Series Thread: Rays vs M's - May 9th - 11th

[Sharkonabicycle]

Ianetta for the win!!! Awesome

Wow amazing. Iannetta's average is a bit low but like I said before this season ever started, his OBP is where it needs to be. Zunino could NOT get on base. He was a strikeout machine and a liability whenever he was on the plate. I'll take a catcher hitting around .225 that is getting on base 1/3 of the time ANY day. Average isn't everything...

 

[NWinAZ]

Ianetta for the win!!! Awesome

My wife got home and we were watching it together. I kept saying we got to end it here or we are done. Said Rays have had 2 guys on 3 straight innings, Guaipe (or however you spell it) was warming up, and the shadows were creeping in. Now or never...then he hits the bomb!!!! Love it and good for him even though I thought they overpaid him but now I am obviously wrong. He has done more in less than two months then the last decade of M's catchers have done in a full year.

 

[cezero]

it's weird always having hope

 

[NWinAZ]

it's weird always having hope

Stop that talk! Stop it now!!!

 

[SeattleCoug]

I'm pretty stunned. I really thought the bullpen injuries and overuse of Cishek/Peralta would finally bite them today. Johnson somehow got through that. Not sure how one of his curves didn't end up in the upper deck. Thank you Rays.

 

[NWinAZ]

By Greg Johns / MLB.com | @gregjohnsmlb | 4:19 PM ET



SEATTLE -- Rehabbing relievers Joaquin Benoit and Charlie Furbush threw bullpen sessions on Wednesday, and Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto watched both veterans throw and emerged with an encouraging outlook.

"That was the best we've seen Joaquin Benoit since he signed with the club," Dipoto said. "The ball was really carrying out of his hand and he's very close to being back -- hopefully by the time we start this next road trip.

"And Charlie is getting ready to go out and face hitters and start his innings progression. If we have the opportunity to add those two before long, it really helps the arrow point north for the bullpen, which I think has already been a real positive."

 

[NWinAZ]

 

[wazzu31]

Lind has been super frustrating. I would be happy with Lee getting the majority of starts at 1st base for the time being. Lee has earned it and Lind has not.

That's how it should be IMO. Lee doesn't look lost against righties which seemed to be the knock on him down in spring training. It's just time to let him get more starts.

 

[NWinAZ]

That's how it should be IMO. Lee doesn't look lost against righties which seemed to be the knock on him down in spring training. It's just time to let him get more starts.

Lee couldn't hit off speed stuff in spring training from lefties or righties. Not sure what changed, but he is clearly the better choice. If we were losing, this would get more attention but winning quiets many deficiencies.

 

[JMR]

Good for Iannetta, especially after giving up his first passed ball of the season yesterday. Seems like something was getting by Zunino every other game or so, and whether it was a wild pitch or PB we better in that dept so far this year.

Valuable home rest day today, both for the team and me personally.....in-laws coming for dinner so at least now I won't be trying to entertain while the game is on.

 

[wazzu31]

Lee couldn't hit off speed stuff in spring training from lefties or righties. Not sure what changed, but he is clearly the better choice. If we were losing, this would get more attention but winning quiets many deficiencies.

That's what was being said at the one game I attended where he started but he hit a ball to the wall every time, he went oppo on some breaking ball, couldn't tell what it was but the gun said 84mph

 

[NWinAZ]

That's what was being said at the one game I attended where he started but he hit a ball to the wall every time, he went oppo on some breaking ball, couldn't tell what it was but the gun said 84mph

Ya I watched him a lot and if it was under 90 he was way out in front of it then shaking his head back to the dugout. I mean every one. Amazing to see him now have such success. Good for him.

 

[unlvmariners]

Ya I watched him a lot and if it was under 90 he was way out in front of it then shaking his head back to the dugout. I mean every one. Amazing to see him now have such success. Good for him.

I guess that is what spring training is for getting that timing down then fine tuning.

 

[NWinAZ]

I guess that is what spring training is for getting that timing down then fine tuning.

True, but for some unproven guys they never get to regular season to prove it was just fine tuning. Glad they looked past it.

 

[FirebreathingMonkey]

well nothing else to talk about without them playing so I found this to be a good read. article below.

First-place Mariners are on a roll; can they keep it going?

First-place Mariners are on a roll; can they keep it going?


MARINERS THROUGH 34 GAMES

2016: 21-13 (first place, 1 1/2 games up)

2015: 15-19 (third place, 6 1/2 games back)

2014: 18-16 (second place, 1 1/2 games back)

2013: 15-19 (third place, 5 1/2 games back)

2012: 15-19 (third place, 7 1/2 games back)

2011: 16-18 (fourth place, 3 games back)

2010: 13-21 (fourth place, 6 1/2 games back)

2009: 16-18 (third place, 3 1/2 games back)

2008: 14-20 (third place, 7 1/2 games back)

2007: 18-16 (second place, 1 game back)

2006: 14-20 (fourth place, 4 1/2 games back)

2005: 13-21 (fourth place, 6 games back)

2004: 12-22 (fourth place, 10 1/2 games back)

2003: 21-13 (first place, tied)

2002: 24-10 (first place, 6 1/2 games up)

2001: 25-9 (first place, 9 games up)

The Mariners haven’t been in first place this late in a season since 2003, when they were also 21-13 through 34 games.

