Any wealthy Mariners fans out there feel like doing a re-boot of the movie Major League featuring the Seattle Mariners?
Yes they are …
Sam Gaviglio had the worst game of his Major League career, but I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later. He’d never had a start go fewer than 5 innings; last night he went 4.2. He’d never given up more than 5 runs; last night he gave up 7. His only real value to this team and this rotation is that he’d never had one of these meltdown performances; now that he has, it starts to shine a light on just how mediocre he’s been overall. Not bad for a #5 starter, but right now it feels like the Mariners are running nothing BUT #5 starters out there.
Yovani Gallardo came in and mopped up the mess, going 4.1 shutout innings, two days after pitching 3 innings of relief. One might believe we’ve found the perfect role for Gallardo, but I get the feeling that the team will inevitably put him back in the rotation before too long. So be it, I guess.
Jean Segura had 4 hits; Cano and Haniger had 2 hits; Danny Valencia had a 3-run homer in the ninth to bring the score from 7-1 to 7-4. But, overall, the M’s just weren’t able to cluster their hits together the way they need to in order to compete in these types of games.
That’s because A’s starter Paul Blackburn – who we traded to bring in the aforementioned Danny Valencia – went 7.2 innings of 1-run ball. This is 5 days after making his Major League debut against the Braves, when he went 6 innings of shutout ball. So, YAY, that’s super fun for everyone. No way the Mariners could’ve used a starter that stellar.
I’m on a new work schedule right now that has me going to bed at 8pm and waking up at 4am, so this week has been a real treat. But, one of the positives is that I get to completely miss out on watching these terrible baseball games. Now, instead of completely ruining my weeks, the Mariners just get to ruin my weekends.
Three more to go against the A’s before the All Star Break. That makes 9 losses in 11 games, including 8 in a row at home. Am I going to have to attend one of these games in person just to break the streak?
Also, in Hisashi Iwakuma news, Hisashi Iwakuma has been shut down in his throwing program and given an injection into his shoulder. Feels to me like he’s done, both for this year and probably his Mariners career. If so, it was … interesting to say the least.