Yesterday marked the first game Ken Griffey Jr played in Seattle since his trade from the Mariners to the Reds in 2000.? Despite years of injury plagued seasons and struggles in Cincinnati, the Mariners faithful gave him a warm reception and welcoming before gametime.

Lost among this heart warming story is the beat down laid on the Mariners by the Reds in the game.? The score was 16-1.? David Ross and Brandon Phillips each went deep twice and Aaron Harang continued to be the most underrated pitcher in the National League, throwing eight innings without allowing an earned run.? Harang improved to 8-2 on the season, which is pretty remarkable considering how piss poor that Reds team is.

Growing up I was one of those who followed Griffey religiously.? It wasn’t so much that I liked the Mariners as a team (though Jay Buhner and Edgar Martinez were both sick at the dish as well) but more that I was an enormous Griffey fan.? When he was traded to the Reds I thought the Mariners organization was making a huge mistake and essentially back stabbing their foundation.? Well, the Mariners have been pure shit since that trade, with the exception of 2001 when they had about as fluke of a year as you can have, and for the most part haven’t had a steady everyday center fielder.? Mike Cameron spent some time there as did Randy Winn but neither of them stuck.

While the Reds competing this season is about as likely as money growing on trees, it was nice to see them play well in Griffey’s return to Seattle.? You may not know it but he’s having a Ken Griffey Jr type season again and it’s wonderful to watch.? Say what you will about other players swings, it’s still Griffey that has the sweetest one of them all.

Three weeks ago, we ran an article on the most surprising team in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers. Since then, the Brewers have gone from one of the hottest teams in baseball to one of the coldest, losing 12 of 15. I like to think our sack-riding had something to do with their decline. Next on the list? The 25-22 Seattle Mariners. In our preseason preview of the Mariners, we noted their potent offensive threats, which have come up big in the last couple weeks.

After Ichiro, I really like some of the power offered by the middle of the lineup. Seattle had three guys with over 25 homers in their lineup: Richie Sexson (34), Raul Ibanez (33), and Adrian Beltre (25). That mark could increase this season with the acquisition of the much-maligned Jose Guillen.

The Mariners are playing some of the best baseball in the American League and it has to do with their offensive resurgence. We know all about Ichiro Suzuki but this lineup has eight players with more than 20 RBIs. Their .281 team batting average is tied for the tops in the entire league, which has allowed the Mariners to compete despite having some pretty lousy pitching. If it wasn’t for Richie Sexson’s laughable .199 batting average, that mark would be even higher.

However, these good fortunes in Seattle will be for nothing unless they get better pitching. While Felix Hernandez and Jarrod Washburn have pitched well, the Mariners are sorely lacking quality starters after them. Miguel Batista’s 5.87 ERA is proving that he cares more about writing poetry than getting out of jams. Then there’s Jeff Weaver, whose 0-6 start includes an ERA over 14. I don’t want to say I told you so…but I told you so. The Mariners have a hell of a bullpen but their fortunes in the race will hinge on whether or not they can hand the ball to them with a lead.

In some of the most unfortunate news this baseball season, Seattle Mariners starting Pitcher Felix Hernandez will be forced to miss at least two starts due to injury. Coming just a week or so after his dominant one hit performance against the Boston Red Sox and Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hernandez had to be removed from a game due to a sore throwing elbow. It turns out that soreness is a muscle strain in his elbow and forearm and could have been much worse, but for now he’s only missing ten to twenty days.

This is terrible news for Seattle. Really, the only thing this team had going for them this year was King Felix and now they don’t even have that. A young dominant pitcher is enough to captivate a city and fill the ballpark at least every fifth night, but now Seattle will just have to work their way through this part of the schedule. Now Mariners fans have to ask themselves what’s the point of watching their team struggle when they don’t have a bright spot, and that’s something that no baseball fan ever wants to be asking. I guess the bright spot is that the rest of their division is terrible and as it is now, they’re only one game out of first place.

Also Felix must be careful not to hurt himself again. This is one of those injuries that could flare up again and again throughout the year if he tries to rush back. And if that happens, he could find himself with a much shorter career than he anticipated. It’s scary to see a dominant 21 year old who could be out of commission for far more than the 10-20 days predicted if he rushes himself back. S0o for now the throne remains empty and the DL might be full, but Hernandez should be back to reclaim his spot as king soon.

