Week 16 & 17 Recap

• The Mariners came out of the All-Star break on a roll, sweeping the Astros and taking two of three against the Indians. We stumbled against the Twins over the weekend, splitting a four game series. This July surge is eerily reminiscent of similar surges in 2009 and 2011 except this year it’s almost completely driven by our young core.

• Today was the trade deadline and the Mariners stood pat. Mike Morse was said to have been “very available” and Joe Saunders and Oliver Perez were linked to the Orioles but nothing came to be. Jack Zduriencik said that he wanted to keep the team, as assembled, together for the long haul. “And I hope that this message, the fact that we kept this group of guys together, I hope they together realize that, ‘OK, so we believe in what you’re doing. We believe that you guys can compete. And let’s continue to do that. Let’s continue to play good baseball.” Exclusive negotiating rights were also an issue on the table and I expect the Mariners to try and re-sign Kendrys Morales and Mike Morse this offseason.

Player Performances One of the features I’m including is a look at the recent player performances from the past two weeks. That small of a sample size will give us some pretty extreme data points. If you want to see the methodology behind these statistics, check out this page. The two tables below are the batting and pitching data from the last two weeks (7/15-7/28).

• Nick Franklin was in the middle of a mini-slump heading into the All-Star break. Since then, he’s broken out to the tune of .310/.348/.643 with four home runs. Every time I see Franklin at the plate, it amazes me that he’s able to hit a ball out of the park, much less the infield. He’s still striking out at a high rate (30.4%) but he’s mixing in a few more walks with his results. I’d like to see those strikeouts drop to a rate that falls in line with his minor league rates. Still, my excitement level is sky high for our rookie double play tandem.
• Mike Zunino was showing some real progress at the plate and then he broke his hamate bone off a foul tip. He was walking and hitting for power which were both great signs for his development. He’s expected to miss six weeks but shouldn’t be affected long-term by the injury. Pablo Sandoval has broken his hamate bone in both of his hands and is still a productive hitter. For now, the Mariners will using two catchers with a combined age of 74, Henry Blanco and Humberto Quintero. I wonder if Jesus Sucre will be given another chance to play once he returns from his own injury.
• Mike Morse returns to the lineup this week at the expense of Jason Bay. Bay had shown he was an effective fourth outfielder but was redundant with Endy Chavez once Morse recovered from his injury. Chavez gets to stay because of his versatility and speed.

• Erasmo Ramirez has made three starts now and has gotten better with each one. He’s striking guys out near his career average and his control has gotten better with each start. If he continues to improve his control, limiting his walks, he should have solid #3 starter potential. He was solid in his brief time in the rotation last year and is only 23, yet it feels like he’s been the forgotten man amidst all of the promotions and prospect hype. He is a very real part of this team’s future and should be a staple in the rotation for years to come.

AL West Standings

The Week Ahead

The Mariners started a six game road trip with three in Boston followed by three in Baltimore. This will be an interesting test of the progress this team has shown. The last time this team played two playoff caliber teams on the road, we beat the Rangers and the Reds. If we can win at least three games on the road, I’d call this week a success.