5 back by Wednesday. 30 LOB. 0 walks.

Pfffftttt...

So they lose 3 games in a row...soon it will be 5. They have been here before. Good news is that they will have to bounce back from here or.... we start paying more close attention to football.

Geoff, also, you sold Moreno short and called them the Los Angeles Angels. They are the LAAoA. Heck there's probably a KOA in the OC, but I hate to digress while so PO'd. (wink)

They need to put this out of their minds right away. They need to not try so hard at the plate and just go with the pitch and drive it the other way. They did it so well until they got to Hell, i mean Texas.

Remember, Santana tomorrow. Have to win that.

Tonight was the beginning of Sexson shriveling up like cold testicles. He can barely hit when the pressure is off. I bet he goes 0 for the series....

This Mariners situation feels like a house of cards. But realistically most of these guys haven't been in this type of situation before.

I just don't think they can overcome Sexson and Lopez at the plate. HUGE holes.

By this time tomorrow, lets hope the M's have made Santana look like a black magic woman...instead of our bats (again)

Lets get a definition out of the way. From MLB (and all other baseball rule books): "A FOUL TIP is a batted ball that goes sharp and direct from the bat to the catcher's hands and is legally caught. It is not a foul tip unless caught and any foul tip that is caught is a strike, and the ball is in play."

It is a common mistake of announcers to call a foul ball that hits the ground and stays generally in the area of the catcher or that bounces on the ground and is caught by the catcher a FOUL TIP. It is not. It is a FOUL BALL. There is a significant difference. A foul tip is a live ball and is in play.

A foul tip after two strikes results in a strike out. While the result is the same as a swing and a miss, the sequence is different. The ball is tipped and caught directly by the catcher. That's what Darling ruled. He didn't rule that it was a swing and a miss, he ruled that it was a caught foul tip third strike. He was wrong, the ball hit the ground, but that's what he ruled and that's the signal he gave. The catcher showed him the ball, he brushed one hand over the finger tips of the other and then punched Ichiro out.

You can find FOUL TIP in the definition section of any rule book or on the MLB website here http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/official_rules/definition_terms_2.jsp

We have lost three straight games. 23 innings ago, we were 1/2 games out of first with a lead....right to the edge and we fell off a cliff. I'm not sure why.....Somehow like the pressure of the chase, we exhaled a bit too soon....and missed. A couple of missed opportunities to blow the game open (game three Texas), a slight defensive miscue allows a baserunner to extend the inning....one swing by Kinsler and our lead evaporates...and we tighten up and can't respond. You can't hit a five run homer, and you can't make up three games in one outing...so they have to regroup...take a breath...and come out with intensity as collective individuals each taking responsibility for good ABs and fielding their position. Will it be enough to hold off the hard charging Tigers? or the Yanks who are likely to reassume their winning ways after the Boston series? I don't know....but they have to try...and if they go down...they should go down playing hardnosed winning baseball.
We have lost three straight....This thing turned bad on a couple of missed opportunities and one swing from a substitute hitter. It can turn again on a couple of opportunities cashed in...on one swing of the bat. Let's try...That all I ask.

If Lopez was paid a decent salary, he would have been able to afford healthy food. He then would have had sufficient energy to make the tag.

2 games to go is good news? After seeing the game tonight it seems more like bad news. It reminds me of the last Texas game. I saw Padilla's ERA and I said oh oh, the M's will probably lose this one. I see Santana's and I think the same thing. Don't forget the M's are hackers and if a pitcher is missing the zone they will end up helping him. And add to the fact that the M's seem to been in a downward streak.... well, let's just say I think this might be a bad week for the M's. Here's hoping to me being 100% wrong.

2 games to go is good news? After seeing the game tonight it seems more like bad news. It reminds me of the last Texas game. I saw Padilla's ERA and I said oh oh, the M's will probably lose this one. I see Santana's and I think the same thing. Don't forget the M's are hackers and if a pitcher is missing the zone they will end up helping him. And add to the fact that the M's seem to been in a downward streak.... well, let's just say I think this might be a bad week for the M's. Here's hoping to me being 100% wrong.

