Tag: Game Recap

Brett Myers: Why Yesterday’s Quality Start Shows Signs of Upcoming Trouble

By all accounts Brett Myers pitched a strong seven innings for the Astros during yesterday’s disappointing loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Myers threw a quality start, pitching seven innings and allowing two earned runs on three hits, three walks and no strikeouts. However, a closer look at yesterday’s box score, radar gun and pitch/FX data show that Myers’ stuff may have regressed. 

Myers threw 85 pitches during his seven innings and recorded one swing and miss the entire game on a 88 mph fastball to Ben Francisco during the seventh inning. Myers does not throw a dominant fastball, but the fact he could not get a one single swing and miss on a slider or curveball is troublesome. Last season, Myers recorded a swinging strike percentage of 8.6. Yesterday’s total was 2.2 percent.   

Both his slider and curveball were instrumental to his success in 2010. The pitch/FX data indicates that both pitches had approximately two inches less horizontal break. He threw 18 total sliders (one hit for a double) and 13 total curveballs (one hit) without one swing and miss. However, Myers had good command of his slider, 66 percent were strikes, but he could only get his curveball over 30 percent of the time.  

Myers’ fastball was noticeably below average during yesterday’s start. He averaged 87.1 mph on a combination of fastballs, a number down more than two mph from last season (89.3 mph). Along with the velocity troubles, Myers struggled to locate the pitch, only getting them over for a strike at a 44 percent rate. Myers threw his changeup with more velocity during yesterday’s game (82.9 mph) than his 2010 average (82.5 mph). The lack of differential between the pitches causes some concern. 

It is one start in April, and some of my detractors might argue that he still provided a quality start, but anyone who witnessed the performance knows that Myers got away with some poor pitches. Citizens Bank Park or Minute Maid Park won’t be so forgiving in the summer months.   

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Boston Red Sox: How Opening Day Loss to Texas Proved They Can’t Win World Series

The Boston Red Sox won the offseason, adding Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler to a team that was already capable of making a playoff run.

On Opening Day in Arlington, facing the defending American League champion Texas Rangers, all the attention was on the new faces in the lineup and bullpen. However, after falling to a 9-5 defeat, the blame fell squarely on two players who have been in Boston for years: Jon Lester and Daniel Bard.

Lester had a terrible outing in his first Opening Day start. He went just 5.1 innings and allowed five runs on six hits, including a career-high three home runs. Ian Kinsler led off the first with a no-doubter to left; Nelson Cruz (solo) and Mike Napoli (three-run HR) followed suit in the second and fourth, respectively.

Perhaps the most startling statistic in Lester’s pitching line was the zero in the K column. The AL leader in K/9 last season, it was only the second time in his career he had failed to strike out a batter.

When the perennial Cy Young candidate departed, the Sox trailed 5-4. Lester may have struggled, but the offense was very promising. Adrian Gonzalez had a brace of RBI singles, and Jacoby Ellsbury was electric in the leadoff spot, reaching base four times.

It got better in the top of the eighth. If there are three things we know about David Ortiz, they are these: he cannot hit lefties, he does not go the other way and he gets off to very slow starts.

So when he took Darren Oliver deep to left center, it was not only surprising, it was reassuring. Big Papi still has it.

His long ball knotted the game at five, and with Daniel Bard coming out of the pen, the Red Sox had reason to feel optimistic. Then their hopes—and Bard—fell to pieces.

The young righty had possibly the worst outing of his career. He walked Napoli, gave up a single to Yorvit Torrealba and then David Murphy laced a pinch-hit double off the foul line. Elvis Andrus and Josh Hamilton added RBI doubles of their own and Bard was pulled for Tim Wakefield.

Two-thirds of an inning, four hits, one walk, four runs, game over.

Boston could not recover in the ninth as Texas closer Neftali Feliz needed just 12 pitches to shut the door on the preseason AL favourites.

It is not time to panic just yet. There were a few good things to take from the game, but the most important was the reminder that you cannot win the Fall Classic in Winter.

