NorthWest Sports Blog brings you daily features on Oregon, Washington State, and BC amateur and pro sports teams.
Seattle Mariners baseball blogs and team news.
NWSB Editor and Insider Chris Anderson previews Seattle’s next five games. The losses in Cleveland weren’t as bad as people think, and there is still plenty of baseball to be played. That said, let’s take a look at the next five games for the Mariners and how they can turn things around once again, as they face the Angels for a two game series before returning to Safeco Field for a big three-game series against the Rangers. Lets go Michael Morse & Justin Smoak!
NWSB Insider and Seattle Mariners’ blogger Jeff Budke talks about the recently concluded series vs. the Cleveland Indians. That could be a tough series to shake off. The M’s were swept, and it wasn’t good. Three walk-off losses. The positive to take away? Just as Kendrys Morales was beginning to play more 1B, Justin Smoak remembered he is allowed to hit home runs. Move on vs. Angels. Take both games from a division opponent on the road and all is forgotten.
NWSB Editor and Insider explores the assumption that the Mariners have performed terribly against the AL Central in recent years. While there is some validity to that assumption, when you really look at the numbers from past seasons and this year, it’s not so much that they have been out of the games but that they have rather had a bit of “tough luck” in close games and against the Chicago White Sox.
NWSB Insider and Seattle Mariners’ blogger Jeff Budke talks about three Mariners players who could wield a nice return come trade deadline time in MLB. For quite a long time now the Mariners have been sellers at the deadline. This year could be the turning point where we finally become buyers. But if not, the M’s do have some players of worth who could bring some top prospects in return. Hisashi Iwakuma, Kendrys Morales, Michael Morse could all be dealt.
NWSB Insider and Seattle Mariners blogger Jon Irwin breaks down the M’s top prospects and what their roles could be with the team moving forward. The top prospects are Mike Zunino, Taijuan Walker, Nick Franklin, Danny Hultzen and James Paxton. Of all the players on this list, it’s likely Nick Franklin will be the first to crack the Major League roster. It could be sooner rather than later as well.
NWSB Insider and Seattle Mariners blogger Clinton Bell tells us to him the best “MY oh MY” play of the seventh week of the year had to be the two homerun game by Raul Ibanez against the Yankees. The M’s jumped out of the gate hot Wednesday night, probably a little peeved about the loss the night before. A 7 run first inning capped by a Ibanez grand slam started them off on the right foot. The M’s went on to win 12-2, but not before Raul connected for a 2-run shot in the 5th as well.
NWSB Insider and Seattle Mariners blogger Brandon Choate brings us a trip down memory lane in highlighting Felix Hernandez’s newest milestone. Brandon breaks down the 3 100 game winners in Seattle history: King Felix, Randy Johnson, and Jamie Moyer.
NWSB Insider and Seattle Mariners blogger Brandon Choate brings us his May 17th edition of Seattle Mariners Love em & Hate em. Brandon loves the fact that both Felix Hernandez AND Hisashi Iwakuma are at the top of the pitching class in the AL while he is really down on Brendan Ryan and Robert Andino. Can we see Nick Franklin in Seattle sooner than later? And yes, Brandon made a Chone Figgins reference. He apologizes.
NWSB Insider and Seattle Mariners’ blogger Jeff Budke talks about the Seattle Mariners win over the N.Y. Yankees today in game 3 of the three game series. Hector Noesi gave up one run and three hits in 4 1/3 innings before Oliver Perez (1-0) followed with 1 1/3 innings for the win. Michael Morse homered, and Dustin Ackley and Brendan Ryan each drove in a run. Mariners manager Eric Wedge earned his first ejection of the season.
NWSB Insider and Seattle Mariners blogger Clinton Bell brings us a piece that questions managements decision to keep the uber talented Nick Franklin down at AAA Tacoma while the starters are struggling. It’s not a secret that Brendan Ryan never brought his bat from St. Louis with him. And it seems that Robert Andino’s must have gotten lost in transport from Baltimore as well. But there is a kid that has been on the list of top prospects for a long time playing some good ball down in Tacoma. Nick Franklin.
NWSB Editor and Insider Chris Anderson talks about Raul Ibanez’s offensive onslaught in New York. He has recorded a hit in each of the last six games that he has appeared in and racked up 12 RBI in that time span as well. Aside from that short stretch of games, Ibanez also has a .421 batting average in the month of May after an April that saw him hit a lowly .158. He has launched four home runs in the month while hustling for one triple and one double as well. Are the Mariners putting something in his water?
NWSB Insider Brandon Choate brings us his weekly Fantasy Baseball recap of your Seattle Mariners. The pitchers headlined the dominant performances this week, with Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma combining for 4 wins and Tom Wilhelmsen adding 2 saves. Michael Saunders and Kyle Seager did their part at the plate while many did not.
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