Seattle Mariners weekly recap: May 16th-22nd edition

By Kshell

This week saw the Seattle Mariners climb out of last place for the first time since April 8th. The Mariners had a great week with their pitching staff going 6-1 on the week with the only loss being 2-1. The Mariners split with the Minnesota Twins at home, then swept a two game series against division rival Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim who were throwing Jered Weaver then Dan Haren. Then the Mariners played some interleague play down in San Diego as they swept the Padres as the Mariners starting pitching allowed one earned run in 23 innings. The Mariners starting pitching has flat out been dominant this week. The Mariners also welcomed back gold glove winning centerfielder Franklin Gutierrez. This week like I did two years ago I'll recap the good(entire five man starting staff), the bad(no pitchers) and the awesome(elaborate more on this pitching staff) which will be a fun write up.

The Good:

There was plenty of good this week for the Mariners who went 6-1. The Mariners starting pitching has been great this entire month of May. This week saw Erik Bedard go eight innings for the first time since 2008, Felix Hernandez tie a career high with 13 strikeouts in a game and Jason Vargas tie a career high with nine strikeouts. The Mariners also received some nice hitting from two veterans who had been slumping and one youngster in Carlos Peguero. The main story was the Mariners starting pitching which saw them throw 53 innings(7 2/3 innings a star) in seven starts allowing just four earned runs for an ERA of 0.68 while striking out 58 hitters. The Mariners starting pitching had one of the best weeks in franchise history.

Good Hitting:

Carlos Peguero: 5-20(.250), HR, 5 RBI's, 2 runs
Miguel Olivo: 6-20(.300), HR, RBI, 5 runs, SB
Brenden Ryan: 5-12(.417), 4 RBI's, 5 runs

Good Pitching:

Michael Pineda: 2-0, 14 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.43 WHIP, 16 K's
Jason Vargas: 1-0, 7 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 9 K's
Erik Bedard: 1-0, 8 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.63 WHIP, 9 K's
Doug Fister: 8 IP, 1.12 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 2 K's
David Pauley: 1-0, 3 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP, 4 K's
Felix Hernandez: 1-1, 16 IP, 1.68 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 22 K's

Seattle Mariners starting five: 5-1, 53 IP, 0.68 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, 58 K's

The Bad:

Well this week there won't be a single pitcher on my bad list which is nice to see. Instead you'll see the Mariners go 6-1 despite the top of the order slumping. The Mariners went 6-1 this week despite their best two hitters Ichiro and Justin Smoak slumping this week. While the other member of this list seems to live here as his contract appears worse and worse every day. The Mariners still aren't hitting but the starting pitching has been so great they won games. Hopefully with Gutierrez up and soon Dustin Ackley they can start hitting some.

Hitting Slump:

Ichiro: 5-26(.192), RBI, 2 runs, two caught stealing
Justin Smoak: 6-28(.214), 2 RBI's, 2 runs, 10 K's
Chone Figgins: 5-30(.167), 2 runs, 7 K's, Caught Stealing

Chone Figgins on the season has been a disaster. He's hitting just .212/.250/.288 with only nine walks to 20 K's. He also has just seven stolen bases to five caught stealing. He is totally useless and needs to be benched and turned into a Mark McLemore type utility guy. If Jack Zduriencik gets fired Figgins will be the main reason.

The Awesome:

The Mariners starting pitching dating back to last week have produced nine straight great starts. The Mariners have two pitchers with ERA's in the 2's, Hernandez is at 3.01 and two others in the 3's. Other than the week League blew up the Bullpen has been pretty solid as well. The starting pitching has saved this club so I'll break down each starting pitcher and what they've done on the year plus their hot streaks.

Michael Pineda: 9 starts, 6-2, 58 1/3 IP(6 2/3 IP a start), 2.16 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 61 K's, .194 BAA. Not only should Pineda be ROY but he should be on the all-star team.

Felix Hernandez: 11 starts, 5-4, 77 2/3 IP(7 IP a start), 3.01 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 77 K's, .225 BAA. Hernandez is having another great year with no run support. With him and Pineda the Mariners have the best 1-2 punch in the American League by far.

