OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

billethius · 04-11-2019, 03:12 AM

Next up we head to Cleveland for two games against the Indians. They've started the season 9-3 and that seems just about right. This was a team on the rise before the strike in '94 and then proceeded to go 100-44 in '95. They're good. They're a little ahead of where the Mariners are at this point, but their situation isn't too different. Their lineup contains two Hall of Famers (Eddie Murray, Jim Thome), one who should be (Manny Ramirez), one who should have gotten a much better look and who I hope the veteran's commitee will take a look at (Kenny Lofton), and then a bunch of solid players (Sandy Alomar Jr, Carlos Baerga, Albert Belle, Omar Vizquel, and Paul Sorrento). Their pitching is a mix of mid-career (Charles Nagy) and late-career guys (Dennis Martinez, Orel Hershiser), with some more help on the way in the minors. Sure, they never won a title, but they made the playoffs six of the next seven years and made the World Series twice. As a Mariners fan, that seems like a huge success.

4/18/95 - 4/19/95: Two with the Indians

After the last game we were told that Jay Buhner was day-to-day with a hamstring strain and Tino Martinez was day-to-day with a sore knee. Neither guy will be out long enough to warrant a trip to the IL. So, needing someone who could fill in at multiple positions I demoted 5th OF Gary Thurman and called out 22yo CATCHER Raul Ibanez. I also made the decision to drop ARod down in the batting order. He's currently hitting .196 with just three extra base hits. He'll hit 9th for a while and everyone else will slide up one spot.

... and the change seems to have paid off immediately! In the first game against Cleveland, Rodriguez hit for the cycle. That wasn't enough to net him player of the game, though, as that honor went to Mike Blowers, who went 4-6 with two doubles, two homeruns, and 6 rbis. Not a bad day. Couple that with another Randy Johnson (3-1, 1.88) start and you've got a recipe for 15-4 win.

The second game didn't go quite as well. Bosio (1-3, 8.63) started and gave up 7 runs (6 earned) over 6.1ip. Rhodes came in and pitched well in relief, not allowing a hit over 1.2 innings. The damage had already been done, though, and the Mariners lost 7-3. There were, however, a few bright spots. ARod continued his hot hitting since being dropped in the order. After picking up another homerun, his batting line is looking pretty respectable at .271/.348/.508. Ibanez provided the other highlight as he got his first MLB start and hit a homerun in his second career at-bat.

04-11-2019, 03:12 AM	#7
billethius All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 822	Next up we head to Cleveland for two games against the Indians. They've started the season 9-3 and that seems just about right. This was a team on the rise before the strike in '94 and then proceeded to go 100-44 in '95. They're good. They're a little ahead of where the Mariners are at this point, but their situation isn't too different. Their lineup contains two Hall of Famers (Eddie Murray, Jim Thome), one who should be (Manny Ramirez), one who should have gotten a much better look and who I hope the veteran's commitee will take a look at (Kenny Lofton), and then a bunch of solid players (Sandy Alomar Jr, Carlos Baerga, Albert Belle, Omar Vizquel, and Paul Sorrento). Their pitching is a mix of mid-career (Charles Nagy) and late-career guys (Dennis Martinez, Orel Hershiser), with some more help on the way in the minors. Sure, they never won a title, but they made the playoffs six of the next seven years and made the World Series twice. As a Mariners fan, that seems like a huge success. 4/18/95 - 4/19/95: Two with the Indians After the last game we were told that Jay Buhner was day-to-day with a hamstring strain and Tino Martinez was day-to-day with a sore knee. Neither guy will be out long enough to warrant a trip to the IL. So, needing someone who could fill in at multiple positions I demoted 5th OF Gary Thurman and called out 22yo CATCHER Raul Ibanez. I also made the decision to drop ARod down in the batting order. He's currently hitting .196 with just three extra base hits. He'll hit 9th for a while and everyone else will slide up one spot. ... and the change seems to have paid off immediately! In the first game against Cleveland, Rodriguez hit for the cycle. That wasn't enough to net him player of the game, though, as that honor went to Mike Blowers, who went 4-6 with two doubles, two homeruns, and 6 rbis. Not a bad day. Couple that with another Randy Johnson (3-1, 1.88) start and you've got a recipe for 15-4 win. The second game didn't go quite as well. Bosio (1-3, 8.63) started and gave up 7 runs (6 earned) over 6.1ip. Rhodes came in and pitched well in relief, not allowing a hit over 1.2 innings. The damage had already been done, though, and the Mariners lost 7-3. There were, however, a few bright spots. ARod continued his hot hitting since being dropped in the order. After picking up another homerun, his batting line is looking pretty respectable at .271/.348/.508. Ibanez provided the other highlight as he got his first MLB start and hit a homerun in his second career at-bat.