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High Desert Scores 11 and Still Loses by 15 Runs

2012-05-16T20:13:29Z

Midway through their game against the Visalia Rawhide today, the High Desert Mavs have now allowed 35 runs in their last 14 innings.

It started yesterday when the Mavs fell behind 2-0 against Visalia in the 1st inning, then 7-1 by the 2nd, 15-1 by the 3rd, and 22-5 by the 4th. When it was all said and done, the Mavs had allowed 26 runs on an incredible 31 hits, washing out the 11 runs and 19 hits that High Desert had managed themselves.

Starter Chris Sorce gave up 6 R in 1.1 innings, Willy Kesler gave up 9 R (6 ER) in 1.1 innings, and Angel Raga gave up 7 R in his own 1.1 innings of work.

On the bright side, catcher Jack Marder went 3-for-6 with a triple and a home run for the Mavs and centerfielder Julio Morban was 4-for-5. The 20-year-old Morban is now hitting .371/.412/.685 on the season and doesn’t have terrible home/road splits. He may work his way onto some prospect lists soon.

Rightfielder James Jones is heating up and hitting .387/.486/.742 over his last nine games.

The Mavs currently trail Visalia 9-1 in the fifth inning of todays game. I guess, as we saw yesterday, that it could be worse.

NBA In Seattle: Arena Construction OK'd To Start Once NBA Team Is Secured, According to Report

2012-05-16T18:34:19Z

According to multiple sources including King 5 in Seattle, construction for a new downtown sports arena has been OK'd to begin once they have gotten an NBA team in place, after the city of Seattle, King County and San Francisco based hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen agreed to a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday.

The agreement adds a new wrinkle to an original proposal in that an NHL team is no longer needed to start construction. Only an NBA team, with a non-relocation agreement signed, is needed to begin construction on the proposed 18,500-seat facility.

The city/county investment in the project would be capped at $200 million if both an NBA and NHL team are acquired. The city would cover $120 million and the county would pay $80 million.

The agreement also calls for $290 million in outside funds, while no NBA or NHL team has committed or even strongly signaled a move to Seattle could be in their near future.

Hansen, the man spear-heading this project, still faces a number of obstacles on the road to brining the NBA back to Seattle, including serious traffic concerns voiced by the Mariners in and around the SODO area of Seattle. Still, this is a huge step forward for the NBA's return to Seattle.

For more on Seattle's new arena saga, make ure to follow our StoryStream and SB Nation Seattle.

Seahawks Offseason 2012: Matt Flynn, Tarvaris Jackson QB Competition Taking Shape

2012-05-16T17:36:04Z

With the NFL offseason starting to ramp up, the quarterback battle for Seattle Seahawks will be on of the most intriguing to follow as recently acquired Matt Flynn looks to take the job from the inconsistent Tarvaris Jackson heading into the 2012 season.

Elliot Harrison of NFL.com picked out his seven QB competitions to keep an eye on this offseason, and Flynn vs. Jackson was right up there with the best of them:

Seattle signed Matt Flynn to three-year deal in March that includes $10 million guaranteed. Considering Jackson is due to make $4 million this season, which is non-guaranteed, you can see where this might be headed, unless Jackson plays out of his freaking mind. The odds-on favorite appears to be the former Green Bay Packers backup, who has thrown nine touchdowns and compiled a 123.0 passer rating in two career starts.

The other possibility would be to keep them both with the expectation that this is a playoff team in need of two vets. It's just going to cost GM John Schneider a healthy chunk of change. Don't forget third-round pick Russell Wilson, who the Seahawks reportedly think can compete, too. The smart money says that's a year away.

Advantage: Flynn. You don't guarantee a guy $10 million and sit him for a player of Tarvaris Jackson's ilk.

Very good point, but you never quite know to expect with Jackson, who may impress enough to maintain the top spot on the depth chart. Only time will tell at this point.

For more on the Seahawks, head over to Field Gulls and SB Nation Seattle.

Is the Seattle Mariners' Youth Movement Finally Paying Dividends?

2012-05-16T14:15:26Z

The Seattle Mariners rebuilding mode finally seems like it is paying off some dividends after a decade of no clear direction. Now one-fifth the way through the season, lets see how some of the key pieces are paying off.

Baseball is a grand sport because you can take a bevy of statistics and then overload yourself and read too much into them. Take people talking about sample sizes. Josh Hamilton just hit his 9^th (!!!) homer of the week bringing him to 18 for the season (!!!). It is only a shade over 20% of the way through the season, so for easy math, we can read too much into it and think that will bring Hamilton to the total of 90 home runs for the year. Preposterous? Yes. Albert Pujols only has one home run this season (!!!), so does it mean that he will only hit five for the year? Also preposterous.

But statistics do glean some useful information, especially about the Mariners, because luckily if anything these 2012 Seattle Mariners have been bastions of stability - whether that stability has been on the good end of the Mendoza line or the bad end differs per player. But the fact of the matter is that in April you can't read too much into stats. With various players, like Albert Pujols, you assume you can't read too much into it in May either. But the Seattle Mariners baseball season is 34 games in as of this word being typed right now, a shade over 20% of the season through, and we can definitely analyze what we have right now.