Also tell Jose to lay off the buffet

Concerning the fantom tag. It took a third camera to show that the tag was indeed missed (by about 6 inches), so the umpire made the correct call. The home plate umpire missed the call on Ichiro's strike out. The ball hit the dirt before going into Mathis' glove.

A side note: Lackey was sick (possible case of step throat) but pitched anyway. I noticed he did indeed look sick when the cameras panned to the dugout early in the game. Lackey was grimacing and rubbing his throat while trying to take in liquid.

To me the mistake was made in the fourth inning. Batista had already given up 4 runs and wasn't sharp. If this really was a "must win" game, it should have been managed as such, and the M's should have gone to their strength, their bullpen, earlier. But Batista had only thrown 70 pitches, and Mac likes to stick with his starters until they hit the magic 100 pitch mark. In the next 30 pitches Batista gave up 2 more runs and the game was then out of hand.

Go to your bullpen earlier and keep your team in the game longer. Ryan Rowland-Smith looked fantastic tonight. You bring him in the fourth, who knows?

Lackey has now gone 3 straight starts against the M's, at home, and has yet to give up a run. How about trying to shake things up like giving the left-handed Broussard the start over Sexson?

As the saying goes, "good pitching beats good hitting". Last night you saw the real difference between the Halos and the M's. The Angels have first line starting pitching and the M's do not. Lackey simply shut down the M's last night. The good thing is the M's don't have to face Escobar in this series.

At this point the M's have to play the hand they've been dealt and they still have a good chance to take 2 of 3 if Weaver (Geoff's staff ace...I'm still having a tough time dealing with that comment) and Hernandez can have good outings.

Keep the faith, this team has surprised us all year.

Go M's.

That's just it, scrapiron.

It wasn't a "must win" game.

Unfortunately, it makes it more likely that we will play a "must win" game in the future.

This was our worst matchup of the three (by far as we are Lackey's lackeys), and today is another day. The M's don't do anything half-ass, and when they get a losing streak, they do it right.

Lets hope they pull out of this one tonight, and start back their winning ways. Those are much more fun to watch.

I don't even want to discuss the game. Man, do I DESPISE the Angels...and it sickens me to see their smirks and blatantly overt cockiness...that look of KNOWING they own us every time we play them! Can't believe we continually let that porky hick Lackey off the hook. Lopez needs to sit for a while.

Hope we can get some decent pitching AND hitting in these next two.

Boy, talk about a deflated ballpark after about the 4th inning on. Safeco was pretty quiet after we fell behind 4-0. The good news is that last night was probably the toughest matchup we'll face. We " should" be able to beat Santana, but then again we didn't beat Vicente Padilla either, so who knows.

It was nice to see some fire out of McLaren, unfortunately that was about the only fire we saw out of anyone in blue last night. Lopez made a great play on that double play ball in the first inning, but after that, a baserunning error and a tag that he could have gotten away with if he didn't try to re-tag him. Man, does Lackey own us. I can't stand that guy. Anyone else concerned about Batista?? I think we should be. Let's get them tonight. Our newly found " ace" Jeff Weaver is pitching, so the matchup is in our favor.

Tony,

I know it's hard to deal with, but since June has anyone pithced better on our staff than him?? According to the numbers, no. As hard as it is to understand, he is our " ace" right now.

Realize it: The Mariners will not win the division. The Angels and Red Sox are clearly the class of the AL. The Tigers and Indians may be next but the winner between them will likely eliminate the other as a wild card contender. That leaves the Yankees and M's for the fourth playoff spot. The balance of the schedule for both teams is tougher on the M's, so that makes the Yankee series next week even more critical than this series.

"How about trying to shake things up like giving the left-handed Broussard the start over Sexson?"
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"I just don't think they can overcome Sexson and Lopez at the plate."
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"Tonight was the beginning of Sexson shriveling up like cold testicles. He can barely hit when the pressure is off. I bet he goes 0 for the series...."
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Seems to be a theme that has persisted for just about five months now.
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Where is that guy who was going to CARRY US in August and September? He better hurry, it's almost September.
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It seems like Lopez better start feeling the pressure. He plays like we have a ten game lead in the division.
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Go M's win the next two!
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byebyeSexson

Ryan...you're right it's hard to argue with the numbers. I'm just not a big Weaver fan. Also, just the fact that we are mentioning "Weaver" and "Ace" in the same sentence means the M's have problems with their starting pitching.

