MLB 2012 - Mariner Madness

[Griever20]

2013 First-Year Player Draft

We have to hit on this draft. Fifth overall pick. The latest OSA Mock Draft has not changed, leaving us basically with Aaron Nola looking at our big board... but all that was history as the draft room was buzzing with anticipation. Our owner entered the draft room together with his wife, and the windowless room was illuminated by only two lights as we projected the live feed from the draft to one of the walls.

The first overall pick was to the Blue Jays... and a disappointing moan and a fist was hitting a table in agony when we heard the words "The Blue Jays select draft id 0461920, Nola, Aaron, a right-handed pitcher from Dallas Baptist University." Could things go worse?

A female voice... "The San Diego Padres select draft id 01021921... excuse me 0102915,
Woodruff, Brandon, a right-handed pitcher from Wheeler University, Texas." THAT is a surprise. The latest mock had him 8th. Now, could Judge drop so far???

No, he won`t. I fainted a bit and just opened my eyes again to see Aaron Judge holding up a Brewers jersey, smiling at the camera, a head bigger than the team representative... The White Sox drafted Ramon Laureano, the best prospect in the draft according to the OSA and Baseball America... and that left us with an assortment of unloved draft picks.

My mind raced. I had looked over the scouting reports of the players left a lot over the last weeks, and in my mind, I sorted things out. Bassitt, despite looking good from the outside, has to have some kind of flaw. This just can not be right. Schwarber is a left-handed catcher that bats from the left, can play left-field with bad defense... no need in our org...

Devers, Chapman and Torres have defensive shortcomings, tho Chapman could be taught to be a good first baseman. Trea Turner is an option, but like Schwarber, blocked by our existing roster... Brent Honeywell? 18-years, mid 90`s heater, slider, change, fork, good height...

I asked the big question I had on my mind first... looking at my scouts and my minor league coordinator, my assistant GM... and made my pick, picking up the phone myself. And screw the OSA and their mock drafts.

Round 1 Pick 5: Seattle Mariners select 3B Matt Chapman(20, 3* HS, 3.5* OSA) out of Rice University
As mentioned above, a good hitter that projects as a corner infielder, albeit with fringe defense at third. We will develop him into a first baseman as his main defensive position. A 50/55/65/65/40 potential hitter by our scouting department, and a 60/60/65/65/45 by the OSA, his bat could come along nicely and the main reason why I picked him... was the fact that he is a right-handed power bat. PS: Our head scout threw away a donut in disgust when we did not pick Schwarber... He`ll survive the disappointment... let`s hope I do too...

Now, Honeywell, my second choice given the circumstances, went next, then Devers, Flaherty, Torres and Turner. Schwarber went #16, Bassitt #19. Sometimes, the obvious pick is not obvious. With 17 supplemental round picks, we had to wait quite a while until we were allowed to pick again, and our big board was empty by then...

Round 2 Pick 3: Seattle Mariners select 1B Bobby Bradley(17, 3* HS, 25* OSA) out of Mississippi State University
Ok, he is a left-handed power bat, but hear me out. His home run potential is rated as 70, he has a good eye and is a decent defender at first. Yes, he will strike out a ton according to all scouts, but if he is a free-swinging home run machine, the minimum for him will be that he generates some trade value.

Round 3 Pick 5: Seattle Mariners select RHSP Arnaldo Hernandez(17, 2.5*) out of University of San Diego
Pitching was thinning out quickly when it came to starters, and Hernandez not only has the name, but also a deep assortment of pitches to choose from, decent velocity, and seems to be a good kid that works hard and concentrated. He is a long shot tho.

Round 4 Pick 5: Seattle Mariners select C Chase Vallot(16, 3* HS, 1.5*) out of South Mountain CC(JuCo)
We did not expect him to be around that late, to be honest. A good defensive catcher with a 75 rated eye potential and a 65 rated home run potential... IF he makes contact. Yes, reinventing swings is hard, but if he can learn a thing or two about making contact, his natural skills could make him a potential star catcher.

Round 5 Pick 5: Seattle Mariners select RF Alex Jackson(17, 2.5* HS, 2.5*) out of UC Irvine
Yes, I`m a sucker for high school kids. The 17-year old is a prototypical corner outfield slugger with a cannon of an arm, just... he needs to improve in every hitting area a bit. A tough ask, but for a 17-year old, he does not look to bad.

Round 6 Pick 5: Seattle Mariners select RHSP Spencer Adams(17, 1.5* HS, 1.5*) out of Yavapai College (JuCo)
Righthander with the decent current ability and some junk... pitching was BARE at that time already.

Round 7 Pick 5: Seattle Mariners select SS Kelvin Beltre(16, 2* HS, 2*) out of UCLA
Good glove, more of a 2B, great batting eye, rest is below average at best.

Round 8 Pick 5: Seattle Mariners select LHRP Aaron Bummer(19, 2.5* HS, 3.5*) out of Cal State Fullerton
Decent arm, great slider. The movement and control of his pitches are work in progress but could be as good as any lefty in our pen right now... one day.

We led our scouting department have they way from now on...

For the fun... starting with the next draft, we will go with full fictional draft classes to make things a bit more interesting.

[Griever20]

Cabrera`s 36-Game Hit Streak Ends
stadiumreport.bbn

June 7th, 2013

After 36 games, Melky Cabrera had his hitting streak ended abruptly today by the Houston Astros at AT&T Park. The San Francisco Giants left fielder failed to get a hit in 3 at-bats, bringing his tenure in the national spotlight to a halt.

He is now tied for 10th place in the All-Time list of hitting streaks with Gene DeMontreville (1896-97) and had the longest hitting streak since Jimmy Rollins 38 game streak in 2005-06.

Despite the tough day at the plate, Cabrera seemed unconcerned after the game, talking instead about the Giants taking a 10-5 victory from the Astros.

"It was good while it lasted," Cabrera said. "If it had to end, I'm glad it ended with a victory."

This season Cabrera is hitting at a .335 pace with 4 home runs, 15 RBIs and has scored 27 times.

--

Red-Hot Bat: Grichuk Collects Cycle
stadiumreport.bbn

June 7th, 2013

Requiring speed, power and regular contact, the cycle is often seen as a test of a complete hitter. For Randal Grichuk, consider that test passed.

The 21-year-old right fielder hit for the cycle at Tropicana Field today to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. All told, Grichuk delivered 4 hits in 5 at-bats with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.

"It feels good of course, but I'm not going to kid anyone -- there's a lot of luck in hitting for the cycle," he said after the game. "Several unique things have to come together all in the same game."

Randal Grichuk hit a solo-shot off Wade Davis in the 2nd, flied out in the 4th, hit an RBI triple in the 6th, singled in the 8th and doubled in the 10th.

Grichuk is batting .328/.353/.734 with 15 home runs and 33 RBIs this season.

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Hernandez Takes AL #1 Pitcher Trophy
stadiumreport.bbn

July 1st, 2013

Despite the number of years he's been in the league, Felix Hernandez still gets excited when he puts together a quality stretch like he had in June. The 27-year-old starter for Seattle was named AL Pitcher of the Month earlier today.

He collected 4 wins and no losses with 44 strikeouts in his 6 starts, putting up a fine 2.30 ERA in 43 innings of work.

To date this year, Hernandez shows a 9-4 record, 16 starts, 119 innings, 114 strikeouts and a 1.82 ERA.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
June 1st - LHRP Charlie Furbush(27, 2/2.5*) was placed on the 15-day DL due to a sore elbow that is expected to hamper him for two weeks. LHSP Danny Hulzen(23, 2/2.5), who was 5-1 2.80 66K in 10 starts in AAA, was put on the 40-man and promoted to the bullpen.

June 13th – RHSP Drew Hutchison(22, 2/2.5*) was banished back to AAA after a brief 0-1 7.42 12K stint in three starts. RHSP Erasmo E. Ramirez(23, 2.5*) was activated off the 15-day DL.

June 15th – Great news! With RF Alex Jackson, our final draftee has signed and Matt Chapman started off 8-16 in single A High Desert.

June 17th – Roster moves. LHRP Lucas Luetge(26, 2.5*) was optioned to AAA Tacoma after going 0-1 7.80 in 15 innings of work. LHRP Charlie Furbush(27, 2/2.5*) was activated off the 15-day DL. His direct replacement LHP Danny Hultzen, has posted an ERA of 2.35 in 7.2IP.

Series:
2-0 vs OAK
0-3 @ TEX (Chris Heston 9IP 8H 4ER 2BB 5K W(6-2 2.49), Matt Harrison 9IP 3H 0ER 0BB 8K W(4-4 3.47))
2-1 @ KCR
1-2 @ OAK(Duffy 8IP 2H 2ER 3BB 7K W(4-3 5.09))
2-1 vs LAD (deGrom 7IP 5H 0ER 0BB 7K W(5-3 3.49))
1-2 vs COL (Hernandez 7.1IP 7H 1ER 0BB 7K W(7-4 1.85))
0-3 vs SFG
3-0 @ SDP (Hernandez 9IP 6H 3ER 0BB 8K W(8-4 1.95), deGrom 9IP 4H 1ER 1BB 8K W(6-4 3.41), Ramirez 8IP 5H 0ER 0BB 8K W(4-3 5.03))
@ COL (Zunino 4-5 R 4RBI HR(8), Hernandez 8IP 4H 0ER 1BB 9K W(9-4 1.82))

June: 13-13
Runs Scored: 358(3rd)
Batting AVG: .272(3rd)
OBP: .328(5th)
Home Runs: 76(8th)
Stolen Bases: 74(1st)
Runs Against: 378(13th)
Starters ERA: 4.14(12th)
Bullpen ERA: 6.03(13th)
FIP: 4.50(11th)
Defensive Eff.: .687(9th)

The exact moment where I knew we will not compete in 2013? A three-game set with Giants where we really scored a lot of runs, 18... and conceded 46 runs in three games. They just blew us out of the water. No chance to even touch them. Now, here is what we won`t do. Panic sell.

We have a good group of young, controllable players that play at the highest level. They are untouchable unless we can find a BETTER prospect. We have a bona fide ace in Hernandez... untouchable. But what we do have... is a lot of average junk, and if we can package junk for big prospects... we WILL do that.

