GameZone 9/27/2007 @ Safeco

Cleveland Indians (94-64) @ Seattle Mariners (84-74)

Starters: Cha Seung Baek (3-3, 5.48) vs. Paul Byrd (15-7, 4.55)

Lineups:
SEA
Ichiro CF
Beltre 3B
Ibanez LF
Guillen RF
Broussard 1B
Johjima C
Clement DH
Lopez 2B
Bloomquist SS

CLE
Grady Sizemore CF
Chris Gomez 1B
Asdrubal Cabrera SS
Travis Hafner DH
Franklin Gutierrez RF
Casey Blake 3B
Kenny Lofton LF
Kelly Shoppach C
Luis Rivas 2B

Let's hope today's game is less painful to watch from a decision making standpoint than last nights. Baek will get his final chance this year to try and get a step ahead at earning one of the available starting roles for next year. Another blown save by Borowski for a third consecutive night would be awesome. That guy just seems to like to throw straight up gopher balls. I'm amazed that he leads the league with 43 saves with his 5.23 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. This just makes me even more glad that we have JJ. I don't know if it's true because I just got home but I just heard my dad say something about McLaren announcing he might be back next year for sure.....If that's true I'll post a long and well thought out rant about why I might die next year from blunt force trauma to the head....

GameZone 9/26/2007 @ Safeco

Game 1 (Makeup from snowout in April)

Seattle Mariners (83-73) @ Cleveland Indians (93-63)

Starters: Ryan Feierabend (1-5, 7.33) vs. Fausto Carmona (18-8, 3.03)

Game 1 Lineups:

SEA
Ichiro CF
Beltre 3B
Ibanez DH
Guillen RF
Broussard 1B
Johjima C
Reed LF
Lopez 2B
Bloomquist SS

CLE
Grady Sizemore CF
Asdrubal Cabrera SS
Travis Hafner DH
Victor Martinez C
Ryan Garko 1B
Jason Micheals RF
Casey Black 3B
Ben Francisco LF
Luis Rivas 2B

This first game will be an odd one since we'll be the visiting team at home due to the fact that this is the final makeup game from the snowouts in April. Interesting enough the Mariners have stuck with just about the same lineup because "they want to ensure the integrity of Cleveland's battle for the AL's best record", yet the Indians seem to be mixing up their lineup...Hmmm....Maybe, just maybe, we'll see some more of the youth for the second game. On the good side of things we do get to see young 23 year old phenom Fausto Carmona on the mound tonight for the Indians. Let's hope the Felix ends up being as good as Fausto when Felix is 23.

Game 2

Cleveland Indians (93-63) @ Seattle Mariners (83-73)

Starters: Jarrod Washburn (10-15, 4.36) vs. Jeremy Sowers (1-6, 6.93)

Game 2 Lineups:

SEA
Ichiro CF
Bloomquist SS
Guillen RF
Beltre DH
Mike Morse 3B
Vidro 1B
Lopez 2B
Jones LF
Burke C
Nick Green 2B

CLE
Franklin Guttierez CF
Chris Gomez 1B
Jhonny Peralta SS
Ryan Garko DH
Jason Micheals LF
Trot Nixon RF
Casey Shoppach C
Josh Barfield 2B
Andy Marte 3B

GameZone 9/25/2007 @ Safeco

Cleveland Indians (92-63) @ Seattle Mariners (83-72)

Starters: Felix Hernandez (13-7, 4.07) vs. Aaron Laffey (3-2, 5.35)

Lineups:
SEA
Ichiro CF
Lopez 2B
Ibanez LF
Guillen DH
Beltre 3B
Vidro 1B
Johjima C
Jones RF
Bloomquist SS


CLE
Kenny Lofton CF
Chris Gomez 3B
Travis Hafner DH
Victor Martinez C
Ryan Garko 1B
Jhonny Peralta SS
Trot Nixon RF
Ben Francisco LF
Josh Barfield 2B

The good news is that the Mariners don't have to face Sabathia in this series since the Indians are getting their rotation in line for the playoffs. The bad news that as I write this the Mariners are already down 3-0. Doesn't look like this is going to be a gem for "The King".

