Friday, May 17, 2013 @ 2:28pm

Video: M's make roster moves before Indians series

By 710Sports.com staff

The Mariners optioned Hector Noesi to Triple-A Tacoma and transferred fellow right-hander Stephen Pryor to the 60-day disabled list before tonight's series opener against the Indians at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

In the video above, Shannon Drayer explains the reasoning behind those moves and looks ahead to tonight's game. Note: The video was filmed before the Mariners scratched outfielder Michael Morse from the lineup due to irritation in his eye. The lineup below is up to date.

First pitch for tonight's game against is 4:05. The game can be heard on 710 ESPN Seattle, and you can also follow along with our live gametracker.

Here is the Mariners' lineup:

Michael Saunders, CF
Dustin Ackley, 2B
Kyle Seager, 3B
Kendrys Morales, DH
Justin Smoak, 1B
Raul Ibanez, LF
Kelly Shoppach, C
Endy Chavez, RF
Brendan Ryan, SS

Brandon Maurer, SP

Update from Shannon: In the video I point out that moving Pryor to the 60-day DL does not necessarily indicate a setback. I asked Eric Wedge shortly after I filmed this if there was indeed a setback and here is what he said:

"It's just been slow coming. He tried to play catch the other day and it didn't feel great so we backed him off a little. We knew when we started out it would be some time but I don't think we know how much right now because it is kind of on its own timetable. It's kind of a different thing."

So basically, he played catch, felt something and then they needed to give him a little more time. With any kind of muscle tear you don't know until you get back out there and test it. He did and learned that he needs more time.

So is this something to be alarmed about? No. It doesn't sound like there is any other injury; this one is just taking a little more time than they hoped it would.

Thursday, May 16, 2013 @ 11:01pm

This one was something

I'm not one that is big on big-win, big-game, or momentum talk. If you listen to me on the postgame show you have probably heard the phrase "it's just one game" from me often. In a 162-game season, most games are just one game. Tonight was different.

Tonight was big. To go into Yankee Stadium and overcome some bad calls that some would call hometown calls and come away with a series win over the first-place team means something to a young team. To get a win where your starter is scratched and your young bullpen is pushed is even bigger. To hold a lead in a building where you were not able to do the same two nights earlier is even bigger. The Mariners won a game that they probably couldn't have won a year ago.

The M's overcame adverse circumstances to beat the Yankees 3-2 Thursday night and escape the Bronx with a series win. (AP)

A big tip of the cap to Hector Noesi, who showed something tonight. More than the 4 1/3 innings he threw in the emergency start, Noesi didn't wilt under pressure. Hopefully this is a stepping stone for him.

Yoervis Medina pitched in a pressure situation and came out okay. Carter Capps survived three left-handed batters in the eighth inning and that was huge. The game was completely in his hands in the eighth as there was nobody up in the pen with just Tom Wilhelmsen and Charlie Furbush – who was being held back in case the game went into extras – left.

Wilhelmsen was spectacular. He didn't have his command early but was able to strike out Jayson Nix with a runner on third and one out when he needed to.

"In my head I said this one is going right by ya," he told me on the field following the game.

All that strikeout did was earn him a matchup with Robinson Cano. Wilhelmsen said he had been going over this matchup for the past two games. A closer that is looking forward to getting to Cano? You have to love that.

There was offense, too, with Michael Morse hitting a home run and Brendan Ryan putting up two hits and a RBI. Defensively, Kyle Seager made a couple of beautiful key plays and Kendrys Morales roped in an errant Ryan throw that could have scored the tying run.

It was a good game and the guys knew it.

"That was playoff stuff right there," Ryan said at his locker after the game. "Everybody's ready to make a defensive play. Our bullpen comes in and they are executing pitches. That's as fun as it gets there at the end with Tommy on the mound."

Now it is time to see what they can do against the Indians. The team arrived here at 2 a.m. no worse for wear. Truth be told, they were still a little up from the win as they should be.

This was a good one.

Notes

Seager is finally being noticed. Despite the fact that the New York television crew called him Sayger for two days, there is no doubt he caught their attention. Good to see.