Jason Vargas: 9 starts, 3-2, 58 1/3(6 2/3 IP a start), 3.39 ERA, 1.2 WHIP,41 K's, .253 BAA. Vargas has been on fire lately going 3-0 in his last four starts pitching 30 2/3 IP with a 1.46 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 20 K's. In his last three starts he has gone 23 2/3 IP allowing just one earned run.

Doug Fister: 9 starts, 2-4, 58 1/3(6 2/3 IP a start), 2.93 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 35 K's, .274 BAA. Fister has been the hard luck guy going 16 IP allowing just three earned runs his last two starts and received two no decisions. Fister has been pitching great all season long.

Erik Bedard: 8 starts, 2-4, 45 2/3(5 2/3 IP a start), 3.94 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 41 K's, .236 BAA. Remember when Bedard was terrible? In his first four starts he was 0-4, pitched just 18 2/3 IP(4 2/3 IP a start), 7.71 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 7 home runs allowed and struck out 17.

Now Bedard in his last four starts is 2-0, pitched 27 innings(6 2/3 IP a start), 1.33 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 24 K's. He has also allowed zero home runs. Bedard is pitching like the Bedard Bill Bavasi thought he traded for in 2008.

As you can see this Mariners pitching staff has been terrific and carrying this team. If the Mariners can get a few more hitters Eric Wedge can see his team back in the playoffs. Wedge has a tough job putting out a successful lineup but it sure is easy with this starting rotation. The Mariners have the best starting rotation in the American League. You have two aces(Felix and Pineda), a former ace(Bedard) and two great back end of the rotation guys(Vargas and Fister). Just sneak in the playoffs then do damage should be the Mariners goal.

AL West Standings:

Texas Rangers: 24-23, First Place
L.A. Angels: 24-24, 0.5 GB
Seattle Mariners: 22-24, 1.5 GB
Oakland A's: 22-25, 2.0 GB

So there you have it guys the Mariners are out of last place. The pitching staff has been great and hopefully some hitters can turn it around. When Ackley is finally called up Wedge should bench Figgins for Kennedy. Figgins is horrible and killing this team. The Mariners top of the order which includes Ichiro is making 27 million yet neither is stealing enough bases. The pitching has been great but if the Mariners want to make a run they need to get another stick or two. As is I'll enjoy this week seeing our starting pitching dominate all seven starts. I hope the Mariners fans are finally taking notice and more than 15 thousand people show up for the next home game. Also the Yankees are coming to town so please fans don't sell your tickets to Yankee fans. I'm sick and tired of this split crowd non sense. Hopefully the Mariners pitching can continue this roll they are on.

Jeff Parke comes through with a late winner against Sporting KC.

By Money Mike


Coming off a disappointing result last week, a draw against a last placed team would've been disastrous for the Seattle Sounders, but in stoppage time, Jeff Parke came up with a clutch goal in the 92nd minute when the Sounders needed it most and for the 2nd straight year, Sporting Kansas City come to Qwest Field and give up a game-winning goal in stoppage time as the Sounders defeated KC 1-0. With the win, Seattle moves into a three-way tie for second place with Portland and FC Dallas with 17 points.

Sporting looked dangerous in the first couple minutes of the match, in the 5th minute had a go with his weak right foot. A low drive that was knocked down by Kasey Keller who then held on to the rebound that Omar Bravo miss-hit.

In the 20th minute, Mauro Rosales earned a free header off the Alvaro Fernandez cross, but his effort went over the crossbar. That was one of two good chances in the first half for the Sounders, the other chance was Rosales setting up Osvaldo Alonso who struck the ball first time with his left foot, but he just put a bit too much air under it.

The Seattle backline did very well shutting down Omar Bravo. And Teal Bunbury, who played college soccer with Steve Zakuani at the University of Akron, didn't do much either. Speaking of Zakuani, he was in attendance for the match along with O'Brian White.

Michael Fucito, a second-half sub, nearly burned Kansas City with another late goal again after receiving a pass from Nate Jaqua but his shot was well blocked by Matt Besler. And a lot of fans were heading to the exits thinking that the Sounders weren't going to putt it off, but in the 92nd minute, they were wrong.....

A corner kick from the left of Jimmy Nielsen, was sent into the middle of the penalty area and Jeff Parke who outjumped the Kansas City defenders and directed a header inside the far post for a late goal and the Sounders first ever home win in the month of May.

