Opening Day, 2010

I love baseball, and yesterday was opening day for the 2010 Seattle Mariners. They took on Oakland and won the game by a score of 5-3. Felix Hernandez pitched a heck of a game and picked up a no decision (the 6 walks he gave up really hurt him, but otherwise he was phenomenal).

Shana and I decided that we'd make an event of opening day, since everybody in the family is a baseball fan, and we all root for the Mariners. Football season should have been like that, but Shana encourages Chris on his stupid Seahawks fixation...so Football season becomes a rivalry.

Baseball season though, in my house, is all about cheering for the Mariners (At least until Shana makes Janel a Yankees fan just to annoy the hell out of me).

Anyway, we broke out the grill and whipped up some hot dogs & brats, and I made some signature garlic fries that stunk up the house something good, but man they tasted great.

The Mariners look great this year, with some exciting changes coming about in the offseason. We are still missing a power bat, but hopefully playing in the gigantic Safeco field will be good for pitching and defense, and allow us to go into the trade deadline competitive in the division, allowing us to trade for a bat that can get us into the postseason.

Just to go down the lineup and give my impressions:

Ichiro:

Still the best leadoff guy in baseball. He is good for 200+ hits and will make things happen on the base paths. And his defense is always incredible to watch. Looking forward to another All-Star season.

Chone Figgins:

One of the better leadoff guys in the game comes to probably the only team in baseball where he won't leadoff, but that's okay. He was #1 in walks last season, and he is a complete hitter. One of the better things the Mariners did this season was pick him up from the Angels. Not only did they get someone to help their their team, they also got him off a division rival's roster. If he can get a .350+ OBP and set the table with Ichiro, runs will happen.

Casey Kotchman:

You know, I wouldn't have seen Kotchman as a #3 hitter, but he showed last night that he can get it done, and with the top two guys in the order, he is going to have RBI opportunities and then some. Jury is still out for me on Kotchman in the #3 spot, but if he can perform like last night, it's going to be a good season

Milton Bradley:

eh...the most....scary pickup of the offseason. He can be a head case, and I think I speak for Mariners fans everywhere when I say that I hope he fits in here and settles down away from the big stage that Chicago can be. As far as batting cleanup...I have to question the decision some...he was a .251 hitter last season, and he isn't a power guy...he'll get maybe 15 HR's. Time will tell though.

Ken Griffey Jr.:

It's hard to say anything bad about Junior, so I won't. Other than to say that the future Hall of Famer is past his prime. Still, in the DH role...if he stays healthy...I could see him hitting 15+ HRs and getting 60+ RBIs. He isn't the Junior of old, but when it is the bottom of the ninth, one man on, and you are down a run...there is nobody in baseball I'd rather have at the plate. That counts for something. Hell, it counts for a lot.

Jose Lopez:

Swapping Lopez to third and putting Figgins at second was a crazy move, but if you believe the reports, the two players apparently seem pretty comfortable at their new spots. Lopez certainly has the arm for 3rd base, but only time will tell if it was a good move. Offensively, Lopez is good for 25+ HR's this year I think. I look for him to move up in the order to #3 or #4 later this season, depending on how well Kotchman and Bradley do in their role. Lopez is my dark horse to have a breakout year this season offensively.

Franklin Gutierrez:

I look for Gutierrez to have a Gold Glove season out in center field...and be a streaky hitter. He will strike out a lot. It is going to happen. That is the downside. But his upside is that when he gets on a roll, he will produce like a madman.

Rob Johnson/Adam Moore:

Rob Johnson is a quality catcher. On the offensive side of the ball, he is off to a good start. Last year he hit only 2 home runs...this year just one game in and he has one already. If only one game made a trend...he would be on pace to hit 162 home runs this season. :)

As far as Adam Moore goes...I honestly don't know much about him, so I won't comment.

Jack Wilson:

Wilson is a quality defensive shortstop, and I'm really happy to see him stay with us through this season. Offensively, he has some potential, but it isn't what he is there for. He is in the lineup for his defense, so anything he does offensively is really gravy.

Well, that's it for today. I was going to go over pitching too, but maybe I'll do that in a different post. I'm pretty excited to see what the Mariners will do this season. I really want a pennant race in September (and a playoff appearance would be sweet too).