Not really, but sometimes you have to lower your standards for genuine excitement in March, and two teams combining for ten runs in the first inning probably qualifies as "thrilling" as far as ST is concerned. Here's the box score. Mariners 10, Rangers 9, with Sean Green picking up one of those blown save/vultured win deals that always gets under my skin.
I'd say something more about the game, but all of a sudden I've become incredibly tired, so I'm going to go ahead and call it a night instead. In short, I guess, the take-home messages from today's contest are that Roberto Petagine can hit, and that it's March 27th and Gil still looks like the same old lousy pitcher. If only because we don't have any feasible alternative right now, I'm willing to give him more time to figure things out, but even the most optimistic fan of the two-seam fastball can run out of patience, and you better believe I'm getting there. New pitches are difficult to pick up on the fly, but Meche isn't showing me any progress, with his new fastball looking just as flat as ever. Laynce Nix noticed, as he hit his fifth career home run off Gil in 14 at bats. That transcends ownage.
Anyway, I'm going to put a stop to the intensifying Meche-related skepticism by saying that Thomas Oldham gets the start tomorrow against the Cubs, and leave it at that. 12:05pm PST first pitch.