~~Saving A Sinking Ship~~ The Seattle Mariners/Pittsburgh Pirates (08)

[johnstone1987]

GAME #76

June 23,2008

SEATTLE MARINERS(48-27) VS NEW YORK METS(42-34)




KING FELIX Dominates once again as MARINERS edge past METS 2-1!


NEW YORK- WHAT A PITCHING DUEL!

The Mariners sent King Felix(11-3) to the mound today. The Mets countered with John Maine(4-5).

Both bullpens we're left untouched today. Hernandez and Maine both pitched complete games and did not disappoint. It was a game of chess at Shea Stadium.

King Felix showed the baseball world (again) why he is the king. Hernandez gave up 5 hits, 1 run, no walks, and striking out 16 Mets.

DOMINANCE.

John Maine however had similiar stats. 5 hits, 2 runs, no walks, 11 strikeouts.

SOLID.

It was quite a pitching duel today. The only run Hernandez gave up was a Carlos Delgado home run in the 4th inning. His 16th of the year.

The Mariners held a 1 run lead in the bottom of the 9th when Manager Brian Carmichael decided to keep his ace in and leave closer JJ Putz in the bullpen.

"Felix was in the zone today. It didn't seem right to pull him when he was dynamite." Brian Carmichael stated.

"I'm okay with it. I would of felt guilty taking the ball away from him when he was in his groove. He's our ace for a reason. We all love watching Felix pitch." Mariners Closer JJ Putz stated.

"We knew they were a tough team. We need to be better to beat them." Mets Manager Jerry Manuel stated.

The Mariners broke the 1-1 tie in the top of the 7th off a sacrifice fly from Richie Sexson.

WP: Felix Hernandez(11-3)
LP: John Maine(4-5)

[johnstone1987]

GAME 78

June 24,2008

PITTSBURGH PIRATES(52-25) VS NEW YORK YANKEES(43-35)





YANKEES come from behind to win 10-9!

PITTSBURGH- The Yankees and Pirates entered another chapter in their "rivalry" tonight and was it one for the ages...

Entering the 2nd inning the bombers held a 4-3 lead. The runs on the board got put on early and the bats were hot. This game was one for the ages.

"We knew this series would be a shootout." Pirates Catcher Mike Piazza stated.

"We had this series marked on our calendar for awhile." Pirates rookie right fielder James Watterson stated.

Jason Bay hit 2 homeruns tonight making a case for himself to be the MVP.

Pittsburgh(52-26) held a 2 run lead after Zach Duke left. The Pirates bullpen would crumble once again. The Yankees took the lead thanks to a Alex Rodriguez blast that sent in 3 runs.

Mariano Rivera had no problem picking up his 22nd save of the year.

"It's a pattern. Not a good one either. We need to figure out how our bullpen can hold leads." Pirates Manager Shawn Fulton stated.

"We have quite the team here in this clubhouse." The Captain, Derek Jeter stated.

If this game was a World Series Preview it's safe to say that the Pirates have alot of work to do to keep up with the pinstripes.

WP: Ian Kennedy(2-2)
LP: Dave Davidson(2-2)
SV: Mariano Rivera(22)

[johnstone1987]

GAME #77

June 24,2008

SEATTLE MARINERS(49-27) VS NEW YORK METS(42-35)




METS knock off MARINERS 5-2!!!



NEW YORK- The Mets got retribution today at Shea Stadium knocking off Seattle 5-2. The Mets were down 2-0 until the bottom of the 5th when Carlos Beltran knocked in 3 runs with a bases empty triple.

"We have a lot of heart in this clubhouse. We know where we want to be and how to get there. Wins like this." Carlos Beltran stated.

The Mets really got on rookie Rick Thomas today. Thomas(10-3) pitched 5 innings giving up 6 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks, and 6 strikeouts before being pulled in the 6th.

"He's a rookie. He;s going to have games like that. He's still a vital part in this rotation." Mariners skipper Brian Carmichael stated.

"Rough day. It happens." Mariners Rick Thomas stated.

The Mariners wouldn't go down without a battle however. The M's threatened but New York's defense was too much for the Mariners to overcome.

A example of this was Left fielder Endy Chavez robbing Mariners Catcher Kenji Johjima of a homerun in the 7th by leaping over the wall.

"I couldn't believe he caught it. I thought it was gone." Johjima stated with a translator.

"He's a fantastic player. Real highlight reel." Mets third baseman David Wright stated.

