Updated Oct 14, 2012 - 11:16 pm
Seattle Mariners Blog with Shannon Drayer
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)
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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.
Saturday, May 11, 2013 @ 5:26pm
Saturday lineup, notes and a change for Maurer
Quick post here as I have been off the past few days and am in today to help out because Gary Hill got the big call to do play-by-play the next two days as Rick Rizzs shifts to television with Dave Sims in Philadelphia to be inducted into the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy Roll of Fame. With the schedule the way it was I got three days off, which is great for me but bad for the blog as I do not have a Todd Dybas or Larry Stone or any number of folks from MLB.com to step in. I take the days when I can get them because there are long stretches, such as the next 11 days, where I cannot.
So a quick post here to let you know I am still around. Did you catch the little nugget in the previous paragraph that Gary Hill is doing play-by-play tonight and tomorrow? He has done college basketball and baseball but this is his first big-league game. Must be a huge thrill. Absolutely awesome for him.
Tonight's lineup and a couple of notes:
Saunders 8
Seager 5
Morales DH
Morse 9
Smoak 3
Ibanez 7
Ackley 4
Shoppach 2
Ryan 6
Maurer
Maurer takes the hill with lefties hitting a robust .358 off of him. In addition to taking some early mileage off his arm by skipping him in the last turn, work on this issue was put in. Pitching coach Carl Willis believes Maurer has the stuff to get righties and lefties out but believes his pitch selection has not helped him against the lefties. Left-handed hitters are coming up to the plate looking for something hard over the plate, and Willis wants him to throw his curve more in those situations. It is a pitch that he has but has rarely used, throwing just two in his last start. He will get plenty of opportunity to try this out as Oakland has stacked the lineup with six southpaws.
With the extra off days the Mariners have made another adjustment to the rotation. Felix, Hisashi Iwakuma and Aaron Harang will pitch in New York.
Franklin Gutierrez will test the hamstring Sunday as he will run the bases for the first time. He took batting practice for the first time Friday but no return date or date he could be sent out on a rehab assignment has been set as of yet.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013 @ 9:44pm
Zduriencik on prospects: 'Opportunities will be there'
Jack Zduriencik is on this road trip, which is no surprise seeing that he grew up just 50 miles from Pittsburgh in New Castle, Pa. I spoke with him Tuesday about coming home and he shared memories about going to the last game at Forbes Field (he actually got a "0" from the old scoreboard) and cheering for Bill Mazeroski as a kid.
That interview ran in Tuesday's pregame show. For Wednesday's show we talked about the team.
Zduriencik likes what he has seen from the club in the last three series and hopes that the early struggles have been put behind them.
"I think we just started off slow," Zduriencik said. "Put some injuries in there, guys we were really counting on, it didn't help. But these are all things that tie into the complete season."
 Jack Zduriencik wants to see more consistency from the back end of the M's rotation, where Aaron Harang (pictured) and Brandon Maurer have had their early struggles. (AP) |
"I would like to get more consistency out of the back end of the rotation," he answered when I asked what was most fixable. "I think as we see these guys continue to get consistent, and we're going to get reinforcements. When (Stephen) Pryor gets back that's going to help us quite a bit. We've got (Josh) Kinney down below, we've got Erasmo Ramirez, who's now throwing again.
"We have got a bunch of young kids who at some point in time will be in position to help us."
Injuries aside, how does he determine when any of those players would be of help at the big-league level?
"All they have to do is continue to progress," Zduriencik answered. "We need to get Danny (Hultzen) back on the mound, which is what he is about to do shortly. (Mike) Zunino, we have been impressed with what he has done despite his recent struggles. He's handled it very well. Nick Franklin has been terrific. These guys have to continue to play. Opportunities will be there – they always are, and when they are, they have to be ready. For the guys up here it is a challenge for them to continue to play good baseball."
And if they don't meet that challenge, we could see one of the young players. Unlike last year, the clock is ticking for those who have not shown the progress that is expected of them. That said, there is still a lot of learning going on at the major-league level for the Mariners, according to Zduriencik.
"In a perfect world you would like maybe for guys to spend a little more time in the minor leagues," he acknowledged. "The game has changed somewhat, every club has guys at the big-league level slightly sooner than you would like them to."
"(For them) it is just about understanding the day-in, day-out struggle of being a big leaguer. This is a very difficult game. Maturity, being comfortable as a big-league player, being able to look yourself in the mirror and know you belong, and figuring out pitchers. It's an ongoing process for a young player to develop into a big leaguer, and I think we have seen some good signs recently."