And I have some deals lined up. The goal is to get a **** big prospect, a couple of relievers/relief prospects, and make some room for better, young players than those that we have. This will cost us on-field performance, make no mistake. But we need to develop players for 2014+, 2013 is gone. Yes, with force, we can move things along by acquiring a lot of arms and replace guys like Rosenthal, Walden, Duffy, and Paxton with veteran arms, trading away prospects and stopping their development...

And with the way we performed against contenders... we would still fall short. This may sound pessimistic, but I don`t want one off playoff run... I want a contender that can win the division a number of times.

Anyways, to positive news... Jabari Blash won AAA PotW, batting 11-26 4HR 11RBI and could play in MLB soon... Matt Chapman celebrated his professional debut by winning the A California League PotM, batting .423-11-21 with 17 runs scored and Bobby Bradley won Northwest League PotW batting 12-26 5HR 9RBIs... some of our kids making some noise!

In Other News:

June 2nd – Diamondbacks SP Wade Miley(26, 3/3.5*) blanked the Reds today en route to a 1-0 win, going 9IP 5H 0ER 1BB 7K. The 2012 All-Star is 2-4 3.82 62K in 10 starts.

June 2nd – Giants SP Jon Lester(29, 3*) continued his domination with a complete game 1-hitter with 0BB and 7K in 6-0 win over the Phillies. He moved to 9-0 1.08 58K in 10 starts.

June 3rd – Indians LF Michael Brantley(26, 3*) collected five hits today in a 12-6 dubbing of the [B]Angels, going 5-6 2R 3R with a double. The 4th-year pro is batting .346-2-27 .838OPS in 44 games.

June 5th – Nationals SP Stephan Strasburg(26, 4/5*) struck out 15 Brewers in a 9-1 victory, pitching a 8IP 5H 0ER 1BB 15K gem. The young stud is 3-7 2.82 85K for the struggling WS winners.

June 13th – Yankees SP CC Sabathia(32, 3*) completely blanked the Blue Jays today, allowing only four hits and no walks while striking out 7 in a 5-0 win. The 2007 AL Cy Young winner is 5-3 2.7 82K in 12 starts.

June 22th – Red Sox DH David Ortiz(37, 4*) collected career hit #2000 today in a 0-1 loss to Washington today, going 2-4. The 8x All-Star and 6x Silver Slugger is a career .283/.379/.545 434HR 1444RBI 2001H in 1965 games.

June 27th – Rays SP Chris Archer(24, 2.5/3*) stonewalled the Pirates today, throwing a 1-hitter with 2BB and 13K in a 1-0 win. The righty has split time between rotation and pen, going 2-0 1.98 89K in 63.2IP.

June 28th – Reds SP Mat Latos(24, 2.5/3*) allowed nothing against the Indians today, throwing a 4-hitter with 1BB and 11K in a 4-0 win. A cheap ace this year, he is 8-4 2.62 111K in 15 starts.

July 1st – Angels CF Mike Trout(21, 5*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .380 with 9 home runs, 27RBIs, and 19 runs scored for the month. The reigning AL MVP is batting .333-24-62 1.021OPS for the season.

July 1st – Mets LF Ryan J. Braun(29, 4*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .343 with 10 home runs, 24RBIs and 20 runs scored for the month. A 5x All-Star, he is batting .309-22-53 .974OPS in 71 games.

July 1st – Mariners SP Felix Hernandez(27, 4/4.5*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-0 2.30 44K in 43IP for the month.

July 1st – Diamondbacks SP Wade Miley(26, 3/3.5*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-1 1.84 30K in 44IP for the month. A 26-game winner in 2012, he is 6-5 3.33 85K in 15 starts this year.

July 1st – Indians SP Hyun-Jin Ryu(26, 4*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after going 4-1 2.34 30K in five starts. A 2x Rookie of the Month already, he is now 7-5 2.52 99K in 15 starts.

July 1st – Marlins 3B Donovan Solano(25, 2.5*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after batting .351 with 1 home run, 14RBIs and 16 runs. A solid contact bat, he is batting .287-3-25 .764OPS in 66 games.

[Griever20]

Mariners Ship Package to Boston for Betts
stadiumreport.bbn

July 1st, 2013

The Seattle Mariners announced a deal with the Red Sox today, sending 29-year-old RHRP Tom Wilhelmsen(29 3.5/4*), 22-year-old minor league RHSP Drew Hutchison(22, 2/2.5*), 23-year-old C/1B Jesus Montero(23, 2.5*) and 23-year-old minor league C John Hicks(23, 2.5*) to Boston.

Wilhelmsen, who served as a closer the last two seasons, was 1-14 3.46 21K in 25 games this season while Montero mainly served as DH against LHP, batting .301-6-19 .877OPS in 36 games.

Coming back to Seattle will be the current #3 prospect in baseball, 20-year-old minor league 2B/OF Mookie Betts(20, 4.5*). It had been talked about for the past few weeks and everything came together late last night. All players are expected to be joining their respective clubs shortly.

Betts, who is a strong baserunner with a great bat, can play second base and the corner outfield spots and is expected to report to AAA Tacoma as soon as possible.

[Griever20]

Seattle – Minnesota Trade: Saunders for Hicks
stadiumreport.bbn

July 1st, 2013

Signed ... sealed ... and delivered.

Seattle has worked out terms of a deal to send 19-year-old minor league RHSP Rigoberto Garcia(19, 1.5*) and 26-year-old LF Michael Saunders(26 ,3*) to Minnesota.

Looking at his season stats, Saunders has compiled a .235 batting average and a .320 on-base percentage, while hitting 10 home runs and driving in 37 runs.

Coming back to Seattle will be the #34 prospect in baseball, 23-year-old minor league CF Aaron Hicks(23, 2.5/* HS, 2.5/3.5* OSA). Both teams expect to introduce their new players at press conferences later in the week and Hicks is expected to be the starting center fielder for Seattle.

In a seperate deal, the Mariners acquired 23-year old minor league RHRP Kyle Barraclough(23, 1/3* HS, 1.5/4* OSA) from the Cardinals in exchange for AAA RHSP Forrest Snow(24, 1.5*).

[Griever20]

Mariners Sent de Aza to Chicago
stadiumreport.bbn

July 1st, 2013

According to BNN, there were mixed emotions by the players involved in the trade between the Seattle Mariners and the Chicago White Sox. As part of the deal, the Mariners swapped 29-year-old RF Brandon Moss(29, 3*), 29-year-old CF Alejandro de Aza(29, 3*), and 22-year-old minor league CF Mark Shannon(22, 1.5*) to the White Sox.

With that deal, the Mariners have unloaded both of their DH`s and 2/3 of their starting outfield in three separate deals, as well as their closer. This season in 72 games de Aza is batting .315 with 7 home runs, 35 RBIs and has scored 37 times, while Moss was batting .324-8-32 .932OPS in 49 games.

The Mariners will receive 24-year-old minor league RF Jose Martinez(24, 1.5/2.5* HS, 1.5/3.5* OSA), the #69 prospect in baseball, and 24-year-old RHRP Addison Reed(24, 3/4*) in return. The players indicated it was good to get a fresh new start in another city, but it was difficult to leave your friends on the old team.

Reed has pitched 37.1 innings and molded a 2.65 ERA with 1 save. He has surrendered 29 hits while registering 32 strikeouts on his way to a 1-0 record and is expected to become the new closer for this Mariners team.

--

Corresponding transactions:

Axed:
RHRP Shawn Kelley(29, 2*, 2-4 6.68 31IP) waived and DFA`d
RHRP Jordan Walden(25, 2.5/3*, 0-2 1SV 8.79) optioned to AAA Tacoma

Called up:
RHRP Mark Montgomery(22, 2.5/3* 1-1 7SV 3.33 24.1IP in AAA)
RHRP Carter Capps(22, 2/3*, 1-1 18SV 0.96 28IP in AAA)

3B Richie Shaffer(22, 2.5/3*, .238-14-47 .728OPS in AAA) Placed on 40-man
LF Jabari Blash(23, 2.5/4*, .283-18-54 .960OPS in AAA) Placed on 40-man
OF Anthony Gose(22, 2.5*) .289-1-29 .767OPS 20/33SB in AAA) Placed on 40-man

So, it took me a while to figure out what trades to do, and which players should be involved. At one time, I had deals lined up for George Springer, where we bailed out for now as he is already 24 and has yet to reach his ceiling.

Another guy we talked about was the current #1 prospect in baseball, shortstop Trevor Story from the Rockies. The 20-year old seems to have it all. Power, a great glove, good speed and baserunning, only a slight tendency to strike out. But, as the Rockies have not made up their mind yet on what to do this year, the asking price was waay to steep.

Doing a four-for-one for Betts is one thing, giving up some MLB players and minor players for a big prospect. Giving up three legit players and a prospect for Story here... a bit too much.

Why trade for a top hitting prospect instead of a pitcher, you ask? Well, there is none. deGrom was the biggest price available, and he is already a risky prospect as he is 24, now 25. The odds of him reaching his ceiling... are as high as the odds of the floor coming down at his age. This is why we have not offered him a big, "let`s lock him up for the next 8 years" extension. The risk of him staying a 2.5* arm is too high. With Paxton and Duffy basically having the same issue... we may have a strong rotation... or not.

Oh, and that is, by the way, why Aaron Nola went first overall... quality SP prospects are sooo rare... and you can make a case that, given that knowledge... I should`ve picked 18-year old Brent Honeywell instead of Chapman fifth overall...

PS: Don`t think I`m done...

[Griever20]

Verlander Outstanding, No-Hits Yankees
stadiumreport.bbn

July 24th, 2013

Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers was the King of the Hill today at Yankee Stadium.

The Detroit starter dominated the New York Yankees, giving up zero hits in his 1-0 victory. It is already his third career no-hitter as he threw one in 2007 against Milwaukee, and another one 2011 against Toronto.

"The toughest part was the last couple of innings," Verlander recounted after the game. "You know you have a no-hitter going, and so does everybody in the ballpark. That was the hard part, keeping focused and concentrating while your heart is pounding."

Verlander recorded 5 strikeouts and 1 walk in the game.

So far in 20 appearances this season, Verlander has recorded 8 wins and sustained 6 losses. He has pitched 133 innings, yielded 119 hits, fanned 132, and has a 2.91 ERA.

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deGrom Named AL Pitcher of the Month & Rookie of the Month
stadiumreport.bbn

August 1st, 2013

Over the past month, Jacob deGrom has turned quite a few heads. He's young, talented, and able to pitch with the established arms in the AL. He proved all that and now he's been named July's Pitcher of the Month and Rookie of the Month.