For starters, the one thing that has been one of the most pleasant surprises is the emergence of Kyle Seager as a dependable option in the infield. Seager is currently hitting a .296/.315/.500 which places him second in the team in OPS at .815 (at first is John Jaso who also only has 48 plate appearances). If Seager were to keep on hitting the way he is hitting all year he would finish with almost 20 home runs and 100 RBIs. The last Mariner to hit 100 RBIs in a season was Raul Ibanez all the way in 2008. Last year the New York Yankees had three separate players hit over 100 RBIs in the season. Is it fair to say that Seager can still hit this number? The RBIs are a possibility, as long as the Mariners in front of him still continue to get on base. As far as 20 home runs go, that is why it isn't a good idea just to multiply stats by five and assume you have 2012 season's total there. Kyle Seager's highest home run total through the minor leagues was in 2010 when he hit 14. Last year, through the various levels he hit a total of 10. Right now, Seager is clubbing the ball with a raw power about .050 points above his lifetime ISO. Seager's lifetime ISO is .152, average for the league. In 2012, his ISO is .204 (right behind Miguel Cabrera), quite above average for the league.

Then take Jesus Montero - one of the key cogs in this whole youth movement experience. Montero is hitting a .267/.281/.440 line and his statistics through his minor league career would suggest that everything there should rise a bit. Montero has a walk rate of 2.5% this year, compared to 10.1% in his major league with the Yankees last year. Montero's BABIP this year is sitting at .292 against his career (including the minors) of .326. A big part of this decline is that only 18.1% of Montero's balls in play are line drives, opposed to 47.9% that are ground balls. Montero just can't leg out those infield singles. He is sitting at five home runs right now, and it would be fair to expect (perhaps not this year, but in future years) for Montero to club thirty dingers. His isolated power average of .172 is below his career average of .203.

As for players who should seemingly be doing better, Dustin Ackley is the prime candidate for a lot of bad luck - and hence another reason why statistics can help predict but shouldn't be increasingly relied on to continue. Ackley has a very middling .248/.315/.361 line, with two home runs, ten RBIs, and 17 runs scored. Ackley's BABIP is down this year at .290 compared to last year at .339. He is hitting more ground balls than he did last year, but his line drive rate - although down - is largely consistent with last year. This either means that: 1) Ackley is seeing the ball well and the balls just aren't dropping; or 2) pitchers have figured out Ackley and he needs to adjust. The inclination to lean towards option one holds more weight because it is not only a more positive view, but also Ackley demonstrated throughout college and through every portion of the minor leagues that he is more than a competent hitter.

Of course, what would be a look at the youth movement without looking at Justin Smoak - who by all accounts is having a very disappointing season so far, hitting a measly .195/.246/.280. A lot of anaylsts were quick to place the struggles of Smoak last year on the death of his father, the thumb injury, youth, etc. For his sophomore Mariners season, Smoak is doing everything he did last year but worse. Smoak is hitting just as many fly balls as he did last year, and is actually cut down on his ground ball rate quite a bit while increasing his line drive rate to nearly 20%. This fact just really seems to speak that Smoak is the victim of balls not carrying as far as they should or not dropping as quick as they should. Either way, it would lead that Smoak's average should increase a little bit, but whether or not that little bit places him at hitting .225 or .250 remains to be seen. For Smoak, he will have to figure it out as the team is clear on its intent to make him the first baseman of the immediate future.

Mariners Vs. Indians: Seattle Hopes Their Offense Will Catch The Flight To Cleveland

2012-05-16T13:00:36Z

The Seattle Mariners will play another short series against the Cleveland Indians starting on Wednesday. The Mariners' offense needs to wake up in a hurry.

The Seattle Mariners need to get some offense going in a hurry. They were held to just one run in two games at Fenway Park, as they were swept in a two-game series in which M's pitchers gave up 11 runs total.

The Mariners will play another short two-game series on the road before getting into some interleague play over the weekend. They'll head to Progressive Field on Wednesday to play the Cleveland Indians, who are in first place in the American league Central.

TV Schedule & Probable Pitchers

Wednesday's game will be a duel of aces, as Felix Hernandez and Ubaldo Jimenez will square off. Hernandez had an uncharacteristic rough start at Yankee Stadium in his last outing and will try to bounce back. Both pitchers will be going for their fourth win of the season. First pitch will be at 4:05 p.m. PT and the game will be televised on ROOT Sports. You can catch the radio broadcast on 710 ESPN.

On Thursday, Hector Noesi will try to bring down his 6.32 ERA as he has been getting hit hard all season. Zach McAllister will get the start for Cleveland. The game will start early, at 9:05 a.m. PT. The game will be televised on ROOT Sports. You can catch the radio broadcast on 710 ESPN.

