A Thought

by Jeff Sullivan on May 31, 2009 3:36 PM PDT in Miscellaneous

Perhaps when there are already two men on and you are protecting a one-run lead, it's a bad idea to intentionally load the bases with a pitcher whose career BB/9 is over five and a half.

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Wakamatsu has made some questionable calls.

Rookie manager, I know, but it still sucks.

Bye, Jeffie!
Preserved In All His Greatness - R.I.P. The Reignman 1989 to 1997

by JLProck on May 31, 2009 3:40 PM PDT reply actions

Walkamatsu

by lemonverbena on May 31, 2009 4:33 PM PDT up reply actions

Every day I grow more and more certain that God hates the Mariners.

by SethGrandpa on May 31, 2009 3:40 PM PDT reply actions

Particularly with a pitcher you used to death.

Ah well.

by ThundaPC on May 31, 2009 3:42 PM PDT reply actions

It was Torii Hunter; I probably would have done it.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains. -- P&P&Z

by Two Rs and Two Ls on May 31, 2009 3:43 PM PDT reply actions

I don't think there's any way you can justify that with a pitcher looking as bad as Aardsma did

by Jeff Sullivan on May 31, 2009 3:45 PM PDT up reply actions

I would have never brought him in to begin with

by Poochie on May 31, 2009 3:55 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm just tired of Torii Hunter ruining my fuckin' birthday.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains. -- P&P&Z

by Two Rs and Two Ls on May 31, 2009 3:58 PM PDT up reply actions

Perhaps it would be a good idea for the umpire's strike zone to not magically disappear for the following at-bat.

by DKCecil on May 31, 2009 3:43 PM PDT reply actions

Im not going to pin this on the ump as much

Aardsmas career BB/9 average speaks for itself. His control was already shaky that inning. He was pitching for the 4th consecutive game.

We all knew this would happen.

by Brian Floyd on May 31, 2009 3:47 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm not saying Aardsma didn't do the lion's share of the damage.

I’m just saying that for the Rivera at-bat, he actually got a should-have-been strike over with the first pitch and a couple of borderline strikes at worst with pitches two and four.

by DKCecil on May 31, 2009 3:49 PM PDT up reply actions

The first pitch was totally a strike.

The others, I mean one of then was right on the border and the other two were high, so I can’t complain about that. But the first pitch might get them to swing at the next one. Who knows?

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains. -- P&P&Z

by Two Rs and Two Ls on May 31, 2009 4:06 PM PDT up reply actions

This is what pain looks like in nerd form:

I was at Shea for the Felix-Slam!
Personal M's record: 5-4.

by EnglishMariner on May 31, 2009 3:45 PM PDT reply actions

This is the most painful defeat I can remember since Man City got beat by Man United 2-3 in the early 1990's after leading 2-0 at HT.

I was at Shea for the Felix-Slam!
Personal M's record: 5-4.

by EnglishMariner on May 31, 2009 3:46 PM PDT reply actions

The Cleveland comeback....

by Brian Floyd on May 31, 2009 3:47 PM PDT up reply actions

This

Link

by Brian Floyd on May 31, 2009 3:48 PM PDT up reply actions

But that was a fun filled season and we didn't need a win at all

Will Ferrell once said, "Get up you crazy black man, I'm gonna make you drink my piss!"

by gregrabble on May 31, 2009 3:49 PM PDT up reply actions

1906 Cubs say hi!

by dkulich on May 31, 2009 3:55 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm pretty sure Arthur Rhodes would disagree with that one.

In fact, we needed several wins at the end of that season.

by eponymous_coward on May 31, 2009 5:38 PM PDT up reply actions

Were there runners on 1st and 2nd, when he walked Hunter? Or was 1B open?

My computer was fucked up for a moment.

Please don’t tell me he walked Hunter with 1st and 2nd..

by Rudy4three on May 31, 2009 3:53 PM PDT reply actions

I still am not on board with most of what Wak has done, save his ability to keep AARP members out of the outfield.

For all the talk of his understanding of numbers, it looks like he just knows defense. His offensive strategies scream in the face of current research and his lineups are zany. I’m also not thrilled with his bullpen usage. Other than that, great manager.

by abender20 on May 31, 2009 3:54 PM PDT reply actions

Ehh, DMZ's breakdown of the bunts showed he raised our WE more often than not, or at least that Wak ball broke even.

Although it hasn’t updated for a while. Our bullpen is fucked without Kelley and Good Morrow, so what can he do? The only really dumb thing was Aardsma this game – blame Beltre and the 3B coach for running us out of two runs.

by Decatur on May 31, 2009 3:57 PM PDT up reply actions

and the IBB, of course.

by Decatur on May 31, 2009 3:57 PM PDT up reply actions

Bunting in the first inning?

With a runner on second, nobody out?

Not sure what the numbers are but it doesn’t seem like the right play

by Brian Floyd on May 31, 2009 4:00 PM PDT up reply actions

Hit and runs, Gutz batting 9th while any number of idiots bat 2nd, Rob Johnson batting 7th, Rob Johnson batting 8th, Rob Johnson playing, not PHing for Griffey against lefties, etc etc

by abender20 on May 31, 2009 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions

That's all true, now that you mention it.

