Kuzul

With the team headed to Safeco Field for the home opener against the Cleveland Indians Friday, hopes and expectations were high.

Sure, the M’s had won just two of their first six games. Sure, they had gone into Arlington and gotten their behinds handed to them by the Rangers.

But it was Opening Night, and somehow all was momentarily forgotten. Ichiro and King Felix were set to receive their awards in front of a sold-out crowd.

Local icon and rapper Macklemore performed his hit song, “My Oh My”, a lyrical tribute to the late broadcaster Dave Niehaus.

But boy, did the Mariners flop on Friday night. In what was one of their worst home openers in team history, the Mariners were thrashed by the Indians.

In the fourth inning, everything unraveled for Jason Vargas and the M’s. Five consecutive base hits were knocked off of Vargas, and it took him six batters to record his first out, an RBI sacrifice fly.

After former Mariner Jack Hannahan joined in on the batting practice session and  delivered an RBI single, Vargas’ night was over.

Vargas lasted just 3 1/3 innings as he was tossed around, giving up seven earned runs on nine hits. He struck out only one batter as the same command of his strikeout pitches exhibited against the Athletics was nowhere to be seen.

And the bullpen, one of the most well-rested in all of baseball, was in for a rude awakening. Reliever Tom Wilhemsen could not stop the bleeding, as he surrendered five runs in less than 1 2/3 innings.

But the chief concern for the Mariners tonight was Jason Vargas and his puzzling inconsistency. Vargas was impressive if not brilliant in Safeco Field last year, going 9-6 with a remarkable 2.84 ERA.

But after he followed up his outstanding performance against the A’s with this stinker, doubt has suddenly been cast as to whether or not he can stay as a reliable contributer in the rotation, much less the No. 2 starter.

Ichiro was the only M’s batter to accomplish anything of note, going 2 for 5 with 2 RBI on the night. Justin Smoak went 1 for 3 with a walk, continuing his streak of increased patience at the plate.

The problem with Friday evening’s game went past the 12-3 result that the scoreboard indicated. The M’s offense only generated six hits compared to the Indians’ 17, but it went past that too.

What pained me was the lack of effort and fight in the team, an indictment commonly made against the ’10 Mariners, who seemed to quit when things didn’t go right.

This lack of focus was epitomized by the throwing error and wild pitch made in the same play in the fifth inning, giving away an easy run.

And things certainly aren’t going right as the team falls to 2-5, desperately searching for a win.

But to quit now after a disappointing start would be ludicrous. The Mariners are obviously in dire need of a win, or at least something positive to build off. They’ll need the veteran leadership to step up as well.

But to seemingly toss in the towel as they did against the Indians is something the team cannot stand for. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

I’m not one to get too excited or upset seven games into a 162-game season. So I’m about as ready to jump off the Ben Franklin Bridge after Friday night’s 6-3 loss to the Braves, as I was ready to march down Broad Street after their 11-0 win over the Mets Thursday afternoon.

Cliff Lee had an off night, and the Braves managed two innings of offense for the first time this season. After a shaky start, Tim Hudson settled down and kept the Phils off the scoreboard the rest of the game. 

I prefer to savor the one positive for the Phillies tonight, and that was the work of the bullpen after Lee was forced from the game in the third.

The Braves’ offense went dormant the rest of the game, giving the Phils the chance to get back into it. Antonio Bastardo, in particular, was really sharp in striking out six consecutive batters in his two innings of relief work. 

The Phils’ bullpen will be a source of concern all season and the more quality innings we see early on, the better. If they can manage to build their confidence over the course of the summer, it’ll only make things easier should the Phillies get into the postseason again. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Phil Hughes was born on June 24, 1986 in Mission Viejo, California. A little less than 25 years later, the sorry sack of dog**** went to Boston and gift wrapped the first win of the season for the hated Red Sox, who beat the New York Yankees 9-6.

Everything had been ailing Boston early on this season. They couldn’t pitch. They couldn’t hit. They couldn’t win a single game out of three against the Texas Rangers, and then they couldn’t even manage one win against the awful Cleveland Indians.

