I've been out all night, so I missed the game. It's a shame, too, because watching part of the replay on MLB.tv just doesn't have the same luster when you already know what happens. Let's go straight to the chart:
Biggest Contribution: Jamie Moyer, +25.2%
Biggest Suckfest: Jose Lopez, -15.3%
Most Important Hit: Morse double, +12.8%
Most Important Pitch: Izturis strikeout, +9.8%
Total Contribution by Pitcher(s): +18.4%
Total Contribution by Hitters: +30.0%
It seems a little weird that Moyer wound up making the biggest contribution, given that he allowed four runs in 6.1 innings of work in a blowout game, but here's the key - he held the Angels scoreless through the first three innings of a tie game, then kept them off the board for another two when the Mariners held a slim lead. That's absolutely critical, and while his final line score isn't particularly impressive, his pseudo-meltdown didn't begin until the game was well in hand, so it wasn't a big deal. Also, you'd think that Randy Winn would've ended up with a higher rating, on account of the grand slam (!!!) and all, but that came in the sixth inning of a game the Mariners were already leading by three (with the bases loaded and one out, no less), and he had already made three outs prior to that, including a double play in the first. So, while the hit itself was pretty sweet, it wasn't as valuable as Morse or Ibanez's doubles that helped build the initial 2-0 lead.
I'm going to open this one up to reader comments and responses, since I didn't get to see very much of the action. However, before I do that, I'd just like to offer my congratulations to Jamie Moyer for winning career game #200, and #134 as a Mariner. He won this one in the same fashion as he did dozens of others, keeping hitters off balance with a friggin' arsenal of offspeed borderline strikes. To make things better, he reached the milestone on the home field of my least favorite team in baseball, which made about 43,999 people shut up and one act like a stupid dick (Ed's note: the offending post/thread has since been deleted). Jamie has been a fantastic Mariner, and while he may not be the same pitcher he was a few years ago, he's still got enough left in the tank to pull a spectacular start out of thin air from time to time. While he remains a virtual unknown outside of the Pacific Northwest, Moyer will always be remembered in Seattle as a great person, a great pitcher, and a great example of just how much you can accomplish when you haven't been blessed with as much raw ability as the rest of your peer group.
So, the rest is on you guys. How do you respond to this kind of offensive eruption? How huge was that Jeff Nelson pitch to Vladimir Guerrero that got lifted into right field for a harmless third out? Is there any greater feeling as a fan of a bad Mariner team than beating the Angels twice on their own turf? Let's hear it.
(Franklin and Lackey, tomorrow at 7:05pm.)