Updates Anyone ?

[Rennie Stennett]

The standings after the first half of the season:


American League

American League East


Tampa Bay 49 32 .605 -
Boston 50 34 .595 ½
N.Y. Yankees 44 38 .537 5½
Baltimore 41 39 .512 7½
Toronto 40 43 .482 10

American League Central


Chi. White Sox 46 35 .568 -
Minnesota 45 37 .549 1½
Detroit 41 40 .506 5
Cleveland 37 45 .451 9½
Kansas City 37 45 .451 9½

American League West


L.A. Angels 49 33 .598 -
Oakland 44 37 .543 4½
Texas 42 41 .506 7½
Seattle 31 50 .383 17½

National League

National League East

Philadelphia 44 39 .530 -
Florida 42 39 .519 1
N.Y. Mets 40 41 .494 3
Atlanta 40 43 .482 4
Washington 33 50 .398 11

National League Central

Chi. Cubs 49 33 .598 -
St. Louis 47 36 .566 2½
Milwaukee 44 37 .543 4½
Houston 39 43 .476 10
Pittsburgh 38 43 .469 10½
Cincinnati 38 45 .458 11½

National League West

Arizona 41 41 .500 -
L.A. Dodgers 38 43 .469 2½
San Francisco 36 46 .439 5
Colorado 32 50 .390 9
San Diego 32 51 .386 9½

[Rennie Stennett]

2008 American League - Wild Card Standings

Boston 50 34 .595 - 31-10 19-24 424 351 +73 Lost 2 5-5
Minnesota 45 37 .549 4 27-17 18-20 394 385 +9 Won 1 9-1
Oakland 44 37 .543 4.5 27-21 17-16 357 298 +59 Lost 2 5-5
NY Yankees 44 38 .537 5 22-18 22-20 385 364 +21 Lost 1 5-5
Baltimore 41 39 .513 7 22-12 19-27 361 364 -3 Lost 1 5-5
Detroit 41 40 .506 7.5 25-17 16-23 393 389 +4 Won 5 8-2
Texas 42 41 .506 7.5 21-18 21-23 456 467 -11 Won 1 6-4
Toronto 40 43 .482 9.5 22-19 18-24 344 316 +28 Won 2 5-5
Cleveland 37 45 .451 12 22-22 15-23 361 350 +11 Lost 2 4-6
Kansas City 37 45 .451 12 19-21 18-24 335 382 -47 Lost 2 7-3
Seattle 31 50 .383 17.5

08 National League - Wild Card Standings

NATIONAL W L Pct GB HOME ROAD RS RA DIFF STRK L10
St. Louis 47 36 .566 - 23-17 24-19 388 360 +28 Won 2 5-5
Milwaukee 44 37 .543 2 25-13 19-24 364 366 -2 Lost 1 6-4
Florida 42 39 .519 4 24-19 18-20 385 403 -18 Won 1 4-6
NY Mets 40 41 .494 6 22-18 18-23 378 379 -1 Won 1 5-5
Atlanta 40 43 .482 7 28-14 12-29 374 334 +40 Lost 2 4-6
Houston 39 43 .476 7.5 21-18 18-25 360 395 -35 Won 2 6-4
LA Dodgers 38 43 .469 8 22-20 16-23 331 328 +3 Lost 1 5-5
Pittsburgh 38 43 .469 8 25-19 13-24 394 446 -52 Lost 1 4-6
Cincinnati 38 45 .458 9 21-17 17-28 353 411 -58 Won 2 5-5
San Francisco 36 46 .439 10.5 14-24 22-22 335 372 -37 Won 2 5-5

[Rennie Stennett]

The M's opened their seven game, Fourth of July Homestand, by losing to Doc Halladay and the Jays. Roy pitched his 10th career shutout. RA Dickey floated and danced his way for (6.1) innings giving up (2) runs. Nice story on Roy Halladay and the Jays:

innings-eater Halladay gives Jays bullpen holiday

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseb...halladay_N.htm

By Paul White, USA TODAY

The M's try again tonight @ 7:10, Jesse Litsch vs Rock-n-Rollin'-Smith

[Rennie Stennett]

Jimenez, a reliever, was 1-3 with a 3.55 ERA in 29 appearances with the Rainiers, the Mariners AAA ballclub.

