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Around The -Ists This Week
Japanese import Kenji Johjima homered in his second at-bat as a Mariner, and Roberto Petagine homered in his first, but the Mariners lost on Opening Day thanks to the continued failings of incumbent players who ought to be able to drive in a run with the bases loaded and nobody out.
Johjima's homer was both encouraging and hilarious. Encouraging because he hit it to the opposite field, the sign not only of a good hitter but of a powerful one. Hilarious because after the ball cleared the wall, the scoreboard graphic read "The Deuce Is Loose"--a reference to the fact that Johjima wears number two, but, in our juvenile mind, a reference to that other number two, and we aren't talking about Derek Jeter.
Another new Mariner, Carl Everett, had a response for those people who think Everett ought not to have been signed, whether for personal or political reasons--on the follow through of his first swing as a Mariner, his bat flew into the stands. People--don't piss Carl Everett off.
This morning's P-I lauded the performance of Jose Lopez in the #2 spot (two-for-five, one RBI), but the young second-baseman's two hits were of the lucky variety--a grounder to third that clanged off Chone Figgins' glove and ought to have been scored an error, and a soft bloop over second base. Laud the man when he hits the ball hard. He should have been 0-5, and his terrible baserunning mistake in the 5th cost the Mariners a one-out runner-on-third situation.
Next game's today at 7:05, John Lackey vs. Joel Piniero. Buy tickets.
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Why the lopez hate? The ball he hit at figgin's was hit hard, and even the best hitters record quite a few bloopers. Sure the decision to take the extra base was a bad one, but who's to say the first base coach didn't send him?
He's probably hitting out of position in the #2 hole, jeremy reed should be there, but he's going to be quite productive for a second baseman and a #8 hitter as the year goes on.
After the black hole formarly known as brett boone and WFB playing second, he's quite the improvement.
Agreed--he'll be better than 2005 Boone or any WB season, but I think it's weird to say a guy did a great job when he clearly got lucky. I'd rather see that story if he lined into three double plays.
I'll tell you what was encouraging--Betancourt getting that clutch single in the 5th.
There is no such thing as clutch hitting. This has been proved over and over again.
Let me be more clear. "Betancourt's single in a key situation" would have been a more accurate way of expressing it.
He came up with a runner on third and less than two outs. It's not the single I was happy about, actually, but the mere fact that he put the ball in play up the middle, which is what you have to do in that situation.
Clutch hitting is a myth, I agree, but situational hitting is something that non-power-threats like Betancourt must be able to do well.