Mariners tweak coaching staff for 2022

The Mariners announced some changes in their coaching staff today, retaining some from 2011 while adding a few new names to the mix.

See full post: "Mariners tweak coaching staff for 2022"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Coaches, Tim Laker  |   Posted on November 16, 2021 at 12:40am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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What will the Mariners look like in 2022?

Following up on the post from earlier this week on the potential state of affairs for baseball's 2022 season, we shift from the Majors as a whole to Your Seattle Mariners in particular. Or, we will after a brief check-in with MLB.com reporter Jon Heyman:

See full post: "What will the Mariners look like in 2022?"...

Posted in Mariners; Posted on November 11, 2021 at 9:41pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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What will MLB look like in 2022?

The World Series is over and the bad guys defeated the worse guys four games to two in one of the more forgettable Fall Classics in history. It's now officially the offseason, one that figures to be significant for Your Seattle Mariners. But more on that in a future post.

See full post: "What will MLB look like in 2022?"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged Rules, Commissioner Manfred, Designated Hitter, Postseason  |   Posted on November 8, 2021 at 10:14pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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2021 World Series: Cheaters vs. Chops

A few quick thoughts before Game 1 of the 2021 World Series.

See full post: "2021 World Series: Cheaters vs. Chops "...

Posted in Columns, Caught Looking, MLB; Tagged Postseason  |   Posted on October 26, 2021 at 4:46pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Lesser evils

The 2021 World Series begins in a few hours, and for the first time in a long time, the rooting interest is vague at best.

See full post: "Lesser evils"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged Postseason  |   Posted on October 26, 2021 at 3:23pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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So, that happened

Both the American League and National League Championship Series ended in six games, with the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves emerging victorious. Houston’s win, achieving their third pennant since coming to the American League in 2013 and fourth overall, was less surprising that Atlanta’s.

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Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged Postseason  |   Posted on October 24, 2021 at 2:00pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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And then there were four

I'm a little late on this. As I type, the Red Sox are leading the Astros 8-0 in the early innings of ALCS Game 2, seemingly on their way to tying that series at a game apiece; ideally, this would have been posted on Thursday when there were no games going. Well, as we say on Earth, c'est la vie.

See full post: "And then there were four"...

Posted in MLB; Tagged Postseason  |   Posted on October 16, 2021 at 2:52pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The Marinerless postseason is here (again)

They came closer than they have in a long time. 90 wins for the first time since 2003. Fewer games behind the division winner than any year since, again, ’03. Contending through the very last hour of the season. But not quite enough to play on.

See full post: "The Marinerless postseason is here (again)"...

Posted in MLB; Tagged Playoffs  |   Posted on October 5, 2021 at 5:29pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
4 Comments

Season ends for M's at 162

Well, that was anti-climactic.

See full post: "Season ends for M's at 162"...

Posted in Mariners, MLB; Tagged Contention  |   Posted on October 4, 2021 at 12:38am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Staying alive!

After Friday night's painful loss to the LA Angels, it wasn't looking too good for Your Seattle Mariners. Setting aside for the moment how remarkable and amazing it was that the M's were still alive in the playoff chase after 159 games, the mood after Jarred Kelenic flied out to end Friday's 2-1 loss was, if not defeatist, sort of resigned. This is, after all, the Mariners we're talking about. History has taught us all hard lessons about managing expectations as fans of this historically-mismanaged franchise.

See full post: "Staying alive!"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Contention  |   Posted on October 3, 2021 at 5:55am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Believe?

Well, that was brutal.

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Posted in Mariners, Columns, Caught Looking, Game Notes; Posted on October 2, 2021 at 4:36pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Failures send first big TMP crowd in ages home frustrated

I got a note early Friday afternoon from an employee at TMP telling me that the Mariners were expecting an attendance of over 40,000 at that night's game between the M's and Los Angeles Angels. Seattle's position in the Wild Card standings was generating a lot of enthusiasm, people were paying a premium for tickets. Only scattered singles were still available to buy, at least from official channels.

See full post: "Failures send first big TMP crowd in ages home frustrated"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Posted on October 2, 2021 at 4:22am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Good news, bad news, weekend madness

The Mariners were off today, so all eyes in Mariner Nation were on scoreboard-watch duty. Or other-game-watch duty, in my case; I watched the Yankees defeat the Blue Jays, which while beneficial to the Mariners was disappointing to me because, you know, Yankees.

See full post: "Good news, bad news, weekend madness"...

Posted in Mariners, MLB; Tagged Contention, AL West, Wild Card  |   Posted on September 30, 2021 at 10:50pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Random thoughts: playoff race, schadenfreude, oddities

My brain is kind of all over the place this afternoon, so without much thought to structure here are a few disjointed observations and tidbits.

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Posted in Mariners, Columns, Around the Horn; Posted on September 28, 2021 at 5:25pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Marcomania Redux

With today's victory over the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, the Mariners closed out their final road trip of the year with eight wins and two losses. Not too shabby, and though the standings math would have preferred (needed?) that total to be 9-1, it's still an excellent stretch that featured some of the best baseball the M's have played all season, with several individual standout performances.

See full post: "Marcomania Redux"...

Posted on September 26, 2021 at 9:31pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Eight games left

Wow. I mean, who'd have thought, at seasons start, that with just over a week to go in the 162-game campaign Your Seattle Mariners would still be vying for the playoffs? Who thought they'd be on the margins, or even a .500 club?

See full post: "Eight games left"...

Posted in Mariners; Posted on September 25, 2021 at 6:13pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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All-Star Game returning to Seattle

It won't be official until Thursday, but the news has been leaked by multiple sources: Seattle will host the MLB All-Star Game and its accompanying weekend of festivities in 2023. It will be the third time the Midsummer Classic was played here.

See full post: "All-Star Game returning to Seattle"...

Posted in MLB; Tagged All-Star Game, Ballparks  |   Posted on September 14, 2021 at 4:55pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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M's keep on being relevant

I still don't think they're going to do it. I still think they're too flawed, too raw, and too poorly constructed. And I still see the obstacles in their way to be, while not insurmountable, significant.

See full post: "M's keep on being relevant"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, Around the Horn; Tagged Contention  |   Posted on September 9, 2021 at 6:24pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Mariners extend Dipto, Servais; September roster expands

Today the Mariners announced they have extended the contracts (for "multiple years") of general manager Jerry Dipoto and field manager Scott Servais. Dipoto has also been given the additional title of President of Baseball Operations. Both men were on existing contracts that expired at the end of this season.

See full post: "Mariners extend Dipto, Servais; September roster expands"...

Posted on September 1, 2021 at 5:03pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Doolittle, do late

The trade deadline may have come and gone, but the Mariners nevertheless acquired a new reliever today. Former Oakland A and Washington National southpaw Sean Doolittle joins the M's on a waiver claim after being designated for assignment by the Cincinnati Reds. To make room, reliever Keynan Middleton has been placed on waivers by the Mariners and may now be claimed by another team.A two-time All-Star, Doolittle has had a rough go of it the last couple of years. Having missed most of the abbreviated 2020 campaign with injuries (knee and oblique issues), "Obi-Sean Kenobi" signed a one-year free-agent contract...

See full post: "Doolittle, do late"...

Posted in Mariners; Tagged Transactions, Bullpen, Sean Doolittle  |   Posted on August 26, 2021 at 7:03pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Let's enjoy the illusion for a little longer

When Your Seattle Mariners ventured out on their current road trip, they were hanging in there on the fringes of contention after taking two of three from the Toronto Blue Jays, an objectively better team. Then they went to Dallas-Ft. Worth and swept the Rangers in a three-game set to move to ten games over .500, a season-best, and some in greater Mariner fandom were back to feeling hopeful—they're gelling! They're going to make a run! Our long national nightmare is over!

See full post: "Let's enjoy the illusion for a little longer"...

Posted on August 23, 2021 at 5:43pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The most Mariners ninth inning ever

If ever there was a single inning that encapsulized what it feels like to be a fan of Your Seattle Mariners in long standing, it was last night's bottom of the ninth.

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Posted in Mariners, Columns, Around the Horn, Game Notes; Posted on August 11, 2021 at 4:49pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Benchless in New York

The Mariners are off today, getting a breather before starting a homestand tomorrow against the Rangers and Blue Jays. They seem to need the break—their just-completed 4-6 road trip was exhausting just from the fan's point of view, one wonders what the players themselves feel like after:

See full post: "Benchless in New York"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, Around the Horn, Game Notes; Posted on August 9, 2021 at 4:38pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
2 Comments

Baseball 2.0

My dad forwarded me a Washington Post column by George Will yesterday. Politically, George Will and I don't see eye to eye and I rarely find myself in agreement with him . . . unless he's talking about baseball. On that topic, George Will and I would probably get along famously, it's a subject upon which his conservatism is a virtue.

See full post: "Baseball 2.0"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged Rules  |   Posted on August 6, 2021 at 4:48pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Toro! Toro! Toro!

Toro. It means "bull" in Spanish. In Japanese, it's a fatty cut of tuna sashimi (or, doubled torotoro, an adjective meaning drowsy or syrupy). In the Pacific Northwest, it's the name of the shockingly productive and exciting new switch-hitting infielder for Your Seattle Mariners.

See full post: "Toro! Toro! Toro!"...

Posted in Mariners; Tagged Abraham Toro  |   Posted on August 5, 2021 at 4:19pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Refining grandsalami.net

Greetings, frequent and infrequent readers, social media travelers, and those few and valued RSS subscribers.

See full post: "Refining grandsalami.net"...

Posted in Site issues; Posted on August 4, 2021 at 5:37pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
2 Comments

Contenders or pretenders?

The trade deadline has come and gone and the stretch run is upon us. Aside from the Central divisions, there are close races for division titles and Wild Card berths and there's a lot of meaningful baseball to come in these final two months of the campaign—for some. The question is, will Your Seattle Mariners be among those playing for more than pride as the season winds down?

See full post: "Contenders or pretenders?"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, Around the Horn; Tagged Contention  |   Posted on August 2, 2021 at 10:44pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Santiago suspended again

Just days after his return from a possibly unfounded suspension for using an alleged foreign substance on the baseball, Mariner relief pitcher Hector Santiago has been suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball for using a performance-enhancing drug.

See full post: "Santiago suspended again"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Bullpen, Hector Santiago  |   Posted on July 29, 2021 at 8:01pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Trade winds keep blowing, but biggest need unmet

The Mariners may be off today, as they prepare for a three-game series in Dallas-Ft. Worth against the cellar-dwelling Rangers, but anxiety week rolls on. The trading deadline looms at 1:00pm PDT tomorrow and it was strongly implied by Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto—as well as simply assumed by most observers—that the Mariners were far from done wheeling and dealing after the two trades last Tuesday.

See full post: "Trade winds keep blowing, but biggest need unmet"...

Posted in Mariners, News, MLB; Tagged Trades, Bullpen, Diego Castillo, JT Chargois  |   Posted on July 29, 2021 at 7:09pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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M's get a starting pitcher

Just a few hours after the Mariners made a somewhat confusing trade with the division rival Houston Astros, news of another deal came down—Seattle is sending two minor-league prospects to Pittsburgh in exchange for starting pitcher Tyler Anderson.

See full post: "M's get a starting pitcher"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Trades, Jerry Dipoto, Tyler Anderson  |   Posted on July 28, 2021 at 12:07am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The Undertaker is traded...to HOUSTON?

OK, didn't see this one coming.

See full post: "The Undertaker is traded...to HOUSTON?"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Trades, Jerry Dipoto, Bullpen, Kendall Graveman, Rafael Montero, Abraham Toro  |   Posted on July 27, 2021 at 5:32pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
1 Comment

Anxiety Week

With the Mariners' series victory over the Oakland A's this past weekend—three straight one-run wins after basically conceding the first game—the club finds itself in a position few (but some) of us would have predicted: within 1½ games of a playoff position in the standings in the waning days of July.

See full post: "Anxiety Week"...

Posted on July 26, 2021 at 3:58pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The rumor mill

We're one week away from the trading deadline, and you know what that means: Lots of speculation, rumor-spreading, and idle dreams of impact deals for the Mariners.

See full post: "The rumor mill"...

Posted on July 23, 2021 at 6:04pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Adios Montero

In last night's pitcher's duel between Your Seattle Mariners and the Oakland A's, the Mariners scored a run in the home seventh to edge closer to the A's and make the score 2-1 Oakland. Seattle manager Scott Servais responded to this development by trotting out relief pitcher Rafael Montero to the mound to pitch the eighth.

See full post: "Adios Montero"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Jerry Dipoto, Scott Servais, Bullpen, Rafael Montero  |   Posted on July 23, 2021 at 4:57pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
2 Comments

Kelenic era take 2, and Raleigh too

For their last game before the All-Star break, Your Seattle Mariners promoted their big prospect to the Major League team. No, not Jarred Kelenic, this was catcher Cal Raleigh, who started that game on Sunday and went 0-for-4.

See full post: "Kelenic era take 2, and Raleigh too"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Jarred Kelenic, Prospects, Cal Raleigh  |   Posted on July 15, 2021 at 5:09pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
2 Comments

All-Star rabbit hole

When watching the All-Star Game last night—a game featuring zero current Seattle Mariners—a group of us here at GS.net HQ enjoyed mocking the truly hideous All-Star uniforms and giving our own imagined responses to the inane questioning of the players—during the game, while they were playing—by Fox broadcaster Joe F#%*&ing Buck.

See full post: "All-Star rabbit hole"...

Posted in Mariners; Tagged Trades, All-Star Game, History  |   Posted on July 14, 2021 at 11:35pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Newsbites

Just a couple of notes as we await the start of tonight's All-Star Game from Denver:

See full post: "Newsbites"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged Rules, All-Star Game, Yusei Kikuchi, Rob Manfred  |   Posted on July 13, 2021 at 4:17pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
2 Comments

The 2021 Mariners Hit Parade, Singular

Yesterday I went to my fourth Mariners game of this hopefully post-pandemic season but I didn't stay until the end. Sat in the usual seats, 300 level behind home plate, but my friend Jim was bothered by the overloud sound system, which both discouraged our conversation and hurt his ears, so we left after seven with the M's down 4-1. By the time I got home, the game was done, 7-1. That top of the ninth must've been brutal: infield single, walk, single, single, sac fly, passed ball. Death by a thousand cuts.

See full post: "The 2021 Mariners Hit Parade, Singular"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, Caught Looking; Tagged TMP  |   Posted on July 12, 2021 at 5:21pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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J.P. Crawford hosed again for All-Star team

It was disappointing but understandable when the All-Star Game rosters were announced last weekend and the shortstop for Your Seattle Mariners, J.P. Crawford, was not among the names listed. Instead, deserving shortstops Xander Bogaerts (Boston), Bo Bichette (Toronto), and Carlos Correa (Houston) were named to the AL squad.

See full post: "J.P. Crawford hosed again for All-Star team"...

Posted in Mariners, News, MLB; Tagged All-Star Game, Rob Manfred, JP Crawford  |   Posted on July 10, 2021 at 4:12pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Midseason report card

Back in spring training, most observers pegged Your Seattle Mariners in 2021 to be yet another version of the hapless bottom-feeders we've grown accustomed to over the past many years. But here they are just a few days from the unofficial halfway point of the season, over .500 and within spitting distance of a Wild Card position in the standings. As we get ready to enjoy the All-Star break and its requisite festivities, let's take a beat and look at how the Mariners have performed in the first half of the season, breaking things down into a few groupings.

See full post: "Midseason report card"...

Posted in Mariners; Posted on July 9, 2021 at 4:23pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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All-Star rosters announced and the M's get just one

The All-Star Game rosters were announced today, a week before the end of the unofficial first half of the 2021 season (the mathematical halfway point was passed during this past week). It's the first year for the new voting procedures for starting lineups and it worked out reasonably well.

See full post: "All-Star rosters announced and the M's get just one"...

