Super Bowl Update

By Kshell

Last week I took a week off from my weekly rant instead to cover the NFL draft. This past week including today plenty has been going on that I would like to rant about. My main picture is of a sinking ship which can be confused as the Seattle Mariners current logo given their six game losing streak and how they have been a terrible product from the 2004 season until now. I also will talk about the NBA playoffs some in particular one player who has so far had a terrific playoffs. In this rant I'll address rumors by our local radio hosts to boost struggling ratings. This week has seen plenty and like usual I'll give my two cents on everything. So in this rant once again hope you aren't too offended and make sure to enjoy what one man has to rant about.

In year four of the Jack Zduriencik experiment the Mariners offense still looks pathetic and the team is experiencing a six game losing streak. Zduriencik's big trade acquisitions like Franklin Gutierrez and Justin Smoak are proving to be busts while his free agents Chone Figgins and Miguel Olivo are also terrible. Zduriencik is on his second manager Eric Wedge who doesn't appear to have the slightest clue on what is going on. Wedge is in love with veterans when the Mariners should be rebuilding and Zduriencik can't fire him or else he will have failed with both his managerial hires. Last year I suggested that Zduriencik isn't the guy to lead the Mariners to the promise land and unfortunately I'm right once again. Jack Z has proven to be a fraud so far and the Mariners 11-16 record and already seven games back in year four just further proves my claim. The fact that 22 of the 25 guys on this roster are a product of Zduriencik(Felix, Ichiro and Saunders are the three who aren't) just gives more evidence he doesn't know what he is doing to be a major league general manager. Time for Zudriencik and Wedge to pack their bags and move on.

This playoffs once again no player matters more than Lebron James. In this picture shows Lebron going up against Carmelo Anthony. I bring up these two because at one point they were both in the same breath. James will win his third MVP in the last four years in a couple of weeks while Anthony has made it past the first round just once in his career as he falls to 0-7 in playoff games with the Knicks. Lebron is killing the Knicks this series averaging 27.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.7 APG and 2.7 steals while shooting 50.9% from the field. While Anthony is averaging 21.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG but shooting just 34.4% from the field. Anthony appears to be this generations wasted talent a guy who can rack up stats but can't translate to wins. While James has had his problems in the playoffs he has never lost a first round series in his entire NBA career. James scored 17 of his 32 points in game three in the fourth quarter making a two point game into a 17 point victory. James is stepping up his game while Anthony once again is falling short. At one time Anthony falling short in the playoffs used to be a major story instead now it's a non story which speaks even further of Anthony's career in New York.

Today on his KJR show and on his twitter Dave Softy Mahler speculated that the Eugene register is sitting on a big story that will put the Oregon Ducks basketball and football on probation. Of course his source quickly turned into a rumor when he caught lying. Now Mahler can sit behind that he was just spreading a rumor but as the case he was just flat out wrong. Then on the Dawgman message boards fans were saying that writer from the Eugene Register is just a Ducks fan with an agenda. What fans don't realize is newspaper writers have to hold some sort of integrity while radio hosts like Softy or those who run Dawgman don't. Dawgman is a glorified fan site just like Softy's show is a glorified fan show. They never break any real news yet the fans in Seattle eat it up like it's the gospel. Use common sense people in today's era with bloggers, radio hosts, and other newspapers you really think a small-time newspaper is going to sit on a huge national story?!! Really?!! This was just a sad attempt by a KJR host hoping to boost his ratings and the fans ate it up. I've been hearing for a while the Oregon Ducks are going on probation but until it actually happens I'm sick of it. Right now these Husky fans are misrepresenting the true fans which is a shame. These hacks would rather see Oregon fail than see the Huskies succeed which is a shame. So in the future guys don't listen to anything this guy has to say because his "sources" are Hugh Millen, Kim Grinolds of dawgman  and Elderidge Recasner. Basically he has no real sources just guesses and hoping it sticks.

Well guys those are my rants for the week. Hopefully in football season I can be more positive although you guys don't read my blog for positive rants. The Mariners are a team that is in a sinking ship and we should be enjoying the NBA playoffs but our team was stolen. There isn't much going on in this city since the draft has just been completed so expect more rumors with no facts supporting them behind it. Anyways hope you enjoyed this post and make sure to read my Mariners weekly post this Monday.

By Kshell

The Seattle Mariners just completed a dreadful week at home which saw attendance numbers reach all-time lows while the team went 1-5. During that 1-5 stretch the Mariners saw a perfect game thrown against them. That was the first ever perfect game and no hitter thrown in Safeco Field history.  I happened to go to a game this Friday which was Ichiro bobblehead night where the first 20,000 fans received a free bobblehead. Too bad less than 20,000 fans showed up. At least I got to see the Mariners first every all-star throw out the first pitch in former outfielder Rupert Jones. In three seasons with the Mariners Jones hit .257/.333/.418 with 51 home runs and 68 stolen bases. Then the Mariners proceeded to ruin that moment by falling behind 6-0 midway through the second inning before having a perfect game thrown against them the following day. This week I'll go over the good(Felix Hernandez and Jason Vargas), the bad(the hitting) and the ugly( this lack of offense in year four under the Jack Zdurienick regime). Anyways hope you enjoy my weekly recap of the Seattle Mariners.

The Good:
Whenever you go 1-5 there isn't much good. The Mariners after that great 3-1 start are now 7-10 on the season. The positives were the pitching of Jason Vargas and especially Felix Hernandez. For all the talk about King Felix's lack of a fastball those talks died after his last dominant start which he showed that his most powerful pitch is his change up. Up 1-0 facing a bases loaded one out jam in the eighth inning Hernandez got out of the jam with back to back strikeouts on a change up. Sadly which has been a theme in his career in Seattle he didn't earn a win as Brandon League blew the save for him. Another positive this week was the long relief trio of Hisashi Iwakuma, Steve Delabar and Erasmo Ramirez. They not only pitched well but saved the rest of the valuable bullpen arms so the Mariners can survive. The hitting once again didn't get much help although two reserves who rarely played did hit well. Justin Smoak also saw his first career four hit game. Hopefully for Smoak that is the type of game that can launch his season as he has been struggling all year long.

Good Hitting:

Casper Wells: 3-7(.429), run, 2 doubles
Alex Liddi: 2-6(.333), RBI, double
Justin Smoak: 4-16(.250), run, RBI, 5 K's
Ichiro: 6-24(.250), HR, 2 runs, 5 RBI's

Good Pitching:

Jason Vargas: 1-0, 7 IP, 1.28 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 7 K's
Hisashi Iwakuma: 4 IP, 2.25 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 2 K's
Erasmo Ramirez: 4.1 IP, 2.08 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, K
Steve Delabar: 3.1 IP, 2.70 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, 6 K's
Felix Hernandez: 8 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 12 K's

So far on the year Hernandez is 1-1 in four starts. He has thrown 29.1 innings with a 2.76 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and has 31 strikeouts. His fastball might not be as fast as it was but that is also by choice. His best pitches now are his cutter and mainly his change up. He is still an elite pitcher and fans need to stop worrying about him. He isn't the problem and is actually one of the few bright spots on this team.

The Bad:

The Mariners went 1-5 this week as attendance sank below 12,000 setting a Safeco Field record for lowest amount in a game. The Mariners got bombed in the game I went to losing 7-3 but fell behind 6-0 after two innings. On Saturday they allowed a perfect game and they simply aren't hitting the ball well at all. They began the week off by blowing a 9-1 lead against the Cleveland Indians at home as Kevin Millwood gave it up. The game I attended Hector Noesi who was in the big Michael Pineda trade got rocked and could only give the Mariners four outs. The team is still showing signs of hacking away at pitches which Eric Wedge keeps preaching to attack but at what point are they just hopelessly swinging at everything? At what point does this mess fall squarely onto Jack Zduriencik's shoulders since this is year four? Practically everyone on this roster was put here at the hands of Zduriencik and this team is terrible. The Mariners are 5-2 against the Oakland A's and 2-8 against everyone else. This year looks no different from 2010 or 2011. The pitching is decent but still not good enough. While the hitting has been downright terrible the last two weeks which ended with the White Sox sweeping them. The White Sox are now 19-3 against the Mariners since 2010.

Bad Hitting:

Kyle Seager: 4-20(.200), run, SB, 4 K's
John Jaso: 1-8(.125), HR, 2 runs, 4 RBI's, 2 K's
Dustin Ackley: 5-24(.208), 2 runs, 2 RBI's, 7 K's
Jesus Montero: 3-19(.158), HR, run, 3 RBI's, 5 K's
Brendan Ryan: 2-14(.143), 5 runs, RBI, 7 BB's, 5 K's
Chone Figgins: 3-21(.143), HR, 2 runs, 2 RBI's, 9 K's

Bad Pitching:

Kevin Millwood: 0-1, 9.1 IP, 10.61 ERA, 2.14 WHIP, 4 K's
Brandon League: 0-1, blown save, 2.2 IP, 6.75 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 2 K's, save
Hector Noesi: 0-1, 1.1 IP, 40.60 ERA, 6.01 WHIP, K

The Mariners are 4-9 since starting the season 3-1. They aren't hitting and their pitching has been rough at times too. The Mariners simply aren't making enough on the field progress in year four under Zduriencik's regime.