To answer your other question, yes I'm also concerned about Batista, but once again he's already over-achieved this year. Who would have guessed that Batista would have 13 wins.

If the M's want to make the playoffs the starting pitching needs to be more consistent. The pitching staff the M's have have won 73 games. The question is can then win 20+ more games? I still think it will take 95 games to make the playoffs.

Lay-off Lopez on defense. He's still a plus defensive second basemen. If they put anyone else our there, there team defense would get worse(which this team can't afford to happen since their team defense is already suspect). He has susprisingly good range for his size, as well. One missed tag does not constitute the need to panick about his defense. Also, he did not make a baserunning mistake. That was contact play. He went on contact, so he was going to be out, and then did his job to allow the other runners to move up to second and third. Blame Vidro for hitting a ground ball right the first basemen on that play. If you're going to critisize Lopez for anything, it is his bat. His defense is just fine.

Geoff, you mentioned that despite the loss, the M's still hold their two game lead in the wild card race over the Yankees. Well, don't forget which team beat the Yankees to preserve that 2-game lead; the Detroit Tigers and they are now within 3 games of Seattle. The next 12-games (including a series in Detroit) just might make or break this team's season

This is a comment from the OC. Things I saw from last night's game: Terrible call on Ichiro, good call on Matthews (Lopez really gaffed that tag), and Lackey threw a heckuva game. You guys get your chance tonight with Santana, most people here think he needs to be in AAA. As for the wild card, there's only one thing to say... I hate the East, go West.

J-Lo needs to sit. His head is obviously not in the game (we know where it is, and can't fault him for it). Put Willie at second. He's earned it.

Thom has a good point, and I noticed it last night too, as some guys behind me at the game were thanking the Tigers for punishing the Yankers. Now we have both Detroit and NYY to worry about. This, of all times of the year, is the time for Seattle to go on a 6 or 7 game win streak.

"Tonight was the beginning of Sexson shriveling up like cold testicles. He can barely hit when the pressure is off. I bet he goes 0 for the series...."

I completely disagree. I watched the game last night, and I have to admit that Sexson did hit the ball really hard last night. He hit one hard to the shortstop, and then he had the line drive right to Vlad. So I think he's starting to feel a lot more comfortable at the plate and I dont think he's a hole at all.

Chris from Duvall--

I completely agree. There is no better time then now to put together our bi-monthly winning streak!!!

Great headline. Almost the same as I had predicted yesterday. Seattle should stop thinking they can beat us. Last night proved once and for all that we are superior in every way: pitching, hitting, managing, base running, defending. We are loved and favored throughout the country. Even the umpires love us! That's because our players and managers are not complainers and cry babies. Every player in your team spent more time complaining to officials instead of focusing on the game - Ichiro, Beltre, Guillen, Lopez, Johjima, betancourt were questioniong calls.
Our players didn't let the umps distract their gameplan. We own the west and you won't even get in as the wild card.

We also better fans. At Safeco the prettiest and thinnest girls wore red. The ones in blue looked pasty, overweight and ate greasy fries all night.

The Mariners are done.Even Garret looks bored playing against this team. Can't say I blame him. Better luck next year.

LOL - LAAoAinOC of Bellevue provides some unintentional humor today, I see.

Lemme tell you this, my friend: A team, any team, needs to be better than the margin of error to be legit. That the umpires went your way simply means you need every possible advantage to keep the M's down. The Angels haven't been able to shake the M's all season, and it will only get worse for you guys the next couple weeks.

Also, FWIW, I was at the game last night and the few fans I saw in enemy red were pudgy 70-something couples who looked lost on the way to their retirement homes.

We have the better Weaver tonight, and King Felix tomorrow. Y'all are goin' down! :D :D :D

LOL - LAAoAinOC of Bellevue provides some unintentional humor today, I see.