Bats: Left, Throws: Left
Height: 6'0", Weight: 203 lbs

http://minors.baseball-reference.com....cgi?pid=22452

The move was retroactive to June 24, meaning Hernandez is eligible to come off the disabled list July 8. Hernandez, 6-5 with a 2.83 ERA, was injured June 23 against the New York Mets. Earlier in that game Hernandez became the first American League pitcher in 37 years to hit a grand slam, but was later injured when Carlos Beltran slid into his leg covering home on a wild pitch.

[Rennie Stennett]

The Jays walked Adrian Beltre to get to Willie Bloomquist, in the bottom of the ninth, with Ibanez, the winning run down on second. Willie smoked the first pitch he saw into the gap for the game winner. If it wasn't for the game winning run scoring, Willie would have ran for days, but, alas, he was only credited with a single. Ibanez was aboard and VIdro bunted him over. They walked Beltre to get to the Mariners secret weapon, Willie "boom boom" Bloomquist !

Clement was 2-3. Sexson hit a dinger. Beltre hit a "Steve Balboni" home run. It was a major league pop fly that went out. The pitch was up around Adrian's chin but a foot outside and he got enough of it.

Another tough nut to crack tonight for the M's, as Dustin McGowan faces Jarrod Washburn. Washburn has been nasty his past six starts with a earned run average over that span of (2.00). He has only one win to show for it. He's gone five or six innings in all of these games.

[Rennie Stennett]

Miguel Cairo started at 2B and knocked two doubles with three RBI's and Washburn gave another outstanding effort with six innings of two run ball. Jarrod pitched out of a big jam in the fourth. In his last seven starts, Washburn is 2-1 with a 2.98 ERA and four no-decisions.

Brandon Morrow notched save #5. Morrow has an era of (0.71). In the ninth, he tossed (11) pitches and (8) of which were for strikes.

Da M's win the series vs the Jays. The Mariners are 8-4 since Riggleman took over on June 20 and have won three straight series.

With JJ Putz throwing without pain, the question that I'm sure Sports Radio Stations are talking about is what do you do when JJ Putz comes back ? Brandon Morrow's stuff is electric. He's mowing guys down in the closer's role with much economy of pitches. Does Morrow go back to the eighth or does he stay in the closer's role ?

The Detroit Tigers role into town for a weekend series with the M's. The Tigers have been playing great baseball and they have climbed there way out of the basement of the AL Central. Likewise the M's have been playing better ball. The M's owe the Tigers a payback. In there last series vs Detroit, the M's were pounded. The Tigers scored like over thirty runs in a three game series. I think this series will be more competitive. Day games on the 4th of July and on Sunday the 6th & night games on Thursday and Saturday.

King Felix threw without pain the other day. Riggleman hopes he can make an appearance before the all-star break. I'd like to see him make the all star team.

Thursday @ 7:05; Justin Verlander vs Carlos Silva

Friday the 4th @ 1:10; Kenny Rogers vs Erik Bedard

Saturday the 5th @ 7:10; Armando Galarraga vs R.A. Dickey

Sunday the 6th @ 1:10;Nate Robertson vs Felix Hernandez

[Erik Bedard]

There's been a lot of talk on Orioles' message boards about Jim Johnson's All-Star worthiness. For the M's, who belongs? Is it Morrow?

[Rennie Stennett]

There's been a lot of talk on Orioles' message boards about Jim Johnson's All-Star worthiness. For the M's, who belongs? Is it Morrow?

I'd have to say Felix Hernandez or Jose Lopez. I had hoped Felix could have picked up a couple of more wins before the break, but with the injury it looks like he might get one start before then. Lopez has done everything you could ask of him at the plate. He's bounced around in the line up. He's hitting close to .300 despite being asked to sacrifice in the two hole many times. In addition, he has given himself up in situations and moved the runner over. Also, in the first month or two in the season, he had a ton of sacrifice flies. Enough in that span to lead the league for the year.

