A Grip on Sports: The M’s leading the A.L. West in late April is not new but winning games thanks to the offense is a bit different
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Is it summer already in Seattle? I ask because the Mariners usually wait until the weather warms, sometimes considerably, before they usually begin really hitting. That’s not the case this season. Which allows us to look at the American League West standings and see something odd for April.
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• Yes, the Seattle Mariners, who the past couple years have finished just out of the (playoff) money, are a game up on Texas. On April 28. How weird is that?
(And, as an aside, how weird was the Rangers’ 3-2 walk-off loss in San Francisco on Sunday? Haven’t seen a play like that since my son was playing in SYSA.)
Not just weird, but unexpected. And unexpected due to the way Seattle has been able to win its last six series, including the last four after dropping the series-opening game.
It’s been the bats.
Jorge Polanco, with three more hits Sunday in the 7-6 home win over Miami, is hitting .377. J.P. Crawford has found his swing too and hit another mammoth home run. The shortstop has driven in eight runs in the last six games. Cal Raleigh torpedoed the Marlins’ early lead with a solo home run in the bottom of the first, his A.L.-leading 10th of the season.
After 28 games, Seattle is third in the American League in runs scored, averaging nearly five per game. The M’s are also first in stolen bases and walks, second in on-base percentage and home runs and fourth in total bases. And, surprisingly enough, only fourth in strikeouts.
The Go-Go M’s? The Contact Kids? This nickname-less group – neither of those work or even seem halfway witty – is hitting well enough to help the team overcome its middling pitching.
Yes, you just read that. Seattle’s pitching, with one of the best rotations in the game, has been only so-so. Pretty much middle of the American League pack in everything but saves, which is the purview of Andrés Muñoz.
His 10 leads baseball. But getting to him has been a struggle – it was again Sunday as Trent Thornton yielded an eighth-inning, three-run home run – with injuries thinning the rest of the staff.
Starters George Kirby and Logan Gilbert out. Eighth-inning specialist Matt Brash yet to pitch this season. And still the Mariners are 16-12, best in the West. Since dropping a three-game series at San Francisco to open the month, Seattle is 13-5, the best record in the game over that stretch.
OK, so the M’s had almost the exact same record last year at this time. Led the West too. And missed the postseason. This feels different. Why? Mainly because Kirby and Brash are nearing a return. The starter reinforcements have filled in admirably. The offense seems more inclined to make contact, get on base and allow a teammate to drive in the run.
It won’t last. Nothing in baseball ever does. Today? The first-place Mariners are worth, at least, cracking open a smile along with the post-work Diet Pepsi.
• It’s starting to feel a little bit as if the Spokane Chiefs are destined for a special playoff run, isn’t it?
We’ve seen it before. In 1991. In 2008. It happens. Win enough 50/50 contests, produce enough momentum-building overtime winners, and the we-can’t-lose attitude can overcome the usual youth-driven WHL mistakes.
It doesn’t hurt to have the right pieces either. A hot goalie. Stars. Guys who will plug away. An energized fanbase.
The Chiefs have shown all of it in building a 2-0 lead in the WHL’s Western Conference finals against Portland, the hotter team when the series opened Friday after having knocked off WHL-season-long points leader Everett.
But Spokane has yet to lose an overtime contest in their playoff run, even when it squanders third-period leads, as it did yesterday. Somehow, some way, they find the net and celebrate. Sunday’s celebration came courtesy of a Chase Harrington goal – off a turnover – 2 minutes, 25 seconds in.
Of course, winning two games in a series when four are needed to advance isn’t enough. The next three games are in Portland. And then the WHL finals.
The road to Rimouski, Ontario for the Memorial Cup is still a long one. In every way.
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WSU: The Cougars still have a long way to go to rebuild their men’s basketball roster but they took another step this weekend with the addition of another tall (6-foot-9) wing. Greg Woods has this story on Simon Hildebrandt joining David Riley’s squad. In it, Greg states Hildebrandt has one year of eligibility left. That is true. But what’s been happening on that front lately, what with Hildebrandt having played two seasons in Canada, it isn’t hard to imagine a court saying playing at the University of Manitoba shouldn’t count against the NCAA’s eligibility clock. … Former Washington State safety Hunter Haines has found a home. He is headed to San Diego State. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner looks at college football’s winners and losers in the annual NFL draft exercise. … John Canzano shares his thoughts behind Shedeur Sanders’ soap-opera-like draft slide. The former Colorado quarterback, and head coach’s son, is headed to Cleveland after having to wait for the fifth round to hear his name called. … No one from Oregon State heard their name called. … Oregon is fine with its linebackers, even though the group has been hit hard by attrition. … Utah has to rebuild its receiving corps. The Utes added another one Sunday. … The L.A. Times has a look at USC’s roster. … A Fresno State player is headed to the Chiefs’ training camp. … Colorado State has players who have signed contracts as well. … In basketball news, the Washington women don’t fit the transfer-portal narrative.
Idaho: The Vandals had one former player sign as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants and another, who spent his last season at California, drafted by the Titans. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, a Cal Poly player earned an NFL chance.
Chiefs: Dave Nichols has the coverage of Spokane’s 6-5 win at the Arena last night. He also has been our go-to guy for all Chiefs coverage, and insight, for the past few years.
Indians: Dave has another role. Baseball writer. He took care of that assignment earlier Sunday, covering Spokane’s 9-6 home win that allowed the Indians to split their six-game series with Eugene.
Velocity: Spokane scored twice in the first half, made the goals stand up with some second-half defense and handed visiting Oakland a 2-1 loss at ONE Spokane Stadium. John Allison has more on the USL Jagermeister Cup victory in this story.
Mariners: We linked the game story above. We do it again here.
Seahawks: If you pooh-pooh draft grades in years the Hawks are graded poorly, it would seem hypocritical to extol their virtues in years when the team receives near-unanimous praise. But, for what it’s worth, this is one of those latter years. The 11 picks earned Seattle high grades. And high expectations.
Storm: Training camp’s opening showed once again the importance of having veteran leadership.
Horse racing: Is it that time already? Yep. The Kentucky Derby is Saturday. Our money, right now, would be on Journalism. Yes, over Publisher and everyone else, even the horses prepared by returning-from-suspension trainer Bob Baffert.
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• Whenever we take a little time away from our little rescue dog, the reunion seems to rival those of the Incredible Journey – either version – pups. The happy yipping, the zooms, the leaps into the laps. All of it. For minute after minute after minute. And on. “It’s after midnight dude. I have to be up at 6 to write. Can you just settle?” “No way dad. I want the whole world to know you’re home and the pack is back. Now excuse me why I take another lap around the house and then try to lick your face for 10 minutes.” Until later …