Seattle Mariners: A Week In Reflection
By Dan Shearer
Apr 3, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Home plate umpire Sean Barber (29) watches as Seattle Mariners catcher Mike Zunino (3) tags out Oakland Athletics left fielder Sam Fuld (29) at home after batting in second baseman Nick Punto (1) during the fifth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Well Mariners fans, what a week. The 2014 MLB season is underway and the Mariners have hit the ground running. I don’t know about you but I absolutely love this time of year.
Having the season underway makes things so much easier when it comes to sports writing. Needless to say, it’s time to play a game of “what we knew, what we’ve learned, and what is next”.
What we knew
Looking back a couple of weeks, we knew this team was going to have a few issues. I don’t think that anyone sat back after the last minute cuts and moves we made putting together the 25 man roster and said, “okay, we are good”.
We had no idea what our outfield was going to look like. We had rotation issues that got worse when we found out that Hisashi Iwakuma and Taijuan Walker were starting the season on the DL. We also did not know this teams identity, because outside of Robinson Cano, where would our production come from?
What we’ve learned
This team came out the gate hot. That might be a bit of an understatement but I am trying to contain my excitement simply because, well, lets face it.. this team has let us all down a time or two (or maybe 10, I lost count).
But wow, what a way to start off this season. Sweeping the Los Angeles Angels and their heavy hitting lineup including Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, and Josh Hamilton. This dominant series win by the Mariners was fueled by offensive firepower and 3 gems pitched by Felix, Ramirez, and Paxton.
If I had to complain about something, I guess it would be the couple of defensive miscues in the outfield. There were a couple of easy fly balls misjudged by Dustin Ackley as well as Stefen Romero, but other than that the outfield has played well.
The bullpen gave up a couple of runs late to the Angels Wednesday night but the performance by James Paxton completely overshadowed anything bad that happened during that game.
Roenis Elias looks like a legit starter for this team. A solid start was unfortunately wiped out by Sean Barber’s attempt to create a new inspirational sports movie aptly named “The Blind Umpire”.
That was the most inconsistent strike zone I have ever seen. It was borderline ridiculous. I would have accused him of being paid by the A’s but it was horrible for both teams.
Cocoa Krispies are being boycotted in my household for a month. I threw our box away this morning. Sorry kids. Coco Crisp was the thorn in our side last night as the A’s beat us in extras. I blame Sean Barber, how ’bout you? I look forward to seeing the Sean Barber memes this week.
Whats next
The M’s continue their 4 game series against Oakland into this weekend. Monday will be a travel day and the Mariners home opener at Safeco Field is on Tuesday against the Angels.
Prior to Tuesday’s opening pitch, the Mariners will pay tribute to the reigning Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks. Anyone who will be at Tuesday’s game, post your pictures to SodoMojo’s Facebook page or Twitter account!
Player of the week: James Paxton
Stat of the week: Joe Beimel became just the 3rd Mariners pitcher to record an out without throwing a pitch on Tuesday.
Bonehead of the week: Abraham Almonte. He goes into full spazz-mode every other inning.