The rookie for the Seattle Mariners posted a 5-0 mark and a 1.70 ERA. In 6 starts he tossed 42.1 innings, permitted 31 hits, and fanned 34 batters.

This season deGrom has worked 134.2 innings with 114 strikeouts en route to a 11-4 record and a 2.87 ERA.

[Griever20]

Transactions:

July 3rd – In a three team deal, the Mariners acquired #197 prospect RF Travis Taijeron(24, 2.5/3* HS, 2.5/4* OSA, .362-11-44 1.141OPS 42G in AAA) from the Mets. They sent RHSP Brandon Maurer(23, 2*, 5-6 3.38 51K AAA) to the Pirates, while the Mets receive ex-PIT RHRP Matt Belise(33, 3* 1-1 13SV 2.08 20K). The Mariners will pay Belisle's remaining salary.

July 4th – The White Sox have claimed 29-year old RHRP Shawn Kelley(29, 2*) off waivers from Seattle today. He was 2-4 6.68 40K in 31IP.

July 5th – LF Jabari Blash & CF Aaron Hicks have agreed to 8y/$56M contract that will keep them around until the end of 2021.

July 11th – After an insane bidding war, we signed RHSP Vicente Diaz(16, 3.5*) for a whooping $11.5M signing bonus as our lone international amateur free agent...

July 13th – Some difficult negotiations came to an end today as SS Brad Miller signed an 8y/$60M contract.

July 13th – In another episode of flip the closer, the Mariners acquired minor league RHRP Ken Giles(22, 1.5/3.5*; #162 prospect) while 3B Patrick Kivlehan(23, 2*, .295-16-48 .900OPS AAA) and RHRP Rafael Betancourt(38, 3*. 2-2 19SV 4.60) go to the Phillies and minor league CF Julio Morban(21, 1.5*) will go to the Cardinals. Seattle will pay the remaining salary of Betancourt.

July 14th – All-Star Break!
We will send
SP Felix Hernandez 10-5 1.90 128K 18GS 4.5WAR as our lone representative... we did not deserve more.

For the All-Star Prospects Game Roster:
AAA OF/2B Mookie Betts .262/.323/.424 10HR 22SB 2.6WAR
AAA RF Jose Martinez .272/.333/.387 7HR 1.9WAR
AA RHRP Ken Giles 3-0 15SV 1.86 38.2IP 1.1WAR
AA RHCL Carson Smith 3-0 12SV 2.49 25.1IP 0.7WAR
A 2B Ketel Marte .274/.307/.366 4HR 14B 2.0WAR

July 21st – The final game of the first series after the All-Star break, and the first injury for the Mariners in the second half. 2B Chris Taylor(22, 3.5/4*) separated his shoulder and will be out of action for 7 weeks. He was placed on the 15-day DL and 2B Stefen Romero(24, 2.5*), who was batting .278-13-60 .773OPS in 87 games in AAA, was recalled.

August 1st – Optioned LHP Danny Hulzen(23, 2/2.5*, 0-1 7.01 22K 25.2IP) to AAA, recalled LHRP Lucas Luetge(26, 2.5*, 1-0 2SV 1.98 12K 13.2IP AAA).

Series:
3-0 vs LAA (Despaigne 4-5 R RBI DB HR(11))
2-2 vs BAL (Paxton 6IP 5H 2ER 1BB 9K W(3-8 5.76), Hernandez 7IP 6H 0ER 2BB 7K W(10-4 1.71), de Grom 9IP 5H 2ER 1BB 3K ND)
1-2 vs BOS (BOS SP Drew Hutchison 8IP 5H 2ER 0BB 3K W(1-2 6.58))
1-2 @ LAA
2-1 vs TEX (Paxton 8IP 3H 1ER 1BB 10K W(4-9 5.31), deGrom 8.1IP 4H 1ER 1BB 8K W(9-4 3.01))
4-0 @ MIN (Paxton 9IP 5H 1ER 1BB 9K W(5-9 4.95))
1-2 @ NYY
2-1 vs TOR

July: 16-10
Runs Scored: 463(4th)
Batting AVG: .265(3rd)
OBP: .324(5th)
Home Runs: 99(9th)
Stolen Bases: 105(1st)
Runs Against: 473(12th)
Starters ERA: 3.75(5th)
Bullpen ERA: 5.90(13th)
FIP: 4.27(9th)
Defensive Eff.: .691(8th)

Turned out we were done when I came to big trades... the market just simply did not move, nobody decided to change the direction of their organization, and there was only so much we could do in a pretty stable trade market where nobody was willing to blow up their roster or minor league system apart from the obvious... If you ask me why the Red Sox were willing to trade Betts as a .500 team... just AL East things I guess.

Why am I not surprised that went on a roll??? We dump a bunch of (quality) players, call up some unproven prospects, and suddenly, our starting pitching wakes up. Ramirez with a 3.00ERA, Paxton a 2.38ERA, deGrom a 1.70ERA and Hernandez did the usual 2.48ERA thing. The bullpen improved... a bit as well.

Basically speaking, one half of the bullpen ran out of talent, and the other half is not fully developed to really perform at the MLB level. Kahnle overall is a positive surprise with a 5-0 record and a 3.54ERA and Capps has made quite a good impression with a 2.16ERA in 8.1 innings... but we need help here in the future...

Which is why we acquired some good relief prospects! In AAA, we still have RHRP Jordan Walden, whose 4.50ERA did not exactly make us convince us to recall him. In AA, RHRP Carson Smith(23, 4*, 3-2 14SV 3.41) and trade acquisition Ken Giles(22, 3.5*, 3-0 15SV 1.95) linger together with RHRP Kyle Barraclough(23, 3* HS, 4* OSA, 2SV 4.05 16K 13.1IP)... and with not a lot of relief prospects in baseball... we are in a good position.

Our offense on the other hand slowed down a bit, due to the Taylor injury, the loss of Brandon Moss, and Hicks, and Blash settling in a bit.

Of course, the big news is Mookie Betts! He is batting .313-2-16 .837OPS 10/14SB with AAA Tacoma, but we will NOT call him up to the majors... why start his service time. We also got us a couple of fringe 24 to 25-year old prospects for the outfield that could pay off soon... 24-year old Travis Taijeron(24, 2.5/3.5*) was red hot in AAA with the Mets... and promptly ruptured his MCL and is out for the season... but RF Jose Martinez(25, 1.5/3*) is healthy... but cooled off. Oh well, cost us nothing but money.

Why did we get so many right fielders... well, it seems like the 3.5-4* potential that our scouts saw in Despaigne was a fluke... they now see a 2.5* player, and his .695OPS is kinda... consistent with that. He will have to fight for his spot next spring.

Now, is July a sign of things to come for August and September? If it is, we can compete for at least a Wild Card spot. We are now 0.5G behind the A`s... THAT would be quite a story.

In Other News:

July 5th – Cardinals 3B David Freese(30, 3.5*) collected three big home runs in a close 8-7 win over the Rockies today, going 4-5 3R 5RBI 3HR for the night. The 2011 World Series MvP is batting .288-17-43 .852OPS in 76 games.

July 9th – Dodgers SP Chad Billingsley(28, 3.5*) humiliated the Reds today, spinning a 4-hit shutout with 2BB and 7K in a 2-0 win. The 2x All-Star is 8-4 2.62 110K in 17 starts.

July 22nd – Yankees SP CC Sabathia(28, 3.5*) beat the Tigers 6-3 today, good for his 200th career win. The 2007 AL Cy Young winner is a career 200-110 pitcher with a 3.48ERA, 2372K 2486HA in 406 starts, good for 64.3 career WAR.

July 25th – Blue Jays SP Noah Syndergaard(20, 2.5/3*) blanked the Rays 13-0 with a complete game 2-hitter with no walks and 6 strikeouts. The 20-year old fireballer moved to 9-3 3.50 108K in his first full year.

August 1st – Royals 3B Mike Moustakas(24, 4.5*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .337 with 14 home runs, 32RBIs and 19 runs scored for the month. Collecting his second PotM Award of 2013, he is batting .338-31-94 1.015OPS in 96 games.

August 1st – Giants LF/1B Brandon Belt(25, 4.5*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .360 with 7 home runs, 20RBIs and 23 runs scored for the month. A first-time All-Star this year, he is batting .317-24-75 .975OPS in 98 games.

August 1st – Mariners SP Jacob deGrom(25, 2.5/4*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 1.70 34K in 42.1IP for the month. The former #1 prospect is 11-4 2.87 114K in 21 starts for 2013.

August 1st – Dodgers SP Chad Billingsley(29, 3.5*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 6-0 0.39 340 in 46.2IP for the month. The 3x All-Star is 12-4 2.21 138K in 21 starts,

August 1st – Mariners SP Jacob deGrom(25, 2.5/4*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after going 5-0 1.70 34K in 42.1IP for the month. The former #1 prospect is 11-4 2.87 114K in 21 starts for 2013.

August 1st – Dodgers 1B Sergio Herrera(26, 3.5*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after batting .276 with 8 home run, 28RBIs and 20 runs. A scouting discovery from Venezuela this winter, he is batting .251-19-60 .870OPS in 85 games this year.

[Griever20]

Transactions:

August 5th – Bad news for RHRP Trevor Rosenthal(23, 2/3.5*). His season is over as he was diagnosed with shoulder inflammation. The Rule 5 draftee was 3-1 7.47 35K in 40 starts and was placed on the 60-day DL. RHRP Jordan Walden(25, 2.5/3*, 0-2 7SV 4.85 13IP AAA) was recalled.

