Big Unit cracks 4,000 mark

Randy Johnson became the fourth pitcher in MLB history to record 4,000 strikeouts.

The Big Unit recorded 2,162 of the strikeouts while he was with the Mariners between 1989 and 1998.

Felix movin' on up

Pitching phenom Felix Hernandez has been called up from Inland Empire to Class AA San Antonio. He was 9-3 with a 2.73 ERA with the 66ers. He has already thrown 92 innings this season as an 18-year-old, so I hope the organization is a bit cautious for the remainder of the year.

The Missions also called up outfielder T.J. Bohn, traded Christian Guerrero and demoted pitcher T.A. Fulmer.

Minor league wrap, 6/28

Tacoma Rainiers (AAA)
W 21-4 | Recap | Log | Box
Amazingly enough, the Rainiers scored 21 runs while hitting only one home run. Luis Ugueto (4-for-7, 4 RBI), A.J. Zapp (5-for-6, 3 RBI) and Greg Dobbs (4-for-6, 6 RBI) were among those with big nights.

San Antonio Missions (AA)
W 4-0 | Recap | Log | Box
Four San Antonio pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout of Frisco.

Inland Empire 66ers (A)
Off

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A)
W 6-0 | Recap | Log | Box
Thomas Oldham went eight innings and struck out 15 for the Timber Rattlers.

Everett Aqua Sox (A)
L 18-9 | Log | Box

Minor league wrap, 6/25-6/27

Tacoma Rainiers (AAA)
6/25 W 4-3 | Recap | Log | Box
6/26 L 8-3 | Recap | Log | Box
6/27 W 8-7 | Recap | Log | Box
Perhaps the most important news of the weekend for the team was the return of Bobby Madritsch to the mound yesterday.

San Antonio Missions (AA)
6/25 W 4-3 | Recap | Log | Box
6/26 W 6-1 | Recap | Log | Box
6/27 Off

Inland Empire 66ers (A)
6/25 W 8-5 | Log | Box
6/26 W 7-3 | Log | Box
6/27 Off

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A)
6/25 W 7-2 | Recap | Log | Box
6/26 L 2-1 | Recap | Log | Box
6/27 L 15-5 | Recap | Log | Box

Everett Aqua Sox (A)
6/25 L 8-7 | Log | Box
6/26 L 4-3 | Log | Box
6/27 W 11-1 | Log | Box

Could it get any worse?

Jeff Cirillo hit a three-run homer against the Mariners today.

Enough said.

Garcia traded to White Sox

The Mariners have traded Freddy Garcia, Ben Davis and cash to the Chicago White Sox for catcher Muguel Olivo, outfielder Jeremy Reed and infielder Michael Morse.

U.S.S. Mariner has a bit more detail on what the M's received in the trade.

No word yet on who will replace Garcia in the starting rotation.

Three Rainiers make All-Star team

Travis Blackley, George Sherrill and Bucky Jacobsen were named to the Pacific Coast League All-Star team.

Jacobsen will also take part in the home run derby.

The PCL team will take on the International League All-Stars in Pawtucket, RI, on July 14.

· Pacific Coast League roster
· International League roster

Minor league wrap, 6/24

Tacoma Rainiers (AAA)
L 6-5 | Recap | Log | Box
Justin Leone and Bucky Jacobsen hit home runs (sound familiar?) in the Rainiers loss.

San Antonio Missions (AA)
W 7-4 | Recap | Log | Box

Inland Empire 66ers (A)
L 9-4 | Log | Box

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A)
L 7-1 | Recap | Log | Box

Everett Aqua Sox (A)
W 12-2 | Log | Box
The Aqua Sox put up 10 runs in the third to win their fourth game in a row.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

If you haven't figured it out, that is the Mariners' line score from the eighth inning on in today's 18-inning game against the Texas Rangers.

The Mariners have been trying to hang on to a glimmer of hope through their rocky start, but I wonder if this will finally be the straw that broke the camel's back.

Jamie Moyer had to enter the game in the 15th inning because of Bob Melvin's revolving door bullpen strategy. Ron Villone, Julio Mateo, Shigetoshi Hasegawa and Mike Myers combined to pitch two innings earlier in the game.

Scott Spiezio, Ramon Santiago and Hiram Bocachica went a combined 1-for-15 and stranded 17. The M's sacrificed runners three times in extra innings only to come up empty each time.

It just doesn't look good for this team. Spiezio is batting .217, Aurilia .240, Edgar .246, Olerud .259 and Wilson's average is plummeting faster than a rock dropped off a cliff.