The Mets and Mariners will wrap up the series tomorrow night and the Mets will send a rookie to the mound.

WP: Orlando Hernandez(4-1)
LP: Rick Thomas(10-3)
SV: Billy Wagner(23)

[johnstone1987]

GAME #79

I've played the Yankees Pirates game twice and both times it froze on me when a player hit a HR. I simulated and moved on to the Mariners Mets game and it worked fine. Hopefully it was just that one game that had issues.

Yankees 7 Pirates 2.

[johnstone1987]

GAME #78

June 25,2008

SEATTLE MARINERS(49-28) VS NEW YORK METS(43-35)



METS Roll over MARINERS 6-0!!!


NEW YORK- The Mets take the series against the visiting Mariners tonight off two homeruns by Marlon Anderson (7,8). The Mets we're on the board early in the bottom of the 2nd when all star Center fielder Carlos Beltran blasted his 17th homerun of the year off Mariners Miguel Batista(8-6).

The veteran right hander struggled a bit tonight inside Shea Stadium. Batista pitched 5 innings giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, and only managing 3 strikeouts against the surging Mets.

"Just a bad day at the office." Joked Mariners Miguel Batista.

But the Mets had a good day at the office. In fact, it was a great day for rookie Adam Parish(1-0). The young 24 year old rookie was just called up and made his first major league start tonight.

Parish pitched a full 9 innings only allowing 2 hits and 11 strikeouts in his debut.

PHENOMENAL.

"I can't explain it. It's just a unbelievable feeling." Said Adam Parish. All smiles.

"It was surreal to watch from the outfield." Mets right fielder Trot Nixon stated. Nixon was picked up by the Mets in the offseason and has done a phenomenal job in 2008. He also had 2 RBI's in the game.

The Mariners were held in check all game by the hot Mets. At one point, Adam Parish retired 15 straight.

"Gotta tip your hat to a performance like that. Kid's going to be a star." Mariners manager Brian Carmichael stated.

The New York Mets(44-35) have now won 4 of their last 5 games and continue to surge in 2008. New York will take tomorrow off as they get ready for the always hyped "Subway Series" with the rivals Yankees(45-35).

The Mariners(49-29) will travel tomorrow as they continue their 9 day road trip and head to southern California for a battle with the San Diego Padres(39-40).

The last time these two clubs met were back in mid May where the Padres who were battling injuries had callups and took the series in Seattle 2-1.

Injuries have healed and the Padres are crawling their way to a .500 record after winning 5 of their last 6 games.

[johnstone1987]

Damn series froze on me again. Yankees sweep Pirates.

[johnstone1987]

SERIES PREVIEW

PITTSBURGH PIRATES(52-28) VS TAMPA BAY RAYS(43-36)






TAMPA LOOKS TO CONTINUE HOT STREAK IN STEEL CITY....



PITTSBURGH- The Pittsburgh Pirates are in desperate need of a win after getting swept by the Yankees on home field. But the win may take a short while longer. Why? The Pirates next series are against a hot Tampa Bay Rays team who have won 7 of their last 10 games. The Rays are pushing for that American League Wild Card spot and are hot on the Yankees tail in the east. Boston still leads the east with a comfortable 7 game lead over the "Bombers" and Tampa Bay is 9 games back of Boston as July approaches. Tampa Bay finished May with a 27-30 record but have raced out of the gates in June going 16-6 and been on a tear. They sit very well with a 43-36 record and are pushing for a playoff spot.
The Pirates will have their hands full however as the series kicks off today with the Buc's on a 3 game skid thanks to the New York Yankees. The Pirates have some breathing room still as they sit 7 games ahead of the Brewers.

[johnstone1987]

SERIES PREVIEW



SEATTLE MARINERS(49-29) VS SAN DIEGO PADRES(40-40)





MARINERS AND PADRES SET FOR BATTLE AGAIN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.....


SAN DIEGO- At the end of May the San Diego Padres sat at 26-31 and dead last in the NL West. The Padres were hands down possibly the most injured team in the league at the point. The Padres were so injured they had massive callups to help the team continue the year while the injuries healed. Now in June the Padres have raced out to a 14-9 record and climbed back to 40-40. They are still in last place right now but are only 5.5 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks(46-34) in the now tightly contested West Division.
The Mariners and Padres met earlier back in May where the M's narrowly escaped a sweep in Seattle. Now the Padres will host the Mariners under the California sun in San Diego where the Padres look to continue their hot June.