Opening Day is a mere 11 days away, and Eric Wedge appears to have taken a page from Jack Zduriencik’s playbook. In other words, very little regarding definitive roster decisions has slipped from the skipper’s lips these days. Here’s the roster speculation floating around the blogosphere at the moment:

• The battle for rotation spots #3-5 is heating up, with Erasmo Ramirez, Blake Beavan, Brandon Maurer, Jeremy Bonderman, and Jon Garland in the mix. Although no names have been selected so far, Shannon Drayer believes Maurer is making a convincing case for his time in the sun. Following Tuesday’s win over the defending San Francisco Giants, she quoted Eric Wedge: “We feel strongly he is going to be able to get major league outs […] It’s just a matter as we prep everything out decisions we have to make and we have to take everything into consideration. The experience level, what the other guys have done and match that up to what he he done.”
• Seattle Times’ Geoff Baker seems to have other thoughts. In a nutshell, his opinions leave Maurer out in the cold: “If Garland makes it, Maurer has no chance. The team would give the final spot to either Blake Beavan or Erasmo Ramirez. In fact, even if Garland doesn’t make it, I think the team would give the final two remaining spots to Beavan and Ramirez. Not to Maurer.”
• On Tuesday, Dustin Ackley batted eighth. Is this a sign of things to come? According to Greg Johns and Eric Wedge, it very well might be. “Wedge said afterward that Ackley could well wind up down in that area during the regular season given the addition of the middle-of-the-order veterans and improvement of some of the young core players,” Johns writes. He added that Franklin Gutierrez is likely for the leadoff spot, while Kyle Seager could take his place if Guti fails to stay healthy.
• The Mariners roster has been pruned to 37 after another round of cuts.

Players reassigned to minor league camp:
Logan Bawcom
Andrew Carraway
John Hicks
Jhonny Nunez
Ronny Paulino
James Paxton
Stefen Romero
Taijuan Walker
Mike Zunino

Players sent to Triple-A:
Vinnie Catricala
Bobby LaFromboise
Alex Liddi
Danny Hultzen
Yoervis Medina
Hector Noesi
Eric Thames
Carlos Triunfel

Players optioned to Double-A:
Francisco Martinez
Julio Morban

Next game: @ Rockies | March 16 | 1:10pm

No home run hoarders here: To date, 21 different Mariners have rung up a home run in Cactus League play. Of those 21, 12 players have logged multiple homers, with Michael Morse (5), Franklin Gutierrez (3), Carlos Peguero (3), and Justin Smoak (3) leading the pack.

Guti back under scrutiny: Franklin Gutierrez has been sidelined for six days of Cactus League games with tightness in his legs. According to Greg Johns’ report, the center fielder appears unconcerned, and believes he will be back on the field soon.

Opening (Day) acts: When April 8th rolls around, here’s one Safeco Field debut you can count on—that of Pickwick, a Seattle-bred folk band. Their first self-released record, Can’t Talk Medicine, can be heard on iTunes or at the band’s official website.

If you need even more incentive to attend the Opening Day festivities, single-game tickets will be available for purchase through Mariners.com beginning at 10am tomorrow morning.

40-man roster gets trimmed again: Four more cuts were made from Seattle’s major league camp this afternoon. Here’s the current list of players who have been sent down or reassigned so far:

Reassigned to minor league camp:

• John Hicks
• Jhonny Nunez
• Ronny Paulino
• James Paxton
• Stefen Romero
• Taijuan Walker

Sent to Triple-A:

• Alex Liddi
• Danny Hultzen
• Hector Noesi

Currently, the roster stands at 47 players.

According to online reports from Greg Johns, the Mariners have moved five players from their spring training camp today.

Hector Noesi and Danny Hultzen have been reassigned to Tacoma, while Jhonny Nunez, Taijuan Walker, and James Paxton have been sent to minor league camp.

Of the Big Four—LHPs Hultzen and Paxton and RHPs Walker and Maurer—only one will remain in the major league camp with a legitimate shot at the rotation. From Shannon Drayer’s blog post:

“So the one remaining pitcher from the group of four is Maurer and this is not a surprise. I have said for some time now that he was my pick to be the first up because he is more polished. I assumed this before I saw him in person from things I had heard, the numbers I saw and his history. He has come up through the organization. He has pitched professionally for over four years. What I have learned since I have seen him is his stuff is better than I imagined it to be. He’s not just a guy who knows how to pitch. He’s got weapons.”

As both Drayer and Johns point out, all four are expected to make their major league debuts fairly soon, and all have shown progress and varying levels of readiness this spring. With 51 players left in the Mariners camp, more cuts will follow shortly.