In any case, I'm back from vacation and am still trying to get caught up on what has happened the last couple weeks. Expect reviews of Will Carroll's Saving the Pitcher and Robert Whiting's The Meaning of Ichiro in the next few days.

Minor league wrap, 6/23

Tacoma Rainiers (AAA)
W 7-0 | Recap | Log | Box
Bucky Jacobsen hit two home runs and had four RBIs in the victory. Fresno did their best Mariners impression by scoring no runs on 10 hits.

San Antonio Missions (AA)
L 4-1 | Recap | Log | Box
Aaron Taylor gave up two runs in one inning and took the loss.

Inland Empire 66ers (A)
W 11-0

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A)
Off

Everett Aqua Sox (A)
W 9-6 | Log | Box
Aaron Jensen picked up his second win of the season. Brandon Green and Trevor Heid had two RBIs each.

Minor league wrap, 6/22

Tacoma Rainiers (AAA)
W 7-5 | Recap | Log | Box
Travis Blackley won his seventh in a row and lowered his ERA to 2.63. George Sherrill picked up his eighth save of the year by striking out the side. Justin Leone powered the offense with two home runs and five RBIs. Can somebody explain to me why these guys are still in Tacoma?

San Antonio Missions (AA)
Off

Inland Empire 66ers (A)
L 4-3 | Log | Box

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A)
Off

Everett Aqua Sox (A)
W 5-4 | Log | Box

Coming soon to a blog near you...

Mike will be back Tuesday, though how much time he'll have to blog is anybody's guess. You know how that first day back from vacation is ...

Comparing the M's to the Seahawks

Glenn Geiss at Seahawks.net uses his downtime between NFL seasons to compare how the Mariners are run with how the Seahawks are run. Our favorite line: "What would our Seahawks be like if the Mariners front office was running things? Cortez Kennedy would STILL be a Seahawk."

Lincoln: There'll be some changes made

Apparently M's CEO Howard Lincoln is nearing the end of his patience. A story posted on MLB.com today says Lincoln spoke of changes "in due course." He's on the road with the team through the Pittsburgh games this weekend.

Braves interested in Aurilia?

Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports that the Braves are believed to have checked out Rich Aurilia as a third-base option (it is about two-thirds of the way into the article).

There are also some good tidbits on Griffey and Mike Cameron's defense in the article.

Minor league wrap, 6/9

Tacoma Rainiers (AAA)
Off

San Antonio Missions (AA)
W 7-5 | Recap | Log | Box
Vince Faison hit a game-winning single in the tenth inning to lead the Missions to victory.

Inland Empire 66ers (A)
W 3-1 | Log | Box

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A)
Off

Offensive woes

From last night's game:

Seattle Bottom 8th
- John Olerud tripled to center.
- Bret Boone flied out to right.
- Scott Spiezio struck out looking.
- Pinch-hitter Dave Hansen struck out swinging to end the inning.

M's lose 1-0 and strand 12 baserunners. That just about sums up the season as a whole so far.

Minor league wrap, 6/8

Tacoma Rainiers (AAA)
W 5-1 | Recap | Log | Box
Gustavo Martinez only allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings of work. George Sherrill picked up his fifth save of the season. Mickey Lopez hit his fifth home run of the season. Ben Davis and A.J. Zapp had two hits each.

San Antonio Missions (AA)
Postponed due to rain

Inland Empire 66ers (A)
W 3-2 | Log | Box

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A)
W 8-3 | Recap | Log | Box
DH Chris Collins had a couple hits and knocked in three runs. Right fielder Chris Colton and catcher Justin Ruchti both had three hits.

More on the draft

Here is more background on some of the first day selections of the Mariners:
· Jack Arroyo (#2)
· Jermaine Brock
· Eric Carter (#2)
· Chad Fillinger
· Marshall Hubbard
· Brent Johnson
· Rob Johnson
· Scott Uhlmansiek

The U.S.S. Mariner also has a good overview of the first day.

Minor league wrap, 6/7

Tacoma Rainiers (AAA)
W 3-2 | Recap | Log | Box
L 1-0 | Recap | Log | Box
Ben Davis continued his hot hitting with a home run in the first game of the doubleheader. Edwin Jackson and Giovanni Carrara shut out the Rainiers in the second game.

San Antonio Missions (AA)
L 11-4 | Recap | Log | Box

Inland Empire 66ers (A)
Off

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A)
L 8-0 | Recap | Log | Box

Day 1 draft picks

The Mariners selected 16 players in the first round of the 2004 draft today.

They drafted five pitchers and nine position players.

