After games like yesterday's, we're looking for some good news from other locales.
Anyway, I'm at the bar watching yesterday's abortion, pondering ordering brain erasers, and this random guy at the bar and I get to talking about what happened, and he's as well versed on the Mariners as any other casual fan is, and of course is understandably unhappy about what he's witnessing. I got a chance to tell him about where Feierabend came from, and about Adam Jones and why Vidro's average makes him look like a better hitter than he actually is.
It's often a difficult medium you need to maintain, as an educated baseball fan, when talking with the casual fan. You want to try and educate them, but you also don't want to bust out OPS and VORP and UZR factors... so it was more of a conversation like, "Vidro's been able to get a lot of slap singles, but he doesn't hit for any power... there's this great kid in Tacoma, Adam Jones... and he was up last year but didn't do too well... but he's doing so much better this year and is definitely ready to come back, but with Guillen and Ichiro and Raul in the outfield, there's no room for him...." and so on. We can certainly debate the finer details, but sitting with a random fan at a bar over drinks, these general details are usually enough to carry on a good convo without being too condescending.
And no, he didn't think Willie Bloomquist is really good or needs more playing time.
VENEZUELA~! VSL Mariners 7, VSL Astros 4
Jean Tome: 6.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 2 walks, 4 K
Kelvin Montbrum: 0.1 IP
Oberth Guanire: 0.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, wild pitch
Jose Jimenez: 2 IP, K
Yidid Batista: 3-5, double, 2 R (.284)
Terry Serrano: 2-4, 2 R (.246)
Humberto Espinoza: 2-4, RBI (.367)
Jose Rivero: 1-5, R, RBI, 2 K (.289)
Cesar Fuentes: 2-4, R, RBI, walk (.311)
Jose Hernandez: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, K (.323)
Jonathan Loaisiga: pinch hit RBI single (.294)
Jorge Agudelo: 2-4, 2 K (.219)
The VSLM's take a game from their first place nemesis and are now 1.5 games back! They blew it open in the 8th with 4 runs to make it 6-2. The VSL Astros pulled within 6-4 in the bottom frame, but the VSLM's added another run and the Astros, who with 5 hits were fortunate to even rack up 4 runs, just did not have an answer in the bottom 9th.
Dominican: Phillies 7, Mariners 6
Ariel Alcantara: 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER (HR), walk, 3 K
Joan Vizcaino: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, walk, hit batter
Jose Perdomo: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 walks, K
Anthony Fernandez: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER (2 HR), 2 walks, 3 K, wild pitch, hit batter
Juan Franco: 1.2 IP, 1 H, K, hit batter
Ameilis Carvajal: 1-2, R, RBI, 2 walks, K (.263)
George Soto: 2-5, 2 RBI (.269)
Emmanuel Familia: 2-5 (.296)
Joel Mendez: 1-3, solo HR (.287)
The DSL Phillies took their shots, with 2 runs in the 3rd, and 3 more in the 4th to take a 5-1 lead, but the DSLM's came back with one in the bottom half and then blew up for 4 runs in the 5th to take a 6-5 lead.
But the Phils came back on Joan Vizcaino for 2 runs in the 7th to take the lead for good.
Bear with me, as before yesterday I wasn't even aware MiLB was carrying the boxes and logs for these games (they previously hadn't) and I'm still trying to get to know who we have down in the Dominican.
AZL: Mariners 9, Giants 7
Fabian Williamson: 2 IP, 6 H, (6 R) 3 ER, 2 walks, 4 K, 2 wild pitches
Tom Ellis: 3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER (HR), hit batter
Ramon Romeijn: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 walks, K
Johnny DuRocher: 2 IP, 3 K
Travis Mortimore: 1 IP, 1 H
Daniel Carroll: 2-4, double, 2 R, walk
Maximo Mendez: 1-2, GRAND SLAM, 2 R, walk, K
Carlos Triunfel: 1-4, RBI
Mario Martinez: 1-3, R, RBI, walk
Dwight Britton: 1-3, RBI, K
Israel Nuñez: 3-4, R, RBI
Fabian Williamson's struggles, 3 runs allowed in the 1st and 3 more in the 2nd, would've been a bigger problem had the AZLM's not erupted for 6 runs in the 2nd, leaving them with a 7-6 lead after 2.
Both teams settled down, and the AZL Gigantes eventually tied it at 7 in the 5th, but backup QB Johnny DuRocher pitched a shutout 7th and 8th and earned his 2nd win of the AZL season after Israel Nuñez punched in a run with a lined single with two outs in the 8th to seal the win. Maximo Mendez walked, then Phenom and Mario Martinez to cash Mendez in for insurance during the 9th.
a: Boise 11, Everett 1
Nolan Gallagher: 5 IP, 5 H, (4 R) 2 ER (HR), walk, 8 K, wild pitch
Philip Roy: 1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, walk, 2 wild pitches
Will Brown: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER (HR), 4 walks, K, hit batter
Bryan Harris: 0.1 IP, K
Roberto Mena: 1-4, triple, R
Greg Halman: 2-3, RBI, K
Matt Mangini: 1-4, K
rest of Aquasox lineup: 0-20, 2 walks, 7 K
Hm... I guess nothing pisses off a team quite like starting 2-12. The Hawks certainly earned win #3, came out with purpose, and by the 6th, with Boise hammering Aquasox pitching and leading 8-1, the Aquasox just had no chance.