The INDIANS!

That’s how bad things were for Boston. But no matter how poorly things are going for you as a team, there is nothing that cures all of baseball’s potential ails like Pathetic Phil Hughes showing up to pitch (for lack of a better term) against your nine.

The Yankees actually gave Pathetic Phil a quick lead, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning on a Robinson Cano double. Red Sox Nation was more than on edge. All of Fenway Park was ready to pounce on their not-as-good-as-advertised team. But there was no need to fear. That’s Pathetic Phil going to the mound for New York.

Hughes allowed a Dustin Pedroia homer in the bottom of the first, drawing the Sox to within a run. But then the Yankees stormed back, grabbing that run right back in the top of the second. Pathetic Phil would have none of that, though. He allowed five runs in the bottom of the second inning and was not allowed to answer the bell for the bottom of the third.

After two starts, Pathetic Phil’s ERA stands at 16.50 and his WHIP at 2.67. The most amazing thing about his year is that he’s only 0-1. Think baseball is fair? Think again.

Check this out.

Pathetic Phil started for the Yankees on Friday afternoon. He lasted only TWO innings while allowing SIX earned runs on SEVEN hits and a pair of walks. He struck out nobody. And for his (complete lack of) effort, Pathetic Phil got a no-decision.

Bartolo Colon followed Pathetic Phil to the mound. He pitched 4.1 innings, allowed only ONE earned run on only TWO hits and one walk while striking out five. It should also be mentioned here that Colon single-handedly saved the Yankees’ bullpen and gave the team a chance to get back in the game. For his effort, Colon gets the loss.

Ridiculous.

Only time will tell if Pathetic Phil is allowed to rape the Yankees any more this season. But we are quickly getting to the point where Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi get the blame if he does. Of course, the Yankees don’t really have any great options.

$200 million doesn’t buy what it used to. Especially when Cashman is the one doing the shopping. But that’s another issue for another day.

Courtesy of Yankees ‘n More

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

If you would have told me that the Cleveland Indians were going to be 4-2 five days ago, I’d have laughed you under the rock you just crawled out of.  I half think that I would have laughed had you said 2-4.  Somehow, the Indians have righted the ship behind solid starting pitching, a rock-solid bullpen, solid play from supposedly un-solid acquisitions, and some great “feel” calls from Manny Acta.

I don’t know if the Cleveland Indians are going to be contenders this year, or even next year.  I don’t know if the starting pitching is going to hold up all season, or head to Seattle and give up 40 runs in three games.  I don’t know if Manny Acta is going to continue making the right calls against the grain, or if by next Friday, the masses will be calling for his job.

What I do know is that Cleveland Indians baseball has been fun to watch, and none more fun than today’s sweeping victory against the struggling Boston Red Sox.

Today, the tipping of the cap starts with Fausto Carmona.  Carmona got beat into submission last weekend against Chicago, and looked a lot like the guy that made us cringe in 2008 and 2009.  No, he didn’t get the win, and he may not even have been the best starter today (Jon Lester struck out nine, giving up three hits and three walks in seven scoreless innings), but he was his old viscous self.

Carmona pummeled the strike zone with his dancing sinker, and the Red Sox couldn’t do a thing with it.  Carmona gave up two hits, singles by Jacoby Ellsbury and Marco Scutaro in the third and fifth respectively.  He walked only two batters, and struck out four in his seven scoreless innings.  He threw 18 first pitch strikes to his 25 batters, and induced 9 ground balls.  He wasn’t quite dominant, but pretty darn close.  If this is the Carmona we get for the rest of the season, I’ll take it in a heartbeat.

Enter the bullpen.  Chad Durbin came in the game, and likely continued his path out of Cleveland, giving up a single and a walk after getting his only out.  Enter Rafael Perez, who was brought in to face Carl Crawford with runners on first and second, and one out.  Perez induced Crawford into a weak grounder to third in which Brooks Robinson…er…Adam Everett fielded cleanly charging in, and nailed Crawford for the second out.  The runners advanced, and all hope was surely lost…right?