Posted in Mariners, MLB, Columns, Around the Horn; Tagged All-Star Game, Yusei Kikuchi, J.P. Crawford  |   Posted on July 4, 2021 at 11:58pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Midsummer Classic to be marred by more Manfred mistakes

There is seemingly no aspect of Major League Baseball that Commissioner Rob Manfred will not try to monkey with. His latest foray into diminishing the game's appeal is a minor one, but it still irks: All-Star Game uniforms.

See full post: "Midsummer Classic to be marred by more Manfred mistakes"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged All-Star Game, Rob Manfred  |   Posted on June 26, 2021 at 7:32pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Mather may be gone, but Matherism persists with the Mariners

If you follow much baseball stuff on Twitter, you may have seen the thread from Dae Shik Kim Jr. last Friday night that detailed how the staff at TMP harassed him and his party for having the temerity to be sitting in the expensive seats near the dugout while being not-Caucasian.

See full post: "Mather may be gone, but Matherism persists with the Mariners"...

Posted in Mariners, News, MLB; Tagged TMP  |   Posted on June 25, 2021 at 2:27am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Dramatic sweep of Rays gives M's some swagger

When I was at last Friday night's game between Your Seattle Mariners and the defending American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays, a woman sitting a few seats away from me tapped my arm for my attention. "Excuse me, you seem like you know baseball," she said, noticing me filling out the starting lineups in my scorebook. "Is Seattle favored to win this game?""Oh, hell no," I said. "Tampa Bay is the best team in the league, fresh off a World Series. Seattle is a schizophrenic team with a terrible batting line and a manager that sometimes seems like he's in...

See full post: "Dramatic sweep of Rays gives M's some swagger"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Jerry Dipoto, Scott Servais, Bullpen, Tampa Bay Rays, J.P. Crawford, Shed Long  |   Posted on June 21, 2021 at 5:17pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Baseball's latest scandal isn't SpiderTack, it's Manfred

Welcome to another of what some critics on Facebook will no doubt call a hit piece on Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred. Call it what you will. It's no secret that we here at GS.net HQ do not think highly of the job Manfred has done or the manner in which he's done it.

See full post: "Baseball's latest scandal isn't SpiderTack, it's Manfred"...

Posted in MLB, News; Tagged Rob Manfred  |   Posted on June 20, 2021 at 2:35am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The TMP experience, 2021 style

Tonight I went to a baseball game in person for the first time in two years. It's been a long absence from the ballpark—and from most other social and cultural aspects of life—thanks to the COVID pandemic, but with vaccinations becoming common, life is starting to approach normalcy again.

See full post: "The TMP experience, 2021 style"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, Around the Horn, Game Notes; Tagged Scott Servais, Yusei Kikuchi, TMP  |   Posted on June 18, 2021 at 11:59pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Number crunching II: JP Crawford edition

A couple weeks back, we did a dive into the batting splits of what was then the active Mariner roster, finding some interesting things, like Kyle Seager is Superman with runners in scoring position and Jimmy Olsen with the bases empty. But one interesting case was J.P. Crawford.

See full post: "Number crunching II: JP Crawford edition"...

Posted in Mariners; Tagged J.P. Crawford  |   Posted on June 18, 2021 at 5:37pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Servais does nothing wrong in Mariner win

The last couple of days here on GS.net the lead posts have been about how the manager of Your Seattle Mariners, Scott Servais, tends to screw up, fail to act, or otherwise make unforced errors in strategy during everyday in-game circumstances. Yesterday's was a rant based on merely theoretical suppositions from personal observations regarding closer Kendall Graveman, and I caught a bit of flak for it over on Facebook (always on %&@#ing Facebook) because it was just me observing things that seemed to go unnoticed by Servais, not something backed up by data.

See full post: "Servais does nothing wrong in Mariner win"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, Around the Horn, Game Notes; Tagged Scott Servais  |   Posted on June 14, 2021 at 11:58pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Digging his own Grave(man): Servais and the ’pen

Scott Servais won today. More accurately, the Seattle Mariners won, defeating the Cleveland Native American Caricatures 6-2 behind a great outing from starting pitcher Logan Gilbert and big hits from Jake Fraley, Kyle Seager, and J.P. Crawford. Servais just got lucky when his ineptitude was bailed out by fine glovework from Dylan Moore and Fraley.

See full post: "Digging his own Grave(man): Servais and the ’pen"...

Posted in Mariners; Tagged Scott Servais, Bullpen, Kendall Graveman  |   Posted on June 13, 2021 at 7:49pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Does Scott Servais even want to win games?

The headline above is in jest. Sort of.

See full post: "Does Scott Servais even want to win games?"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, Around the Horn; Tagged Scott Servais, Rafael Montero  |   Posted on June 12, 2021 at 10:53pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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51 and counting

Your Seattle Mariners already hold the record for most players used in a single season. They set the mark in 2019, with 67 different names on the active roster over the course of the year. This season's Mariners, who have now played 64 games with 98 to go, will likely shatter that record.

See full post: "51 and counting"...

Posted in Mariners; Posted on June 10, 2021 at 9:22pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Monarchs, Giants, and Stars

This feature originally appeared in the June 2015 print edition of The Grand Salami.

See full post: "Monarchs, Giants, and Stars"...

Tagged The Way-Back Machine, Books  |   Posted on June 8, 2021 at 4:45pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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More roster moves

In addition to yesterday's announcement that Jarred Kelenic was being demoted to Triple-A Tacoma and Shed Long Jr. was returning to the Mariners, there was another pair of moves announced today, ahead of the opening game of a three-game series in Detroit between the Mariners and the Tigers.

See full post: "More roster moves"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Transactions  |   Posted on June 8, 2021 at 4:33pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Kelenic era paused

In a stunning admission of reality, the Mariners have optioned prized prospect Jarred Kelenic back to Triple-A Tacoma. The 21-year-old would-be phenom was brought up to the Majors back on May 13th after just six games in Triple-A. Despite a good second game in the bigs—a 3-for-4 night against Cleveland that included his first home run—Kelenic turned out, unsurprisingly, not to be ready for prime time. His first stint in the Majors was 23 games and 92 plate appearances, in which he posted a batting line of .096/.185/.193.

See full post: "Kelenic era paused"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Transactions, Jarred Kelenic, Shed Long  |   Posted on June 7, 2021 at 10:30pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Number crunching

Watching the Mariners drop two of three games to the Athletics to close out their most recent homestand, it was frustrating to see all the sub-.200 averages in their lineups. At this writing, when the M's are winging their way down to Orange County to take on the Angels, Seattle's active roster contains seven position players out of twelve batting below the Mendoza Line. Over half. (And one of the other five has fewer than 20 at-bats.) That's sad even by this year's diminished standard for hitting.

See full post: "Number crunching"...

Posted in Mariners; Posted on June 3, 2021 at 6:15pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Injury updates

Well, it seems our earlier assumption that center fielder Kyle Lewis' injury was relatively minor was a bit off the mark. It now appears that Lewis will likely need surgery to repair his latest knee troubles and miss a great deal of time on the field.

See full post: "Injury updates"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Injuries, Kyle Lewis, Justin Dunn  |   Posted on June 3, 2021 at 4:01pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Yet more roster moves

The Mariners have made a few more roster moves today, continuing the season-long dance known as the Injury List Shuffle.

See full post: "Yet more roster moves"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Transactions, Marco Gonzales, Bullpen, Kyle Lewis  |   Posted on June 1, 2021 at 5:15pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Vive la France!

How important is Ty France to Your Seattle Mariners in 2021? Critically.

See full post: "Vive la France!"...

Posted in Mariners; Tagged Ty France  |   Posted on May 31, 2021 at 7:53pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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M's can't get to first base

I saw my first in-person no-hitter earlier this month, and even though it was against my team, and thus involved massive mixed feelings, it still felt like an event. First no-hitter! Woooo! Two days later, Wade Miley of the Reds no-hit the Indians. Then during my week in Minneapolis (my first vacation since the COVID pandemic began), there were two more, including another one against the Mariners. That makes six no-hitters this season against three teams: Seattle, Texas, Cleveland. The record for a single season is the seven no-hitters thrown in 1990. We seem destined to smash that mark.

See full post: "M's can't get to first base"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, Caught Looking; Posted on May 25, 2021 at 7:04pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The blame game

The Mariners are terrible when it comes to swinging the bats. Why is that? Who's at fault? Where should we fans be directing our outrage and our demands for accountability?

See full post: "The blame game"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Coaches, Tim Laker  |   Posted on May 24, 2021 at 4:37pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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M's continue to fail in all kinds of ways

Note: I'm still out of action on the bereavement list as well as the dental IL, but so much has happened this week a few brief remarks are in order.

See full post: "M's continue to fail in all kinds of ways"...

Posted in Mariners, News, Columns, Around the Horn; Posted on May 21, 2021 at 6:03pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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More injuries, more roster shuffling

The already popular Mariners' injured list is adding two more names. First baseman Evan White has officially been placed on the 10-day IL with a hip flexor strain, suffered on a diving play in last night's loss to Cleveland. Infielder/DH Ty France is headed there as well, having been unable to adequately play through wrist pain suffered from being hit on the forearm by a 98-mph fastball on April 19th.

See full post: "More injuries, more roster shuffling"...

Posted in Mariners; Tagged Transactions, Injuries, Evan white, Ty France  |   Posted on May 14, 2021 at 5:37pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Unearthed Mather video shows intent for M's to screw fans

Kevin Mather may be gone, but he won't be forgotten for a while yet. The former President and CEO of the Mariners was fired for saying the quiet part out loud one too many times last February, but a newly-uncovered recording of Mather speaking in the months between last year's World Series and the talk to the Bellevue Rotary Club that got him canned spilled the beans about some plans he had that will further alienate the Mariners' fanbase.

See full post: "Unearthed Mather video shows intent for M's to screw fans"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, Around the Horn; Tagged Ballparks, Kevin Mather, TMP, Fandom  |   Posted on May 13, 2021 at 2:18am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Mariners limp home after 1-4 trip, send for help

Your Seattle Mariners are once again an under-.500 team. Losing big tonight to the newly-revitalized Los Angeles Dodgers, the M's fell below the break-even mark for the first time since April 6th. The 7-1 loss closes out a brief five-game road trip during which the M's won once, a 5-4 victory in Texas last Friday, and brings their season record down to 18-19.

See full post: "Mariners limp home after 1-4 trip, send for help"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Contention, Los Angeles Dodgers, Jarred Kelenic, Logan Gilbert, Prospects  |   Posted on May 12, 2021 at 11:55pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Scott Servais and the Dodgers beat M's in LA

It was bound to happen. It had been too long since Scott Servais, manager of the Seattle Mariners, handled a game as if he were a double agent. OK, that's too harsh. It's not that Scott Servais was consciously working for the other side; he was more of an unwitting agent, what in geopolitical espionage might be called a "useful idiot."

See full post: "Scott Servais and the Dodgers beat M's in LA"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Scott Servais, Bullpen, Yusei Kikuchi  |   Posted on May 12, 2021 at 1:15am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The impatience gambit

If you follow various Mariner-boosters on social media, you've undoubtedly come across—or generated yourself—demands from fans that the Mariners promote their top prospects to the big leagues. Calls from the peanut gallery to have Jarred Kelenic and Logan Gilbert, in particular, take the field at TMP immediately if not sooner have only been more prevalent with the team plodding along with an historically bad offense and two vacancies in the starting rotation.

See full post: "The impatience gambit"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, Around the Horn; Posted on May 10, 2021 at 11:25pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Observations from the Texas series

It's been a tough week for Your Seattle Mariners, what with losing two of three to an objectively bad Baltimore team, being no-hit by said Baltimore team's one good pitcher, seeing the team batting average drop perilously close to the .200 mark, and then effectively beat themselves in a winnable game in the DFW Metroplex against the Rangers.

See full post: "Observations from the Texas series"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Scott Servais, Bullpen, Evan white, J.P. Crawford  |   Posted on May 8, 2021 at 9:33pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Means to an End, or My First No-Hitter

We noticed how good he was immediately. First Mariners batter in the bottom of the 1st, Mitch Haniger, whom we’d just seen in a between-innings video talking about his first call up to the bigs (in 2016 with the Diamondbacks), as well as his first hit (a 2-run triple off Noah Syndergaard), saw three pitches and sat down. Then Ty France got to 3-2 and K’ed looking. Then Kyle Seager with a dribbler to first.

See full post: "Means to an End, or My First No-Hitter"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, Caught Looking; Tagged Baltimore Orioles, No-hitters  |   Posted on May 5, 2021 at 10:36pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The Mariners' anemic lineup

You might have noticed something while watching Your Seattle Mariners play baseball this year: They don't hit much. In fact, the M's are 29th of 30 MLB teams in batting average, with a whopping .207 mark. Taken as a whole, the Mariners are basically Mario Mendoza.

See full post: "The Mariners' anemic lineup"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, Around the Horn; Tagged Contention, Tim Laker, Strikeouts  |   Posted on May 5, 2021 at 1:09am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Angels series highlights best and worst of M's

In winning the rubber match of this past weekend's three-game series against the LA Angels, the Mariners moved past the Houston Astros and into second place in the AL West standings. Now, it's only May 3rd, much too early to put any stock into who is where in the standings, but at 16-13 Seattle continues to perform above the expectations of many preseason prognosticators, having won five and split two of the nine series played thus far. These three games highlighted both the reasons the M's may well be better than expected and the reasons expectations were so low.

See full post: "Angels series highlights best and worst of M's"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Scott Servais, Bullpen, Los Angeles Angels  |   Posted on May 3, 2021 at 3:21am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Mariner for a day

Somewhat inexplicably, the Mariners just designated catcher Jacob Nottingham for assignment. Nottingham had just been acquired via a waiver claim from the Milwaukee Brewers and had joined the M's as an active player yesterday.

See full post: "Mariner for a day"...

Posted on May 1, 2021 at 5:53pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Sugoi! Kikuchi gem keeps Mariners above .500

Those don't look like walks to me—in fact, Straw, at least, should be another strikeout—and without that kind of umpiring Yusei's pitch count would likely have been low enough to get him through at least one more inning. That he mowed down the Astros so well despite that unpredictable moving strike zone is even more remarkable. As his countrymen might say, Sugoi desu ne.Yusei helped himself defensively too, fielding a Baltimore-chop off the bat of Yuli Gurriel following the one hit he allowed in exceptional fashion, sliding to catch the ball on one high bounce and throwing the runner out...

See full post: "Sugoi! Kikuchi gem keeps Mariners above .500"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes, News; Tagged Yusei Kikuchi, Houston Astros, Injuries, Marco Gonzales  |   Posted on April 29, 2021 at 7:00pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Minor moves & notes

As we get ready for the Mariners' third game in this week's four game set in Houston, a few minor notes to pass along:

See full post: "Minor moves & notes"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Transactions, Rules, Injuries  |   Posted on April 28, 2021 at 5:48pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Split with Sox leaves M's one game back in AL West

It was a disappointing series finale today, a 5-3 Mariner loss to the Boston Red Sox. Starting pitcher Nick Margevicius, in his first action since prematurely leaving last Sunday's start against Houston four pitches into the 5th inning due to an unexplained discomfort that prevented him from finishing his proper pitching motion, gave up two hits and walked four in just one-third of an inning to register the shortest start by a Mariner pitcher since July of 2019 (Matt Carasiti allowed five runs in 1⁄3 IP as an "opener," a fad that seems to have mercifully run its course).

See full post: "Split with Sox leaves M's one game back in AL West"...

Posted in Mariners; Tagged Game notes, Contention, Scott Servais, Bullpen, Boston Red Sox  |   Posted on April 25, 2021 at 9:12pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The Facebook Dilemma

Social media has been a revolutionary tool. It's a great way to connect with people around the globe. But it's also become a problem in some ways, and when it comes to reaching an audience with a website like this one it can be a real double-edged sword.

See full post: "The Facebook Dilemma"...