Next game: @ Dodgers | March 9 | 12:05pm

Bonus baseball: The skies over Peoria Stadium emptied during the Mariners/A’s game this afternoon, absolving Hector Noesi of an equally disastrous performance: 3 hits, 3 homers, and 7 runs in 2.0 IP. Thankfully for Noesi and the rest of the squad, the game was called in the 4th inning, with Seattle facing a 12-1 deficit. Tomorrow, the M’s will make up for lost time with a 7-inning B squad game, scheduled to start at 10am vs. the Padres.

Stefen sidelined on strikeout: Stefen Romero exited today’s game with a strained left oblique after a strikeout in the 2nd inning, according to MLB.com’s Greg Johns. No word yet on how severe the injury or how long he is expected to be unavailable.

Catch the Mariners on TV: The next televised spring training game won’t air until March 17, but you can watch the Mariners 2013 commercials as soon as next Wednesday. If Kevin Martinez’s tweet is any indication, things are going to get a little wild this year.

Opening Day update: Guess who’s coming to town…

I really hate pushing the news of an imminent(?) Felix extension down by one post, and feel more than welcome to completely skip this and scroll down a bit, but there was another little tidbit of information passed on by one Ken Rosenthal today via Twitter, who tweeted that the “Mariners are in agreement with [Joe] Saunders on one-year contract, pending a physical.”

Many Mariners fans were pleading for the club to add to the pitching rotation before Spring Training got under way, and though nothing is official yet, it looks as if Jack Z. will do just that by bringing in Joe Saunders. Before I proceed, remember that Saunders was the main piece the Anaheim Angels sent to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Dan Haren, so Saunders must be pretty awesome.

Just kidding. He’s not awesome, but I wouldn’t call him atrocious. Saunders should basically fill the void created in the rotation when Jason Vargas was traded for Kendrys Morales. Matthew over at Lookout Landing wrote a great piece about the similiarities between Jason Vargas and Joe Saunders. He’s a lefty who throws mostly fastballs and changeups and who will probably pitch 180+ not-horrible innings. I would imagine Eric Wedge will slot him into the #3 spot in the rotation behind Hisashi Iwakuma and the probably RECENTLY EXTENDED KING FELIX HERNANDEZ! YEAH!

Sorry.

But the best thing about the possibility of bringing in Joe Saunders: he’s not Hector Noesi. Noesi WAS atrocious last year, and it looked as if he was going to see some time in the rotation this season short of one of the three heads of Cerberus breaking camp with the big club. With Saunders in the fold, the rotation might look like this:

Felix, Iwakuma, Saunders, Ramirez, Beavan

That rotation is probably lacking a legitimate #2 starter that pushes one of Beavan or Ramirez out, but it would look a whole lot worse with Noesi anywhere near it. It lacks something, but also leaves room for growth, which could be another signing, a trade, or one of Danny Hultzen, Taijuan Walker, or James Paxton proving they’re ready.

No, Joe Saunders on a one-year deal certainly shouldn’t hurt.*

*Edit: Especially at the reported $6.5MM price tag. Apparently incentives can make it $7.5MM, but that’s still pretty darn cheap. I like this move.

Merry Christmas, Mariner fans.

Yesterday, Jack Zduriencik made his first trade of the offseason, swapping No. 2 starter Jason Vargas for the Angels’ first baseman and designated hitter Kendrys Morales.

Over 33 starts in 2012, Jason maintained a 3.85 ERA over 217.1 IP, his lowest since 2010. Vargas struggled to keep the ball in Safeco Field, accounting for 35 home runs in what was once a pitcher’s park. When he was good, he was very good, finishing the season with a sparkling seven inning performance against Oakland, granting the soon-to-be playoff contenders five hits, a run, and seven strikeouts. When he was bad, things got ugly—for instance, his season-low performance in Arizona, where he sent the Mariners spiraling after giving up nine hits, ten runs, five home runs, and two walks in just 4.1 IP.

In Kendrys Morales, the Mariners find the missing middle-of-the-order hitter they had hoped to secure with the Michael Pineda-Jesus Montero trade last winter. Morales has somewhat successfully bounced back from two injury-laden seasons, caused in part by his new home team.

“That injury occurred when he landed awkwardly while jumping into a group of teammates at home plate after hitting a walk-off grand slam off Mariners closer Brandon League in Anaheim on May 29, 2010.” — Greg Johns, Mariners.com

Last season, Kendrys batted .273/.320/.467 in 522 PA with 22 home runs and a .339 wOBA. Morales peaked in 2009, with a .306 average, 4.0 bWAR, and fifth place in the MVP award voting. According to Greg Johns’ wrap-up, the 29-year-old has fared well in Seattle so far, managing seven home runs, a .292 average, and .904 OPS over 34 games. One can only hope that the shortened fences will work in his favor, while Jason finds the spacious dimensions of Angel Stadium more to his liking.