Surely, Perez would purposely walk Dustin Pedroia to load the bases with first open, and newly acquired Adrian Gonzalez would jack one out of the park.  That’s when crazy happened.  Manny Acta let Raffy pitch to Pedroia?!  A cruddy chopper to…you guessed it…Raffy, and the inning was over, and all was right with the world.  Of course, it was still 0-0, but the Indians miraculously made it through an inning with two runners in scoring position.

Adam Everett led off the bottom half of the eighth with a walk.  With Orlando Cabrera squaring up to bunt, Everett stole second.  Cabrera then did bunt, and Everett moved to third.  The funny thing is I actually laughed thinking…wouldn’t it be funny if they bunted again, and scored on a suicide squeeze? 

Up came Asdrubal Cabrera, and sure enough, down came the bunt, and sure enough, Everett scored the first and only run of the game.  Back-to-back big games for A-Cab…from a three-run jack, to a one-run sac.  After the three seasons we’ve had, it felt like the world series again.

In came Chris Perez to face off against the meat of the Red Sox order, and more hilarity ensued.  Perez retired Gonzalez and Youkilis with ground balls, but of course, it’s never really over, is it?  David Ortiz drew a walk, and up came J.D. Drew.  Drew hit a high-chopper to Everett, who looked at first, didn’t have the play…then pulled up, looking for an out at second base. 

Sure enough, pinch runner Darnell McDonald flew around second as though he were going to try and score, and there was Everett waiting for it.  A quick throw to Cabrera, a close play at second, and the final out of the game.

In all honesty, it seemed like some sort of wacky episode of The Twilight Zone, but either way, the Indians get the win.  Is it hustle?  Is it luck?  Is it just fine play?  Is it all of the above?  I don’t know, but whatever it is, it sure is fun to watch.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Shin-Soo Choo got his swing back in the first inning—he rocked a two run homer scoring Michael Brantley. Travis Hafner did a great job of getting pitches out of Daisuke Matsuzaka.  After nines pitches, Prunk took the walk. Orlanda Cabrera was hit by a pitch, but the Indians couldn’t make anymore out of the first inning leaving two runners on.

During the very next at bat, Boston answered back. David Ortiz singled to center followed by a single to left from J.D Drew. Jason Varitek walked to load the bases. Marco Scutaro scored Ortiz off an infield fly. Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to first scoring Drew.

The Indians didn’t let the Red Sox keep the tie for long. In the bottom of the second, Matt LaPorta singled to center. Brantley took the walk and Asdrubal Cabrera singled into center to score LaPorta.

Neither team would score again until the sixth. Dennys Reyes relied Matsuzaka which was shortly proved to be a bad decision. Buck and LaPorta were both hit by a pitch, then Jack Hannahan was walked to load the bases. Dan Wheeler then came in to relied Reyes. Brantley made it to first on a fielder’s choice to third with LaPorta out at third. Travis Buck scored. With two runners on, A. Cabrera homered to right scoring Hannahan and Brantley.

In the top of the seventh, Carol Crawford singled to shortstop, followed by a home run by Adrian Gonzalez. The game was 4-7 going into the eighth. With nobody on, LaPorta homered to left to tally another run. The Tribe won it 8-4.

On the mound for the Tribe, Mitch Talbot started off the game allowing two earned runs and striking outs seven. Talbot pitched 4.1 innings before Chad Durbin came in to strike out one. After just one batter, Rafael Perez relived Durbin, pitching 1.1 innings striking out two. Frank Hermann then made an appearance striking out one but allowed two runs. Collectively, the Indians stuck out 11 batters.

Matsuzaka started off the game for the Red Sox striking out two and allowing three runs in the first five innings. Reyes came in the fifth also allowing three runs. Reyes was pulled that same and relieved by Wheeler who allowed one run. Tim Wakefield closed out the game, striking out two and allowing one run.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Daisuke Matsuzaka hasn’t won a game for the Boston Red Sox in a long time.