Lemme tell you this, my friend: A team, any team, needs to be better than the margin of error to be legit. That the umpires went your way simply means you need every possible advantage to keep the M's down. The Angels haven't been able to shake the M's all season, and it will only get worse for you guys the next couple weeks.

Also, FWIW, I was at the game last night and the few fans I saw in enemy red were pudgy 70-something couples who looked lost on the way to their retirement homes.

We have the better Weaver tonight, and King Felix tomorrow. Y'all are goin' down! :D :D :D

Geoff,
Did McLaren say anything about Sexson??? I realize no one hit Lackey but Sexson is killing the Ms and at some point don't they have to go to a platoon. Running Sexson out there against one of the best RHPs in the game made no sense to me. In addition, does McLaren ever talk to these guys about taking pitches and possible sacrifices?? If you are struggling against a guy the good teams usually work the counts and when they do get guys on they try to plate any runs they can get.

Ugh! Double-post. Mea culpa.

I assumed AoB needed to read it twice to really comprehend. ;) Yeah, that's it.

"So I think he's starting to feel a lot more comfortable at the plate and I dont think he's a hole at all."
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Great, when he gets a lot more comfortable then will there be a waiting period or does he start hitting right away? Hey, winter league ball can be fun. Go Gettum Richie. Go, Richie, Go!
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byebyeSexson

Is Batista arm hurt? He doesn't have the movement or pop in his pitches like earlier?

Jose Lopez is not our best defensive 2nd baseman - by a long shot. He also missed a tag last week, and blew a game for us. He also failed to score from third on a chopper, but that didn't cost us near as much. His head is not in the game. Maybe not his fault, but maybe it is.
Anyway, I thought that Meals (3rd base ump) looked like the silver man in Terminator II - why was he wearing shades? No wonder he didn't see the Ichiro foul tip. But, I really don't blame him for the call at 2nd, right or wrong: "Don't give the umpire a chance to make a mistake." We did. Often.
Well, we needed two of three, and we still have a shot.

Hey Geoff,

Back on the Richie Sexon issue - as all this angst over a tag is keeping away from the real issue right now.

Over the last 5 games Richie has gone a whopping 3 for 15 knocked in 2 runs and left 12 runners stranded (and this against weak Texas pitching). He usually hits in between Beltre and Guillen who both realize it is money time and are hitting over .300 over those same 5 games. Richie is killing us. I don't believe he is suddenly going to "find it" and carry this club, so I vote for getting Ben in there every second day and not only is it likely he gives us a bit more production, but we get the benefit of a more balanced lineup against righties with his lefty stick.

this was such a frustrating game to watch.

it seemed as if all breaks went against the Ms: the Ichiro strike out call, the Lopez missed tag (and i agree it was his fault), to the 2-out Guerrero shot to SS where the runner beat Yuni's flip, to the 2 inning ending DPs.

but none of that was as frustrating as how untouchable Lackey was all night. even if those plays had went our way we simply couldn't beat the man i will now call Kryptonite.

i actually didn't expect the Ms to win last night -- and have been counting on 2 out of 3. however, i expected them to play much, much better baseball than they did.

this feels like one of those weird down streaks to me -- where the offense can't put a run on the board to save their life. as i wrote yesterday, we have an offense built for streaks. and it really doesn't matter who our opponents are -- we can streak down against the worst teams and we can streak up against the best.

i'm hopeful that we've grown as a team and won't go into another 6 game losing streak. it seems to me that a Weaver/Santana matchup should set us up for success -- but it will require the offense to find its groove again.

It's hard to blame Sexson when the whole offense can't hit Lackey. He was just one of many. In fact, I believe Vidro and Ibanez had 4 of our hits. I didn't think we'd win last night game either, but I did expect them to show up. Anyway, tonight's another night. That's the beauty of baseball.

Deb: spot on.

there's a strong contigent of us regulars here couldn't agree more.

i doubt it would have made a difference last night -- but it certainly could be consequential in close games down the stretch.

i was persuaded by Geoff's argument that a moderately productive Sexson was worth more than Broussard in the final six weeks. but whatever moderate production we saw in Richie's bat in the series in Baltimore is gone. he's back to bad Sexson -- and Broussard is a huge upgrade to bad Sexson.

platooning Richie with Ben against hard throwing right handers is the only sensible management decision. if Richie "finds his stroke" in some miraculous turn of events equivalent to the second coming of Weaver, give him more playing time. but until then -- putting the best team on the field cannot include Richie against RHP.

if we miss the playoffs by 1 game, this is the 1 decision by the FO/management that we can easily identify as the reason. what a shame.

