.

Very excited to watch Marc-O take the mound.  In case you missed it, last week Dr. D proposed Jamie Moyer as a comp for Marc-O, loosely, because he hadn't seen that type of command since Moyer.  The Denizens called and raised, using his 92-94 mph velocity to plump for Cliff Lee (!!) as an upside comp instead.  In any case, if Marc-O executes the pitches we saw in his last ST game, he will finish with an ERA in the 3's, end of story.

Oh, unless the Denizens are so entranced after the game that they want to go with "ERA in the 2's."  HEH

...

Ty Blach, starting for the G'ints, had an amusing 4.0 strikeout rate last year.  HQ wryly gave his roto value as -$1.  According to them he's got a gasp-inducing platoon split -- "has yet to allow an HR vs LHB" but on the road coughed up a .972 OPS vs right hand batters.  Let's see 972, is that Gehrig or DiMaggio or who is that ... oh yeah good call Dr. D.  DiMag had a lifetime OPS of 977.  If we have to draw you a picture that means the AVERAGE right hand hitter was JOE DIMAGGIO.  Dwell on that a moment.

j/k about the picture.

Mike Salk pointed out that Robinson Cano has looked tremendous this year, including and especially his AB vs. Andrew Miller Sunday.  So we've got:

1. Segura

2. Cano

3. M-aniger

4. Healy (? in a slump but is a good player and Blach is the best antidote to set him right)

5. Ichiro has a reverse split, kinda (or if not him, Heredia's righty)

It'll be their jobs to get after Blech.  If you have four 110 SP's, actually 3 SP's with a 110 ERA+ and an ace, then --- > in many games throughout the year, you should have a huge edge in starting pitching as the weak team's BOR feebs come calling.  Tonight's game draws up on SSI paper with a massive advantage for the M's.

...

The Mariners' site has this info-taining video on the M's new staffwide weapon of quick-pitching.  It's easier to understand what they mean if you scroll down to the Felix video later in the article; then it gives you a smile.

...

Brent Stecker is always really good ... and come to think of it, he's got a little Fischer and Mozart in him also.  In this article he tangos with Scott Servais to celebrate the "edge" that Dee Gordon brings to the clubhouse.  The Servais quotes are quite info-taining.

Salk's Opening Series Takeaways article is not normally Dr. D's favorite place to dine but this one is recommended to the Denizens.

Lessee, what is Gordon's slash line ... OK, he's .333/.385/.583 after the first series.  Salk points out that he hasn't even stolen a base yet, which, :: drool :: as if there wasn't enough already to get us to the TV.  ? You know what ?  It seems like years since the last time the Mariners stole a base clean against a lefty.  Does anybody want to look up Gordon's SB's vs lefties?  Does he run on them?

...

The TNT has an article which also passes the SSI filtering system that so ably serves its Denizens.  Scott Servais reveals that the club views Marco Gonzales as the key to 2018 -- that a good #4 starter makes the entire team look entirely different, he sez.  

We were also intrigued to note that Servais yanked on Marc-O's cut fastball leash, that in one game he threw 16-17 cutters, whereas ex-catcher Servais wants 7-8 cutters per game.  If Servais confirms that 7-8 cutters will serve the purpose of keeping RHB off the plate, and Marc-O is feeling his oats enough to want double that ration, then we're good to go on that pitch.  Ergo, good to go on Marc-O's entire arsenal.

See you at the HDTV,

Enjoy,

Dr D