M's will gain ground in June
After having to play so many tough opponents early in the season, the Mariners finally get to play some sub .500 teams. It is not unreasonable to see the M's hover around .500 at various points before the all star break.
We saw with San Diego what teams like the Mariners do... namely, they look terrible in Oakland, look pretty good the next series, and then... who knows!
Teams that are struggling to play .500 ball drive you crazy. They are just as likely to get swept as sweep somebody, and they are impossible to predict. Compared to the lousy teams of the past few years, the current collection of misfits and future stars is actually fairly entertaining. Remember back in the day when a young Griffey and RJ were playing for the M's? (I'm talking early 90's.) Well, the M's struggled back then too.
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So what about the "major" moves planned this weekend?
Lawton getting released is more about Hargrove than anything else. When Willie got banged up, and Adrian's hamstring started acting up, Hargrove suddenly realized him having such a lousy bench was a problem. So, he brought up Morse, who actually solves nothing.
Morse is lousy in the outfield, lousy in the infield. He wasn't playing well in Tacoma, but welcome to the big leagues Mike!! Supporters of Hargrove will have a hard time explaining this one. At least Morse won't get much playing time.
The other reason for Lawton being released is simply Hargrove's stupid decision to not rest starters. Since he won't rest Ichiro or Ibanez, Lawton would never see any playing time this season with Reed/Willie platooning in center.
I'm not turning this post into a bash on Hargrove... the moves say volumes about his managerial style, and it's up to you whether you agree with them.
He relies too much on a set lineup, and relies too much on veterans. (Fact or fiction?!!)
But then again, we knew this when we hired him. Who wants to beat on a dead horse?
As for Mateo, he should have been forced to pitch more in a rehab assignment before I would trust him in a game. Did anyone else wince when they saw him warming up last night when Felix was struggling to hold a lead?
I did.
So no major moves, just like I figured. Expect more crazy games this week, as the M's try to figure out if they want to compete this summer.
After having to play so many tough opponents early in the season, the Mariners finally get to play some sub .500 teams. It is not unreasonable to see the M's hover around .500 at various points before the all star break.
We saw with San Diego what teams like the Mariners do... namely, they look terrible in Oakland, look pretty good the next series, and then... who knows!
Teams that are struggling to play .500 ball drive you crazy. They are just as likely to get swept as sweep somebody, and they are impossible to predict. Compared to the lousy teams of the past few years, the current collection of misfits and future stars is actually fairly entertaining. Remember back in the day when a young Griffey and RJ were playing for the M's? (I'm talking early 90's.) Well, the M's struggled back then too.
-----------------
So what about the "major" moves planned this weekend?
Lawton getting released is more about Hargrove than anything else. When Willie got banged up, and Adrian's hamstring started acting up, Hargrove suddenly realized him having such a lousy bench was a problem. So, he brought up Morse, who actually solves nothing.
Morse is lousy in the outfield, lousy in the infield. He wasn't playing well in Tacoma, but welcome to the big leagues Mike!! Supporters of Hargrove will have a hard time explaining this one. At least Morse won't get much playing time.
The other reason for Lawton being released is simply Hargrove's stupid decision to not rest starters. Since he won't rest Ichiro or Ibanez, Lawton would never see any playing time this season with Reed/Willie platooning in center.
I'm not turning this post into a bash on Hargrove... the moves say volumes about his managerial style, and it's up to you whether you agree with them.
He relies too much on a set lineup, and relies too much on veterans. (Fact or fiction?!!)
But then again, we knew this when we hired him. Who wants to beat on a dead horse?
As for Mateo, he should have been forced to pitch more in a rehab assignment before I would trust him in a game. Did anyone else wince when they saw him warming up last night when Felix was struggling to hold a lead?
I did.
So no major moves, just like I figured. Expect more crazy games this week, as the M's try to figure out if they want to compete this summer.
posted by Tom at
11:16 AM
