Monday, June 06, 2005
Comebacks!
Back on May 27th, I lamented over the Mariners lack of come from behind wins. It seemed like once they were behind in a game, they stayed behind. Since then, the Mariners have won 6 of 8 games, including 3 come-from-behind wins. They have climbed back to within 8 games of .500, but more importantly, they have given us a reason to stay tuned to the ballgame even when the M's are down after 5 innings.
Everyone seems to think we are in for a whooping as we head out to Florida to face the excellent pitching of Brian Moehler (I'm not a believer, but he does have a 2.59 ERA this year), herky-jerky lefty Dontrelle Willis (9-2, 1.85 ERA), and Josh Beckett (7-3, 2.58 ERA). They just don't scare me.
The M's just got done beating two of their biggest nemesisesesses (didn't know how to end that word) of the past.
In the past few years, rookies have owned the Mariners. If the M's don't have years of footage on a player they are apparently useless against them. The MLB debut of Doug Waechter (2-hit shutout in September 2003) was the most memorable example, but we have seen it continue this year with rookie Chien-Ming Wang beating us twice in a span of a week. And we know how lefties have owned the Mariners this year.
So imagine my fear on Saturday when a LEFTY ROOKIE took the hill against the Mariners. And with Scott Kazmir pitching a 3-hitter with a 5-2 lead in the 7th, it looked like another loss for the M's. But, we pushed him past 100 pitches, and we got to face the Devil Ray bullpen, and lo and behold! A comeback!
And then on Sunday, we had to face another nemesis, Former Dodger Stud Asian Pitcher Who Has Sucked Since Leaving Dodgertown. Yes, our first look at Hideo Nomo, he of the 6.61 ERA, had me trembling. He looked like the second coming of Chan Ho Park to me. Park has been 14-18 with a 5.85 ERA since leaving the cozy confines of Dodger Stadium. But the M's always brought out the Dodger Blue in him, as he owned a 4-1 record with a 2.29 ERA.
If we can beat a LEFTY ROOKIE, and a FDSAPWHSSLD, AND overcome deficits in both games to do it, then the Marlins have nothing that I fear.
Bring them on.
Everyone seems to think we are in for a whooping as we head out to Florida to face the excellent pitching of Brian Moehler (I'm not a believer, but he does have a 2.59 ERA this year), herky-jerky lefty Dontrelle Willis (9-2, 1.85 ERA), and Josh Beckett (7-3, 2.58 ERA). They just don't scare me.
The M's just got done beating two of their biggest nemesisesesses (didn't know how to end that word) of the past.
In the past few years, rookies have owned the Mariners. If the M's don't have years of footage on a player they are apparently useless against them. The MLB debut of Doug Waechter (2-hit shutout in September 2003) was the most memorable example, but we have seen it continue this year with rookie Chien-Ming Wang beating us twice in a span of a week. And we know how lefties have owned the Mariners this year.
So imagine my fear on Saturday when a LEFTY ROOKIE took the hill against the Mariners. And with Scott Kazmir pitching a 3-hitter with a 5-2 lead in the 7th, it looked like another loss for the M's. But, we pushed him past 100 pitches, and we got to face the Devil Ray bullpen, and lo and behold! A comeback!
And then on Sunday, we had to face another nemesis, Former Dodger Stud Asian Pitcher Who Has Sucked Since Leaving Dodgertown. Yes, our first look at Hideo Nomo, he of the 6.61 ERA, had me trembling. He looked like the second coming of Chan Ho Park to me. Park has been 14-18 with a 5.85 ERA since leaving the cozy confines of Dodger Stadium. But the M's always brought out the Dodger Blue in him, as he owned a 4-1 record with a 2.29 ERA.
If we can beat a LEFTY ROOKIE, and a FDSAPWHSSLD, AND overcome deficits in both games to do it, then the Marlins have nothing that I fear.
Bring them on.