Despite the success of the pen there is a good chance we could see a move later Friday. The pen pitched a lot of innings and with Brandon Maurer and Joe Saunders coming up they most likely will not want to risk not having enough pen this weekend. As terrific as Noesi was, I wouldn't be surprised if he is sent down as he will not be able to pitch this weekend. I wouldn't expect him to be down for long, however.

Thursday, May 16, 2013 @ 11:47am

Harang scratched and two head to Tacoma

Quick pre, pregame note: If you follow me on Twitter – and you should @shannondrayer – then you saw the news that Aaron Harang has been scratched from his start with lower-back stiffness. Hector Noesi will get the start in his place.

Noesi was sent to Double-A at the end of spring training and that is where he made his last start, throwing five innings on April 12. He hasn't pitched in a game since May 5.

As for the two heading to Tacoma, Franklin Gutierrez and Josh Kinney will begin their rehab assignments there tonight. As I said in my previous post, Kinney is eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list and I think there is a good chance we see him back with the big-league club that day.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013 @ 9:10pm

Another way to look at the strike zone

After reading the comments following Tuesday's post I thought I should share some insight on two issues.

Obviously a lot of you were upset with the umpiring in the Mariners' 4-3 loss to the Yankees. There is no doubt there were bad calls. Did they cost the Mariners the game? Ultimately, no. When a team is 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position I think the offense has more to do with the loss than the umpiring.

Before that game I interviewed Kelly Shoppach for the Mariners Insider segment of the pregame show. The interview ran a little long and I ended up editing out a portion that would have been very relevant to the topic at hand.

When talking to Kelly about pitch framing he told me that his main goal was to make things easier for the umpire. To give him a good look so it would be easier for him to make a good call.

"Those guys are graded but at the end of the day if you get out of there without getting yelled at by either team it is a good day," he told me.

He then went on to say that he believed the umpires in general were actually pretty good and that they miss one or two calls a game.

"One or two calls a game?" I asked skeptically.

He wasn't having any of that. His tone immediately changed. Serious. Dead serious.

"I actually do think that is right," he said.

Of course I had to revisit this in the clubhouse this afternoon.

"So ... nice call on the umps only getting one or two calls wrong a game," I teased Shoppach when he walked by Brendan Ryan, who was talking with a reporter about the 3-2 pitch to Brett Gardner.

I didn't have the recorder on but Shoppach stood by what he said. He said there were only a couple of bad calls in that game. How could that be?

He basically said that when you are in the game, behind the plate or at the plate, you have to go not with the strike zone, but the umpire's strike zone. He said what he saw that night was not surprising and consistent with what he knew of the home-plate umpire that night.

It is about consistency. I am not going to go back and look at how consistent Jerry Layne has been with his strike zone this year. I simply don't have the time and I am not interested in proving Kelly Shoppach wrong. If that's what he saw, that's what he saw.

In other words, the pitch tracker shows what the strike zone should be, but the umpire establishes what the strike zone is. Some guys have big strike zones, some tight. Players know which way an umpire is likely to go and they get a feel early for what he is calling that night and it's up to them to adjust to the umpire rather than to sit back and try to play the pitch tracker zone.

So yes, there were bad calls but not every missed strike was a strike in the zone that the umpire established in Shoppach's mind.

The other topic I wanted to address was Wedge not going to Oliver Perez in the seventh inning Tuesday night. I find it strange that I need to address it (because there were commenters asking why he didn't) seeing that I gave his explanation in that post. If you missed it, go back and read the post again.

I do want to talk a little bit more about the bullpen, however. While the bullpen has done well, particularly of late, it still has some shortcomings which most likely is one of the reasons why Wedge held Perez back.

First and foremost, keep in mind that the manager has information you do not have, and he may choose not to share, when he is making these decisions. The pitcher may have some ailment that day, he may have pitched too much recently. Maybe he was simply "off" earlier in the day. I don't know if there were other circumstances we didn't know about Tuesday. Just keep that in mind.

You can't go to Perez in every must-get situation. Outside of Perez and the closer right now the pen does not have a go-to-guy. The pen has been good but in my opinion it is short either a righty or another versatile lefty.