GameZone: 9/23/07 @ Angels

Seattle Mariners (83-71)@ "Los Angeles" Angels of Anaheim (91-64)

Starters: Jeff Weaver (7-12, 6.21) vs. John Lackey (17-9, 3.13)

Lineups:

SEA
Ichiro CF
Beltre 3B
Ibanez LF
Guillen RF
Broussard 1B
Vidro DH
Lopez 2B
Burke C
Bloomquist SS

LAA
Chone Figgins RF
Orlando Cabrera SS
Guerrero DH
Anderson LF
Casey Kotchman 1B
Matthews, Jr CF
Maicer Izturis 3B
Howie Hendrick 2B
Jeff Mathis C


The Mariners look to delay the Angels inevitable clich of the AL West and stay mathematically alive in the Wild Card race for one more day as they go for a third straight win against the Angels and 84th win of the season. Should be a tough one with Cy Young candidate Lackey on the mound.

Sorry Guys

Now that school has started, I simply do not have the time to dedicate to this blog. I thought I put together a good core of authors that would make the blog easy to maintain, but I was sadly mistaken. It's awful hard for one person to post as big of a majority of the posts as I have been, especially when there are 7 others that are supposed to be contributing. I figured I would be inactive for about a week and see how many entries were posted in that time. Not surprisingly, there has not been a single post by anyone in the last week. I won't give up on this blog, but we may have to start fresh over the offseason. I will be recruiting new authors over the offseason and I hope we can come back strong in 2008.

GameZone: 9/8/07 @ Tigers

Seattle Mariners (74-65) @ Detroit Tigers (76-65)

Starters: Jeff Weaver (6-11, 5.85) vs. Nate Robertson (7-11, 4.95)

Lineups:

SEA
Ichiro Suzuki -- CF
Jose Vidro -- DH
Jose Guillen -- RF
Raul Ibanez -- LF
Adrian Beltre -- 3B
Richie Sexson -- 1B
Kenji Johjima -- C
Jose Lopez -- 2B
Yunieski Betancourt -- SS

DET
Curtis Granderson -- CF
Placido Polanco -- 2B
Gary Sheffield -- DH
Magglio Ordonez -- RF
Carlos Guillen -- SS
Ivan Rodriguez -- C
Timo Perez -- LF
Sean Casey -- 1B
Brandon Inge -- 3B

GameZone: 9/7/07 @ Tigers

Seattle Mariners (74-64) @ Detroit Tigers (75-65)

Starters: Miguel Batista (13-10, 4.59) vs. Justin Verlander (15-5, 3.67)

Lineups:

SEA
Ichiro Suzuki -- CF
Jose Vidro -- DH
Jose Guillen -- RF
Raul Ibanez -- LF
Adrian Beltre -- 3B
Ben Broussard -- 1B
Kenji Johjima -- C
Jose Lopez -- 2B
Yunieski Betancourt -- SS

DET
Curtis Granderson -- CF
Placido Polanco -- 2B
Gary Sheffield -- DH
Magglio Ordonez -- RF
Carlos Guillen -- SS
Ivan Rodriguez -- C
Timo Perez -- LF
Sean Casey -- 1B
Brandon Inge -- 3B

GameZone: 9/5/07 @ Yankees

Seattle Mariners (74-63) @ New York Yankees (77-62)

Starters: Jarrod Washburn (9-12, 4.37) vs. Phil Hughes (2-3, 5.65)

Lineups:

SEA
Ichiro Suzuki -- CF
Jose Vidro -- DH
Jose Guillen -- RF
Raul Ibanez -- LF
Adrian Beltre -- 3B
Ben Broussard -- 1B
Kenji Johjima -- C
Jose Lopez -- 2B
Yunieski Betancourt -- SS

NYY
Johnny Damon -- LF
Melky Cabrera -- CF
Derek Jeter -- SS
Alex Rodriguez -- 3B
Jorge Posada -- DH
Shelley Duncan -- RF
Robinson Cano -- 2B
Wilson Betemit -- 1B
Jose Molina -- C

8th Inning: Tacoma @ NYY

Alright so the game got out of hand tonight, and with two innings to go, down by 10, John McLaren surrendered to the Yankees and sent up 6, yes SIX, September callup players to pinch hit back to back to back to back to back to back in the eighth inning (Reed, Clement, Jones, Jimerson, Balentien, Green) and has now used Mike Morse in the 9th as the seventh consecutive pinch-hitter. Not to mention that Rob Johnson is now listed as the catcher and Willie Bloomquist came in to play short. And thats just the madness that transpired with regards to the lineup. As far as pitching goes, Ramirez started and he was followed by O'Flaherty, Morrow, Rowland-Smith, Parrish, and White. Thats 3 of the 5 lefties in the pen and 5 of the 11 available relievers.

