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.
Well, that's how you start off the second half of the season.
I was pretty close on my call for this game! Instead of winning 5-4, the M's came out on top 5-3! I'll take it!
Meche came out attacking the batters- 14 of the 23 batters he faced had a first-pitch strike (or was hit for a bsehit)- and by avoiding nibbling, Meche was able to dial in, once again, a solid start. In six innings, Meche only allowed three runs, and limited himself to 97 pitches. His weariness at the end was obvious, however, and it appeared that the 125-pitch effort in his last outing caught up with him when he gave up back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning. It didn't matter, however, as the bullpen stepped in and closed the game off. Well, excepting George Sherrill that is, who, after allowing the first two runenrs on and a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the seventh, gave way to Rafeal Soriano, who proceeded to get out of the inning. Soriano struck out three over his nearly two innings of work, and Putz shut the B-Jays down on a one-two-three ninth to notch his seventeenth save on the season.
Perhaps I shouldn't just feel that Meche will provide a solid outing with each start. Maybe I should convince myself that, despite his history, Meche actually places the M's on a good chance to win with each outing. Boy, he sure seems like a pitcher looking for a big payday in the off-season. Has he switched his agent to Scott Boras yet, al la Barry Zito?
Adrian Beltre got his second half of the season off to just as good a start as his team's, helping them win with a 2-for-5 evening. His single in the first inning was part of the Mariners' three-run effort, as he eventually scored on an Aaron Hill error by a ball hit by Richie Sexson. Then, in the sixth, Beltre lined a two-out double into left field, scoring Johjima and Suzuki. This was a key hit, obviously, as Meche coughed those two runs back up in the bottom half of the inning on the home runs to Gregg Zaun and Vernon Wells. If Beltre didn't line that double, the game might still very well be in action.
With his two-hit effort, Beltre finishes the game out hitting .256 on the season, and picks up RBIs #36 and 37. Remember, I said that Beltre is a hotter batter in the second half of the season....
Adam Jones watch: In his major league debut, the Mariners' centerfielder of the future (or present, I guess) went 0-for-3 with a fourth-inning walk. Though he was hitless, Jones played a number of chances in the field flawlessly, even calling Raul Ibanez off on a late-inning fly ball. Will Adam get his first major-league hit in this series, and if so, what will it be?
Tomorrow looks like a tough one for our beloved M's. I might even avoid listening to it all together. Roy Halladay takes the mound for the Blue Jays, and Doc has proved to be one of the toughest pitchers in the AL so far this year, as he is the first hurler to reach 12 wins. He should have no problems gaining no. 13 tomorrow versus the M's.
Or perhaps not. Even though Halladay has a low career ERA versus the M's- 3.07- he does carry a sub-.500 career won-lost record against them into tomorrow's game (3-4). Carl Everett, in particular, has given Halladay problems in the past, with seven hits- and three home runs!- off Hallday in 24 at-bats. Halladay has, however, kept Beltre hitless in four at-bats and has kept Ichiro hitting .200 against him in 15 career at-bats. I wouldn't be surprised if the only Mariners run scored off Halladay tomorow is a C-Rex solo home-run. We'll see.
For the M's, the wiley Jamie Moyer takes the mound against Doc Halladay. Not only has the soft-tossing left-hander has bequeathed the title of ace to Meche, but as the Oregonian points out, Moyer has the lowest run-support by more than half a run than any other pitcher in the league. Why should that trend expect to be broken tomorrow? Moyer may have a 12-7 career record against he B-Jays, but he also has a 4.94 career ERA in 202 innings, which means he has given up plenty of hits (213) and plenty of runs (115) against Toronto. And, unlike Meche, there are current B-Jays who have hit Moyer hard in the past. Eric Hinske, for example, owns a .987 career OPS against Moyer in 20 career at-bats, and Troy Glaus has a 1.017 career OPS against Moyer in 44 career at-bats. In fact, looking for current Blue Jays who have struggled against Moyer in their career is nearly a fruitless effort.
Prediction on tomorrow's game? Doc shuts the M's down, Moyer gets lit up. 8-1 final score. Let's hope I set another "reverse curse" as I did last Sunday versus the Tigers...
