Had this game taken place a month ago, I would've been pissed off. Bad decisions, blown opportunities, flukey mistakes - ordinarily, this would've been a tough loss to stomach. But as Dave said to me a few weeks back after the slump had begun in earnest:
Honestly, I think I might be ready to stop caring about whether this team wins or loses on a daily basis.
I am so there that it's not even funny. At this point I just watch on the off chance that I'll see something interesting, and if Red shaving his head and Beltre going deep in the ninth are what I get, then it's hard to be too disappointed. It's not like we're going to learn anything new about this team. The mistakes are the same as they've always been, and as long as McLaren stays loyal to his regulars we'll barely catch a glimpse of the youth. These games are the epitome of meaningless baseball.
Thankfully, there are only five days left. Five days for you to get your last dose of Mariner baseball and say your goodbyes before being able to quit the daily chore of watching this team sputter along. We're almost there. And really, if you've made it this far, you might as well stick it out through to the end, if for no other reason than to make the offseason five days shorter. These are the days when we remind ourselves that none of us fell in love with the Mariners because they were winning. Watch because you love the team. Watch to be entertained. There's just no good reason to quit now after lasting five and a half months. Sunday is fast approaching, and no self-respecting marathon runner drops out with the finish line so close.
Biggest Contribution: King Awesome, +44.1%
Biggest Suckfest: Kenji Johjima, -43.9%
Most Important AB: Beltre funk blast, +46.2%
Most Important Pitch: Martinez homer, -19.2%
Total Contribution by Pitcher(s): -5.4%
Total Contribution by Hitters: -65.0%
Total Contribution by Opposition: +20.4%
...I don't know why I just tried to give a motivational speech. That was weird. Anyway, there's no shortage of irony in Kenny Lofton officially ending our season by driving in Asdrubal Cabrera. I can't be 100% certain, but I'm pretty sure this is how it was scripted from the beginning. I suppose being no-hit by Paul Byrd in bad weather also would've worked, but it's kind of hard to pull that off, what with the pesky retractable roof.
Nick Green is bad. Cleveland might have some rough October ninth innings.
Hilariously unusual doubleheader tomorrow, kicking off at 4:05pm. Safeco could have a lot of fun with this Indians-as-the-home-team thing if its staff were creative, which it isn't.