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.
Growing up in Olympia, I had a poster of Ken Griffey Jr. hanging above my bed. They were handing them out at my local Fred Meyer, and autographs were promised. This was 1990, and Junior was a budding superstar, and I jumped at the chance to get an autographed Junior poster. What I wasn't aware of, however, was that it was Dave Valle who was signing the posters. So throughout my adolescence, I grew up with a Junior poster signed by the M's career .237-hitting backstop. How odd. No knock on Val, though, who has proven to be a great ambassador, not just for the Mariners' (I attended a baseball mini-camp once hosted by him and Harold Reynolds) but for his humanitarian purposes as well, as evidenced by the efforts through his organization, Esperanza, devoted to helping impoverished families in Haiti and Dominican Republican.
But enough about Valle. Tonight was all about Griffey. Watching him address the crowd as well as the career highlights brought back a flood of when I played baseball during my little league days. How my teammates and i would take turns mimicking his swing, with his back hand trailing his bat hand just so. For his first couple of years in the majors, I clipped and saved every story in the local paper that marked a Junior highlight: his first game, his first home run at the Kingdome. I remember the initial series of Upper Deck baseball cards and how card #1- Ken Griffey Jr.'s first "real" rookie card- was selling for well above triple digits at one point. I remember my Ken Griffey Jr. candy bar that I was going to save and sell, well, now I guess. Except my older brother ate it. More than anything, I remember how Griffey made being a Mariners fan fun.
Tonight was all about Griffey- that is, until the actual game began. As expected, the emotional outpouring on the field and around the stadium proved to be too much for 21-year old starter Ryan Feierabend, whose mechanics were completely off, bringing back that ol' time Mariner pitching that we all know and love. Feierabend insisted the ceremonies and the ovations didn't interrupt his routine or carry any extra weight onto his performance. But considering that in Griffey's first at-bat versus Feierabend, Ryan threw two tosses over to first base to keep Brandon Phillips, who reached on an inside Feierabend pitch that nipped his left leg, close. Feierabend's avoidance of Griffey brought a chorus of boos to the crowd- who obviously wanted to see Griffey pitched to. When Feierabend finally pitched to Griffey, Junior promptly lined a single to right-field, eventually scoring on Alex Gonzalez's bases-loaded double, finishing the first inning with the Reds up 4-0. Sadly, that was Griffey's only contribution to the game as he struck out three times and reached on a fielder's choice in his other at-bats.
Feierabend was squeezed at the strike zone by home plate umpire Mike Winters all game, causing Mike Hargrove to argue with Winters and get tossed from the game in the second inning. Feierabend was on the corners all night, but not getting any favorable calls, thus forcing him to throw meatballs down the plate which were hammered by the Reds' hitters. This partially explains Feierabend's line of nine earned runs allowed in 2.2 innings. That, and the fact that the Reds' have a pretty tough offense, leading the major leagues with 105 home runs at the end of the game. Feierabend's replacement, Jason Davis, didn't fair much better as he allowed seven runs in three innings. Davis was replaced by newcomer Ryan Rowland-Smith, a newcomer for the M's bullpen, an Australian left-hander called up from Tacoma, whose appearance in the game ensured that one historical feat would occur in Safeco tonight: the first major league appearance of a player with a hyphenated last name. In his major league debut, Rowland-Smith struck out the first batter he faced, who happened to be none other than the man of the evening, Ken Griffey Jr.
In short, every other Reds batter seemed to channel the spirit of Griffey, everyone except Junior himself. Reds' number nine batter, catcher David Ross, slugged two home-runs and knocked in five runs, while second baseman Brandon Phillips hit two solo home runs. Josh Hamilton also added a solo home run, as the Reds tallied 16 runs and 16 hits as the finale turned out to be a behind-the-shed whipping, 16-1, with the Mariners' run an unearned knocked in by Willie Bloomquist.
Ichiro got his hitless monkey against Aaron Harang off his back by singling in the fourth inning, extending his hitting streak to 17 games. Otherwise, Harang had absolutely no problems with Winters' strike zone as he otherwise allowed just two other singles, while striking out seven in eight innings, allowing reliever Mike Gosling to toss a scoreless inning to finish the game off. Beltre went o-for-3 to lower his average to .266, while Sexson went hitless in two at-bats lowered his average to .206.
Hopefully, the Reds' tapped their emotional reservoir and emptied out in Friday night's game, and their offense will run on fumes for the rest of the weekend. Jarrod Washburn will be looking to right the ship in tomorrow night's game, hoping to pick up his first win in nearly a month, beating Kansas City last May 27. Washburn has yet to face Cincinnati in his career , but of the Reds batters who have faced Washburn in the past, Ken Griffey Jr. does have one of two home runs, with David Ross having hit the other one. Kyle Lohse takes the mound for the Reds, and he holds a respectable 3.68 career ERA in 59 innings versus the Mariners, despite a 2-4 record. Ben Broussard has a good track record against Lohse, with five of his eight hits going for extra bases, including three home runs, for a .989 OPS in 28 at-bats. Richie Sexson also has good career numbers against Lohse, with a .389 average, two home runs, and a 1.143 OPS in 18 at-bats. With Raul Ibanez's .227 average against Lohse, perhaps Broussard can make a spot start in left-field, giving Ibanez a day off. Beltre has only one hit- a home run- against Lohse in six career at-bats.