Scoring summary:

Seattle Sounders FC - Jeff Parke 1 (Tyson Wahl 1) 92+'

Misconduct summary:

Seattle Sounders FC - Alvaro Fernandez (caution; Delaying a restart) 44'

Sporting Kansas City - Ryan Smith (caution; Dissent) 49'

Seattle Sounders FC - Servando Carrasco (caution; Tactical foul) 51'

Seattle Sounders FC - Mauro Rosales (caution; Reckless tackle) 64'

Seattle Sounders FC - Osvaldo Alonso (caution; Tactical foul) 84'

Lineups:

Sporting Kansas City - Jimmy Neilsen; Michael Harrington, Aurelien Collin, Matt Besler, Roger Espinoza; Davy Arnaud, Craig Rocastle, Ryan Smith (Chance Myers 86'); Kei Kamara, Teal Bunbury (C. J. Sapong 73'), Omar Bravo (Graham Zusi 76')

Seattle Sounders FC - Kasey Keller; James Riley, Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Tyson Wahl; Servando Carrasco (Nate Jaqua 55'), Osvaldo Alonso, Alvaro Fernandez, Mauro Rosales (Michael Fucito 69'); Fredy Montero (Patrick Ianni 93+'), Roger Levesque

Seattle Sounders FC vs Sporting Kansas City preview. Will Omar Bravo play tonight? It's been a long road trip for KC.

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders get ready for their second of three straight matches at home as they take on Sporting Kansas City tonight at 7pm. Last week, the Sounders came away with a disappointing 1-1 draw against the Portland Timbers. They got on the scoresheet first in the 52nd minute with Alvaro Fernandez's low left foot drive, only to let it slip away in the 65th minute as Portland responded with a goal by Futty Danso. As for Kansas City, well, it's been a rough start to their season. First 10 games of the season on the road and this is their 8th of 10, due to the construction of the new Livestrong Sporting Park. Their home-opener isn't until June 9th when they take on the Chicago Fire. Since their 3-2 win in week 1 against Chivas USA. KC have only managed a point and that came against the Vancouver Whitecaps in which they blew a 3-0 lead. It's just been for Kansas City. Teal Bunbury could be playing his last match for Kansas City before the start of the Gold Cup, U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley will announce who will be selected on Monday.

Injury report:

Sporting Kansas City - Alright, for KC, rookie third round pick Konrad Warzycha is out for this match with Right Knee Surgery. As a matter of fact, he's out for the season. Omar Bravo has been out since week 3 with a Sports Hernia injury, he is listed as probable for this match. Birahim Diop has a strained right hamstring and is listed as probable as well. And finally, Davy Arnaud, the first player to score against the Sounders, has a neck strain and he is listed as probable.

Seattle Sounders FC - For the men in rave green, I'm gonna skip Zakuani, we already know he's out. O'Brian White is making progress since being released from the hospital following his blood clot surgery on this left leg, we could see him soon, but not tonight. Mauro Rosales has a hamstring strain, Brad Evans strained his adductor last week against Portland and Erik Friberg has a sprained ankle. All three of them are listed as questionable.

Key matchups:

Kei Kamara vs Jhon Kennedy Hurtado - An offensive threat from Sierra Leone, Kamara is tied for the team lead with 3 goals and 2 assists. Hurtado is close to regaining his all-star form from 2009, he's made a lot of progress since his ACL injury he suffered last season.

Fredy Montero vs Julio Cesar - Montero has been involved in scoring plays the last 6 games and is still due for a breakout game. I don't like the fact that you fans are trashing Montero, saying they should "get rid of him", "bench him", "he's not a Designated player", "he's not good enough", "he never get's involved". Seriously guys, quit bitching. He leads the league in shot attempts, his contributions count to more than just goals, all the statements you people have made are just rediculus. Chill out, he'll come through. Brazilian defender Julio Cesar will have load to carry this match. But as a veteran who has played for teams like A.C. Milan, Real Madrid, Bolton Wanderers, ect.. he's used to it.