A: Weather forced the postponement of the T-Rats' series opener with Cedar Rapids. They'll try and spend this 4th of July playing two.
A+: High Desert 4, Inland Empire 2
Jose Escalona: 6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER (HR), 4 walks, 3 K
Juan Zapata: 2.2 IP, 5 K
Michael Saunders: 2-5, triple, R, K (.301)
Jeff Dominguez: 1-3, solo HR (.254)
Jeff Frazier: 2-4, double
Kevin Reynolds: 2-4, 2 run HR
The Mavs played a rare low scoring game in San Bernardino, likely a mulligan for both teams after yesterday's melee. Jesus Guzman was absent from the Mavs lineup (no word yet on punishment for the melee, but I'd be shocked if he wasn't suspended), but Jamie Hoffmann, he who spiked Guzman in the 7th and touched off the brawl, was in the lineup for Empire.
Mavs manager Scott Steinmann, thanks to some effective pitching, was able to rest the bullpen for a change, as Jose Escalona recovered from a string of bad outings to pitch into the 7th while only allowing 2 runs in the 1st, while Juan Zapata took the ball and went the rest of the way without allowing a hit, striking out 5 in the process.
The Mavs were trailing 2-1 in the 7th when they got two more unexpected gifts: Kevin Reynolds hit his 1st career HR as a pro, a 2 run shot that gave the Mavs a 3-2 lead... then Jeff Dominguez came up in the 8th and hit HIS first career HR to make it 4-2.
AA: Huntsville 9, West Tenn 6
Travis Chick: 5 IP, 10 H, 8 ER (HR), 4 walks, 2 K, wild pitch
David Asher: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 walks, 3 K
The Aircraft Carrier: 1 IP, 1 H
Alex Meneses: 2-5, R (.226)
Matt Tuiasosopo: 1-4, RBI, walk (.279)
Brent Johnson: 2-2, double, 2 R, 2 RBI, walk (.297)
Erick Monzon: 1-3, 2 run HR, 2 walks (.221)
Rene Rivera: 2-5, RBI, K (.181). Performances like this only delay the inevitable.
The Stars poured on 5 runs in the 3rd off Travis Chick, and added 2 more in the 5th before the DIAMOND JAXX could score again, and once they did it was still 8-3 Huntsville. The DIAMOND JAXX added late runs to make the score look closer than it actually was.
I was going to be lazy and not post balls-in-play stats for any SP today, but Chick's horrid performance compels me to check and see how much merit his bad performance had.
It was a bizarro game, as he was rather wild, with four walks and a wild pitch in the disastrous 3rd, had good fortune with his flyballs but kept giving up hits on his groundballs. And then he started coughing up line drives and it all went to hell.
Flyballs: 6
Groundballs: 6 (plus 3 bunts, 2 in the 1st!)
Line Drives: 6
Pop Ups: 2
Walks: 4
Strikeouts: 2
AAA: Salt Lake 5, Tacoma 4
Mark Lowe: 0.1 IP, 2 H, walk, K
Jake Woods: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, walk, 4 K, hit batter
Chris Reitsma: 2 IP
Kam Mickolio: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 walks, 2 K
Jeremy Reed: 2-3, 2 doubles, 3 R (.290)
Adam Jones: 2-4, triple, 3 RBI, 2 K (.317)
WLAD: 1-4, RBI, K (.323)
Jeff Clement (DH): 0-4 (.277)
So Mark Lowe made a rehab appearance to start the game. Usually, these last about an inning, the other team goes quietly, and then the actual starter begins the 2nd.
Except this one didn't. Nick Gorneault decided to bunt to leadoff and he got a perfect bunt down the 3B line to get on. Terry Evans hit the longest bloop ever to double Gorneault to 3rd. Brandon Wood went down on strikes but Greg Porter drew a walk to load the bases, and Daren Brown came out and declared the outing over. Jake Woods came in a couple outs too early... and got Mike Eylward to ground into the 4-6-3 inning ending DP. Still, as rehab outings go, not too good.
And Woods had another Woods night, giving up 4 runs in pitching through the 5th... but this time you can't necessarily say it was all his fault, as the pesky Angels AAA affiliate kept getting groundball single after groundball single, and then when they did get line drives and flyballs, it killed the Rainiers.
Flyballs: 2
Groundballs: 9
Line Drives: 3
Walks: 1 (plus 1 hit batter)
Strikeouts: 4
Kudos to Adam Jones in the 3rd for catching a flyball for the 2nd out as the runner tagged up... and gunned the runner down at home for the 3rd out. Did you hear that he's ready for the majors?
Down 4-1 in the 6th, Adam Jones tripled in a run to cut the lead to 4-2. In the 8th, Oswaldo Navarro got plunked, Jeremy Reed doubled him to 3rd, and then Adam Freaking Jones lined a single to cash them both in and TIE THE BALLGAME. If there was a WPA chart for this game (and no, I'd love to but I haven't the time to do 8 WPA charts a day while finding proper run charts for each respective league and ballpark)... Adam Jones would've piled up a ton of positive WPA for his efforts.
And Kam Mickolio would've piled up some serious negative WPA, after walking Casey Smith and eventually allowing Smith to score the go-ahead run on a Brandon Wood single.