Brandon Morrow would make a good showing, also.

For the Orioles, what about George going to the ALL-STAR GAME ?

[mrakbaseball]

I'd have to say Felix Hernandez or Jose Lopez. I had hoped Felix could have picked up a couple of more wins before the break, but with the injury it looks like he might get one start before then. Lopez has done everything you could ask of him at the plate. He's bounced around in the line up. He's hitting close to .300 despite being asked to sacrifice in the two hole many times. In addition, he has given himself up in situations and moved the runner over. Also, in the first month or two in the season, he had a ton of sacrifice flies. Enough in that span to lead the league for the year.

Brandon Morrow would make a good showing, also.

For the Orioles, what about George going to the ALL-STAR GAME ?

Ichiro will be the lone all star. Remember, Seattle still has the worst record in the A.L. It's asking a lot for more than 1 player to be named.

[Rennie Stennett]

With the win, the Tigers are now over five hundred @ (.506) and just (6) games back of the division leading Chicago White Sox. Minnesota is just (2) games back of the Sox. All three clubs mentioned here are playing great baseball.

The Mariners, and in particular, Carlos Silva are the whipping boys of the Tigers. The Tigers have pounded Silva for (17) runs in 9 2/3rds innings this year. Carlos held the Tigers to a run in the third and one in the fourth but Detroit exploded for three in the fifth.

Ichiro was 3-5 and with it reach 1700 hits for his big league career. Ichiro is (13-26) in his past six games. Ichiro needs (12) more 2B's for (200) in his career in MLB.

The Mariners (33-52) have to go (48-29) [.604 baseball] the rest of the way to reach (.500). The Mariners had (14) hits of there own. Lopez knocked three hits. Ibanez and Beltre had two each. Jeremy Reed made a nice catch in CF.

Joel Zumaya made his sixth appearance of the year. He was bothered with an injury last year and has been recovering from surgery.

Friday the 4th @ 1:10; Kenny Rogers vs Erik Bedard

[Rennie Stennett]

Erik Bedard, Sean Green and Brandon Morrow shut down the high powered Detroit offense on Independence Day. Bedard did his usual going a solid five innings with 100 pitches. Green pitched two plus and Morrow picked up a four out save. He benefited from a two RBI hit by Jose Lopez in the bottom of the ninth. Ibanez crushed a homer off of the hit it hear café in deep right field and the old guy, Jamie Burke, went 2-3 and scored two runs. The M's evened the series at 1-1.

Saturday the 5th @ 7:10; Armando Galarraga vs R.A. Dickey

[Rennie Stennett]

Jeff Clement homered twice last night. He hit a two run go ahead shot in the eighth. Brandon Morrow picked up save # 7 and lowered his era to (0.65). Miguel Batista in relief of RA Dickey picked up the win by going two innings with no runs allowed. RA Dickey, like most of the M's starters this year, has not received much run support and this was the case Saturday night. Dickey went six innings and giving up two runs to the powerful Tigers.

Jeremy Reed made two nice catches. Ibanez made another nice catch. Ibanez gunned a strike to Clement who blocked the plate and hung on to the ball as Sardinha's slud into home to keep it a two run game. Jeff Clement was asked to take a curtain call by the crazy Seattle fans.

Again the question is what to do with JJ Putz upon his return. He has not been all that effective this year and not really healthy. Brandon Morrow has been lights out this year and he is closing ball games without a struggle.

All the talk in various blogs is who to get rid of on the Mariners. Who to trade. Who to release. I can understand Vidro and Sexson being gone, but the rest of them, I say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The M's have won 8 of 11. The M's have a chance today to take 3 of 4 from the tough Detroit Tigers and make it like four series wins in a row. Washburn has been great his last seven starts with not much to show for it. Bedard is steady. King Felix is coming back. Dickey is solid. Silva and Batista are showing signs of improvement. The bullpen has settled down. The offense is heating up. Sure the M's are like ten games back of Texas for third place in the division and about seventeen back of LA for the division lead but hey unless you get the best of it in a trade, don't make one. I'm tired of getting the worst of it in bad deals.