By this time next year, both Vargas and Morales will be free agents. Last season, Vargas fed on a $4.85M contract, while Morales topped out at $2.98M.

With a potential power hitter gracing the Mariners’ lineup, the team turns to its rotation once again. Rumors cropped up early in the offseason, hinting that Jack Z put another starter on his Christmas wish list. Today, it is a pressing need, lest we see Eric Wedge throw Hector Noesi back in the mix. Although much remains to be tested and proven in the months to come, Jack and Wedge are looking at a rotation captained by King Felix and followed by a combination of Hisashi Iwakuma, Erasmo Ramirez, Danny Hultzen, Taijuan Walker, James Paxton, or Brandon Maurer.

Jack may still have a few more surprises up his sleeve this winter, but at least through the holiday weekend, Mariner fans can finally sleep peacefully.

Final score: Rangers 2, Mariners 1

Something is up with Justin Smoak.

On any other day of the year, the following sentence might look something like this: Smoak is 0-for-17 with five strikeouts in his four games as a Tacoma Rainier. Which, coincidentally, was true on August 11.

Today, however, Smoak is 5-for-8 in two games against the Texas Rangers, with five hits, two home runs, and four RBI. My first instinct is to bury this information with a lot of “temper your expectations” and “flukes, lucky breaks, etc.,” but I’d rather just enjoy these moments as the season winds down.

Aside from Smoak’s solo shot off Matt Harrison, the Mariners managed to reach base five times, stranding their only RISP on a game-ending strikeout from Michael Saunders. Although his efforts were wasted, Jesus Montero provided a big break for the Mariners late in the game, coming up with a line drive to scoot Guti over to third.

Courtesy of a flaky offense (and, to be fair, the Rangers’ superior pitching staff), Blake Beavan received his 10th loss of the season with 7 hits, 2 runs, and a walk in 7 IP and 26 batters. For the first time since his call-up, Carter Capps was selected to close out the game, shutting down the final three Rangers with 10 pitches.

Tomorrow, the Mariners kick off their last multi-game homestand against the Baltimore Orioles. As announced by the team earlier this week, the revised rotation has Hector Noesi on Monday, Erasmo Ramirez on Tuesday, and Felix Hernandez on Wednesday.

Next game: vs. Orioles | September 17 | 7:10pm

Final score: Athletics 6, Mariners 1

Remember how, in the series preview, I told you to expect some regression from Felix Hernandez? Remember how I told you the Oakland A’s would be poised for a bit of revenge on the A.L. West after being swept at the hands of the Angels? Remember how I told you that there would be an outburst of scoring in Safeco Field this weekend, starting tonight?

Oops.

This was a bad one. Felix Hernandez was bad, giving up 11 hits over 4.2 innings and not doing anything to help his Cy Young chances down the stretch. The offense was bad, mustering only seven hits and one run. Even the defense was bad, with Eric Thames misplaying a pop fly, allowing Seth Smith to score from first.

Carlos Triunfel made his long-awaited Major League debut in the ninth inning… and struck out on three pitches. Alex Liddi made his less-awaited return to the Majors… and struck out to end the game. Hector Noesi made the least-awaited return to the Majors in the history of the Majors… and somehow escaped unscathed after walking the first batter he faced and giving up a double.

Luis Jimenez got the first hit of his Major League career, which was fun. Just about the only fun anybody in Seattle had during the game.

Next game: vs. Athletics | September 8 | 6:10 pm

The Mariners were able to get one win in Yankee Stadium, which Mariners’ fans shouldn’t be disappointed with. While the Mariners (who are still 8-2 in their previous 10 games) have looked like a different, better team as of late, they aren’t on the Yankees’ level… yet. They now head to Camden Yards to play three against the Baltimore Orioles.

Current record: 57-51

Last series: vs. Rays. In a three game series in Tampa Bay, the Orioles and Rays played to three shutouts, with the Rays taking the first game 2-0 and the Orioles winning the second and third by final scores of 4-0 and 1-0.

Last series against Seattle: July 2 – July 4, 2012. The last time these two teams faced the Mariners were bad, and now the Mariners are good. In game one, Hisashi Iwakuma made his first major league start and joined Ichiro and Munenori Kawasaki in making history by being a member of the first starting lineup to include three Japanese players. The Mariners would go on to with that contest thanks to some late-inning heroics by Dustin Ackley and Miguel Olivo. Josh Kinney would make his debut in a Mariner loss in game two of the series, while Hector Noesi would get his last start of the year the next night in yet another loss to the Orioles.

