Seattle Mariners Net Runs for 4-30-2010 (Texas 2, Seattle 0, 12 innings)

Team	Player	Net Runs	Hit	Pitch	Def	Base	EXERA	PitOuts
TEX	Colby Lewis	3.248	0.000	3.248	0.000	0.000	1.20	27
TEX	Matt Treanor	-0.457	-0.457	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.00	0
TEX	Justin Smoak	-1.580	-0.960	0.000	-0.620	0.000	0.00	0
TEX	Ian Kinsler	0.122	-0.364	0.000	0.703	-0.217	0.00	0
TEX	Michael Young	0.094	0.335	0.000	-0.241	0.000	0.00	0
TEX	Elvis Andrus	-0.658	-0.178	0.000	-0.480	0.000	0.00	0
TEX	Josh Hamilton	-0.586	-0.749	0.000	0.163	0.000	0.00	0
TEX	Craig Gentry	-0.445	-0.591	0.000	0.146	0.000	0.00	0
TEX	Vladimir Guerrero	0.225	-0.862	0.000	1.087	0.000	0.00	0
TEX	Ryan Garko	-1.148	-1.148	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.00	0
TEX	TEX Luckbox	2.555	1.324	0.000	1.231	0.000	0.00	0
TEX	Ron Washington	-0.358	0.000	-0.358	0.000	0.000	0.00	0
TEX	Julio Borbon	0.588	-0.095	0.000	0.683	0.000	0.00	0
TEX	David Murphy	-0.098	-0.098	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.00	0
TEX	Darren Oliver	0.174	0.000	0.174	0.000	0.000	0.00	1
TEX	Darren O'Day	0.093	0.000	0.093	0.000	0.000	3.05	2
TEX	Frank Francisco	0.409	0.000	0.409	0.000	0.000	0.80	3
TEX	Neftali Feliz	-0.178	0.000	-0.178	0.000	0.000	5.70	3

Team	Player	Net Runs	Hit	Pitch	Def	Base	EXERA	PitOuts
SEA	Cliff Lee	0.240	0.000	0.240	0.000	0.000	3.93	21
SEA	Adam Moore	-0.337	-0.337	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.00	0
SEA	Casey Kotchman	-1.130	-1.275	0.000	0.145	0.000	0.00	0
SEA	Chone Figgins	1.033	-0.631	0.000	1.664	0.000	0.00	0
SEA	Jose Lopez	0.085	0.083	0.000	0.002	0.000	0.00	0
SEA	Jack Wilson	-0.518	-0.792	0.000	0.274	0.000	0.00	0
SEA	Milton Bradley	1.802	0.689	0.000	1.113	0.000	0.00	0
SEA	Franklin Gutierrez	-0.574	-1.543	0.000	0.969	0.000	0.00	0
SEA	Ichiro Suzuki	1.618	1.055	0.000	0.563	0.000	0.00	0
SEA	Ken Griffey Jr	-0.297	-0.297	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.00	0
SEA	SEA Luckbox	0.358	0.358	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.00	0
SEA	Don Wakamatsu	-0.424	0.000	-0.424	0.000	0.000	0.00	0
SEA	Eric Byrnes	-1.685	-1.685	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.00	0
SEA	Mike Sweeney	-1.685	-1.204	0.000	0.000	-0.481	0.00	0
SEA	Matt Tuiasosopo	-0.481	0.000	0.000	-0.481	0.000	0.00	0
SEA	Mark Lowe	0.002	0.000	0.002	0.000	0.000	4.20	3
SEA	David Aardsma	0.360	0.000	0.360	0.000	0.000	1.21	3
SEA	Brandon League	-0.643	0.000	-0.643	0.000	0.000	6.51	7
SEA	Sean White	0.276	0.000	0.276	0.000	0.000	0.76	2
	Safeco Field	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.00	0

Player of the Game: Colby Lewis (3.248 pitching NRuns)
Gifts from Mariners mistakes: 2.555 NRuns

Putting the 'suicide' in suicide squeeze: -1.685 NRuns

Welcome to the Sweendawghouse: Mike Sweeney (-1.685 NRuns)

Mariners hitting: -5.579 NRuns

Cliff Lee, Chone Figgins, Ichiro and Milton Bradley: 4.693 NRuns
All other Mariners: -6.693 NRuns

******

This game was everything about the 2010 Seattle Mariners in a 12 inning nutshell. They got great pitching and wasted a fine starting pitching performance. They made fine defensive plays. They couldn't score any runs. They made an ordinary starting pitcher look incredible. Ken Griffey Jr and Mike Sweeney made easy outs and showed they have next to nothing left as hitters. Eric Byrnes made people angry. Don Wakamatsu overmanaged and made bad decisions as a result. A reliever took a loss he didn't necessarily deserve. Their opponents did everything to give the game away and the Mariners did them tenfold better to give it right back. We saw Sean White. They kept a winnable game close, but blew every chance they got to take it, and instead found a way to lose it.

Don Wakamatsu only received Net Runs credit for the intentional walk he had Brandon League issue, but if you wanted to give him credit for the bad suicide squeeze call (and given it blew up in part because of bad communication, you could make a case for that), then Wak cost the Mariners 2.109 NRuns, easily the most a manager has cost his team in a single game. As it stands, his total is fairly close to the biggest negative contribution by a manager in a game.

I almost decided to go to this game at Safeco Field tonight. Now I'm glad I didn't.

Colby Lewis: A hidden pitching gem for Texas?

The Rangers aren't just chasing free agent pitchers like Rich Harden. They're also mining Japan for under-the-radar options like Colby Lewis, who has spent the last two seasons with the Hiroshima Carp.

Lewis, drafted in the 38th round of the 1999 draft by the Rangers, came up through the Rangers system and struggled badly after a 2002 callup (34.1 IP, 4 HR, 26 walks, 28 K, 6.29 ERA), as well as in 2003 (127 IP, 23 HR, 70 walks, 88 K, 7.30 ERA) before his shoulder gave out in 2004 and required surgery.

The Tigers picked Lewis up in 2005 and he looked good upon returning in 2006 with AAA Toledo (147.2 IP, 13 HR, 36 walks, 104 K) but he only pitched in two games for the Tigers before being released. The A's picked him up in 2007 and after a solid run in AAA Sacramento (95.2 IP, 8 HR, 23 BB, 97 K) he gave them 26 mostly ugly games (37.2 IP, 7 HR, 14 BB, 23 K, 6.45 ERA) before he said 'screw it' and went to Japan, where he has excelled. In 2008 he threw 178 innings for Hiroshima, allowing only 12 HR and 27 walks while striking out 183. His 2009 was just as good (176.1 IP, 13 HR, 19 BB, 186 K) before health problems with his family compelled him to return stateside.

Given his history of being a AAAA-quality ballplayer that thrives in AAA but flounders in MLB (also note that Sacramento and Oklahoma boast two of the PCL's pitching friendlier home parks), and given that while NPB has improved in quality, the level of play there is still around AAA level (which is in part why guys like Lewis and Seth Gresinger can go over there and dominate)... it's not likely Lewis has gotten all that much better. He certainly rediscovered his ability to throw strikes and avoid walks (the NPB strike zone, BTW, is narrower than the MLB strike zone), which was his single biggest problem as an MLB hurler. If he's a little wiser and a little better, can make the Rangers rotation and hold down a spot, then Mariners and Angels fans may have a bit more to be concerned about.