In these first two games the Yankees broadcasters have pointed out that the Mariners have a 35 man roster right now and they made a good point in saying that clubs normally don't callup that many players because they just get in the way and can disrupt chemistry. But of course our management has no sense of team chemistry, they've proven that to us. Now I understand that we've have been losing, but I have to agree completely with those guys on that one. This is the most bizarre and absurd things I've ever seen in my life... aside from squirrels climbing foul poles, go figure. I will try to not extend this part of my rant, but let me say that I am completely dumbfounded and critical of this September Mega Roster of Fat that we've sewn onto our already crippling body. This metaphorical "Mariner Man" now has man-boobs that appeared quick enough to make Pamela Anderson jealous.

But anyways back to the game. What bugged the living hell out of me tonight was using all of these roster fillers or stuffers or whatever you want to call the army of raw druid re-enforcements that were recruited for battle (no offense to the callups, but they are young and raw, and we are in a playoff race). When we are in a damn playoff race and we are playing the team that we most need to beat, I want to see my starters playing out there the entire nine innings. I don't care if we are down by 10, 20, 50, or 100 runs (which the Baltimore Orioles have shown us is a real possibility), I want to see us battle for the entire game with the best we've got. Five runs in two innings is not an impossible task. I really don't know what the deal is, but it's like John McLaren just had Christmas in September and ripped his new toys out of the boxes ASAP and had to play with them all. These players are now packed like sardines in a can. How are our veterans supposed to take these guy's under their wings and teach them how to fly when the plane is going down and all hands are in the cockpit trying to keep this baby in the air?
It's lunacy.

Note: It's sad when your top batter according to Yahoo was 1 for 1 with 2 rbi (Balentien)

Another Note: We used 18 position players and 6 pitchers in this game... that's gotta be some kind of record(s). I mean thats like All-Star Game stuff right there.

GameZone: 9/4/07 @ Yankees

Seattle Mariners (74-62) vs. New York Yankees (76-62)

Starters: Horacio Ramirez (8-4, 6.55) vs. Chien-Ming Wang (16-6, 3.79)

Lineups:

SEA
Ichiro Suzuki
Jose Vidro
Jose Guillen
Raul Ibanez
Adrian Beltre
Ben Broussard
Kenji Johjima
Jose Lopez
Yunieski Betancourt

NYY
Melky Cabrera
Derek Jeter
Bobby Abreu
Alex Rodriguez
Jorge Posada
Hideki Matsui
Shelley Duncan
Robinson Cano
Wilson Betemit

Austin Bibens-Dirkx's Album

ABD, an outstanding pitcher in our minor-league system who we could see as early as next year, recently released his self-titled album "Austin Bibens-Dirkx" and it is now available on Itunes. Go check it out, he's an extremely talented artist and there is some good stuff on there. Not only is he a great artist, a great pitcher, but after talking to him he's a great person too. He'll definitely be a fan favorite when he comes up.

Note: The only reason he isn't with the Mariners yet is a season-ending injury, but his rehab in Arizona is going well and he's scheduled to have surgery early this month.

GameZone: 9/3/07 @ Yankees

Seattle Mariners (73-62) @ New York Yankees (76-61)

Starters: Felix Hernandez (10-7, 4.08) vs. Roger Clemens (6-5, 4.15)

Lineups:

SEA
Ichiro Suzuki
Jose Vidro
Jose Guillen
Raul Ibanez
Adrian Beltre
Ben Broussard
Kenji Johjima
Jose Lopez
Yunieski Betancourt

NYY
Johnny Damon
Derek Jeter
Bobby Abreu
Alex Rodriguez
Hideki Matsui
Jorge Posada
Jason Giambi
Robinson Cano
Melky Cabrera

GameZone: 9/2/07 @ Blue Jays

Starters: Jeff Weaver (6-10, 5.62) vs. A.J. Burnett (7-7, 3.70)

Lineups:

SEA
Ichiro Suzuki
Jose Vidro
Jose Guillen
Raul Ibanez
Adrian Beltre
Ben Broussard
Kenji Johjima
Jose Lopez
Yunieski Betancourt

TOR
Vernon Wells
Russ Adams
Alex Rios
Frank Thomas
Matt Stairs
Lyle Overbay
Aaron Hill
Greg Zaun
John McDonald