Familiar Faces: Ask any Mariners’ fan what the worst trade of the past decade was and you’ll likely have a unanimous answer. Baltimore clearly came on the winning end of said trade, plucking Adam Jones, Chris Tillman and other prospects out of the Mariners’ farm system. In five years with Baltimore, Jones has never hit below .270. He has been elected to two All-Star games and won a Gold Glove in 2009. He’s currently ranked in the top 10 in the A.L. in WAR. Tillman is 4-1 on the year with a 2.70 ERA in five starts.

The treasure the Mariners’ received for this package? Erik Bedard. Riddled with injuries, Bedard never made more than 16 starts for the Mariners in 3 ½ seasons. While he was good in the time he was on the mound, his outings rarely went past five innings and he quickly lost favor with much of the Seattle fanbase. Bedard has since been traded to the Red Sox and is now leading the National League in losses with 12, pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

» Continue reading “Mariners Series Preview: Baltimore Orioles”

My last series preview was for the Royals series and after everything was laid out, I picked the Mariners to go 3-1, which they did. Surprisingly, they went 2-1 against the Rays as well and are coming home with a 5-2 record on their road trip. The competition in their next series will be a little more intense, however, as the New York Yankees come to town for three.

Current record: 57-38

Last game: vs. Athletics. The Yankees, in their abbreviated tour of the A.L. West, stopped in Oakland for four games and were swept. Each game was a one-run affair. In their previous six games they had scored over five runs per game, but against Oakland they managed 2.5.

Familiar Faces: The Yankees’ current active roster boasts four ex-Mariners, including three that are among franchise leaders in multiple categories. Alex Rodriguez, of course, is probably the most prolific. He played for the Mariners from 1994-2000 and shattered a number of franchise records. He currently holds the Mariner record for best career slugging percentage and OPS, most runs and doubles in a single season, and most runs scored in a single game.

Freddy Garcia, Raul Ibanez and Rafael Soriano all played for the Mariners as well. As a rookie in 1999, Garcia went 17-8 and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to Carlos Beltran. From 1999-2002 he went 60-29 for the Mariners, making the All-Star team in both 2001 and 2002. Ibanez was drafted by the Mariners in 1992, played from 1996-1999 and then again from 2004-2008. In his second stint, he put up an OPS+ of 120 and averaged 23 home runs each year. Soriano falls into the same category of ex-Mariners as Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo and Derek Lowe – players that were promising but were traded away for aging veterans before they blossomed. Soriano played briefly between 2002 and 2006 before he was traded to the Braves for starter Horacio Ramirez.

Jesus Montero is the lone Mariner to have played for the Yankees, and the first game of this series will mark six months since the trade in which the Mariners acquired him for Michael Pineda.

Last series against Seattle: May 11 – May 13, 2012. Felix Hernandez, who usually shines in the Big Apple, earned the loss in the first game and Noesi took the loss in game two – both by finals of 6-2. Kevin Millwood and Andy Pettitte (who was making his first start of the year) took the mound in game three in a flashback to 1999 and Millwood emerged the victor by a final score of 6-2.

Pitching matchups: Monday – Kevin Millwood vs. RHP Hiroki Kuroda. Both of these pitchers are in the twilight of their careers and both have had decent years, with Kuroda seeing his success reflected in his win-loss record while Millwood has gotten a bit unlucky. Kuroda is 9-7 with a 3.46 ERA, and the only Mariners who have faced Kuroda are Ichiro, Miguel Olivo and Brendan Ryan.

Tuesday — Felix Hernandez vs. RHP Freddy Garcia. If you could make it to Safeco for one game of this series, Tuesday would be the day to go. Garcia, one of the best pitchers in Mariners history takes the mound for the Yankees. When Felix was learning how to pitch, his idol was Garcia, so it seems fitting that Felix will face him in what could very well be Freddy’s last start in Safeco. In his last seven starts, Felix is 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA and 59 strikeouts to only seven walks. Garcia has made four starts since a short stint coming out of the bullpen, and has gone 2-1 with an ERA of 3.97.

Wednesday – Hisashi Iwakuma vs. RHP Ivan Nova. Nova is one of the bright young starters in the American League and his record reflects that – he’s 10-4 on the year. Current Mariners are 4-28 (.143) against Nova, while current Yankees will be seeing Iwakuma for the first time.

Expected results: I’m not sure how to feel about this series. The Mariners will be missing C.C. Sabathia, which is a good thing. I wish I could be confident that the Mariners will win two or three of these games, but it’ll be tough. Even so, going 1-2 in this series will mean that the Mariners will be 6-4 in their last ten games, which is a step in the right direction.