I don’t really know where to start with this one: Tonight we saw spectacular pitching out of Cliff Lee and the bullpen, and we also saw a horrid offensive performance, lacking execution and overall punch. This game was quite possibly one of the hardest games I’ve ever had to watch…
To start off, Cliff Lee was dazzling in his Mariner’s debut, allowing only 3 hits while racking up 8 k’s over 7 strong innings. He attacked the zone and seemed to have complete command of his pitches tonight as he threw a total of 98 pitches, 73 of which were strikes. It was a treat to watch Cliff back on the mound, but the only problem was, the Mariners hitters made Colby Lewis look equally impressive.
heartbreaking finish... -photo courtesy espn
There are so many problems right now with this offense, it’s hard to pinpoint one specifically as the reason for the lack of production, but one thing is certain: no matter how good a performance the M’s starters give, offense is still necessary to win games. This team can put all the emphasis it wants on pitching and defense, but the fact remains that they can’t score runs. That’s what tonight boiled down to: the first team to score won the game. Even after 10 innings of dominant pitching, this team couldn’t muster a single run. The major problem with this offense that
became evident in the 10th and 11th innings of the game, is the fact that the lineup is structured with good hitters clumped in the top three spots and at the 7,8 spots. This is a huge problem seeing that whenever the good hitters do indeed get on base, the bad hitters can’t hit them in. I realize Wakamatsu has the “belief system” issued which demonstrates a belief in players that aren’t producing, but I am starting to get fed up with the “belief” in guys like Jose Lopez in the 4 hole, a bench that offers no value aside from locker-room moral and the occasional pie-in-the-face, and the DH platoon of Griffey/Sweeney who have combined for zero extra-base hits this season and are combining to hit under .200 with a total of 6 RBI! The DH position is supposed to be a position of strength for an offense; right now, the Mariners are devoting their most important offensive position and the number 5 slot in their batting order for not one, but two team mascots! (I love both these guys, but enough is enough) Something has got to give or else this offense will continue to spoil gem pitching performances like they did tonight.
Ichiro caught on a suicide squeeze attempt in the 11th. -photo courtesy espn
Another sour note on the night that quite possibly cost them the game was the inability of Eric Byrnes to get down a bunt on the suicide squeeze in the 11th inning. A suicide squeeze is called a suicide squeeze for a reason -it is suicide if you don’t execute it! Not only did Byrnes not get the bunt down, he actually pulled his bat back and took the pitch for a ball, rendering Ichiro completely helpless on the play. I can be forgiving of errors and miss-execution provided the players are giving it their all, but when a player has a complete mental lapse with the game on the line, it’s another story. This was just one of several frustrating events that transpired over the course of the game (i didn’t even mention Sweeney’s inning-ending double play to end the 10th). Tonight’s performance, in one word, can be summed up into just that: frustrating.
All in all, the team didn’t lose any ground in the West and still sit only .5 games behind first place. They will have Felix going tomorrow and Doug Fister following on Sunday, both of whom can put the Mariners in great position to win. Hopefully we see some changes soon in the lineup and overall offensive-attack, but until then, the M’s are going to have to fight and scrap for every win as they have been doing.
seanquinton16.wordpress.com 