In his first start of the 2011 season, the Red Sox were defeated Wednesday night by the Cleveland Indians, 8-4. Matsuzaka pitched five innings, giving up six hits and three earned runs.

His last winning start was on September 2, 2010, against the Baltimore Orioles.

Matsuzaka’s struggles are consistent with those of his team, as the Red Sox are winless in their first five games of the 2011 season.

Coming into the 2011 season the Red Sox made headlines with the signings of Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez. It was suggested the team would’ve made the postseason last year if not for the multitude of injuries they suffered.

Boston’s lineup looked poised to make a deep run into the postseason this season, and the Red Sox were considered the favorites by many to win the AL East and the World Series.

Rosters don’t win baseball games.

Carl Crawford isn’t quite living up to his $142 million contract. He has a miserable .211 batting average and six strikeouts. He has attributed his hitting slump to a lack of timing and plans to get in the batting cage to work it out.  

The Red Sox have had a disastrous start, losing all five games so far this season, but Adrian Gonzalez has been worth the money. He’s batting .350 and slugging .600 with five RBI.

Gonzalez hit his first home run of the season against the Indians, but it wasn’t enough for Boston to get their first win.

The bullpen couldn’t keep the game within reach.

Matsuzaka left the game with the Red Sox trailing 3-2. Dennys Reyes and Dan Wheeler gave the game away in their relief appearances.

Reyes had a 16.20 ERA allowing three earned runs on only 12 pitches. Wheeler made it a full inning before being pulled with an 11.64 ERA after giving up a sixth inning home run to Asdrubal Cabrera.

The season is far from over, and Boston has plenty of time to rebound from their early struggles. Although it is still possible for them to win the AL East and eventually win the World Series, it isn’t probable.

No team has started a season 0-5 and went on to win a World Series.

If the Red Sox don’t win a game soon, it may be worth it to have Gonzalez come out of the bullpen.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Cubs pulled off two miraculous comebacks in the first two games against the Diamondbacks.

That wasn’t the case in Wednesday’s matchup.

As amazing as the comebacks for the Cubbies were, they were still fighting from behind.

In all three games of this series, and pretty much this season so far, the Cubs dug themselves a hole that they then had to climb out of. It skewers the comebacks and creates an illusion.

It creates the illusion that the Cubs are a great “come-from-behind” team when, in reality, they’re the same old Cubs.

Starter Ryan Dempster went seven innings, but gave up five runs in the process. He gave Arizona the lead first and then gave them the lead back in the fifth when the D-Backs had a three run inning.

“I made a lot of good pitches today,” Dempster said.

“For the most part, I like the way I was throwing the ball.”

“Dumpster” Dempster struck out six and walked no one, which is impressive. But it was the five runs (four earned) he gave up that was vomit-inducing.

All of his numbers should have pointed to a win: His strikeouts, no walks, and the fact that he threw 23 first pitch strikes to the 30 batters he faced. Dempster falls to 0-2, and his ERA is now an uncomfortably high 6.59.

The bright spot of the Cubs’ day—aside from Stacey King “singing” his version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”—was the fact that the bats stayed alive for another straight day.

Alfonso Soriano was the particularly vivid shining spot, hitting yet another home run in the seventh inning. It was a solo shot, and it was quickly canceled out by a Miguel Montero solo shot, but it didn’t change the fact that Soriano has shown signs of life.

He’s hitting .273 with three home runs and five RBIs.

But in his last seven, another aging Cub (whom many people predict is on his last leg), Aramis Ramirez, also homered Wednesday.

Ramirez’s homer was a two run shot that, at the time, tied the game. Marlon Byrd, who has developed into a fan favorite, scored on the shot. Byrd is another Cubs hitter who is showing signs of life, as he’s hitting .308 with just one RBI—but he’s also scored four times.

Byrd returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday’s game with a stiff back.  

The loss drops the Cubs back to .500, which is one of history’s age old battles.