Posted in Site issues; Tagged Commenting  |   Posted on April 23, 2021 at 12:52am   |   Permalink   |     |  
1 Comment

Mariners hold their own against best in baseball

The just-completed two-game Interleauge set against the Los Angeles Dodgers was a remarkable statement by Your Seattle Mariners. Had both games resulted in lopsided Dodger victories, no one would've batted an eye. LA's club is the best of the best, Seattle's was picked to lose 90+ games by most preseason prognosticators (though not us). Instead, the M's handed the Dodgers their first experience of 2021 in which they didn't take a lead at any point in a game, then followed up with a pitching performance that held them to a mere two hits.Unfortunately, LA was up to the task in...

See full post: "Mariners hold their own against best in baseball"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Los Angeles Dodgers, Pitching, Bullpen  |   Posted on April 21, 2021 at 9:14pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The Curse of Section 120

A hearty GrandSalami.net welcome to Rob Hill, our own version of a non-roster invitee, if you will. We connected with Rob via Facebook, where he's a member of the Seattle Mariners Fan Group, and he was kind enough to share this post with you all here on gs.net. Hopefully we'll hear more from Rob as the season continues on.

See full post: "The Curse of Section 120"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns; Tagged TMP, Guest columns, Fandom  |   Posted on April 19, 2021 at 6:17pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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M's win another series, stay in 1st

Yes, yes, it's early—really early—but at 10-6, Your Seattle Mariners are tied for the best record in the American League and second only to the juggernaut Dodgers for best record in the Majors. The M's are finding their identity, gelling together as a team of patience and determined tenacity, and have been unperturbed by some problem areas of the roster. In the words of one long-suffering Seattle fan, "these M's are fun to watch!"

See full post: "M's win another series, stay in 1st"...

Posted on April 18, 2021 at 7:55pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Mariners Fancare: That's a Problem

I'm part of a season ticket group at Mariners Field (formerly Safeco, currently TMP, should be Griffey Park), and because of You Know What I haven't seen a game there since Sept. 2019 (M's over Reds, 4-3); but last month, the man who runs our group, Stephen, told the group there would be a season-ticket presale for socially distanced games in April. Anyone in? Some were. I considered it but decided not. I'd been vaccinated but I tend not to go for April games anyway. It's a time of high hopes but low temps. This year's beautiful April notwithstanding.

See full post: "Mariners Fancare: That's a Problem"...

Posted in Columns, Caught Looking; Tagged COVID-19, Tickets  |   Posted on April 17, 2021 at 2:59pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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In sweep of doubleheader, the M's start to take shape

Don't look now, but Your Seattle Mariners are in first place. I said don't look! Now you've jinxed it. Oh well.

See full post: "In sweep of doubleheader, the M's start to take shape"...

Posted on April 16, 2021 at 4:59pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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‘The Handshake’ on Jackie's 100th

This post originally appeared on January 31, 2019, at eriklundegaard.comToday, Jackie Robinson would've been 100 years old. He was born January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, and moved to Pasadena, Calif., at a young age. He died at 53. I’m older than he ever got to be. One wonders how long he would‘ve lived if he hadn’t had to endure, and swallow, so much.My friend Jerry, a great writer and better person and huge baseball fan, recently pointed me to this song by Chuck Brodsky called “The Handshake.” It's worth a listen or two or 12:

The song is about April...

See full post: "‘The Handshake’ on Jackie's 100th"...

Posted in Columns, Caught Looking; Tagged Jackie Robinson Day  |   Posted on April 15, 2021 at 7:55pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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More rule tinkering!

The Mariners were rained out again today in Baltimore—meaning we'll suffer through another lame 7-inning doubleheader tomorrow, weather permitting—but there is news on the greater baseball front. Or maybe "news" isn't the right word; it's more of a continuation of an ongoing machete attack to baseball.

See full post: "More rule tinkering!"...

Posted in MLB; Tagged Rules, Rob Manfred, Designated Hitter  |   Posted on April 14, 2021 at 6:11pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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What happened to ... ?

Since tonight's game between the Mariners and the Baltimore Orioles has been rained out (to be made up as part of a doubleheader tomorrow at 1:05 PDT), here's something to fill the void, a look at those players who are Mariners no more. We can get back to complaining about Rob Manfred's reign of terror that will result in tomorrow's games being just seven innings long later.

See full post: "What happened to ... ?"...

Posted in Mariners, MLB; Tagged Ex-Mariners  |   Posted on April 12, 2021 at 10:02pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Manfred's mark is a bloody stain

The Mariners won their fourth game of the young season this afternoon in Minneapolis, overcoming another blown save to earn a 4-3 victory in extra innings against the Twins.

See full post: "Manfred's mark is a bloody stain"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged Rules, Rob Manfred, Extra Innings  |   Posted on April 10, 2021 at 11:36pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
6 Comments

That was fast

In our season predictions post, everyone here at GS.net HQ foresaw oft-injured starting pitcher James Paxton hitting the IL at some point this season. When we couldn't say, but definitely before fellow injured-list veteran Mitch Haniger would do so. Safe to say, though, that none of us imagined the Big Maple going down after facing just five batters and not pitching again for the whole year.

See full post: "That was fast"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged James Paxton, Injuries  |   Posted on April 8, 2021 at 6:16pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Futility, injuries, and batting around: M's take 1 of 3 vs. ChiSox

The just-completed three-game set against the White Sox left the Mariners with a 3-3 record as they hit the road for the first time in 2021. After taking two of three against the Giants, Seattle dropped two of three to the likely contenders from Chicago's south side and looked a bit schizophrenic when doing it.Monday night's game saw the anemic version of the Mariners, the group that can't execute with runners aboard but is plenty adept at whiffing at strike three. Tuesday night saw the opportunist M's, ready to pounce on opponent mistakes when at bat, but more than willing...

See full post: "Futility, injuries, and batting around: M's take 1 of 3 vs. ChiSox"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Bullpen, Justin Dunn, Chicago White Sox  |   Posted on April 7, 2021 at 10:09pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Pitching and patience give M's first series win

After Opening Night's wild and wacky role-reversal win for the Mariners against the San Francisco Giants, things seemed to revert to form for Game Two. In that affair on Friday night, Yusei Kikuchi threw a gem, striking out ten over six innings while only racking up 89 pitches, a start marred only by two mistakes—home runs the opposite way off of outside fastballs to Buster Posey and Evan Longoria. (They weren't bad pitches, either, it's not like Yusei grooved them down the middle.) It was a terrific game for the Japanese lefty and he left with the score tied at 3-3.

See full post: "Pitching and patience give M's first series win"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Bullpen, Yusei Kikuchi, Chris Flexen, San Francisco Giants  |   Posted on April 3, 2021 at 10:40pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game One: Through the looking glass

Game 1 of 162 is in the books, and it was ... weird. Fans in the stands, but only 9,000. Marco on the mound, but also Jeff Nelson and his tiny tiny strike zone behind the plate. Kevin Gausman pitching for the opposition as if he were Juan Marichal. And the Mariners coming back from 5-0 and 6-1 to win 8-7 in the 10th inning, a 10th inning in which free baserunners were used because reasons.

See full post: "Game One: Through the looking glass"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Opening Day, Marco Gonzales, Bullpen, Evan white, San Francisco Giants  |   Posted on April 2, 2021 at 7:08pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Baseball for first-graders

The 2021 baseball season started yesterday, and from Miggy's home run in the snow to the Mariners' eighth-inning comeback against the Giants (which our closer gave back on four pitches in the ninth), there was much joy in Mudville, particularly after last year's pandemic-shortened, fan-free season. But a few things could still use fixing. I'll start with the easy one first.

See full post: "Baseball for first-graders"...

Posted in Columns, Caught Looking; Tagged Rules, Rob Manfred, Opening Day  |   Posted on April 2, 2021 at 6:12pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Opening Day roster shuffling

Game 1 of the 2021 season commences tomorrow night at 7:10 down at TMP as Your Seattle Mariners take on the San Francisco Giants. Six weeks of spring training is over and it's time to get down to brass tacks. There are a couple of unexpected wrinkles in the club's opening 26-man roster, making tomorrow's group just slightly different than previously expected.

See full post: "Opening Day roster shuffling"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Opening Day, Injuries  |   Posted on March 31, 2021 at 6:09pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The 2021 season is nigh: Predictions!

Opening Day is this Thursday, April 1st, and we are looking forward to a real baseball season this year: 162 games on each team's schedule, no wacky short-season participation-trophy playoff brackets, fans at the ballparks (sort of, at least at the start). It's almost like life is returning to normal. Almost. OK, not really, we're still living in pandemic times for a while yet, but at least we have this. (Seriously, wear your mask and don't screw this up. We're not out of the woods yet.)

See full post: "The 2021 season is nigh: Predictions!"...

Posted in MLB; Tagged Predicting the Future  |   Posted on March 30, 2021 at 6:38pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
3 Comments

Mucking about with the rules (again)

Rob Manfred cannot leave well enough alone.

See full post: "Mucking about with the rules (again)"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn; Tagged Minor leagues, Rules, Rob Manfred  |   Posted on March 22, 2021 at 5:49pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Previewing the '21 Mariners: Outfield/DH

The future is bright for Your Seattle Mariners when it comes to outfielders. The present is a little dimmer, but any youth movement has growing pains; 2021 may see a fair number of those as the building of the New Mariner Dynasty™ continues. Top prospects Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodríguez will start the season in the minor leagues (as they should) and the guys on the big club have some developing left to do.

See full post: "Previewing the '21 Mariners: Outfield/DH"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Mitch Haniger, Jake Fraley, Kyle Lewis, Taylor Trammell, Ty France  |   Posted on March 14, 2021 at 5:13pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Previewing the '21 Mariners: Catcher/Infield

The catcher position hasn't historically been a strength for the Mariners. When the franchise's best players to man the position include a hitter who only got on base at a .309 clip (Dan Wilson), a one-year-and-done solid hitter that was considered a defensive liability (Omar Narváez), and a guy who saw local taverns use his batting average to determine the price of a pint of beer (Dave Valle), the bar for success is pretty low. The club is cautiously optimistic now, though, with a catching tandem for 2021 that should hold its own.

See full post: "Previewing the '21 Mariners: Catcher/Infield"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Kyle Seager, JP Crawford, Tom Murphy, Dylan Moore, Luis Torrens, Evan white, Sam Haggerty  |   Posted on March 13, 2021 at 4:06pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Previewing the '21 Mariners: The bullpen

As terrific as the starting rotation has the potential to be this year, the relief corps has an equal chance to be yet another flaming bag of poo left at the gates of T-Mobile Park. It seems manager Scott Servais and GM Jerry Dipoto think so too, as they're opting to carry eight relievers in addition to the starting six pitchers. Since they do appear to have confidence in the starters, they must be presuming several relievers will be required for most games even if the starter goes six-plus frames.

See full post: "Previewing the '21 Mariners: The bullpen"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Bullpen  |   Posted on March 12, 2021 at 10:30am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Previewing the '21 Mariners: Starting pitchers

In last year's mini-season, the Mariners opted to use a six-man starting rotation rather than the customary five. There was some logic to this, mostly based on the fact that there was no minor-league baseball being played and the club didn't want to deprive the likes of Justin Dunn and Nick Margevicius of development time. Plus, with the strangeness of the interrupted spring, the long layoff, and fairly abrupt ramp-up to the brief 60-game season, giving the starters an extra day of rest each time through seemed like a reasonable precaution.

See full post: "Previewing the '21 Mariners: Starting pitchers"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Marco Gonzales, James Paxton, Yusei Kikuchi, Justus Sheffield, Justin Dunn, Chris Flexen  |   Posted on March 11, 2021 at 2:15pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Previewing the '21 Mariners: Intro

The other day I got a one-sentence e-mail from a friend that asked, "Mariners competitive this year?" The only reply I could give was a succinct "Maybe."

See full post: "Previewing the '21 Mariners: Intro"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Contention, Jerry Dipoto, Scott Servais  |   Posted on March 10, 2021 at 3:32pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Quiet offseason ends with another Mariner self-immolation

Greetings, baseball fans. There hasn't been a lot of activity here on GrandSalami.net over the winter—none, really—but Spring Training is here and the 2021 season looks like it'll get started more or less as usual after last year's COVID-19-disrupted parody of a campaign. It's not that there hasn't been material to cover or discuss during the offseason; just because Seattle General Manager Jerry Dipoto didn't go on one of his trading binges doesn't mean everything stayed completely static. But there were other things going on—a critical election campaign, more pandemic drama, an attempt to violently overthrow the American government by...

See full post: "Quiet offseason ends with another Mariner self-immolation"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, News, Around the Horn; Tagged Contention, Kevin Mather, Front Office  |   Posted on February 25, 2021 at 6:09pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Contention is the goal

A few days back I posted this piece evaluating the Mariners after the 2020 mini-season with an eye toward readiness for 2021. As usual, the post got linked to some of the Mariners fan groups on Facebook, and as usual, more people remarked on it there than here onsite. Considering the attitude of some of those people, I'm OK with that. There are a lot of haters on Facebook.

See full post: "Contention is the goal"...

Posted in Mariners; Tagged Jerry Dipoto, Contention, Bullpen  |   Posted on October 1, 2020 at 6:54pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Who to root for?

The postseason has begun and the Mariners are once again nowhere to be seen. What's a Seattle baseball fan to do? In this wacky year of expanded playoffs, most us will pick a team (or a succession of them) to ride with through the World Series and make the best of it. But whom to choose...?

See full post: "Who to root for?"...

Posted in MLB; Tagged Postseason  |   Posted on September 29, 2020 at 5:49pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Mini-season ends with Mariners not ready for 2021

With today's loss to the AL West Champion Oakland A's, the Mariners officially finished their part in 2020’s wild and wacky baseball season. It went about as expected, overall, with some interesting surprises and familiar frustrations, serving its purpose as an evaluation/on-the-job training ground for some players while failing miserably at that task for others. So, you might say the goals were a little different, but in the end it was just another Mariners season, done before October and watching other clubs play for titles. Even in crazy 2020, when you have to be really bad to miss the playoffs.

See full post: "Mini-season ends with Mariners not ready for 2021"...

Posted in Mariners, MLB; Posted on September 28, 2020 at 2:43am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game notes — 9/22/20

Happy fall, everyone. Well, "happy" adjusted for 2020, anyway.

See full post: "Game notes — 9/22/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Houston Astros, Ljay Newsome  |   Posted on September 22, 2020 at 11:51pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Manfred threatens to continue expanded playoffs past 2020

The current Commissioner of Baseball, Rob Manfred, is "a fan of the expanded playoffs." He's repeatedly spoken about expanding the playoff format, even before this season, and said during a Hofstra Universtiy event that "there’s a lot to commend [the 2020 postseason format] and it is one of those changes that I hope becomes a permanent part of our landscape."

See full post: "Manfred threatens to continue expanded playoffs past 2020"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn; Tagged Rob Manfred, Postseason  |   Posted on September 17, 2020 at 7:57pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Postseason to be held at neutral sites, Manfred wants fans (and their wallets) in attendance

Commissioner Rob Manfred's office has announced an agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players' Association on neutral locations for this years Division Series, League Championship Series, and World Series. While the first round of playoffs will still be held at the higher seed's home ballparks, the latter rounds will be contained to southern California and Texas.

See full post: "Postseason to be held at neutral sites, Manfred wants fans (and their wallets) in attendance"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged Schedules, Postseason  |   Posted on September 16, 2020 at 2:45am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Giants series relocated

The Mariners' two-game series against the San Francisco Giants that was slated to begin tonight has been postponed one day and relocated to San Francisco due to abysmal air quality in Seattle. This was done after complaints were lodged by players, principally from the Giants, but also from the Seattle side.

See full post: "Giants series relocated"...

Posted in Mariners, News, MLB; Tagged Schedules, Rob Manfred  |   Posted on September 15, 2020 at 6:55pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game notes—9/12/20

Well, yesterday's opener of the three-game set in Phoenix didn't go as expected—the dreadful Diamondbacks managed to get a win with outstanding pitching of their own while Seattle's Yusei Kikuchi had a first inning full of meatballs that got smacked before settling down into a fine several innings after. Tonight it's fellow lefty Justus Sheffield against the cellar-dwelling Snakes and I'm trying another of these notes/observations-as-I-watch posts. Because it's a pandemic and the air outside is a think hellish blanket of particulates and probably carcinogens, so what else am I going to do this evening?