Seattle Sounders to play Panamanian club San Francisco F.C. in the Champions League qualifying round

By Money Mike


The CONCACAF Champions League took place earlier this morning at the CONCACAF Headquarters in New York City and the Seattle Sounders, who qualified by winning the U.S. Open Cup last year, have been drawn against Panamanian club San Francisco F.C. in the preliminary round of the Champions League. The winner of this matchup has been drawn into Group D with Monterrey (Mexico), Comunicaciones (Guatemala), and the winner of Herediano (Costa Rica) and the 3rd place team from the CFU Tournament. The Sounders are one of five MLS clubs that will take part in this years Champions League. The LA Galaxy got in by finishing with the best overall record in 2010. Colorado Rapids got in by winning the MLS Cup. FC Dallas were the runners-up in the MLS Cup. Seattle's rivals Vancouver Whitecaps could take part in the Champions League if they beat Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship. Here's the draw from the preliminary round to the group stage.

Preliminary round (Teams listed 1st will host 1st leg):

Motagua (Honduras) vs Municipal (Guatemala)

UNAM or Morelia (Mexico) vs CFU runner-up

Isidro Metapan (El Salvador) vs CFU champion

Santos Laguna (Mexico) vs Olimpia (Honduras)

Alianza (El Salvador) vs FC Dallas

Toronto FC or Vancouver Whitecaps (Canada) vs Real Esteli or Walter Ferretti (Nicaragua)

San Francisco (Panama) vs Seattle Sounders FC

Herediano (Costa Rica) vs CFU third place

Group stage:

Group A:
Los Angeles Galaxy
Alajuelense (Costa Rica)
Clausura runner-up (Mexico)/CFU runner-up
Motagua (Honduras)/Municipal (Guatemala)

Group B:
Colorado Rapids
Real Espana (Honduras)
Santos Laguna (Mexico)/Olimpia (Honduras)
Isidro Metapan (El Salvador)/CFU champion

Group C:
Clausura champion (Mexico)
Tauro (Panama)
Alianza (El Salvador)/FC Dallas
Canadian champion/Real Esteli or Walter Ferretti (Nicaragua)

Group D:
Monterrey (Mexico)
Comunicaciones (Guatemala)
San Francisco (Panama)/Seattle Sounders FC
Herediano (Costa Rica)/CFU third place

Western Conference Finals Preview + Predictions

By Kshell

The Western Conference Finals is finally here and what makes this year strange is that the Lakers aren't in the Western Conference Finals. In fact since 1980 only four years(1981,1990,1993,2006) prior to this year where a Western Conference Finals didn't have the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs or Utah Jazz. What also makes this series unique is that this is only the third time since 1980 that a conference finals didn't have a #1 or #2 seed. The other two years were 1981 when the 6th seeded Houston Rockets defeated the 5th seeded Kansas City Kings. The other year was 1990 when the 3rd seeded Portland Trail Blazers defeated the 5th seeded Phoenix Suns. I should say the Blazers did have the second best record in the west and against the 2nd seeded Spurs in the second round the Blazers had homecourt. So this is the first time the two best teams in the conference haven't been in the conference finals since 1981 in either conference. That still doesn't mean this series won't be a good series as most people had both these teams high up on their list of teams heading into the season.

This series features a matchup of the veteran Dallas Mavericks who have a roster full of guys chasing their first championship. For the other side you have the Oklahoma City Zombie Sonics which feature the third youngest team in the NBA. The Zombies have two all NBA guys in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook plus a plethora of big men to throw at teams. The Mavericks will have that big game experience so it will come down to talent vs experience this series. Like I did with the Eastern Conference preview I'll give three keys for each team to win the series then I'll offer up a prediction. I'll start off with the Zombie Sonics(thanks Schultz!) who despite what morons on ESPN keep saying making their first conference finals.

Oklahoma City Zombie Sonics:

The city of Seattle right now should be buzzing with the Sonics instead due to idiots at high places we can only suffer. The Zombies feature a championship roster which has all the ingredients for a championship team. They feature a closer at the end of games and a top five player in the NBA in Kevin Durant. They feature a second star in Russell Westbrook which almost every champion needs. They feature good depth as seven guys give them 20 plus minutes a game this playoffs. They feature plenty of big men who they feel comfortable with. The only thing the Zombies don't have is experience but they are gaining experience from this postseason. Now I'll give my three keys they must do to win this series.

