Once again, a quick recap, because (A) I missed almost all of the game, and (B) some of us have work in the morning. On to the chart:
Biggest Contribution: Jeff Harris, +38.0%
Biggest Suckfest: Julio Mateo, -16.9%
Most Important Hit: Betancourt double, +21.8%
Most Important Pitch: Rodriguez homer, -27.0%
Total Contribution by Pitcher(s): +34.3%
Total Contribution by Hitters: +17.3%
You talk about your sparking debuts. With an individual rating of 0.38 and a total team rating of 0.516, one could say that Jeff Harris was 74% responsible for today's win. Not that he'll ever know that, thanks to Julio Mateo's vulture job, but you better believe that he's still trying to come down from what must've been a spectacular emotional high. How long Harris'll stick around in the Majors is up in the air, but with a stated personal goal of just making it to the big leagues, actually pitching five shutout innings is just gravy. His is a fantastic story that, as of today, will certainly have a happy ending.
So the question then becomes: does Harris have a chance of sticking? To which my immediate reply would be: if Hideo Nomo can suck up nearly 200 innings over two years in the Majors when he was very clearly out of gas, then guys like Harris will always have a shot. He's obviously way too old for prospectdom (yet, ironically, is part of Seattle's latest "youth movement"), but he brings the background and determination that a lot of old school managers like to keep hanging around. It's not like he's an awful pitcher, either, having posted a K/BB of 3:1 in Tacoma this year, with a 119:22 ratio two years ago hinting at a little extra potential. His borderline sidearm delivery and biting slider will make him suspect against lefties but pretty effective against righties, meaning that he could carve out a little role for himself as the 11th man out of a bullpen if utilized properly. The difference between Harris, and, say, a Jim Brower is all about Major League experience. It's hard to break in, but once you become a grizzly vet, it's hard to fall back out again. Here's hoping Harris gets that shot (if not here, then somewhere else), because there are worse people and worse pitchers keeping better jobs.
As for Jorge Campillo...well, we didn't really get to see too much of him, did we? From the few pitches I watched him throw on the MLB.tv replay, it was pretty clear that he was out of sync, releasing too early and leaving the ball up. So, on the one hand, it's nice to have an injury explanation for his uncharacteristic performance, but on the other, a strained right elbow is all kinds of bad news, especially considering he had problems with the same elbow earlier this year. This is Campillo's shot to prove that he belongs in next year's starting rotation - if his elbow keeps him out of action for an extended period of time, the organization won't be able to get a good read on him facing ML hitters, and thus probably won't consider him as a legitimate option next March. We don't need any more Aaron Seles hanging around, so I think I speak for all of us when I say get better soon, Jorge.
Other things happened today that I can't get to, so leave any impressions of the game you had in the comments. Gil Meche goes up against Mike Maroth tomorrow at 4:05 (and Felix just 18 hours later!).