Biggest Contribution: Rafael Soriano, +33.8%
Biggest Suckfest: George Sherrill, -14.1%
Most Important Hit: Beltre double, +14.4%
Most Important Pitch: Molina strikeout, +13.1%
Total Contribution by Pitcher(s): +40.3%
Total Contribution by Position Players: -3.5%
You know how it goes with games that I miss. Hard to write about something you didn't see. Therefore it's up to you to mention things that stood out in the comment thread. I will say that I have it on good authority that Gil Meche was continuing to throw with the same "new" delivery that I outlined yesterday, which is good to hear. He's still not a great pitcher, but he's put up a K/BB near three since the middle of May, and it's getting to the point at which he may be the most dependable starter in the rotation. It probably doesn't need to be said, but Gil sustaining this performance will be key if the Mariners want to make a run at the playoffs, so with that in mind this afternoon's game is a nice way to kick off the second half. He did allow a pair of homers today, but as was mentioned in the AP wrap-up, he threw 126 pitches against Detroit on Sunday, and was undoubtedly feeling a little fatigued earlier than usual this afternoon. I wouldn't worry too much about that unless Hargrove decides to keep trotting him out there with a high pitch count.
As for Adam Jones, he had the kind of debut that pretty much everyone expected. While I'm a little sorry that I missed it, it's good to know that I won't let myself fall into the trap of judging him by his first few over-eager at bats in the Major Leagues. I'd much rather think of him as a crazytalented top prospect than some 20 year old nervous wreck.
By the way, it took Yuniesky Betancourt seven games to get his first walk. Adam Jones needed two plate appearances. So that's neat. (Did You Know: Betancourt didn't draw his second walk for another 20 games.)
Anyway, yeah, if you watched today and have any observations to share, let's hear them. Otherwise, here's looking forward to tomorrow's Moyer/Halladay tilt at 1:07pm PDT (do Toronto games start two minutes late because they have to accomodate a pair of national anthems, or what?). MLB.tv has some ridiculous blackout policy that denies me the ability to see Saturday afternoon games live, so I'll be out doing something else instead, but this one should be good enough to make me watch the archived footage later at night. Nothing wrong with wrapping up a series win a day early. Or, if that doesn't work out, at least watching Roy Halladay pitch is pretty fun, as long as you're able to distance yourself from your passionate loyalty to the opposing team for a few hours.