Future hall of famer, Jim Thome, long before hitting 600 big league homers. Fish and I each clobbered each other around in games one and two, before we actually played a tight, competitive game in the series finale.
GAME
Jered Weaver, recently traded from Mario, tossed a complete game shutout in his first game as a Mariner, while the ever-powerful offense tallied eight runs. Fish’s starter, Gio Gonzalez, was chased after just four innings, yielding five runs. Jose Bautista hit a homer and scored two runs. Ian Kinsler drove in two runs on three hits, while Luis Valbuena and Mike Napoli and Jason Bartlett each collected two hits apiece. Vlady Guerrero was a perfect 4 x 4 for Fish in the loss.
W – Weaver, L – Gonzalez
GAME TWO
Fish turned the tables in game two, destroying starter Jeremy “Dimples” Guthrie who lasted just three innings. Vlady hit a two-run homer in the first inning, before Fish added another five runs in the third thanks to a Justin Morneau three-run bomb and a J.D. Drew two-run round tripper. The birther Luke Scott, another new acquisition, hit a two-run homer for Nick in the loss. Trevor Cahill, Fish’s lone righty, pitched a solid game going 7 2/3 innings, surrendering just three runs and five hits.
FISH 8,
W – Cahill, L – Woody Guthrie
GAME THREE
Future hall of famer Jim Thome hit a three-run bombski in the top of the eighth, against – get this - a lefty, to secure a series win for the Mariners. Luis Valbuena, of all people, hit a solo homer in the first for Nick, before Fish tied things in the bottom of the inning on a Morneau single that scored Alex Rios. “Cranky pants” Shawn Marcum exited the game after just 3 and 1/3 innings and his arm problems look to be semi-serious (out 15 games). Fish got right after reliever Darren O’Day taking the lead in the fourth on a David DeJesus RBI single. Nalco’s employee of the year held the lead until Thome’s moonshot in the eighth. Vlady, finished off his excellent series with a solo homer in the bottom of 8, but Nick’s closer Neftali Feliz shut the door, earning a win in 1 and 2/3 innings of work.
Though he’s known as one of the better in-game managers in
W – Feliz, L –
Wait a minute, Rocco Cervelli can bunt? I can totally see that one slipping by me with the infield back.
ReplyDeleteI've been nailed on the 'Lead Out' this AL season at least 3 times, all with A-bunters tapping the ball. This is the result of the American League Gods being irritated about our not letting free swingers have their chance for the walk off homer.
Good series guys. Fish really needed a couple more losses hung on him, as that '1' in the L column was looking really lonely. I like Nick's chances for that 4th playoff slot a lot better now, but Marcum out the rest of the way won't help matters.