=== Chris Gimenez, 3b/1b/Bedard Scourge ===

First off:  Gimenez advances to 3-and-9 (.250) and his SP is not knocked out of the box.  The M's gave up only 2 runs to a lineup that was 15-and-4 vs LHP's.  There's our nod to equity in cyber-journo-shtick.

***

John and I played a game, guessing how many times Bedard was going to shake off Gimenez each pitch.  Typical was four times.  I did not notice a single pitch on which Bedard did not shake him off, including the first pitches of innings.

So about the 3rd inning I challenged John, "okay, let's see who can guess the number of shakeoffs," on the next pitch .... if I'm lyin' I'm dyin', it was 8 shakeoffs.  Maybe Geoffy can find out what is occurring when a two-pitch SP shakes the catcher off eight times.

I mean, one finger was FB in, two fingers was FB on the black, three fingers was hook, three against the left thigh was bury it on the heel, three fingers against the right thigh was backdoor, four fingers seemed to be changeup, a fist bump against the right thigh seemed to be FB outside also...  but 3-4 shakeoffs every single pitch, and up to 8-9 at a time?

You could see the whole thing in gory detail -- nobody was ever on base, so Gimenez was never using codes.  And it was GRUEsome.

***

On the two-run homer to Victor Martinez?  Bedard fell behind 2-0, and then Gimenez ran through exactly five (5) suggestions before Bedard got the one he wanted ... Bedard set, and then .... Martinez stepped out.

Bedard, chewing nails, re-set himself on the mound and threw the pitch previously decided on.  Martinez hit an off-field HR; if he hadn't, the game would have been a shutout.

***

Are any of you guys good at foul shots?  Like you can hit 10, 15 in a row on a good day?

It's one thing to shoot them when somebody's tossing the ball back to you, and you're shooting WHEN you want to, and you're in rhythm.

Can you hit 15 in a row, when the rebounder goofs off and changes the timing between shots?  Maybe throws one at your feet?  No, you can't.

Greg Maddux wanted the return throw from the catcher in the same spot gloveside each time, never mind in the same time interval.  Rhythm matters.  A lot!   When you're trying to hit 15 foul shots in a row.

Gimenez let Bedard hit 9 foul shots in a row, and then lost the ball, dribbled it twice, threw it back knee high... Bedard just missed the next pitch.  Home run.  

It is the game within a game.  I'll guarantee you.  GUARANTEE YOU!  That 50 people on both benches were agonizing over Bedard's sulking on the mound.  There isn't any question in my mind that Bedard was emphasizing, for both benches, that his catcher wasn't qualified to be there.  He was underlining the shakeoff problem so that everybody knew how unpleasant the game was for him.

***

This one's on Wedge.  IMHO, the backup catcher should be Josh Bard.  That game was like a root canal.

On the plus side:  Erikkk Bedard can carry Gimenez better than Vargas and Fister can.  So it was interesting to see Wedge cut Vargas and Fister a break this last time through.

***

In fairness, all three RP's were just fine with Gimenez.  Maybe you guys can tell me why the dichotomy.

Riddle me this:  if Chris Gimenez can't guess Erik Bedard's pitches, how is Miguel Cabrera going to do so?

.

=== HP Ump Mike Winters ===

In 2010, had the 8th-highest ERA among 85 umpires.  Bedard's displeasure with Winters, also, was obvious all game.  For example, when he's ripped off on a call, Bedard holds his glove up disgustedly and catches the return throw, holding pose for a second while he blankly stares out into space and recomposes himself.

In the fifth inning, two out, 2-2 on Austin Jackson, Bedard froze him with a fastball inside, and ran off the mound ... Winters called him back.

Bedard had thrown 86 pitches to finish the 5th, but now he stepped back on the mound, and walked Jackson on the next pitch.  

Pitching from the stretch, the runner going several times, Bedard then required 9 pitches to finish off Casper Wells.  As a result, Bedard had 96 pitches after five, and couldn't pitch the 6th -- else he'd have had a QS and W, since Peguero's HR came in the top of the 7th.  You think Bedard isn't aware of these facts as he goes to sleep tonight?

In fairness, it could be that Bedard was projecting his Gimenez frustration onto Winters behind the plate.  The zone plot looks fine.

***

Yet:  for all that, did Erikkk melt down?  No, he limited the scoring to 2 runs, and had a 6:3 CTL in 5 innings, which would have been 7:2 with the Austin Jackson call.

Erik Bedard is a gamer.  He can pitch my Game 7 any time.

***

As a separate issue, Bedard has the #1 ERA in baseball, since April 27 (which edits out his first 4 starts).  Another way to say that is:  Bedard has been the best pitcher in baseball since he grooved in.

Eight GS, and:

• 49.1 innings
• 33 hits (!!)
• 2 homers
• 48 strikeouts
• 12 walks
• 12 earned runs

50% more strikeouts than hits - that's not real good odds for the batter, amigo.  He's even got more K's than baserunners allowed.  Here, let's chart this:

• 48 K vs 45 H+BB = Bedard, since start #5
• 97 K vs 113 H+BB = Felix, 2011
• 77 K vs 76 H+BB = Pineda, 2011

Bedard also has a career HR/9 of 0.84, with 1.1 being average.

You got Felix, and you got Pineda, and ... you got a guy better than them.*  Supposing I told you that a team had had Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, and a third guy better than them.

.

=== STUFF ===

Oddly, Erikkk had a mushy curveball by his own standards, only a 5x8 break vs vacuum when 6x11 is more his usual.

Also, his FB's were not sinking like usual ... he was missing exactly 3 inches' vertical drop on both the 2-seamer and 4-seamer.

I think it was wet in Detroit.  

***

As far as stamina:  Erikkk threw 111 pitches last time, but came back very strong this time.  Here is his velocity chart.  Check the velo late in the game.  Dab your sweaty brow with a hanky:  all appears to be hunky-dory with our lefty ace.

.

=== Brandon League ===

With a 3-2 lead, faced Miguel Cabrera leading off.... we swallowed as hard as the little blond punk on the MLB Felix commercial.  Most of League's impressive saves have been against the bottom of the order.

League started Cabrera with .... a splitfinger!  Cabrera swung out of his shoes, and the count went to 0-1, and the game was in the bag right then and there.  League fanned the AL's best hitter on three pitches, 1-2-3.

League started Victor Martinez with a split.

And he started Jhonny Peralta with a split.

***

He's not out of the woods yet -- Ramon Santiago on an 0-2 count (!) sat splitfinger, sunk his weight, and almost hit a predictable splitfinger out to RF.

But still.  If League will even begin thinking a LITTLE bit, just show them a different look now and then.... there is our championship-level closer.  

Brandon League's pitch sequences are MILES better now, and have been for two weeks.  The thinking version of Brandon League, he and David Pauley are plenty 'nuff for now.

***

SSI exists, as a phoenix out of the ashes of the D-O-V retirement, because the Klat amigos rock, and because the MC/SSI community is a good group of guys that I enjoy talking baseball with.  If either of those two elements were not present, you'd be spared our moronic shtick.

SSI isn't written to influence the Mariners.  Nor do we sit here and type, to provide work samples, so that a tired 48-year-old schmuck can fantasize about giving his work for minimum wage to some recent-college-grad supervisor for the Oakland A's.  Am 15 years, and several IRL heartbreaks, too old for that bilgewater.  

But if Brandon League pitches well in the 2011 postseason, SSI (and LL) will have chipped in on the closer's success.  That's cool.

Cheerio,

Jeff

* on SSI = I know, Egbert, I know :- )