Has anyone seen the panic button? Asking for a friend. Nothing to do with the Angels getting swept at home by the Mariners. Nope. Not related at all.
Run Expectancy Rundown
Wow, a great job from the top two guys in the order creating runs, surely that must be the recipe for offensive success. The only way it wouldn’t work is if the #3 hitter completely fuc- Oh, he did. Thanks a pantload, Albert Pujols. And can we please table the talk of Josh Hamilton getting off to a fast start now?
If your name ended in “o” you had a good night at the dish for the Mariners. Also, being right-handed really helped. Also, being a Mariner in general helped.
Starting Pitcher Scores
Not a great debut by Hector Santiago who had a heck of a time finding the plate. Ironically, James Paxton had a hard time finding the plate, but he still managed to dominate the Angels. In all seriousness, if Paxton is this good and Iwakuma and Walker come back healthy, the Mariners might really be a force to be reckoned with.
Bullpen Battle
Oh, hey there, Fernando Salas. Looks like you had a rough night. Why don’t you go ahead and take a break for a little while. I hear Salt Lake City is nice this time of year. But thanks for blowing the game wide open for Seattle so that Ernesto Frieri getting touched up for two homers didn’t look so bad on the WPA chart.
It’s real easy to have your bullpen perform well when they are spotted a big lead. Remember what that used to be like? Good times. Good times.
Game Flow
For just a brief second the Angels actually had over 50% chance of winning. By the end of the sixth inning, the game was functionally over. This season is just going swell, isn’t it?
Halo A-Hole
Fernando Salas chokes in high leverage in the first game of the season? Mike Scioscia don’t care. Same situation, same pitcher, same result. Fernando Salas is useless. Next, please.
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