The Ugly:

The Mariners allowed a perfect game to Philip Humber who isn't an ace by any means. In fact in his career he has only started 30 games with a record of 12-10, 3.90 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. He is a solid pitcher but not a guy who should be putting up zero after zero on you.  The Mariners had a disasterous week seeing attendance numbers look like crap, blowing a huge lead, getting swept at home and the perfect game to a middle of the rotation guy. With the Mariners ownership trying to the block the Sonics return and the poor product on the field the fans have finally spoken. They want a winner and are tired of the gimmicks! This team needs new leadership at the top as Eric Wedge and Jack Zdurienick need to go. Obviously Chuck Armstrong and Howard Lincoln need to go or the manager/gm doesn't matter as long as those two clowns are operating this dog and pony show.

Ugly Hitting:

Seattle Mariners: Hitting .223/.274/.342 on the season. They ranked out of 14 teams in the AL: 14 in on base percentage, 13th in batting average, slugging average and OPS. 13th in home runs and walks while 4th in striking out the most. They rank 11th in runs scored basically this is the same crap we've been dealing with the last two years.

Justin Smoak: Hitting .203/.242/.322 with 17 K's in 62 plate appearances and only three walks.

Chone Figgins: hitting .215/.278/.323 with 20 K's in 75 plate appearnaces only six walks. A leadoff hitter whose on base percentage is under .300 but is striking out 26.7% of the time per plate appearance is just sickening!

Miguel Olivo: hitting .154/.170/.192 with 11 K's in only 54 plate appearances but has just one walk. Despite this piss poor stat line Wedge continues to play him even at DH in a move that makes zero sense to anyone who still cares about this team.

Ugly Attendance:

Tuesday April 17th vs Cleveland : 12,461
Wednesday April 18th vs Cleveland: 11,343(lowest in Safeco history)
Thursday April 19th vs Cleveland: 12,947( on a day when Felix was pitching)

Friday April 20th vs Chicago White Sox: 19,947(bobble head day and a friday)
Saturday April 21st vs Chicago White Sox: 22,472( beautiful Saturday after noon game)
Sunday April 22nd vs Chicago White Sox: 19,975

The fans have spoken they are tired of Jack Z's crap product he has put on the field year after year. He is a major league scout but he isn't a major league GM.

AL West Standings:

Texas Rangers: 13-3, first place
Oakland A's: 8-9, 5.5 GB
Seattle Mariners: 7-10, 6.5 GB
L.A. Angels: 6-10, 7.0 GB

This franchise needs to start getting serious about baseball or Safeco Field might have some games where the attendance drops below 10,000 fans. The fans are tired of this crap as the hitting hasn't improved at all. The hype about this team being improved was just that hype. Felix Hernandez continues to be wasted on a poorly built team that is "building" one brick at a time. Zduriencik is building this thing up much like Paul Wulff built up Washington State football. He is doing it very slowly and hopefully the next guy can lead us to the promise land. This team is a mess and this week was an absolute embarassment.

*Special thanks to my sisters boyfriend Nick Snow on two of the pictures he took. He is a great photographer and hopefully you guys get to enjoy more of his pictures.

By Kshell

Happy 420 to all my readers who happen to enjoy the green. This weekly rant has plenty to rant about this week. First I'll begin by saying that I'm sure every 7-11, smoke shop, fast food drive thru will be quite packed this Friday as it's 420 day which is a big "holiday" for all those weed smokers out there. For those of you who managed to put the bong down(or continue smoking I guess) while reading this I'm very happy that my blog has appealed to you. Now back to what I'll be ranting about this week. In this following post I'll mainly be talking about the Seattle Mariners and I'll spend some time discussing the Seahawks schedule. For the Mariners there will be plenty to discuss this week that has me in a bit of a pissed off mood. Once again I hope my weekly rantings will at the very least entertain you guys. For those who don't smoke you can enjoy this April 20th as well and thanks for reading my blog.

This week the NFL schedules were released and like always people were curious how the Seahawks schedule was. Well earlier this week I broke down the Seahawks schedule week by week to see who the Seahawks play as I gave my two cents on each game. The obvious game that stands out is the third week of the season as the Green Bay Packers come to Seattle to take on the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night on September 24th. Matt Flynn will be taking on his old team and the Seahawks will be hosting a rare Monday Night game in September. The Seahawks have won four in a row on Monday Night at home and have won five in a row overall. The 12th man will be rocking on that night as the Packers stroll in led by Aaron Rodgers who might be the games best player. The Packers last year went 15-1 as they looked to defend their title but were upset in the divisional round to the eventual Super Bowl champions New York Giants. This will be a big stage for the Seahawks to show the nation they are a serious threat this year as most national experts are picking them as a team poised to bounce back this season.

The talk of Felix Hernandez and his fastball have died down after last night. Hernandez used mostly his cut fastball and his change up as he went eight strong innings, allowing only five hits while walking just one. He recorded 12 strikeouts including back to back strikeouts with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning. All that was for nothing as Brandon League blew the save and the Mariners lost 2-1 losing the series to the Cleveland Indians. For Hernandez he once again failed to get the win which has been a sad case over the years. In fact since his debut he has had 16 no decisions where he pitched at least seven innings and allowed one run or less. That is the most in baseball since he's been called up. This year in four starts Hernandez has pitched 29.1 innings with an ERA of 2.76, 1.02 WHIP and 31 strikeouts. What he has to show so far is only one win(which was the start he allowed six of his total nine runs actually). For Hernandez who has been surrounded by the Mariners garbage since 2010 as he is only 28-27 this has to be getting old. Last year in August I actually talked about how the Mariners are wasting an incredible ace in Hernandez. If the losing continues and with Hernandez a free agent after 2014 look for him to demand a trade in the offseason or at some point next year. Every athlete wants to win and he's no different. I wouldn't blame him one bit Bill Bavasi and now Jack Zduriencik have failed to build a winner around Hernandez.

Eric Wedge is starting to piss me off with his stance on Miguel Olivo. His quotes to Mariners propaganda person errr beat writer Shannon Drayer were quite alarming.  "Miggy is our starting catcher, Jesus is going to get time as well, it is going to be tough to get Jaso back there,” he said. “Not that I am against it but right now I feel like I need to give the time to Miggy and Jesus. I still want to get Jaso’s bat in the lineup from time to time if I can so that is what we are trying to do.” Then he followed it up with another gem of a quote as well "We’re trying to get it going,” he answered. “I have had conversations with him. I was really pleased with what he did this spring he’s working up the middle more, he is trying to go the other way which is against what you have seen from him in the past typically. He has done a nice job with it. I think he has been a little anxious here early on I think he has been pressing a little bit but his confidence hasn’t wavered and I feel he is going to hit but he just has to do some things in an adjustment period to make that happen.”. Translation our manager is a moron just like John McLaren. He believes in crap like "this guy is gritty", he just "looks" like a ball player, he's "tough", etc. This is all nonsense when John Jaso is left handed, better and younger than Olivo. This year in only 11 AB's Jaso is hitting .273/.333/.727 with one home run and five RBI's. Olivo on the other hand in 42 AB's is hitting .143/.163/.190 with three RBI's. Another thing that pisses me off about Wedge is with a lead late in the game he keeps Figgins in left field instead of substituting a defensive replacement in Casper Wells. Let's face it guys Wedge doesn't know what he is doing and Zduriencik failed on his second manager hiring in four years.

The problem with this picture isn't that there is so many empty seats the problem is you can't tell which game it is or what year. The Mariners crappy play has caught up to them. On a night when Felix Hernandez was pitching the Mariners barely drew over 13,000 fans a day after setting their worst mark in Safeco Field history. Last year I wrote a piece how the gimmicks are no longer working to draw in the fans. This franchise had a great fan base but they are saying enough is enough with the losing. With the price of concession stands, parking and as Chuck Armstrong pointed out the traffic it simply isn't worth it to go to a game. Sure at home I miss out on hydro races and dancing grounds crew but I can enjoy a meal for 1/10th the price. I can yell at the T.V. and not worried about being ejected by the super sensitive folks at Safeco Field. The Mariners need to build a winner then the fans will show up. As of right now I'm supportive of the fans who don't show up because the Mariners management has spit on us fans lately.

