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.
The Mariners were able to finally win one against baseball's best team, beating the Tigers 3-2 today in Seattle.
I admit, my predictions for today's game were totally wrong. Instead of a bunch of runs being scored by both teams, it was yet another pitcher's duel between the two clubs. And me stating with certainty that the Tigers would complete the sweep seems to have caused a sort of 'reverse curse' as power provided by unlikely sources and clutch two-out hitting gave the Mariners a Detroit-style victory.
I have no problem being wrong with my predictions, if it means a Mariner victory. I just try to look at various numbers & trends and offer my best guess as to how the game will turn out. For example, Nate Robertson from Detroit pitched a heck of a ballgame, as all indications suggested he would. Allowing ten baserunners and three runs in eight innings usually leads to a win, but not today. Of note, however, is that the Mariner batters that gave Robertson fits in today's game are not the ones that have had success against him in the past. Beltre, Sexson, and Ichiro combined to go 1-for-11 against Robertson today. The sole exception was Eduardo Perez, who by going 2-for-2 against Robertson now has six hits in seven career at-bats versus the Tigers' left-hander. Rather, the rest of the damage was done by the bottom of the order: Rene Rivera, filling in for Johjima who surprisingly hit his second homer; Yuniesky Betancourt,who knocked in the go-ahead run; and Willie Bloomquist. These three, along with Perez, combined to go 7-for-11, scoring and knocking in all three runs. Coming into the game, the three had combined to hit .250 off Robertson in 8 at-bats (with Rivera never facing him prior).
So the bottom of the order produced, supporting a gutsy outing by starter Gil Meche. Meche was adamant about pitching through the seventh inning, regardless of his (typically) high pitch count. He was upset at having been pulled out in the top of the sixth inning of last Tuesday's 14-6 blow-out loss versus the Los Angeles Angels, feeling that if he had stayed in the game the outcome might have been different- and Meche had angrily told manager Mike Hargrove so. Hargrove said he was "fine" with the earful that Meche gave him. So, today, Hargrove let Meche complete seven innings, and finish up with 126 pitches thrown. Gil's 126 pitches were a season-high, and his 8-4 record is just off the 9-3 pace Gil had in 2003 on his way to a career best 15 wins.
Could it be softly stated that Gil has become the "ace" of the Mariners? Jamie Moyer, who is the team's no. 1 starter, is a 43-year old soft-tossing lefty who I wouldn't hold up to Mike Mussina, Roy Oswalt, or Carlos Zambrano. I'm not saying that Meche does hold up to those pitchers, he just holds up better than Moyer. Felix may be the future ace, but he's too young and inconsistent to rely on a solid performance each outing. Jarrod Washbrun has been an ace for the Angels in the past, but it'd be a surprise if he ever came close to winning 18 games in a season. And Joel Pineiro, who went 30-18 from 2002-03, has lost any potential to be the team's ace.
So, with his gutsy performance in today's game and his development into one of the team's leader, can it be stated that Meche, with his .667 winning percentage and his 98 strike-outs- good enough to be in the league's top 10- is, indeed, the team's ace?
Back on the Beltre watch, Beltre went 1-for-4 with a one-out eighth inning double. Jose Lopez followed with a single through the left side of the infield into short left field. Beltre attempted to score from second, but was easily thrown out on a strike thrown by Tigers' left-fielder Alexis Gomez. The throw practically left Gomez's hand as Beltre was rounding third, and it beat Beltre by a mile. I understood that Beltre was hustling, attempting to add an insurance run, but there was no way he'd be able to score from second on such a hit into shallow left field. Granted, it only took another opportunity away for Richie Sexson to strike out, but still...
Beltre's double snapped a two-game hitless streak, the first one he had since mid-May. Still, however, his average hovers just over .250, at .254.
Now the Mariners don't have to whimper into the All-Star break. With the taste of victory on their lips, the team, excepting Ichiro and Jose Lopez, can take four days off and get recharged for the second half. And with the AL West as bunched up as it is- Oakland and Texas are tied, with the Angels and the Mariners just a couple of games out- it appears that the most rested team might be in the best position to make a run in the second half.
For his career, Adrian Beltre hits twenty points higher after the All-Star break than before, and his OPS is nearly 90 points higher. I'm just sayin'...
