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.
Aaargh.
That's no influence from Disney's latest Pirates of the Carribean movie. I'm just voicing my frustration that, due to circumstances outside of my control, I was unable to pay close attention to the M's games over the weekend, just as the Mariners kicked it up anotehr notch and are now semi-comfortably perched at four games above .500.
Also, that 'aargh' also voices my feelings as I had to switch off last night's game- in the bottom of the eighth inning, when six consecutive batters got on base with two-outs, resulting in a four run rally, which turned a 4-3 deficit into a 7-4 victory.
Curses.
This rally compensated for another poor start from Felix, who was hit hard in the early innings as he allowed four runs on six hits in the first two innings. Felix was unable to make it past the sixth as he threw 106 pitches in 5.2 innings, his pitch count inflated by allowing eleven hits and a walk. The rally also blew a solid start by Orioles' left-hander Erik Bedard, who tossed six solid innings, allowing three runs and striking out seven. Bedard had retired nine in a row before being lifted in the seventh inning for Jamie Walker, and as usual for the Oriole's bullpen they turned a sure Bedard victory into a gift for the opposing team. Bedard must hate his teammates in the bullpen: of his thirteen starts so far this year, roughly half (six) have been no-decisions.
And Beltre made an appearance on the basepaths as a pinch-runner, running for pinch-hitter Jose Vidro in the eighth inning, and ended up scoring a run. This was Beltre's first appearance since rolling his wrist last weekend against Texas. Yay!
The four game perch above .500 provides a good vantage point to look out over the upcoming schedule. After finishing up the series with the Orioles, its time for the annual extended trip to the National League for extended interleague series. First for the Mariners is a trip to Petco where they have a series against the Padres' tough pitching staff, then a one-day stop-over at Cleveland to face the burly Indians, and then back-to-back series against the imploding Cubs and the punchless Astros. Four games above .500 is a great place to be heading into this stretch of the schedule.
But first things first, the M's have to finish off the Orioles. They have Cha Seung Baek taking the mound for them tonight, the Korean right-hander who has delivered quality starts in roughly half of his appearances. This is Baek's first career start against the Orioles, and he does have a slight edge in his home-to-road ERA split (4.26-to-5.34) but nothing dominating. Northwest native Brian Burres (hometown: Oregon City, Oregon, and picked up his baseball chops at Mt. hood Communtiy College in Gresham, OR) takes the mound for the Orioles. Growing up a baseball fan in the northwest, although I have no information to support this assumption, but I would assume Burres is facing his boyhood heroes in the Mariners this evening. Something always seems to work out for pitchers in that position, and I'd wager that Burres would be able to quiet the hot bats of the M's. It doesn't hurt that he has a 2.01-to-4.60 road-to-home ERA split, or that he's allowed two earned runs in eleven innings over his last two starts.
Burres is exactly the unexpected buzzsaw that has given the M's fits over the past few seasons. One might think that with their hot bats, a newbie like Burres would cause the M's to lick their chops as they prepare to face him. I'd say hold on, and don't let your hopes get too high. Expect a low-scoring affair, with the Orioles coming out on top, 5-2.
That's no influence from Disney's latest Pirates of the Carribean movie. I'm just voicing my frustration that, due to circumstances outside of my control, I was unable to pay close attention to the M's games over the weekend, just as the Mariners kicked it up anotehr notch and are now semi-comfortably perched at four games above .500.
Also, that 'aargh' also voices my feelings as I had to switch off last night's game- in the bottom of the eighth inning, when six consecutive batters got on base with two-outs, resulting in a four run rally, which turned a 4-3 deficit into a 7-4 victory.
Curses.
This rally compensated for another poor start from Felix, who was hit hard in the early innings as he allowed four runs on six hits in the first two innings. Felix was unable to make it past the sixth as he threw 106 pitches in 5.2 innings, his pitch count inflated by allowing eleven hits and a walk. The rally also blew a solid start by Orioles' left-hander Erik Bedard, who tossed six solid innings, allowing three runs and striking out seven. Bedard had retired nine in a row before being lifted in the seventh inning for Jamie Walker, and as usual for the Oriole's bullpen they turned a sure Bedard victory into a gift for the opposing team. Bedard must hate his teammates in the bullpen: of his thirteen starts so far this year, roughly half (six) have been no-decisions.
And Beltre made an appearance on the basepaths as a pinch-runner, running for pinch-hitter Jose Vidro in the eighth inning, and ended up scoring a run. This was Beltre's first appearance since rolling his wrist last weekend against Texas. Yay!
The four game perch above .500 provides a good vantage point to look out over the upcoming schedule. After finishing up the series with the Orioles, its time for the annual extended trip to the National League for extended interleague series. First for the Mariners is a trip to Petco where they have a series against the Padres' tough pitching staff, then a one-day stop-over at Cleveland to face the burly Indians, and then back-to-back series against the imploding Cubs and the punchless Astros. Four games above .500 is a great place to be heading into this stretch of the schedule.
But first things first, the M's have to finish off the Orioles. They have Cha Seung Baek taking the mound for them tonight, the Korean right-hander who has delivered quality starts in roughly half of his appearances. This is Baek's first career start against the Orioles, and he does have a slight edge in his home-to-road ERA split (4.26-to-5.34) but nothing dominating. Northwest native Brian Burres (hometown: Oregon City, Oregon, and picked up his baseball chops at Mt. hood Communtiy College in Gresham, OR) takes the mound for the Orioles. Growing up a baseball fan in the northwest, although I have no information to support this assumption, but I would assume Burres is facing his boyhood heroes in the Mariners this evening. Something always seems to work out for pitchers in that position, and I'd wager that Burres would be able to quiet the hot bats of the M's. It doesn't hurt that he has a 2.01-to-4.60 road-to-home ERA split, or that he's allowed two earned runs in eleven innings over his last two starts.
Burres is exactly the unexpected buzzsaw that has given the M's fits over the past few seasons. One might think that with their hot bats, a newbie like Burres would cause the M's to lick their chops as they prepare to face him. I'd say hold on, and don't let your hopes get too high. Expect a low-scoring affair, with the Orioles coming out on top, 5-2.
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