Roster moves: Richie Sexson is back from the bereavement list. Sean Green and Mike Morse have been optioned back to Tacoma. Doyle has been called up, but they seem to have his name confused with a particular Pirates pitcher. No, really. Either that, or they're also buying into the superstition of not actually calling him by his real name.
Ichiro rf Figgins cf Lopez 2b Izturis 3b Beltre 3b Cabrera ss Ibanez lf Guerrero rf Sexson 1b Quinlan 1b Broussard dh Anderson lf Johjima c Salmon dh Betancourt ss Kendrick 2b Ballgame "cf" Molina c ---------- ---------- Moyer (6-11, 4.40) Escobar (8-10, 3.89)
Last night the Angels got into one of the bigger basebrawls of the season, with Adam Kennedy charging the mound after getting hit by a Scott Feldman pitch. Feldman's listed at 6'6, 225 pounds; Kennedy's listed at 6'0, 185, but I don't believe that for a second (I got him to sign something before a game last year and was surprised that he was barely taller than me, and I'm 5'7"). Anyway, Kennedy ran out there and Feldman hit him and the benches cleared, and it's pretty crazy. There's a video clip in this recap, so if you haven't seen it, check it out.
Sorry, Adam Kennedy, but you're no Jason Kendall.
Several guys were suspended and/or fined as a result of the brawl, some of which will go into effect during this Mariners-Angels series, some of which won't. Adam Kennedy and Kevin Gregg are out for the whole series, and Mike Scioscia should be out until Sunday. Coach Ron Roenicke will be out on Sunday; Brendan Donnelly will be in this weekend and out for their series with the Red Sox.
Earlier in the year I'd voiced a concern that since Vicente Padilla would no longer have to actually step behind the plate with only a bat to defend himself, his hit-batter numbers were going to skyrocket. Funny how that works.
Anyway, I'm damn sick of this AL-West-losing-streak crap. In case you're wondering, the last time we won a game against a division rival this year was June 11th, in Anaheim.
LET'S GO MARINERS!