I was pretty close on my call for this game! Instead of winning 5-4, the M's came out on top 5-3! I'll take it!
Meche came out attacking the batters- 14 of the 23 batters he faced had a first-pitch strike (or was hit for a bsehit)- and by avoiding nibbling, Meche was able to dial in, once again, a solid start. In six innings, Meche only allowed three runs, and limited himself to 97 pitches. His weariness at the end was obvious, however, and it appeared that the 125-pitch effort in his last outing caught up with him when he gave up back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning. It didn't matter, however, as the bullpen stepped in and closed the game off. Well, excepting George Sherrill that is, who, after allowing the first two runenrs on and a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the seventh, gave way to Rafeal Soriano, who proceeded to get out of the inning. Soriano struck out three over his nearly two innings of work, and Putz shut the B-Jays down on a one-two-three ninth to notch his seventeenth save on the season.
Perhaps I shouldn't just feel that Meche will provide a solid outing with each start. Maybe I should convince myself that, despite his history, Meche actually places the M's on a good chance to win with each outing. Boy, he sure seems like a pitcher looking for a big payday in the off-season. Has he switched his agent to Scott Boras yet, al la Barry Zito?
Adrian Beltre got his second half of the season off to just as good a start as his team's, helping them win with a 2-for-5 evening. His single in the first inning was part of the Mariners' three-run effort, as he eventually scored on an Aaron Hill error by a ball hit by Richie Sexson. Then, in the sixth, Beltre lined a two-out double into left field, scoring Johjima and Suzuki. This was a key hit, obviously, as Meche coughed those two runs back up in the bottom half of the inning on the home runs to Gregg Zaun and Vernon Wells. If Beltre didn't line that double, the game might still very well be in action.
With his two-hit effort, Beltre finishes the game out hitting .256 on the season, and picks up RBIs #36 and 37. Remember, I said that Beltre is a hotter batter in the second half of the season....
Adam Jones watch: In his major league debut, the Mariners' centerfielder of the future (or present, I guess) went 0-for-3 with a fourth-inning walk. Though he was hitless, Jones played a number of chances in the field flawlessly, even calling Raul Ibanez off on a late-inning fly ball. Will Adam get his first major-league hit in this series, and if so, what will it be?
Tomorrow looks like a tough one for our beloved M's. I might even avoid listening to it all together. Roy Halladay takes the mound for the Blue Jays, and Doc has proved to be one of the toughest pitchers in the AL so far this year, as he is the first hurler to reach 12 wins. He should have no problems gaining no. 13 tomorrow versus the M's.
Or perhaps not. Even though Halladay has a low career ERA versus the M's- 3.07- he does carry a sub-.500 career won-lost record against them into tomorrow's game (3-4). Carl Everett, in particular, has given Halladay problems in the past, with seven hits- and three home runs!- off Hallday in 24 at-bats. Halladay has, however, kept Beltre hitless in four at-bats and has kept Ichiro hitting .200 against him in 15 career at-bats. I wouldn't be surprised if the only Mariners run scored off Halladay tomorow is a C-Rex solo home-run. We'll see.
For the M's, the wiley Jamie Moyer takes the mound against Doc Halladay. Not only has the soft-tossing left-hander has bequeathed the title of ace to Meche, but as the Oregonian points out, Moyer has the lowest run-support by more than half a run than any other pitcher in the league. Why should that trend expect to be broken tomorrow? Moyer may have a 12-7 career record against he B-Jays, but he also has a 4.94 career ERA in 202 innings, which means he has given up plenty of hits (213) and plenty of runs (115) against Toronto. And, unlike Meche, there are current B-Jays who have hit Moyer hard in the past. Eric Hinske, for example, owns a .987 career OPS against Moyer in 20 career at-bats, and Troy Glaus has a 1.017 career OPS against Moyer in 44 career at-bats. In fact, looking for current Blue Jays who have struggled against Moyer in their career is nearly a fruitless effort.
Prediction on tomorrow's game? Doc shuts the M's down, Moyer gets lit up. 8-1 final score. Let's hope I set another "reverse curse" as I did last Sunday versus the Tigers...
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