M’s baseball

When I started my blog I called it "A digital recording of my life" because I intended to blog about things I did and saw. My blogging has totally fallen off this year. When it comes to baseball I still have things to write about the World Baseball Classic and I have not blogged at all about the M’s this year. It was pointed out to me when I was at the game yesterday that it was the 41^st home game of the year. That makes it the half way point so it is as good as time as any to get back into the swing of things.

4/3. Opening day! The M’s blow the lead in the 9^th to the Angles and while they get a run back in the bottom of the inning with a Petagine home run they still lose 5-4. Moyer starts the game but Sherill gets the loss. Johjima also got a HR for the M’s in the 5^th.

4/5. A day game against the Angles. The M’s jump on Weaver early and hold on for a 6-4 victory. Washburn gets the win and Sherrill gets the save. The M’s are 2-1 and tied for first in the West!

4/6. Oakland comes to town with Loaiza vs. Meche. The M’s jump on Oakland early with a Everett home run and win 6-2. Putz gets the save in the game. The M’s are 3-1 and in first place by themselves.

4/7. The debut of "King Felix" as Hernandez takes on Oakland’s Blanton. The M’s can only muster two hits and lose 5-0. The M’s are 3-2 and tied with OAK for first.

4/8. Dan Wilson night. It was great to see Wilson back for the send-off he deserves. Moyer pitches great but Oakland’s Zito pitches better as the M’s can only muster one hit (Moyer only had 6 hits) in a 3 – 0 loss. At this point Beltre is only batting .136 and Everett is batting .156. Also a bit unique is Ichiro is batting .240. The M’s are 3-3 and a game back to OAK.

4/18. Texas is in town with Koronka vs. Hernandez. Felix (0-2) gives up home runs in the first and second inning as the M’s lose 7-4. The only starter batting over .300 is Johjima (.340). Ichiro is at .177 and Beltre from the 8^th hole is at .154. The M’s are 6-9 and 1.5 games back from LAA and OAK. There are very few people in attendance at the game.

4/19. Moyer vs. Texas’s Millwood. Moyer leaves the game up 4-3 but is not part of the decision as the M’s come from behind with a Everett walk off three run homer (scoring five in the ninth) to win 9-6. Putz gets the win (1-0). Ibanez is now batting .302. The M’s are 7-9 and a half game back to LAA and OAK.

4/21. Detroit’s Maroth (3-0) extends his streak to 17 scoreless innings as he beats Washburn (1-3) 2-1 with the M’s only run coming in the bottom of the ninth. Batting averages: Beltre .175, Lawton .000, Borchard .222, and Sexson .229. The M’s are last in the West but only 1.5 games out at 7-11.

4/22. Meche (1-1) pitches well but Detroit’s Robinson pitches better as the M’s lose 2-0. Sexson is caught stealing which seems to continue a theme of poor base running by the M’s. The M’s are 7-12 an 2.5 games of LAA and Texas.

4/24. Moyer vs. the White Sox’s Garland. Neither factor in the decision as the Sox tie up the game in the ninth but lose it in the 11^th on a Betancourt hit 4-3. Lopez and Ibanez hit home runs in the game. Mateo (2-0) gets the win. The M’s are 8-13 and 3.5 games back of LAA.

4/26. Washburn (2-3) hands the White Sox’s Buehrle (3-1) his first loss of the season as the M’s win 5-1. Ibanez had a home run in the game. Beltre is batting .175. Ichiro is up to .263. At 9-14 the M’s are 3.5 games back from LAA.

5/5. Moyer leaves the game in a tie but Cleveland’s Westbrook gets a run in the 7^th as Soriano (0-1) gets the loss. The M’s give up 5 runs in the eight with a final score of 9-4. Sexson’s average is at .198 and Beltre is at .209. The M’s are now 12-19 and 5.5 games back from Texas.

5/6. Pinerio (4-2) goes eight innings as Cleveland’s Lee (2-3) gets the loss in the 4-1 game. Putz get his third save. Ibanez is the only starter over .300 for the M’s at .320. After losing four straight the M’s are now 13-19 and 4.5 game behind Texas.

5/8. Meche (2-2) starts against Fossum but Tampa Bay’s Orvella (1-4) gets the loss as the M’s win 6-3. This was the smallest crowd to date at Safeco with 16102 (33.9% full) paid tickets. Beltre is .221, Ichiro .277, and Sexson .190. At 14-20 the M’s are 4.5 behind Texas.

