Now we’ve seen it all
A GRIP ON SPORTS
Like a lot of you, I've been following the Mariners for a long time. We've seen most everything, from the improbable comeback of 1995 to the nearly flawless 2001 regular season. We've seen awful defeats – way too many of those – and heart-stopping victories. We've seen great pitchers, terrible pitchers, marvelous hitters and Mario Mendoza. Heck, we've even seen a player try to blow a ground ball foul. But, until yesterday, we hadn't seen the M's sweep a three-game-or-more series in Boston. Read on.
• If that was on your bucket list, you can put an arrow through it. It may not have been on mine, but that doesn't mean I wasn't hanging on every pitch yesterday. We had the radio on throughout a scenic Sunday drive around the Northeast section of our state – the trip even included a few miles on gravel roads as we searched for a secluded spot to have a picnic lunch – and, though it faded in and out a few times, we were able to listen to most every pitch. After the M's scored three times in the top of the first, I reminded Kim it was Fenway Park and three runs were never enough. Especially since Hisashi Iwakuma seems to have some mental block when throwing against the Bosox. Sure enough, at the end of one it was tied at three and Iwakuma wasn't long for the game. But this is an M's team that seems to have found its offense at just the right time. And that I don't just mean as its starting pitching takes a week off. It's the make-or-break part of the season and the M's are making due just fine. Heck, even though a flu bug seems to be hitting the clubhouse – Robinson Cano had to leave the game after feeling dizzy – the M's scored eight times, with unlikely hero Brad Miller – Cano's replacement – helping to pick up the slack with a sacrifice fly and a run-scoring double. Who would have penciled that in? But with the three game sweep of the Red Sox, the M's picked up two games on the A's and one on the Angels over the weekend. The trail those two by five and six games, respectively and are a game up on Detroit in the race for the second wild card. There are 33 games left. Each will be important. And maybe, just maybe, we'll get to see something we haven't seen before.
•••
• WSU: It's game week – the Cougars host Rutgers at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at CenturyLink – so it's time to look at the opponent. Jacob Thorpe does just that with this story on the Scarlet Knights' defensive backfield, a weak link last season. ... Jacob also has a practice report from last night with the news a couple of highly thought of freshmen never made it to Pullman and his picks for this week's games. ... He also has his morning report with links. ... We told you Saturday it didn't look good for you DISH subscribers seeing the game as the satellite company is having a tiff with Fox Sports 1, the channel carrying the game. Bud Withers has a short blog post on the problem. ... The National Football Post has the Cougars slotted for the Dec. 20 Royal Purple Bowl in Las Vegas (this is a change from earlier).
• EWU: Nothing on the Eagles the day after their big season-opening win, but we do have a story on a burgeoning Big Sky rivalry.
• Indians: The losing streak is over, done in by a 7-4 victory over Hillsboro on Sunday.
• Chiefs: Spokane capped its first week of practice with an intrasquad game. The Red team won.
• Seahawks: As the Hawks prepare for the final preseason game at Oakland, they have to make roster moves this week. There was a report last night they cut a couple of players, though nothing was confirmed. Bob Condotta looks once more at five key questions about the roster. ... One of the contested spots is the backup for Russell Wilson. Mainly, though, it seems to be whether the Hawks will keep two quarterbacks or three.
• Mariners: In case you were wondering, Sunday's 8-6 win included the worst start of Iwakuma's career, and it included his first two hit batters of the season. In four starts against Boston, Iwakuma's ERA is over 10. ... When September comes, the M's can add to their roster with minor league call-ups. Lloyd McClendon says anyone that does come up better be ready to contribute to wins. ... The A's are having injury problems.
• Sounders: Is there anything better than kicking butt against your biggest rival? With their easier-than-it-sounds 4-2 win at Portland yesterday, the Sounders are 3-0-1 in all competitions against the Timbers this season. That makes them happy and drives Portland batty. ... But everyone knows the season isn't over, not by a long shot. Though Portland needs to shore up its defense if it wants to make the MLS playoffs.
•••
• A busy day for yours truly. That's why the post is up so early. Today and tomorrow are chock full of personal business, including getting my eyes checked. Some of the things I've been seeing recently can't be real. For example, in the middle of the mountains northwest of Newport yesterday, on a dirt road miles from nowhere, there was a car in a front yard. It had a "For Sale" sign on it. Now how many cars were just going to be driving by? Maybe two or three all day? And how many of them would be looking for a late-model GMC Jimmy or the like? Not what I would call world-class marketing. Until later ...