1. Give Kevin Durant the ball he's the best scorer in the NBA

Very rarely do you have a scorer like Kevin Durant if ever. There is no way to defend Durant as he can shoot over the smaller defenders or blow right by the bigger defenders. The problem this playoffs is at times like game four vs the Memphis Grizzlies where Durant went the final nine minutes of regulation without one shot attempt. Durant is a first team all-NBA performer as he averaged 27.7 points per game while shooting 46.2% from the field, 35% on three pointers making almost two a game and 88% from free throws on nine attempts a game. Durant is a scorer who can get to the rim or beat you on the outside. In the playoffs he has been even better averaging 28.9 points per game shooting 45.8% from the field, 38% on three pointers making 2.5 a game and 82.2% from free throws on 10 attempts a game. Durant is a dangerous player to go up against in a seven game series.

2. Zombie Sonics bigs must defend the three ball:

This will be a tough matchup for the Zombies as all four of their bigs in Kendrick Perkins, Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison and Nazr Mohammed are all bangers. The Lakers had that problem too as it became obvious pretty quickly that Andrew Bynum couldn't play that series. Well this series I don't know what the Zombies plan on doing to slow down Dirk Nowitzki but that will be a huge key. You can't stop Nowitzki but you also can't allow him to take over games especially in the fourth quarter like he has. I'm sure the Zombies will put the more athletic Ibaka on him as Ibaka is a great shotblocker as well. The Zombies don't really feature anyone who is capable of defending Nowitzki they might have to put Durant on him in late game situations.

3. Russell Westbrook must dominate the Mavericks point guards:

I just told you the Mavericks big advantage this series well the Zombies have a big advantage themselves in Westbrook. The Mavericks had the perfect storm to hide Jason Kidd the first two series. Kidd went up against Andre Miller then Steve Blake and Derek Fisher who Kidd is more athletic than. This series that won't be the case as Westbrook should be able to dominate that matchup and if he doesn't well this will be a short series. Westbrook was named second team all-nba behind MVP Derrick Rose as he scored 21.9 points per game, dished out 8.2 assists per game, grabbed 4.6 rebounds and had 1.9 steals. He also shot 44.2% from the field, 33% from three pointers and 84.2% from free throws. In the playoffs Westbrook has been criticized for shooting too much but he is a good player himself. These playoffs he's averaging 23.9 points per game, dishing out 7.0 assists a game and grabbing 5.6 rebounds. For the Zombies to have a chance Westbrook has to dominate the Jason Kidd matchup.

Dallas Mavericks:

The team who is best known for choking in the playoffs has yet to lose a game since blowing a 24 point lead to the Blazers in round one. The Mavericks shocked everyone by not only beating the Lakers but they swept the Lakers. In game four the Mavericks hit 20-32(62.5%) from three point range. The Mavericks feature tons of players who have been close to winning a title from Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry who were on that 2006 Finals team who blew a 2-0 series lead over the Miami Heat. They also have Jason Kidd who lost back to back NBA finals in 2002 and 2003. They also have Peja Stojakovic who was on that Kings team in 2002 who lost the Western Finals in a game seven. The Mavericks also have Tyson Chandler who was on the 2008 New Orleans Hornets team who blew a 2-0 series lead over the Spurs in the second round. The Mavericks have Shawn Marion who lost back to back Western Conference Finals with the Suns in 2005 and 2006 as well. As you can see this is a hungry roster trying to erase those horrible memories. Now I'll give three keys for the Mavericks if they plan on winning this series.

1. Continue to make Nowitzki a matchup nightmare for opponents:

The Zombies like I discussed earlier have nobody who can even come close to matching up with Nowitzki. Nowitzki has been a force these playoffs averaging 26.5 points per game while grabbing 8.4 rebounds. He is shooting 49.7% from the field, 60.0% from three pointers on two attempts a game and 89.9% from the free throw line. In the fourth quarter Nowitzki has hit tough shot after another on the Blazers and Lakers. Nowitzki is still capable of bringing the ball inside and drawing fouls which is an automatic two points. Nowitzki will try to bring out one of the Zombies shot blocking duo of Perkins and most likely Ibaka. By doing that the Mavericks will have more room to penetrate the hole. This will be Nowitzki's third conference finals. The first one saw him get hurt as the Mavericks lost to the Spurs in six games in 2003. The second one saw Nowitzki drop 50 on the Suns in a critical game five as the Mavericks won in six games in 2006. Nowitzki like the rest of the roster is hungry to prove the doubters wrong.

