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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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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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.

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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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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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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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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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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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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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Minor Notes

Just a few items for the day:

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Posted in News, Site issues, MLB; Tagged COVID-19  |   Posted on July 30, 2020 at 2:50am   |   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.

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Posted in News, MLB; Tagged Injuries, COVID-19  |   Posted on July 26, 2020 at 7:44pm   |   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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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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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   |     |  
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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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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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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.

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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.

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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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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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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   |     |  
1 Comment

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   |     |  
1 Comment

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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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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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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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   |     |  
1 Comment

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   |     |  
1 Comment

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   |     |  
2 Comments

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   |     |  
2 Comments

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   |     |  
2 Comments

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   |     |  
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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   |     |  
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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   |     |  
2 Comments