mariners are alive at last....
One look at tonight's box score and you know it was a good game, but just how good it was is only something those who watched it happen could tell you. First you need to know the back story. The Angels are last year's division leaders and even though the 2007 Seattle Mariners were an excellent team in their own rite, the Angels ran away with the division early and never let up all year long. Every winning streak the Mariners put up, the Angels held on with one of their own. What's more, they always seemed to have Seattle's number when it came to direct match-ups, generally winning 2 out of 3 or sweeping.
Then there is the pitching match-up. The Mariners ace, Felix Hernandez always seemed to get put up against Jared Weaver and no matter how well he pitched, Weaver pitched better. You just can't be too hard on a guy for allowing one run when the other pitcher shuts down your entire all-star packed offense for 7 or 8 innings.
So who did we see facing off for tonight's game? Weaver and Hernandez of course! Would the two teams repeat last season's story tonight? Not if Raul Ibanez has anything to say about it. As of right now he is 3 for 3 with 2 solo home runs and a timely RBI accounting for 3 runs all by himself. Then there is Hernandez's pitching performance. There were a couple solo home runs to answer for both of Ibanez's early runs. Then Hernandez allowed a single run to come in on a shattered bat infield fly that he nearly caught. From what I saw, he did catch it but lost it in the grass while sliding past the white line. Would have been a beautiful play if it held, but the effort showed a lot of heart and he shut down the Angels offense quickly soon after.
There was some more give-and-take with the starters eventually leaving the game. In the eighth inning the Mariners bats came alive in a big way, putting an insurance run in early on with a double by Johjima followed by a triple by Betancourt. The Mariners went into the 9th inning with an 8-5 lead and Mark Lowe earned his first career save.
What makes the story even sweeter is the Mariners pulled this win off against the Angels ace without their own closing ace (JJ Putz) who is still nursing his injury. I didn't even mention some of the fantastic defensive plays by both teams. Beltre managed to put a tag on a runner between second and third and still found time to get the ball to first base in time to force the hitter out. The Angels' short stop ran down a ball that nearly made it straight into the outfield and backhanded it to second base almost without looking to force out the base runner in the nick of time. You just can't complain about an out they had to work that hard to get! I hope the rest of this series is as entertaining and certainly hope the home team can keep the edge on their division rivals all season long!
Peace,
b
Then there is the pitching match-up. The Mariners ace, Felix Hernandez always seemed to get put up against Jared Weaver and no matter how well he pitched, Weaver pitched better. You just can't be too hard on a guy for allowing one run when the other pitcher shuts down your entire all-star packed offense for 7 or 8 innings.
So who did we see facing off for tonight's game? Weaver and Hernandez of course! Would the two teams repeat last season's story tonight? Not if Raul Ibanez has anything to say about it. As of right now he is 3 for 3 with 2 solo home runs and a timely RBI accounting for 3 runs all by himself. Then there is Hernandez's pitching performance. There were a couple solo home runs to answer for both of Ibanez's early runs. Then Hernandez allowed a single run to come in on a shattered bat infield fly that he nearly caught. From what I saw, he did catch it but lost it in the grass while sliding past the white line. Would have been a beautiful play if it held, but the effort showed a lot of heart and he shut down the Angels offense quickly soon after.
There was some more give-and-take with the starters eventually leaving the game. In the eighth inning the Mariners bats came alive in a big way, putting an insurance run in early on with a double by Johjima followed by a triple by Betancourt. The Mariners went into the 9th inning with an 8-5 lead and Mark Lowe earned his first career save.
What makes the story even sweeter is the Mariners pulled this win off against the Angels ace without their own closing ace (JJ Putz) who is still nursing his injury. I didn't even mention some of the fantastic defensive plays by both teams. Beltre managed to put a tag on a runner between second and third and still found time to get the ball to first base in time to force the hitter out. The Angels' short stop ran down a ball that nearly made it straight into the outfield and backhanded it to second base almost without looking to force out the base runner in the nick of time. You just can't complain about an out they had to work that hard to get! I hope the rest of this series is as entertaining and certainly hope the home team can keep the edge on their division rivals all season long!
Peace,
b
posted by b hill at 10:00 PM
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