2. Make it rain three pointers:

The Mavericks have been draining three pointers these playoffs especially against the Lakers. In the playoffs the Mavericks are averaging 9.5 three pointers a game on 41.9% shooting. The Mavericks have plenty of people who are capable of burning you on three pointers. We all know about Nowitzki but he isn't the only one. Jason Terry coming off a game where he hit 9-10 from three pointers these playoffs is hitting 2.2 a game for 50.0% from downtown. Stojakovic coming off a game where he hit 6-6 from three point range is making 2.4 a game for 46.2% from downtown. Jason Kidd had a huge Blazers series for the playoffs he's hitting 2.2 a game and DeShawn Stevenson is hitting a three pointer a game. The Mavericks stretch the floor so well and always have four guys on the court who can drill the three pointer on you. They also get to the rim so they don't live and die by the three pointer.

3. Mavericks bench to continue playing great:

The Mavericks bench led by Jason Terry has been outstanding these playoffs. In the game four win over the Lakers the bench scored 86 points which is incredible. The bench features Jason Terry who is averaging 18.3 points per game, Peja Stojakovic averaging 10.7 points per game and J.J. Barea who is averaging 7.7 points per game. Barea changed game two of the Lakers series with his constant penetration and kicking it out. While Terry and Stojakovic have given the Mavericks huge lifts in these playoffs. Both veterans are shooting great and give the Mavericks a very deep roster. The Mavericks have eight guys who average 17 plus minutes a game which shows you how deep this team is. The Mavericks other than Nowitzki have several key pieces that can come in and out. If the Mavericks continue this production from their bench look for them to win the title.

Prediction: Mavericks in Seven games

You think I was going to pick the team that was stolen from Seattle? Child please! Actually I think this series will be a great series that will go the distance. I think the Mavericks could even lose tonight due to rust as they haven't played in nine days. I'm picking the Mavericks because I think the Zombies are too young and a year away. The Mavericks are hungry plus feature a deep roster. The Mavericks also have a great closer in Nowitzki who the Zombies have nobody capable of guarding him. I do think the Zombies will give the Mavericks some problems too why I said seven games. This should be a great conference finals just wish this was in Seattle. Also remember the only owner who flat out voted no against the Sonics move was Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. At the end though Nowitzki will prove to be the difference in a critical game seven.

Seattle Mariners weekly review May 9th-15th edition

By Kshell

What a terrible week for the Seattle Mariners which saw the team lose all four games this week. To make things worst the Mariners had a lead going into the final at bat in three of those losses then were rained out in Cleveland. So the Mariners went 0-4 on this road trip and will have to make up two more games in Cleveland. The Mariners are currently on a six game losing streak which saw them lose four games in the final at bat. To say the Mariners are going through their roughest stretch of the season would be an understatement. What happened against the Baltimore Orioles was horrible as the Mariners lost two games in extra innings in which they had the lead. The Mariners still aren't hitting and the once reliable bullpen mainly Brandon League has given fans flashbacks of Bobby Ayala this past week. Like I've done in the past I'll break down the good(that was hard), the bad(way too many) and the ugly(where do I begin?).

The Good:

The good this week was again the starting pitching which saw them get three good performances of the three starts. The Mariners besides League had good pitching performances from their bullpen as well. Whenever a team goes 0-4 and isn't hitting I find myself grasping at straws to fill out the good. The hitting wasn't good as the usual suspects like Ichiro and Justin Smoak didn't kill the ball. Instead the Mariners really only had one hitter step up which was Jack Cust who appears to finally coming around.

