"A New York Treasure" --Village Voice

The Seattle Mariners

The Mariners are a hard team to figure. They started the season on the expected course, going 22-32 over the first third of the season. They then won 20 of their next 28, briefly poking their heads above .500, only to have lost eight of their last ten. And so they sit two games under .500, but just four games out of first place in the AL West and with a winning Pythagorean record, but also in last place in an ugly division lead by the A’s, who have the inverse record of the M’s and are the only team in the West with a losing Pythagorean record. Got all that?

What it all adds up to is that the M’s are a nearly perfect .500 ball club. They’re in the middle of the pack in terms of hitting and pitching. Their lineup is well-balanced with a full supply of average players lead by the pesky, but not overwhelming offensive tallents of Ichiro Suzuki. After Ichiro, Raul Ibañez is their biggest threat. On the mound, 20-year-old uberprospect Felix Hernandez has struggled in his first full season, making the 43-year-old junkballer Jamie Moyer the team’s ERA leader once again. In fact, the only dominant performances the team has received this season have come from the bullpen, with 29-year-old J.J. Putz and former prospect Rafael Soriano making Eddie Guardado expendable.

Really the Mariners are just dull. Ho hum. Here’s hoping the Yanks don’t suffer a let-down after this weekend’s unexpected sweep of the World Champs.

Seattle Mariners

2006 Record: 44-48 (.478)
2006 Pythagorean Record: 46.5-45.5 (.506)

Manager: Mike Hargrove
General Manager: Bill Bavasi

Home Ballpark (2005 Park Factors): Safeco Park (99/99)

Who’s Replacing Whom?

  • Kenji Johjima replaces Miguel Olivo, Yorvit Torrealba and Pat Borders
  • Jose Lopez inherits Bret Boone’s playing time
  • Yuniesky Betancourt takes over Wilson Valdez’s playing time
  • Carl Everett replaces Randy Winn
  • Adam Jones replaces Jeremy Reed
  • Eduardo Perez replaces Mike Morse
  • Jarrod Washburn replaces Ryan Franklin
  • Felix Hernandez inherits Aaron Sele’s starts
  • Gil Meche takes back Jeff Harris’s starts
  • Rafael Soriano inherits Eddie Guardado’s innings, J.J. Putz takes over Guardado’s job as the closer
  • George Sherrill inherits Ron Villone’s innings
  • Jake Woods replaces Matt Thornton
  • Emiliano Fruto replaces Shigetoshi Hasegawa
  • Mark Lowe replaces Jeff Nelson

Current Roster:

1B – Richie Sexson (R)
2B – Jose Lopez (R)
SS – Yuniesky Betancourt (R)
3B – Adrian Beltre (R)
C – Kenji Johjima (R)
RF – Ichiro Suzuki (L)
CF – Adam Jones (R)
LF – Raul Ibañez (L)
DH – Carl Everett (S)

Bench:

R – Willie Bloomquist (UT)
L – Greg Dobbs (IF)
R – Eduardo Perez (1B)
R – Rene Rivera (C)

Rotation:

R – Felix Hernandez
L – Jamie Moyer
L – Jarrod Washburn
R – Joel Pineiro
R – Gil Meche

Bullpen:

R – J.J. Putz
R – Rafael Soriano
L – George Sherrill
R – Julio Mateo
L – Jake Woods
R – Emiliano Fruto
R – Mark Lowe

15-day DL: L – Chris Snelling, R – Sean Green
60-day DL: L – Jeremy Reed

Typical Lineup:

L – Ichiro Suzuki (RF)
R – Adrian Beltre (3B)
R – Jose Lopez (2B)
L – Raul Ibañez (LF)
R – Richie Sexson (1B)
S – Carl Everett (DH)
R – Kenji Johjima (C)
R – Adam Jones (CF)
R – Yuniesky Betancourt (SS)

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"This ain't football. We do this every day."
--Earl Weaver