Series:
4-0 vs MIN(Ramirez 6.2IP 5H 0ER 2BB 8K W(6-6 4.01), Duffy 6IP 6H 1ER 0BB 6K W(7-8 5.28), Miller 3-4 R 3RBI 2DB HR(8), Hernandez 6IP 4H 1ER 3BB 10K)
1-2 vs TBR(deGrom 7.1IP 6H 0ER 3BB 4K W(12-4 2.73))
2-1 @ TOR(Hernandez 8IP 4H 1ER 0BB 9K W(13-6 1.91))
0-3 @ BOS(BOS SP Clay Buchholz 9IP 4H 0ER 2BB 9K W(2-3 5.90))
0-3 @ OAK
1-2 vs NYY(Duffy 7.1IP 5H 0ER 1BB 7K W(8-10 4.70), NYY LF Cole Calhoun 2-4 2R 5RBI 2HR(4))
2-1 vs CLE(Duffy 8IP 5H 0ER 1BB 5K W(9-10 4.41))
2-1 vs DET(Miller 3-4 2R 2RBI DB HR(11), deGrom 7IP 4H 1ER 0BB 5K W(13-6 2.94))
0-2 @ KCR

August: 12-15
Runs Scored: 562(6th)
Batting AVG: .260(5th)
OBP: .318(8th)
Home Runs: 132(9th)
Stolen Bases: 128(1st)
Runs Against: 586(12th)
Starters ERA: 3.36(4th)
Bullpen ERA: 5.45(13th)
FIP: 4.16(9th)
Defensive Eff.: .687(10th)

Back to reality. We ran into the buzzsaw that were the 19-9 Red Sox this month, followed by the Athletics... seven-game losing streak and four games back in the Wild Card. Yes, it is not over, but a playoff appearance is a bonus right now.

Speaking about that, the bottom line is, our MLB roster has dropped another bit of the starters ERA and bullpen ERA, and there have been some really good performances by our young starters. Hitting wise, we still have some young bats that are on a good development path. Looking back at the preseason prediction by the way... Cooper is hitting for a solid .285 clip but is nowhere near a top 10 hitter...

Now, about reinforcements... AAA Tacoma is 81-51 and playoff-bound... let the kids have some fun. Win a title. Have them develop in AAA, have the big kids develop in the majors. They will get the call once the AAA playoff run is done.

Speaking of starters, Hector Noesi is 13-6 2.79 138K in 26 starts in AAA... es mentioned before, he is a carbon copy of Ramirez and we still have Walker in AAA... we may look to find a suitor for him in the offseason, with this performance, he may have peak trade value right now.

As for deGrom... there has been some work with his agent, our owner, myself, and our accountant. We are currently negotiating an 8y/$96M contract... if we get that one done, we have our co-ace locked up... that $29M - $32.5M escalating contract of Hernandez is hurting us here... hopefully, our owner decides to open his pockets after the first .500+ season season since 2009... else, we have to find a way to cut money someday...

And, Chris Taylor is expected to return in a week, which means we will have a full month of him before the end of the season... remember, we will play until October 9th because I forgot to generate a fictional schedule to get that Japan series out of the system...

Where we have a pretty big hole... is the designated hitter spot... we really miss Moss, or at least his production here. Shaffer is batting .219 against LHP, and Peguero is batting .242 against RHP... at least with 8 home runs. Good thing we drafted a home run machine in the first round right?

Right, Matt Chapman in single-A: .338/.399/.724 31 home runs, 71 RBI`s in 72 games. Jikes, we have a power hitter.

Now, onto September baseball. 35 games to go. No expectations, just fun, and development.

In Other News:

August 3rd – Rockies SP Anibal Sanchez(29, 3*) blanked the Phillies 6-0 with a complete game 3-hitter with no walks and 4 strikeouts. The first time All-Star is 13-6 2.14 113K in 21 starts in his first year with Colorado.

August 4th – Giants SP Jon Lester(29, 3*) pitched a 3-hitter in a 4-0 win over the Dodgers today, allowing no walks and striking out seven. The 3x All-Star improved to 14-1 1.93 113K in 20 starts.

August 11th – Brewers LF Khris Davis(25, 3/3.5*) went 5-5 R 5RBI DB HR in a 8-2 win over the Pirates today. The talented outfielder is batting .289-15-50 .843OPS in 106 games.

August 16th – Brewers 3B Aramis Ramirez(35, 2.5*) hit a career milestone today, 2.000 hits! A 2x All-Star and 2011 NL Silver Slugger, he is a career .286/.343/.499 hitter with 342HR, 1254RBI 2000H in 1914 games, good for 46.4WAR.

August 16th – Phillies SP Zach Greinke(29, 3.5*) blanked the Dodgers today, allowing no walks and striking out 12. The 2009 AL Cy Young winner is 10-7 2.46 167K in 24 starts.

August 26th – Dodgers SP Clayton Kershaw(25, 4/5*) dominated the Giants today, allowing 1 walk and striking out 13. The 3x All-Star is 13-6 2.70 214K in 26 starts.

August 30th – Giants SP Jon Lester(29, 3*) has thrown a 2-hit shutout today, beating the Nationals 5-0, allowing three walks and striking out seven. The lefty ace improved to 15-3 2.09 138K in 25 starts.

September 1st – Astros LF David Peralta(26, 4*) was named AL Batter of the Month & AL Rookie of the Month after batting .387 with 8 home runs, 26RBIs and 21 runs scored for the month. The rookie is batting .345/11-37 1.029OPS in 50 games.

September 1st – Dodgers 1B Sergio Herrera(27, 3.5*) was named NL Batter of the Month & NL Rookie of the Month after batting .311 with 10 home runs, 26RBIs and 24 runs scored for the month. He is batting .266-29-86 .934OPS in 112 games.

September 1st – Red Sox SP Chris Capuano(35, 2.5*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going4-0 2.27 327K in 35.2IP for the month. The 2006 AL All-Star is 10-7 3.94 99K in 25 starts.

September 1st – Giants SP Tim Lincecum(29, 3.5*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-1 2.06 53K in 43.2IP for the month. The 2x Cy Young winner is 18-2 2.05 210K in 25 starts

[Griever20]

Prado Shows Off, Hits for Cycle
stadiumreport.bbn

September 3rd, 2013

Martin Prado was at the front of a Braves hit parade today at Turner Field. The second baseman finished 4-for-4 and hit for the cycle as Atlanta triumphed 11-1 over the Miami Marlins.

"Martin was putting on a real clinic out there," Atlanta manager Jarrod Townsend said following the game.

Prado finished the game with 2 RBI and had 1 single, 1 double, 1 triple and 1 home run.

Martin Prado singled in the 1st, hit a solo-shot off Keith Couch in the 4th, hit an RBI triple in the 5th, and doubled in the 7th.

In 127 games this season Prado has batted at a .273/.319/.403 pace with 130 hits and 9 home runs, driving in 45 runs while scoring 62. He was named an All-Star once in 2010.

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Cano Batters Tampa Bay for 6 Hits
stadiumreport.bbn

September 6th, 2013

Robinson Cano had an answer for everything the Tampa Bay Rays threw at him today at Tropicana Field. The New York second baseman went 6-for-6 in the game to put his name in the record book and put the Yankees on top, 17-4.

Summing up his batting philosophy to BNN writers after the game, Cano said, "I just see the ball and I hit it."

Robinson Cano hit a solo-shot off Alex Cobb in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, doubled in the 5th, singled in the 8th, hit an RBI single in the 9th and hit a three-run double in the 9th.

In the 2013 season, Cano is hitting .308/.377/.510 with 24 home runs. He 5x All-Star is locked up until the end of 2018 on a 7y/$220.5M contract.

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Marlins Chill Freeman`s Hot Streak
stadiumreport.bbn

September 25th, 2013

Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman came into today's game against the Miami Marlins on a hot streak. He left on a cold one.

The Marlins did their jobs well, beating the Atlanta Braves 2-1 and holding Freeman hitless to snap his 20-game hitting streak. The 24-year-old first baseman had a few words to say after finishing 0-for-3, telling reporters only that he "came up short."

"What Freddie did was exciting and quite an achievement," said Braves manager Jarrod Townsend. "It's tough enough to get one hit in this league, much less go 20 games in a row. I'm even more proud of the way he handled the press coverage. He never let the frenzy get to him or affect his play."

To date this season Freeman is hitting .329/.406/.561 with 29 home runs, 101 RBI`s, and 97 runs scored.

---

Floyd Super, No-Hits Milwaukee
stadiumreport.bbn

September 26th, 2013

St. Louis Cardinals starter Gavin Floyd said he was standing behind the mound when the scoreboard caught his eye, confirming what he already knew: He was one out from a no-hitter. For a couple of seconds, he didn't move.

"I took a breath and told myself 'This is the last one,'" Floyd recalled.

The right-hander collected himself, got the final out, and finished one of the greatest performances of his career.

The St. Louis right-hander no-hit the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 at Miller Park, finishing with 3 walks and 10 strikeouts, facing only 31 batters.

"I knew for a while it was a no-hitter," Floyd admitted later. "But I really didn't worry about it until the last out. I thought I just wanted to win the game, and then I realized I wanted the no-hitter, too."

This season Floyd has a 13-11 record with a 3.52 ERA in 27 starts, striking out 150. This was the eleventh no-hitter in Cardinals history and the first since Bud Smith threw one in 2001.

[Griever20]

Transactions:

September 8th – Good news day for Mariners fans... 2B Chris Taylor(23, 3.5/4*) will return to the show and the top of the lineup today, replacing young Stefen Romero(24, 2.5*) who cooled off as the DL days ticked down...
And more good news! RHSP Jacob deGrom put his pen on an 8y/$96M contract that will keep the (hopefully) ace around until 2021.

September 12th – In a surprising move, the Mariners managed to claim 21-year C Austin Hedges(21, 2/2,5*) off waivers from the Padres. The young catcher still has one option left and is regarded as one of the best defensive catchers in the game.

October 1st – As AAA Tacoma, unfortunately, lost in Game 5 and therefore was eliminated 4-1 from the playoffs... we took the chance and recalled
LHP Danny Hultzen(23, 2/2.5* as SP, 8-5 3.07 123K 1.3WAR 18GS in AAA)
RHP Hector Noesi(26, 2.5*; 14-6 2.72 159K 29GS 3.3WAR in AAA)
RF Jose Martinez(25, 1.5/2.5*, .251-2-27 .638OPS 58G in AAA)

Series:
0-1 @ KCR
2-2 @ CLE(Duffy 6IP 2H 1ER 4BB 4K W(10-10 4.19))
2-1 vs OAK(deGrom 8.1IP 4H 0ER 1BB 7K W(14-6 2.79))
2-1 vs BAL(Blash 3-4 2R 2RBI 2HR(10), Duffy 8IP 2H 0ER 1BB 8K W(11-10 3.96))
1-2 vs LAA(Blash 2-4 R 6RBI BB DB HR(12), LAA Albert Pujols 2-3 3R 5RBI BB 2HR(17))
1-2 @ TBR(Hernandez 8.1IP 4H 2ER 1BB 13K W(17-9 2.32))
2-1 @ TEX(Duffy 7IP 5H 0ER 2BB 6K W(12-11 4.11))
1-2 vs BOS(deGrom 6IP 6H 1ER 1BB 6K ND)
3-0 vs TEX(Ramirez 8IP 7H 0ER 0BB 6K W(8-12 4.32))

September: 14-12
Runs Scored: 683(7th)
Batting AVG: .260(5th)
OBP: .320(8th)
Home Runs: 166(8th)
Stolen Bases: 169(1st)
Runs Against: 697(11th)
Starters ERA: 3.77(5th)
Bullpen ERA: 5.19(13th)
FIP: 4.10(9th)
Defensive Eff.: .687(9th)

Taking a sweep to end September not only saved our record, it still does give us a small, outside chance at a Wild Card... 2GB with nine to go...
3@ OAK
3@ LAA
3vs OAK...

