Series Thread: Yankees at Mariners: Tue, June 10 - Thu, June 12

[PolarVortex]

You're so smart, thanks for helping the rest of us peons understand the game of baseball.

LMAO. Three thumbs up too. Nice work.

 

[cezero]

I was talking about Seagar hitting the ball hard to right and getting robbed by ichiro or Saunders hitting a tee shot to the deepest part of the park and Ellsbury lept at the wall and snagged it. Cano and Ackley also had hard liners into the outfield that were run down. Those had nothing to do with the shift it was bad luck. But since you claim not to watch the games I'm not surprised you just assume the worst and that it's due to the M's being inept. Your consistent I'll give you that.

I really hope I'm not rubbing you the wrong way too much. I like reading your posts, and usually if I disagree, it's not by much.

All I'll say is that it certainly doesn't take watching the team to understand the fact that they are an inept-hitting club. The reason I can be consistent in what I say is that they're are consistently awful offensively. It's just the way it is.

Dead last in the league in OBP
Dead last in AVG
2nd worst in OPS
3rd worst in SLG
3rd worst in Extra Base Hits

IMO, it's insane to talk about playoffs for this club this year, and it won't get better next year unless massive changes are made (and who trusts that they will be?). It's not crazy of me to say that there simply have not been many (any?) cases of teams in the top 3 in pitching and bottom 3 in offense that have been in contention by the end of September. If the M's beat the astronomical odds, then good for them, but people who attack me for bringing up these facts are simply not very reasonable. If there were even a modicum of hope that the offense is going to get better, my tone would be different, I promise.

As for the specific examples you listed above supposedly not having to do with hitting into the shift, you might be right to a degree, but maybe not as completely as you think. Most clubs don't shift much in the outfield with Cano because he can hit to all parts of the field. Ackley, Saunders, and to a slightly lesser degree Seager all regularly get big shifts played against them in the infield and outfield, which narrows how much ground the fielders have to cover in their region. Until they learn how to beat it, you'll continue to see them get "robbed" of hits because of their predictability. Smoak is by far the worst. Nearly every team, even the ones who don't use the shift often, move the entire outfield and infield over leaving 1/3 of the ballpark open to him, and he demonstrates time and again that he's not able to beat it.

The problem is ubiquitous on this team.

Check this out:

The M's had the highest percentage of hard hit balls in MLB when that was made earlier this year, yet were in the bottom 2-3 of their league offensively.

What can we conclude from that?

1) maybe they are just an especially cursed club that manage to have an angry universe trying to make them "unlucky" no matter how hard they drive the ball.

2) maybe every team is just especially amazing at fielding when they play the M's.

3) maybe they M's hitters are predictable enough about where they hit the ball to make it significantly easier for opposing managers to move their defenses to advantageous fielding positions.

Anyhoo, I hate the Yank$, and if they can find some way to beat Tanaka, I'll be as happy as anybody.

 

[cezero]

You're so smart, thanks for helping the rest of us peons understand the game of baseball.

Let me help you for a second though...

I did read your post.

I'm not arguing that there's no such thing as luck in the game. Of course there is.

There are also measurable reasons why the M's hit balls hard that get caught a lot, and why the offense is in the cesspool of MLB this year and every other year in recent memory.

It's fine if you disagree with what I'm saying, but instead of attacking me, you might want to try discussing the perfectly reasonable points that I'm bringing up.

If that's not possible between us any longer, then that's a shame.

 

[SeattleCoug]

I really hope I'm not rubbing you the wrong way too much. I like reading your posts, and usually if I disagree, it's not by much.
quote]

Nah, I responded before I had my morning coffee so maybe it was not well thought out. Didn't mean it as a personal attack. I think we may have just disagreed on what we saw last night which is ok. If everyone always agreed with each other, it wouldn't make the debates and conversation as good.

I was really only speaking to what I saw last night and not the overall season. I think they were maybe a little more unlucky last night but overall I agree with your assessment on the offense as a whole. It is what it is unless they add to it.

 

[cezero]

And I was speaking in the abstract since I did not see it, as you said.

I'll take your word for what you saw, and maybe my extending it so much isn't really appropriate for the circumstances last night.

I'll be watching tonight, though. Tanaka is pretty amazing.

 

[cezero]

Tanaka not disappointing so far.

Really hoping to see him get a no-hitter.

15 pitches in 2 innings is all it's taken him so far.

 

[SeattleCoug]

If it's somehow 0-0 after 9 he could pitch 11 innings at this rate

 

[Logicallylethal]

Btw Kendrys Morales is 6 for 13 (.462 avg) with 3 doubles and 3 rbis since signing with the twins

 

[cezero]

no no-no

darn it

 

[Tapey]

This pitch it's 89 pitches for Chris young, last pitch it was 88 pitches, well which one is it Dave Simms?

 

[SeattleCoug]

I saw that homer coming. Young lives up in the zone and one of these hitters was bound to make him pay. Hopefully they can avoid a sweep tommorrow.

 

[Banned 10x]

no no-no

darn it

Remember when you weren't going to watch anymore games?


Me neither

 

[cezero]

Remember when you weren't going to watch anymore games?


Me neither

I said pretty clearly right in this thread that I was watching tonight just a few hours back.

I quit when he gave up the hits.

http://www.sportshoopla.com/forums/5049064-post45.html

And I was speaking in the abstract since I did not see it, as you said.

I'll take your word for what you saw, and maybe my extending it so much isn't really appropriate for the circumstances last night.

I'll be watching tonight, though. Tanaka is pretty amazing.

Watching the best teams in the division duke it out now. Great game.

How you feeling the day after the yoga?

 

[Banned 10x]

I said pretty clearly right in this thread that I was watching tonight just a few hours back.

I quit when he gave up the hits.

http://www.sportshoopla.com/forums/5049064-post45.html


Watching the best teams in the division duke it out now. Great game.

How you feeling the day after the yoga?

I feel like crap, but expected... It'll get better

 

[Tapey]

Maybe this will lead cano into a little power surge?

 

[AceKeptic]

Maybe this will lead cano into a little power surge?

Considering that this game was over the moment Texiera hit that three-run shot some time ago, it would take more than a LITTLE power surge.

 

[Tapey]

Considering that this game was over the moment Texiera hit that three-run shot some time ago, it would take more than a LITTLE power surge.

No, I meant for cano in games to come. This game was over even after the 2-run homer.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Didn't get the chance to see the game today. Anyone know why Saunders was not in the lineup? Unless I'm going full-retard I believe he played yesterday, which means he is healthy. Is McClendon just benching Saunders because he doesn't like him, or is Saunders still hurt?

 

[SeattleCoug]

Just announced Saunders is hitting the DL. Bummer that guy can't catch a break.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Just announced Saunders is hitting the DL. Bummer that guy can't catch a break.

Wow... That really sucks. He really just seemed to be getting things together. Just what the Mariners need, right? One of their few hitters who are capable of hitting better than .250 go on the DL.