Wednesday, June 08, 2005
M's Dominating the NL East Through One
Great start for the Mariners last night, as they put together just enough pitching and offense to capitalize on Marlin mistakes and win 4-3. The win pulls the M's within 6 games of .500. And on a night when every other team in the AL West lost to a NL East team, the M's are back within 7 games of the first place Texas Rangels of Anaheim.
The M's have now won 7 of 9, with 11 upcoming games against NL East foes. Everyone keeps saying how strong the NL East is, and all I have to say to that is ... Poppycock!
The Marlins have padded their .500 record with a 10-3 bit against the Reds, Rockies, and Astros, three of the worst teams in baseball. Washington? C'mon y'all, its just the Expos! In a new uniform! They've been SWEPT by the Reds this season! Ditto the Mets. And the Phillies? Don't get me started. These are four mediocre teams who would be crushed by a schedule that featured 32 of 56 games against the Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Angels, Rangers, Twins, and White Sox.
And they are about to feel the wrath of the 2005 Mariners. A team that has been held down since the end of 2003, is starting to feel good about themselves, having won 5 of their last 7 series.
Tonight, Gil Meche faces off with Dontrelle Willis. At the surface, this looks like a Marlin edge, with Meche sporting a 4.57 ERA and 33/27 K/BB ratio over 65 innings while Willis has a 1.85 ERA and 60/18 K/BB ratio over 78 innings.
But over their last three starts, Meche has stepped up a bit, while Dontrelle has come back to Earth.
In 17 innings, Meche has given up just 5 runs on 13 hits with 7 strikeouts. The danger sign is still there with Gil, as he gave up a horrible 11 walks during this stretch. In 22 innings, Willis has given up 7 runs on 24 hits with 14 strikeouts and 7 walks.
The M's could help Gil a ton by putting a run or two on the board early, and allow Gil to pitch instead of nibble.
The M's have now won 7 of 9, with 11 upcoming games against NL East foes. Everyone keeps saying how strong the NL East is, and all I have to say to that is ... Poppycock!
The Marlins have padded their .500 record with a 10-3 bit against the Reds, Rockies, and Astros, three of the worst teams in baseball. Washington? C'mon y'all, its just the Expos! In a new uniform! They've been SWEPT by the Reds this season! Ditto the Mets. And the Phillies? Don't get me started. These are four mediocre teams who would be crushed by a schedule that featured 32 of 56 games against the Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Angels, Rangers, Twins, and White Sox.
And they are about to feel the wrath of the 2005 Mariners. A team that has been held down since the end of 2003, is starting to feel good about themselves, having won 5 of their last 7 series.
Tonight, Gil Meche faces off with Dontrelle Willis. At the surface, this looks like a Marlin edge, with Meche sporting a 4.57 ERA and 33/27 K/BB ratio over 65 innings while Willis has a 1.85 ERA and 60/18 K/BB ratio over 78 innings.
But over their last three starts, Meche has stepped up a bit, while Dontrelle has come back to Earth.
In 17 innings, Meche has given up just 5 runs on 13 hits with 7 strikeouts. The danger sign is still there with Gil, as he gave up a horrible 11 walks during this stretch. In 22 innings, Willis has given up 7 runs on 24 hits with 14 strikeouts and 7 walks.
The M's could help Gil a ton by putting a run or two on the board early, and allow Gil to pitch instead of nibble.