I admit, my predictions for today's game were totally wrong. Instead of a bunch of runs being scored by both teams, it was yet another pitcher's duel between the two clubs. And me stating with certainty that the Tigers would complete the sweep seems to have caused a sort of 'reverse curse' as power provided by unlikely sources and clutch two-out hitting gave the Mariners a Detroit-style victory.
I have no problem being wrong with my predictions, if it means a Mariner victory. I just try to look at various numbers & trends and offer my best guess as to how the game will turn out. For example, Nate Robertson from Detroit pitched a heck of a ballgame, as all indications suggested he would. Allowing ten baserunners and three runs in eight innings usually leads to a win, but not today. Of note, however, is that the Mariner batters that gave Robertson fits in today's game are not the ones that have had success against him in the past. Beltre, Sexson, and Ichiro combined to go 1-for-11 against Robertson today. The sole exception was Eduardo Perez, who by going 2-for-2 against Robertson now has six hits in seven career at-bats versus the Tigers' left-hander. Rather, the rest of the damage was done by the bottom of the order: Rene Rivera, filling in for Johjima who surprisingly hit his second homer; Yuniesky Betancourt,who knocked in the go-ahead run; and Willie Bloomquist. These three, along with Perez, combined to go 7-for-11, scoring and knocking in all three runs. Coming into the game, the three had combined to hit .250 off Robertson in 8 at-bats (with Rivera never facing him prior).
So the bottom of the order produced, supporting a gutsy outing by starter Gil Meche. Meche was adamant about pitching through the seventh inning, regardless of his (typically) high pitch count. He was upset at having been pulled out in the top of the sixth inning of last Tuesday's 14-6 blow-out loss versus the Los Angeles Angels, feeling that if he had stayed in the game the outcome might have been different- and Meche had angrily told manager Mike Hargrove so. Hargrove said he was "fine" with the earful that Meche gave him. So, today, Hargrove let Meche complete seven innings, and finish up with 126 pitches thrown. Gil's 126 pitches were a season-high, and his 8-4 record is just off the 9-3 pace Gil had in 2003 on his way to a career best 15 wins.
Could it be softly stated that Gil has become the "ace" of the Mariners? Jamie Moyer, who is the team's no. 1 starter, is a 43-year old soft-tossing lefty who I wouldn't hold up to Mike Mussina, Roy Oswalt, or Carlos Zambrano. I'm not saying that Meche does hold up to those pitchers, he just holds up better than Moyer. Felix may be the future ace, but he's too young and inconsistent to rely on a solid performance each outing. Jarrod Washbrun has been an ace for the Angels in the past, but it'd be a surprise if he ever came close to winning 18 games in a season. And Joel Pineiro, who went 30-18 from 2002-03, has lost any potential to be the team's ace.
So, with his gutsy performance in today's game and his development into one of the team's leader, can it be stated that Meche, with his .667 winning percentage and his 98 strike-outs- good enough to be in the league's top 10- is, indeed, the team's ace?
Back on the Beltre watch, Beltre went 1-for-4 with a one-out eighth inning double. Jose Lopez followed with a single through the left side of the infield into short left field. Beltre attempted to score from second, but was easily thrown out on a strike thrown by Tigers' left-fielder Alexis Gomez. The throw practically left Gomez's hand as Beltre was rounding third, and it beat Beltre by a mile. I understood that Beltre was hustling, attempting to add an insurance run, but there was no way he'd be able to score from second on such a hit into shallow left field. Granted, it only took another opportunity away for Richie Sexson to strike out, but still...
Beltre's double snapped a two-game hitless streak, the first one he had since mid-May. Still, however, his average hovers just over .250, at .254.
Now the Mariners don't have to whimper into the All-Star break. With the taste of victory on their lips, the team, excepting Ichiro and Jose Lopez, can take four days off and get recharged for the second half. And with the AL West as bunched up as it is- Oakland and Texas are tied, with the Angels and the Mariners just a couple of games out- it appears that the most rested team might be in the best position to make a run in the second half.
For his career, Adrian Beltre hits twenty points higher after the All-Star break than before, and his OPS is nearly 90 points higher. I'm just sayin'...
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