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[h1]Michael Saunders makes it fun to watch Mariners again[/h1] end HEADLINE SUB HEADLINE
As the Seattle Mariners approach the quarter mark of the 2013 season, we can deduce this much about their everyday lineup: It’s better, and way more fun to watch, when Michael Saunders is batting leadoff.
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JOHN MCGRATH; Staff writer
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JOHN MCGRATH The News Tribune

Published: May 13, 2013 at 12:05 a.m. PDT Updated: May 13, 2013 at 12:14 a.m. PDT
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#story_social_connections end SOCIAL BUTTONS FEATURED ASSET Michael Saunders finished the 2012 season for the Mariners with a career-high 31 doubles, 19 home runs, 57 RBI and 21 stolen bases. (GENE J. PUSKAR/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS) end FEATURED ASSET STORY BODY
As the Seattle Mariners approach the quarter mark of the 2013 season, we can deduce this much about their everyday lineup: It’s better, and way more fun to watch, when Michael Saunders is batting leadoff.

Saunders had only a supporting role Sunday in the Mariners’ 6-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics at Safeco Field. The center fielder wasn’t even the most influential Seattle player named Saunders. (That distinction belonged to starter Joe Saunders, who sustained his pattern of pitching like an ace at home.)

But Michael Saunders showed the value of his versatility. Facing fellow left-hander Tommy Milone in the bottom of the first, Saunders went with the pitch and hit a line drive to left center.

“He put a nice swing on that,” said manager Eric Wedge. “He didn’t try to do too much.”

After Kyle Seager walked with one out, Kendrys Morales launched a three-run homer over the wall in left field. Though the Mariners had all the runs they’d need, Michael Saunders wasn’t finished.

Leading off the fifth inning, he put a bunt in play. It wasn’t a very good bunt — he popped the ball up — but with his speed, it didn’t have to be. Saunders beat out the bunt for an infield single, then advanced from first to third on a Jason Bay grounder that took a bad hop on the third baseman. Saunders scored a moment later on Seager’s sacrifice fly to right.

Manufacturing runs off bunts and sacrifice flies is difficult for the Mariners, who have a glut of first base-designated hitter types tending to clog the basepaths — when they’re actually, like, on the basepaths. Put another way: No other player in the lineup Sunday would have considered advancing from first to third on what amounted to an infield single.

At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, Saunders has the ability to win games with his power, to save games with his defense, and to change games with his speed. The shoulder injury he suffered while making a wall-banging catch on April 9 can’t be overemphasized.

The Mariners were 11/2 games out of first place, with a 4-4 record, when Saunders was put on the disabled list. During his absence, they fell to 8 games out of first, while their record dropped to 11-16.

Since Saunders’ return on April 28, they are 7-4. It took the Mariners almost a full month to win their first series, but after beating Oakland twice over the weekend, they’ve now won three of their past four series — and split the other.

When Saunders was told Sunday about how his influence on the team can be backed up with numbers, the former hockey player deflected the praise like a goalie fending off a slap shot.

“All I know is that I was happy to come off the disabled list,” he said. “It was tough just watching while the guys played.”

The injury derailed momentum Saunders had built in spring training, when the 26-year old resembled a one-man wrecking crew for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic. Saunders went 8-for-11 in the tournament with seven RBI, three doubles and a home run.

“He’s a very talented man that probably doesn’t get the recognition he deserves,” Canada manager Ernie Whitt said of his team’s MVP. “Playing in Seattle, they just don’t have the media coverage. But he’s just a tremendous up-and-coming outfielder who’s going to be a superstar.”

Last year was a breakout season for Saunders, who finished with 31 doubles, 19 home runs, 57 RBI and 21 stolen bases — all career highs. But his more compact swing, retooled the previous winter with the assistance of personal hitting coach Mike Bard, still found him striking out too often (132 times in 139 games) and working the count too infrequently (43 walks).

He’s improved in that area, too, with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 17-10.

“I think he’s just settled in,” said Wedge. “He’s gained experience the last couple years — in particular last year.”

Despite evidence to the contrary, Saunders doesn’t see himself as any kind of catalyst.

“We’ve got great hitters in the middle of this lineup,” he said. “I try to get on base for them, but they do the hard work.”

So did fans who followed the Mariners while Saunders was hurt. It was hard watching a lineup that offered little else but the potential to hit a long ball now and then. An offense built around the occasional bases-empty homer induces yawns and creates apathy.

But an offense built behind a leadoff man who can reach first on a flubbed bunt, and advance to third in the time it takes to snap your fingers? A leadoff man with more power than Ichiro Suzuki? That’s fun. That’s exciting.