RD PLAYER             POS B-T HT   WT  AGE SCHOOL              HOMETOWN
3  Matt Tuiasosopo    SS  R-R 6-2  200 18  Woodinville HS      Woodinville, WA
4  Robert Johnson     C   R-R 6-1  195 20  U of Houston        Houston, TX
5  Mark Lowe          RHP R-R 6-3  190 21  Texas-Arlington U   Arlington, TX
6  Jermaine Brock     CF  L-L 6-1  180 17  Ottawa Hills HS     Grand Rapids, MI
7  Sebastian Boucher  CF  L-R 5-11 180 22  Bethune-Cookman Col Daytona Beach, FL
8  Thomas Hubbard     RF  L-R 6-3  215 22  U of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC
9  Jeffery Dominguez  SS  S-R 6-2  159 17  Puerto Rico BB Academy Caguar, PR
10 Eric Carter        RHP R-R 6-3  210 20  Delaware St.        Dover, DE
11 Michael Saunders   RHP L-R 6-4  205 17  Lambrick Park SS    Victoria, BC
12 Steve Uhlmansiek   LHP L-L 6-3  185 21  Wichita St.         Wichita, KS
13 Kris Kasarjian     LF  L-L 6-0  180 18  L.A. Pierce JC      Woodland Hills, CA
14 Brent Johnson      3B  R-R 6-2  190 22  U of Nevada Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
15 Brent Thomas       CF  R-R 6-0  170 21  Bellevue CC         Bellevue, WA
16 Chad Fillinger     RHP R-R 6-4  210 21  Santa Clara U       Santa Clara, CA
17 Jonathan Arencibia C   R-R 6-1  200 18  Westminster Christian HS Miami, FL
18 Jack Arroyo        2B  R-R 5-11 175 23  Sacramento St.      Sacramento, CA

M's select Tuiasosopo

The Mariners have selected shortstop Matt Tuiasosopo with their first selection in this year's draft. He was the 93rd overall pick.

Tuiasosopo played baseball, football and basketball at Woodinville High School.

Baseball America rated Tuiasosopo as the top prospect in Washington and 60th-best prospect in the draft.

Tuiasosopo has signed a letter of intent to play football at the University of Washington. His brother Marques was a quarterback at UW, and another brother, Zack, currently plays football there.

Because he is a highly rated quarterback, the Mariners may need to overpay Tuiasosopo to get him to break his football commitment and play baseball.

Ibanez to the DL

Raul Ibanez has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 3. The outfielder strained his hamstring on Wednesday running to first base.

The Mariners also recalled infielder Ramon Santiago from Tacoma. He was batting .165 for the Rainiers.

Basically, the Mariners are back to having three backup/utility guys who have no power.

Could this also mean the Mariners are close to trading or releasing Rich Aurilia?

M's interested in Contreras?

Tyler Kepner of the New York Times is reporting that the Mariners might be interested in Jose Contreras (reg. required).

Let's count the ways that this is a bad idea:
1) The Mariners have a stockpile of young arms in the minor league system, particularly at the AAA level
2) Contreras is in the second year of a 4-year, $32 million contract.
3) He has a 7.32 ERA this year and has walked 23 in 31 2/3 innings
4) He has been up and down between the Yankees and their farm clubs more than a yo-yo
5) There will always be speculation that Contreras is older than his listed 32 years of age or that he was overworked in Cuba.
6) Does this team really need another guy who is older than 30?

Also of note, the Yankees might be interested in Mike Myers.

Minor league wrap, 6/3

Tacoma Rainiers (AAA)
L 9-7 | Recap | Log | Box
Bucky Jacobsen's two home runs weren't enough to power Tacoma to a win. Scott Maynard and Andy Shibilo gave up five runs in relief during the eighth inning.

San Antonio Missions (AA)
L 9-2 | Recap | Log | Box
Another game against Midland, another loss for the Missions. Rich Dorman (1-1) gave up six runs in five innings. Greg Dobbs and Shin-soo Choo had two hits each.

Inland Empire 66ers (A)
L 9-0 | Log | Box
About the only bright spot was that Aaron Taylor pitched in this game. He didn't do well (two earned runs in 1 1/3 innings), but it is good to see him back on the mound.

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A)
W 5-3 | Recap | Log | Box
Chris Colton, Wladimir Balentien and Brent Metheny all homered for the Timber Rattlers

Minor league wrap, 6/2

Tacoma Rainiers (AAA)
W 6-5 | Recap | Log | Box
The Sacramento River Cats tried to make the game interesting with Nick Swisher's three-run home run off of George Sherrill in the seventh inning. The Rainiers scored a run in the bottom of the ninth inning for the win.

San Antonio Missions (AA)
L 16-1 | Recap | Log | Box
The Missions have now lost 13 of their past 15 games.

