Mariners and Cheeps To Exchange Passive-Aggressive Swipes

In one sense, I absolutely love that the Red Sox are in last place in the AL East and so would be somewhat sad if they ended up pushing past Toronto. On the other, larger sense, I also do want the Mariners to play well and get some wins. The Red Sox are facing the Yankees and I also would love to see the Yankees miss the playoffs somehow (even with Ichiro) so, um, shoot.

Coincidentally, the three Blue Jay starters for this series -- Brandon Morrow, Ricky Romero and Henderson Alvarez -- were the same three, but in a different order, that the Mariners faced back in April in their first series against the Blue Jays.

I titled last series' preview "Bad Offenses to Battle in Hitters' Nightmare" and the Mariners proceeded to score four runs. The Athletics, on the other bat, had no such difficulties. The Mariners are being left behind. It sure can feel like they aren't even trying sometimes, but I non-commitedly assure you that they are.

I don't know that of course, but I find it weird to assume that professional athletes, who had to work and train at levels you probably cannot even fathom, for years and years would suddenly slack off in the way some people like to accuse them of. People are so quick to call others lazy. It strikes me as endemic of a very negative outlook on life.

P/PA = pitches per PA [avg~3.8], nBB = uBB + HBP, Sw = swinging [avg~45%], Ct = contact [avg~81%], Qual+ = a measure of quality of batted balls [avg=100, higher is better]

I want Miguel Olivo to not play the rest of this season. At all. Stop playing him, Wedge.

I feel like I give managers and the like a lot of rope when it comes to playing time decisions. I'm willing, eager even sometimes, to think of reasons why decisions I dislike are made. I find it more interesting that way; it's sort of like logic problems. The rope labeled Miguel Olivo gets to play has reached the end though. There's no more rope to go. It is all behind me and the only thing I have room left for is to make a noose.

On the plus side, at least Miguel Olivo isn't Jeff Mathis!

//checks Jeff Mathis' 2012 OPS [.624]
//checks Miguel Olivo's 2012 OPS [.580]

Oh for... argh!

This will be Erasmo Ramirez's return to the Major League rotation. His last start with Seattle was on June 30, and it was only the fourth of his career before the injury occurred and Erasmo took time off to heal and then rehabbed for quite a while back in Tacoma. As a Major League starter so far, Erasmo has 20 strikeouts and just two unintentional walks. Out of the bullpen, he's had seven strikeouts and seven walks or hit batters, which is quite worse.

The rotation has been a very weak point for Toronto this season. Brandon Morrow has been about the only bright spot (though he's had injuries again). Ricky Romero and Henderson Alvarez are two of the lowest low lights however. Alvarez has seen his strikeout rate collapse, cut in half and his walks have even ticked up. The strikeout thing is disaster enough though.

Romero has been a mini-Alvarez, with a big, but not as big, drop in strikeouts though his rise in walks has been larger than Henderson's. Both pitchers are still adapt at getting lots of ground balls however and the Blue Jays infield defense is superb, so trying to get balls into the air will be key for the Mariners hitters. The Toronto outfield defense is atrocious and fly balls actually are legally allowed to become home runs in Canada (what a country!) so I suggest the Mariner hitters try for that.

Str% = strike rate [avg~63%], Ct% = contact rate [avg~78%], GB% = groundball rate [avg~45%], Qual- = a measure of quality of batted balls [avg=100, lower is better], LI = leverage [avg~1.2]

In a sense, it's a little interesting that the bullpen didn't truly get any bolster from the roster expansion. Most of the credible candidates were long ago promoted and earned legitimate roles. Bobby LaFromboise was about the only remaining piece who deserved a cup of coffee and didn't get one, but he would have required another 40-man move, which the Mariners may be waiting until the winter to do, given the Rule 5 deadline (more on that later).

I suppose they could have recalled Chance Ruffin, but meh.

Oh, right, Steve Delabar. He's a Blue Jays now and wow, look at all those strikeouts. Look at all those strikeouts! It's a lot of strikeouts.

Series Drink: Cascade Apricot Sour Ale
I did an apricot wheat earlier in the year and now I'm going to highlight an apricot sour ale because it's good and I like apricots. Those two might be related. They also might not, how am I to know?

Cascade makes a lot of good beer and mostly a lot of good sours, which is great so that you know where to go if you feel in the mood for a sour and also somewhat bad because others with you might not be sharing that same mood. And that's how Matthew drank 44oz of sours by himself.