Geoff,
I don't read this blog very often, but I believe I am noticing a trend...protecting Sexson, Ibanez and other well spoken likeable US born players and being critical of Lopez, Beltre, and other not-well-speaking VERY YOUNG and STILL LEARNING foreign born players...I hope I am wrong about you...but I still expect more from a journalist.

Walrus, you're out of line - by a long shot. No fan cares about the color of anyone except the color of uniform he's wearing. Mariner blue, I cheer; LAA red, I boo (and any other uni color). If you want to be a racist, get a time machine and go back 60 to 70 years!
Otherwise, chill out.

Not a good game. Our offensive woes continue. Who would have thought that our offensive struggles would have begun in Texas of all places. TEXAS!?!
TEXAS!?! All I seen come outta Texas are steers and...
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Based on what I have seen, the Angels are just a better team than us. Their starting pitching is great with 2 Cy Young canidates in Lackey and Escobar (we have a longshot in Putz) They also have MVP canidate in Guerrero. The Angels offense puts an emphasis on manufacturing runs, sac-bunting, stealing bases, suicide squeezes whatever it takes to move the runners. Face it, besides Ichiro, our boys are pretty damn stagnant on the bases. McLaren is allergic to the bunt and we have a bad habit of hitting into DPs.
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Our starting pitching is really not that impressive, especially when they get no run support. Batista is basically a 4th starter, Washburn a 3rd at best, Weaver has been great, but is still an enigma, Ramirez is a 3rd starter (at AAA) and Felix while he has the stuff to be an ACE just isn't quite there yet.
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We do have heart and tons of it, we are a gritty, scrappy resilient team. When our offense is clicking we are nearly unbeatable. But when our offense struggles, we frankly aren't that good. To go far in the playoffs a team needs 2 great starting pitchers, optimally 3. That, we do not have. But first and foremost we need to buckle down and get there. At least we still have a two game lead over the Stankees.

Everett fan - who do you think is a better defensive second baseman? Bloomquist? Vidro? No, Lopez is the best defensive second baseman we've got, and has a decent bat.

I'm not down on Lopez, I like him a lot. What's frustrating is the mental lapses he has, and at critical times. Failure to cover first base, phantom tags, etc., these are blunders he should have worked out in his rookie season.

In the post-game interview Lopez said he tagged him on the shin. The KJR reporter asked him if he saw the replays and Lopez repeated that he tagged him on the shin. Truth is, all MLB middle-infielders get used to getting the phantom tag call on double plays where they get credit for being in the vicinity of second base. What the veterans understand is that in a non-double play situation, and especially in a big game with lots of television cameras present, the umpires simply won't give you that call.

It's a big game that required a big play, and Lopez simply made a rookie mistake. Frustrating, yes, but we don't have anyone better. The coaching staff has sat Lopez down to talk to him about this several times this year, and said they were going to do the same today with him. If he doesn't grow as a ballplayer this could fester into an attitude problem. I hope not.

Okay, those still whining about Sexson, STOP. If you're going to attempt to be analysts and try to find answers to this team's offensive woes, please say something that makes sense. Complaining and blaming it on one player, whether it's Sexson or Lopez shows how embarrassingly shortsighted you are.

There are nine players on the field, eight of whom get to face pitchers — not just one! The offense has been sucking the past three games. It's not just Sexson. This team has a very serious problem if they are only depending on Sexson to produce or jumpstart the offense. What's going to happen if you don't fix the problem and Broussard, or whoever you think should replace Sexson doesn't hit either? Seems the last time Broussard played two days ago, he wasn't vey productive either.

A good team finds a way to win even if one of their players is not playing well. Vladimir Guerrero did not hurt the M's offensively last night. But his teammates just took over and shut out the Mariners in their own stadium. That is what the this team should've been doing in the last three games. The manager needs to fix that. He needs to find out why the ratio of hits and LOB to RBI is so low.