If the Sox are to win an eighth world title, they need their ace to pitch like he can, especially with question marks surrounding John Lackey, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Bard was the one sure thing about the relief corps entering the season, so Boston cannot afford to have any doubts about giving him the ball.

There are 161 regular season games remaining. Can the Red Sox win the World Series? Absolutely. Will they? With performances like that, it is doubtful.

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MLB: Jeremy Guthrie, Baltimore Orioles Show the Tampa Bay Rays Up on Opening Day

Baltimore Oriole Jeremy Guthrie showed up to play Friday night at Tropicana Field and he pitched like the first-round draft pick he is.

Prior to the 2007 season that featured CC Sabathia’s last run at a World Series ring in Cleveland, Guthrie was claimed off waivers from the Indians.

He has spent the better part of his career in relative obscurity on a bad team in a division dominated by powerhouses.

But, the potential has always been there. It was visible last year when he posted a 2.76 ERA after the break and it was certainly on display last night.

His high strikeout rate was solid—six Ks in eight IP—and Guthrie looked like a true ace.

Upon his exit, the fans at the Trop were treated to their Opening Day moment courtesy of Ben Zobrist’s solo shot. The crowd, which had been quiet most of the night, showed what a healthy fan base can sound like in Tampa.

Immediately following Zobrist’s homer, they were reminded how lopsided the night had been, as Johnny Damon, Evan Longoria and Manny Ramirez went down in order.

Certainly, it’s easy to say the offense was terrible. Besides Zobrist, the team went 2-for-26. They had trouble making solid contact with Guthrie’s pitches, producing a meager .142 BABIP despite his 36 percent ground-ball rate.

The story of the Rays offensive performance Friday was that of an unprepared team running into a pitcher in midseason form. It is safe to assume that eventually the hits will come.

Of more concern for Rays fans is the atrocious defense, particularly from Damon. His apparent difficulty getting to fly balls and his Johnny-Being-Johnny warning track flip showed his age.

His youthful speed was imploded within Yankee Stadium, and he would be better suited at first base. There, he represents an offensive upgrade over Dan Johnson and his defensive impact is minimized. 

It is time to let Desmond Jennings’ quick feet get a chance to heal the Carl Crawford-sized wound out by the party deck in left field.

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Felix Hernandez in Midseason Form as Seattle Mariners Dominate in Season Opener

Everything looked a bit different on Opening Day today as I watched the Mariners after six months of waiting. Maybe it was because of the new ROOT Sports look instead of FSN. Maybe it was all the changes the M’s had made to their team in the offseason.

Maybe it was the fact that we were missing Dave Niehaus and his sweet, sweet voice…I found my eyes misty as I watched the pre-game Opening Day introduction narrated by Niehaus.

Or maybe it was that the Mariners actually had some offense tonight (too soon?). Regardless, there were some positive signs to build from after tonight’s ball game.

The M’s stranded several runners early on, but showed great patience at the plate.

Oakland A’s starter Trevor Cahill lasted just 4 2/3 innings, throwing a whopping 105 pitches, as the Mariners hitters forced the ace to exit early and then capitalized on the weak bullpen.

“[Eric Wedge] was in the dugout telling us, ‘We’re knocking on the door. Keep going, keep grinding,’ ” Mariners DH Jack Cust said.

Chone Figgins showed a rare flash of power as he cranked a solo shot off reliever Craig Breslow in the sixth inning, putting the M’s ahead and matching his entire season home run total from last year.

After a Cust walk and a Justin Smoak double in the seventh, Oakland’s defensive play melted down and allowed the Mariners to score three easy runs to widen the lead to 6-2.

M’s batters walked a combined seven times, demonstrating outstanding patience and an ability to put up runs and make King Felix’s night much easier.

Speaking of Felix Hernandez (or should I say ‘Larry Bernandez’?), the ace picked up right where he left off after his Cy Young-winning campaign last season.

After an understandably shaky first inning in which he gave up a two-run shot to Josh Willingham, Felix settled down and retired 24 of the next 27 batters.

Felix was dominant, allowing just five hits in all nine innings of work. He had ‘just’ five strikeouts, but got 15 ground-ball outs as he forced the A’s into submission.