Later on today I'll be going to the Mariners game as I'll be forced to interact with the worst kinds of fans in the world.........the bobblehead fans. I'm going to the game with my sister, her boyfriend and my best friend and they are excited to get an Ichiro bobblehead. Which means I'll have to deal with several idiots who don't know the game and are there for the bobblehead. The same type of fans who like Olivo because Wedge says he is good so he must be good. One of these days I'm going to plan a brown papersack game and I hope I can get a huge following to join me on this. Sure we might get kicked out but it would make for a great story and a better time than watching the groundscrew dancing. Anyways since I'll literally be sitting behind our dugout if we are getting blown out I'll let Wedge know exactly how I feel about him as a manager in this town.

That was my weekly rant I hope you enjoyed it. For those who say I'm too negative on Seattle sports well what is there to be positive about? The fact the Mariners made the playoffs 11 years ago? Maybe our new slogan will be "at least we aren't the Pirates". There is plenty to be upset about in Seattle and since I don't have to worry about having credentials revoked I'll continue to speak my mind on the Mariners poor ownership. Hope you enjoyed my blog and for those tokers out there may this be a special 4-20 to you as well!

By Kshell

The Seattle Mariners season has finally begun and the Mariners came out of the gate strong defeated the Oakland A's three out of  four games. In the longest series in franchise history which started in Japan then took a week off to do spring training then resumed in Oakland the Mariners found themselves 3-1 for the first time since 2006. In the two games in Japan both teams had strong pitching performances while over here in the states the Mariners hitting finally woke up. The Mariners also saw two guys who have struggled mightly in the past have a big two game set in Oakland in Chone Figgins and Michael Saunders. The atmosphere in Japan was incredible way to start the season while in Oakland it was business as usual. Like I did last year when the Mariners have a winning week I'll go over the good(the hitting), the bad(there was some hitters who slumped), and the awesome(the great week by Chone Figgins). The Mariners who are now in year two of Eric Wedge as manager are hoping the hitting has improved from last season which ranked last in almost every hitting category. The Mariners are hoping these four games weren't a fluke but just a sign of things to come in the near future for this young ball club.

The Good:

The Mariners went 3-1 against the A's so there was plenty of good. For starters the hitting especially when the series shifted back to Oakland started to pick up. In the first game of the season over in Japan Ichiro playing back in his homeland went 4-5 with an RBI which was a thrill for the future hall of famer. Jason Vargas began the season with two quality starts while Brandon League already has two saves. Felix Hernandez on opening night went 8 innings allowing just one run. The Mariners offense came out of the gate which was nice to see. The Japan series was especially good for Ichiro like I stated he was playing in front of his home fans and responded that series by going 4-9. Dustin Ackley won the game MVP in the first game as over in Japan they reward an MVP each game. In that game Ackley went 2-5 with a home run and also the game winning RBI to earn the game MVP.

Good Hitting:

Chone Figgins: 7-17(.412), 2 runs, 4 RBI's, SB. Hitting .412/.412/.588
Kyle Seager: 4-11(.364), run, 2 RBI's, SB. Hitting .364/.417/.364
Ichiro: 6-17(.353), 2 runs, 3 RBI's, SB. Hitting .353/.368/.471
Dustin Ackley: 6-19(.316), HR, 4 runs, 3 RBI's, SB. Hitting .316/.316/.474
Michael Saunders: 4-13(.308), HR, 3 runs, RBI, SB. Hitting .308/.400/.615
Brendan Ryan: 3-10(.300), 3 runs. Hitting .300/.364/.500

Good Pitching:

Jason Vargas: 1-0, 11.2 IP, 2.31 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 6 K's
Felix Hernandez: 1-0, 14.1 IP, 4.40 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 13 K's
Tom Whilhelmsen: 1-0, 4 IP, 2.25 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 5 K's
Brandon League: 2 saves, 3 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 2 K's

The hitting has been great as you can see the Mariners have six regulars right now who are hitting above .300 which may be due to a short sample size. After last seasons failures in hitting this is still a pleasant surprise to see.

The Bad:

Not all was good for the Mariners in their 3-1 start. The Mariners have three regulars including two guys who the organization is hoping to be a cornerstone of the franchise get off to a slow start. Add in the blown save in the second game of the year you'll see a couple of bullpen arms make the list as well. As for the hitting Miguel Olivo isn't hitting at all or is he catching well with already two pass balls. With the trade of left handed John Jaso and facing nothing but righties it was puzzling to see Olivo start all four games this year so far. With the team going 3-1 though it is hard to complain too much. The team played well and players will always be slumping but it was frustrating to see Justin Smoak and Jesus Montero come out of the gate struggling. Both guys are prized prospects who the Mariners gave up some pitching to acquire both. This is Smoak's third year in the major leagues as this appears to be a make or break year for him. So far he has gotten off to a slow start despite the home run over in Japan. For the players hitting well and same with the players doing poorly at first this is just four games into a long 162 game schedule.

Bad Hitting:

Jesus Montero: 3-15(.200), RBI, 2 K's, Caught Stealing. Hitting .200/.188/.200
Miguel Olivo: 2-16(.125), run, RBI, 2 K's. Hitting .125/.125/.125
Justin Smoak: 2-17(.118), HR, 2 runs, 2 RBI's, 4 K's. Hitting . 118/.167/.294
Mike Carp: 0-4(.000)

Bad Pitching:

Shawn Kelly: 0-1, blown save,  0.1 IP, 27.00 ERA, 3.00 WHIP
George Sherrill: 0 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 1 homerun

Hopefully this week in Texas will awake the bats of Smoak and Montero. Jack Zduriencik's tenure as Mariners GM will be measured up to how those two perform since he traded all-star pitchers Cliff Lee and Michael Pineda for them.

The Awesome:

Chone Figgins in the past has been a pain in the ass for the Mariners. He was a pain in the ass to the Mariners when he played for the Angels too as he was their leadoff hitter constantly getting on base and causing havoc on the Mariners. Then the Mariners signed him moved him to the #2 spot in the order and he was again a pain in the Mariners ass as he never got on base. Last year he hit below .200 as they were having drink specials based on his batting average. Well this year Figgins is hitting leadoff and in exchange for that he is playing everywhere on the field. He was the opening day third baseman and due to Mike Carp getting hurt in left field Figgins is now playing left field which is allowing Kyle Seager's red hot bat to play third base. The Mariners are hoping this isn't just some small sample size instead the return of Figgins. They also saw Michael Saunders who was once a top 100 prospect according to baseball america continue his hot spring training hitting into the major league season.

Awesome Hitting:

Mariners team: Hitting .266/.291/.385 with 3 HR's averaging 4.8 runs per game

Chone Figgins: Figgins has had back to back three hit games for the Mariners something he has only done twice now in his career. Last year in 81 games Figgins had only one three hit performance. He is playing the outfield now and leading off. Figgins is finally starting to hit and hopefully he is due for a big year.

Michael Saunders: Saunders is getting what feels like his last chance in Seattle. With Franklin Gutierrez out due to injury Saunders is starting in his place. Saunders so far has had a terrific spring training and has started off well this year. His home run came off of a lefty where he has struggled in the past.

The Mariners hitting numbers aren't great but they are day and night better than last season. The Mariners have beaten up on the Oakland A's the one AL West team they seem to do well against the last few years. Now comes the real test as they take on the Texas Rangers down in Arlington in a nice four game set.

AL West Standings:

Seattle Mariners: 3-1, First Place
Texas Rangers: 2-1, 0.5 GB
L.A.Angels: 1-2, 1.5 GB
Oakland A's: 1-3, 2.0 GB

The Seattle Mariners are looking to go 4-1 for the first time since 2001. If the Mariners go 4-1 it will be how that 2001 team did as well winning the opener, dropping the second game then winning three in a row. As we all know that 2001 team won 116 games and is the last Mariners team to play in the postseason. Before we get ahead of ourselves it was nice to see the Mariners playing well coming out of the gate especially hitting. This is a big week as the Mariners take on the two-time defending AL champions Texas Rangers a team who has owned them the last four years and then return home for the home opener which should be pretty special. If the Mariners can keep up their hitting they could possibly surprise some people as they hope to compete for a winning season which they have only had two since 2004.

By Kshell

The Seattle Mariners just completed an impressive 3-3 week as they took the Boston Red Sox two out of three at Safeco Field. The Mariners began the week losing the first two to the Texas Rangers before winning the series finale to avoid the sweep. The Mariners won't confuse you for a team full of world beaters but since the trade deadline the Mariners are 7-5. The Mariners got better for the future with their trades but also brought in some key pieces that are contributing right now to the team. The Mariners are also riding the hot stick of Mike Carp who has been killing the ball since being called back up in the second half of the season. The Mariners starting pitching didn't do great this week or bad but the hitters carried the team. The Mariners also saw two hitters who had been slumping all season long have big weeks. One guy in particular is key to the Mariners future success which was nice to see. So this week we'll talk about the good(return of Franklin Gutierrez), the bad(two young kids who have been rushed) and the awesome(Mike Carp's second half). It has been fun seeing the team playing good baseball lately.