There will be no pitching match-up in tomorrow's game. Balls will be flying, and this time don't expect it to be so one-sided. But I'm still going to have to side with the Reds in tomorrow's game, with a score along the lines of 9-6.
But enough about Valle. Tonight was all about Griffey. Watching him address the crowd as well as the career highlights brought back a flood of when I played baseball during my little league days. How my teammates and i would take turns mimicking his swing, with his back hand trailing his bat hand just so. For his first couple of years in the majors, I clipped and saved every story in the local paper that marked a Junior highlight: his first game, his first home run at the Kingdome. I remember the initial series of Upper Deck baseball cards and how card #1- Ken Griffey Jr.'s first "real" rookie card- was selling for well above triple digits at one point. I remember my Ken Griffey Jr. candy bar that I was going to save and sell, well, now I guess. Except my older brother ate it. More than anything, I remember how Griffey made being a Mariners fan fun.
Tonight was all about Griffey- that is, until the actual game began. As expected, the emotional outpouring on the field and around the stadium proved to be too much for 21-year old starter Ryan Feierabend, whose mechanics were completely off, bringing back that ol' time Mariner pitching that we all know and love. Feierabend insisted the ceremonies and the ovations didn't interrupt his routine or carry any extra weight onto his performance. But considering that in Griffey's first at-bat versus Feierabend, Ryan threw two tosses over to first base to keep Brandon Phillips, who reached on an inside Feierabend pitch that nipped his left leg, close. Feierabend's avoidance of Griffey brought a chorus of boos to the crowd- who obviously wanted to see Griffey pitched to. When Feierabend finally pitched to Griffey, Junior promptly lined a single to right-field, eventually scoring on Alex Gonzalez's bases-loaded double, finishing the first inning with the Reds up 4-0. Sadly, that was Griffey's only contribution to the game as he struck out three times and reached on a fielder's choice in his other at-bats.
Feierabend was squeezed at the strike zone by home plate umpire Mike Winters all game, causing Mike Hargrove to argue with Winters and get tossed from the game in the second inning. Feierabend was on the corners all night, but not getting any favorable calls, thus forcing him to throw meatballs down the plate which were hammered by the Reds' hitters. This partially explains Feierabend's line of nine earned runs allowed in 2.2 innings. That, and the fact that the Reds' have a pretty tough offense, leading the major leagues with 105 home runs at the end of the game. Feierabend's replacement, Jason Davis, didn't fair much better as he allowed seven runs in three innings. Davis was replaced by newcomer Ryan Rowland-Smith, a newcomer for the M's bullpen, an Australian left-hander called up from Tacoma, whose appearance in the game ensured that one historical feat would occur in Safeco tonight: the first major league appearance of a player with a hyphenated last name. In his major league debut, Rowland-Smith struck out the first batter he faced, who happened to be none other than the man of the evening, Ken Griffey Jr.
In short, every other Reds batter seemed to channel the spirit of Griffey, everyone except Junior himself. Reds' number nine batter, catcher David Ross, slugged two home-runs and knocked in five runs, while second baseman Brandon Phillips hit two solo home runs. Josh Hamilton also added a solo home run, as the Reds tallied 16 runs and 16 hits as the finale turned out to be a behind-the-shed whipping, 16-1, with the Mariners' run an unearned knocked in by Willie Bloomquist.
Ichiro got his hitless monkey against Aaron Harang off his back by singling in the fourth inning, extending his hitting streak to 17 games. Otherwise, Harang had absolutely no problems with Winters' strike zone as he otherwise allowed just two other singles, while striking out seven in eight innings, allowing reliever Mike Gosling to toss a scoreless inning to finish the game off. Beltre went o-for-3 to lower his average to .266, while Sexson went hitless in two at-bats lowered his average to .206.
Hopefully, the Reds' tapped their emotional reservoir and emptied out in Friday night's game, and their offense will run on fumes for the rest of the weekend. Jarrod Washburn will be looking to right the ship in tomorrow night's game, hoping to pick up his first win in nearly a month, beating Kansas City last May 27. Washburn has yet to face Cincinnati in his career , but of the Reds batters who have faced Washburn in the past, Ken Griffey Jr. does have one of two home runs, with David Ross having hit the other one. Kyle Lohse takes the mound for the Reds, and he holds a respectable 3.68 career ERA in 59 innings versus the Mariners, despite a 2-4 record. Ben Broussard has a good track record against Lohse, with five of his eight hits going for extra bases, including three home runs, for a .989 OPS in 28 at-bats. Richie Sexson also has good career numbers against Lohse, with a .389 average, two home runs, and a 1.143 OPS in 18 at-bats. With Raul Ibanez's .227 average against Lohse, perhaps Broussard can make a spot start in left-field, giving Ibanez a day off. Beltre has only one hit- a home run- against Lohse in six career at-bats.
There will be no pitching match-up in tomorrow's game. Balls will be flying, and this time don't expect it to be so one-sided. But I'm still going to have to side with the Reds in tomorrow's game, with a score along the lines of 9-6.
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