Not an easy schedule... 6 games against the division leader and already qualified playoff team... unless they take the foot off the gas, that are hard games. We have the top of our rotation coming up, so two games started by Hernandez, two by deGrom, two by Ramirez and one by Duffy and Paxton/Noesi... I want Noesi to get at least one shot before maybe trading him this winter...

Hitting wise, it is good and bad. Jabari Blash made a strong case for rookie of the month, hitting .315-6-15 1.030OPS and Despaigne looks like he wants to keep his job, batting .311-4-15 .805OPS. The DH spot is still kinda vacant and we just recalled Martinez... to see if we throw him against the wall... does he stick? With a 2.5* potential, there has to be SOMETHING hidden here... he can`t be a top 100 prospect without being ANY good... he may just be too old to tap that potential.

Of course, we did not start the service time clock for Betts, Taijian Walker, or one of our other prospects... no offense, but this team, even with a sudden influx of young talent, is not (yet?) a World Series winner... PROVE ME WRONG IF YOU WANT!

Speaking abour the World Series, the bookies have the Giants as clear cut favorites. They have already surpassed 100 wins with nine to go, have the rotation in baseball right now with Madison Bumgarner(24, 3.5/4*, 14-6 2.65), Tim Lincecum(29, 3.5*, 21-3 2.40) and Jon Lester(29, 3*, 17-4 2.38), and a lineup with C Buster Posey(26, 4.5/5*, .340-14-66 .915OPS), LF/1B Brandon Belt(25, 4.5*, .309-28-103 .933OPS) and 3B Pablo Sandoval(27, 3.5*, .294-28-118 .851OPS)... and you want to hear a joke?

At the trade deadline, they rented 1B Joey Votto(30, 4.5*, .314-19-58 .916OPS 100R) from the Reds. He bats leadoff...

In the AL, there is no clear cut favorite. The Arrowheads have a lot of offense but no pitching, the A`s and Rays have pitching but no offense... my bets are on the Indians where a 19-year old Francisco Lindor(19, 2.5/4.5*, #10 prospect) made his debut and already amassed 0.9WAR in 22 games...

Where does this all put us... don`t ask me. We will overthink this whole mess during the playoffs... unless we make them.

In Other News:

September 2nd – Orioles RF Randal Grichuk(22, 3*) has lit up Twins pitching today, going 3-3 4R 4RBI 2BB with three home runs in a 9-0 rout. The rookie is batting .261-33-75 .848OPS in 104 games.

September 3rd – Angels SS Jean Segura(23, 3.5/4*) collected a (not so?) rare 5-hit game, going 5-6 2R 4RBI DB in a 14-5 win over the Tigers pitching today. A slick fielding infielder as well, he is batting .294-9-44 .732OPS 24/31SB in 111 games.

September 7th – Dodgers SP Clayton Kershaw(25, 4/5*) continued a strong season today with a 4-hitter against the Padres walking one and striking out nine in a 6-0 win. The 3x All-Star moved to 15-6 2.51 233K in 28 starts.

September 15th – Athletics SP Jarrod Parker(25, 4/5*) blanked the White Sox today, allowing four hits, walking one, and striking out six in a complete game 8-0 win. A very talented young righty, Jarrod Parker is 15-10 2.61 188K in 30 starts.

September 22nd – Tigers SP Justin Verlander(30, 3.5*) dominated the White Sox today, pitching eight innings of 6-hit ball with 0BB and 15 strikeouts. The 5x All-Star is 14-9 3.14 217K in 31 starts.

Oktober 1st – Indians 1B Tyler Colvin(28, 3.5*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .330 with 10 home runs, 27RBIs and 23 runs scored for the month. A trade steal in 2012, he is batting .308-34-111 .941OPS in 150 games.

Oktober 1st – Braves 1B Freddie Freeman(24, 4*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .409 with 6 home runs, 18RBIs and 23 runs scored for the month. He is batting .327-30-103 .967OPS in 151 games.

Oktober 1st – Athletics SP Jarrod Parker(24, 3.5/4*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-1 1.25 30K in 36IP for the month. The young star is 17-10 2.44 197K in 32 starts.

Oktober 1st – Dodgers SP Clayton Kershaw(25, 4/5*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 5-0 0.69 39K in 39IP for the month. The 2011 Cy Young winner is 18-6 2.34 253K in 31 starts

Oktober 1st – Astros SS Jonathan Villar(22, 3.5/4.5*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after batting .353 with 6 home runs, 21 RBI`s and 23 runs scored. The switch hitter is batting .291-12-60 .797OPS in 137 games for 2013.

October 1st – Nationals LF Bryce Harper(20, 4/5*) was named NL Rookie of the Month after batting .298 with 7 home run, 20RBIs and 24 runs. Also an All-Star this year, he is batting .291-22-67 .912OPS in 140 games this year.

[Griever20]

Transactions:

Series:
3-0 @ OAK(Hernandez 7IP 2H 0ER 1BB 10K W(18-10 2.40), Jose Martinez 4-4 3RBI DB) 1GB SECOND WC
1-2 @ LAA(Paxton 6.2IP 4H 0ER 2BB 4K W(8-11 4.94), LAA Mike Trout 3-5 3R 8RBI 3HR(48)) 1GB SECOND WC
3-0 vs OAK(Hernandez 8IP 6H 2ER 2BB 11K W(19-10 2.39), Jacob deGrom 6.1IP 6H 0ER 3BB 10K W(15-8 2.91), Duffy 7IP 4H 1ER 3BB 7K W(13-11 4.03)) CLINCHED SECOND WC

October: 7-2
Runs Scored: 716(7th)
Batting AVG: .260(5th)
OBP: .321(6th)
Home Runs: 172(9th)
Stolen Bases: 176(1st)
Runs Against: 724(9th)
Starters ERA: 3.70(2nd)
Bullpen ERA: 5.11(13th)
FIP: 4.08(9th)
Defensive Eff.: .687(9th)

**** me. I confess. I did not believe in a run like this. An eight-game winning streak followed by a 3-2 finish made us sneak past the Astros and stay in front of the Yankees to make the Wild Card... in high spirits. Our opponent will be... the Red Sox... the team that we made a big trade with... how did the guys we traded over fare?

RHRP Tom Wilhelmsen 3-2 19SV 1.95 32.1IP 32K 0.8WAR
RHP Drew Hutchison 3-5 1SV 5.14 68.1IP 61K -0.5WAR
C/1B Jesus Montero .288-3-17 .765OPS 39G 1.4WAR
C John Hicks DNP in majors.

Obviously, they won the trade so far, and Montero certainly has become a fine hitter, but my money is on Mookie... Given that we made the playoffs regardless and made the future look even brighter.

I`m still kinda stunned... and we are in great shape for this Wildcard game. A hint. There will be a Triple Crown winner on the mound... 19-10 2.39 262K and an AL-leading 9.2 pitching WAR. Time to shine, Mr. Hernandez.

Mariners On The AL Leaderboards:
Hernandez – Wins – 19 – 1st
Hernandez – ERA – 2.39 – 1st
Hernandez – K`s – 262 – 1st
Hernandez – WAR – 9.2 – 1st
Hernandez – IP – 237.0IP – 1st
Hernandez – Complete Games – 3- tied 3rd
Ramirez – Complete Games – 3- tied 3rd
Hernandez – WHIP – 0.93- 2nd
Hernandez – FIP – 2.14- 1st
Hernandez – QS – 26- 1st

Taylor – SB – 51- 2nd

In Other News:

October 2nd – Dodgers SP Clayton Kershaw(25, 4/5*) blanked the Rockies today, pitching a 2-hitter with 1BB and 9K. The ace is 19-6 2.25 262K in 32 starts.

October 2nd – Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera(30, 4*) collected career hit #2000 today in a 11-5 win over the Royals today. The 7x All-Star and 4x Silver Slugger is a career .320/.393/555 hitter with 341HR, 1225RBIs, 2002 hits and 55.2WAR in 1660 games.

[Griever20]

The Boston Red Sox:

At 88-74, it took a big August of 19-9 to put the Boston Red Sox into contention, and they are thrilled with an 88-74 record at the end, having missed the playoffs the last three seasons. Veteran manager Bobby Valentine was close to getting axed last year but managed to not only return for 2013 but make is third playoff appearance in 17 years of managing in the bigs.

His pitching staff is average at best and with James Shields(31, 3*, 16-7 3.03 172K 3.3WAR) still suspended for being the main contestant in fight night at Fenway a week ago, so facing King Felix will be 3x All-Star Josh Beckett(33, 3*, 13-12 3.37 153K 2.6WAR)… which is not a fair match for Beckett right now, with all due respect.

Their bullpen is so-so as well, but they made a great move in July, acquiring a lockdown closer by the name of Tom Wilhelmsen(29, 3.5*, 4-4 33SV 2.62 58.1IP 53K 1.0WAR)… sounds familiar…

Leading off for them will be the man once named the „new Jonny Damon, center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury(30, 2.5*, .238-9-40 66R 43/47SB)… who dropped 90 points of OBP since his 7.6WAR year in 2011 and 23 home runs… and looks like an average center fielder instead of an MLB star… He is expected to bat in front of rookie Xander Bogaerts(21, 4/5*, .260-9-35 .756OPS) and one of the best hitters in the last decade, 1B David Ortiz(37, 4*, .276-29-92 .862 4.7WAR), who is doing his thing at a high age.