The Good:

The Mariners started the week off losing three of their first four games but battled back to beat the Boston Red Sox back to back games to go 3-3. The highlights of the week was the hot hitting of Mike Carp and Franklin Gutierrez. Those two have been killing the ball for about two weeks now which has really helped this slumping offense. The Mariners are getting good hitting from Ichiro and Dustin Ackley as well so the top of the order has been hitting the ball well. The Mariners closer Brandon League this week was lights out as he saved three games while allowing just one base runner. The newly acquired Casper Wells has been hitting the ball extremely well with two home runs the last two games in the series win over the Red Sox. Little used Jack Wilson is taking advantage of his playing time with four doubles this week. This was indeed a good week for the Mariners hitters who scored five runs in the first inning off of all-star pitcher Josh Beckett.

Good Hitting:

Mike Carp: 9-25(.360), HR, 9 RBI's, 4 runs
Casper Wells: 5-13(.384), 2 HR's, 4 RBI's, 3 runs, SB, .500 OB%
Dustin Ackley: 6-22(.272), 2 RBI's, 3 runs, .407 OB%
Ichiro: 7-26(.269), HR, RBI, 4 runs, SB
Jack Wilson: 7-15(.467), 3 RBI's, 3 runs, 4 doubles
Franklin Gutierrez: 11-23(.478), RBI, 5 runs, 3 SB's

Good Pitching:

Jason Vargas: 1-0, 7 IP, 3.86 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 3 K's
Michael Pineda: 6 IP, 4.50 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 4 K's
Jamey Wright: 3 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2.33 WHIP, K
Brandon League: 3 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP, 4 K's, 3 saves

Later on in this post I'll talk more in depth on Gutierrez, Ichiro and Carp. All three are enjoying hitting streaks and are hitting the ball well this month. In the case of Carp he has been killing the ball since being called up.

The Bad:

The Mariners lost two out of three to the Texas Rangers this week. Since 2008 the Mariners record against the Rangers hasn't been very good. The Mariners are now 3-10 this year against the Rangers. The Mariners are just 26-44(.371) against their divisional rivals since 2008 which is flat out terrible. The Mariners also saw two early veteran pieces who were successful who have been in a long slump. The Mariners have two rookies who appear to be overmatched at the major league level but have shown some flashes that eventually they can be quality. The Mariners had two young pitchers get rocked this week although one bounced back against a very good lineup. The Mariners are playing a ton of young guys now so inconsistent results are expected. One thing that has to make manager Eric Wedge happy is the fact his team is competing and not getting blown out like they were during the 17 game losing streak.

Bad Hitting:

Adam Kennedy: 2-12(.167), 3 RBI's, run, K
Miguel Olivo: 3-20(.150), RBI, run, SB, 5 K's
Travyon Robinson: 2-14(.143), 6 K's
Kyle Seager: 3-16(.188), run, 4 K's
Willy Mo Pena: 1-8(.125), 2 K's

Bad Pitching:

Blake Beavan: 0-1, 6.1 IP, 8.53 ERA, 1.89 WHIP, K
Charlie Furbush: 1-1, 11 IP, 5.72 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 6 K's
Jeff Gray: 0-1, Blown Save, 4.1 IP, 8.31 ERA, 1.85 WHIP, 2 K's
Josh Lueke: 0.1 IP, 54.00 ERA, 6.00 WHIP, K

Charlie Furbush is a young pitcher the Mariners are trying to see if he will be part of their future plans in the starting rotation. I'd say this week was a good test for Furbush. Against Texas he was lit up only lasting four innings while allowing six earned runs, eight hits, walked four and struck out zero batter. Then he bounced back against the Red Sox going seven innings, allowing just one earned run, just four hits, two walks while striking out six hitters. It was nce seeing Furbush bounce back the way he did.

The Awesome:

The awesome this week has been the terrific hitting of Mike Carp, Ichiro and Franklin Gutierrez. The Mariners just a month ago had so many holes in their lineup. Now with Carp hitting at the DH spot, Gutierrez hitting at the center field spot, Ichiro in the right field spot and Casper Wells in left field the hitting doesn't look as terrible. The won't confuse anyone of the Mariners from 1995-2003 but they are much better than the triple A crap we've had to witness the last two and a half years. I've complained how nobody is taking advantage of their opportunity well I can't say that anymore as Mike Carp is doing just that.

The Mariners have had three hitters who are red hot right now. The slumping Gutierrez right now is riding a seven game hitting streak which had a five game multi game hitting streak as well. In the month of August Gutierrez is hitting .357/.378/.429 in 93 AB's with 4 RBI's and 10 runs scored. He also has seven stolen bases during that stretch.

The other hitter is Ichiro who is riding a 10 game hitting streak right now. For the month Ichiro is hitting .288/.302/.365 in 52 AB's with a home run, two RBI's and eight runs scored. He also has two stolen bases during that stretch. Nice to see Ichiro showing signs that he still has it.

Lastly, Mike Carp is just killing the ball right now. Carp is enjoying the longest active hitting streak which is at 14 games. In the second half of the season Carp is hitting .366/.398/.581 in 93 AB's. He has hit four home runs, drove in 24 runs while scoring 13 runs. For the month of August he is hitting .380/.415/.580 in 50 AB's with two home runs, 15 RBI's and 8 runs scored.

It has been nice seeing some guys hit the ball. Carp if he continues to hit this way has earned the right to enter spring training next year as the starter. He will be beyond having to compete if he can keep up this hot hitting. It has been great seeing a player step up and take advantage of his playing time which Carp has done so far. He has been red hot just like he was all year long in Tacoma. He is finally getting consistent at bats and doing the most with it.

AL West Standings:

Texas Rangers: 69-52, First Place
L.A. Angels: 65-56, 4.0 GB
Oakland A's: 53-67, 15.5 GB
Seattle Mariners: 52-67, 16.0 GB

In conclusion, the trades made by Jack Zduriencik has made life easier on Eric Wedge. Now some of the problems earlier in the year was on Wedge as he chose to play Carlos Peguero over Mike Carp which Carp is proving was a huge mistake. It is nice seeing the Mariners offense finally score some runs and resemble a major league offense for once. This month the Mariners are averaging 4.3 runs per game which is a huge upgrade over their average prior to this month which was 3.3 runs per game. That one run in baseball is huge especially when talking per game average. The Mariners for the second straight week have played pretty good baseball against the same schedule that burried them. Thanks to the red hot hitting of Mike Carp and Franklin Gutierrez the Mariners fans have enjoyed some fine baseball this month. It was great seeing the Mariners take two out of three against all those bandwagon Red Sox fans. Hopefully the Mariners can finish out the season strong and avoid finishing last place for the sixth time in eight years.

By Kshell

The Seattle Mariners just completed a successful week that saw them go 4-2. The Mariners swept the Oakland Athletics in a three game sweep then dropped two out of three to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Mariners saw much improved hitting this week as well as the pitching was fantastic. The Mariners starting pitchers were great in all six starts this week which was nice to see. The Mariners once again are entering a tough stretch on their schedule so it was nice to see them having a winning week. The Mariners played great in sweeping the A's then allowed just four runs in the series loss to the Angels. The Mariners won four out of six games and their two losses were by a single run. It was nice to see the team playing competitive unlike that disasterous 17 game losing streak. So this week I'll talk about the good(tons of players), the bad(not many players) and the awesome(the guys the Mariners have called up or traded for).

The Good:

The Mariners had plenty of good this week as they went 4-2. The hitting finally stepped up in the series sweep of the Oakland A's. The pitching was terrific all week as all six games saw the Mariners starting pitchers earn a quality start. This week also saw all-star pitcher Felix Hernandez dominate his opponents striking out 21 batters in just 14.1 innings. The Mariners have received great pitching from Blake Beavan this year as well as he broke Michael Pineda's record for starting his Mariners career with six straight quality starts. The Mariners already have seen great return on their trades with Charlie Furbush, Casper Wells and Trayvon Robinson. It was nice seeing the Mariners playing good baseball with the young kids from Tacoma doing most of the damage.