Inland Empire 66ers (A)
L 3-2 | Log | Box

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A)
W 7-5 | Recap | Log | Box

Ibanez hurt

For those that missed it, Raul Ibanez left tonight's game with a strained right hamstring. He was injured while running to first base.

Hiram Bocachica replaced Ibanez in the lineup even though he had already played a game earlier in the day for the Rainiers.

I kept wondering why Bocachica, who now wears Mike Cameron's old number, was playing left field. He had played center and right field this year in Tacoma. With Winn's documented struggles in center, I thought we might see Bocachica in center and Winn in left.

Bocachica in, Meche sent to Tacoma

The Mariners have optioned Gil Meche to Tacoma and brought up Hiram Bocachica. I guess this answers the question as to whether Gil Meche had an option year left.

Bocachica will be wearing #44 and is expected to be available for tonight's game against Toronto. In 31 games with the Rainiers, he was batting .299 with seven home runs and 21 RBI.

Meche, 25, went 1-5 with a 7.06 ERA in 10 starts.

Minor league wrap, 6/1

Overall, it definitely wasn't a good night for the minor league teams. The four teams lost by a combined score of 41-13.

Tacoma Rainiers (AAA)
L 14-4 | Recap | Log | Box
The first five Rainiers pitchers to see action all gave up runs in this blowout. Eight Rainiers had exactly one hit (with Ramon Santiago going hitless). Hiram Bocachica hit his seventh home run.

San Antonio Missions (AA)
L 12-0 | Recap | Log | Box
Troy Cate gave up 10 runs in 3 2/3 innings of work.

Inland Empire 66ers (A)
L 5-3 | Log | Box
Felix Hernandez couldn't duplicate his last effort. He gave up four runs on eight hits in six innings.

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A)
L 10-6 | Recap | Log | Box

Ichiro's rebound

There have been a couple of posts in the last month criticizing Ichiro's hitting in the early part of the year. It's only fair now to write a few things about his spectacular month of May.

After averaging only .255 in April, Ichiro hit .400 in May. More importantly, his on-base percentage was 132 points higher (.304 to .436) and his slugging percentage increased 192 points (.304 to .496).

Ichiro also became only the second player to have two 50-hit months.

The biggest problem is that the rest of the lineup is not driving him in very often. To get an idea of how bad the problem is, let's compare the number of times Ichiro could be knocked in by the number of times that he was.

Run Opportunities (RO) = hits + walks + hbp - home runs - caught stealings
Adjusted Runs Scored (ARS) = hits - home runs

You might notice that I've taken home runs out of the equation. I figure he can't be knocked in by somebody else if he already scored. I've used similar logic to take out chances when Ichiro was caught stealing a base.

Note: My colleague Shannon Fears points out that I didn't take into account when Ichiro is hit by a pitch or hits into a fielder's choice. I've factored in the first, but I'm still unsure about what to do about the latter (if anybody knows where I can find out how many runs he scored after reaching via fielders choice, let me know).

2001      272  119  44% 
2002      258  103  40%
2003      233  98   42%
May 2004  53   13   25%

The exact percentages aren't necessarily that important to understand the M's offense is struggling to push Ichiro across the plate. This isn't going to change much until the Mariners' 2-3-4 hitters start producing.

Minor league wrap, 5/28-5/31

Tacoma Rainiers (AAA)
5/28: W 11-3 | Recap | Log | Box
5/29: L 14-5 | Recap | Log | Box
5/30: L 6-1 | Recap | Log | Box
5/31: L 11-9 | Recap | Log | Box
Quick weekend recap: Travis Blackley (5-2) pitched well on Friday; the Scott Maynard knuckleball experiment did not work Saturday; Bobby Madritsch returned to the lineup Sunday and was a bit rusty; Matt Thornton had another rough outing Monday; and Jose Lopez hit a couple of home runs bringing his total to 10.

San Antonio Missions (AA)
5/28: L 3-2 | Recap | Log | Box
5/29: L 9-7 | Recap | Log | Box
5/30: Off
5/31: W 6-2 | Recap | Log | Box

Inland Empire 66ers (A)
5/28: L 2-1 | Log | Box
5/29: W 8-7 | Log | Box
5/30: W 12-9 | Log | Box
5/31: W 8-7 | Log | Box

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A)
5/28: L 10-0 | Recap | Log | Box
5/29: W 12-9 | Recap | Log | Box
5/30: L 3-2 | Recap | Log | Box
5/31: W 18-7 | Recap | Log | Box
It is interesting to note that the Timber Rattlers scored 18 runs last night without having a home run.