 

[JMR]

2003: 21-13 (first place, tied)

2002: 24-10 (first place, 6 1/2 games up)

What sucks is those '03 and '04 teams both ended up missing the playoffs despite winning 93 games. At that was pretty much it for that run of "success" or good baseball. 3 winning records over the next 10+ years....churning through managers about every 2 seasons...Kyle Seager pretty much the only thing to show for Jack Z's 7 years. The Mariners' version of the 90s for the Seahawks. Hopefully we are at the beginning of the Mariners' version of the PC/JS era now.

 

[Anointed One]

Good for Iannetta, especially after giving up his first passed ball of the season yesterday. Seems like something was getting by Zunino every other game or so, and whether it was a wild pitch or PB we better in that dept so far this year..

Agree, Zunino is labeled as a very good, defensive catch but it did seem like he had so many passed balls get by him last year... More than we're accustomed to seeing at that position...

 

[blstoker]

Agree, Zunino is labeled as a very good, defensive catch but it did seem like he had so many passed balls get by him last year... More than we're accustomed to seeing at that position...

I don't know if Zunino's allowing of WPs was all that different than we've curretnly seen, except that it's a very different pitching staff this year over last year.

Name - WP (2015) - IP/WP 2015 - IP/WP 2016 (

Felix Hernandez - 10 - 20.1 - 21.6
Mike Montgomery - 10 - 9.0 - 9.3
Carson Smith - 6 - 11.7 - Gone
Fernando Rodney - 5 - 10.1 - Gone
James Paxton - 5 - 13.4 - Minors
Charlie Furbush - 5 - 4.3 - injured
Taijuan Walker - 4 - 42.4 - N/A
J.A. Happ - 4 - 27.1 - Gone
Rob Rasmussen - 4 - 3.5 - Gone
Vidal Nuno - 3 - 24.9 - N/A
Tom Wilhelmsen - 2 - 31 - Gone
Mark Lowe - 2 - 18 - Gone
Logan Kensing - 2 - 7.6 - Gone
Dominic Leone - 2 - 5.6 - Gone
Hisashi Iwakuma - 1 -129.7 - 14.3
Roenis Elias - 1 - 115.3 -Gone
Danny Farquhar - 1 - 51 - Gone
Joe Beimel - 1 - 47.3 - Gone
Mayckol Guaipe - 1 - 26.7 - N/A
Tony Zych - 1 - 18.3 - N/A
Edgar Olmos - 1 - 14 - Gone
Yoervis Medina - 1 - 12 - Gone

As a team in 2015, the Mariners allowed a WP every 20.3 inngings (Zunino 19.2, Sucre 23.8, Hicks 15.1, Baron 14.5 & Castillo 0.0). This year that number is currently at 27.9 (Iannetta 26.3, Clevenger 35.0).

The question is, how much of a WP is the pitcher and how much is the catcher (overall, since I know that individual ones can vary)? Hernandez and Montgomery appear to be right around where they were last year, despite the catching change - while Iwakuma is way up (already has 3 where last year he only had 1). The other 4 pitchering holdovers from last year haven't had a WP yet this season - but they were generally better than the team average as it was (only Zych was below).

I guess the point I am try to make is that Zunino and Iannetta are in completely different situations (as for PB, Zunion only had 6 last year.)

 

[cezero]

It's amazing how little people understand what teams look for/hope for from a catcher.

Zunino isn't anything approaching a liability when it comes to passed balls and wild pitches. Just silly. His only problem is his bat, and it's not at all surprising given how he was handled. If he can get just a little better there, then he'll be valuable and well paid at the big league level for a long time. It's a big if, of course since Z's choices might have ruined him.

But if you're capable of just a little objectivity and look at him through the lens of a catching prospect with a little over 1700 pro PA's, he's doing pretty well.

 

[wazzu31]

It's amazing how little people understand what teams look for/hope for from a catcher.

Zunino isn't anything approaching a liability when it comes to passed balls and wild pitches. Just silly. His only problem is his bat, and it's not at all surprising given how he was handled. If he can get just a little better there, then he'll be valuable and well paid at the big league level for a long time. It's a big if, of course since Z's choices might have ruined him.

But if you're capable of just a little objectivity and look at him through the lens of a catching prospect with a little over 1700 pro PA's, he's doing pretty well.

I don't think he will be ruined. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders and can find confidence. Confidence is the only thing he is missing with his game. He's got the power to use all fields but once he confidence went he quit going up the middle and to right, just tried pulling everything which IMO led to alot more strikeouts than he has shown throughout his life in baseball.