Good Hitting:

Mike Carp: 10-25(.400), HR, 6 RBI's, 4 runs
Casper Wells: 6-19(.315), HR, 4 RBI's, 3 runs, SB
Brendan Ryan: 6-12(.500), RBI, 3 runs, .571 OB%
Ichiro: 8-26(.307), RBI, 4 runs, SB
Justin Smoak: 2-5(.400), 2 runs, .571 OB%
Miguel Olivo: 5-17(.294), 2 RBI's
Dustin Ackley: 6-22(.272), 3 RBI's, 4 runs, .384 OB%

Good Pitching:

Blake Beavan: 2-0, 14.2 IP, 2.45 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 5 K's
Charlie Furbush: 1-0, 5 IP, 1.80 ERA, 0.40 WHIP, 3 K's
Brandon League: 3.2 IP, 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 2 K's, 2 saves
Josh Lueke: 2.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 3 K's
Jamey Wright: 4.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 4 K's
Jason Vargas: 6 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 3 K's
Felix Hernandez: 1-1, 14.1 IP, 2.51 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 21 K's

As you can see the starting pitching this week was terrific. The starting pitching this week went 4-1 with an ERA of 1.57 while throwing 40 innings(6.2 innings a start) for the week. The starters had a WHIP of 0.97 with 32 strikeouts. The starting pitching despite trading away two guys this past week was terrific. The hitting was pretty good as well with the Mariners having five guys hit over .300 on the week. This was the best week the Mariners have had in a few months.

The Bad:

The Mariners didn't have much bad this week which was refreshing. The bad did take place against the Angels where the Mariners saw their starting pitching go 22 innings allowing just 3 runs(1.22 ERA) with just one win to show for it. The hitting was once again silent down in Anaheim and there is one hitter in particular who could be in jeopardy of losing his job. The Mariners this past trade deadline traded for three outfielders and two are already up. THe Mariners have already shipped out one slumping outfielder and another could be next. The Mariners with these trades have put Franklin Gutierrez on notice. The pitching this week was terrific minus two bullpen blow ups which happens during a long season. The Mariners were also reminded this week why Jack Wilson never plays because he showed he is a terrible hitter. The roster is changing and some of the dead weight will be shipped out of town before opening day next year.

Bad Hitting:

Franklin Gutierrez: 4-19(.210), 2 RBI's, run, 4 K's
Adam Kennedy: 2-15(.133), 2 RBI's, run, sb, 6 K's
Greg Halman: 0-4(.000), 3 K's
Jack Wilson: 3-16(.187), run, 7 K's, CS

Bad Pitching:

Dan Cortes: 0-1, 0.1 IP, 27.00 ERA, 9.09 WHIP
Jeff Gray: 1.2 IP, 16.19 ERA, 2.99 WHIP, 2 K's

Greg Halman was sent down after hitting 2-28(.071) with 13 strikeouts and no walks. His second half line was .071/.103/.179 which won't cut it at the big league level.

The other player who is put on notice is Gutierrez. Guiterrez for the season is hitting .195/.237/.236 on the season with just one home run and 11 RBI's in 220 at bats on the season. He is slowly hitting better but that isn't enough to make up for this piss poor season he is having. I predict if Gutierrez finishes the season under .200 he won't be back next year.

The Awesome:

The awesome this week is all the Mariners who weren't part of the opening day roster who are contributing. The Mariners two best hitters right now are Dustin Ackley and Mike Carp. The Mariners also saw Casper Wells and Trayvon Robinson do well this week. The pitching of Blake Beavan and Charlie Furbush makes fans say Doug Fister and Erik Bedard who? The Mariners are getting some good seasons out of Tacoma players. If you include Michael Pineda who is a rookie the Mariners future appears to be bright. Now the Mariners will ultimately have to add to this nucleaus but at least a foundation appears set in place.

Awesome Hitting:

Dustin Ackley: Hitting .301/.368/.529 in 153 AB's. Has 5 HR's, 23 RBI's, 21 runs. Ackley has been a huge lift this season and his glove has been great. He's been consistent all year and his slumps when they happen will be very few and far between.

Mike Carp: Hitting .311/.372/.476 in 103 AB's. Has 3 HR's, 15 RBI's, and 9 runs. Carp since his second call up where he is getting consistent playing time is hitting .368/.394/.588 in 68 AB's. He has 3 HR's and 15 RBI's during that stretch. I don't know why Eric Wedge decided to play Carlos Peguero over Carp when the Mariners were still in a playoff chase.

Casper Wells: Hitting .304/.360/.435 in 23 AB's with the Mariners. This is small sample size but with Detroit he also hit .257/.323/.451 in 113 AB's. For his career he is hitting .288/.343/.485 in 229 AB's which isn't much to judge but it sure is better than what the Mariners have been getting all year long.

Awesome Pitching:

Blake Beavan: 3-2, 41.1 IP, 2.83 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 17 K's, .245 BAA . Beavan is looking like the best player in the Cliff Lee trade. He has pitched a quality start in all six starts and is averaging almost seven innings a start. As you can see Beavan is a pitch to contact type of pitcher(Fister jr). When Bedard went down Beavan took advantage which showed the organization Fister was expendable as they are similar pitchers. Beavan a former first round pick in the 2007 draft has pitched pretty well.

Charlie Furbush: 1-0, 6 IP, 3.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 3 K's, .150 BAA. Furbush looked great in his first start with the Mariners. Granted it was a day game with the shadows against the Oakland A's but still he looked pretty good out there. Furbush is a fourth round pick in the 2007 draft and will be given a chance to start the rest of the season to earn a spot in next years starting rotation.

Josh Lueke: 1-1, 12.2 IP, 9.24 ERA, 1.89 WHIP, 14 K's, .327 BAA. I'm sure your wondering why I included Lueke on here. Well he wasn't ready in April that is for sure but he went to Tacoma and made the PCL all-star team. Since he has been called up he has been lights out as well. In the second half Lueke has pitched 6.1 innings, 1.42 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 6 K's, .208 BAA. Lueke has been terrific so far since his call up.

I've been and will continue to be critical of Jack Zduriencik. I also wouldn't be doing a good job if I didn't point what he has appeared to have done right. Ackley was his draft pick which anyone could have made but the other players I listed he has traded for in the past calender year. Now if Zduriencik can just use his eye for young talent on major league talent and acquire some major league hitters in free agency the Mariners could finally have a team.

AL West Standings:

Texas Rangers: 64-51, First Place
L.A. Angels: 63-52, 1.0 GB
Oakland A's: 51-63, 12.5 GB
Seattle Mariners: 49-64, 14.0 GB

In conclusion, the Mariners got better for the future with their trades and for now. Manager Eric Wedge actually has some options to work with which he didn't before. The Mariners have some decent hitters in the outfield which has been nice to see. The Mariners face a tough schedule for the rest of the month. I remember at the start of July thinking the next 60 games is going to be tough on this team. I'm glad the Mariners still have some fight in them but they need to be more consistent to avoid another long losing streak. It has been nice seeing guys who weren't on the opening day roster contributing.

By: Kshell

I decided to be a little creative with this blog post where I'm going to conduct a fictional roundtable discussion which includes Seattle Seahawks head coach and President Pete Carroll, Washington Huskies head football coach Steve Sarkisian, Washington Huskies head basketball coach Lorenzo Romar, Seattle Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik and manager Eric Wedge, plus special guests Mariners president Chuck Armstrong along with Huskies Athletic Director Scott Woodward. Now this is 100% fictional but we'll have a roundtable discussion with all the Seattle major sports players in this area. Now I've never done this before but this is something that you see Bill Simmons pull off to perfection every single time. Now this is all parody so hopefully nobody will get too upset with some of the responses.

SSB: I'm so honored to have all the major coaches here. We'll also have some executives as well. So any opening statements?

Steve Sarkisian: Go Dawgs! I gurantee we'll be competing for a Pac-12 title eventually. Our players are pumped for this season!

Pete Carroll: Do you purposely copy me on everything?!!

Steve Sarkisian: Hell yes make lots of noise so if you fail the doogs(fans who act like coug fans accept losing) will still love you!

Jack Zduriencik: I personally like setting expectations so low that if I don't literally piss my own pants I'll receive praise. Hell I'm a career loser but people still trust me! LOL

Lorenzo Romar: I personally like to bring up how my previous coach from a decade ago was awful. The doogs love that one.

Steve Sarkisian: That's a good one! Can I still blame Neuheisel?

Scott Woodward: Oh yea you inherited a program from a guy who inherited a program from a guy who inherited a program from a guy that was dirty. Hell I like to build in excuses before an ass kicking. Take the Oregon game I was complaining about their academics before the game so the doogs will shift their focus on that instead of us getting killed as usual.

Pete Carroll: What the hell is this academics you speak of? I don't think my players ever went to class. I'm a winner and then when I was caught cheating my "punishment" was seven million per year from the Seahawks.

Steve Sarkisian: Why do you think I want to be like you Pete? Even if your caught as a cheat you still found a way to come out clean.

Lorenzo Romar: I don't believe in being a dirty program. I won't allow it I may lose out on Terrence Jones but I will keep my dignity.

Jack Zduriencik: That's funny Lorenzo didn't you have a rapist on your team last year?