See full post: "Game notes—9/12/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Justus Sheffield, Arizona Diamondbacks  |   Posted on September 12, 2020 at 9:03pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Goodbye Mallex?

The Mariners today have outrighted Mallex Smith from their satellite training facility off of the 60-player pool of available personnel for 2020. On paper, he is now assigned to Triple-A Tacoma. The move was not, apparently, made to clear a spot on the 60-man list for someone else.

See full post: "Goodbye Mallex?"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Transactions, Mallex Smith  |   Posted on September 11, 2020 at 4:29pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Status Report

We've now passed the two-thirds mark in the 2020 miniature schedule, and so far Your Seattle Mariners have done a fairly OK job in achieving their goals in this bizzaro-not-really-a-season. There's been good, there's been bad, and because this is the Mariners, you know there has been ugly. But on the whole they've done all right; thanks to the pandemic and the short schedule and the lack of minor leagues and all the rest, 2020 has been first and foremost about evaluation. Winning will resume as a priority next year (fingers crossed).

See full post: "Status Report"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, Around the Horn; Tagged Scott Servais, Bullpen  |   Posted on September 9, 2020 at 5:58pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game notes—9/5/20

Another edition of Notes While I Watch the M's, hopefully less stream-of-consciousness and more cogent-observational-insight. But we'll see.

See full post: "Game notes—9/5/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Texas Rangers, Jake Fraley, Justus Sheffield  |   Posted on September 5, 2020 at 11:37pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Kikuchi, M's sink Rangers to 10 games under .500

After a few days of unscheduled respite, the Mariners took the field to host the Texas Rangers Friday night and made them look like, well, a really bad baseball team. Yusei Kikuchi had one of his better starts in this abbreviated season, holding the Rangers to just two hits over six innings to earn the win.

See full post: "Kikuchi, M's sink Rangers to 10 games under .500"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Yusei Kikuchi, Texas Rangers  |   Posted on September 5, 2020 at 4:46am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Opt-outs and COVID cases

Below is the current list of major league players who have opted out of playing in 2020 due to concerns over the coronavirus, plus a list of players who are known to have been infected with COVID-19. This list will obviously grow and evolve as preseason training camps progress, and we will update it as needed to keep current.

See full post: "Opt-outs and COVID cases"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on September 5, 2020 at 2:39am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Mariners add outfielder for reasons(?)

Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto added a player to the Mariners' major-league roster today by claiming outfielder Phil Ervin off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.

See full post: "Mariners add outfielder for reasons(?)"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Transactions  |   Posted on September 3, 2020 at 6:31pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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M's postponed until Friday and other news bits

In addition to tonight's and tomorrow's games between the Mariners and the Oakland A's being postponed, Thursday's contest has also been pulled form the schedule. This doesn't appear to be because the Oakland crew has had any further COVID-19 issues beyond the one case that was revealed on Sunday; rather, it seems to be more of a logistical issue for the A's coupled with extra caution. Instead of traveling to Seattle, the A's will go home to Oakland and prepare for their series with San Diego, scheduled to begin Friday.

See full post: "M's postponed until Friday and other news bits"...

Posted in Mariners, News, MLB; Tagged Transactions, Schedules  |   Posted on September 1, 2020 at 6:39pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Trade deadline recap and the new state of the M's

The wild and wacky 2020 mini-season, with its expanded playoff structure and small-sample-sized skewing of performances, made for some interesting wheeling and dealing over the last few days. With 2020's oddly timed August 31st trading deadline now behind us, what interesting conclusions can we make?

See full post: "Trade deadline recap and the new state of the M's"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Trades, Transactions, Jerry Dipoto, Future M's  |   Posted on August 31, 2020 at 11:10pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Another trade, plus COVID hits the West and postpones next games

Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto swung one last trade as this afternoon's MLB trading deadline hit, sending reliever Taylor Williams to San Diego in exchange for a player to be named later.

See full post: "Another trade, plus COVID hits the West and postpones next games"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Trades, Transactions, Oakland A's, San Diego Padres, COVID-19, Taylor Williams  |   Posted on August 31, 2020 at 7:11pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Trade Completed

Well, that didn't take long.

See full post: "Trade Completed"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Trades, Transactions, San Diego Padres, Austin Nola  |   Posted on August 30, 2020 at 8:26pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
3 Comments

Trade winds blowing

Having already made one deal ahead of tomorrow afternoon's trading deadline—Taijuan Walker to the Blue Jays for a player to be named after the season ends—the Mariners find themselves fielding calls from contenders desiring other Seattle valuables.

See full post: "Trade winds blowing"...

Posted in Mariners; Tagged Trades, Transactions, Rumors  |   Posted on August 30, 2020 at 6:27pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game notes—8/29/20

Well, I'm a little late to the party tonight, but here we go with the M's and Angels on about an hour's delay. Justus Sheffield going for Seattle against Dylan Bundy, who pitched a complete-game 2-1 victory against hte M's earlier in the year.

See full post: "Game notes—8/29/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Los Angeles Angels, Justus Sheffield  |   Posted on August 29, 2020 at 10:36pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Doubleheader game notes—8/27/20

With yesterday's game against the Padres called off due to righteous social outrage, today we have a doubleheader. It's a 2020-style doubleheader, which kind of blows—each game will be only seven innings long—but, in the vernacular of the day, it is what it is.

See full post: "Doubleheader game notes—8/27/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged San Diego Padres, Ljay Newsome, Bullpen  |   Posted on August 27, 2020 at 4:01pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Walker traded

The Mariners have agreed to a trade that will send starting pitcher Taijuan Walker to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for a player to be named later.

See full post: "Walker traded"...

Posted in Mariners; Tagged Trades, Transactions, Taijuan Walker  |   Posted on August 27, 2020 at 9:08am   |   Permalink   |     |  
2 Comments

No game tonight

Tonight's game between the Mariners and the San Diego Padres has been postponed.

See full post: "No game tonight"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Posted on August 26, 2020 at 5:34pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
2 Comments

Game notes—8/25/20

Let's try another live-ish blog of a game. These haven't been as interesting as I'd hoped when I've done them for prior contests, and I'm not sure what the best format for such things is, but what the hey, one more shot at it here.

See full post: "Game notes—8/25/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Marco Gonzales, San Diego Padres  |   Posted on August 25, 2020 at 6:33pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Halfway through

Believe it or not, we are now halfway through the season. With a miniaturized 60-game schedule, 2020 was always going to feel weird, and it's been interesting to notice how both expectations and attitudes about the campaign have evolved as that weirdness settled in.

See full post: "Halfway through"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, Around the Horn, Game Notes; Tagged Future M's  |   Posted on August 23, 2020 at 11:45pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Better late than never: Fraley promoted

It took them until the season was half over, but the Mariners have finally promoted outfielder Jake Fraley to the team. He is slated to start tonight in right field in Seattle's game against the Texas Rangers.

See full post: "Better late than never: Fraley promoted"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Transactions, Jake Fraley, Dylan Moore  |   Posted on August 22, 2020 at 4:32pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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More roster moves

The Mariners made another pair of roster moves today, placing relievers Erik Swanson and Taylor Guilbeau on the injured list with muscle strains. To fill their spots, the club has activated veteran reliever Yoshihisa Hirano from the COVID-19 injured list and recalled left-handed pitcher Aaron Fletcher from the satellite camp.

See full post: "More roster moves"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Transactions, Bullpen  |   Posted on August 21, 2020 at 6:04pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Vogey DFA'd, Mallex to taxi squad

The Mariners made a series of roster moves upon their return home from their 1-7 road trip, giving them a slightly different look as they prepare to take the field at TMP tonight against the Dodgers.

See full post: "Vogey DFA'd, Mallex to taxi squad"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Daniel Vogelbach, Transactions, Mallex Smith, Jake Fraley  |   Posted on August 19, 2020 at 4:35pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Back to normal

So, yesterday's aberration was apparently just a one-time deal. In this afternoon's game between Your Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Dodgers, formula returned:

See full post: "Back to normal"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Marco Gonzales, Los Angeles Dodgers  |   Posted on August 18, 2020 at 11:24pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Breaking the format

Well, that was...weird.

See full post: "Breaking the format"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Bullpen, Los Angeles Dodgers  |   Posted on August 17, 2020 at 11:55pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Still going

The GSAU virtual season that did its best to substitute for the real deal while everything was shut down due to the pandemic hasn't been updated here since shortly after the real season began, but that doesn't mean it's done with. There hasn't been time to keep up the almost-daily game stories and such since real baseball returned, but we will be updating the virtual season in chunks as we press on.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Still going"...

Posted in Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on August 16, 2020 at 1:35am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Nancy and the Heart Attacks

There's a lot that's different about this Mariners season from last year. A lot. From leaguewide (and nationwide) changes related to the pandemic to the Mariner-centric issues with young players getting big-league playing time. But one thing that is thus far exactly the same is the revolving door in and out of the Seattle bullpen.

See full post: "Nancy and the Heart Attacks"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Bullpen  |   Posted on August 15, 2020 at 9:18pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game notes—8/14/20

The Mariners are back in Houston already. Weren't they just there? Well, this sort of thing happens even in in standard-type seasons, so with this year's wacky west-only schedule it's no surprise that such things happen. At least it was on the same trip as a stop in Dallas-Ft. Worth. Efficiency!

See full post: "Game notes—8/14/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Yusei Kikuchi, Houston Astros  |   Posted on August 14, 2020 at 5:54pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The 2020 M's: Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, one pitching change at a time

If last night's series finale with the Texas Rangers gave you a feeling of déjà vu, well, it's probably because you've seen this before. The 7-4 loss to the Rangers pretty much followed what we can now call a template for your 2020 Seattle Mariners. It hasn't played out like this in every game, but since leaving Houston after the opening series of the season, the formula goes like this:

See full post: "The 2020 M's: Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, one pitching change at a time"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Scott Servais, Bullpen, Texas Rangers, Erik Swanson, Taylor Williams  |   Posted on August 13, 2020 at 3:37am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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COVID updates and miscellany

Will the St. Louis Cardinals play baseball again in 2020? Since a COVID-19 outbreak among their squad became known, the Cards have been in limbo, with all of their games since July 29th postponed. Though no new cases of the virus have cropped up in the last couple of days, they remain quarantined for now. Major League Baseball currently plans on the Cardinals taking the field again starting this Friday against the White Sox in Chicago and potentially playing a makeup doubleheader tomorrow against the Detroit Tigers. We'll see.

See full post: "COVID updates and miscellany"...

Posted in MLB; Tagged Injuries, COVID-19  |   Posted on August 12, 2020 at 5:55pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game Notes—8/11/20

The Rangers are not tempting fate again with their roof, it's closed tonight. No heat-carried homers for you!

See full post: "Game Notes—8/11/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Texas Rangers, Marco Gonzales  |   Posted on August 11, 2020 at 6:12pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game Notes—8/10/20

Not-quite-live from the brand-new ballpark in the DFW Metroplex, the Mariners are taking on the Texas Rangers for the first time in 2020. Rookie Justin Dunn on the mound against veteran Kyle Gibson. Both teams with struggling offenses and iffy bullpens. Only one will win! Let's see how things unfold.

See full post: "Game Notes—8/10/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Texas Rangers, Justin Dunn  |   Posted on August 10, 2020 at 7:32pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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M's make minor moves

The Mariners made a couple of minor transactions today ahead of their game tonight in Arlington, Texas. They are:

See full post: "M's make minor moves"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Transactions, Injuries, Bullpen  |   Posted on August 10, 2020 at 3:39pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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8/9/20 Notes after the fact—M's upset Colorado

It was a beautiful day in Seattle and, harkening back to the days of the Kingdome, the Mariners played under a roof. Because of a ridiculous protocol that says closing the roof on lovely days is preferable to installing some sort of shade canopy over the seats behind the dugout for the benefit of players seated there for social distancing purposes. Why? I'm going with laziness. You may have other theories.

See full post: "8/9/20 Notes after the fact—M's upset Colorado"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Scott Servais, Bullpen, Justus Sheffield, Colorado Rockies  |   Posted on August 9, 2020 at 9:56pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game notes—8/8/20

I'm a little bit behind schedule today, so this is not a live-blog. Not that it matters as y'all tend to see these well after the fact anyway. Can the M's rebound against the super-tough Rockies? Two untried young pitchers starting us off, so who knows what to expect. Here we go:

See full post: "Game notes—8/8/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Scott Servais, Colorado Rockies, Nick Margevicius  |   Posted on August 8, 2020 at 9:39pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game notes—8/7/20

Back to watching live, some notes and observations from tonight's Mariner game against Colorado, as it happens (though you're likely reading this after the fact)! Yusei Kikuchi on the mound for Seattle, looking for his first win in start number three. Looks like Crawford and White both getting the night off, at least to start off.

See full post: "Game notes—8/7/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Yusei Kikuchi, Colorado Rockies  |   Posted on August 7, 2020 at 7:00pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game notes—8/6/20

Again not watching this one live; it's getaway day for the Angels and I had stuff to do this afternoon. But, since we live in the future, I can watch it now and do my notes and observations after the fact. Onward!

See full post: "Game notes—8/6/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Scott Servais, Taijuan Walker, Los Angeles Angels  |   Posted on August 6, 2020 at 11:48pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game notes—8/5/20

I missed last night's game (gee, too bad), but tonight is a Marco Gonzales night, so even though I cannot watch live, I will take in the entire thing on DVR-delay and do a not-really-live-but-same-basic-result blogging of the action. Let's snap this four-game losing skid, OK? Onward—DVR: Engage!

See full post: "Game notes—8/5/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Marco Gonzales, Scott Servais, Los Angeles Angels, Taylor Willams  |   Posted on August 6, 2020 at 12:24am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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News bites: 8/4/20

A few items from the day to pass along:

See full post: "News bites: 8/4/20"...

Posted in Mariners, News, MLB; Tagged Kendall Graveman  |   Posted on August 4, 2020 at 4:15pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game notes—8/3/20

Just when it looked like things might start going the Mariners' way, the Oakland A's come to town and take three of four, with the last one being both the most and the least irritating. Quite the simultaneous feat!

See full post: "Game notes—8/3/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Oakland A's, Justus Sheffield, Scott Servais, Bullpen  |   Posted on August 4, 2020 at 12:21am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Cardinals' COVID outbreak grows

The St. Louis Cardinals are the new Miami Marlins. Today's coronavirus test reporting, from tests performed over the weekend, bring the Cardinals' total number of infections up to 13 (seven players, six coaches and/or support staff among the traveling party).

See full post: "Cardinals' COVID outbreak grows"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on August 3, 2020 at 2:51pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game notes - 8/2/20

Some thoughts as I watch Sunday's game between the Mariners and the Oakland Athletics:

See full post: "Game notes - 8/2/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Rules, Oakland A's, Kendall Graveman  |   Posted on August 2, 2020 at 2:40pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game notes - 8/1/20

Observations and brain droppings as I watch Saturday evening's tilt against the Oakland A's:

See full post: "Game notes - 8/1/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Bullpen, Yusei Kikuchi, Oakland A's  |   Posted on August 1, 2020 at 6:29pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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COVID updates, etc.

Another day, another postponement in Major League Baseball. As was the case yesterday, tonight's game in Milwaukee between the hometown Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals has been bumped due to more positive test results for COVID-19. One St. Louis player, two coaches, and a staff member traveling with the team tested as infected, in addition to the two Cardinal pitchers that we learned yesterday had tested positive. None of the six Cardinals consented to make his identity known.