“If you talk about Opening Day, you can’t ask for much more than that,” Wedge said of Felix’s performance.

Overall, the offense showed the potential for productivity. Ichiro did what he needed to by getting on base and stealing his way into scoring position. Smoak showed some pop as he belted a double to initiate the three-run seventh inning.

Miguel Olivo contributed well to the offense, going 2 for 5 with an RBI and showing that maybe the catcher position won’t be the black hole offensively that it was last season.

On Saturday, the A’s and M’s square off again as Jason Vargas faces Brett Anderson at 6:05 PT.

Notes:

Ichiro is one hit shy of tying Edgar Martinez’s franchise record of 2,247 hits.

Felix Hernandez was the first Mariner to throw a complete game on Opening Day.

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Brandon Belt’s Homer Cannot Overcome San Francisco Giants Errors in Loss

Some things went right on Friday night. Others went wrong.

The Giants were able to muster more than one run and hold a lead only to have errors and questionable pitching moves undo them in the sixth inning.

Some questions were answered, but others have been raised.

 

Brandon Belt has arrived

Brandon Belt hit his first career home run against Chad Billingsley. On top of that, his three-run homer gave the Giants a 3-1 lead.

He took two very good pitches from Billingsley to work the count to 2-0.

Belt has showed maturity beyond his years and, despite only being two games in, Belt looks like the real deal.

 

Where is the defense?

The Giants defense has handed their starting pitchers two losses in two nights. Five errors in two games is not the way any successful team should play.

This is not the type of team that can afford to give runs away.

What concerns me is whether this is becoming a trend or is just early-season jitters.

 

Pablo’s bat comes alive

During his first at-bat of the night, Pablo Sandoval swung at three curveballs in the dirt, resulting in a strikeout.

Sandoval finished the night 2-for-4 and had better control of his at-bats.

 

Jonathan Sanchez remains nasty

There were some questions about Jonathan Sanchez and how he could rebound from his final two playoff appearances.

Would he be tired? Could he keep his control both mentally and physically?

Well, Sanchez had control of all of his pitches Friday night and kept the Dodgers‘ batters off balance.

In his 5.2 innings, he struck out eight while allowing four runs—two earned. His three walks were spread throughout his start.

He seemed poised and confident in his first start of the season.

 

Other notes

Miguel Tejada got his first hit as a Giant, but it came as a bunt single that nobody could have predicted.

This is not a good sign. He has not had very good at-bats and it has resulted in his 1-for-8 start.

The bullpen has not been very impressive. Guillermo Mota and Santiago Casilla have allowed runs to score on their watch.

But, once again, it is still very early.

 

Follow me on Twitter: @FarmboySports

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Felix Hernandez in Midseason Form as Seattle Mariners Dominate in Season Opener

Everything looked a bit different on Opening Day as I watched the Mariners after six months of waiting. Maybe it was because of the new ROOT Sports look instead of FSN. Maybe it was all the changes the M’s had made to their team in the offseason.

Maybe it was the fact that we were missing Dave Niehaus and his sweet, sweet voice—I found my eyes misty as I watched the pre-game Opening Day introduction narrated by Niehaus.

Or maybe it was that the Mariners actually had some offense. (Too soon?) Regardless, there were some positive signs to build off of after Friday night’s ball game.

The M’s stranded several runners early on, but showed great patience at the plate. Oakland A’s starter Trevor Cahill lasted just 4.2 innings, throwing a whopping 105 pitches as the Mariners hitters forced the ace to exit early and proceeded to capitalize on the weak bullpen.

“[Eric Wedge] was in the dugout telling us, ‘We’re knocking on the door. Keep going, keep grinding,'” Mariners DH Jack Cust told the Seattle Times.

Chone Figgins showed a rare flash of power as he cranked a solo shot off of reliever Craig Breslow in the sixth inning, putting the M’s ahead and matching his home run total last year.

After a Jack Cust walk and a Justin Smoak double in the seventh, Oakland’s defensive play melted down and allowed the Mariners to capitalize with three easy runs to widen the lead to 6-2.