Sunday the 6th @ 1:10;Nate Robertson vs Ryan Rowland-Smith

[leecemark]

--When Putz is healthy he deserves to get the closer job back. We need to see what Morrow can do as a starter. If he can successfully make the transiition and Putz can bounce back we get the best of both worlds and our staff looks pretty dran good for next year.
--Dickey makes one of our starters expendable and Morrow could make two. If we can get a good return for Washburn then I'd move him. Batista probably doesn't have much value now, but maybe if he could run off a series of good outings between now and the deadline somebody would bite. Bedard I would only trade if somebody made us a really great offer. Silva is untradable with 3 years left on his bloated deal and Felix isn't going anywhere.
--2009 rotation;
Felix
Bedard
Morrow
Dickey
Silva
--Batista is probably back as a swingman. If Washburn is back then either Morrow or Dickey is back in the pen. If thats Morrow we've got a truely dominanting relief core, but its pretty darn good even without him
--2009 bullpen
Putz
Lowe
Green
Rhodes
Smith
--Thats a good staff. We just need to pick up a couple solid hitters to be a contender net year. One of them needs to be a solid defensive outfielder too.

[Rennie Stennett]

I have not studied Morrow's mechanics but it appears he has less movement on his fastball, with more control and without any loss of mph. I don't know. I'll have to watch closer. He appears to have a mindset for closing but many saves are made in the eighth inning with runners on, without getting the "S" next to your name in the box.

Morrow would make a great starter. He showed in Winter Ball last year that he can stretch out and throw four pitches effectively. He says when he's throwing them all the time that he has more confidence and he is consistent in locating them.

Putz seems to have longer AB's this year then in the past. Often guys are fouling off the high hard one that is out of the zone in an attempt to protect. He seems more reluctant to throw the super sinker, particularly with guys on base. I've never had problems in the rib cage, obliques, abdominal area, but I hear that they are particularly painful and every movement you make you can feel it. This could contribute to his mechanics and other problems.

[leecemark]

--I'm sure they brought Putz back too early last time. When he is completley healed there is no reason to think he won't be the same pitcher he was before.

[SABR Matt]

Drop Rhodes and insert Jiminez and the pen looks even better.

[Wade8813]

I'd probably bring Putz back in the 8th, just to kind of transition him back in.

[Rennie Stennett]

The game that would never end finally did yesterday afternoon when Jamie Burke, the back up Catcher, was called upon to pitch in the top of the fifteenth inning. He gave up one run and the M's could not answer in the bottom half of the fifteenth, when, after a Bloomquist HBP, Yuniesky Betancourt swung at the first pitch he saw from Todd Jones and grounded into a double play. Ichiro followed with a fly out and it was over.


mrakbaseball's thread:

15 innings Sunday

http://www.baseball-fever.com/showth...78#post1237678

Box:

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/gamece...080706_DET@SEA

[Rennie Stennett]

Oakland:

Monday the 7th @ 7:05, Jarrod Washburn vs Dana Eveland

Tuesday the 8th @ 7:05, Carlos Silva vs Justin Duchscherer

Wednesday the 9th @ 7:05, Miguel Batista vs Joe Blanton

Thursday the 10th @ 12:35, R.A. Dickey vs Greg Smith

Kansas City:

Friday the 11th @ 5:10, Felix Hernandez vs Luke Hochevar

Saturday the 12th @ 4:10, Jarrod Washburn vs Gil Meche

Sunday the 13 @ 11:10 am, Carlos Silva vs Kyle Davies

Erik Bedard will have his next start pushed back a couple of days after experiencing tightness in his throwing shoulder, and there is a chance the Seattle left-hander might not throw again until after the All-Star break. Bedard complained of tightness in his left shoulder after his start on Friday, when he went five innings and gave up one run, and left after throwing 99 pitches. Riggleman said the decision to pull Bedard was his, not the pitcher's, although Bedard has received criticism of late for not throwing more than 100 pitches in his last six starts

After the four with the A's and the three with the Royals, it's the All-Star Break !

