It’s Here! It’s Here! Oh, Wait
The first game of Spring Training belongs to the Mariners and Athletics. With the start of today’s fake game, Opening Day is but a short six weeks away. It will be fun to at least have real games going on though, I must say. Listening to people talk about practices can be exciting for so long. So, without further ado, today’s lineups!
Athletics Mariners
Weeks (2B) Kawasaki (SS)
Pennington (3B) Seager (3B)
Crisp (CF) Wells, Casper (LF)
Ramirez (DH) Montero (C)
Smith (LF) Peguero (RF)
Reddick (RF) Catricala (DH)
Suzuki (C) Liddi (1B)
Allen (1B) Saunders (CF)
Donaldson(3B) Rodriguez (2B)
Godfrey P Beaven P
Melvin said to not look to much into the lineup today. Thank goodness, because I refuse to look at the in any other way than it is pretty bad. Weeks, Pennington, and Crisp should never be in the top of the lineup together.
The Mariners lineup, however, is pretty interesting. For one, Montero at catcher. It makes sense seeing as the want to see what Catricala has bat-wise, but still interesting. Liddi will be fun to watch. Although Smoak has firstbase locked up for now, still will be nice to see what the Italian can bring to the table.
With that, to the game! Sadly it is radio-only, but check back here as I attempt to live-blog a baseball game via radio. Fun! Excitement! Baseball! Go A’s!
UPDATE ( 3:12PM)
I am going crazy right now! Where in the radio feed! AAHHH! Either way, Godfrrey had a quiet inning, somewhat. He get’s Kawasaki and Casper Wells on four pitches (efficient!). But a four pitch walk to Wells and what looks like a robbed HR by Crisp ends the inning. 0 Hits, O Runs, 1 LOB. Athletics coming to bat.
UPDATE (3:21 PM)
Still no audio. I don’t know how much longer I can survive like this. Find myself longing even for Colin Cowherd to listen to. Must…keep…going. Alright, enought Captain Kirk. Good bottom half for the A’s. Weeks looks ready to go as he hits a first pitch double to right center. A Pennington ground out moves him to third and Crisp “the anit-demigod” drives him home on an opposite field single. Manny’s first AB as an Athletics is a DP. 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 LOB. 1-o A’s.
TOP 2
Godfrey strikes out the side, the unusual way. After getting Peguero and Catricala on six consecutive pitches, Liddi and Saunders show that the ball is really carrying today. Liddi misses a home run to the left center and ends up with a double. Saunders then comes up and five pitches later hits a no-doubter to dead right. This could be interesting if it keeps up. 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 LOB. 2-1 M’s
Bottom 2
The SeattLOL Mariners certainly had trouble playing defense this half inning. Two errors (well, really only one, but should really be two) kept the inning alive for the Athletics. After Seth Smith went 4-3 Reddick started his A’s career with a single. Suzuki should have been out PO-2, but Montero drops it, on cue, but it didn’t hurt the M’s as Suzuki struckout. Brandon Allen then dribbled a ball to third and Seager shorthopped Liddi at first, thus what should have been the second error. With men on 1st and 3rd Donaldson dribble to Seager picked himself up by getting the short out a 2nd. 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 LOB. 2-1 M’s. Milone into pitch.
Top 3
Tommy Milone, everyone. Tommy Milone. As advertised, Milone came in and pounded the strike zone and got the Mariners in order. Six pitches, two strikeouts. Casper Wells actually made contact (BOO!) and gave Donaldson some work at third. 1-2-3, just like that. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 LOB. 2-1 M’s
Bottom 3
Blake Beaven wanted to go three innings today, but his pitch count caught up with him. He goes 2.2 before being pulled for Matt Fox. He got Weeks to ground out to to him, but lost Pennington and walked him. Matt Fox comes in to face Coco Crisp. And with one pitch gets Crisp to ground into the 6-4-3 DP. 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 LOB. 2-1 M’s.
Fox’s final line was 2.2 innings, 4 hits, 1 walk, 1 run.
Top 4
Milone runs into trouble in his second inning of work, but not all of it his fault. He induced the ground ball to Weeks at second but he lets it go through the five-hole for the easy error. With Montero on first, Carlos Peguero connects on a towering home run that just stays fair to put the M’s up 4-1. Good thing though? Milone gets the first-pitch ground ball to Donaldson, who’s getting a ton of work today, to get the first out. He then gets Alex Liddi to fly out to deep right. Ball still carrying well, welcome to baseball in Arizona. Milone collects himself and gets Saunders to strikeout on three pitches. Most likely Milone’s day is done. 1 Hit, 2 Runs, o LOB. 4-1 M’s
Bottom 4
Oliver Perez, yes the former Mets starter, comes into the game to replace Matt Fox.
Man-Ram wastes no time in grounding out 4-3 on the first pitch of the inning. Seth Smith makes a run at an oppo-boppo, but falls short. Reddick is making a case for himself as he’s now 2/2 adding another sharp single to right field. Perez gets Suzuki to weakly ground out to Kawasaki for the 6-4 fielders choice. 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 LOB.