Chuck Armstrong: Actually Jack you traded for a damn rapist too! I don't care if we lose 100 games I won't tolerate players who have sketchy backgrounds!

SSB: Okay I see this topic is getting out of hand. Okay Eric Wedge how is your first year going in Seattle?

Eric Wedge: Well I fooled the fans by growing an awesome mustache that took attention away from this shitty team that I have. When I fill out the lineup card I seriously think if I should kill myself. I mean my options for cleanup are Justin Smoak, Miguel Olivo, Adam Kennedy?!! Thanks a lot Jack!

Jack Zduriencik: We have good young talent. That's what I have to keep repeating hopefully the fans actually believe it.

Steve Sarkisian: Why do you think I never redshirt players? So I can point to the true freshman every year and say my team is young.

Lorenzo Romar: I'm the opposite I like to play my crappy experienced guys over my talented freshman. I know C.J. Wilcox and Terrence Ross will play in the NBA but why play them when my season is on the line? I have to trust my seniors Venoy Overton and Justin Holiday.

Eric Wedge: I would actually murder someone for talent seriously! My team is garbage. People get on me about our hitting but our hitters suck! I've seen triple A teams with more talent.

Jack Zduriencik: We are rebuilding Eric you have to stay the course even though I'll probably fire you if my ass is on the line.

Chuck Armstrong: Jack hate to break it to you but I'll fire you first. I like to pretend I care so I fire people every now and then but in reality I don't give a shit. I'm the Elgin Baylor of baseball and I'm proud of it!

Scott Woodward: At least you guys had qualifications for your job. I sure as hell didn't! So I think I win that title for sure!

SSB: Okay this dicussion is going pretty well. I have to ask Pete Carroll how does it feel to be the only one doing things right yet fans hate you?

Pete Carroll: Yes I love how fans get pissed when I got rid of a quarterback who threw 44 INT's to just 34 TD's the last three years. I'm like damn this town really does love losers! Then I released Tatupu and fans like Big Lo are freaking out. It's kind of a joke how much hate I get yet people forgive Jack Z so much.

Jack Zduriencik: That is because I keep trading for prospects so all my supporters can point to my farm system as progress. I know Frankling Gutierrez sucks and a good chance Justin Smoak will too. That doesn't matter though by the time the fans realize they suck I'll have some new up and coming "prospect".

Chuck Armstrong: You messed up Pete! I would have given Matt a five year deal. I mean I gave Ichiro a franchise guy at 33 years old a five year 90 million dollar deal. We've sold so many bobbleheads because of him!

Pete Carroll: Bobbleheads?!! WTF?!! Does anyone in this damn town want a winner?

Chuck Armstrong: Your new I'll let you in on a secret no they don't. They want bobbleheads instead!

Lorenzo Romar: Just tease them with NCAA tournaments and they'll be fine. I can coach here for 40 more seasons and never advance past the sweet 16. KJR and the doogs have made it so I'll be here forever even if I underachieve.

Eric Wedge: Wow I have it lucky I managed in Cleveland for seven seasons with just two winning seasons. Now I'm in another losing city I'm all of a sudden liking it here.

Steve Sarkisian: It's true I'm just 12-13 yet I can kill someone in down town Seattle and be elected mayor. This city doesn't care about winning at all.

Jack Zduriencik: I've built a historically awful offense the past three seasons and people still have signs how they trust me! This town loves losers.

Pete Carroll: That does make sense I mean we did only go 7-9 last year yet people talk us up like a 12-4 team around here. It's good to know there is zero expectations around here.

Chuck Armstrong: That's the spirit! Finally you new guys are learning. It's not about winning or losing instead it's about fooling the fan base. I'm the worst president in major league history yet I keep my job. Everyone hates me and do you think I give a shit? Hell no! I'll never get fired. My boss loves me because I make him tons of money every year.

SSB: So nobody cares about winning? I'm starting to be upset that our fan base doesn't hold you guys accountable.

Jack Zduriencik: We are rebuilding with young talent.

Steve Sarkisian: I inherited 0-12 and went 7-6 with a QB that went in the top 10 of the NFL draft. What more do you want?

Lorenzo Romar: Hello? Three straight NCAA tournament appearances ring a bell? I know we choked in the tournament but the doogs are still busy celebrating my Pac-10 tournament titles.

Pete Carroll: Hell I seem to be the only guy taking heat. That fat guy wearing the Babineaux jersey isn't happy with me. I guess I should have kept Matt and simply sucked.

Chuck Armstrong: Pete has finally arrived! That's what I did with Ichiro. Fans loved me at the time when I resigned him although we suck now. Still had I let him walk we could be winners now but would Shannon Drayer like me? I don't think so.

Eric Wedge: I love how I have 27 million dollars in two leadoff hitters who both suck ass.

Jack Zduriencik: We are a young team that is rebuilding. We have a ton of young talent.

SSB: Well thanks guys this has been fun. Hopefully you guys can build a winner but I'm having my doubts now.

Well guys there you have it. There was my fictional roundtable with all the Seattle Sports head coaches and executives. Now this was just me having fun don't take everything in here seriously. I just decided to have some fun with this. I'm sure some people will be upset but I used this as a way to vent how Seattle as a city celebrates being average. I would like just for once for the fans to wait til a coach or executive proves himself before electing him into the hall of fame. I think the fans are so starving for a winner they get too attached to the guys running the show. So I hope you enjoyed my fictional roundtable discussion.

By Kshell

Well that was a fun ride while it lasted. The Seattle Mariners this past week officially answered the question on whether they should be buyers or sellers with an emphatic sellers! The Mariners after going on the road to take two out of three at Oakland to defeat the Athletics they found themselves swept on a four game road trip to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Mariners lack of hitting has caught up to them for a month now. The Mariners who were once 37-35 after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies two out of three find themselves now 43-48. The Mariners who were once a half game out of first place now find themselves 7.5 games back of the Texas Rangers and Angels. This week I'll break down the good(not much besides Felix Hernandez), the bad(basically the entire offense) and the ugly(as I dive more into the offensive woes). The Mariners after overachieving much of the first half saw their lack of offense finally catch up to first year manager Eric Wedge.

The Good:

When a team goes 2-5 you have to stretch to find some good. The starting pitching was pretty good this week as the Mariners received six quality starts out of seven. The Mariners saw rookie Dustin Ackley put up another good week as he is showing he is the best hitter on the roster. Ackley's defense so far this year has been pretty incredible as well. The Mariners also saw all-star pitcher Felix Hernandez dominate this week yet came up empty in the wins column. Jason Vargas also followed up his complete game shutout last week with another complete game this week only he lost 2-0. The Mariners pitching has carried them all year and this week was no different.

Good Hitting:

Dustin Ackley: 8-26(.307), HR, 2 RBI's, 5 runs, SB, .357 OB%
Brendan Ryan: 7-29(.241), 2 RBI's, 4 runs, SB
Ichiro: 7-28(.250), RBI, run, 2 SB's

Good Pitching:

Felix Hernandez: 15 IP, 1.80 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 16 K's
Blake Beavan: 6.1 IP, 2.84 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, K
Jason Vargas: 0-1, 8 IP, 2.25 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 6 K's

The Bad:

There was plenty of bad this week for the Mariners. The Mariners season basically ended in Anaheim. The hitting which has been terrible all season long and I was worried the minute the pitching went from dominant to good a long losing streak would follow. The Mariners looked helpless at the plate this week. The strikeouts were racking up as the bats were silent. The Mariners who were getting production from Adam Kennedy and Justin Smoak aren't getting much from them. In fact Justin Smoak has been pretty bad since June. The Mariners pitching was solid but saw two key guys slump for them in David Pauley and Michael Pineda. Pineda has been rough in his last three starts hopefully this isn't a sign of arm fatigue. The Mariners went 2-5 so therefore I'm going to have a ton of guys on the bad list this week.

Bad Hitting:

Justin Smoak: 3-26(.115), 2 RBI's, 7 K's
Carlos Peguero: 2-15(.133), RBI, 9 K's
Adam Kennedy: 4-23(.173), 3 RBI's, 4 K's
Greg Halman: 4-18(.222), run, 2 SB's, 6 K's
Kyle Seager: 1-12(.083), 3 K's. Hit .083/.214/.083 his debut week in the bigs
Franklin Gutierrez: 4-19(.210), 3 runs, 2 SB, 4 K's
Josh Bard: 2-9(.222), HR, RBI, run

Bad Pitching:

David Pauley: 0-2, 2.1 IP, 11.59 ERA, 2.14 WHIP, K
Michael Pineda: 1-1, 11 IP, 6.54 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 14 K's

The Mariners aren't getting much hitting from certain guys as everyone in the lineup not named Dustin Ackley has their averages dropping.

