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Tough thing in soccer:  the ball chips into open territory.  Two fast players have similar angles on it.  A "50-50" ball.  You have five  basic possible outcomes:

• You tackle, miss, he nips by you and you've allowed a horrible fast break against your team
• You or he tackles, stops the attack, and what happens next is anybody's guess (another 50-50 ball maybe)
• You back up, play the angle, and concede possession
• He backs up, plays the angle, and concedes you possession
• He tackles, misses, you nip by him and there's your exciting counter on

Notice that the intelligent thing to do, short-term, might be to concede a few more balls than teams actually do.  The impactful thing to do is to stick a cleat into the ball.  Remember Kam Chancellor's first play in the Super Bowl?  Toughness warps the game.

...........

The Mariners, the last two days, have played a whale of a tight couple "50-50" games against the Angels.  What's your visceral reaction to these games?  What instinctive feeling does it produce, when the games are hanging by a thread for 600 consecutive pitches?

• I savor the tension, every pitch a possible "tipping point"
• I just want my team to roll like a juggernaut; any threat of defeat is annoying
• I empathize with the athletes in blue, doing battle; my loyalty increases
• Mostly I am just cringing and waiting for his kill shot
• At least I feel alive
• I DVR past most stuff

The M's have out-hit the Angels 24-17, have a 7:25 EYE to the Angels' 7:26 ... they have 5 extra-base hits to the Angels' 7.  The M's have a 3:0 stolen base to caught ratio; the Angels have a 1:2 ratio.

Both teams used their #1 and #2 starters, matched up, stylistically similar.  Both teams used 13 relievers apiece, following their two aces.

Two titanic struggles, the outcome never clear.  Howja feel about the last two games?   Are you into sports?

............

Five things:  Wilhelmsen looked pretty smooth those four innings, din't he?  About on track with Taijuan.  The image of Garrett Richards couldn'ta done any harm.

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Cano ripped one into the gap Friday on his 4-for-6 day, he bounced out of his popup slide a little, and they called him out because the little 2B held the ball on him.  That's my definition of "weak."  You lost the play.  C'mon.  The other guy hit a homer off you; don't whine about the pine tar now.

I mean, Billy Martin woulda done it, sure.  :- )  But the pernt is, the Angels went 600 pitches* with the M's bare-knuckle.  Did you see anybody back down out there?  Been awhile, hain't it?  The 2014 Mariners, suddenly, aren't wussies any more.  That's worth something to me.

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It says on MLBTR that rival execs say that Jack Zduriencik "is hard to push across the finish line."  He is, or his committee is?

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The little rumor about Zobrist & ? for Franklin and Maurer:  (1) probably 50, 100 groups of names have changed hands.  (2) If this were really a rumor with legs, all it goes to show is how fast these scouts get onto new developments.

Brandon Maurer is a fast-moving target, value-wise.  In just a month or two the M's might have themselves a Hochevar.  "Hey, how about we finish up this Franklin-Zobrist deal with one or your relievers".... sure thing, mate.  Justin Leone.  Sounds like we're within a PTBNL on that one.

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Wouldn't it stand to reason that the M's had the advantage in the bullpen on Sunday?

...............

The Mariners' visceral reaction to a 600-pitch bloodbath:  to fight to the last pitch.  A deep bullpen, and a tough manager, will do that to you.  Dr. D especially enjoyed the fact that they won the second game, after getting gut-punched in the first game.

Cheers,

Dr D