It seems that three things are certain in life: the sun will rise, we all will die, and the Cubs will forever battle the .500 line.

They will attempt to avoid slipping under that line as they travel to Milwaukee to face off against the Brewers after Thursday’s day off to travel.

Next Three Up:

Fri. –  at MIL (Zambrano, 0-0 vs. Wolf, 0-1)

Sat. – at MIL (Garza, 0-0 vs. Narveson, 0-0)

Sun. – at MIL (Coleman, 0-0 vs. Gallardo, 0-0)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Cubs pulled off two miraculous comebacks in the first two games against the Diamondbacks.

That wasn’t the case in Wednesday’s matchup.

As amazing as the comebacks for the Cubbies were, they were still fighting from behind. In all three games of this series, and pretty much this season so far, the Cubs will dig themselves a hole they have to climb out of.

It skewers the comebacks and creates an illusion; it creates the illusion that the Cubs are this come-from-behind team, when in reality they’re the same old Cubs.

Starter Ryan Dempster went seven innings, but gave up five runs in the process. He gave Arizona the lead first and then gave them the lead back in the fifth when the D-Backs had a three run inning.

“I made a lot of good pitches today,” Dempster said. “For the most part, I like the way I was throwing the ball.”

“Dumpster” Dempster struck out six and walked no one, which is impressive, but it was the five runs (four earned) he gave up that was vomit-inducing. All of his numbers should have pointed to a win.

His strikeouts, no walks and the fact he threw 23 first pitch strikes to the 30 batters he faced. Dempster falls to 0-2 and his ERA is now an uncomfortably high 6.59.

The bright spot of the Cubs day, besides Stacey King ‘singing’ his version of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” was the fact the bats stayed alive for another straight day.

Alfonso Soriano was the particularly vivid shining spot, hitting yet another home run in the seventh inning. It was a solo shot and it was quickly canceled out by a Miguel Montero solo shot, but it didn’t change the fact Soriano has shown signs of life.

He’s hitting .273 with three home runs and five RBI.

Another ageing Cub who many people predict is on his last leg, Aramis Ramirez, also homered Wednesday. Ramirez’s homer was a two run shot that at the time, tied the game.

Marlon Byrd, who has developed into a fan favorite, scored on the shot. Byrd is another Cubs hitter who is showing signs of life as he’s hitting .308 with just one RBI, but he’s scored four times.

Byrd returned to the lineup after missing Tuesday’s game with a stiff back.

The loss drops the Cubs back to .500, which is one of human history’s age old battles.

It seems that three things are certain in life: The sun will rise, we all will die and the Cubs will forever battle the .500 line.

They will attempt to avoid slipping under that line as they travel to Milwaukee to face off against the Brewers after a day off Thursday to travel.  

Next 3 Up:

Friday – @MIL (Zambrano, 0-0 vs. Wolf, 0-1)

Saturday – @MIL (Garza, 0-0 vs. Narveson, 0-0)

Sunday @MIL (Coleman, 0-0 vs. Gallardo, 0-0)

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The White Sox made a quick pit stop in Kansas City this week for a two game series with the Royals before returning home Thursday for their home opener with the Tampa Bay Rays, and once again the bats carried spotty pitching and poor defense to a series split.

The Sox lost the opening game of the series in 12 innings after scoring four runs in the first and taking a 6-4 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning. The White Sox were able to muscle out 11 hits in the game, but lost 6-7 on a Melky Cabrera RBI single in the bottom of the 12th that scored former White Sock Chris Getz.

In the second game of the series the White Sox struggled in the early going, trailing by a score of 5-0 going into the seventh, when a Ramon Castro solo home run sparked an onslaught. The Sox followed up two runs in the seventh by scoring one in the eighth and four in the ninth, before winning the game with three runs in the top of the 12th.

Rookie third baseman Brent Morel notched the game-winning hit when he rifled a single down the right field line to plate two runners and give the White Sox a 9-7 lead. They went on to win by a score of 10-7.

