Thursday, September 16, 2004
Spiro Pride
Yesterday, I read that Ryan Franklin's grandmother had passed away, and I thought that we might see something special from the pride of Spiro that night. And Ryan did not disappoint, pitching a beautiful complete game, 2-hit shutout in a 1-0 win over the Angels. Ryan didn't need run support today, as he retired 19 of the last 20 batters he faced (2-out walk to Vlad in the 9th). Hopefully, this is a turning point in the nightmare season that Franklin has had, and he can begin working toward a 5th starter or long relief role for the M's in 2005.
Meanwhile, didya notice who hit another game-winning hit? Yup, its Raul Ibanez again. Ibanez has certainly been a disappointment this year, with only 15 HR and 52 RBI to go with a .280/.334/.450 line. But it seems every time the M's win, he's in the thick of things. The Game-winning RBI stat is no more, but if the stat was still kept, Raul would certainly be leading the M's. I'll try to do some research on that later today...
The M's have now won 2 of 3 against the playoff-aspiring Angels, following up a series split with the Red Sox. Its good to see the M's are at least having an affect on the playoff race. Personally, I hope the chair-throwing Rangers manage to sneak off with the AL West crown so that I can see them face off with ARod in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, didya notice who hit another game-winning hit? Yup, its Raul Ibanez again. Ibanez has certainly been a disappointment this year, with only 15 HR and 52 RBI to go with a .280/.334/.450 line. But it seems every time the M's win, he's in the thick of things. The Game-winning RBI stat is no more, but if the stat was still kept, Raul would certainly be leading the M's. I'll try to do some research on that later today...
The M's have now won 2 of 3 against the playoff-aspiring Angels, following up a series split with the Red Sox. Its good to see the M's are at least having an affect on the playoff race. Personally, I hope the chair-throwing Rangers manage to sneak off with the AL West crown so that I can see them face off with ARod in the playoffs.