And that is another thing. I don't mind if McLaren is trying to show he backs his players and getting thrown out of the game. But from what I read, he reacted to what guys told him in the dugout, as opposed to actually knowing what happened. And getting thrown out in the first inning, first player up, was just pathetic. It served no purpose other than to show he was out of control and that he's a rookie manager who should know better. It didn't motivate or help his team play any better.

Tonight's matchups
Since Mac likes to use pitcher vs. hitter matchups when filling out his lineup I looked at tonights game:

Ibanez is 6 for 13(.462) against Santana, so we should get a big game from him tonight. Vidro is 3 for 6(.500) as well.

Lopez is 0 for 6 lifetime against Santana, where Bloomquist is 2 for 5(.400). Might this be the time to let Bloomquist play second for a game, while sending a message to Lopez to step it up?

Sexson is only 3 for 13(.231) against Ervin, but Broussard is 1 for 6(.166) so now is probably not the time they will sit Sexson.

Johjima is 0 for 6 against Santana, but he won't get the day off until the day game Wednesday.

It seems most of the fans that blog here are so in love with McLaren as a manager that I hesitate to say anything. But I think Kyle in Illinois from the last thread had it right - I too cringed when I saw that headline with Mac saying,"We're ready." And I cringed when I saw Mac run out and pull a Lou and get ejected in the 1st. I think if I got to know Nac I might like him as a person, but I'm not convinced that he is a very good manager. Not yet. Leadership is as leadership does - no one has to say, We're ready!" as the headline in one of the papers read. It's easy to talk a good talk, but jeez, shut up about it and go out there and prove it!

The same with Mac getting ejected- great show but how did that help the team? Did it fire them up? NOT! No, this team needs in-game strategy so bad it's painful to watch half the time. I also read in the Seattle morning papers that Mac was upset with Lopez about the no tag at 2nd. Yeah, sometimes Lopez does act like he's sleepwalking, but we all know the reason for that - his brother's death two months ago. It seems like Mac can get upset with the "weaker" guys on the team like Lopez, but what about the big, bad vets? Can you even imagine him lighting a fire under Sexson or Ibaniz, Ichiro, or Guillen? Calling any of them out? Holding them to some kind of accountability for their no-show performance? What's with Yubet flying out again these last couple games? What's with hacking at the first pitch? What happened to this team last night? Some people might call it c-h-o-k-e. Especially Guillen who Mac seems to have such a man crush on lately. Excuse me, but how did he contribute to a win last night? It seems to me that Mac tries to please his players, the vets, to the detriment of any overall team strategy.

For all the talk about 'must win' it wouldn't hurt to look at a guy like Mike Scioscia who talks about 'playing our game' and 'going about our business.' Without all the hype, please!!! With a team like the mariners, a team that lacks a real clubhouse leader, you need to have your manager in the dugout in an important game. It may have worked up until now to go with the flow, i.e. 'We seem to be doing something right!' As the baseball pundits ask, "How on earth is this team winning?" Meanwhile the Mariners wait for a hot streak to come along.

If they really, really want to contend into October, it's time for McLaren to get serious about L/R match-ups with pitchers and batters, including the bench, in making out a lineup, in holding his vets to accountability, in taking out pitchers when they're gassed, as well as talking to Lopez and Yuni about their occasional dumbass moves, and in challenging this team to come ready to win each game. And it's time for this team to ignore the mayor's hype and just go about their business. There are no guarantees to make the playoffs but from game-to-game they can do better than this. Go M's!

losing this series would end my division hopes. but any realist has got to have serious doubts about our ability to keep up with the Angels when they are playing 17 of 20 at home and we're playing 17 of 20 on the road.

i don't think that the Angels are appreciably better than us -- each team has different strengths and weaknesses and we've proven we can run with them (last night's embarrassment excluded). but i do think that their starting pitching combined with their season ending schedule will give them about 4 wins more and reward them with the divisional title.

i have been and continue to be more hopeful about the wild card. now that we're the team to chase -- and own our own destiny so to speak -- i think this is the focus. i've thought all along that the Wild Card wouldn't come out of the central -- but it's hard to discount Detroit given their pitching potential.