Current Series

2 game series vs Indians @ Progressive Field

Seattle Mariners Lookout Landing @ Cleveland Indians Let's Go Tribe Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 4:05 PM PDT Progressive Field Felix Hernandez vs Ubaldo Jimenez Clear. Winds blowing in from center field at 10-15 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 60. Complete Coverage >
Thu 05/17		9:05 AM PDT

For all news and information regarding the Seattle Mariners, please visit Lookout Landing. For updates and perspective on the Cleveland Indians, head on over to Let's Go Tribe or check out SB Nation Cleveland.

Seahawks Among "Best of the Worst" In NFL in 2011

2012-05-16T12:01:07Z

Lance Zierlein, a highly respected analyst for the Sideline View (and other outlets), recently compiled his list of teams that will go from losing records in 2011 to contention for a playoff spot in 2012, and the Seahawks were one of four teams on that list, along with the Chiefs, Bills, and Panthers.

Per Zierlein:

Seattle is the beneficiary of playing in a week division (outside of the 49'ers) and they have a chance to rack up as many as four wins inside the division. Over the second half of the season [in 2011], the Seahawks beat the Ravens and the Eagles and gave the 49'ers all they could handle. If QB Matt Flynn can live up to the hype and if RB Marshawn Lynch can follow up on his strong 2011 season, the offense should improve on their pedestrian offensive output. The Seahawks defense features some young, core players who might be ready to step their game up enough for a run at the playoffs.

Can't say I disagree with his assessment, though ultimately anything can happen. The Seahawks are poised to make a splash in 2012 though with continued improvement on the defensive side of the ball and a few key additions to the offense. They're in a weak division, especially when it comes to opposing quarterbacks, so the competition for the NFC West title should be wide open.

For more on the Seahawks, make sure you head to Field Gulls and join in on the discussion.

NFL Power Rankings: Seahawks 19th In NFL.com's Latest

2012-05-16T11:00:31Z

The post-Draft, post-Free Agency (for the most part) but pre-Training Camp NFL Power Rankings are in over at NFL.com and Elliot Harrison has the Seahawks sitting at the #19 spot, with the following explanation:

If the Lions shocked people with the second-round selection of Broyles, how would you qualify the Seahawks taking Bruce Irvin in the top half of the first round? Seattle has been bold, signing Matt Flynn just days after ticking off Peyton Manning with an unannounced visit (We're here!), then making a move for a linebacker that several teams didn't think was a first-round pick. It will all work out in the end if a) Jason Jones slides up and down the line en route to 8-10 sacks, and B) Flynn plays within himself. There's no need to throw for 490 and win games on his own.

The Seahawks come in behind the Chiefs, Titans, Falcons and Jets, and just ahead of Raiders, Chargers and Cardinals, which seems to be about their range as far as it goes with their NFL 'peers.' However, Harrison's explanation does leave me scratching my head a little bit, especially in the fact that he calls 'reach' Bruce Irvin a linebacker. Irvin will be a defensive end, and should be the one racking up 8-10 sacks in 2012 (Jason Jones is likely to play on the interior, and if he were to grab 8-10 sacks I would do backflips).

The portion about Peyton Manning is completely irrelevant at this point but nonetheless, I do agree with his assessment of Flynn's expectations. If Flynn can 'play within himself', he'll likely succeed, assuming he's the Seahawks' starter. Distribute the ball to the playmakers, hand off to Marshawn Lynch, don't turn the ball over, and the offense should function well.

It's early, Power Rankings at this point in the offseason are pointless, but I still find interested and reading. Blasted NFL.

For more on the Seahawks, make sure you head to Field Gulls and join in on the discussion.

Seahawks Tough at the CLink, According to NFL Home Field Advantage Rankings

2012-05-16T02:12:32Z

National Football Post's Joe Fortenbaugh recently came up with a ranking system for NFL teams and their ability to 'handle their business' at home. He took each team's home record from 2009-2011 (regular season) and their record against the Vegas spread to compile his rankings. Per Fortenbaugh:

I've devised a rudimentary formula for these rankings that consists of both home field record and ATS (against the spread) record. The team that posted the best home field record since 2009 is awarded one point, while the organization with the worst record is awarded 32 points, and so on. If two teams had the same record and occupied spots No. 4 and No. 5 in the rankings, the difference was split and both teams were awarded 4.5 points. As I'm sure you could have already guessed, the goal is to have the fewest total points between the two categories.

As explained in the article, the ATS rankings become important because it "provides an accurate assessment of how well a team plays at home against inferior competition. [I.e.], how much value would you assign a Ravens win in Baltimore over a team like St. Louis? Probably not all that much. But if the Ravens failed to cover the Vegas number, that would serve as an indicator that maybe it's not as tough to play in Baltimore as the team's 21-3 straight-up home record since 2009 indicates."

Regardless, despite the Seahawks mediocre 19-29 record the past three seasons, they came in 11th in the NFL in 'home field advantage' behind their 13-11 home record straight up and their 15-9 record against the spread. Though it's obviously not a perfect way to measure the 'home-field advantage', it is an interesting look at team records at home, both straight up and against the spread, over the last few seasons. The Seahawks pride themselves on playing well at the CLink - and so do their fans - so these numbers affirm that it's a tough place for teams to come play in.

For more on the Seahawks, make sure you head to Field Gulls and join in on the discussion.