Seattle Mariners Game Recaps

13-14

By Jeff Sullivan Apr 29, 2008, 10:01pm PDT

Funny thing about not having any offense. You never see games like this coming. Red Sox and Yankees fans...I'm pretty sure they go into every game expecting to win, even if they're tied or trailing in the later innings, because they know they're capable of putting a bunch of runs on the board at the drop of a hat. But we don't have that luxury, and so we live in constant fear that regardless of the situation, we may never score again. We've been conditioned to believe that this lineup is woefully inept, and so when they come up with a rally like this to storm out ahead, we're taken completely off guard. And in some respects I think that makes it more fun, more exhilarating. Having justifiably high expectations is cool and all, but the emotional gap between expecting to win and winning is smaller than the emotional gap between expecting to lose and winning, so there's something to be said for being in our position. When the team actually comes through, it feels pretty neat.

King Awesome through 27 games: .309/.409/.553, league-best 20 plays made OOZ, best discipline of his life. He's getting fewer pitches in the zone now than he ever has because pitchers are afraid of him, and pitchers are afraid of him because he's really flipping good. How someone answers the question "has Adrian Beltre been a bust in Seattle?" would be a good litmus test for whether or not the person is worth engaging in conversation. This guy is a hell of a player and absolutely deserving of his nickname. Never leave us, Adrian. We wouldn't be able to take it.

Biggest Contribution: Adrian Beltre, +33.0%
Biggest Suckfest: Kenji Johjima, -23.5%
Most Important AB: Beltre homer, +26.9%
Most Important Pitch: Dellucci single, -22.0%
Total Contribution by Pitcher(s): +20.2%
Total Contribution by Hitters: +27.0%
Total Contribution by Opposition: +2.8%
(What is this chart?)