This is pretty much what I expected from Manny right now, so I am no too worried. Very please with that Reddick has done so far. I know it is very early, but he’s playing himself into the OD lineup for me at the moment.
Top 5
As expected Milone’s day is done as Balfour replaces him. Balfour comes in and promptly gives up a wind-aided HR (the third of the day for the M’s) to Luis Rodriguez. Comes back and gets Kawasaki on three pitches. Seager keeps lines a single to left on the next pitch, but Balfour then gets Casper Wells to pop out to 2nd. The bipolar inning continued to Balfour as he gives up a two-run home run that would have easily gotten out in Safeco. After that Peguero breaks his bat and hits into a 4-3 putout. I would assume that is also the only inning we will see Balfour. 3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 LOB. 7-1 M’s
He didn’t have the greatest day, but I was happy with what Milone showed today. I know he gave up a two-run home run in two innings but he also struck out three. This is what you can reasonably expect from Milone, going to pound the zone, but can, and will, give up his fair share of home runs. Seeing as he doesn’t have a pitch that he can blow past hitters, he is vulnerable to that. Overall though, very pleased. Balfour however, scary stuff.
Bottom 5
Allen gets himself a pitch that he can handle and gets the inning started with an unusual ground rule double as the ball gets caught up in the bullpen, and moves up to third on a ball that gets away from Montero. That’s good to see, a runner that can read the ball in the dirt and take the extra-base. Something that the A’s will need to take full advantage of this season. Donaldson strikes outs swinging, only after on of his foul balls catches too much of Montero and causes him to be taken out. Weeks get the RBI ground out on the 4-3, typical A’s baseball. Shawn Kelley jams Pennington to get the 1 unassisted put out. 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 LOB. 7-2 M’s
Of note, Shawn Kelley is/was coming back from TJ surgery last season. Good to see him back on the mound and getting work in.
Top 6
The substitutions have begun! Cowgill now in center, Sogard at SS, Pridie in LF, Timmons at 2B, Kilamonster at 1B, and Powell now catching. Devine in to pitch now, should be interesting to see how it goes for him.
And it starts out roughly as both of his first two outs traveled to the warning track. Liddi and Catricala both are swinging the bats very well. Saunders ground into the weak 1 unassisted. 1-2-3 inning for Devine. It was good to see him throwing his curveball, shows that his arm is feeling pretty good. 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 LOB. 7-2 M’s
Bottom 6
Game moving briskly. When most of the runs scored come via home run, usually is quick. Micheal Taylor replaces Cowgill in the lineup for some reason, and flies out to left. Gomes sees two pitches in his A’s debut and gets hit by the second pitch. Cowgill strikes out on three pitches. Pridie, also in his debut, gets the unconventional double and Robinson can not come up with the flare. Timmons, the possible feel good story of the spring, drives in two with a single up the middle. After Timmons advances to second on a wild pitch, Kila strikes out looking to end the inning.
For someone trying to make the big leagues for the firs time in his career, Timmons certainly got off to the right foot. Will be interesting to see how he does a third when he gets his innings, but for a first impression, you can not do much better than that. 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 LOB. 7-4 M’s.
Top 7
Hold onto your seats as Pedro Figeroa takes the mound. Has a live arm, but doesn’t always know where it is going. His inning starts off easy as he gets Nick Franklin to fly out to Taylor in right field and the gets Triunfel ground out to Sogard at shortstop. Firgueroa breaks a bat and get the easy 4-3 ground out. That inning was easy enough for him, I wouldn’t mind him going back out, but that will not happen. 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 LOB. Still 7-4 M’s
Bottom 7
The bottom half of the inning begins with a strike out of Josh Donaldson, his second of the game. Powell makes a bit for a hit in his first spring AB, but he is robbed by a good play by Darren Ford. Eric Sogard is now throwing his name into the possible third base options as he laces a home run to right. I know, I know, it is only the first game of the spring, but Timmons, and now Sogard, are making a name for themselves early. Taylor follows up with a bid at a deep fly to left, but the wind holds it up and it is a simple F7. 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 LOB 7-5 M’s.
Top 8
De Los Santos comes in to get some work and is greeted with a single by Trayvon Robinson, who then gets greedy and is caught stealing on the next pitch by Landon Powell. Robinson will be an interesting player to watch this year. After he got a cup of coffee with the big club last year, his sophomore year could be fun to watch and he could be a good piece of the puzzle for the M’. Jaso grounds out to Kila and then Johermyn Chavez joins the HR derby as he gets the M’s a run back. Timmons makes a great play on a line drive at second to end the inning. 1 Hits, 1 Run, 0 LOB. 6 (?, I have lost count now) home runs for the M’s now. Welcome to baseball in Arizona.
Unfortunately this will be the last of me here. I will be updating, though, the rest over on Twitter, @oakfaninva. Thank you to those that stopped by and I will have a write-up about this game later on tonight.