5/10. A day game against the Devil Rays. Moyer (1-3) only gives up four hits but the M’s can only get four total hits as Kazmir (5-2) gets the 1-0 win. OAK and Texas are 3.5 games ahead of the M’s who are 15-21.

5/19. Washburn and San Diego’s Young are not part of the decision as Soriano (1-1) gets the win over Cassidy (3-2) as the M’s win 7-4. Home runs by Johjima (4), Lopez (6), and Sexson (5). Ichiro is batting .308, Lopez .307, Sexson .210, Betre .211, and Everett .253. The M’s are out of the cellar at 18-25 and five games behind OAK.

5/21. The M’s sweep San Diego after scoring 8 runs in the second inning winning 10-8. Park (2-2) gets the loss and Hernandez (3-5) the win with Putz getting his sixth save. Ibanez (6) and Everett (7) get home runs. The M’s are three games back of OAK and Texas at 20-25.

5/23. Halama (3-1) in an emergency start for the Orioles gets a win over Pinerio (4-5). I remember I let this game early as it was a long game and the M’s were down 5-3 in the top of the eight and not hitting well. While they got a run in the bottom of the eight the Orioles got 9 in the ninth in the 14-4 loss. Hernandez had 7 RBI for the Orioles. Morse is up for the M’s. Ichiro is batting .322, Sexson .198. M’s are three back of Texas even though Seattle is 21-26.

5/25. A day game against Baltimore. Where did the bats go? Two hits for the M’s and four for the Orioles as the O’s win 2-0. Lopez (2-7) over Meche (4-3). Texas is three up on the M’s who after the loss are now 22-27.

6/2. Moyer (3-5) throws his first two hitter in 20 years as he beats KC’s Keppel (0-1) going the distance in the 4-0 win. Lopez (9) and Ibanez (9) had home runs in the game. Ichiro is batting .335, Beltre in the two hole is batting .230, Sexson .205, and Everett .255. The M’s are in last place in the West, six game behind Texas at 24-32.

6/5. Meche (5-4) beats KC’s Wood (3-1) in the 4-1 win. Ichiro is up to .341 and Lopez .283. Putz gets his eight save. 5.5 games behind Texas puts the M’s in a third place tie in the West at 26-33.

6/7. Moyer starts against the Twin’s Bonser but the Twins score five in the eight to tie up the game. Everett (8) has a walk-off in the 11^th. Mateo (3-0) gets the win and Crain (0-4) the loss with the score of 10-9. Ichiro (2), Sexson (9), Betancourt (3), and Ibanez (10) also have home runs in the game. Ichiro is batting .358, Beltre .230, Sexson .218, and Everett .248. Texas is 5.5 games up on Seattle who is tied for third in the West with a record of 28-33.

6/16. Barry Bonds is in town! In the top of the second he hits a monster home run off of Felix to tie the game 2-2. The Giant’s Lowery (2-5) only lasts three innings and Hernandez (7-6) gets the win 5-4. The highlight was Putz striking out Bonds to end the game for his 11^th save of the year. Ichiro hit his 4^th home run of the year and he is up to .366. Sexson is down to .205. The M’s are 32-37 and five games behind OAK.

6/17. Thanks to some generous friends I make a last minute appearance in the Diamond Club and see the M’s beat the Giants 8-1. Meche (7-4) goes the distance and Schmidt gets the loss. Bonds goes 1-3. Sexson (11), Reed (4) – first in Safeco, and Ibanez (13) had home runs. Everett is batting .245. Seattle is still five games behind OAK at 33-37.

7/1. Seattle beat the Rockies 8-7. Pinerio and Kim are not part of the decision. Mateo (5-1) gets the win and Cortes (3-1) the loss. Putz gets his 15^th save. Ibanez (18), Everett (10), and Ichiro (5) had home runs. Here are the starters batting averages at the 41 home game mark: Ichiro .355, Beltre .262, Lopez .280, Ibanez .286, Sexson .225, Everett .238, Johjima .299, Reed .222, and Betancourt .283. The M’s are one game behind OAK and in second place in the West at 42-40. They are 12 games out of the Wild Card behind the White Sox.

 

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