Thursday Quote: Enthusiasm

I was ecstatic when I found this weeks quote because I think it fits in perfectly for what some of us may be experiencing. It is from the great world leader and former Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill. He said:

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

Does this quote reflect some of your feelings towards the Mariner right now? It definitely describes what I've been thinking perfectly. During the extended losing streaks in what has been a roller-coaster year for this ballclub, I have found myself losing enthusiasm for the rest of the season even though we remain in the playoff chase. It almost seems like every losing streak is the beginning of the end, like the ship is sinking and there is no way to stop it. As soon as we started winning again, my enthusiasm came back and kept rising until the next losing streak. I'm going to try a different approach this time and I think it's something we all should do. Stay enthused. Don't let this losing streak quell your excitement for the fact that we've exceeded expectations and we are in the thick of the playoff hunt. Making the playoffs IS NOT supposed to be easy! You've just got to grind it out and hang with the big boys. We shouldn't start to worry until we're three or four games back in the wildcard and we should NEVER lose enthusiasm. So let's walk with the same swagger that we do after winning some games and not hang our heads in defeat. The Angels series is over, and we're sort of in that eerie phase right after the storm has passed. It's a new day and we play a new team so have hope and stay excited. Even if we lose tonight against the Indians, it's not the end of the world, it's just a slight extension of a losing streak. Don't lose enthusiasm!

Nightcap: 8/28/07 vs. Angels

The Mariners once again failed to come up with ten-plus hits and once again failed to beat the Angels in a 10-6 loss. The Mariner bats were working early with five runs in the first on three scoring plays; a Guillen double, a Beltre triple, and a Johjima single. But then the Angels scored seven unanswered runs until Betancourt scored on an Ichiro single in the bottom of the seventh. That sixth run was it for the Mariners, but the Angels added four more to round off the victory. Weaver pitched only 4.1 innings allowing eight hits and four earned runs. Brandon Morrow got the loss after allowing four runs in an inning on two hits and two walks; which is not good to see after we thought his control problems were behind him. As far as offensive notables, Johjima went 3 for 4 with an rbi and Richie Sexson was hitless in four at bats dropping his average back down to .208. Hopefully we can salvage a game in this last game against the team that we desperately need to start beating.

Tomorrow's Starters: Felix Hernandez (10-6, 3.90) vs. Jered Weaver (9-6, 3.96)

Umpires: HP--Larry Poncino 1B--Bruce Dreckman 2B--Jerry Meals 3B--Gary Darling

Time: 3:12

Attendance: 44,395

Weather: 73 degrees, clear

Wind: 10 mph, in from left.

Nightcap: 8/27/07 vs. Angels

First off, let me say that I'm sorry that I haven't gotten this up sooner. I got home from the game early, but wasn't able to use the computer. I had the most incredible seats. I sat 5 rows behind Jose Guillen in right field, and there was a lot hit out in that gap. So if you saw me, let me know!

The Mariners seemed really outmatched yesterday. Lackey dominated us even through his case of strep throat. The Mariners were late on what seemed like every pitch. When he threw a slider or a change-up, we were too early, and screwed ourself into the ground. In the first inning, the Mariners had the crowd behind them. A hit-and-run turned double play in the first and then McLaren's ejection (yes, the crowd went crazy) had the fans behind them 100% . The place was loud as could be. The top of the 2nd started off with Garret Anderson staying hot, leading off the inning with a home run. The top of the 3rd saw a 2-run ground rule double from Anderson, but I believe we got lucky that the Angels only got 2. A fan interfered with a with Anderson's double down the right field line, which I assume Guillen didn't see. He then proceded to throw a rocket into the Angels dugout from the right field corner, which would have allowed Vladimir Guerrero to score. From then on, a single here and there, sac fly or a wild pitch, and the Angels scored at every opportunity possible. The Mariners, on the other hand, could get nothing going. We were flat out outmatched.