On the night, M’s batters walked a combined seven times, demonstrating outstanding patience and an ability to put up runs and make King Felix’s night much easier.

Speaking of Felix Hernandez (or should I say “Larry Bernandez”), the ace picked up right where he left of after his Cy Young-winning campaign last season. After an understandably shaky first inning in which he gave up a two-run shot to Josh Willingham, Felix settled down and proceeded to retire 24 of the next 27 batters.

On the night, he was dominant, allowing just five hits in all nine innings of work. He had just five strikeouts, but got 15 ground-ball outs as he forced the A’s into submission.

“If you talk about Opening Day, you can’t ask for much more than that,” Wedge told the Associated Press.

Overall, the offense showed indications of potential for productivity. Ichiro did what he needed to by getting on base and stealing his way to scoring position. Justin Smoak showed some pop, as he belted a double in the seventh inning to initiate a three-run inning.

Miguel Olivo contributed well to the offense, going 2-for-5 with an RBI and showing that maybe the catcher position won’t be the black hole offensively that it was last season.

On Saturday, the A’s and M’s square off again as Jason Vargas faces against Brett Anderson at 6:05 PT.

 

Notes

Ichiro is one hit shy of tying Edgar Martinez’s franchise record of 2,247 hits.

Felix Hernandez was the first Mariner to throw a complete game on Opening Day.

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Minnesota Twins vs Toronto Blue Jays: Woeful Twins Rocked on Opening Day

Don’t hand the Twins the AL Central title just yet. The kinks made themselves visible Friday on Opening Day for the Twins.

The Twins ace, the man who is supposed to be the rock in the Twins rotation, got mauled in the first inning for four runs. Carl Pavano only lasted four innings and ended up allowing eight runs, seven of which were earned. But the beatdown didn’t end there.

The Twins basically got out-hit, out-pitched, out-everythinged.

Minnesota batters mustered up just eight hits and three runs to the Jays hitters who pounded the Twins meek pitching staff for 12 hits and 13 runs.

Blue Jays pitcher Rickey Romano silenced Twins bats, ending his first night of the year in impressive fashion, boasting an ERA of just 1.42 and fanning seven Twins batters.

Speaking of Twins batters, Justin Morneau made his return to the lineup and his performance was merely worthy of a footnote on the highlight reels. Morneau was silent in his first game back since sustaining a concussion in Toronto nearly nine months ago, going 0-for-4 on the night.

“Spring training was about how I felt. Hopefully we’re past that and now it just matters if we win or lose,” Morneau said.

But the bats weren’t the only thing to fault in the loss, the pitching of the Twins really let the club down. After Pavano went just four innings, the Twins cycled through a pitcher an inning, with inning-long appearances by Jeff Manship, Glenn Perkins, Kevin Slowey and Dusty Hughes respectively.

The best nights of relief were had by Perkins and Slowey, two guys who have starting pitching potential. Both didn’t allow a run and allowed only one hit each. That about summed up the bright spots of the Twins’ Opening Day bout.

The home runs were very present, just on the wrong side of the ball for Twins fans. The Jays cranked four homers Friday. It was the J.P. Arencibia show with the Jays’ young budding superstar going 3-for-4 with two homers and five RBI.

Those are stats the Twins wish they could have come close to matching.

“We didn’t follow the plan very well pitching,” Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. “They swing the bats and, if you keep throwing the ball out over the plate, they’re going to kill you. We didn’t do a very good job of that tonight. We didn’t play good defense. It was just a bad night all the way around.”

Tsuyoshi Nishioka was less than stellar in his season debut for the Twins, going just 1-for-4 and even committing an error. The bright side on him, though, is that he does look comfortable in his new environment with the Twins and should settle into the lineup nicely.

The first loss can be attributed to jitters, but the Twins honestly looked no different than where they left off last year in New York. They were sloppy, didn’t seem in sync and the pitching was putrid. The go-to ace man failed miserably and the bats that were supposed to be powerful this year were whimsical. 

