The Mariner Monitor

I hoped it would never come to this, but the Mariners have left me no other choice. Thanks to a 5-3 loss to the Red Sox (the team’s seventh straight) Seattle fell to 16 games below .500 and I have a strict rule that once a team falls under 15 games below .500 they can no longer be called by name.

OK, I never came up with that rule. It was created by Detroit sports radio personalities during the Tigers’ horrendous run in 2003. Anyway, now that the Mariners are 16 games below .500 they will now be referred to as the Tacoma Rainiers Major League affiliate.

Harsh you say? Well who cares! Tacoma’s Major League affiliate is 16 games below .500!

The latest loss didn’t do much to boost fans’ confidence … not that they had any to begin with.

King Felix pitched strong for seven innings, but it was the 2/3 of an innings afterward that sunk him. He entered the seventh throwing a two hitter (one hit being a David Ortiz home run) and his team tied at one. After scratching out two outs, Hernandez appeared to put the worst behind him but Boston’s Dustin Pedroia knocked in the go-ahead run with a ground rule double. Then Manny Ramirez, Mike Lowell and Jason Veritek all drove in an RBI each to end the Red Sox scoring barrage. Manager John McLaren finally decided it was time to take Hernandez out of the game.

Overall, Boston notched five hits and two walks in the inning. I’m not sure why Hernandez was left in the game after, oh, hit number two or three, but that’s just me.

The offense disappeared once again, leaving me to believe that the Seattle-area witness protection people have a perfect place to send their clients.

At least Ichiro provided fans with a ridiculous catch in the fifth inning. Veritek thought he had at least a double to deep centerfield but Ichiro had other plans, jumping and making a Willie Mays-style catch at the same time before slamming into the outfield wall. Sorry for the poor quality of the video, but since it just happened, that is the best we’ll get.

Tuesday evening’s game features Daisuke Matsuzaka (8-0, 2.40) against Miguel Bautista (3-6, 6.47). There’s a pretty good chance Boston will score five runs before Bautista takes his first warm up pitch.