Today's Starters: LAA: Santana (5-12, 6.03 ERA) -- SEA: Weaver (6-10, 5.51 ERA)

Umpires: HP--Gary Darling (2/10, bad call on Ichiro's strike out) 1B--Larry Poncino (3/10 name coolness) 2B--Bruce Dreckman (2/10 name coolness) 3B--Jerry Meals (5/10 on name coolness becuase it makes me hungry, but he also made a very rash and anal call on calling Matthews Jr. safe at 2nd)

Time: 2:24

Attendance: 45,998

Weather: 69 degrees, partly cloudy

Wind: 3 mph, in from left

Big Series: Battle for 1st with the Angels starts tonight

We've all been talking about it for awhile now but the moment has finally come for us to play the Angels again with a chance to take over first place in the AL West. The Mariners have dropped two straight games coming into the series during this brutal stretch of their schedule. The offense wasn't it's usual self in those two games and I have found no reason to panic about the two loses coming into this series (outside of my tendency to complain about McLaren's little league decision making skills late in games). If we can somehow manage a sweep in this series we will take a one game lead in the AL West. Taking 2 out of 3 will leave us 1 game back. Losing 2 out of 3 will leave us 3 games back. A disastrous sweep by the Angels (and losing 5 straight overall) would put us at 5 games back. So this series is definitely key if we want to win the division and also to sustain our lead in the Wildcard over the Yankees and Tigers.

Here is a quick look at the expected pitching matchups for the series:

1st game: 08/27/07 7:05 pm at Safeco Field
Miguel "Artista" Batista (4.57 ERA, 13-9, 1.55 WHIP) vs. John Lackey(15-8, 3.34 ERA, 1.29 WHIP)

So we have our most consistent pitcher all year who is coming off his worst start of the year facing a potential Cy Young candidate in Lackey who has lost his last two decisions. This game could be a tough one for us but let's hope our offense gets back on track and Miggy bounces back from a bad start.

2nd game: 08/28/07 7:05 pm at Safeco Field
Jeff "Don't wake me now I'm having a dream" Weaver (6-10, 5.51 ERA, 1.46 WHIP) vs. Ervin Santana (5-12, 6.03 ERA, 1.56 WHIP)

In this game we have our hottest pitcher who blew balls at the beginning of the year but has won his last 4 starts facing the Angels worst starter who has lost 6 straight decisions. I like our chances in this game. I think our offense can pound Santana. All we need is a quality start from Weaver, not a great game like he's pitched in 3 out of his last 4 starts.

3rd game: 08/29/07 1:35 pm at Safeco Field
Felix "The King" Hernandez (10-6, 3.90 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) vs. Jered Weaver (9-6, 3.96 ERA, 1.42 WHIP)

This game could end up being a classic pitchers duel. The King has won 4 straight decisions and has shown signs of becoming the dominant pitcher we all know he can be in his last 5 starts. Jeff's brother has won 2 out of 3 starts and has looked very good at times this year. I still like our chances though with our offense and The King on the mound.

So for those of you that have tickets to the games this week: Cheer loud, have fun and wear blue. For the rest of us pray for a sweep and yell at the TV when McLaren makes a questionable decisions late in the game. My personal prediction for this series is that the Mariners will take the 2 out of 3 by winning the last two games of the series. Let us all know what you think in the comments....

Nightcap: 8/26/07 @ Rangers

The Mariners rallied late against Texas on Sunday but fell just short as they lost 5-3 to split four games with the Rangers. It wasn't for lack of a quality start; Jarrod Washburn pitched six solid innings while giving up three earned on six hits, walking none, and striking out five. Texas jumped ahead early with a two run homer off the bat of Sammy 'Corky' Sosa in the first inning. Scoring for either team didn't resume until the sixth with a sac-fly by Marlon Byrd scoring Ian Kinsler for the second time. The Mariners finally put runs on the board in the 7th via two-rbi single by Adrian Beltre. Two more Ranger runs came around to score in the eighth, both earned, off of Sean Green in the eighth. The M's made it close, with two runs scoring in the ninth. One of them on a Johjima single and the other on a wild pitch. It was the first night in a while that the Mariners failed to have 10+ hits and we also didn't score runs early like we have been. The Angels won their game so we are now 2.0 games back of them in the division. The Yankees lost so we remain 2.0 games up on them.

