It wasn't just this:
It was stuff like this. And this:
and this:
Yes, the inevitable has finally happened. The day of judgement has finally occurred.
Hector Noesi has been DFA'd, and will presumably never wear a Mariners uniform again. In a way, it's kind of sad: Noesi's problem was never his stuff. In fact, that stuff was apparently so appealing that the Mariners held onto him through two full years of cataclysmically dreadfully incredibly horribly awful results because someone saw a nugget of something- a 95+ fastball, a low 80's curve, and an uncanny ability to get two strikes on a hitter before you could blink your eyes.
Of course, that ability was part of a greater package deal where he would give up homers and extra-base hits seemingly every time he got into an 0-2 count, and despite a few good starts in 2012, where he opened the year in the rotation, his leash had been pulled back more and more until today, where there was apparently no more rope left to pull. It was probably overdue. He never should have left camp wearing a Mariners uniform. There are always things to complain about, but none of that really matters anymore because Hector Noesi isn't going to be a Mariner anymore, and the Mariners just became a better baseball team because of it.
If Noesi gets claimed, it's entirely possible he gets turned into something productive elsewhere. Sometimes guys just need a slap of reality or a change of scenery, and with Noesi, I think it's both of those. I honestly hope he goes somewhere and figures it out. But even if that happens, and he's striking out Dustin Ackley in late September, we can all take a breath of fresh air today. 0-2 will now take on an entirely new meaning for the Seattle Mariners, hopefully one that leads to 0-3.
In his place, the Mariners have called up Tacoma reliever Dominic Leone. He will be in uniform and available for tonight's game, and could presumably see some action if Young doesn't eat many innings. Leone adds a bit of velocity to the pen, owning a 95+ fastball and a slider with good movement.
My mom always used to tell me that sometimes it takes the worst things in life to turn around and make a move forward to a better tomorrow. I would roll my eyes at her, because I was 12 and just wanted to keep playing video games and I thought that being forced to turn them off was one of those Worst Things. Well last night Sean Barber called a total garbage baseball game and even if it didn't cause the Mariners to lose, it certainly didn't help. Had he called that last strike to Elias yesterday, Hector Noesi would probably still be a Mariner.
So don't hate the guy too much.