Hitting Stars:

Jack Cust: 6-16(.375), run, 3 walks
Jack Wilson: 2-6(.333), run
Justin Smoak: 3-13(.231), HR, 3 RBI's, run, 4 walks

Pitching Stars:

Jason Vargas: 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 4 K's
Doug Fister: 8 IP, 2.25 ERA, 0.63 WHIP, 6 K's
Aaron Laffey: 3 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2.67 WHIP, 2 K's
David Pauley: 4 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 2 K's

The Bad:

Whenever you go 0-4 there is plenty of bad for the week. The Mariners parted ways with Milton Bradley and Ryan Langerhans but still got no production from left field. The Mariners Cy Young award winner Felix Hernandez was roughed up as well. The Mariners saw closer Brandon League have one of the worst weeks a reliever could possibly have as he blew three saves and went 0-3 this week. Dating back to Sunday League is 0-4 with a 30.00 ERA in his last four outings. The Mariners saw themselves get swept by the Baltimore Orioles then lose a heartbreaker to the Cleveland Indians in Eric Wedge's homecoming back to Cleveland. The Mariners will also have to make up some games but given the way they were playing that rain out could have been a good thing.

Hitting Bad:

Brendan Ryan: 2-12(.166), RBI, run, 2 K's
Miguel Olivo: 2-12(.166), 2 RBI's, run, 3 K's
Michael Saunders: 3-17(.176), HR, RBI, 3 runs, 5 K's
Carlos Peguero/Mike Wilson: 2-17(.117), HR, run, 2 RBI's, 5 K's

Pitching Bad:

Felix Hernandez: 0-1, 5 IP, 7.20 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 4 K's
Brandon League: 0-3, 3 blown saves, 1.2 IP, 37.72 ERA, 5.40 WHIP, K

The Ugly:

The terrible defense and lack of hitting by the Mariners continues to be a major problem. The defense isn't making any outs unless the ball is hit right directly at them. While the hitting still isn't hitting at all on the year as the team features just one .300 hitter. The Mariners have just two regular everyday hitters who are hitting above .250 which simply won't cut it. In the American League you have to be able to hit the ball or you simply can't win scoring piss poor low totals. The closer problems of League are magnified because the team can't hit ever to blow anyone out.

Ugly Hitting:

Seattle Mariners team: .228/.302/.326 which is a terrible line for a player let alone an entire team. The Mariners currently rank 29th out of 30 teams in home runs, batting average, slugging percentage and on base+slugging percentage. The Mariners rank 28th in runs and hits while ranking 27th in runs batted in and on base percentage. So the Mariners rank in the bottom four in all of baseball in home runs, batting average, OBP, OPS, runs, hits and RBI's. That won't get the job done at all.

Michael Saunders: .171/.225/.270 with 32 K's in 111 AB's(3.5:1 ratio). Saunders makes me beg for the Jeremy Reed days in center that is how pathetic he has been. He was once a promising prospect but it appears he is destined to be quadruple A material for this franchise.

Miguel Olivo: .207/.250/.276 with 32 K's in 116 AB's with only two home runs. This is the Mariners clean up hitter.....ladies and gentlemen your 2011 Seattle Mariners.

American League West standings:

L.A. Angels: 22-19, first place
Texas Rangers: 21-19, 0.5 GB
Oakland A's: 20-20, 1.5 GB
Seattle Mariners: 16-23, 5.0 GB

The Mariners still can't hit so while it's fun to bitch and moan about Brandon League the real problem isn't going away. No matter who Wedge puts in the clean up hole odds are he will suck since Ichiro and Smoak are the only two hitters on this roster. This was a terribly ball club built by a third year general manager. Yes Jackie Z inherited a mess from Bill Bavasi but he isn't helping that mess. To date he sounds like Tyrone Willingham who made nothing but excuses about his mess he inherited while failing to mention he isn't doing shit about the mess. The Mariners hitting we all knew was going to be a disaster and Dustin Ackley better be called up soon because this is beyond pathetic. The Mariners better spend at least 40 million this offseason on hitting or the fans will continue to not show up.

Premier League, La Liga and Serie A titles have been clinched last week + a lot more. What's going on around the world in soccer? Let's find out.

By Money Mike

So lately I've been talking about the Sounders with the preview's and the recaps, the MLS SuperDraft, the Re-entry draft and I blogged a couple of English soccer matches, but those two were "I was bored out of my mind" type of things. But yeah, we had some big events that happened this week and there will be more of that later this month with the UEFA Champions League Final the international friendly matches including one here in Seattle between Mexico and Ecuador. So how about a we take a trip around the world and see whats been going on in soccer, and with this blog, who needs passports? lol.