Tomorrow's Starters: John Lackey (15-8, 3.34) vs. Miguel Batista (13-9, 4.57)

Umpires: HP--Jim Wolf 1B--Mike Dimuro 2B--Tim Tschida 3B--Jim Joyce

Time: 2:30

Attendance: 25,437

Weather: 95 degrees, partly cloudy

Wind: 7 mph, in from center

Nightcap: 8/25/07 @ Rangers

And the Mariners should be in the WIN column. But, because of Beltre's decision making with his arm, a lucky squeeze bunt and McLarens finite wisdom, we lost the game. We put up the first three runs of the game. A couple singles and a Sexson sac-fly and we're up 1-0 in the 2nd. Top of 3rd: Jones gets hit by a run away curve on a 0-2 to pitch. Vidro then rips a double down the right field which hugs the wall, allowing Jones to score from first. Top of 5. A couple singles and an error by the right fielder and runners are on 1st and 3rd. Beltre then rips one over the head of Kinsler and we have a comfy 3-0 lead. But, we lose it, and I can actually say HoRam wasn't at fault. Bottom of 5. A one out single for the Rangers. Another out, 2 down. Beltre gets a hard hit ball. He gets up, stares at the seams and side arms a missile to Sexson. OOPS. Overthrow and everybody is safe. Next batter, Kinsler, made us pay. He sent a fastball right down the middle into the left field seats to tie the game. Every inning after that, the Mariners had their chances. We had runners on almost EVERY inning, and still failed to produce a run (we didn't get a runner on in the 8th). In the bottom fo the 7th, that's where it got ugly. An out and a single later and Kinsler is up at the plate, again. He hits a slow runner to Beltre. Beltre runs the ball past Richie and the runner scores from first base, and Kinsler goes all the way to third. The next batter, Gerald Laird put down what is probably the most awkward squeeze I've ever seen. With a fastball coming at his face, he threw his bat up, fell down, and dropped down the perfect squeeze. 5-3 Rangers. From then on, they had the game, except the 9th. That's where hindsight can be a pain. With Ibanez at the plate and runners on 1st and 2nd, McLaren failed to pinch hit Ibanez, a lefty, who would be facing a left handed, hard throwing closer/relief pitcher (C.J. Wilson). Ibanez grounds to 2nd, boom fielders choice. 1 out, runners on the corners. Betancourt pinch runs for Ibanez instead of Ichiro. Betancourt isn't green lighted to steal first pitch, and 1st pitch, sure enough, DOUBLE PLAY GAME OVER. You can't help but wonder WHAT IN THE HECK WAS McLaren THINKING!?

Tomorrow's Starters: Washburn (9-10, 4.11) vs. Padilla (3-9, 6.55)
\
Umpires: HP--Jim Joyce. 1B--Jim Wolf. 2B--Mike Dimuro. 3B--Tim Tschida

Time: 2:47

Attendance: 47,977 (98.1% full) (Was there a give away or something?)

Weather: 90 degrees, clear

Wind: 8 mph

Decision Making Tonight (9th inning)

To sum it up, I have supported McLaren since he took over for 'Grover. I have stuck by some of the bonehead moves he has put forth. I have backed him up on some controversial stuff as well. However, today, I was screaming at the TV, punching anything in my way and pacing across my living room floor at his 9th inning decision making.

The Situation:

Vidro is at 2nd and Guillen at 1st. Raul Ibanez is at the plate with a left-handed pitcher on the mound. That situation alone should have said, "OK, Broussard and Ichiro: Rock/Paper/Scissors to see who gets to pinch-hit!" The pinch-hitter never came out of the dugout. Maybe they tied? Raul hits a slow grounder to Kinsler at 2nd, and a double play seemed at hand. However, thanks to a hard, hard slide by Guillen at 2nd Ibanez was able to make it to first, via no throw. OK. Runners at the corners, both insanely slow, 1 out. Beltre is up. Pinch-runner! OH CRAP IT'S NOT ICHIRO! In that situation, you need to put in your wheels. Ichiro is obviously the man. He's been caught stealing only twice this year in something rediculous like 38 attempts. If you want to stay out of the double play, you put Ichiro in. Betancourt comes in, first pitch double play game over Mariners lose! Mariners...lose?

Yes, McLaren, I hate to say it but you cost us today. Sure Beltre aided by 2 errors that led to all 5 runs scoring and swung at a bad pitch to end the game, but come on, use your freaking head! You got the best contact hitter in the MLB on your bench in Ichiro. OK, so don't use him as a hitter and use him as a pinch-runner. That's good enough right? WRONG. McLaren doesn't even pinch run him to keep us in the game.

I don't care if it was his day off or not, I really don't. If we're serious about being in the playoffs, we have to have a manager that wants us to get there. We should be beating teams like the Rangers, and not because our manager fails to see the obvious.