While the good signs are certainly welcome, they are not the end goal.
"No one is going to sit here and say we are over the hump," he said. "It's a challenge every single day. It's big-league baseball. The other clubs are going to be good. And the schedule early was tough but where we are at right now, we are progressing. The organization is in really good shape with what we have right around the corner, how young we are at the big-league level. I am looking for really good things as we move forward."
His contribution to those good things is putting the best team he can out on the field. It is an interesting balance as the players at the big-league level and in Tacoma are his players, all important to this organization's future success. What is best for the team today? What is best for the players? What is best for the future? All of these things would seem to play into any move, but according to Zduriencik, sometimes it is much simpler than that.
"Things happen," he said. "It's the old adage in baseball and it is so true. Things just have a tendency to work out. When you are trying to get better every day, whatever that is, we will do."
Tuesday, May 7, 2013 @ 12:54pm
Video: Mariners begin interleague play vs. Pirates
By 710Sports.com staff
The Mariners will open their interleague schedule today against the Pirates in Pittsburgh, which means Seattle pitchers will hit for the first time this season.
In the video above, Shannon Drayer touches on that subject and why catcher Jesus Montero isn't in the lineup for the series opener.
First pitch for today'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
Michael Morse, RF
Justin Smoak, 1B
Dustin Ackley, 2B
Kelly Shoppach, C
Brendan Ryan, SS
Aaron Harang, SP
Sunday, May 5, 2013 @ 5:14pm
What's next after tough day for Saunders and Montero?
A frustrating game Sunday, but thankfully just one game. Safeco Joe was nowhere to be found and Eric Wedge gave him every opportunity to work through his struggles on the hill but to no avail. Joe Saunders surrendered seven runs in five innings and the Mariners dropped the final game to the Blue Jays, 10-2.
This team in this building was probably not a good matchup for Saunders. While this seems ridiculous to write, I feel I need to from what I have seen on Twitter and some of the emails I have received.
You cannot just pitch Saunders at home. He is your No. 3 in the rotation and he needs to get on track away from Safeco. He's not as good as he is at home and he's not as bad as he is on the road, and at some point this should pull closer to even. This is not a guy who is coming off a terrible year. Track record, what has been seen at home and what has been seen between starts are some of the reasons why Wedge will stick with him. He has to give him an opportunity to work through his struggles because the team needs him to be productive.
 After allowing seven earned runs over five innings Sunday against Toronto, Joe Saunders is now 0-4 with a 12.54 ERA away from Safeco Field this season. (AP) |
It is best for everyone if Saunders is able to figure this out and he is being given that opportunity.
Something that shouldn't be masked by what we saw from Saunders Sunday was the ugly day Jesus Montero had behind the plate, allowing four stolen bases and one passed ball.
One of his biggest shortcomings behind the plate was exposed and it was not pretty. The four stolen bases allowed brought his total this season to 15 in just 17 starts. Chris Iannetta comes in with a league-worst 19, but he has started 23 games. Steals per inning for the two are nearly identical. Montero has yet to throw out a runner this season.
Why were the Jays running? Perhaps a little of the blame can be put on Saunders' slow delivery, but the majority of it is probably due to scouting. Montero often drops to one knee when he receives the ball, which makes it much more difficult to get a quick throw off. Learning to stay on his feet was something he was told to work on when he went home for the offseason, but when he reported to spring training he was still dropping to the knee and there was some frustration about that. On Sunday it caught up with him.
Montero's development, as I have pointed out numerous times, should be a top priority. This is someone the organization needs to get value from or value for. The belief has been that he can best learn at this level. If you read me I think you know my feelings on that. Tough to learn if he is not playing and tough to play him if it appears he is not learning. While there have been flashes here and there we have yet to see consistency.
News and notes
• Brandon Maurer has been pushed back in the rotation as Wedge and Carl Willis took the opportunity to limit his innings some with the off days early this month. This is not a performance issue, rather a necessity as Maurer has never pitched more than 138 innings in a season. He will start the first game against Oakland at home.
• Pitchers hit the next two games in Pittsburgh and while Aaron Harang and the relievers have been taking batting practice for some time now, Felix Hernandez was not allowed to hit until Sunday morning. With the back stiffness he has experienced this season, Wedge didn't want to take any chances having him swing the bat any more than necessary.
• Franklin Gutierrez does not appear close to a return, although he is eligible to come off the disabled list on May 8. I asked Wedge about his progress earlier this weekend and was told he has yet to resume baseball activities and will be looked at when the team returns to Safeco for the three games against Oakland.
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