Next up… slick fielding Jackie Bradley Jr.(23, 3.5*, .258-21-73 .814OPS 4.1WAR), 2B Dustin Pedroia(30, 4*. .273-14-69 .736OPS 4.3WAR), 3B Will Middlebrooks(25, 3.5*, .273-29-78 .842OPS 3.5WAR)… and SS Troy Tulowitzki(29, 4*, .224-20-77 .678OPS 3.7WAR).

It is hitting against pitching.

American League Wild Card Game:

October 12th, 2013

Seattle Mariners – Boston Red Sox @ Fenway Park

SEA: SP Felix Hernandez(R, 19-10 2.39)
2B Taylor – LF Blash – 1B Cooper – RF Despaigne – 3B Seager – CF Hicks – SS Miller – C Zunino - DH Peguero

BOS: SP Josh Beckett(R, 13-12 3.37)
CF Ellsbury - SS Bogaerts – 1B Ortiz - LF Bradley – 3B Middlebrooks – 2B Pedroia – SS Tulowitzki - RF Ross - C Montero

Fenway was alive today, and many pundits told everybody that King Felix was 0-2 7.15 this year against the Beantown heroes… and that trend continued right away. Bogaerts singled up the middle to get one on with one down, Ortiz then lasered one into the right-field gap… and Will Middlebrooks converted for a quick 2-run single, and we fell behind right away… BOS 2, SEA 0 after one.

The wobbling continued with a loud double by Jesus ******* Montero and Blash dropping a ROUTINE FLYBALL LIKE AN AMATEUR… but Felix reached back… struck out Bogaerts… and Ortiz to survive the second. Meanwhile, we ended the top of the third, getting baffled by Beckett and things looked like they were going horribly wrong.

That Red Sox train rolled on until the fifth inning as Hernandez stopped allowing contact, and Beckett was in his groove… until Kyle Seager led off the inning off with a single. Up next, switch-hitting Mr. Hicks… and Beckett certainly hated his guts and clipped him with a pitch.

Two on, Miller worked a full count and then drove one to deep left… that found leather… PLEASE SCORE GUYS… Zunino made Beckett work as well… for a strikeout and with two down, Carlos „I bat .200 every year“ Peguero was up… and wouldn`t you know… drops a little flyer into right… 2-1!

And that was when the Red Sox completely fell apart. Tulo could not handle an easy grounder, Beckettthen walked Blash on a 3-1 pitch… 2-2… Cooper also walked on a 3-1 pitch… 3-2 Seattle… Beckett`s day ended eventually when Despaigne hit a little trickier past him… that Middlebrooks could not get rid off in time… 4-2 SEATTLE. Kyle Seager, who started the inning with a single, continued the „death by infield single“ theme to make it 5-2 against now pitching A.J. Ramos… and Hicks finally whiffed to end a huge 5-run inning that made a number of Sox fans scream in agony!

King Felix was done after 98 pitches and five decent frames, and Capps was able to live through the sixth… to see Mark Melancon setting the table by hitting Taylor and Blash to start the frame… and Cooper and Seager sunk that ship by hitting hard RBI-singles to make it 7-2 Seattle… and Seager then sealed it by hitting another RBI-single in the top of the ninth…

Game over.

SP Felix Hernandez 5IP 7H 2ER 1BB 7K W
2B Chris Taylor 0-4 2R HBP SB(1)
LF Jabari Blash 1-3 3R RBI BB SB(1)
1B David Cooper 2-4 2RBI BB
3B Kyle Seager 4-5 R 3RBI SB(1)
DH Carlos Peguero 1-4 R RBI
HR SEA: none
HR BOS: none
W: Felix Hernandez(1-0 3.60) L: Josh Beckett(0-1 1.93)
SEA 7 BOS 2 SEA wins AL WC GAME, advances to ALDS
Beckett got tagged for four unearned runs after that Tulo error… poor kid… BUT our cinderella story continues… ALDS against the Cleveland Indians…

NL Wild Card Game:
Los Angeles Dodgers 5 – Arizona Diamondbacks 6
Arizona advances to NLDS .

[Griever20]

The Cleveland Indians:

What do you get for winning the Wild Card game? Right, the team with the best record in your league. Cleveland finished the season with 94 wins and manager Manny Acta, who made the playoffs for the second season in a row, saw good and bad this year.

To find someone really good in the pitching staff… well there is lefty SP Hyun-jin Ryu(26, 3/3.5*, 15-10 3.22 186K), the ace of their pitching staff. Michael cooled off significantly on him, and I personally think that we got a better deal with deGrom… but Ryu is dangerous and will start game one. Sinkerballer Justin Masterson(28, 3*, 12-9 3.82 141K) will come after him, and we will see Zach McAllister(25, 2.5*, 11-12 4.79 133K) and (hopefully) their #4 in Josh Tomlin(28, 2.5*, 13-11 4.05 109K).

Their pen is average at best, and the only reliever with an ERA under three… is their closer in Chris Perez(28, 3.5*, 2-3 37SV 2.47 62K 58.1IP), who has been a steady contributor of saves since joining in 2009, 128 saves in the last four years.

Those guys are here to keep them in the game… their offense is there to break us. 2B Jason Kipnis(26, 4*, .319-18-74 .877OPS) collected 105 runs scored and 6.9WAR in his second full year batting leadoff and behind him lingers All-Star LF Michael Brantley(26, 3.5*, .336-12-80 .850OPS), who developed into a quality contact bat lately. Young 2B/DH Jose Ramirez(21, 3/5*, .321-7-42 .888OPS 69G) was the #12 prospect prior to the season and was on fire since coming up… batting third.

The surprise of the season was 28-year old All-Star 1B Tyler Colvin(28, 3.5*, .310-35-114 .937OPS), a former Cubs prospect that made his way to Cleveland[/U][/B] as a projected bench piece… and turned into one of the best RBI guys in 2013.

All-Star catcher Carlos Santana(27, 3,5*, .264-25-97 .851OPS) is as productive at the plate as any catcher in the AL and while the lineup thins out a bit behind 3B Lonnie Chisenhall(25, 3*, .299-14-66 .855OPS), this lineup can score a hurry and has shown that by being the second-best offense in the AL.

Prediction: CLE in 5

American League Division Series Game 1:

October 14th, 2013

Seattle Mariners – Cleveland Indians @ Progressive Field

SEA: SP Jacob deGrom(R, 15-8-10 2.91)
2B Taylor – SS Miller – RF Despaigne – LF Blash – 1B Cooper – DH Shaffer – 3B Seager – C Zunino - CF Hicks

CLE: SP Hyun-jin Ryu(R, 15-10 3.22)
2B Kipnis - LF Brantley – DH Ramirez - 1B Colvin – C Santana – 3B Chisenhall – RF Choo - SS Barmes - CF Shafer

The surprise of the evening… they left Francisco Lindor off the playoff roster… not that we mind, already a big challenge. Facing Ryu here, in the playoffs… sometimes, baseball writes the stories by itself. The next chapter of the story was written by Chris Taylor, Carlos Santana and Alfredo Despaigne… as Taylor hit a loud, and I mean LOUD double off the center-field wall… and Santana misjudged a fastball for passed ball… before Despaigne then drove in the first run with a grounder… early lead!

And deGrom found similar trouble in the bottom first. His control was all over the place and he went to three balls a couple of times… and Kipnis took the leadoff walk. Branley jumped on the first pitch… impatiently… but it was a hard grounder towards first… that Cooper had to dive for… no double play. A little flick with the bat later… a single dropped into right… for runners at the corners… and with a bloody 3-0 count… Colvin hit a grounder at the second baseman…double play!

And suddenly, both pitchers settled into a nerve-racking routine with deGrom retiring batters with pure luck, and Ryu with pure stuff as he struck out NINE in the first five innings. He seemed set to keep the score close… when Aaron Hicks, batting ninth… broke his groove with a hard drive to right… Choo is slow… leaps… MISSES IT… Shafer backs him up… LEADOFF TRIPLE!

They then went for the pure baseball decision… and intentionally walked Taylor to set up the double play. Taylor, with a small smile on his face, trotted to first… and smoked the Indians as he swiped second on a 2-1 pitch… forget your double play. Brad Miller got the bare minimum out of this chance with a groundout RBI-single… and we left Taylor to starve at third on K #10 and a 6-3 grounder…

Traffic increased on the basepaths… but both starters made it through the seventh before Papelbon and Furbush pitched a scoreless 8th. They kept Papelbon in for a second inning… and Seager and Zunino unleashed some two-out terror with sound singles… but Aaron Hicks had used up his luck today and grounded out to first.

Addison Reed came out for the save… and he needed three pitches as the Indians came out hacking.

SP Jacob deGrom 7IP 3H 0ER 2BB 3K W(1-0 0.00)
2B Chris Taylor 1-3 R DB BB SB(2)
SS Brad Miller 1-4 RBI SB(2)
RF Alfredo Despaigne 0-4 RBI
3B Kyle Seager 2-3 BB
CF Aaron Hicks 1-4 R
HR SEA: none
HR CLE: none
W: Jacob deGrom(1-0 0.00) L: Hyun-jin Ryu(0-1 2.57)
SEA 2 CLE 0 SEA leads ALDS 1-0
Well piched game by both pitchers. Jacob deGrom did not have his best stuff, but he battled and was able to get the outs he needed… We made the most out of our baserunners… and maybe out of a managerial mistake, putting Taylor on backfired horribly.

ALDS:
Oakland Athletics 2 – Tampa Bay Rays 0
Oakland leads ALDS 1-0.

NLDS:
Cincinnati Reds 0 – Washington Nationals 12
WSH SP Stephen Strasburg 8.2IP 4H 0ER 2BB 10K W(1-0 0.00)
Washington leads NLDS 1-0.

Cincinnati Reds 2 – Washington Nationals 0
CIN SP Homer Bailey 8IP 4H 0ER 1BB 5K W(1-0 0.00)
NLDS tied at 1.