Carlos Quentin, who was the AL Player of the Week after his performance in Cleveland, continued his torrid pace in the series going 5 for 11 with a home run and three RBI. Quentin is now hitting .500 on the season with a couple of homers and 10 RBI.

Unfortunately the White Sox pitching woes continued in Kansas City, as well. White Sox starters Gavin Floyd and Mark Buehrle combined to give up nine runs in 12 innings, and the White Sox bullpen continued to struggle as well.

The ‘pen blew a two-run eighth inning lead in game one, and Sox closer Matt Thornton blew a save in game two, forcing the White Sox into extra innings for a second consecutive day.

However, the Sox pitching struggles aren’t the only cause for concern on the South Side. White Sox DH Adam Dunn had to undergo an emergency appendectomy on Tuesday night. It’s suspected that the slugger will miss as many as five days recovering, although Sox manager Ozzie Guillen claims that Dunn said he would be willing to play as soon as tomorrow.

The Chicago White Sox will begin their first home series of the season tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Rays.  The White Sox scheduled starters for the four game series will be Edwin Jackson, John Danks, Phil Humber, and Gavin Floyd.

This article was originally posted at http://letstalkwhitesox.com/articles/white-sox-bats-salvage-a-series-split-in-kansas-city.

Ryan Wooden is a columnist for http://www.knoxvegasvols.com/ and the editor of http://letstalkwhitesox.com/. You can follow him on twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/ryan_wooden. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Mariners sent Michael Pineda, their rookie right-hander, to the mound and got all they had hoped for from the young horse.

Unfortunately, as has become all too common, they didn’t get what they wanted from their offense.

Pineda looked sharp early, sitting in the mid-90’s with his fastball, occasionally reaching 97.

In the first inning, it almost looked too easy for Pineda as he retired Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus and reigning AL MVP Josh Hamilton in order with Kinsler and Hamilton going down via strikeout.

Things got a little dicey in the second as the Rangers got on the board with Nelson Cruz scoring on a Mitch Moreland triple that center fielder Michael Saunders misjudged. Saunders scaled the wall preparing to snare a home run ball back, only to see the ball ping off the wall as he twisted and turned.

The damage was limited to that one run, though, as Pineda kept the Mariners stagnant offense in the game as he cruised through the fifth inning with his pitch count only reaching 59 pitches.

In the sixth inning, Pineda started to run out of gas despite the low pitch count. He began to miss spots by wide margins, leaving balls up with catcher Miguel Olivo spotting his glove low.

In that frame, Kinsler lead off with a single to left that grazed the top of a jumping Jack Wilson’s glove. After Elvis Andrus moved Kinsler over to second with a sacrifice bunt, Hamilton drove him in with a double. Two batters later, Michael Young drove a double of his own to score Hamilton to push the score to 3-0.

The bleeding finally stopped after a Nelson Cruz flyout that would end up being Pineda’s final pitch of the night.

Rangers starter Alexi Ogando also exited the game after six innings due to a blister on his pitching hand, which opened the door for a potential Mariners comeback.

With former Mariner Mark Lowe on the mound for Texas, the Mariners were finally able to get something going offensively in the seventh inning. Miguel Olivo and Adam Kennedy reached base, followed by back-to-back RBI singles from Jack Wilson and Michael Saunders that put the Mariners in position to get Pineda off the hook.

Ichiro reached base on an error by Kinsler at second base, loading the bases with one out. However, a sharp lineout by Chone Figgins and a flyout by Milton Bradley ended the rally.

The final six batters of the game for the Mariners were retired in order, securing a tough loss for Pineda in his big league debut.

Pineda did face a heavily right-handed Rangers lineup he could succeed against. However, when the Texas bats struck, they struck for extra base hits with men on base.

If you’re the Mariners, you have to be pleased with this performance, though.

While there are many out there who thought Pineda’s secondary stuff needed more seasoning in the minors, the rookie looked like a grizzled veteran fighting for six mostly strong innings.

Michael Pineda clearly belongs.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com