See full post: "COVID updates, etc."...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on August 1, 2020 at 5:18pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game notes: 7/31/20

Musings and observations on tonight's home opener, a 5-3 win over the Oakland A's:

See full post: "Game notes: 7/31/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Site issues, Game Notes; Tagged Oakland A's, Taijuan Walker  |   Posted on August 1, 2020 at 2:36am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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More COVID cases puts season in (more) jeopardy

Another coronavirus case among the Miami Marlins and two COVID-19-positive test results from the St. Louis Cardinals were made known today, bringing the Marlins' total number to 18 players and two coaches and causing enough concern with the Cardinals for MLB to postpone their game tonight against he Milwaukee Brewers.

See full post: "More COVID cases puts season in (more) jeopardy"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged Rob Manfred, COVID-19  |   Posted on July 31, 2020 at 6:39pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game notes—7/30/20

A few random thoughts/observations from tonight's 8-5 Mariner win over the Angels...

See full post: "Game notes—7/30/20"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Marco Gonzales, Los Angeles Angels  |   Posted on July 30, 2020 at 11:35pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Minor Notes

Just a few items for the day:

See full post: "Minor Notes"...

Posted in News, Site issues, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on July 30, 2020 at 2:50am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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M's show some life in win vs Angels

Tonight's game against the Los Angeles Angels was an interesting one to watch. The Mariners won it, for one thing, which is always more fun than the usual. But it also had a lot of the good and a lot of the bad that we can expect to see as this weird mini-season unfolds.

See full post: "M's show some life in win vs Angels"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Scott Servais, Los Angeles Angels, Kyle Lewis, Justin Dunn, Taylor Williams, Bryan Shaw  |   Posted on July 30, 2020 at 2:03am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Reality Bites

I am genuinely surprised. The blowback on MLB generally and the commissioner's office specifically over the Miami Marlins' COVID-19 outbreak has actually resulted in Commissioner Manfred taking the Marlins off the schedule for the time being.

See full post: "Reality Bites"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged Rob Manfred, COVID-19  |   Posted on July 28, 2020 at 5:12pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Marlins outbreak further illustrates Manfred's faults

As posted this morning, the Miami Marlins are in the midst of a COVID-19 outbreak. Since posting that article, test results from late last week came back and seven more Miami players and two coaches had positive results for the coronavirus. The personnel involved were not identified. The Marlins' opponents over the weekend, the Philadelphia Phillies, underwent supplemental testing today and both the Phillies and the Marlins postponed their scheduled home games this evening.

See full post: "Marlins outbreak further illustrates Manfred's faults"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged Rob Manfred, COVID-19  |   Posted on July 27, 2020 at 11:40pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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"MLB’s worst nightmare"

Pay particular attention to the transaction wires today. Specifically, the Miami lines. Look for anyone going on the injured list for "unspecified reasons." Check the Phillies, too.

See full post: ""MLB’s worst nightmare""...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn; Tagged Rob Manfred, COVID-19  |   Posted on July 27, 2020 at 2:15am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Pence, Kikuchi power M's to 8-2 win over Jays

Hunter Pence put the Mariners on the scoreboard with a 1st-inning three-run homer against the Blue Jays today at TMP and Yusei Kikuchi pitched six scoreless innings as Seattle cruised to an 8-2 win over Toronto.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Pence, Kikuchi power M's to 8-2 win over Jays"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 26, 2020 at 11:57pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Between COVID-19 and short preseason, pitchers start dropping like flies

The first few games of 2020 are in the books, and we're just starting to see how both a short preseason training camp and holding games during a pandemic is hurting various teams' rosters.

See full post: "Between COVID-19 and short preseason, pitchers start dropping like flies"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged Injuries, COVID-19  |   Posted on July 26, 2020 at 7:44pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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M's win in Houston, hell dips below freezing

The Mariners hadn't won a game in Houston since 2018, but the pulled one out today. Barely. By the skin of their teeth.

See full post: "M's win in Houston, hell dips below freezing"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Scott Servais, Kyle Seager, Houston Astros, Kyle Lewis, Taylor Williams, Yusei Kikuchi  |   Posted on July 26, 2020 at 6:30pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners double up Jays 6-3, Marco wins 11th

Shed Long blasted a long two-run homer and drove in another run with a tie-breaking sacrifice fly to lead the Mariners to a 6-3 victory over the Blue Jays today at TMP.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners double up Jays 6-3, Marco wins 11th"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 25, 2020 at 9:17pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game two: as it happens

Tuning in to Game Two of the mini-season from the cesspool of the Gulf, Houston, Texas. Observations:

See full post: "Game two: as it happens"...

Posted in Mariners, Game Notes; Tagged Scott Servais  |   Posted on July 25, 2020 at 2:45pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Game One thoughts

What do you know. The season really did start. Three weeks ago I'd have put money on it not starting, but then I should have had more faith in the abilities of Commissioner Manfred and the other Major League Baseball powers that be to ignore anything that might get in between them and money. Pandemic, shmandemic.

See full post: "Game One thoughts"...

Posted in Mariners, Columns, Around the Horn, Game Notes; Tagged Opening Day, Marco Gonzales, Scott Servais  |   Posted on July 25, 2020 at 2:39am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Blue Jays rout Mariners 17-1

Justin Dunn probably regrets not calling in sick today. The Mariner rookie was coming off a stellar performance his last time out, a six-inning, 11-strikeout game versus the NL East-leading Mets, and with an extra day of rest wanted to pick right up where he left off tonight against the Blue Jays.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Blue Jays rout Mariners 17-1"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 25, 2020 at 1:19am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Opening Day is here

Whether it's a good idea or not, opening day is happening, and it's happening today. Empty stadiums, masks in the dugout, broadcasters working from home, it's the weird and wacky 2020 mini-season, for as long as it lasts.

See full post: "Opening Day is here"...

Posted in Mariners, News, MLB; Posted on July 24, 2020 at 3:36pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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16-team playoffs a go for 2020

It's official, as of about three hours ago—which is also three hours before the first pitch of the truncated 2020 season—the playoffs will include eight teams per league this year, assuming a postseason is played at all.

See full post: "16-team playoffs a go for 2020"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on July 23, 2020 at 4:02pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
1 Comment

Virtual Season: Mariners take rubber match from Orioles

The Mariners took advantage of a shaky Orioles bullpen in coming from behind to beat Baltimore 8-5 today at Camden Yards.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners take rubber match from Orioles"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 23, 2020 at 3:33am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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As opening day nears, questions still remain

After much delay we're finally here. In this bizarre age of coronavirus and leadership by idiots, all of the hemming and hawing over schedule length, pay scales, health protocols, et cetera, is over; all of the logistical puzzles have been solved and the troubles are all behind us, so we're set for games to—

See full post: "As opening day nears, questions still remain"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged Rob Manfred, COVID-19  |   Posted on July 22, 2020 at 9:37pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners score a baker's dozen to pummel Orioles

Jake Fraley homered and Daniel Vogelbach went 4-for-6 in the Mariners' 18-hit barrage of the Orioles tonight, as Seattle cruised to a 13-4 win in Baltimore.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners score a baker's dozen to pummel Orioles"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 21, 2020 at 8:02pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Mariners firming up roster in advance of Opening Day

For good or ill, Major League Baseball will open its truncated 2020 season this week, and the Mariners are getting ready.

See full post: "Mariners firming up roster in advance of Opening Day"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Bullpen  |   Posted on July 20, 2020 at 8:01pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners clip Mets to regain first place

The M&M boys won a game in New York today, but not the ones New Yorkers might remember. Instead of Mantle and Maris, today's 4-3 Seattle victory over the Mets was thanks largely to Marco and Mallex.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners clip Mets to regain first place"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 19, 2020 at 9:35pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Orioles snap 18-game losing streak, beat M's 3-2

The Baltimore Orioles sent their top pitcher to the mound tonight to get back in the win column. After losing 18 consecutive games, Baltimore finally came out on top as John Means went eight strong innings to beat the Mariners 3-2.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Orioles snap 18-game losing streak, beat M's 3-2"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 19, 2020 at 9:35pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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More 2020 logistics as MLB rolls the dice with 2020

Make of this what you will—the District of Columbia gave the Washington Nationals an exemption to its COVID-19 isolation policy, saying players may forego the 14-day quarantine if they become infected so long as they restrict themselves to Nationals Park and their residences/hotels for the two-week period, while the Canadian federal government has denied a similar exemption to the Toronto Blue Jays, so there will be no games played in Canada and the Jays have to find somewhere else to call home for 2020.

See full post: "More 2020 logistics as MLB rolls the dice with 2020"...

Posted in Columns, News, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged Rob Manfred, COVID-19  |   Posted on July 18, 2020 at 9:36pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Stroman outlasts Dunn, Mets win against Seattle's bullpen

The Mariners had a tough assignment today in New York, facing one of the National League's best pitchers in Marcus Stroman, and they came up short as the Mets won the game by a score of 5-2.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Stroman outlasts Dunn, Mets win against Seattle's bullpen"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 18, 2020 at 7:58pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners trade for Pence, beat Mets

Carlos González had three hits and drive in two runs against Mets ace Noah Syndergaard to lead the Mariners to a 6-4 victory in interleague action in Queens, New York.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners trade for Pence, beat Mets"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 17, 2020 at 11:46pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Updates on the folly surrounding the 2020 season

We're still a week or two away from seeing any real evidence of success or failure in Major League Baseball's coronavirus health and safety protocols, but we are seeing evidence of failure to see the big picture in other ways.

See full post: "Updates on the folly surrounding the 2020 season"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on July 16, 2020 at 10:11pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Hometown Dodgers help NL to All-Star victory

Dodger Stadium was filled with stars. Usually, the LA ballpark has its share of movie and television personalities giving it star power, but today it was the best of the Major Leagues and the home crowd was justly rewarded with a 5-1 National League victory.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Hometown Dodgers help NL to All-Star victory"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 14, 2020 at 9:53pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Camp Notes

Not much to talk about today, but here are a few notes to pass along.

See full post: "Camp Notes"...

Posted in Mariners, News, MLB; Posted on July 14, 2020 at 8:15pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Will 2020 be baseball's Titanic?

I heard the various preparations of sports leagues to resume amid the coronavirus pandemic described today as being akin to "a press release at the launch of the Titanic." It's not my phrase; I think it was Chris Hayes who coined it. But whomever gets the credit, it's certainly apt.

See full post: "Will 2020 be baseball's Titanic?"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on July 13, 2020 at 8:38pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Manaea handcuffs M's as Oakland wins 4-2

Sean Manaea was dominant through six innings today as the Athletics prevailed over the Mariners 4-2. The Oakland lefty allowed four hits and walked one while striking out six.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Manaea handcuffs M's as Oakland wins 4-2"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 12, 2020 at 10:06pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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"Summer camp" continues, coronavirus also continues

As major league teams proceed with their preseason training camps and the truncated 2020 season's scheduled opening day approaches fast, issues with the COVID-19 pandemic refuse to be ignored.

See full post: ""Summer camp" continues, coronavirus also continues"...

Posted in MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on July 12, 2020 at 7:33pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners squeak by A's to stay a half-game up in AL West

Evan White reached base four times and scored twice in tonight's 4-3 win for the Mariners over the Oakland Athletics. 

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners squeak by A's to stay a half-game up in AL West"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 12, 2020 at 2:05am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Murphy's two homers not enough as M's lose to A's

Shed Long made a costly error in the 1st inning, leading to three Oakland runs as the A's built up to a 7-3 victory over the Mariners at TMP.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Murphy's two homers not enough as M's lose to A's"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 10, 2020 at 11:47pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Luzardo's great start leads A's to 4-2 victory

Ramon Laureano blasted a three-run homer into the bullpen tonight to give the Athletics a lead that held up, as Oakland beat the Mariners 4-2 in Seattle.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Luzardo's great start leads A's to 4-2 victory"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 9, 2020 at 11:49pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Gonzales wins 9th as M's sweep Orioles

Marco Gonzales has found a way to prevent his relief from blowing wins for him: finish the game himself. Seattle's ace threw his league-leading sixth complete game tonight as the Mariners defeated Baltimore 5-2, sweeping the series and sending the Orioles to their twelfth straight loss.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Gonzales wins 9th as M's sweep Orioles"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 8, 2020 at 9:45pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Fraley leads Mariners to 7-2 win vs. Baltimore

Jake Fraley homered in the 6th inning tonight, breaking a 1-1 tie and sending the Mariners on their way to a 7-2 win over the badly-slumping Baltimore Orioles.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Fraley leads Mariners to 7-2 win vs. Baltimore"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 8, 2020 at 3:42am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Sheffield masterful in win vs. Orioles

Justus Sheffield was dominant against the Baltimore Orioles tonight, throwing eight shutout innings, walking none and striking out 11 en route to a 3-1 Mariner victory.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Sheffield masterful in win vs. Orioles"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 6, 2020 at 10:17pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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It just continues

My, oh my.

See full post: "It just continues"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on July 6, 2020 at 6:36pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Phillies beat Seattle 5-4 in extras

Andrew McCutchen connected for a home run into Edgar's Cantina in the top of the 12th inning today at TMP to give the Philadelphia Phillies a 5-4 comeback victory against the Mariners.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Phillies beat Seattle 5-4 in extras"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 6, 2020 at 12:38am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The reward of a functional society

Preseason training camps are in session and the season is still scheduled to begin in less than three weeks, but Major League Baseball's preparations for play in the age of COVID-19 are proving to be, well, less than robust.

See full post: "The reward of a functional society"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on July 5, 2020 at 9:18pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Kikuchi falters, Phillies win 5-3

The Philadelphia Phillies took advantage of an uncharacteristically wild Yusei Kikuchi tonight at TMP, scoring three runs in the 1st inning and making them count, hanging on to beat the Mariners by the score of 5-3.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Kikuchi falters, Phillies win 5-3"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 4, 2020 at 10:26pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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More players test positive for coronavirus

More players have been reported to have had positive COVID-19 tests as training camps get underway. All-Stars Freddie Freeman, D.J. LeMahieu, Salvador Pérez, Miguel Sanó, and Aaron Nola are among today's new additions to the list.

See full post: "More players test positive for coronavirus"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on July 4, 2020 at 5:02pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: White leads M's to victory against Phillies

Evan White drove in Austin Nola with the winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Mariners an exciting walkoff victory against the Philadelphia Phillies.

See full post: "Virtual Season: White leads M's to victory against Phillies"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 3, 2020 at 9:30pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The dominoes start falling

As preseason training camps open up, the coronavirus test results come in. A reported 31 positive tests came in the initial screenings as payers reported to their home ballparks this week, including Cleveland's Delino DeShields Jr., San Diego's Tommy Pham, and Texas' Brett Martin, all of whom approved their result being made public. This in addition to previously known infections, such as that of All-Star Charlie Blackmon and two Rockies teammates and 11 Philadelphia Phillies.

See full post: "The dominoes start falling"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged COVID-19, Summer Camp  |   Posted on July 3, 2020 at 7:14pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Manfred steps in it again and the COVID IL gets its first of many uses

Commissioner Rob Manfred went on the Dan Patrick radio show yesterday and metaphorically stepped on another rake to whack himself in the face. In discussing the lengthy and ultimately pointless so-called negotiations with the players' union—and the animosity created by them—Manfred said this: "The reality is we weren’t going to play more than 60 games no matter how the negotiations with the players went."

See full post: "Manfred steps in it again and the COVID IL gets its first of many uses"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged Rob Manfred, COVID-19  |   Posted on July 2, 2020 at 7:03pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners drop series finale to Boston 4-3

The Mariners concluded their latest road trip in Boston today, dropping the final game to the Red Sox by a score of 4-3. Rafael Devers doubled and scored what turned out to be the winning run in the 6th inning.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners drop series finale to Boston 4-3"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on July 1, 2020 at 11:32pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Murphy leads M's to victory in Boston

Tom Murphy led the charge as the Mariners squeaked by the Red Sox tonight 4-3. Murphy drove in all four runs, hitting a two-run homer over the green monster in the 2nd inning and doubling in two runs in the 4th.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Murphy leads M's to victory in Boston"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 30, 2020 at 10:43pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Designated Dumbness

The weird 2020 faux-season is scheduled to begin in a few weeks, and considering its various rule alterations and pandemic protocols, one issue continues to rankle me like no other, because it threatens to last a lot longer than this bizarre year of coronavirus: The "universal DH."I loathe the designated hitter rule. It was a bad idea when the American League implemented it in 1973 and it's bad today and it'll be bad tomorrow. It should not be made universal, it should be metaphorically burned with fire until no trace of it remains.