Justin Smoak got off to a hot start in April hitting .284/.393/.527 with four HR's and 17 RBI's with 18 K's to 14 BB's. In May Smoak saw his hitting drop to .229/.333/.417 with four HR's and 14 RBI's with 27 K's to 14 BB's. In June Smoak was hitting similar to May as he hit .226/.318/.419 with four HR's but just nine RBI's with 16 K's to 12 BB's. So far in July Smoak has been terrible hitting .118/.179/.176 with no home runs and just three RBI's with 9 K's to 3 BB's. Not trying to pick on Smoak but he is a big part of the offense now and for the future.

The Ugly:

The ugly this week was the fact the Mariners won't be playing a meaningful game in August for the fourth straight season. The Mariners won't be playing a meaningful game in September for the eighth straight season. The Mariners hitting has been terrible this season and the overachieving bullpen is coming down to earth once again. The Mariners are finding themselves rebuilding yet again. The Mariners are years away from being a good team with the current offense and judging by the minor league system. Dustin Ackley and maybe Justin Smoak only youngsters I'm excited about. Kyle Seager could be a good hitter but he is a year or two away. The Mariners have nothing in their outfield as we are witnessing with Greg Halman and Carlos Peguero's non stop strikeouts. The Mariners need to get tons of depth as they have way to many holes offensively.

Ugly Hitting:

Seattle Mariners: .224/.290/.331 which is a terrible statline for an individual much less a team. The Mariners rank dead last in all of baseball in batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage, hits and runs. The Mariners rank 29th out of 30 teams in RBI's, 28th in doubles and 26th in home runs.

Carlos Peguero: hitting .199/.250/.376 on the season. Peguero has struck out 52 times in 141 AB's which is 34.2% of the time. Peguero has only walked seven times this year for just 4.6% of the time. His "power" isn't that great either as he homers one in 23.5 at bats. Wedge needs to stop playing him and send his ass down.

Franklin Gutierrez: hitting .187/.218/.227 on the season. Gutierrez has just one home run in 150 AB's on the season. He is only walking 3.8% of the time which is a terrible percentage. Basically he is a hitter who doesn't walk or hit for power.

Chone Figgins: hitting .183/.231/.244 on the season. Figgins has been a disaster for the Mariners. He like Gutierrez doesn't walk or hit for power either. Figgins during his all-star season with the Angels two years ago was walking 13.9% of the time while now he is walking only 6.0% of the time. He is only stealing bases at a 60.0% clip which isn't that good and leads the team in errors with 10.

The Mariners offense is pretty terrible and are constantly throwing out three hitters who are hitting below the mendoza line. The Mariners offense is awful and if not for the pitching like in 2009 the team would be having a season like they did in 2010. The Mariners are on pace to win 76 games right now and considering I predicted 72 wins before the year I don't feel so bad. Look for the Mariners record to get worse after they trade away some decent pieces as well.

AL West Standings:

Texas Rangers: 51-41, first place
L.A. Angels: 50-42, 1.0 GB
Seattle Mariners: 43-48, 7.5 GB
Oakland A's: 39-53, 12.0 GB

The Mariners have their work set out for them for the rest of the year. The Mariners can't afford a rebuilding season so don't expect a complete fire sell. The Mariners also don't have many tradeable pieces as they either have guys that makes no sense to trade, over priced bad players, cheap guys under club control and very few veterans that typically get traded this time of the year. The first half ride was fun while it lasted but that 5-1 collapse to the Washington Nationals turns out to be the turning point of the season. No longer does Eric Wedge look like a genius instead just a manager who allows his pitchers to walk hitters on three balls. The Mariners in the second half need to develope the young guys but just remember other than Ackley, Smoak and Seager the other hitters won't be on this roster by 2013. Just like the past three seasons the Mariners will be sellers at the trade deadline.

By Kshell

This week the Seattle Mariners completed another 2-4 week which saw them get swept at home to the Atlanta Braves but recover to take the San Diego Padres two out of three. The Mariners aren't playing well having lost 15 of their last 25 games including going 4-8 the last two weeks. The Mariners once again saw their starting pitching pitch great and yet received no wins. The Mariners hitters were silent once again and in particular two hitters have been killing them this season. The fans have been riding one hitter but have given the other hitter a free pass which I won't be doing with this weekly review. The Mariners were swept to the Braves despite throwing Erik Bedard who later landed on the DL, all-star hopeful Michael Pineda and all-star Felix Hernandez. Then against the Padres the Mariners saw their starting pitching throw 25 innings while allowing just two earned runs yet only won two of three games. So like I do in a losing week I'll go over the good(starting pitching), the bad(hitting) and the ugly(more hitting).

The Good:

This week the Mariners went just 2-4 but not everything was bad. The starting pitching the last two weeks has been pretty good despite the poor record. Against the San Diego Padres this season the Mariners went 5-1 with a 0.50 ERA in six games. The pitching like it has all season long has carried the team. The Mariners did see rookie sensation Dustin Ackley once again do well even though he had to sit out two games due to a bruise rib. The Mariners also saw the return of Jack Cust who hadn't started a game in over two weeks due to interleague play. The Mariners this week also saw the major league debut of Blake Beavan who was acquired in the Cliff Lee trade and he pitched terrific getting the win in his major league debut.

Good Hitting:

Dustin Ackley: 4-13(.308), HR, 4 RBI's, run, SB, .400 on base percentage
Jack Cust: 3-12(.250), HR, 4 RBI's, run, .400 on base percentage
Brendan Ryan: 6-22(.272), 4 runs, 3 SB's, .384 on base percentage
Greg Halman: 3-11(.272), SB

Good Pitching:

Jason Vargas: 1-0, 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 7 K's
Doug Fister: 0-1, 9 IP, 1.00 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 7 K's
Blake Beavan: 1-0, 7 IP, 1.29 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 4 K's
Erik Bedard: 0-1, 7 IP, 3.86 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 5 K's
Brandon League: save, 2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 2 K's

Jason Vargas now leads the American League with three complete game shutouts as he shutout the Padres 6-0 on friday night.

Dustin Ackley has reached base in all 13 games he has appeared in. For the year Ackley is hitting .302/.367/.558 on the season.

The Bad:

The Mariners aren't winning games anymore due to a lack of offense. The Mariners this week saw three regular hitters slump terribly. In the case of all three hitters these slumps have extended now for two weeks. For two of those hitters it has happened the entire season. The Mariners also saw their two best pitchers Felix Hernandez and Michael Pineda get roughed up a bit by the Braves. In the case of Pineda he tied a career high with five walks while Hernandez allowed 10 hits in 7 2/3 innings while throwing 127 pitches. The Mariners manager Eric Wedge also made another mistake(He's had a terrible three weeks by the way) when he didn't argue a walk which should have been only three balls in Saturday's 1-0 loss. That walk that shouldn't have been was a big deal since he scored the only run of the game while nobody on the Mariners bench caught that mistake. The Mariners have pitched well the last two weeks but are just 4-8 because the hitting has failed them yet again.

Bad Hitting:

Franklin Gutierrez: 1-17(.058), run, 5 K's, 1-21(.047) slump dating back
Justin Smoak: 1-20(.050), RBI, 2 runs, 5 K's, 1-29(.034) slump dating back
Chone Figgins: 1-10(.100), SB, 2 K's, 1-23(.043) slump dating back

Bad Pitching:

Michael Pineda: 0-1, 6.1 IP, 5.68 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 5 K's
Felix Hernandez: 0-1, 7.2 IP, 5.86 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 6 K's

The Mariners offense this week averaged just 2.8 runs per game this week as they fell to 2-4 on the week. The Mariners completed interleague play going 9-9 which was helped by going 5-1 against the Padres.

The Ugly:


The Mariners are getting nothing from Chone Figgins and the fans are noticing by booing him every time he records an out. On the other hand Franklin Gutierrez I feel is getting a free pass with his poor hitting as are a few other hitters. The Mariners pitching staff has been pitching great this whole year but the offense once again has been terrible this season as the Mariners fall to third place in the division for the first time in over a month. The Mariners also have a tough schedule coming up so they could find themselves completely out of the race by the trade deadline if they don't make a trade.

Bad Hitting:

Chone Figgins: On the season is hitting .185/.230/.246 in 260 AB's
Franklin Gutierrez: On the season is hitting .183/.219/.229 in 131 AB's
Mike Carp: Hitting .200/.333/.257 with ZERO RBI's or runs in 35 AB's
Carlos Peguero: Hitting .206/.265/.405 in 126 AB's with 43 K's to 7 BB's

Seattle Mariners: Hitting .226/.294/.336 as a team on the season which is pathetic.

