Two years into a five-year, $64 million contract, Adrian Beltre has produced a .262 average, 44 home runs, and 176 RBIs. However, after the All Star break in 2006, Beltre slugged .552 with a whopping 18 home runs. Does this strong second half bode well for a turn-around in 2007, or will Mariners fans have to deal with 'A-Drain' once again? This blog intends to follow the 2007 season for Adrian Beltre, and the Seattle Mariners, and promises to hold no punches.
Recapping the Royals Series (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying About a Power Position and Love Adrian Beltre From the #2 Spot)
Published 6/04/2006 by true_slicky | E-mail this post
To begin with, I must bemoan my bad luck.
Due to a crazy schedule and lack of time, I wasn't able to catch the first two games of the Mariners' series versus the Royals. Upon early-morning checks of the box scores, however, I realized they were two games not to be missed: a two-hit shut-out softly tossed by Jamie Moyer on Friday, and Saturday's 12-1 pasting. Today I was able to tune in to catch the game, only to have the Royals throttle the Mariners 9-4.
I know it sounds superstitous, but perhaps I should only catch a Mariners game every four to five days, in the chance that more winning streaks would occur while I'm not paying attention.
Also, Adrian Beltre has hit two home runs in the past two games, and considering that I tuned in half-way through this game, means that out of the four home runs Beltre has hit this year I have caught absolutely none of them live. As someone contributing to a blog that is all things Beltre (both good and bad) that is maddening.
What's not maddening, however, is Beltre's production from the #2 slot. In the five games since Hargrove moved Beltre up in the order, Beltre has gone 8-for-22 with six runs, five RBIs, and two homers. Beltre's streak of two homers hit in two days means that he has six to go before tying Ken Griffey Jr.'s team (and major league) record of eight consecutive games with a home run. C'mon Beltre- you can do it!
Adrian had hit in the four games before the move to #2, and so is now in a season-long nine-game hitting streak. I do not know why Beltre is responding so well to the line-up move and producing in a manner as of yet seen from him since his tenure in Seattle began, and neither does his mananger. "Why does someone feel better after a cold shower?" Hargrove responded in his post-game interview to a question regarding Beltre's production from the two-spot.
Perhaps Beltre was pressing too much while in the "power" slots he was batting at earlier in the season, trying too hard to provide protection for Richie Sexson. After bottoming out at a horrendous .102-.170-.122 line batting fifth, Beltre flailed away to a .252-.312-.357 line batting sixth. Batting second? Beltre's line reads .364-.417-.682.
It'd be too much to say that Beltre's move up is a "stroke of genius" by mananger Mike Hargrove, but their has been a noticable difference in the runs scored by the Mariners' offense since the line-up move. In the five games that Beltre has hit second, the Mariners have scored 4,12,4,14,4 runs for an average of nearly 8 runs a game. The five games before? Try 0,3,5,1,0 runs for an average of just over 2.
This increase in runs can't be attributed alone to Beltre's presence atop the line-up, but the player Beltre replaced in the #2 spot, Jose Lopez, has gone 4-for-19 in five games batting third, providing 4 runs, 4 RBI, and a home run. In fact, over the past two weeks, Lopez's batting average has dropped from a season-high of .311 on May 20 to its current .279 average.
It should be pointed out that Lopez contributed strong numbers from the second spot as well- he provided a .286-.317-.505 line in 46 games there. Perhaps the two-spot is the "golden spot" for Mariners' hitters this year. Batting behind Ichiro, who provides distraction on the basepaths, forces pitchers to throw better pitches to hit to whoeever is batting second. Perhaps that's where Hargrove should place batters to get them out of their funk- will Sexson bat second next?
At any rate, Beltre's two-run first inning home-run in today's ball-game failed to set the pace for the rest of the M's line-up as they, and their pitching, let them lose a laugher to KC. Tomorrow the Mariners face Mike Wood, who Beltre has never faced, so let's hope he doesn't re-discover his O-fer ways and strikeout four times or anything along those lines....
Due to a crazy schedule and lack of time, I wasn't able to catch the first two games of the Mariners' series versus the Royals. Upon early-morning checks of the box scores, however, I realized they were two games not to be missed: a two-hit shut-out softly tossed by Jamie Moyer on Friday, and Saturday's 12-1 pasting. Today I was able to tune in to catch the game, only to have the Royals throttle the Mariners 9-4.
I know it sounds superstitous, but perhaps I should only catch a Mariners game every four to five days, in the chance that more winning streaks would occur while I'm not paying attention.
Also, Adrian Beltre has hit two home runs in the past two games, and considering that I tuned in half-way through this game, means that out of the four home runs Beltre has hit this year I have caught absolutely none of them live. As someone contributing to a blog that is all things Beltre (both good and bad) that is maddening.
What's not maddening, however, is Beltre's production from the #2 slot. In the five games since Hargrove moved Beltre up in the order, Beltre has gone 8-for-22 with six runs, five RBIs, and two homers. Beltre's streak of two homers hit in two days means that he has six to go before tying Ken Griffey Jr.'s team (and major league) record of eight consecutive games with a home run. C'mon Beltre- you can do it!
Adrian had hit in the four games before the move to #2, and so is now in a season-long nine-game hitting streak. I do not know why Beltre is responding so well to the line-up move and producing in a manner as of yet seen from him since his tenure in Seattle began, and neither does his mananger. "Why does someone feel better after a cold shower?" Hargrove responded in his post-game interview to a question regarding Beltre's production from the two-spot.
Perhaps Beltre was pressing too much while in the "power" slots he was batting at earlier in the season, trying too hard to provide protection for Richie Sexson. After bottoming out at a horrendous .102-.170-.122 line batting fifth, Beltre flailed away to a .252-.312-.357 line batting sixth. Batting second? Beltre's line reads .364-.417-.682.
It'd be too much to say that Beltre's move up is a "stroke of genius" by mananger Mike Hargrove, but their has been a noticable difference in the runs scored by the Mariners' offense since the line-up move. In the five games that Beltre has hit second, the Mariners have scored 4,12,4,14,4 runs for an average of nearly 8 runs a game. The five games before? Try 0,3,5,1,0 runs for an average of just over 2.
This increase in runs can't be attributed alone to Beltre's presence atop the line-up, but the player Beltre replaced in the #2 spot, Jose Lopez, has gone 4-for-19 in five games batting third, providing 4 runs, 4 RBI, and a home run. In fact, over the past two weeks, Lopez's batting average has dropped from a season-high of .311 on May 20 to its current .279 average.
It should be pointed out that Lopez contributed strong numbers from the second spot as well- he provided a .286-.317-.505 line in 46 games there. Perhaps the two-spot is the "golden spot" for Mariners' hitters this year. Batting behind Ichiro, who provides distraction on the basepaths, forces pitchers to throw better pitches to hit to whoeever is batting second. Perhaps that's where Hargrove should place batters to get them out of their funk- will Sexson bat second next?
At any rate, Beltre's two-run first inning home-run in today's ball-game failed to set the pace for the rest of the M's line-up as they, and their pitching, let them lose a laugher to KC. Tomorrow the Mariners face Mike Wood, who Beltre has never faced, so let's hope he doesn't re-discover his O-fer ways and strikeout four times or anything along those lines....
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