See full post: "Designated Dumbness"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged Rules, Rob Manfred, Designated Hitter  |   Posted on June 30, 2020 at 8:36pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Players start opting out as COVID-19 continues to rage

As tomorrow's deadline for players to report to preseason training camp approaches, four major league players have announced they will be opting out of the 2020 season due to concerns over the coronavirus.

See full post: "Players start opting out as COVID-19 continues to rage"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on June 30, 2020 at 5:40pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Kikuchi dominates Red Sox as M's win 2-0

When the Red Sox last saw Yusei Kikuchi, on April 12th, they tattooed him for six runs. Today, a different story altogether. The Mariners' Japanese southpaw shut out Boston for eight innings despite giving up seven hits, pitching out of trouble on several occasions to give Seattle a 2-0 victory.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Kikuchi dominates Red Sox as M's win 2-0"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 30, 2020 at 12:08am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: M's blow lead in the 9th, win anyway

Yoshi Hirano was on in the 9th to close out a win for Marco Gonzales, but the Tampa Bay Rays had other plans and Kevin Kiermaier took Hirano deep for a game-tying home run and the Mariners would have to play on until they could win it 6-5 in ten innings.

See full post: "Virtual Season: M's blow lead in the 9th, win anyway"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 28, 2020 at 10:08pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Rays sink Mariners 9-1

The Mariners' bats apparently arrived in Florida with holes in them. Tampa Bay starter Brendan McKay and relievers Anthony Banda and Colin Poche combined to strike out 14 Seattle batters tonight as the Rays routed the M's 9-1 at the former Suncoast Dome.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Rays sink Mariners 9-1"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 27, 2020 at 6:50pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners lose first game of road swing to Rays 5-1

Tyler Glasnow had the Mariners tied in knots tonight. The Tampa Bay right-hander struck out ten Seattle batters in 71⁄3 innings on the way to a 5-1 Rays victory.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners lose first game of road swing to Rays 5-1"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 26, 2020 at 10:32pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Even in a short 2020 season the schedule will be f-ed

I wasn't in favor of Interleague play when it started, in 1997. I knew then that the novelty of it would wear off in a few years and that it did nothing good for the game, in fact it detracted from the All-Star Game and the World Series. (These things remain true, by the way.)

See full post: "Even in a short 2020 season the schedule will be f-ed"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged Schedules  |   Posted on June 26, 2020 at 6:30pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Rangers blank M's to snap streak; Seager traded

Lance Lynn, whose been a thorn in the Mariners' side for a few years now, pitched a gem for the Rangers tonight as Texas beat Seattle 4-0. The loss snaps the Mariners' eight-game winning streak.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Rangers blank M's to snap streak; Seager traded"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 24, 2020 at 11:29pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The COVID factor

Commissioner Rob Manfred has spoken: Major League Baseball will open a truncated season on July 23rd, with a preseason training camp to begin July 3rd after players report no later than July 1st. The season will last 60 games and end September 27th. So sayeth the almighty Rob.

See full post: "The COVID factor"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on June 24, 2020 at 7:00pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: M's feast on Texas pitching, win 8th straight

The Mariners took advantage of one of the American League's worst pitching staffs to continue their offensive explosion, scoring ten runs against the Rangers to beat their division rival 10-3.

See full post: "Virtual Season: M's feast on Texas pitching, win 8th straight"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 23, 2020 at 7:26pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Details begin to emerge for 2020 changes

The players' union and Commissioner Rob Manfred's office have given up on arguing over economic matters for now, but they are still ironing out protocols for health and safety in the theoretically-upcoming abbreviated 2020 campaign. Some of those protocols will translate to rule changes on the field in the interest of player safety.

See full post: "Details begin to emerge for 2020 changes"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on June 23, 2020 at 5:25pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners beat Texas, extend win streak to 7 games

Tom Murphy and Mitch Haniger each homered and drove in three runs in the Mariners' 9-3 defeat of the Texas Rangers tonight at TMP.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners beat Texas, extend win streak to 7 games"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 22, 2020 at 9:00pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Commissioner announces 2020 season will commence

So. You know all that arguing and wrangling and bad blood being spilled and hostility being ginned up between ownership and the players' union over the past couple of months? Yeah, that was for nothing.

See full post: "Commissioner announces 2020 season will commence"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged Rob Manfred, COVID-19, Players' Union  |   Posted on June 22, 2020 at 7:10pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Fraley, Walker shine as Mariners complete sweep of Royals

Taijuan Walker struck out a season-high nine batters over eight strong innings and Jake Fraley went 3-for-4 with a home run to lead the Mariners to a 2-1 win over Kansas City and extend their winning streak to six games.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Fraley, Walker shine as Mariners complete sweep of Royals"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 21, 2020 at 7:19pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners shut out Royals, win 5th in a row

Nick Margevicius pitched six strong innings and Mitch Hanger launched a late home run to help the Mariners to a 4-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners shut out Royals, win 5th in a row"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 21, 2020 at 12:19am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners win 4th straight, take over first place

The Mariners kept up their winning ways tonight at TMP, defeating the Kansas City Royals 5-2 behind a solid start from rookie pitcher Justus Sheffield. Every Seattle batter in the lineup reached base again tonight, via hit or walk.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners win 4th straight, take over first place"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 20, 2020 at 12:59am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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MLB closes spring facilities, season negotiations stalled again

Surprising absolutely no one who's been paying attention, multiple major league clubs have reported COVID-19 infections among their players and staff and apparent outbreaks in their spring training facilities. MLB today ordered all spring facilities closed again, after several clubs shut down complexes on their own.

See full post: "MLB closes spring facilities, season negotiations stalled again"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged Rob Manfred, COVID-19, Players' Union  |   Posted on June 19, 2020 at 10:31pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: M's clobber Royals 9-2

Yusei Kikichi went eight strong innings and the Seattle offense continued its impressive consistency to lead the Mariners to a 9-2 drubbing of the Kansas City Royals.

See full post: "Virtual Season: M's clobber Royals 9-2"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 18, 2020 at 10:04pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners sweep Astros, close to 1 GB

Evan White and Kyle Lewis each hit home runs and eight of nine Mariners in the lineup had hits as Seattle beat the Houston Astros 7-4.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners sweep Astros, close to 1 GB"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 17, 2020 at 10:17pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Latest on 2020 negotiations

Well, Commissioner Manfred's tactics seem to have backfired on him, as his office has resumed negotiations for a new agreement to open a 2020 campaign. It's not all good news, though it does appear that a deal will be struck now that the league has given up on trying to reduce player pay beyond the pro rata agreement already made in March.

See full post: "Latest on 2020 negotiations"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged Rob Manfred, COVID-19, Players' Union, Designated Hitter  |   Posted on June 17, 2020 at 6:06pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners edge Astros 3-2

Taijuan Walker pitched six strong innings and Kyle Lewis hit his first home run of the year to help the Mariners clip the Houston Astros 3-2 in Seattle.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners edge Astros 3-2"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 16, 2020 at 10:33pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Keep digging that hole

A little more than a week ago, I wrote that the Commissioner's office and the MLBPA needed to stop digging as they fell further and further into the hole they were creating for themselves with the general public. They didn't take my advice, of course, and today we have Commissioner Rob Manfred essentially threatening to pull the plug on a 2020 season that wasn't likely to happen anyway because of made-up offenses committed by the players' union.

See full post: "Keep digging that hole"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged Rob Manfred, COVID-19  |   Posted on June 15, 2020 at 9:32pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
3 Comments

Virtual Season: Angels trounce M's to snap winning streak

Dee Gordon gave the Mariners an immediate edge with a leadoff home run today, but the Los Angeles Angels weren't fazed as they came back to wallop Seattle 10-1.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Angels trounce M's to snap winning streak"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 14, 2020 at 8:34pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Minor league life, getting drafted, and being a whole person

I became a big fan of pitcher Dirk Hayhurst because of his writing. The former minor- and major-leaguer, who had brief, middling stints with the Padres and Blue Jays, has written four books—all of them excellent—about his time in baseball. He also spent some time as an on-camera commentator/analyst with Sportsnet and TBS. He's a brilliant, thoughtful, articulate person with a lot of insight into the culture and the business of baseball.

See full post: "Minor league life, getting drafted, and being a whole person"...

Posted in MLB; Tagged Dirk Hayhurst, Podcasts  |   Posted on June 14, 2020 at 7:32pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: M's survive bullpen implosion to win 6th straight game

The Mariners opened up a big 8-0 lead over the Angels tonight, then saw that margin narrow to one run when LA plated six runs in the 8th against ineffective Seattle relief pitching. But in the end, the M's prevailed in Anaheim by a score of 8-7.

See full post: "Virtual Season: M's survive bullpen implosion to win 6th straight game"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 13, 2020 at 10:29pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
1 Comment

Commissioner's Office fans flames of discord once again

It boggles the mind. Really. The actions taken by the office of the Commissioner of baseball, representing the ownership groups of the 30 major league clubs, in the ongoing "negotiations" with the MLB Players' Association regarding a potential truncated 2020 season, have been unbelievably foolish.

See full post: "Commissioner's Office fans flames of discord once again"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged Rob Manfred, COVID-19, Players' Union  |   Posted on June 13, 2020 at 8:24pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Kikuchi leads M's to fifth straight win

Daniel Vogelbach and Mitch Haniger homered and Yusei Kikuchi went seven strong innings as the Mariners beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-1 for their fifth consecutive victory.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Kikuchi leads M's to fifth straight win"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 12, 2020 at 9:09pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners sweep Jays with 5-0 shutout

Marco Gonzales went the distance to earn his first shutout and league-leading fifth complete game of the year as the Mariners defeated the Blue Jays 5-0 tonight in Toronto.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners sweep Jays with 5-0 shutout"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 12, 2020 at 12:08am   |   Permalink   |     |  
1 Comment

Virtual Season: White leads M's with three extra-base hits in 6-4 win

Evan White was just a single shy of the cycle in leading the Mariners' offense to a 6-4 win over the Blue Jays tonight in Toronto. The rookie first baseman doubled in the 3rd inning, homered in the 4th, and tripled in the 9th. He scored twice and drove in three runs.

See full post: "Virtual Season: White leads M's with three extra-base hits in 6-4 win"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 10, 2020 at 11:51pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: M's open series in Toronto with unusual game

The Mariners' series opener against the Blue Jays in Toronto featured some oddities, including an inside-the-park home run and a game-ending pickoff.

See full post: "Virtual Season: M's open series in Toronto with unusual game"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 10, 2020 at 12:14am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners at Blue Jays play-by-play "broadcast"

Behold the latest GSAU experiment: a radio-style play-by-play account of this evening's game between the virtual Mariners and the virtual Toronto Blue Jays from the Rogers Centre in virtual downtown Toronto. Please to enjoy.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners at Blue Jays play-by-play "broadcast""...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 9, 2020 at 5:44pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners best Marlins in 2-1 pitchers' duel

Yusei Kikuchi and Caleb Smith matched wits today in Miami, each putting up zero after zero on the scoreboard through six innings of work. It was only when the bullpens got involved that either side was able to push anything across, and Seattle got two to manage a 2-1 win over the Marlins.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners best Marlins in 2-1 pitchers' duel"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 7, 2020 at 10:21pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Bullpen blows it for Marco, Fish win in 12

Jonathan Villar delivered the third of four consecutive hits for the Marlins off of Yoshi Hirano in the bottom of the 9th inning to wash away a two-run Seattle lead, and then Corey Dickerson drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 12th as Miami defeated the Mariners 6-5 today in south Florida.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Bullpen blows it for Marco, Fish win in 12"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 6, 2020 at 10:04pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Stop digging!

When you find yourself stuck in a hole, the first rule of thumb is to stop digging. Sadly, the Commissioner's Office, Major League club owners, and the Major League Baseball Players' Association can't seem to put down their shovels.

See full post: "Stop digging!"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged Rob Manfred, COVID-19, Players' Union  |   Posted on June 6, 2020 at 6:46pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Seager leads M's in 6-0 win over Miami

Kyle Seager had three hits and Taijuan Walker pitched seven strong innings to lead the Mariners in a 6-0 shutout of the Marlins tonight in Miami.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Seager leads M's in 6-0 win over Miami"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 5, 2020 at 10:45pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: 5-run 4th gives Yankees 7-5 win over M's

Giancarlo Stanton connected for a three-run homer in a big 4th inning for the New York Yankees, leading them to a 7-5 victory over the Mariners in Seattle.

See full post: "Virtual Season: 5-run 4th gives Yankees 7-5 win over M's"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 4, 2020 at 12:28am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Yankees power their way to 7-3 win vs. M's

Nick Margevicius surrendered four solo home runs to the Yankees tonight and was chased after just four innings as New York cruised to a 7-3 victory in Seattle.

New York set the tone early on, as leadoff man Brett Gardner greeted Margevicius (1-2) with a 450-foot home run on the third pitch of the game and Giancarlo Stanton topped that with a 453-foot bomb later in the inning.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Yankees power their way to 7-3 win vs. M's"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 2, 2020 at 9:12pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: M's shut out Yankees 4-0

The Mariners took advantage of a wild pitch and an error to score two 1st-inning runs against Gerrit Cole and the Yankees, then added two solo home runs later on to defeat New York 4-0 tonight in Seattle.

See full post: "Virtual Season: M's shut out Yankees 4-0"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on June 1, 2020 at 11:51pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Gonzales wins 5th as M's beat Braves 7-2

Mallex Smith tripled in the bottom of the 1st inning to extend his hitting streak to 13 games and scored the first of seven Mariner runs as Seattle topped the Atlanta Braves at TMP.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Gonzales wins 5th as M's beat Braves 7-2"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 31, 2020 at 11:38pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners outlast Atlanta, win 4-3 in extras

Tom Murphy singled home Carlos González in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Mariners a 4-3 walk-off victory over the Atlanta Braves tonight in Seattle.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners outlast Atlanta, win 4-3 in extras"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 30, 2020 at 9:39pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Atlanta blows out Mariners 17-2

The Mariners had an early 1-0 lead, but before long the visiting Atlanta Braves showed the TMP crowd just what kind of game it was going to be. The Braves plated eight in the top of the 2nd inning and kept on going, eventually reaching 17 runs to crush the M's by a 15-run margin behind an excellent outing from pitcher Mike Foltynewicz.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Atlanta blows out Mariners 17-2"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 29, 2020 at 8:53pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners take series in Detroit with 8-5 win

Miguel Cabrera went 5-for-5 today but that wasn't enough for the Detroit Tigers, as they fell to the Mariners 8-5. Nick Margevicius got the win with six innings of two-run ball while Dee Gordon led the offense with three hits and three runs scored.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners take series in Detroit with 8-5 win"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 28, 2020 at 8:13pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: M's score four in extras to beat Tigers

Dee Gordon and Mallex Smith combined to score the tying and winning runs for the Mariners tonight as they came back to defeat the Tigers in Detroit, 4-2.

See full post: "Virtual Season: M's score four in extras to beat Tigers"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 27, 2020 at 10:37pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners fire hitting coach Laker, hire Perry

Tim Laker has been fired as the batting coach for the Seattle Mariners as part of the team's efforts to change its offensive philosophy. Laker had been the team's batting coach since 2019. According to team officials, Laker's dismissal was tied to the on-field performance of Mariner hitters during his tenure, specifically the prevalence of strikeouts and a swing-for-the-fences mindset among some players.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners fire hitting coach Laker, hire Perry"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 27, 2020 at 9:01pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Manfred, owners give themselves black eye in 2020 negotiations

Stop me if you've head this before, but Rob Manfred is incredibly bad at his job. I mean, picture the worst job you can imagine a commissioner of baseball doing, then multiply that by a factor of five and you might get close to just how bad the man is at the job he's contracted to hold until 2024.