the Yanks September is an embarrassment of cellar dweller riches. but our September isn't bad either. the big challenge for both clubs is the next couple of series including our head to head. if we can maintain a 2 or 3 game Wild Card lead headed into that series -- we just might ride that to the playoffs. of course, that supposes we don't get swept in the Bronx.

i honestly believe the Wild Card will come down to 2 or 3 games between these 3 teams. we're the streakiest of the 3 so we'll either streak our way into or out of the playoffs. what I mean by that is this team isn't going to be mediocre about it - we'll soar or sink -- because we're incapable of just treading water. we'll either get on a roll and scoop up the Wild Card slot off of a hot streak or we'll slump badly and limp off the field.

Sit Lopez tonight & insert "The Sparkplug" Willie Bloomquist, who attacks plays with fire & intensity - the intensity the Mariners need to compete at this level. Call it Tough Love for one night. He's a kid, so punish him a little to hammer the lesson. He just looks so lackadaisical out there. Let Willie inspire him a little.

Richie needs needs inspiration, too. Play Broussard tonight.

I agree with vogel:

It wasn't a complete jaw-dropper that the M's lost last night, it's just frustrating to see them go down without even raising their fists for a fight. But, i'm sure McLaren said SOMETHING to them after last night's game, and they will come out ready to play tonight.

And, if they win, we get to pound on Angels of Bellevue!!!

Well it seems like the usual cast of characters here with the usual laments. (Platoon Richie, the sky is falling, McLaren should be fired, our pitching sucks, etc.) You folks need to lighten up and quit your bellyachin'. 'It ain't over 'til it's over'. Been gone awhile but the way I see it is yesterday was one of those '60 games you lose' (as in the old oft repeated quote of you win 60, lose 60, and it's what you do in the other 41 that determines the season' or something like that). That likely explains the still positive attitude of the guys in the clubhouse. Lackey has handled the m's this year. No surprise. Still leaves 2 more games and the goal is always to win series and keep gaining on the guys in front of you. I'm not ready to decree that the Angels are a better team than the M's although so far head to head they have the advantage. The real test remains M's on the road while LAA goes home. M's have the tougher schedule and need to focus better than they did in Texas to stay close to LAA. Series at Tor, NYY and Detroit are likely the keys to the season. One series at a time. One win at a time beginning tonight. Keep the faith. This team is a good team and appears ready to make a serious stretch run to the playoffs. Go M's.

Dear Mr. Richie Sexson:

We Mariner fans don't usually ask for a lot. I mean, we're used to losing. But now, in the throes of a pennant race, we're looking for someone to step up when the team is down. And we're looking at you kid. We pay you $15.5 million a year to hit the crap out of the ball. Your batting average at home is .196 this year. Obviously something is wrong.

If you can't do it, Richie, we understand. Hell, I can't hit a curve ball either. But I don't get paid. So, if you can't do the job anymore, maybe you'd like to be a late inning defensive replacement for Ben Broussard. We know you can't play defense so well anymore, but Ben isn't so great on the field, either. But at least he can hit, and that's more than you seem capable of doing.

Just trying to help,

pk

I can deal with the loss tonight. However, I'm pretty disgusted by the way this team played after McLaren assured all of us that his club was "ready". "We're ready!" he wanted everybody to know. They sure didn't look ready to me.
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McLaren must think all of us fans are just idiots ready to eat up any and all garbage he wants to dish out. If he believed his team was ready he's as blind as a bat and his players have the wool totally pulled over his eyes. That's not the makings of a good manager as far as I'm concerned.
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Why did he feel his team was ready? Was there some great pep talk he gave them beforehand? Didn't he see all those yawns while he was "pumping them up"?
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And, where was our new great wonderleader, Mr. Guillen? I thought he hated these Angels and couldn't what to personally destroy them. He sure got soft in a hurry.
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Mac, manage the team the best way you know how. But, please, quit insulting the fans' intelligence by dishing out garbage that isn't true. Contrary to what you might believe, we do have some intelligence. Some of us, anyway. It might work with the kids, but those of us of driving age or more can see right through it.