The fear that Morneau won’t be himself were confirmed. It is very evident that he will have to shake off a considerable amount of rust before he is the Home Run Derby champion he was prior to the concussion.

The pitching staff may need some more time to stabilize, but that’s not new news. The fear is that the Twins will get off to a slow start and will be forced to make a trade to acquire pitching, and this means dealing Liriano.

That’s a worst-case scenario for the Twins, but the first game out of the gates didn’t do much to calm those fears.

It’s safe to say the Twins’ first few games will be chaotic.

Then again, the Twins have never been fast starters. If there is one thing they are known for it’s late season surges where the written off Twins powerhouse the the front of the Central and steal away the title from a White Sox or Tigers team that has been there the whole second half.

So perhaps all the first day jitters and panic attacks are for naught.

However, the fact the Twins gave up 13 runs and the White Sox scored 15 isn’t comforting. Then again, the fact the Sox did give up 10 to the Indians is.

But if there is another thing the Twins are known for, it’s raising the blood pressure of their fans.

So Twins fans, bust out the blood pressure machines, it’s going to be a long 161-game haul ahead.


Next Three Up

Saturday: at Toronto (Liriano vs. Drabek)

Sunday: at Toronto (Blackburn vs. Cecil)

Monday: at New York Yankees (Baker vs. Nova)

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Poor Defense and Pitching Cost Oakland Athletics in Opening Day Loss to Mariners

The offseason buildup and hype surrounding the 2011 Athletics mostly centered on the improved offense that would support the teams solid pitching and defense.

Thankfully, the baseball season consists of 162 games, because after the Opening Day loss to the Seattle Mariners, that offseason assessment of this team took a major hit.

Newly-acquired Josh Willingham got the Athletics on the board first with his two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning with two outs. Coco Crisp, who singled to open the inning, scored on Willingham’s two-out blast. Unfortunately for the A’s, that would be the final positive for their offense against Felix Hernandez.

Hernandez only allowed three additional hits after Willingham’s home run, along the way to striking out five Athletics.

For the A’s, Trevor Cahill had a respectable performance as he worked his way out of two bases-loaded situations. Cahill struck out eight Mariners through 4.2 innings. Cahill’s only run allowed came in the top of the third inning.

Ichiro Suzuki and Chone Figgins both singled, followed by a walk to Milton Bradley to load the bases. Former Athletic, Jack Cust, then walked to force in the only run Cahill would allow.

The Athletics bullpen, which has been hyped as one of the best in baseball, had an off-night in relief of Cahill. Jerry Blevins lasted only 0.2 innings and allowed a run. Craig Breslow entered in relief of Blevins and allowed three runs in 0.2 innings, including a home run to left field by Figgins.

The Athletics defense also failed them on Opening Night. The A’s committed five errors in their first game of 2011. Kevin Kouzmanoff made errors on back-to-back plays in the top of the fourth inning (the first two-error game of his career). Daric Barton, Brad Ziegler and Cliff Pennington each had one error as well.

“Just a poor night all the way around. Too many walks, too many errors,” manager Bob Geren said in his post-game media interview (as seen on CSNBayArea). “You’re not going to see that from this club very often. That’s not the recipe that we need to win.”

Felix Hernandez cruised through his outing. The only blemish on his night was the first-inning home run. Hernandez briefly found himself in trouble in the bottom of the eighth inning after hits to Landon Powell and Mark Ellis.

Hernandez would get Kouzmanoff to ground out to third. Ryan Sweeney, pinch hitting for Cliff Pennington, would then ground into a double play to bail out King Felix.

Hernandez would return to pitch the ninth inning and finish his Opening Day complete game, the 14th of his career, as he looks to carry over his Cy Young performance from 2010 into the new season.

The A’s and Mariners will play the second game of their three-game opening series tomorrow evening at 6:05 p.m. Brett Anderson will start for the Athletics on Saturday night.