Unless you live under a rock, you probably knew that Boston’s Daisuke Matsuzaka made his Fenway Park debut last night. You probably also knew that he faced another former Japanese legend in Ichiro Suzuki. On a night when Japan’s finest were on display, Seattle’s young phenom Felix Hernandez stole the show, outdueling Matsuzaka and throwing a one-hit shutout.

ESPN’s storyline creator was in full effect: Millions of Japanese are tuned in right now…TOMORROW MORNING! It’s obvious why Matsuzaka receives so much hype. He’s a hell of a pitcher with incredible movement on his pitches. But contrary to popular belief, life does exist outside of the American League East.

Felix Hernandez, considered by some to be the Savior of Seattle, one-hit the Red Sox last night. A worldwide audience was tuned into the action at Fenway Park and a 21 year old kid carries a no-hitter into the 8th inning. Unfair. King Felix has had his training wheels removed by the Mariners, who were afraid of their young stud having arm trouble early in his career.

With a complete arsenal and slightly smaller ass (he’s lost 20 pounds), Hernandez is finally living up to the hype. He’s opened up the season by throwing 17 innings of shutout baseball. In case you’re wondering, Orel Hershiser holds the Major League record with 59 consecutive scoreless innings. Boston can have their Japanese sensation because Seattle definitely has something special in Felix Hernandez.

Before the Boys of Summer fully come out to play, many Major League Baseball teams have to open their season in some cold weather. Not every city is San Diego or Miami, weather actually does affect some teams. But if MLB pulled their head out of their asses, a lot of these problems in the early season would be easily alleviated.

Take the Cleveland Indians for example. When it’s not summer, Cleveland gets really cold. But MLB doesn’t seem to care. That’s why they scheduled a home series against the Seattle Mariners, who happen to play in a dome. Here’s an idea: have Cleveland get their trip to Seattle out of the way early in the season. That way, there won’t be any games lost due to weather. The blizzard affecting Cleveland wouldn’t affect the Indians, who would be able to get in their games.

Snow postponed the Thursday and Friday games in this series. A day-night doubleheader was axed yesterday and today, snow forced the postponement of yet another doubleheader. That’s four games that need to be made up later in the year, when teams are tired down the stretch. If this series was being played in Seattle, they would actually be getting in games.

These two teams will try to play another doubleheader tomorrow but these attempts look like they’re being made in vain. This series is doomed, largely in part to piss-poor scheduling by Major League Baseball. From now on, let’s schedule the opening week of the season in domed cities and warm cities. In the end, it will even out and we’ll avoid nonsense like this.

For the entire month of March, the Sportable Staff will look at one Major League Baseball team a day. We?ll look at their lineups and pitching and in the end, assess their playoff chances. Previews will be done by division, starting with the American League East. Each new division will also feature a new podcast devoted entirely to that division.

Grande Mocha Latte Last Place
In a division where all four teams are relatively solid, there had to be one that finished in last place. That team was the Seattle Mariners, who finished with a 78-84 record. It was the best mark for a last place team in Major League Baseball but last I checked, they don’t give out playoff berths for that. There’s one reason Seattle finished 15 games out in the American League West. They were a pitiful 19-38 against the Angels, Athletics, and Rangers. If the Mariners want to escape the cloudy depression of the cellar (and Seattle), that mark must improve.

Bats
The Mariners lineup (and fortunes) start with Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro has followed up his record-breaking 2004 season with two slightly more pedestrian seasons. But for Ichiro, an average season is still a .322 average and 224 hits, both among the best in baseball. He’s a guy that can do it all. He’s a highlight reel in right field and he’s a terror on the basepaths. Ichiro’s 45 stolen bases were his highest since his “rookie” season. After Ichiro, I really like some of the power offered by the middle of the lineup. Seattle had three guys with over 25 homers in their lineup: Richie Sexson (34), Raul Ibanez (33), and Adrian Beltre (25). That mark could increase this season with the acquisition of the much-maligned Jose Guillen. Provided he doesn’t talk his way out of town, Guillen is going to bring some power and a very nice arm in the outfield. The middle of Seattle’s infield is solid, with Jose Lopez having a very under-the-radar 2006. Yuniesky Betancourt was solid at shortstop, though I’d like to see the 36 errors between Lopez and Betancourt go down a bit. Read the rest of this entry »