England:

So let's start off in England. Manchester United, they have captured their 4th Premier League title in 5 years, their 12th Premier League title which is the most, and their 19th League Title overall which is a new record held by Liverpool who had 18. A 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers secured the title for the Red Devils, they will celebrate their title in the final week of the Season next week at home against Blackpool who are in danger of relegation. And let's talk about that. Going into the final week of the season, there are five teams that will fight to try to stay in the top flight next season. West Ham United were relegated after losing 3-2 to Wigan Athletic and shortly after, they fired head coach Avram Grant which they should've done at the start of January as everybody would've expected. The entire staff has done an awful job handling the team this season and the Hammers just got hammered this season. The fans deserve a lot better than this.

Spain:

Barcelona are La Liga Champions again, this is their 3rd in a row again with rivals Real Madrid coming close, but not close enough. With one game still to go for them in the League, until the Champions League final, I expect them to bench all of their starters unless one of them are suspended for the final because if you lose a key player to injury and you lose the final, fans will just want you fired. Lionel Messi led his team again with 31 goals in La Liga and 52 goals in all competitions. Hercules C.F., who shocked Barcelona on their home ground earlier in the season, are officially relegated this season as well as Almeria. I got a glimpse of the La Liga Fair play table which is sort of a Sportsmanship thing, and you look at it...wow. Real Sociedad have the most pathetic fans in Spain, because of them, Sociedad have been tagged with Altercations four times this season. That's just ridiculous.

Italy:

Going into the 2010-2011 season, Inter Milan have won 5 Italian Serie A titles in a row and were looking to extend their streak to 6. However, with key acquisitions like former Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robinho and Kevin-Prince Boateng, A.C. Milan came through and clinced the Serie A title, ending their Arch Rivals streak of 5 in a row. Ibrahimovic, Robinho and Alexandre Pato each finished with 14 goals on the year. Also, you got to say, no Inter Milan fan likes Zlatan Ibrahimovic anymore after playing for A.C. Milan. Kevin-Prince Boateng lit up the celebration with his Michael Jackson dance routine, as seen on the picture. Sampdoria, Brescia and A.S. Bari are relegated and won't be in the Serie A next season. The most embarrasing team in the Serie A is Juventus, they are just getting weak every single year. Especially since returing to the Serie A in 07-08 since being deducted all of their points in 05-06 for a match fixing scandal. They need to start going to their youth system and give the young players a chance to play, not their oldass players like Buffon and Del Piero.

Mexico's 23-man squad for May 28:

So the Mexican national team just announced their squad for their friendly match against Ecuador on May 28 which will take place at Qwest Field in Seattle. My guess is that they'll take the tarp off the upper deck and the bleachers, I don't know for sure. But anyway, the squad includes Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, however he will not make the trip to Seattle for the friendly match because of the Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona, so all of you Chicharito fans, you guys will have to wait till' Manchester United come to town for a friendly match with the Seattle Sounders. Let's look at the rest of the squad......

Goalkeepers: Guillermo Ochoa (Club America, Mexico), Alfredo Talavera (Toluca, Mexico), Jose de Jesus Corona (Cruz Azul, Mexico)

Defenders: Rafa Marquez (New York Red Bulls, MLS), Carlos Salcido (Fulham, England), Hector Moreno (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands), Francisco Javier Rodriguez (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), Ricardo Osorio (Monterrey, Mexico), Edgar Duenas (Toluca, Mexico), Jorge Torres Nilo (Tigres, Mexico)

Midfielders: Andres Guardado (Deportivo la Coruna, Spain), Efrain Juarez (Celtic, Scotland), Israel Castro (UNAM, Mexico), Sinha (Toluca, Mexico), Luis Perez (Monterrey, Mexico), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul, Mexico), Angel Reyna (Club America, Mexico), Jesus Zavala (Monterrey, Mexico)

Forwards: Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez (Manchester United, England)*, Giovani dos Santos (Racing de Santander, Spain), Pablo Barrera (West Ham United, England), Aldo de Nigris (Monterrey, Mexico), Elias Hernandez (Morelia, Mexico)

* - Won't make the trip to Seattle due to the UEFA Champions League final. Expected to join the national team before the start of the Gold Cup.