 

Notes

  • Willingham’s home run made him the 10th player in club history to homer in his first at-bat as an Oakland Athletic. The most recent player to accomplish this feat was Frank Thomas in 2010.
  • Cahill’s eight strikeouts are the most by an A’s pitcher on Opening Day since Mark Mulder in 2002 (also eight strikeouts).
  • Kurt Suzuki was injured in a collision at the plate with Seattle’s Miguel Olivo. Olivo landed on Suzuki’s left ankle. Suzuki stayed in the game to finish the inning, but was replaced in the bottom half of the inning by backup catcher Landon Powell. Following the game, Geren said Suzuki’s injury is currently classified as a sprained ankle, and that he will be listed as day-to-day and reevaluated tomorrow.
Seattle AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
Suzuki, I, RF  4 1 2 1 1 0 4 .500
Figgins, 3B  5 1 2 1 0 2 4 .400
Bradley, LF  4 0 0 0 1 2 2 .000
Cust, DH  2 1 0 1 3 1 1 .000
Smoak, 1B  4 1 1 0 1 2 4 .250
Olivo, C  5 1 2 1 0 2 1 .400
Langerhans, CF  4 0 0 0 0 3 4 .000
Ryan, B, SS  3 1 0 1 1 0 1 .000
Wilson, J C  3 0 1 0 0 1 1 .333
                 
Oakland AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
Crisp, CF  3 1 1 0 0 0 0 .333
Barton, 1B  3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
DeJesus, RF  3 0 1 0 0 0 1 .333
Willingham, LF  3 1 1 2 0 1 1 .333
Matsui, DH  3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
Suzuki, K, C  2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
  – Powell, L, C  1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.000
Ellis, 2B  3 0 1 0 0 1 0 .333
Kouzmanoff, 3B  3 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000
Pennington, SS  2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
  – Sweeney, PH  1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000
  – LaRoche, SS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
                 
Seattle IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Hernandez, F (W, 1-0)  9.0  5 2 2  0  5 1  2.00
                 
Oakland IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Cahill, T  4.2 3 1 1 4 8 0 1.93
Blevins, J 0.2 0 1 1 1 1 0 13.50
Breslow, C (BS, 1) (L, 0-1) 0.2 3 3 3 1 1 1 40.50
Ziegler, B 0.1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0.00
Cramer, B  1.2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0.00
Wuertz, M 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00

 

Brandon McClintock covers the Oakland Athletics and Major League Baseball for BleacherReport.com. You can follow him on Twitter:  @BMcClintock_BR.

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Seattle Mariners Vs. Oakland Athletics: Patience at the Plate and Solid Defense

Going into opening day for the Athletics and the Mariners, most people were expecting a pitching duel between Felix Hernandez (13-12, 232 K’s, 2.72 ERA, Cy Young winner in 2010) and Trevor Cahilll (18-8, 118 K’s, 2.97 ERA). 

The first three innings didn’t exactly live up to these standards. Cahill was up to 65 pitches after three and the Mariners hitting was effectively working the count on him.  He looked a little shaky, throwing several pitches way out of the zone and walking in a run.

Felix looked a little more steady, even after letting up a two-run shot to one of Oakland’s newest players, Josh Willingham. He retired seven in a row after the minor foible. Before the game, Felix said that if he could work through the first inning without too much trouble, he would be able to lock in to his shut-down mode for several more innings.

The biggest factor for both pitchers, however, was defense.  Not to point the finger, but Kevin Kouzmanoff made several minor errors/bobbles that cost Cahill baserunners and converted to a run for the usually run-deprived Mariner offense.

The Mariners defense was much sturdier, as it should be, since fielding has always been a priority in choosing players. The guys in the infield, notably Brendan Ryan and Chone Figgins, definitely helped Felix keep his pitch count down and keep runners off the bases.

In the past, a focus on defense has been regarded as next-to-useless for a team struggling to rebuild, but it proved useful in this 2011 season opener.

In addition to wary fielding, Seattle looked very sharp at the plate—it took more than half of the pitches from Cahill. Eric Wedge must have said something in the clubhouse before the game and it payed off. Cahill ended up exiting the game after two outs in the fifth inning with 105 pitches, roughly 22 pitches per inning.

