Grip on Sports: Mariners better get their bullpen act together before the season falls apart
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Of all the problems the Mariners have already have had to work through in the 2017 season, the one they are facing now may be the most crucial. And we’re not talking about Robinson Cano’s leg. Read on.
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• Baseball is a team game. The one-on-one battle between pitcher and hitter is the core of the sport, sure, but it takes a clubhouse full of guys to win a pennant.
That’s because the baseball season is so long, how your team relates to each other is almost as crucial as the talent contained within.
Ever wonder why baseball teams call their leader a “manager” and not the “head coach?”
He could be both, I guess, as his job with a major league team is to guide a eclectic group of 25 young men, many of whom are head cases, through a season that begins in February and ends, hopefully, in October.
That’s nine months, the same time it takes to birth a baby.
These guys are together almost every day for that stretch. Working, traveling, playing, talking, arguing, just plain staring at each other.
A major league clubhouse is different than any other sport’s locker room. It’s the house the club lives in for month after month.
And nothing destroys a clubhouse these days than a bad bullpen. Especially one that can’t find a closer.
The hitters start grumbling. The starting pitchers begin joining in. And before you know it, the team begins to fracture. It’s painful to watch. And is more common with teams that, like the Mariners, enter the season with legitimate hopes of playing in October.
The offense, riddled with holes as it might be, is going to be OK. The starting pitching, if it ever gets healthy, will do its job. The defense is solid. But right now, and in the foreseeable future, the bullpen is in trouble.
The players understand management, aka general manager Jerry Dipoto, has tried to bolster it. And everyone with a live arm in the minors is being given a chance.
But these days, you are as good as the guy who gets the final three outs. (Thanks a lot Tony LaRussa.)
Holding leads in the ninth hasn’t changed statistically, mind you, all that much since baseball began, but there is a psychological difference these days between teams that have confidence in their ninth-inning guy and those that don’t.
When the season began, the M’s thought they were one of the former teams. Now they are in the latter category.
Their guy, Edwin Diaz, has the same arm he had when the season began. His stuff is electric, filthy in the parlance of the game. And yet he’s lost his job. Why?
Because he’s 23 years old and still learning his craft. There will be hiccups, when he gives up a big homer or walks the ballpark, both of which he did in the past week.
The M’s cited mechanical issues yesterday when they moved him from the closer role, but lack of faith, both in him and within him, probably meant just as much.
And now they are using … that’s the question, right?
Last night, nursing a 5-4 lead over the Oakland A’s, they turned to veteran Steve Cishek, last year’s early season closer coming off a bad leg injury. After that, it was Mark Rzepczynski, who hadn’t given up an earned run all season.
Neither got the job done. Two home runs, five runs and a 9-6 loss.
That’s not only demoralizing, it can be corrosive if it continues. The offense did its job. Six runs should be enough. Chase De Jong, Dillon Overton and Dan Altavilla did their jobs on the hill.
And then it all fell apart.
Let’s hope it’s not a start of a trend. And that the clubhouse doesn’t follow suit. Long, hot summers are one thing. Long, hot summers with a divided clubhouse are another.
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WSU: It was a big day in Pullman yesterday. Well, Pullman and Colfax. In Pullman itself, the police department and city council honored defensive back Grant Porter for his role in helping a suicidal man survive last week. Jacob Thorpe has that story. … He also has the story of oft-in-trouble wide receiver Kyrin Priester being dismissed from the team for a second time. … In Colfax, graduated defensive lineman Robert Barber was acquitted in his trial on assault charges dating back to a party last summer. Chad Sokol has that story as does Stefanie Loh in the Times. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, Arizona State has picked up its first 2018 football commitment.
Gonzaga: This offseason’s transfer wheel hasn’t landed on Gonzaga yet, with the latest high-profile player to make a choice, former Duke big Chase Jeter, picking Arizona yesterday. Jim Meehan has the story and there is more coming out of Tucson. … BYU lost its best player yesterday when center Eric Mika decided to hire an agent and stay in the NBA draft.
EWU: New basketball coach Shantay Legens will make a minimum of $130,000 to coach the Eagles. Jim Allen has all the details of Legens’ five-year contract.
Preps: Central Valley’s train to another soccer final four was almost derailed yesterday by Sumner, but the Bears prevailed 1-0. Jim Allen has the 4A playoff coverage. … Coeur d’Alene quarterback Colson Yankoff needs knee surgery. Greg Lee has that story. … We also can pass along roundups from baseball and golf. …There is a fundraiser planned for former Spokane Brave Tony Talotti to help with bills incurred after his brain aneurysm.
Mariners: The ninth-inning woes are fully documented in Dave Nichols’ Mariner Log, as are the stories about their problems. The links are at the bottom.
Seahawks: The Colin Kaepernick-to-Seattle story is gaining legs, which seems appropriate. But if you want some background on why he’s still looking for work, this Tim Kawakami column in the Mercury-News covers it.
Sounders: Seattle’s backline is leaking goals – and players.
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• Remember that song in “Annie” about the sun coming out tomorrow? When will it be tomorrow anyway? Until later …