See full post: "Manfred, owners give themselves black eye in 2020 negotiations"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged Rob Manfred, COVID-19  |   Posted on May 27, 2020 at 6:07pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Bullpen, offense fail Gonzales as M's lose to Detroit 4-2

Jonathan Schoop and Miguel Cabrera each hit RBI doubles in the bottom of the 8th inning tonight to give the Detroit Tigers a 4-2 victory over the Mariners, spoiling yet another winless quality start from Seattle ace Marco Gonzales.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Bullpen, offense fail Gonzales as M's lose to Detroit 4-2"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 26, 2020 at 11:32pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners top Yanks in slugfest, split series

Playing through an intermittent drizzle at Yankee Stadium, the Mariners traded leads with the home team this evening, eventually prevailing over New York 10-8.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners top Yanks in slugfest, split series"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 25, 2020 at 9:38pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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If I were Commissioner

There is a lot of disagreement among baseball fans. Is the DH a good thing? (Answer: no.) Is it better to hit 50 home runs or bat .350? (Answer: .350.) Do newfangled sabermetric stats like WAR mean anything? (Answer: sort of.) Views on these and many other topics big and small will differ and be fodder for arguments in the bleachers until the end of time.

See full post: "If I were Commissioner"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged Rules, Rob Manfred  |   Posted on May 25, 2020 at 1:51am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Yankees homer their way to another win over M's

Justus Sheffield was hoping for a better result against the team that traded him away. Despite a strong six innings, the Seattle rookie took the loss in a 5-2 comeback win by the Yankees in New York.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Yankees homer their way to another win over M's"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 24, 2020 at 5:53pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Yankees use homers to come back, beat M's 4-3

Luke Voit hit two home runs and Miguel Andújar added a solo shot of his own to account for all four runs scored by the New York Yankees today in their 4-3 defeat of the Mariners.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Yankees use homers to come back, beat M's 4-3"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 23, 2020 at 8:30pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners club Cole, Yankees in 7-0 win

Daniel Vogelbach homered twice and Yusei Kikuchi struck out nine Yankees over seven innings as the Mariners shut out New York 7-0 tonight in the Bronx.

All seven of Seattle's runs scored via the longball. Vogelbach launched a two-run shot down the left-field line in the 1st off of Garret Cole (5-4), which Jake Fraley followed up with an opposite-field blast of his own to give a 3-0 lead to Kikuchi before he even took the hill.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners club Cole, Yankees in 7-0 win"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 22, 2020 at 7:09pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The next team to relocate

The Major Leagues have been pretty stable over the past few decades. Though there were plenty of threats by a few ownership groups, the only team to shift from one home to another in nearly 50 years was the Montréal Expos, who moved to Washington to become the Nationals in 2005. But for a stretch of time, teams were hopscotching all over the country.

See full post: "The next team to relocate"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Posted on May 21, 2020 at 11:52pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
5 Comments

Virtual Season: M's use running game to give Gonzales a win vs. Nats

The Mariners broke with tradition and scored big in a game started by Marco Gonzales, starting with three runs in the 1st inning and ending in an 8-2 win over the defending World Champion Washington Nationals.

See full post: "Virtual Season: M's use running game to give Gonzales a win vs. Nats"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 20, 2020 at 10:01pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners blow lead, come back to win at Washington

Carlos González delivered a clutch RBI single in the top of the 10th inning tonight to give the Mariners the winning margin in their 6-5 victory against the Washington Nationals.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners blow lead, come back to win at Washington"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 19, 2020 at 7:00pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Social media, the virtual season, and the baseball-less summer

It's hard to keep a baseball website active when there's no baseball being played. There's not even the sort of offseason "hot stove" stuff going on, the only current events to cover are the latest dumb ideas coming out of the Commissioner's office.

See full post: "Social media, the virtual season, and the baseball-less summer"...

Posted in Site issues, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on May 18, 2020 at 8:13pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
6 Comments

Virtual Season: Bats come alive as Mariners beat Detroit 9-6

Jake Fraley, Dee Gordon, and Evan White each had three hits in a 9-6 Mariners win over the Detroit Tigers today in an offensive display that was a welcome sight for Seattle baseball fans.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Bats come alive as Mariners beat Detroit 9-6"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 18, 2020 at 2:04am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Commissioner's Office issues another half-baked plan for 2020

Another week, another silly conversation about starting up the 2020 Major League Baseball season. It was already tiresome, but I guess we'll keep doing this.

See full post: "Commissioner's Office issues another half-baked plan for 2020"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged COVID-19, Rob Manfred  |   Posted on May 17, 2020 at 9:19pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners' comeback falls short as Tigers win 5-3

Jeimer Candelario hit two home runs to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 5-3 win tonight against the Mariners at TMP in Seattle. The Detroit third baseman, who now has seven longballs on the season, went deep to break a 1-1 tie in the 6th and hit a two-run shot in the 7th.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners' comeback falls short as Tigers win 5-3"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 16, 2020 at 10:21pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Boyd, Tigers spoil fine outing from Kikuchi

Matthew Boyd has been a bright spot in a dark early season for the Detroit Tigers, and he showed why with 6²⁄₃ shutout innings against the Mariners tonight in Seattle. With help from relievers Buck Farmer and Joe Jimeñez, Boyd put an end to the Mariners' four-game winning streak as the Tigers took the opening game in the series, 4-0.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Boyd, Tigers spoil fine outing from Kikuchi"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 15, 2020 at 9:09pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Gonazales victorious in 2-1 pitchers' duel

The Mariners once again failed to give Marco Gonzales much in the way of run support, but this time Seattle's ace was able to make do with what he had. Thanks to Mallex Smith's 5th-inning double, the M's had just enough offense to give Gonzales a 2-1 win over the Oakland Athletics and a series sweep for Seattle.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Gonazales victorious in 2-1 pitchers' duel"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 14, 2020 at 11:05pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Gordon's four hits lead M's to 8-4 win vs. A's

Dee Gordon led the Mariners in a 14-hit attack as Seattle beat the Oakland A's tonight 8-4 at TMP. Gordon's four-hit, three-RBI performance helped make a winner out of Taijuan Walker (5-2), the Seattle starter who had fallen behind 4-3 when the A's mounted a three-run, two-out rally in the 5th inning. Walker survived the frame by getting Stephen Piscotty to ground out and breezed through the 6th and 7th before being relieved for the 8th.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Gordon's four hits lead M's to 8-4 win vs. A's"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 13, 2020 at 8:20pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
3 Comments

Virtual Season: Mariners win pitching duel with solo homers

Oakland's Frankie Montas and Seattle's Justus Sheffield took part in a good old-fashioned pitchers' duel tonight at TMP. Both hurlers were on their game, pitching efficiently and briskly as the A's and Mariners fought to put any runs on the board, with the Mariners emerging as 2-1 victors.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners win pitching duel with solo homers"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 12, 2020 at 9:45pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Empty talk of starting season continues among owners

My screed from last week about the ridiculousness of these "plans" to start the 2020 season remains true, but the Commissioner's office and MLB ownership groups continue to put forth proposals to get things going. Today they formally approved this idea and have submitted it to the players' union.

See full post: "Empty talk of starting season continues among owners"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on May 11, 2020 at 7:39pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Murphy's three homers rescue M's in Houston

Tom Murphy capped a come-from-behind effort by the Mariners today by belting his third home run of the game into the left-field seats in the 9th inning against the Astros.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Murphy's three homers rescue M's in Houston"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 10, 2020 at 9:48pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Astros score late to beat M's 7-5

Designated hitter Abraham Toro blasted a two-run home run in the eighth inning at Minute Maid Park tonight to give the Astros the winning margin in a 7-5 defeat of the Mariners.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Astros score late to beat M's 7-5"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 9, 2020 at 8:16pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Greinke outduels Marco, gives Houston 1-0 win

Zack Greinke struck out 14 Mariners over eight innings tonight and George Springer provided a solo home run to give the Astros a 1-0 victory over Seattle tonight in Houston.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Greinke outduels Marco, gives Houston 1-0 win"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 8, 2020 at 11:10pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners beat Osuna, Astros in 10

Patrick Wisdom hit a go-ahead solo home run and Daniel Vogelbach drove in a pair of insurance runs in the 10th inning tonight to give the Mariners a 6-3 victory in Houston.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners beat Osuna, Astros in 10"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 7, 2020 at 7:52pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Plans for a new Opening Day are foolhardy

Sigh. It's like there's a new one every week now: A "plan" to start the Major League Baseball season in some fashion amid the coronavirus crisis.

See full post: "Plans for a new Opening Day are foolhardy"...

Posted in Columns, News, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on May 6, 2020 at 10:07pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Oakland bats score 10, embarrass Mariners

Justus Sheffield did not have his good stuff this afternoon. The rookie southpaw served up eight runs on seven hits and five walks in just two innings against the A's in today's 10-4 loss in Oakland.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Oakland bats score 10, embarrass Mariners"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 6, 2020 at 3:32pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: A's clobber Graveman, beat Mariners 8-3

A thirteen-hit attack that included a mammoth 465-foot home run propelled the Oakland Athletics to an 8-3 victory over the Mariners at the Oakland Coliseum tonight. Seattle starter Kendall Graveman lasted four innings in taking his fourth loss.

See full post: "Virtual Season: A's clobber Graveman, beat Mariners 8-3"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 5, 2020 at 9:32pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Kikuchi leads Mariners over A's 5-1

Through eight innings, the M's and A's could get very little going at the plate with starters Yusei Kikuchi and Sean Manaea putting up zeroes except for single runs by each side in the 3rd. Seattle got on the board with a solo home run by catcher Tom Murphy, while the A's plated one when Marcus Semien singled in Stephen Piscotty from second base.Kikuchi (5-2) went the distance, giving the Mariners back-to-back complete games—a rare feat in today's game. He walked none and struck out seven, getting through the game with an economical pitch count of 109.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Kikuchi leads Mariners over A's 5-1"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 4, 2020 at 9:54pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
2 Comments

Virtual Season: Marco, Dee lead M's in 6-3 win over Astros

 Marco Gonzales has been a hard-luck starter for the Mariners this season, but not on this day. Staked to an early lead, Gonzales went the distance against a powerful Houston lineup to secure a series split with the Astros.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Marco, Dee lead M's in 6-3 win over Astros"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 3, 2020 at 10:45pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Astros' homers, defense beat Mariners 4-3

Carlos Correa robbed Dee Gordon of a base hit in the 9th inning tonight that would have tied up the Mariners' score against the Houston Astros. Instead, the Astros held on to win by a score of 4-3.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Astros' homers, defense beat Mariners 4-3"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 2, 2020 at 11:59pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
2 Comments

Virtual Season: Mariners shut out Astros 3-0

The Houston Astros used a trio of homers to score all four of their runs and defeat the Mariners 4-3 in ten innings tonight in Seattle. Domestic abuser Roberto Osuna (1-1) got the win for Houston with two scoreless innings of relief.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners shut out Astros 3-0"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 1, 2020 at 8:21pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Across the Parallel Universes

As regulars here at GrandSalami.net are well aware, we're running a virtual 2020 season (the GSAU), playing as the Mariners in a simulation taking place via the computer game Out of the Park Baseball 21. Well, it's not just us—plenty of people are using games like the Playstation game MLB The Show to play out fantasy 2020s, including some big-league players. But at least two other sites are running OOTP virtual 2020 sims, The Athletic and Baseball-Reference.com. How do they compare? Do OOTP sims differ much from one to the other?

See full post: "Across the Parallel Universes"...

Posted in Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on May 1, 2020 at 3:55am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Astros' Tucker homers in 10th as Houston beats M's

The Houston Astros used a trio of homers to score all four of their runs and defeat the Mariners 4-3 in ten innings tonight in Seattle. Domestic abuser Roberto Osuna (1-1) got the win for Houston with two scoreless innings of relief.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Astros' Tucker homers in 10th as Houston beats M's"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 30, 2020 at 9:12pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners survive 9th-inning errors, edge Angels 4-3

31,000+ fans at the ballpark by Elliott Bay saw high drama in the 9th inning tonight, as the Mariners threatened to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yet ultimately prevail by a score of 4-3 against the Los Angeles Angels.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners survive 9th-inning errors, edge Angels 4-3"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 29, 2020 at 11:49pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: M's fail Marco again, lose to Angels in 10 innings

Marco Gonzales pitched another fine game for the Mariners tonight at the ballpark by Elliott Bay, and once again he has nothing to show for it, as the Angels came back to defeat the M's 5-3 in ten innings.

See full post: "Virtual Season: M's fail Marco again, lose to Angels in 10 innings"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 28, 2020 at 8:38pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners implode, lose 10-6 in Texas

Taijuan Walker was solid through five innings today, allowing only a solo home run to Joey Gallo, and was enjoying a 5-1 lead when the wheels fell off his wagon. In just a matter of minutes, the Texas Rangers erased that cushion in the bottom half of the 6th inning on a pair of homers.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners implode, lose 10-6 in Texas"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 26, 2020 at 11:10pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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What do you know? It's the Trivia Challenge Mark II

While we continue waiting out the COVID-19 hiatus, why not indulge in a little baseball quiz-taking? In the spirit of last year's Mariner-centric Trivia Challenge, we present this year's more generalized (with plenty of M's stuff too) baseball trivia quiz. Click below to begin, then when you're done you'll be brought back here so you can tell us what you think.

See full post: "What do you know? It's the Trivia Challenge Mark II"...

Posted in Mariners, Spotlight, MLB; Tagged Trivia  |   Posted on April 26, 2020 at 12:26am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: 2-run 12th gives M's win over Rangers

It took 12 innings, but the Mariners came through to beat the Texas Rangers tonight, 5-3 in Arlington. Tim Lopes drove in Mallex Smith with the go-ahead run to break a 3-3 tie and Evan White added an insurance tally with  sacrifice fly.

See full post: "Virtual Season: 2-run 12th gives M's win over Rangers"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 25, 2020 at 11:59pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: M's squander opportunity, lose to Rangers in 10

Notes from around the leagueJeff McNeil went 4-for-4 with two home runs for the Mets today in New York's 9-3 win over Atlanta. The Astros have now won eight straight, having beaten the Oakland A's 5-1 tonight. They are 13-1 in Houston. On the Farm/Prospect WatchThe Tacoma Rainiers also lost in extra innings tonight, dropping their game with Albuquerque 7-6 in 11 innings. Jered Kelenic had two hits and three RBI in Double-A Arkansas' 8-3 loss to Tulsa. Julio Rodríguez went 2-for-3 as the Class-A Modesto Nuts lost to Stockton 6-1.

See full post: "Virtual Season: M's squander opportunity, lose to Rangers in 10"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 24, 2020 at 11:38pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners win 6-3, take series with Twins

Yusei Kikuchi pitched seven innings for the win and Daniel Vogelbach clubbed his sixth home run of the season as the Mariners defeated the Minnesota Twins 6-3 today at Minneapolis' Target Field. The victory gives the Mariners their second straight series win after splitting the two-game set with Washington last week.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners win 6-3, take series with Twins"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 23, 2020 at 11:59pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Gordon wins 2020 Hutch Award

Dee Gordon, the Mariners' second baseman and sometime-outfielder, was honored today with the 2020 Fred Hutch Award, bestowed upon a Major League player who exemplifies courage and fortitude in off-the-field community activity in the manner of the late Fred Hutchinson.

See full post: "Gordon wins 2020 Hutch Award"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Dee Gordon, Awards  |   Posted on April 23, 2020 at 11:32pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: M's, Twins trade homers in Minnesota walk-off win

Byron Buxton connected for a game-winning, walk-off home run off reliever Nestor Cortes in the 9th inning tonight at Minneapolis' Target Field to end the Mariners-Twins contest with a final score of 4-3.