Arizona Diamondbacks 4 – San Francisco Giants 5
San Francisco leads NLDS 1-0

Arizona Diamondbacks 5 – San Francisco Giants 6
San Francisco leads NLDS 2-0

[Griever20]

American League Division Series Game 2:

October 15th, 2013

Seattle Mariners – Cleveland Indians @ Progressive Field

SEA: SP Danny Duffy(L, 13-11 4.03)
2B Taylor – LF Blash– 1B Cooper – RF Despaigne – 3B Seager - CF Hicks – SS Miller – C Zunino – DH Peguero

CLE: SP Justin Masterson(R, 12-9 3.82)
2B Kipnis - LF Brantley – DH Ramirez - 1B Colvin – C Santana – 3B Chisenhall – RF Choo - SS Barmes - CF Shafer

This one felt bad before the game. The second-best offense in baseball… and Danny Duffy. The general feeling was that we need to hit Masterson for run support to win this… and we started well on that path when Blash and Taylor singled to start the first… but Cooper`s high contact bat made contact for a double play… and that signaled the start of a pitcher`s duel.

Danny pitched with his heart… more than with his arm, but after three innings of lots of contact… he had allowed one single to Barmes… and Masterson had thrown twice as many pitches as Danny after three… 27-54. That could not continue… for Duffy… too much contact.

Which turned out to be true in the fifth when he not only lost his control but also his catcher as Mike had to kill himself to not turn a PASSED BALL into a double… and that one made Chisenhall reach and started a quick rally that loaded the bases with two outs. The Tribe fans were rocking here, looking for the first run of the series for their team… and the next three at-bats… two balls cleared the infield…

And those ended the frame scoreless as Schafer and Brantley lobbed out softly to Despaigne… and Kipnis was (surprise!) struck out looking.

By that time, we had already cobbled together five hits that had no effect apart from elevating Masterson`s pitch count… but regardless of that, our luck ran out in the sixth when Jose Ramirez tattooed a fastball on the outer half the other way… way back and gone, CLE 1, SEA 0.

With our lefties in the pen not really impressive and the Indians` lefty-heavy lineup, Duffy got another go… but his day was done after 6.1 innings and with a runner at second… Lucas Luetge came in… and probably pitched his best 0.2 innings of the season, striking out Kipnis and getting a flyout out of Michael Brantley…

Despite those pitching shenanigans, we still trailed 0-1, and the Indians called on their closer early to get a two-inning save… and his first inning was ended on a K, but with a runner at second stranded… We NEED to BLOW him up in the ninth to win this one…

We got on with a sound single to right by Cooper and Despaigne was up… hacked like he always does… 6…4...3… double play. And ballgame.

SP Danny Duffy 6.1IP 1H 1ER 0BB 4K L(0-1 1.42)
2B Chris Taylor 3-4 2SB(4)
LF Jabari Blash 1-4
1B David Cooper 1-4
SS Brad Miller 1-3
C Mike Zunino 1-3
HR SEA: none
HR CLE: Jose Ramirez(1)
W: Justin Masterson(1-0 0.00) L: Danny Duffy(0-1 1.42)
SEA 0 CLE 1 ALDS tied at 1
Pitching dominated series… who would`ve bet on that…

ALDS:
Oakland Athletics 14 – Tampa Bay Rays 6
Oakland leads ALDS 2-0.


NLDS:
Washington Nationals 2 – Cincinnati Reds 7
Cincinati leads NLDS 2-1.

San Francisco Giants 13 – Arizona Diamondbacks 2
San Francisco wins NLDS 3-0, advances to NLCS.

[Griever20]

American League Division Series Game 3:

October 17th, 2013

Cleveland Indians - Seattle Mariners – @ SAFECO Field

CLE: SP Zach McAllister(R, 11-12 4.79)
2B Kipnis - LF Brantley – DH Ramirez - 1B Colvin – C Santana – 3B Chisenhall – RF Choo - SS Barmes - CF Shafer

SEA: SP James Paxton(L, 8-11 4.94)
2B Taylor – LF Blash– 1B Cooper – RF Despaigne – 3B Seager - CF Hicks – SS Miller – C Zunino – DH Peguero

Everybody's guess was that the tone of the series would change here with two high 4 ERA pitchers on the mound… and they were proven right when walked Kipnis to start our FIRST home playoff game… and Jose Ramirez wasted no time, bringing him in after Brantley moved him to second on a ball where we missed a chance to turn a double play…

So, we needed offense… enter Zach McAllister. A confident lad, he posted on twitter that he wants to shut those Mariners up for good today… and it turned out that lighting a fire under our lineup was a mistake he could not afford to make. Chris led off the first with a hard liner up the middle for a single, Blash watched four junk pitches go past him for a walk… and that brought up Cooper, who had not lived up to his preseason prediction of being a top 10 hitter… but converted with a rocket to right field that was just fair for an RBI-double.

Bring up Kyle Seager… and his .545 batting average in the playoffs this year… he made it .583 with a 3-run blast to right-center that went 5ft past a „hit it here“ sign by a 12-year old Mariners fan… can`t do everything perfect… SEA 4, CLE 1.

Was that enough? Paxton was all over the place in the early innings, dominant in one inning, striking out two after a 1-out double by Santana, and wonky in others where only Blash giving his best Shaq impression at the left-field wall, saving him from a Brantley solo home run.

And then Alfredo D. from C. dropped what should`ve been an early flyout to start the fifth. Colvin followed that up with a ****** infield single that rolled for an eternity before Taylor picked it up… and Santana, after hitting a double earlier this game… had a big battle with James that resulted… and a walk to load 'em up with no outs.

While I poured in the first shot of good old Russian vodka, Chisenhall got a sac fly… and I stopped short of knocking the whole bottle down when Choo made the second out on a fielders choice… could a 4-2 lead survive for another inning…

No. Barmes hit one under the glove of Miller for one, Schafer singled to center for two, and Kipnis continued the „death by singles“ theme by lining another one just over a jumping Miller… before Brantley and made the final out… CLE 5, SEA 4. **** me.

The plug was pulled from Paxton after that and while I tried to suffocate him in Gatorade, Erasmo Ramirez gave us good long relief… until he didn`t. Once again, a manager calling for an intentional walk cost him dearly as Ramirez was put in the seventh with Kipnis on and one out. The call to warm up Capps came way too late and Ramirez in his third inning then walked Colvin on five… and with two outs, the game was over when Chisenhall hit a grand salami, and I hit the vodka.

The Indians got Salazar in for a happy McAllister that suddenly was soundly in line for the W, and the second inning of relief gave us a chance. Blash took his second walk of the day, Cooper got another hit… and with two on, the Indians once again called for their closer to give them multiple innings to close out a game.

Despaigne greeted him roughly by hitting one back at him and through his legs for an infield single… BASES LOADED!!! Aaron got his pitch count up with a long AB… and an RBI-walk… and Miller swung at the first pitch he saw… for the final out of the 8th.

Capps and Walden somehow wobbled through three innings of scoreless relief thanks to some nifty defensive work… could we get something going in the bottom of the ninth… being 9-5 down?

Well, for starters, Jason Kipnis could not handle an easy grounder by slow-footed Mike Zunino to start a rally. Our designated failure Chris Peguero actually did something useful in walking, and Jabari Blash, after coming in with a .182 batting average in the playoffs… got a fastball he liked… HAMMERED TO LEFT FIELD… AND GOOOOONE!!! 3-RUN HOME RUN! CLE 9, SEA 8!!!

PANIK STATIONS IN THE VISITOR`S DUGOUT! Papelbon was already warming up but not quite ready, and Perez got a shot at Cooper who was 2-4 already… and made it 2-5 as he hit a curve on the ground for an easy out. Indians manager Manny Acta decided that with two down, bottom ninth, he needed defensive replacements and a pitching change, and all of that was a perfect build-up to Alfredo Despaigne… striking out to end the game.

SP James Paxton 4IP 6H 5R 1ER 2BB 3K L(0-1 2.25)
2B Chris Taylor 2-5 2R SB(5)
LF Jabari Blash 2-3 3R 3RBI 2BB HR(1)
1B David Cooper 2-5 R RBI DB
3B Kyle Seager 1-4 R 3RBI HR(1)
CF Aaron Hicks 1-3 RBI BB
HR SEA: Jabari Blash(1), Kyle Seager(1)
HR CLE: Lonnie Chisenhall(1)
W: Zach McAllister(1-0 6.00) L: James Paxton(0-1 2.25)
CLE 9 SEA 8 CLE leads ALDS 2-1
What a rollercoaster ride… won by the marginally better offensive team, and a managerial mistake by the guy sitting in front of the PC… should`ve pulled Ramirez earlier...

ALDS:
Tampa Bay Rays 2 - Oakland Athletics 13
OAK 1B Mark Teixeira 4-5 4R 6RBI 2DB TP HR(1)
Oakland wins ALDS 3-0.

NLDS:
Washington Nationals 1 – Cincinnati Reds 4
Cincinati wins NLDS 3-1.

[Griever20]

American League Division Series Game 4:

October 18th, 2013

Cleveland Indians - Seattle Mariners – @ SAFECO Field

CLE: SP Josh Tomlin(R, 13-11 4.05)
2B Kipnis - LF Brantley – DH Ramirez - 1B Colvin – C Santana – 3B Chisenhall – RF Choo - SS Barmes - CF Shafer

SEA: SP Felix Hernandez(R, 1-0 3.60)
2B Taylor – LF Blash– 1B Cooper – RF Despaigne – 3B Seager - CF Hicks – SS Miller – C Zunino – DH Peguero

Time for our ace to enter the picture… Felix knew he had to win to keep this miracle season alive… but his stuff wasn`t sharp from the get-go as he needed 24 pitches to seal the first with Tyler Colvin fouling off pitches like he gets a dime for every foul ball… but things remained scoreless…

Until we unleashed some quick 2-out terror on Tomlin in the bottom 1st. It was David Cooper once again who broke out his singles bat, and then Alfredo Despaigne, who was heartbroken after his error and his game-ending strikeout yesterday… jumped on the first pitch, a hanging breaking ball… and banged it to left field… TRACK… WALL… GOOOOONE!!! 2-RUN HOMER!

We kept chipping away on Tomlin with Peguero and Cooper driving in single runs to make it 4-0 and the Indians looked worried that our left-handed lineup would produce big today… while King Felix kept them in check.

They had two hits through two, but once again, an error by our guys started them off in the third. Seager threw one past the first baseman with two down to keep the inning going, and usually calm King Felix, who had seen everything in the regular season, was a bit rattled. Ramirez worked a long AB with three foul balls… and then grounded one under Cooper`s glove into right that rolled all the way to the wall… RBI-double…

Our pitching coach walked out to give Hernandez a pep talk… but the Indians showed why they were the second-best offense in baseball as their #4-#6 hitters batted around and scored two more runs before the frame was sealed on a Choo flyout… one-run game. 4-3 SEA.

