Dee Gordon: That pop-up that Segura flailed at...that's teaching tape for Gordon. He's got to COMMAND the field on those plays. That was *his* call to make and we all watched him wilt under the pressure. I think we all expected plays like that to happen until he gets his OF sea-legs under him. I'm still fairly confident that it'll come. It's not like his personality is that of a wallflower. Once he claims CF as *HIS*, we'll see him make those plays.
I *loved* seeing Ichiro. Goose bumps, genuine wet eyes, the works. Also; he looked completely done. With my opening day fee-fees out of the way, let's see Heredia get some consistent ABs. We got games to win.
Haniger looked like 5 WAR standing still. Seager...didn't. Is it time to switch them in the batting order?
I tense up when I watch Cano field a ball now-a-days. I'm not sure what it is, I just seem to feel that every play he's involved with is striding along a knife's edge that'll, one day soon, end in a blown...I ain't gonna jinx it. He looks fragile.
Nellie's homerun was on a cool evening, heavy humidity, marine-layer, the works, and was to the deepest part of the ballpark. Insert 4-panel Incredibles meme here."I fear no man...but that THING...It scares me."
I did not enjoy Healy's at bats. His third one was good but I did not enjoy them. He's a mouth-breather and Vogelbach should be playing. Sorry, Ryon. Miffed me all night.
Servais continues to be awful at bullpen management. This is a confirmed flaw in his managerial style. Been there since day 1, now that we look back on it.
That Lindor play was insane. Good heavens, what a short stop. Lindor gets up and he's fired up. The team is rallying around him. His emotion is lighting a spark. He comes up to bat at the top of the inning looking to shoulder the load for his team. Marjama and Felix sense his desperation and play off of it, nibbling and trying to get him to chase. Good to see.
Also; Lindor is such a great player. Look at this post-game interview.
Genuine emotion that they let Kluber down. You can see his eyes get wet when he talks about it. When was the last time you saw a Mariner take any of 1-0 Felix losses to heart in front of a camera, genuinely, tearfully blaming themselves? Great defense, good offense, and emotional leadership? What a player to have.
Nicasio was underwhelming. SABRMatt called it, here. He got swinging strikes, sure, but it sure didn't look dominant, like a reliver of his stature is supposed to. I'm concerned that our bullpen is not strong enough to overcome Servais' misuse. Even if used well, it'd still be a concern. I'm concerned.
Hurray! 162 win season on track.