Series Thread: 10-Game Roadtrip: 5/16 - 5/25

[PolarVortex]

Sterling Hitchcock? How old are you?

Touche'. LOL
We used to call him Hitchcrank

 

[cezero]

very nice series. would never have thought they'd complete a 3-game sweep of the pads in their house holding them to 3 total runs. they've been fantastic at home this season.

 

[WizardHawk]

That has to be the most impressive series of the year so far.

Well done.

 

[MarinersBestFan]

That has to be the most impressive series of the year so far.

Well done.

Absolutely unbelievable pitching all throughout the starters and bullpen for that three game series to hold down the Friars to 3 runs over 27 innings of baseball.

San Diego is a damn good team and has been lighting up the scoreboard all year long. I’m still in disbelief how we managed to hold them to one run per game three games in a row on the road, the way the ball flies out of that ballpark.

Now they can play the rest of the road trip at .500 and most likely come home with the division lead still in their back pocket

 

[wazzu31]

This team is so freaking confusing. They look like title contenders right after looking like a team that could finish last in the AL West. It’s like you get excited and they pop your balloon, but when you say screw it I’m done, they insert whatever excites you.

If they play like they did against the Padres they can win the World Series.

 

[NWinAZ]

That was fun to watch...at least the two games on regular TV. Team effort minus Solano. Please let him go.

 

[NWinAZ]

Oh, and Woo has been an absolute stud! I always considered him a #4 on this team then a #3 with Castillo moving back but now he is an Ace. I am so happy for the kid.

 

[wazzu31]

Oh, and Woo has been an absolute stud! I always considered him a #4 on this team then a #3 with Castillo moving back but now he is an Ace. I am so happy for the kid.

No kidding. Even with Gilbert and Kirby, I think he is the guy you want in the must win game

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

IMO the worst trade in Mariners history but no one ever mentions it.

Losing Tino hurt but Jeff Nelson wasn't overall dominate his first stint in Seattle.
The Omar Vizquel, Jason Varitek and Adam Jones trade I think are worse.

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

Excellent series sweep to start the road trip. Love to see 2 of 3 in Chicago and split in Houston. Go 7-3 and call it a day.

 

[WizardHawk]

This team is so freaking confusing. They look like title contenders right after looking like a team that could finish last in the AL West. It’s like you get excited and they pop your balloon, but when you say screw it I’m done, they insert whatever excites you.

If they play like they did against the Padres they can win the World Series.

I mean the Dodgers just got swept by the Angels.

It can sometimes be hard to determine when a good team is just in a short bad spell vs a mid team that has been playing over their heads and is back down to Earth.

Their overall improvement at the plate is showing. Strikeouts are way down (22nd in MLB). Walks are way up (5th in MLB, 2nd in AL). They are getting HR's and finding ways of winning despite the major injuries to much of the key pitching staff.

I mean they are doing all of this and are still going to be able to add Gilbert and Kirby back shortly and who knows if Miller will make it back and play at the level we know he's capable of. Sure, it's not likely that at least one of them won't go back out and maybe even season ending surgery. But they are doing all of this without any of the 3 of them as it is.

It's not looking good for the trade deadline for buyers as it is. There will be teams wanting to add something that won't find something worth adding. Can the M's attract another arm or scrounge up a bat somewhere? Who knows, but maybe they can at least make the postseason without having to.

And yes of course we've seen it all come unraveled over and over. That's always there in the background. But I'm willing to ride along with some kind of hope as long as they keep this going.

 

[wazzu31]

Losing Tino hurt but Jeff Nelson wasn't overall dominate his first stint in Seattle.
The Omar Vizquel, Jason Varitek and Adam Jones trade I think are worse.