There's Tom Wilhelmsen and Perez and then working backwards you have Carter Capps, against whom lefties are hitting .391. Lucas Luetge's numbers against righties are even worse. Yoervis Medina is young and they are picking their spots for him and it is paying off. Hector Noesi is Hector Noesi. Charlie Furbush is not a bad option as he can get both lefties and righties out and pitch multiple innings if needed, but has had command issues at times.

With Wilhelmsen the closer and only available for the ninth – and in some situations an out in the eighth – you can't go to Perez every single time a fire needs to be put out. Tuesday night the team was up two in the seventh when Furbush was put in. That is not even a fire situation.

A healthy Stephen Pryor would help but he is still a ways away from a return. Closer to a return is Josh Kinney, who could be sent out on a rehab assignment in the next couple of days. I think there is a good chance we see him back with the club May 30, the day he is eligible to return.

Wednesday postgame notes

What a night for the Mariners. On the heels of a game that they couldn't quite put away, they put this one away in the first inning. The Mariners scored seven in the first en route to a 12-2 win .

Another big night for Raul Ibanez, who hit a grand slam and a two-run home run. The six RBIs were a career best for a road game.

Ibanez has been on some kind of a hot streak in New York, homering in nine of his last 11 games at Yankee Stadium.

Hisashi Iwakuma surrendered two runs and saw his ERA increase to a whopping 1.84.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013 @ 3:09pm

Pregame notes and lineup

I checked in on Felix first thing when I hit the clubhouse today and he said that his back was fine. He did wake up with a good amount of soreness but was feeling much better after treatment.

I'm not just taking his word on that. He never stopped moving in the clubhouse before batting practice. He was in every corner, every room, as loud and bouncy as ever. He clearly was feeling okay. Eric Wedge said that he does not expect that he will need to alter his routine in any way.

After I checked in on Felix I headed over the the Yankees clubhouse to say hi to Shawn Kelley and Ichiro. Both are doing well and enjoying their time with the Yankees. Ichiro was about as relaxed and friendly as I have ever seen him. He said that everything is good for him right now, except the results. He is currently hitting .246 with two home runs and eight RBIs.

Moving on to the lineup:

Saunders 8
Ackley 4
Seager 5
Morales DH
Morse 9
Smoak 3
Ibanez 7
Montero 2
Ryan 6

Iwakuma

Yep, that is Dustin Ackley hitting second. From listening to Wedge in his pregame conversation with the media it seems like this is more about the rest of the lineup than Ackley. He likes Kyle Seager hitting third, so with a right-hander on the mound he wanted another lefty and saw Ackley as the best candidate as he does have experience there. So there he is.

Quick Hisashi Iwakuma note and then it is time to get this game started: In Toronto Iwakuma told me that he watches Felix closely to see how he approaches hitters. At first this would seem like it wouldn't work because they have different pitches but then you realize that Felix's changeup looks an awful lot like a splitter, so maybe Iwakuma does get something from that. Jesus Montero believes he does.

"I think it is about the same," he said of Iwakuma's splitter and Felix's changeup. "Felix is throwing a little harder but they both have the same movement. It is unbelievable how the ball goes down and strikes everybody out."

Tuesday, May 14, 2013 @ 9:59pm

Felix most likely okay plus postgame notes

Some quick notes after the Mariners' 4-3 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday:

• Felix Hernandez was removed from the game after six innings and 97 pitches because he tweaked his back making a throw to second in the sixth. Felix said he felt "a pinch" in his back when he spun to make the throw. The back stiffened up on him after the sixth and he was not allowed to return.

The back issue that forced Felix Hernandez to leave after six innings Tuesday night doesn't appear to be serious. (AP)

The six innings thrown by Felix matched his lowest innings total for a game this year. These innings were taxing innings as the leadoff batter reached base five of six times. Still, he battled and left the game with a 3-1 lead. He did not get a decision in the game and his ERA did not budge from the American League-leading 1.53.

Back to the back. Felix, who's been dealing with minor back issues for some time now, had his back iced after the game and they will see how it feels Wednesday. Neither Felix nor Wedge believes he's dealing with anything serious right now. Wednesday will tell the tale.