The Mariners currently rank dead last in batting average, on base percentage, runs scored, and base hits. The Mariners rank second to last in slugging percentage, and RBI's while ranking third to last in doubles. In other words the Mariners offense is the all around worst offense in all of baseball. The Mariners on the season are averaging just 3.4 runs per game for the season. The Mariners offense has gotten worse as the season has gone on due to manager Eric Wedge's agressive approach towards hitting. Wedge would rather see you be a hacker(Peguerro) than a guy who takes pitches(Cust or Carp). The value of the walk is lost with this team which is too bad to see.

AL West Standings:

Texas Rangers: 44-41, Tied First Place
L.A. Angels: 44-41, Tied First Place
Seattle Mariners: 41-43, 2.5 GB
Oakland A's: 38-47, 6.0 GB

In conclusion, the Mariners completed a rough stretch where they have lost 15 of 25 games. The schedule isn't any more friendly as the Mariners play 16 of their next 20 games on the road. In fact the Mariners have a tough schedule for their next 45 games which if the offense remains the same will most likely kill their slim chances of the playoffs. The Mariners play the Angels on the road for four games which is huge going into the all-star break. Wedge has had a rough last couple of weeks especially with his hitting lineups like the game I went to on Saturday when he had Gutierrez bat third despite Figgins and Jack Wilson also playing. The Mariners pitching has been great but if the pitching ever decides to be average for a week it could be an ugly week for the Mariners. This week the Mariners play seven games against their own division this is their sink or swim week that is for sure. The Mariners better get some hitting or else they'll be sinking this week.

By Outsider Steve

Something just dawned on me while I was writing this piece about the wheels coming off of the 2011 Seattle Mariners. An epiphany really, those do not happen very often, but right in the middle of a thought, it hit me like a bat to the forehead (sorry Nick Franklin). The wheels have completely come off this franchise, and it’s now sitting atop of concrete cinder blocks in some dank back alley.

How the hell did this happen so fast? Seriously! Wasn’t it just ten years ago that we were in the midst of the best stretch of baseball in Franchise history, with 393 wins, and two LCS appearances in four years? I remember telling a good friend of mine at the time, the days of 90+ loss seasons were over for good. Even if the Mariners were to have a losing season, it wasn’t going to be anything worse than 82 losses. That was back in 2002 after the A’s caught the Mariners in September. I was 22 at the time and feeling a little good about our baseball team. Flash forward now, I am 30-years-old and a father of a four-year-old (good god am I old), and still feeling the sting of 478 losses spread out over five losing seasons since 2004.

Anyways, sorry about that rant. This team has that kind of effect on me. As I was saying about the Mariners being on cinder blocks, I’m going to take you back to a time when the Seattle Mariners bought their first new car. I think everyone can relate to this. It’s stepping out as an adult for the first time; making that financial commitment. It’s scary as hell, but in the end you know it will be worth every penny. The same can’t be said for the Mariners. They couldn’t afford to buy a new car, and they knew it. Sometimes people make rash decisions to fix a situation they are in at the time, and it’s completely understandable. Most people actually do their homework before making a huge purchase, but not the Mariners. They bought their new vehicle purely on hype, and it’s a shame too. Can you imagine what would’ve been had they started off on more of a practical foot? They would’ve had a much smoother ride.

It’s a good thing when someone purchases a new car. The best part about buying a new car is all the goodies that go along with it, the new car smell, all the gadgets, and let’s not forget the fake leather upholstery. That’s what Seattle was talked into buying back in 1977; a Ford Pinto. No matter how hard the Mariners friends kept telling him he had bought a Lemon, the Mariners were convinced they had a gem. The Mariners realized quickly though that his prized Pinto started to fall apart. He started having radiator issues, a starter here and alternator there. Pretty soon his timing belts started to go and it wasn’t long before the Mariners had to take it into the shop to have it fixed; the 70’s and 80’s.

It’s a funny thing when somebody tries to put lipstick on a pig. You have to give the mechanic credit though; he put some really good parts underneath the hood of that pinto. The mechanic put in an Edgar Martinez, a Jay Buhner, an Omar Vizquel, and even a Tino Matinez for good measure. He swapped out an old spark plug, Mark Langston, for a new one, Randy Johnson. When the Mariners took their Pinto home from the shop, they took it to a nearby car stereo shop and outfitted that Pinto with the newest, shiniest stereo they could buy, Ken Griffey Jr. Can you imagine the Mariners driving down First Avenue in that Pinto blaring Naughty BY Nature out of the windows in 1991-92? That would be a funny picture to see, as I was saying though; you can only fix a car so many times before it gets long in the tooth. The good news for the Mariners was that they got a raise at work in 1990 and they began saving for a new car. They knew it was only a matter of days, months, or years before that Pinto would be found dead on the shoulder of I-5 with a blown head gasket.

It only took them 16 years, but in December of 1992 the Mariners decided it was well overdue, and bought a brand new Ford Taurus, Lou Pinella. Before they decided to scrap that Pinto, they brought it to that same mechanic who then took all those new parts and put them into that brand new Taurus. What a sweet ride that was to the Mariners. Finally the Mariners could strut a little in front of all his AL West friends. Do you know what the best part is about owning a Taurus? It’s dependability. No matter how good your life is (’95 and ’97) or how bad (’94, ’98, and ’99), you will never have to worry about car breaking down on you.

It is amazing how things in life sneak up on you. Sometimes you receive things because you earned them. On other occasions sometimes you receive things because you’re just damn lucky. To this day I still don’t know how the Mariners got that promotion (Safeco Field), but they did. I’m still convinced there were some back door shenanigans going on. In any case, with that promotion came a fat raise and that trusty Taurus was no longer needed. Can you imagine showing up to your new gig and parking a Ford Taurus in a spot designated for the VP? I know right. You know how it goes in the corporate world; you have to look like you have been there before. The Mariners traded in that dependable Taurus for a sleek and sexy Cadillac, Pat Gillick. We all know what happens when someone pulls up in a brand new Caddy. We collectively rise are thumbs up, let out a whistle, followed by the standard “she’s a real peach”. Okay so maybe I’m the only one that does that, but the Mariners all of a sudden became very dapper. The new standard of excellence, they became the envy of all their friends, and for good measure too. Hadn’t they Mariners paid their dues? Things were starting to look up for the Mariners. You had the sense that all the troubles of the past were in the rear view mirror.
You hear all the time how money changes people and the Mariners were no different. Just as quick as the Mariners popularity had begun to rise, it fell just as quick and even harder. There have been many variations to the story of what happened on that fateful night in the fall of ’03, but allegedly the Mariners had been drinking and gambling too hard with the Angels. You know how cocky, drunk people are? They feel like they are completely untouchable. Well, this turned out to be a little bit different than usual. Instead of the Mariners dominating everything, the Angels were taking advantage of the Mariners mistakes that night, and in one act of frustration and desperation the Mariners decided put that Cadillac up against a similar Ford Taurus (Bill Bavasi) the Angels still laying around in their back yard. That one solitary act of desperation changed the Mariners for the worst.


As I mentioned earlier, the best thing about a Ford Taurus is its dependability. Well, that all changes when that Taurus is ten years old and had been sitting for pasture. The spark plugs don’t fire off correctly, the transmissions timing is all out of whack. The car runs, but it’s nothing close to the reliability of the Cadillac. The problem with that particular Taurus was you had no idea if the damn thing would blow upon you or would not start for you. The sad part about that Taurus was all the parts were just too old. That mechanic, who knew how to make your last Taurus really go, moved his shop to Tampa. The Mariners all of a sudden became very irrational and spontaneous. They were stuck with an unreliable mode of transportation that constantly needed a tune up. They were throwing money at that car left and right. No matter much money they tried to throw at a problem, nothing got fixed.

That ten-year-old Taurus was the worst thing that ever happened to the Mariners. They knew it too, but unfortunately pride will never let the Mariners actually admit that out loud. In the fall of 2008 the Mariners had what alcoholics call “a moment of clarity”. They looked back at all their good times in the 1990’s and the early 2000’s, and realized a truth. It doesn’t matter what car you drive, all that’s important is if that car is reliable, dependable, and gets the job done. At that point the Taurus had broken down, so the Mariners hopped on a Metro bus and headed to a dealership and bought exactly that, a piece of solid American dependability; a Chevy truck, Jack Zdureincik.

In the end, reliability and dependability is exactly what I think will get the Mariners what they really desire, a World Series title. Knowing you have that steady rock behind the wheel, Eric Wedge, is important as well. Needing the direction and the ability to have the patience to see it though is so crucial nowadays. I think that the Mariners have learned their lessons. I don’t see them repeating the mistakes from their past. It would be too costly. Their reputation and credibility is so shot that repeating mistakes would bring a death sentence. Then again you never know with Howard Lincoln and Chuck Armstrong running around. When something that resembles desperation creeps in, those two freak out and desperately try and fix things. The problem with that is they do it cheaply and we are left with a Pacer, or a Gremlin. Let’s hope those days are well behind us. Because if they aren’t, well, let’s just hope they are..