Traffic on the basepath was limited to a Taylor single + stolen base(his 6th in the playoffs!), but that led to nothing…. Until superhero Kyle Seager hit a decent little double with two down in the fifth… In a very unlikely turn of events, light-hitting center fielder Aaron Hicks came, saw, and homered to DEAD CENTER FOR A TWO-RUN BLAST… rounding the bases while shaking his head… not knowing how he hit a 440ft home run.

We tried to get the sixth out of Hernandez… and promptly got burned when Choo hit a solo shot to make it 6-4… and that was the last frame by Hernandez, leaving with a lead… and three innings of nifty bullpen work needed to stay alive for another game.

Trying to find a good lefty to pitch the seventh… we found none and decided to pitch Furbush anyways… who actually delivered a good inning, and that set the stage for Kahnle in the 8th and Reed in the ninth… as easy as that right?

Wrong. Tommy K. was as good as our junk bullpen was all year long and imploded in our face with rapid pace, walking Ramirez, striking out Colvin… but switch-hitter Carlos Santana wasn`t fooled by him… and took him deep for a game-tying 2-run shot.

Choo then tattooed Kahnle with his second solo shot of the night, and some lunatic tried to throw a vodka bottle at him, but only hit the top of the visitor`s dugout, showering the Indians in liquor. Sign of things to come?

To keep the madness going, Papelbon got the bottom 8th and made things interesting by walking Peguero and Blash to get two on with two down… and very interesting by throwing a little breaking ball that did not break off the plate… high to right… too high to right… not deep enough… inning over.

We still called for Reed to make sure it stayed a one-run game… which actually worked, and that got us into the bottom ninth. Papelbon was still out there as Perez was completely gassed and unavailable to pitch today… but he started off things with a K to Despaigne… before Seager once again gave us a little bit of hope with a line drive to center for a base hit. Hicks watched at two strikes to start his AB… and that doomed it basically as he lobbed out softly to left…

Two down, Acta went for his drama decisions and called for 31-year old righty Cristhian Martinez… who was 6-1 with 1SV and an ERA of 6!!! in the regular season… and that surely did light up a fire at SAFECO when those numbers flashed the big screen!

Given that the next batter was a lefty, Martinez had no reason to be out there… and Miller showed him that by turning on a heater and hitting it up the middle… BASE HIT! Seager PAST SECOND TO THIRD… AND HE HOLDS ON A THROW… THAT BRINGS MILLER TO SECOND!

TWO ON, TWO OUT! 7-6 CLEVELAND… THE TENSION!

And the Mariners call for a pinch hitter! Anthony Gose comes to the plate, the left-handed hitter against the weak righty? Will he be the hero?



He struck out looking.

SP Felix Hernandez 6IP 7H 4R 1ER 1BB 6K ND
2B Chris Taylor 1-4 SB(6)
1B David Cooper 3-5 R RBI DB
RF Alfredo Despaigne 1-5 R 2RBI HR
3B Kyle Seager 4-5 R DB
CF Aaron Hicks 1-5 R 2RBI HR(1)
DH Carlos Peguero 1-3 R RBI BB DB
HR SEA: Alfredo Despaigne(1), Aaron Hicks(1)
HR CLE: Carlos Santana(1), Shin-Soo Choo 2(2)
W: Tony Sipp(1-0 0.00) L: Tommy Kahnle(0-1 9.00) SV: Cristhian Martinez(1 0.00)
CLE 7 SEA 6 CLE wins ALDS 3-1
Stinker...

[Griever20]

Office of the Owner
October 21st, 2013

Two days after getting eliminated by the Indians, it was a strange mood at SAFECO between the front office people that found their way to the park on this rainy Monday morning. Jake, our assistant GM, went out drinking after the game and was sobered up, but still a pretty gloomy and we just exchanged a few words about the game and both agreed we got the maximum out of the team with that ALDS berth.

Our manager in Lariel Gonzalez was a lot less happy as he was criticized a lot in the local and national media for some of his decisions, like leaving Ramirez and Hernandez in too long or pinch-hitting Gose for Zunino in the final AB of the series. As for me, those decisions are fine. If they work out, you are the genius. If you fail, you are the idiot. Having a relatively fresh pen for game four and a potential game five could`ve been a huge advantage. Just didn`t work out.

Well, the real deal… was to talk with our owner. What a dork. „Well, that was a nice treat. Making the playoffs, thrilling games in the ALDS, and you made a profit of $19.8M this year. I really like it.“ And I did not like the way this talk went right from the start… He is talking profit… PROFIT. We are talking about building a contender, and he is talking profit…

„Yes, it was a great ride, but there is so much potential in this team, we have a young core that could really carry this team farther, and we locked most of them up on team-friendly deals. All we need is a little bit of time to develop them further, and a little bit of help on the financial side to get maybe an arm or two in to bolster the pen.“ So, I laid out the bait. Would he take it.

„Well, well, young man. I looked at the books for next year. If we get the same gate revenue and spend the same money, we will make a loss that equals the $19.8M we made(and the $14M he pocketed). So, I am going to allow you a budget of $104M for 2014. I think that is a fair deal. Apart from that, I`m going to leave you in charge, no interference. Just stay within the budget and bring in a good result. Thanks for coming by“

$104M. No discussion. He drops this RIDICULOUS budget and just throws me out of his office. $4M increase after $19.8M of profit, an 85-win season, and the FIRST PLAYOFF BERTH since 2001. Increased attendance by 700.000 to the highest mark since 2007. That kinda forces my hand.

Just when I left the office, he called me back. „Oh, K.C., forgot to tell you, Michael, your scouting director, just told me he enjoyed working here, but he will retire at the end of the year. Sad to see him depart, but I guess, at his age, one year shaping this team was enough.“

[Griever20]

Confidential: Prospect Report, November 5th, 2013

I`m pleased with the new scouting director you picked up, just wanted to take the chance to tell you that. Julio is outstanding and willing to learn, I`d advice you to keep him around for a long time. He may not be as experienced in front office work, but his scouting eye is very nice.

Anyways, I know the offseason ahead will be busy, and you need a clear look at the prospects we have available as trade chips or keepers, and with the blockbuster trade you have lined up, you need to know what is there.

Greetings
Michael Aaron
Soon to be former Scouting Director Seattle Mariners

--

Pitching:

Close to the majors: AAA RHSP Taijuan Walker(20, 2/2.5*, #93 prospect), AA RHRP Carson Smith(24, 2/4*, #195 prospect), AA RHRP Ken Giles(23, 1.5/3.5*, #218 prospect)

Others: INT RHSP Vicente Diaz(16, 3* HS, 3.5*OSA, #25 prospect)

Dropped out: A RHRP Alex Powers(22)

The bad news here is that Taijuan Walker has made no progress at all and to be frank, we have better pitchers in the majors than the best version of Walker. I recommend to trade him while he has value. Apart from that, we have two good relief prospects in Smith and Giles that we NEED to take a long look at in spring training.

Diaz is rated favorably by the OSA and decently by us, but I still thing dropping those $11.5M on him in the international amateur market… was overly optimistic.

Catcher:

Close to the majors: AAA C Austin Hedges(21, 2.5* #389 prospect)

Others: R C Chase Vallot(17, 2.5*)

Dropped out: ---

Not a lot of depth here, but it is not needed as we have two good MLB catchers and Hedges who projects as elite defensive catcher, and therefore is a good #3.

Infield:

Close to the majors: none

Others: A 2B Ketel Marte(20, 3.5*, #20 prospect), A 1B Matt Chapman(20, 4.5*, #28 prospect), A Cody Bellinger(18, 3.5*, #75 prospect)

Dropped out: 3B Richie Shaffer(MLB)

Things are looking good on the 1B/DH side, which is where we are weak at the MLB level right now. However, Chapman and Bellinger will need some time to develop, so there is no real quick fix in sight for the DH. Yes, I know, Chapman won California League MvP, batting .319/.379/.693 with 38 home runs and 90RBI´s...

Marte is a nice asset and definitely a future MLB regular, but he is still slightly error prone in the field, and still blocked by Taylor and Miller who are locked up long term. I know you are thinking about trading Marte, but remember, injuries happen...

Outfield:

Close to the majors: AAA LF/RF Mookie Betts(21, 2/5*, #2 prospect), AAA CF Ender Inciarte(22, 2.5/3*, #139 prospect), AAA RF Travis Taijeron(24, 2.5/3.5*, #141). RF Jose Martinez(25, 1.5/2.5*, #163 prospect)

Others: ---

Dropped out: LF Jabari Blash(MLB), CF Anthony Gose(MLB)

Adding Betts is a scouts dream, but the rest of the guys „close“ to the majors are problematic in my view. Taijeron & Inciarte are out with long term injuries and Martinez looks like a bust.

My advice would be to run all those guys in spring, and see who sticks… but personally, I would say, keep Betts in AAA for at least 2-3 months, he needs some time and is young enough to not rush him.

I leave you with one of the best systems in baseball, put it to good use.

[Griever20]

Changes, Changes:
Well, as you probably realized, our veteran scouting director decided to call it quits after the season and we went out there and signed 45-year old Julio Valera as new scouting director. He is outstanding in every scouting category but has little experience.

In addition to that, we decidedto make a change at the pitching coach position. Jason Knight has done a fine job with us but expressed interest to work with younger players, so he was happy to be assigned to All-Year Rookie League Newark, and in turns, we signed 55-year old former Rays pitching coach Tony Garcia on a 3-year deal.

Potential Free Agents/Arbitration Candidates:

RHRP Jordan Walden(25, 2.5/3*) 1-2 1SV 5.59 56.1IP -0.2WAR
We offered a 1y/$775k deal. Was a disappointment last year, but is cheap with experience.

RHCL Addison Reed(24, 3.5/4*) 2-5 20SV 2.88 65.2IP 1.2WAR
We are in preliminary talks with him and may try to sign him for a 4y/$16M contract once we cleared some salary.

Roster Chatter:
Our owner has set our focus to "rebuilding"... We are open for business.

We are over budget if we fill out the roster and have no money to add a good #5 starter and a bullpen arm to bolster this team. We desperately need to clear salary… I will do it. I will. Keep an eye out for the baseball news.