Monday, May 9, 2011

Shootout on Edgar Martinez Way

Endured a sad weekend of Mariner baseball.  The White Sox are horrible, they've proved it to all of baseball for over a month, and the M's managed to lose two of three at home.  Mostly no hitting and sloppy play led to their demise.

The sad part is they steamed into Safeco on Tuesday the 3rd and dispatched a faltering Texas Ranger team in two of three games, were competetive in Pineda's Wednesday start.  They won the same way they'd beat up Boston and Detroit in the week prior by putting runners on base, tough pitching and good play in the field.  Chicago comes to town, and it's like we're in Kansas City again, with Wedge getting ready to let everyobdy have it.

The news out of Mariners HQ is not happy news.  Bradley and Langerhans have both been DFA'ed.  Zdurencik said there would be accountability this year and I guess this is a start.  Milton Bradley has not fulfilled our pipe dreams after the Carlos Silva trade last year that he could be an effective hitter for the M's. His recent onfield explosion and lazy play in left field left little doubt among fans he should go.  Both Ryan Divish in the News Tribune and Geoff Baker in the Seattle Times strenuously opined in their respective blogs that Bradley's time was up and should go before the official team announcement was made.

Moving Langerhans was more problematic, but the lefty journeyman couldn't adequately cover centerfield, and wasn't hittin' a lick. Too bad, I liked him in the three years he was here, but in the end you have to have talent. 

The M's called up Mike Wilson and Carlos Peguero to fill the roster spots of the dearly departed.  Peguero already had his cup of coffee during Justin Smoak's bereavement leave.  While he is big, strong and athletic, there is no reason to believe Peguero will rescue the Mariners from the black hole of hitting.  He may show very occasional power, but he will be strike out, hit for a poor average and show athleticism in the field.  He will be the left-handed bookend of the traditional vacant space in Safeco's left field.  Mike Wilson will be the right-handed bookend.  He's a somewhat less mobile version of Peguero, though with a slightly more refined approach to hitting-he'll also strike out a lot, maybe walk a little more, and hit an occasional boomer.  Not enough to scare anyone, however. It is said that Wilson is an athlete with a body like a Greek statue, and unfortunately he plays the field a lot like one.

I don't mean to be a pessimist.  I think the M's had few choices, and I think they've done what they can do to fill the wide open spaces in Safeco's spacious pasture.  It is what it is.  Those responsible have been carried from the field and it's time for new blood, because it can't be any worse.

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