Bobby Madritsch pitches gem; Ichiro ignores Melvin; Yanks suck
The M's had lost 7 in a row, Boston's the hottest team in all of baseball... and Bobby pitches the best game of his life (I'm guessing) and completely shuts 'em down.
I'd say this is a classic case of a letdown on Boston's part. They knew they had critical games against Oakland and Anaheim, and after sweeping both were a little flat when they came to Safeco. I'm not trying to take anything away from Madritsch, as he's easily been our best pitcher from Tacoma this year. I think plenty of fans are ready to put him in the rotation next year based on his performance.
Should Melvin have left him in to pitch the 9th? No way, as he'd already thrown plenty of pitches and you could tell he was laboring in the 8th. If he was sitting at 100 pitches and breezed thru the 8th, sure. But if Melvin put him back on the mound in the 9th, and he gave up three runs, how is that helping anyone?
Better to have him keep his confidence (8 scoreless innings against the best offense in the AL) and be fresher for his next start.
___________
Apparently Melvin spoke with Ichiro after Wednesday's terrible bunt attempt and told him to swing away- The Bunt, Reprise
So last night Ichiro did it again anyway in a similar situation.
Let's review what Ichiro is doing-
- putting himself over the teams needs
- ignoring his manager
Is Ichiro getting a free pass from the fans on this?
__________
Of course everytime the Mariners beat the Red Sox, it's helping the Yankees. However, there are still 6 games to be played between the two, and both are almost certain to be going to the playoffs.
While the Yanks are feeling better after beating up on the hapless Devil Rays, the fact is the Red Sox are still the better team right now.
Look for the Yanks to have trouble getting out of the first round of the playoffs- they simply don't have the pitching, and losing at least 4 of the games with Boston will only increase the pressure they will feel.
The Yanks will be playing not to lose in the playoffs- not the recipe for success.
The M's had lost 7 in a row, Boston's the hottest team in all of baseball... and Bobby pitches the best game of his life (I'm guessing) and completely shuts 'em down.
I'd say this is a classic case of a letdown on Boston's part. They knew they had critical games against Oakland and Anaheim, and after sweeping both were a little flat when they came to Safeco. I'm not trying to take anything away from Madritsch, as he's easily been our best pitcher from Tacoma this year. I think plenty of fans are ready to put him in the rotation next year based on his performance.
Should Melvin have left him in to pitch the 9th? No way, as he'd already thrown plenty of pitches and you could tell he was laboring in the 8th. If he was sitting at 100 pitches and breezed thru the 8th, sure. But if Melvin put him back on the mound in the 9th, and he gave up three runs, how is that helping anyone?
Better to have him keep his confidence (8 scoreless innings against the best offense in the AL) and be fresher for his next start.
___________
Apparently Melvin spoke with Ichiro after Wednesday's terrible bunt attempt and told him to swing away- The Bunt, Reprise
So last night Ichiro did it again anyway in a similar situation.
Let's review what Ichiro is doing-
- putting himself over the teams needs
- ignoring his manager
Is Ichiro getting a free pass from the fans on this?
__________
Of course everytime the Mariners beat the Red Sox, it's helping the Yankees. However, there are still 6 games to be played between the two, and both are almost certain to be going to the playoffs.
While the Yanks are feeling better after beating up on the hapless Devil Rays, the fact is the Red Sox are still the better team right now.
Look for the Yanks to have trouble getting out of the first round of the playoffs- they simply don't have the pitching, and losing at least 4 of the games with Boston will only increase the pressure they will feel.
The Yanks will be playing not to lose in the playoffs- not the recipe for success.
posted by Tom at
10:18 AM