Everett Fan...I did not call you or anyone else a racist. You jumped to that conclusion by yourself, as thus YOU are out of line.
All I was pointing out is that Geoff has not written a positive paragraph about our young players since I have been reading...AND I FULLY ADMIT that I do not read this blog more than 3 times a week...so I could be wrong, and I hope I am.
I think more efforts need to be made to point out Lopez is 23, Beltre is 27, Betancourt is 25, and THESE are the guys that will carry this team in the future, so we have to put up with little mistakes and growing pains...which is something that earlier managers / GM's did not do with players like Carlos Guillen, Freddie Garcia, Scott Posednik, and even Raul Ibanez....
Maybe Geoff's negative and defensive attitudes towards some players comes from having to deal with contributors - like you Evertt Fan - who constantly jump to conclusions...which I have also noticed as a trend...

Nat, I don't always agree with you, but I will say you make a very good case about McLaren and his seeming favoritism with the veteran players. In fact, if I was vogel, I would say, you are spot on. I am beginning to think that McLaren has a character or integrity problem. He has exhibited almost from the very beginning when he so willingly "gave up" Batista as the player the umpires wanted to throw out instead of Ichiro. I thought he should have stood his ground, argued with the umpire and get himself thrown out instead of weasling out and sacrificing an innocent player.

This isn't the first time John McLaren has publicly criticized and blamed Lopez. He has done the same thing to Betancourt. If he had any class, he would reserve his criticisms of Lopez in the clubhouse, away from the press. Lopez doesn't need to be disrespected and shamed like that. I don't see how that can be viewed as productive.

On the other hand, I do wish he would be more vocal in his expectations and dissatisfaction of some of the veterans including Ichiro and Sexson. As much as I defend Richie Sexson, yes, I wish that McLaren would act more like Lou Piniella and get on the big guy's face and tell him he needs to ratch it up a notch or two and start being productive. I don't know if that will help seeing as McLaren is kind of wimpy.

Difference between men and boys last night. Difference between WS team and also rans.
Difference between team play and looking out for your own contract.
McClaren's tantrum can't even get the team revved up?
Ms look to get swept at home. Will fall completely out of the wildcard race by Sept 10.
Yankees will show Ms how to play for $$$.
Too bad Seahawks tix sold out.

Cubby, I hear you and also dislike reading that Mac has publically criticized Lopez. Really, it's calling Lopez out. Seems kind of tacky to me. But if Mac's going to do that - why not talk with the rest of 'em, Beltre, Sexson, yeah, and Johjima,too and then tell the press about that? - what's the old saying, 'if it's good for the goose it's good for the gander.' I was checking out HH earlier and the concensus there was hilarity that the Mariners were all hacking away last night! "Why don't they take a pitch?" I read more than a few times. Jeez, the exact same question we were all wondering about as we watched the game...

Guillen? I like him a lot but am not overwhelmed by his abilities and don't get the 'Extend Guillen' move since the team apparently wants to extend him anyway (agree, but plz, no more than two years). If he actually did anything last night I might be more impressed. Maybe this is oversimplifying things, but I can't help thinking that (baseball) leaders lead. Where? in their ABs and on the field. The Mariners were playing flat so they needed someone to Step. Up. Big. Didn't happen...

Maybe the game last night and two games in Texas were just a fluke and the REAL Mariners will show up tonight. They've got some time to get on another hot streak, I just hope they have what it takes to do it.

I don't think you have the same eyes for jose lopez and richie sexson...sexson is a disaster and terrible mistake from the GM..the money that he made is crazy with the production in both sides offense and defense...jose, yuny, adam, and wladimir are the future of this franchise..please de objective with your blogs

From section 109 last night, it looked like the M's would rather be anywhere but there. "Excited?" Bah. They looked comatose.

Maybe t.v. viewers had a better vantage point.

Said this yesterday, I'll say it again:

Difference between men and boys last night. Difference between WS team and also rans.
Ms look to get swept at home. Will fall completely out of the wildcard race by Sept 10.

Yankees will show Ms how to play for $$$.

Thankfully there's still NASCAR.