I feel a little less sanguine now on Wak.

The the Yuni bunt wasn’t a disaster, since he isn’t a good hitter, I think. It’s a touch negative, but now more than that.
http://ussmariner.com/2009/05/08/evaluating-wakamatsus-use-of-the-sac-bunt/ But the other stuff, yeah.

by Decatur on May 31, 2009 4:08 PM PDT up reply actions

I can potentially forgive repeatedly bunting Ichiro to second with no outs using Yuni (although it's still stupid)

but why the fuck is Yuni batting 2nd in the first place? Bunting with Ichi on 2nd and no outs is handing the pitcher a coupon for one free out, redeemable immediately.

by abender20 on May 31, 2009 4:10 PM PDT up reply actions

(To clarify, I can potentially forgive bunting Ichi from first to second)

by abender20 on May 31, 2009 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions

If I had to really reach for a good reason to bat Yuni 2nd

It would be to showcase him a bit for other teams. Batting him 2nd may encourage him to take more pitches, show off his bunting skills and give him more plate appearances.

by JLC on May 31, 2009 4:33 PM PDT up reply actions

Great idea. Bat him 2nd to showcase his skills and then demonstrate zero faith in his skill by making him bunt every at bat.

by abender20 on May 31, 2009 4:37 PM PDT up reply actions

I imagine some teams might like whatever "small ball" skills he has to offer

Considering he doesn’t have much to offer at the plate.

by JLC on May 31, 2009 4:44 PM PDT up reply actions

Hit and runs are stupid, yes. And I don't like Gutz batting 9th either.

But Rob Johnson, I know we hate seeing him play, but what is Wak supposed to do? You think Quiroz is that much better? Or Jamie Burke? Or Adam Moore?

And PHing had been shown again and again to be a losing strategy except in the face of the some of the most extreme platoon splits and with a competent bat able to come in. Sure, in some cases it would have been a positive WE play to PH, but not all of them.

by Matthew on Jun 1, 2009 11:18 AM PDT up reply actions

Has Clement been injured the whole year? I understand why Johnson is the catcher right now,

Also, yeah, I’d rather see Quiroz in the short term. It’s pretty safe to say that Rob Johnson is not a very good ML baseball player, so I have no qualms with giving Quiroz a chance to prove that he might be more effective.

Also, I get the impression Yuni bats second because Wak likes his bunting. That’s two kinds of bad.

by abender20 on Jun 1, 2009 12:23 PM PDT up reply actions

You know what? I feel nothing in my heart.

Nothing. No pain. It’s finally happened. And now, to celebrate the death of emotion when the M’s get cockpunched, I shall now spend my Sunday night at an interminable school recital. Gyarrgh.

I don't know how to stop.

by esoteric on May 31, 2009 4:01 PM PDT reply actions

What happened at the end did you choke on something?

DO YOU NEED ASSISTANCE?

by Omerta on May 31, 2009 4:04 PM PDT up reply actions

I choked on three hours of my girlfriend's cousin's goofy choral recital.

Bleargh.

I don't know how to stop.

by esoteric on May 31, 2009 6:56 PM PDT up reply actions

Baker tells it like it is.

On Yuni:

2:55 p.m.: Garrett Olson had his first real trouble in the bottom of the sixth, giving up three straight hits to start, though a shortstop with good range might have got the third of those — a bounder up the middle by Bobby Abreu — and turned it into a DP. Instead, Yuniesky Betancourt waved at the ball and it bounced into center field for an RBI single that left runners at the corners. V

by Decatur on May 31, 2009 4:04 PM PDT reply actions

Yuni is to blame.

by Zygomorphic on May 31, 2009 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions

But what about the baserunning? And Aardsma/Wak?

When so many people fuck up, who do you blame?

by Snowman1025 on May 31, 2009 4:07 PM PDT up reply actions

That was his liveblogging of the game, not recap.

Aardsma is now his headline.

by Decatur on May 31, 2009 4:09 PM PDT up reply actions

No he also fired off on that in the liveblog too

by Brian Floyd on May 31, 2009 4:16 PM PDT up reply actions

I blame you.

by Zygomorphic on May 31, 2009 4:22 PM PDT up reply actions

I personally felt that was the turning point in the game. If he makes that play, Angels never even

sniff a comeback in my opinion.

by Rudy4three on May 31, 2009 4:07 PM PDT up reply actions

Oh well at least Nadal lost.

This still hurts though, but I guess now we’ll trade people away for lots of nice young players.

by marinerdan on May 31, 2009 4:22 PM PDT reply actions

Something to brighten your day.

From Baseball America:

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Dustin Ackley led No. 1 seed North Carolina to a second win in the Chapel Hill Regional, as the Tar Heels downed Coastal Carolina, 14-5.
Ackley reached base six times on four hits and two intentional walks and batted in three runs on the day. At this point, Ackley’s extraordinary hitting (7-for-9 in the two regional games) is starting to become routine. He’s hitting .500 this month (30-for-60) to raise his season average to .414.

Player AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT
13 Dustin Ackley…. .414 60-60 237 69 98 16 4 20 64 182 .768 48 5 30 1 .517 2 0 13-17

by Decatur on May 31, 2009 4:22 PM PDT reply actions