Series Preview: Seattle Mariners @ New York Yankees

Seattle: 39-36
New York: 43-32

SUMMARY

Another stellar week for the defense, rising four more runs. Expect the trend to start reversing with Beltre removed from third base, where he had racked up an outstanding 8.7 UZR to date. His loss on defense will be felt greatly. Even with his horrid start to the season, his loss on offense is likely to be felt if the team goes with this retarded idea of Jose Lopez and/or Chris Woodward. God that is dumb.

Offense. eeeeeeep. Granted, the Yankees offense will likely diminish in perceived potency once we are able to gather enough of a sample size to properly determine the park factors on New Yankee Stadium, factors that are almost assuredly friendly to the hitters, and retroactively apply them. That does not do much to us now though.

We won a series on the road against the best team in baseball and our overall numbers shifted upward by 1.2 runs, most of that part of the week-long defensive update. Such is the result of being blown out in your one loss.

GAMES

Game 1: Brandon Morrow vs. Joba Chamberlain
Game 2: Jarrod Washburn* vs. Andy Pettitte*
Game 3: Jason Vargas* vs. CC Sabathia*

With a roughly equal number of pitches between 2008 and 2009 in the rotation, we have a decent comparison for Joba Chamberlain. The comparison is not pretty. His swinging strike rate has fallen from 10.7% to 7.9% and his ball percentage has risen from 36.3% to 41.2%. To counter that, his ground ball rate has risen a tad and the line drive rate has dropped, though the latter is certainly far more volatile.

Andy Pettitte's last three tRA+s: 107, 107 and 108. This year, it is down to 88 as his swinging strike rate has fallen a point and his ball% has risen a couple ticks. Correspondingly, the strikeouts are down and the walks are up, much like with Joba above. Unlike Joba, Pettitte's ground ball rate has actually fallen.

CC Sabathia posted tRAs of 2.96 and 2.95 the past two seasons. This year, it is up to 4.18. Notice a pattern going on here? Guess what has happened to his missed bat and ball rates? A supressed BABIP is helping to mark Sabathia's decline to the general public. Not a great sign for the first year of a seven-year, $161-million contract. Perhaps 500 innings pitched over the past two years are taking their toll? It really would not surprise me to see Sabathia miss a full year's worth of starts over the life of his Yankee contract.

THIS SERIES BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Moonglow Weizenbock
Victory Brewing Company. Downington, PA

Think hefe's are a touch too light and bocks a touch too dark? Well then, combine them! This amber-colored beer comes packed with lots of head and lacing. The aroma is wheaty and perhaps honey with a faint raspberry fruit kick. On the taste, the malts come through and you get a slightly sugary note to match and complement the aroma rather than the thin and slightly acidic taste you normally get from fruity smelling beers.

Side note, many people here are fans of the Prima Pils. However, there's word that Victory's newest pils, Sapphire, is supposed to be even better. Keep an eye or an ear out for it.