• Quite a few of you were asking why Charlie Furbush and not Oliver Perez was called upon to pitch with one on and one out in the seventh. Wedge had mapped out what he wanted to do with the pen with the 3-1 lead and figuring that he would use Lucas Luetge and Carter Capps situationally after Furbush he would then need someone who could get lefties and righties out after Capps left the game. So he held back Perez for later, more versatile help thinking Furbush and the others would be able to hold the lead. That, of course, did not happen.

I checked the numbers when Furbush came in and interestingly enough he and Perez are just about the same in retiring the first batter faced and runners left stranded. Unfortunately, Furbush has been having a little trouble with the walks. I don't find huge fault in going to Furbush in the seventh, I just would have liked to have seen him taken out sooner.

• The blown save by Furbush was the second for the entire team this season.

• Strange play in the fourth when Felix and Kendrys Morales attempted to cover first on a ball that was hit to Robert Andino at second by Lyle Overbay. Morales made the play but Felix was called for obstruction despite the fact that Overbay was a few steps from the bag when the play was made. The explanation for the call given to a pool reporter from crew chief Jerry Layne and third-base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt is below.

"Any time the runner is obstructed before first base, the ball is dead. He's awarded first base, and any runner that could be forced is awarded [his base]. That's why [Vernon Wells] was given second base. What had happened was when they went to field the ball, the pitcher and the first baseman were going toward the bag. There was a second there when neither one of them knew who was going to cover, in my opinion. I don't know that, but that's what it looked like. But the person that didn't receive the ball, which was the pitcher, obstructed the runner going to first base. Per that rule, any time it happens before first base, the ball is dead. That clarifies it. Eric [Wedge] said it didn't happen before first base, and that's what the discussion was about."

Wendelstedt was then asked whether or not it mattered that the baserunner was two steps away from the bag before the obstruction happened.

"We have a clarification in the baseball rules interpretation manual. Only one fielder can be in the act of fielding the ball. Now that fielder [in this case] was the first baseman. So that's where the obstruction came in because there were multiple fielders fielding the [throw]. Now there's a couple of different kinds of obstruction. But on the type of play like this, which was a ground ball, it doesn't matter if the runner is 89 feet away when he gets obstructed or if he's one inch away. If he is obstructed before first base, the ball is dead and he is awarded first base."

So there you go. One final note: On that play Felix's leg was clipped by Overbay as he crossed the bag. Felix hopped around a little bit but said after the game he suffered no injury on that play.

• Kuma Wednesday.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013 @ 2:50pm

Video: Lineup surprises for M's against Yankees

By 710Sports.com staff

Jesus Montero and Dustin Ackley are not in the Mariners' lineup for tonight's series opener against CC Sabathia and the Yankees.

Shannon Drayer discusses their absences from the lineup and more in the video above.

First pitch for tonight's game against is 4:05. The game can be heard on 710 ESPN Seattle, and you can also follow along with our live gametracker.

Here is the Mariners' lineup:

Michael Saunders, CF
Jason Bay, LF
Kyle Seager, 3B
Kendrys Morales, 1B
Michael Morse, RF
Kelly Shoppach, C
Raul Ibanez, DH
Robert Andino, 2B
Brendan Ryan, SS

Felix Hernandez, SP

Monday, May 13, 2013 @ 9:48pm

A welcome change for Felix

A great pitching match up coming up later today in the Bronx as two Cy Young Award winners will get to work in Yankee Stadium. A Fifi vs. CC marquee matchup no doubt.

While Felix always enjoys pitching in New York, it's hard to imagine that he enjoyed the media onslaught that he faced each time in the visitors' clubhouse in recent years. The hordes of New York and national media that would gather around his locker were not there to talk about his pitching. No, they were there to ask why the heck he was still with the Mariners and when he intended to leave.

Felix handled that situation well and in my mind convincingly enough. Others did not want to believe it and pressed on at each opportunity. I think everyone finally understood once he signed the contract and held the emotional press conference this spring at Safeco Field.

I expect the scene to be different this year and jokingly speculated on the postgame show this week that the media group would assemble at Hisashi Iwakuma's locker instead. He only has a year and a half remaining on his contract, after all. How could he possibly want to stay in Seattle?

Yes, it gets old. That is why this New York Times article by Greg Bishop, (formerly of The Seattle Times) is so refreshing. Enjoy. And Happy Felix Day.