope with bad outings.  In the long run I'm behind him but he's 1 bad start away from me thinking someone else would be better now. 

49

As well as Edwin Diaz having some early season troubles, I wonder how much blame is given to high intensity innings in the WBC?  All 3 pitchers personally reported delivering max effort in their outings during.  Meanwhile, a relaxed Gallardo told reporters he was preparing for the Mariners season rather than the WBC. I wonder if the Mariners might be more restrictive of their pitchers joining the WBC after this season.

Add comment

Filtered HTML

  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <blockquote> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd><p><br>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

shout_filter

  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <blockquote> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.