I was fine with Omar. It was basically the condition to sign ARod. I know the Varitek/Lowe led to the Red Sox dynasty but trading Tino and Nelson IMO cost them a WS. As well as trading Nelson led to the Varitek/Lowe deal IMO

 

[NWinAZ]

I was fine with Omar. It was basically the condition to sign ARod. I know the Varitek/Lowe led to the Red Sox dynasty but trading Tino and Nelson IMO cost them a WS. As well as trading Nelson led to the Varitek/Lowe deal IMO

Since nobody asked my opinion, , they all have their place on the All-Time rotten deals list in Mariners history. Omar had to be dealt like @wazzu31 said because of A-Fraud. The return was extremely questionable. Fermin and Jefferson? Sad. Varitek/Lowe never made sense to me even though some say he was expendable because of Wilson. That doesn't mean you give him away for a bad closer. And starting pitching was worth its weight in gold especially the cheap ones. Tino and Nelson only makes sense if you are a freaking Yankees fan. That was a giveaway. We asked for the top return, and they gave us plan 'C' and we giggled like little schoolgirls and took it.

The Bedard trade never made sense because we weren't that close to a championship and even if we were Bedard wasn't the guy to take us there.

Cruz Jr. crushed my soul back then. I still remember where I was when I heard the news.

So for my 2 cents, the worst was Danny Tartabull to KC. The dude could smash.

 

[NWinAZ]

 

[Tapey]

That last home stand sucked ass, but sweeping the padres in their house is a good way to get back on track.

Also Woo is a freaking stud

 

[PolarVortex]

Now if he can just stop grandstanding his homeruns. It's not like he's some elite power hitter. He's 10 behind the league leader and we aren't even one-third of the way thru the season yet.

 

[wazzu31]

Since nobody asked my opinion, , they all have their place on the All-Time rotten deals list in Mariners history. Omar had to be dealt like @wazzu31 said because of A-Fraud. The return was extremely questionable. Fermin and Jefferson? Sad. Varitek/Lowe never made sense to me even though some say he was expendable because of Wilson. That doesn't mean you give him away for a bad closer. And starting pitching was worth its weight in gold especially the cheap ones. Tino and Nelson only makes sense if you are a freaking Yankees fan. That was a giveaway. We asked for the top return, and they gave us plan 'C' and we giggled like little schoolgirls and took it.

The Bedard trade never made sense because we weren't that close to a championship and even if we were Bedard wasn't the guy to take us there.

Cruz Jr. crushed my soul back then. I still remember where I was when I heard the news.

So for my 2 cents, the worst was Danny Tartabull to KC. The dude could smash.

Your last one was before my time. I put the Cruz and Varitek trade behind the Tino trade because both of those two bad trades were trading for Jeff Nelson. My memory is fuzzy and I don’t recall the guys they dealt in the two trades to replace Tino

 

[cezero]

Just realized the M's have only played 9 games east of the Mississippi this year, all on the same road trip.

Then after this series with the White Sox, the next time they'll be back east of the Miss isn't until June 20th against the Cubbies.

Looking at the whole schedule, it's pretty amazing how few games they play on the East coast this year, too.

 

[cezero]

Your last one was before my time. I put the Cruz and Varitek trade behind the Tino trade because both of those two bad trades were trading for Jeff Nelson. My memory is fuzzy and I don’t recall the guys they dealt in the two trades to replace Tino

I looked it up. Hitchcock and Russ Davis.

I remember Russ Davis being very solid at 3B in the 2 years I watched him play (96/97). He wasn't great offensively though I remember he had 1 good season hitting. I liked watching him play.

It's weird thinking back because 97 is when I joined the USMC and didn't see an M's game for 4 years.

 

[NWinAZ]

Now if he can just stop grandstanding his homeruns. It's not like he's some elite power hitter. He's 10 behind the league leader and we aren't even one-third of the way thru the season yet.

Thank you! I feel the same way. My only question on this one at 3B was maybe, just maybe, he was mocking Tatis who did it in the 1st inning. I am not excusing it nor do I think it was his first time but my mind went to Tatis doing it after it happened.