[Rennie Stennett]

Tough luck Washburn goes all the way (8 innings) in this one. The offense gave him an early 3-0 lead but they could not add on and the A's, who always play us tough, battled back to take a one run lead and it stood up. Beltre was 4-5, with four singles. Ichiro had two hits. The M's, who lead the world in LOB, did it again. It seemed like they had guys on base every inning. They collected (11) hits but the only big hit was the Sexson homer. No that is not a misprint. The bullpen was saved with Washburn's efforts.


J.J. Putz to make at least two rehab appearances before coming off the DL following the All-Star break.

[mrakbaseball]

Bloomquist has zero extra base hits this year. Since moving back to RF Ichiro also has zero extra base hits, including over 100 PA without an extra base hit.

[Rennie Stennett]

Justin Duchscherer has been tough as nails this year, but the Seattle Mariners really help a guy out at times. After completing the top of the first in just six pitches, I turned the tube off and went and did something else. Turning off me beloved M's, you say ? Yes. Even if they take pitches and work the count would the outcome have been different ? Probably not. It would have been nice to see Duchscherer out of there in the seventh or so.

Silva gave up two runs early and went the distance.

Wednesday: Miguel Batista vs Joe Blanton

[Wade8813]

The 94 pitches Silva threw in this eight-inning, complete game...

Hey, if Silva can throw under 100 pitches in a complete game, then there's hope for Bedard! He just has to keep his pitch counts really low, and he'll be able to go 7-8 innings .

Also, from that article, it sounds like Silva's figured out what he was doing wrong. He was squeezing the ball too hard.

[Rennie Stennett]

Roy Corcoran picked up his first big league win by going (2.2) innings scoreless. Roy also received the JJ Putz pie in the face for his efforts.

Batista started and pitched pretty well until he tweaked a groin muscle in the third. Ryan Rowland Smith came in and gave up some runs. Corcoran relieved Smith and held down the A's. The rest of the bullpen was great. Arthur Rhodes, Sean Green and Brandon Morrow shut down Oakland and Brandon Morrow notched save # 8.

With Johjima, Betancourt and Suzuki aboard, Jose Lopez smoked a double and they circled the wagon trains for three big runs and the M's never looked back. Adrian Beltre had three hits and two RBI's. Ichiro had three singles. One of which could have reach the gap if it was not for Donnie Murphy's glove, which got in the way. The M's benefited from a bad call at the plate in there big inning. After the bases clearing hit by Lopez, Ibanez came home and slud into the plate, which was blocked by Kurt Suzuki. Replays show that Ibanez never touched the plate, but it was such a weird looking play the way Suzuki turned his back to the base runner. It was a bang, bang play and I'm not sure if Blue had a chance to get to the infield side of the plate for a better view. You could see the grounder to third and the runner coming so you knew a play at the plate was about to happen. For the Umps, it appears to be just a job, most of the time. A tough job for sure, which I"m sure most of us would not want, including myself.

Anyway, the M's win one with one more against these pesky A's today (12:35pm FOX NW) and then it's off to KC for a weekend set before the ALL-STAR GAME Tuesday in the Bronx NY at old Yankee Stadium. In case you just crawled out from under a rock, this is the last year for the old place that Ruth built. If walls could talk.

Thursday @ 12:35 pm, R.A. Dickey vs Greg Smith

[Rennie Stennett]

Hey, if Silva can throw under 100 pitches in a complete game, then there's hope for Bedard! He just has to keep his pitch counts really low, and he'll be able to go 7-8 innings .

Also, from that article, it sounds like Silva's figured out what he was doing wrong. He was squeezing the ball too hard.

Bedard is an interesting case for sure. His SO's are down as well as his pitch counts. With 100 pitches in five innings you would think he would have more (K's). He basically seems to call his shots as to when he pitches and for how long, although Riggleman insists that he (Riggleman) is pulling the strings.