June 30, 2007
UNTIL PUTZ DROOPS:
Mariners continue to apply pressure: Seattle wins sixth in a row to move 10 games over .500 (JOHN HICKEY, 6/30/07, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER)
There's an old adage in baseball that you haven't gotten anywhere in a season until you've gotten to 10 games over .500.The Mariners have finally done that. Friday's 5-3 win over Toronto at Safeco Field, behind another five-out save from J.J. Putz and three big hits from Jose Guillen, leaves Seattle with a 43-33 record and a six-game winning streak.
"We're playing good," Guillen said. "But it's a long season. It's too early to say what will happen; anything can happen."
Whatever happens, Putz figures to be in the middle of it. The closer is 23-for-23 in saves after pitching Seattle out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, then putting the Blue Jays away in the ninth.
It'd be one thing to be riding your sketchy-armed closer this hard if you'd groomed Brandon Morrow to succeed him when he goes on the DL, but the odd usage of the rookie has him struggling just to find the plate. Posted by Orrin Judd at June 30, 2007 12:00 AM
True. But given that Boston can't seem to win in Seattle no matter what their records (witness the recent 3 game sweep by the Mariners) I don't think too many Sox fans would want to meet up with Seattle in the post-season.
Posted by: AWW at June 30, 2007 10:20 AMHargrove already damaged Felix and now he's rolling the dice with the best closer in the league. Nothing seems as important to Hargrove as saving his own job. Sadly, this strategy might work.
Posted by: Patrick H at June 30, 2007 10:41 AM