See full post: "Virtual Season: M's, Twins trade homers in Minnesota walk-off win"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 22, 2020 at 9:35pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Walker sharp; CarGo, JP, Seager homer in win vs. Twins

Taijuan Walker took a no-hitter into the 7th inning and Kyle Seager, Carlos González, and J.P. Crawford each hit home runs as the Mariners defeated the Minnesota Twins by a score of 8-3 in Minneapolis.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Walker sharp; CarGo, JP, Seager homer in win vs. Twins"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 21, 2020 at 8:59pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariner homers enough to beat Buxton and Odorizzi in Minneapolis

The Mariners overcame a tremendous outing by Minnesota pitcher Jake Odorizzi to squeak by the Twins tonight 3-2 at Target Field in Minneapolis.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariner homers enough to beat Buxton and Odorizzi in Minneapolis"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 20, 2020 at 10:18pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners take 3 of 4 in Oakland

Kyle Seager drove in two runs and J.P. Crawford hit a two-run homer to provide all the runs the Mariners needed today to defeat the A's and cap off a three-win effort in the four-game series in Oakland.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners take 3 of 4 in Oakland"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 19, 2020 at 2:25pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Vogey awakes, drives in 5 in M's win vs. Oakland

Daniel Vogelbach drove in all five Mariner runs today as Seattle defeated the Oakland Athletics 5-1. Vogelbach had been struggling mightily, riding an 0-for-33 streak coming into today's game that saw his batting average dip to .162 and his playing time curtailed. But against Oakland starter Sean Manaea today, Vogey came up big.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Vogey awakes, drives in 5 in M's win vs. Oakland"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19  |   Posted on April 18, 2020 at 10:30pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: M's drop nailbiter to A's 3-2

The Mariners and Oakland Athletics dueled in the East Bay tonight with runs at a premium. Both Seattle starter Marco Gonzales and Oakland hurler Jesús don't-call-him-Emilio Luzardo brought their A games and made few mistakes.

See full post: "Virtual Season: M's drop nailbiter to A's 3-2"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 17, 2020 at 11:54pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Walker wins pitchers' duel with A's

Taijuan Walker pitched eight innings of near-perfect ball and Evan White drove in Dee Gordon with what would be the winning run for the second game in a row as the Mariners defeated the Oakland Athletics 1-0.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Walker wins pitchers' duel with A's"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 16, 2020 at 7:53pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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About the Virtual Season on grandsalami.net

Good afternoon everybody, wherever you may be. I hope you all are doing as well as can be expected during our time of coronavirus-enforced isolation A few notes to update you all on what we're doing here on the site with our virtual 2020 season, especially given that there are no encouraging developments in the real world that suggest we'll see a real 2020 season anytime soon, if at all.

See full post: "About the Virtual Season on grandsalami.net"...

Posted in Site issues, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 16, 2020 at 5:38pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners beat Nats in extras

This post chronicles a virtual 2020 season played on the computer game Out of the Park Baseball 21. See the virtual opening day post for details on the setup. We’ll be updating this “season” as our coronavirus-enforced life without real baseball continues.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners beat Nats in extras"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 15, 2020 at 12:14pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Strasburg dominates as M's lose 4th straight

Stephen Strasburg schooled the Mariners in the art of pitching Monday night at TMP in Seattle. The Washington Nationals right-hander pitched 81⁄3 innings of shutout baseball as Washington won 6-0.

See full post: "Strasburg dominates as M's lose 4th straight"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 13, 2020 at 11:13pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Errors, wildness sink Mariners against Boston

Dee Gordon had a banner afternoon, but it wasn't enough to overcome several defensive lapses by the Mariners as the visiting Boston Red Sox defeated Seattle 6-4.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Errors, wildness sink Mariners against Boston"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 12, 2020 at 5:00pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: McHugh, Gonzales duel in 2-1 Boston win

This post chronicles a virtual 2020 season played on the computer game Out of the Park Baseball 21. See the virtual opening day post for details on the setup. We’ll be updating this “season” as our coronavirus-enforced life without real baseball continues.

See full post: "Virtual Season: McHugh, Gonzales duel in 2-1 Boston win"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 11, 2020 at 10:30pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Red Sox get revenge, beat M's 7-1

Smarting from the drubbing they took yesterday, the Boston Red Sox took their revenge on the Mariners Friday night at TMP, clubbing three home runs en route to a 7-1 win.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Red Sox get revenge, beat M's 7-1"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 10, 2020 at 11:14pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Another 2020 plan that won't happen

A few days ago, Major League Baseball was discussing a 2020 season played entirely in Arizona. Today the talk is around playing a season with all teams using their spring training facilities as their home fields.

See full post: "Another 2020 plan that won't happen"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on April 10, 2020 at 9:55pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners clobber Red Sox 8-0 behind Sheffield

This post chronicles a virtual 2020 season played on the computer game Out of the Park Baseball 21. See the virtual opening day post for details on the setup. We’ll be updating this “season” as our coronavirus-enforced life without real baseball continues.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners clobber Red Sox 8-0 behind Sheffield"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 10, 2020 at 1:33am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Home runs are boring

Those that know me well know that my favorite ballclub of all time has nothing to do with the Mariners. Long before I became a Northwesterner, way back in the pre-Internet days, I followed the Majors the best I could from a minor-league town. We had the newspaper box scores. The NBC Game of the Week on Saturday afternoons and Monday Night Baseball on ABC. Cable TV was a novelty, but my mom splurged for it so I had access to a few "superstations" that carried National League games from Chicago, Atlanta, and New York and our local radio carried...

See full post: "Home runs are boring"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged History, Smallball, Home runs  |   Posted on April 9, 2020 at 11:29pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Murphy, CarGo power M's over ChiSox

The Mariners were decided underdogs on paper for this afternoon's rubber match concluding the three-game series in Chicago against the White Sox. The palehose were starting former Cy Young Award winner and two-time All-Star Dallas Keuchel, who came into the game with an 0.79 ERA, while the M's went with reclamation project Kendall Graveman in his third start after recovering from Tommy John surgery. But it would be Keuchel that got sent to the showers early, driven from the game after just 22⁄3 innings in the eventual 11-5 Mariner win.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Murphy, CarGo power M's over ChiSox"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 8, 2020 at 7:27pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Kikuchi victorious in Windy City pitchers' duel

Yusei Kikuchi and Lucas Giolito locked horns in a classic pitchers' duel Tuesday night at New Comiskey Park. The Seattle lefty and Chicago right-hander traded scoreless innings through five full frames, though Kikuchi did it with more efficiency—through five, Kikuchi had thrown 59 pitches while Giolito needed 80.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Kikuchi victorious in Windy City pitchers' duel"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 7, 2020 at 9:31pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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2020 season to start up? Don't hold your breath

The last few days have seen some reporting that suggests Major League Baseball is preparing to start the season sometime late next month or early in June. Don't read too much into it, though.

See full post: "2020 season to start up? Don't hold your breath"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on April 7, 2020 at 6:38pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners shut out against White Sox

This post chronicles a virtual 2020 season played on the computer game Out of the Park Baseball 21. See the virtual opening day post for details on the setup. We’ll be updating this “season” as our coronavirus-enforced life without real baseball continues.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners shut out against White Sox"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 6, 2020 at 11:08pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Mariners take series in KC

This post chronicles a virtual 2020 season played on the computer game Out of the Park Baseball 21. See the virtual opening day post for details on the setup. We’ll be updating this “season” as our coronavirus-enforced life without real baseball continues.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Mariners take series in KC"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 5, 2020 at 9:36pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Crawford powers M's to extra-inning victory

J.P. Crawford homered and tripled to lead the Mariners to a 4-1 victory in ten innings over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium Saturday. Crawford's 3-for-5 performance accounted for two runs scored and three batted in.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Crawford powers M's to extra-inning victory"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 4, 2020 at 10:33pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Off day stats

This post chronicles a virtual 2020 season played on the computer game Out of the Park Baseball 21. See the virtual opening day post for details on the setup. We’ll be updating this “season” as our coronavirus-enforced life without real baseball continues.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Off day stats"...

Posted in Virtual Games; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 4, 2020 at 12:12am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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History: This Week in Mariners Transactions

The COVID-19 crisis has all rosters frozen (again) for the time being. But with no real baseball happening (though we are doing our virtual season), we thought we'd look into the wayback machine and see what interesting moves happened in the first week of April in seasons past (plenty of boring ones will be ignored). We'll continue this sort of thing in the weeks to come.

See full post: "History: This Week in Mariners Transactions"...

Posted in Mariners; Tagged History  |   Posted on April 3, 2020 at 8:09pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Royals win home opener vs. Mariners 4-2

This post chronicles a virtual 2020 season played on the computer game Out of the Park Baseball 21. See the virtual opening day post for details on the setup. We’ll be updating this “season” as our coronavirus-enforced life without real baseball continues.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Royals win home opener vs. Mariners 4-2"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 3, 2020 at 12:54am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Twins, Berrios blank Mariners 7-0

 

See full post: "Virtual Season: Twins, Berrios blank Mariners 7-0"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on April 1, 2020 at 8:17pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Marco, Fraley lead M's to victory

The Mariners won their third game of the season Tuesday night, scoring four runs and holding off the Minnesota Twins to even their record at 3-3. Marco Gonzales pitched six solid innings to earn his first win of 2020 while Kenta Maeda took the loss for the Twins.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Marco, Fraley lead M's to victory"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on March 31, 2020 at 11:59pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Evan White breaks the mold for M's at 1B

When Seattle General Manager Jerry Dipoto announced his “step back” plan after the 2018 season, the focus for 2019 immediately shifted to the farm system. Mariner fans quickly learned about young stars like Jared Kelenic, Julio Rodríguez, and Justin Dunn. One young player who went under the radar was first baseman Evan White. All this changed when White was signed to a six-year major league contract last November.

See full post: "Evan White breaks the mold for M's at 1B"...

Posted in Mariners; Tagged Evan white  |   Posted on March 31, 2020 at 6:30pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Walker strong in victory over Twins

Taijuan Walker returned to the Mariners' fold in style Monday night at TMP. The one-time prized prospect, traded to Arizona along with Ketel Marte after the 2016 season for Mitch Haniger and Jean Segura, took the hill in his second Mariner debut and pitched seven shutout innings to earn a win over the Minnesota Twins.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Walker strong in victory over Twins"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on March 31, 2020 at 3:00am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: M's drop finale to Texas, fall to 1-3

This post chronicles a virtual 2020 season played on the computer game Out of the Park Baseball 21. See the virtual opening day post for details on the setup. We’ll be updating this “season” as our coronavirus-enforced life without real baseball continues.

See full post: "Virtual Season: M's drop finale to Texas, fall to 1-3"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on March 30, 2020 at 5:45pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: Gallo, Minor lead Rangers to 4-2 win over M's

Joey Gallo smacked his second 2-run homer in as many games and Mike Minor pitched six shutout innings to lead the Texas Rangers to their second win of the season, a 4-2 defeat of the Mariners at TMP.

See full post: "Virtual Season: Gallo, Minor lead Rangers to 4-2 win over M's"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on March 29, 2020 at 2:35pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Season: M's win 6-5 in dramatic comeback

Scores from around the virtual league:

See full post: "Virtual Season: M's win 6-5 in dramatic comeback"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on March 29, 2020 at 1:13am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Virtual Opening Day

We have no baseball right now (no live baseball, anyway; some TV channels and MLB.com are providing broadcasts of old games here and there), thanks to global pandemic chaos, so to keep us entertained here at grandsalami.net I have engaged the computer program Out of the Park Baseball to provide a facsimile.

See full post: "Virtual Opening Day"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games, COVID-Void Alternate Universe; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, GSAU  |   Posted on March 27, 2020 at 9:50pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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The Longest Offseason

Today was supposed to be Opening Day across baseball. Alas, instead it's just another day in this holding pattern that will last...months? Who knows at this point. The players' union and the Commissioner's Office are struggling to come up with rules covering things like service time for arbitration and free-agency purposes and the draft in this strange year (how would you like to be the Los Angeles Dodgers, having just traded prized prospects for one year of Mookie Betts and then have that one year be wiped out and he's a free agent before he ever suits up for LA?).

See full post: "The Longest Offseason"...

Posted in News; Tagged MLB, COVID-19  |   Posted on March 26, 2020 at 8:30pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Still no baseball

Hi, everyone. Weird times we're living in, aren't they? With COVID-19 having shut down so much of our regular lives, we're all making do as virtual shut-ins.

See full post: "Still no baseball"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Transactions, Books, From the archives  |   Posted on March 22, 2020 at 8:01pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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What If...?

Nerds of a certain age may remember the Marvel Comics series "What If...?" that was published regularly in the late 1970s and early '80s, with a revival in the late '80s and 1990s. The anthology series took an event from the long canon of Marvel Comics history and turned it on its head, telling "alternate universe" stories wherein, for example, Spider-Man's Uncle Ben had lived, or Captain America had run for President. Well, let's apply that concept to baseball, shall we?

See full post: "What If...?"...

Posted in Mariners, Virtual Games; Tagged OOTP, COVID-19, What If  |   Posted on March 15, 2020 at 9:56pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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COVID-19 update

Events continue to unfold at high speed, but here's the latest on the state of affairs with MLB and the Mariners.

See full post: "COVID-19 update"...

Posted in Mariners, News; Tagged Spring Training  |   Posted on March 13, 2020 at 7:27pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Season delayed

Well, that was fast.

See full post: "Season delayed"...

Posted in News, MLB; Tagged Opening Day, Spring Training  |   Posted on March 12, 2020 at 7:25pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Spring Training check-in II

We're now just two weeks from Opening Day—maybe—so let's check in once more with how the Mariners are doing down in Arizona. The record is underwhelming at 6-12, but remember, wins and losses don't really matter in spring training. More important is how particular players are developing and how competition for roster spots plays out.

See full post: "Spring Training check-in II"...

Posted in Mariners; Tagged Spring Training  |   Posted on March 11, 2020 at 11:06pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Age of uncertainty

Opening Day is just two weeks away...maybe.

See full post: "Age of uncertainty"...

Posted in Mariners, News, MLB; Tagged Opening Day, Spring Training  |   Posted on March 11, 2020 at 9:37pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Spring Training Check-in

Having hit the quarter-pole for Spring Training 2020, let's check in with Your Seattle Mariners and see who's doing well and how the battle for various roster spots is progressing. The sample size remains small, of course; we're talking a week's worth of games in which players generally get just a couple of at-bats each. Still, it's a starting point to refer to as the spring goes on and we approach Opening Day on March 26th.

See full post: "Spring Training Check-in"...

Posted in Mariners; Tagged Spring Training  |   Posted on March 3, 2020 at 7:56pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Sliding scale

Dylan Moore, the utility man currently competing in spring training to reclaim his bench role with the Mariners, is out of action observing concussion protocol after an injury suffered in last Wednesday's exhibition game against the Reds. Moore clocked his head against the knee of Reds infielder José Garcia while diving into second base, attempting a steal.

See full post: "Sliding scale"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn; Tagged Baserunning  |   Posted on March 1, 2020 at 6:40am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Welcome to Spring

The calendar will tell you it's still winter time, but as we all know, spring begins on the first day of spring training exhibition games regardless of date. Thus, this year, spring begins in February.

See full post: "Welcome to Spring"...

Posted in Mariners; Tagged Spring Training  |   Posted on February 22, 2020 at 12:23am   |   Permalink   |     |  
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Manfred is bad for baseball

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred held a press conference today from the Atlanta Braves' spring facility that addressed the ongoing fallout from the Houston Astros' cheating scandal. It did not go well for Mr. Manfred, for Major League Baseball, or for the concept of justice.

See full post: "Manfred is bad for baseball"...

Posted in Columns, Around the Horn, MLB; Tagged Rob Manfred  |   Posted on February 16, 2020 at 8:30pm   |   Permalink   |     |  
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