The Mariners biggest problem was stranding runners. While they did receive lots of help from Oakland’s pitching and defense in the form of walks and errors, they still failed to capitalize, leaving 11 on.

It wasn’t until the sixth inning that Felix received legitimate offensive support, but he appreciated it, nonetheless. Brendan Ryan ran the bases well, advancing on a sacrifice bunt from Jack Wilson and then a single from Ichiro. 

Notably, during Ichiro’s at bat, he tried to bunt with a runner on second. As the MLB Network commentators so eloquently put it: “He did one of those double things.” They were referring to two unusual circumstances occurring on the play: 1) Ichiro doesn’t often bunt because he can get on base by other means, and 2) there was only a man on second, with one out.  Regardless, Ichiro hit Ryan in, only to be caught stealing on a pickoff move.

Chone Figgins homered to left on the next pitch, making Ichiro and the rest of the dugout cringe at the loss of an insurance run. Even without Ichiro, Figgins’s homer set Felix up for the win, 3-2.

From there, things went downhill for the A’s. Several more errors and poor decisions led to three more runs, upping the score to 6-2. Hernandez was confounded, to say the least—he had no idea what to do with a four-run lead.

But the King proved himself a quick learner, taking his lead and running with it. Felix swept through the final three innings without any trouble.

The telling factors in this one were Oakland’s five errors, Seattle’s zero, Oakland taking a base on balls zero times and Seattle walking seven times.

Mariners fans have reason for optimism; King Felix looked strong (CG, no walks, five K’s and just 94 pitches), the defense was consistent (zero errors), and the offense was surprisingly effective (six runs?!), exhibiting both patience and power. 

Maybe, after all, the Mariners will be in contention for the AL West title.

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Mets Coverage: Instant Fallout from Opening Day Loss to the Florida Marlins

The New York Mets opened their season against the Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium, hoping to rebound from a subpar season in 2010. Unfortunately, the bad play from the previous campaign reared its ugly head in the first game of the 2011 season.

The Mets entered the season with low expectations after years of disappointment, including a losing record last season. They cut ties with Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel, they removed Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez from the roster, yet with new management and a fresh start, the Mets still fell to the Marlins Friday, 6-2.

Here’s an in-depth look at what was good, what was bad, and everything else that transpired in the game.

The Good

Starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey got off to what looked to be a strong start, throwing three and 2/3rd innings of shutout baseball. As for the rest of his performance…We’ll get back to that later.

Carlos Beltran made his first start in right field this year, and snagged a few fly balls early. While he didn’t have to run any down, it was nice to see him look comfortable in right. He also had a double and an RBI.

Former “Mets killer” Willie Harris made his Met debut, and looked good doing it. He put the Amazins’ in the hit column after getting a double in the 7th. He would score later in the inning, giving the Mets their first run of the season.

 

The Bad

Back to Big Pelf’s day. After the first eleven outs, Pelfrey let the bases get loaded, then gave up a grand slam to John Buck. He gave up another run the next inning, after which was the end of his night.

While Harris got his first hit as a Met, it took until the seventh inning for it to happen. The Mets were held hitless by Josh Johnson until Harris got the double. The rally that it led to was the only offense the Mets showed all night.

Taylor Buchholz also had a Met debut tonight, though it was one not to be desired. Buchholz came in for relief work in the eighth inning, but gave up a one run shot to Logan Morrison.

Odds and Ends

Ike Davis and Carlos Beltran drove in the two runs of the game. Beltran’s double drove Harris home, while Davis’ sacrifice fly allowed Beltran to cross the plate.

Pedro Beato threw two shutout innings of relief work. He gave up three hits, with 16 of his 25 pitches being strikes.

In addition to Harris and Beltran, Angel Pagan had a hit in the game.

The Mets fall to 0-1, holding last place in the National League East with the Washington Nationals. The Marlins are tied for first with the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves.

Pelfrey falls to 0-1 on the season. Johnson’s record goes to 1-0.

What’s Next

Jonathon Niese (0-0) takes on Ricky Nolasco (0-0) Saturday, at 7:10 P.M., EST.


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