8/15/2013 -- In-Depth Mariners Analysis

It’s been brought to my attention that my Seattle Mariners articles aren’t very informative. Aren’t very useful. Aren’t very factual. Apparently, I’m not bringing the hard-hitting, in-depth Mariners analysis that you want. That you need. That you crave.

What you want is facts and figures. You want to know what happened yesterday, what’s happening today, and what will happen in the future. You want to know what it all means. What you don’t want is some smartass snarking on and on about so much fluff.

So, I’m going to try something a little different today. Way more information, way more analysis. You like that? Yeah, I bet you do. And I promise you, this won’t be a cruel prank like the last time. I’m not going to mock the very idea of thinking about the Seattle Mariners. I’m not going to waste your time. I would never do that. So, here we go, onward and upward!

SEATTLE MARINERS VERSUS TAMPA BAY RAYS

Top First:

B Miller popped out to first.

This is a bad result. You never want to pop out to first, especially leading off a game.

N Franklin grounded out to shortstop.

            This is a bad result. Grounding out to shortstop is always a mistake.

K Seager hit by pitch

This is a good result. Great job by K Seager to be standing in the way of a fast-moving object.

K Seager stole second.

            This is a good result. It’s better to be on second than on first.

K Seager to third on wild pitch.

            This is a good result. It’s better to be on third than on second.

K Morales singled to center, K Seager scored.

            This is a good result. Scoring runs is one of the keys to victory.

M Morse struck out looking.

            This is a bad result. With two outs already, making an out ends the inning.

Bottom First:

B Zobrist popped out to shortstop.

            This is a good result. You generally want to have the other team make outs.

M Joyce popped out to shortstop.

            This is a good result. He made an out.

E Longoria walked.

This is a bad result. E Longoria is much more likely to score a run now than he would be if he was out.

W Myers struck out swinging.

This is a good result. The other team can't score runs here, because they are out.

Top Second:

J Smoak grounded out to third.

            This is a bad result. It would’ve been better to not ground out here.

M Saunders struck out looking.

            This is a bad result. It’s really hard to score runs when you strike out.

D Ackley struck out swinging.

            This is a bad result. He should've tried not striking out.

Bottom Second:

J Loney grounded out to pitcher.

This is a good result. J Loney plays for the other team, so you want him to ground out to pitcher.

Y Escobar lined out to first.

This is a good result. Incredible finesse by A Harang to guide the liner into a waiting glove.

L Scott struck out swinging.

            This is a good result. It’s good to strike out the other team.

Top Third:

H Quinteo flied out to center.

This is a bad result. If he had it over the outfield wall, that would have been better.

B Miller flied out to center.

This is a bad result. You’d think B Miller would’ve learned not to do this by watching H Quintero’s failure.

N Franklin grounded out to third.

This is a bad result. If he had gotten a hit, it would’ve been much more likely for the Mariners to score runs.

Well, I could go on, but you know what they say about teaching a man to fish. Hopefully, I’ve gifted you with the proper tools to understand the Seattle Mariners better. From this day forward, you too will be able to analyze the Mariners by watching them with your eyes, or by reading about what they did on the internet after the game. It’s a powerful skill, and I hope you use it wisely. Until we meet again… Go Mariners Go!