“He has a good heartbeat up there,” said Wedge.

A good heartbeat? I’m not sure what the manager meant, and yet I understood. Michael Saunders has a heartbeat that’s so good, it’s providing the rest of his team with a pulse.
john.mcgrath@thenewstribune.com
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The Condor! Love that guy. 
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Been on a vaca for the past week or so - but caught the Sunday game vs the A's...how's it all been? Morse in a slump?

I know Wedge must go.

http://www.ussmariner.com/
In recent years past, the Mariners have had some terrible team offenses. It was kind of the identity — the Mariners were able to prevent runs, but they also prevented too many of their own runs, and so in the end they were not good. Over the offseason, the Mariners prioritized adding good hitters, in order to improve the offense. And they prioritized adding veteranhitters, to take some of the pressure off the younger guys. They felt bad for having forced young hitters into the middle of the lineup, so they went after talented veterans to relieve the psychological burden. It follows that the Mariners figured veterans would be better able to handle the stress than rookies and new guys. Veterans have been around the block, and so on and so on.

Look, here.
[Morse and Morales are] expected to handle the bulk of duties in the Nos. 3 and 4 lineup spots, taking the pressure off younger hitters by bumping them further back in the order.
[...]
All kidding aside, Morse says there’s a big difference hitting in the middle of the order compared to other places.
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Morales, who debuted in 2006 with the Angels, feels there’s a confidence level required to stay in the middle of the lineup.
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Look, here.
“In those situations, sometimes you rarely get to see a fastball. They are going to pitch you different and they are going to pitch you tough. You really have to relax and not try to do too much,” Morse said. “It’s tougher when you are young. It’s a big role and it’s a tough role. They had to learn the hard way.”
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On Sunday, Michael Morse and Kendrys Morales were bumped down in the Mariners’ lineup. Morales is batting fourth, after batting third all season. Morse is batting fifth, after batting fourth all season. What’s the deal? We turn to our fearless leader:
“I’m playing around with it a little bit,” Wedge said. “I still stand by the fact that Morales and Morse are just trying to do too much. They know they’re the guys here and I think with that sometimes you put a little too much pressure on yourself to do too much. You see both of them chasing more than they should.”
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Morales and Morse were supposed to be stable, veteran additions, immune to trying to do too much in response to batting in the middle. Now, in Eric Wedge’s estimation, they’ve been trying to do too much in response to batting in the middle. It’s not that I don’t believe there’s some difference between batting in the middle and batting somewhere else. It’s not that I don’t believe veterans benefit from their experience. But I think this speaks for itself. In the Mariners’ own words, the experienced veterans aren’t doing what they were brought in to do. Wedge thinks they’re pressing, just like he thought the young guys were pressing.

Yet, furthermore, consider the evidence. Wedge thinks Morales and Morse are chasing too much. Morales has swung at 30% of pitches out of the zone, below his PITCHf/x average of 32%. Morse has swung at 35% of pitches out of the zone, right on his PITCHf/x average of 35%. Neither Kendrys Morales nor Michael Morse are the disciplined sort. They’re the slugging sort, and they’re likely to finish with an ugly ratio of walks to strikeouts. That was easily predictable coming in, and Wedge can’t reasonably allow himself to be frustrated by the veterans doing what they’ve always done. Morse is going to strike out. He strikes out a lot. Morales isn’t going to walk. He doesn’t walk a lot.

So Wedge thinks the veterans are pressing, which would be funny, given the whole idea behind their acquisitions. Evidence suggests they might not be, which would call into question Eric Wedge’s ability to evaluate who is and is not actually pressing. Which would make us reconsider seasons past. As is always the case with baseball posts like this, we have to acknowledge on some level that the guys in the clubhouse have a better idea than the guys like us. Wedge knows these players, and he has a better idea of what they’re going through. But where Wedge has an advantage in terms of that sort of information, we have an advantage in terms of other sorts of information, and we also don’t get wrapped up in generally discardable baseball bromides. Morales already has a home run today. Sometimes good players do well. Sometimes they don’t. Most of the time, there’s not any reason.
 
They've one 4 out of their last 5 series with the other one being a tie. Felix and Cy have been dealing per usual. Seager making strong contact and Saunders providing a lift to the top of the lineup. Shoppach has nudged his way to split playing time with Montero. Mainly due to poopy play by Montero.

Ryan and Andino are STRUGGLING. Making it real hard to ignore what Franklin and Triunfel are doing at AAA. Jason Bay is showing us why they got him and has been playing clutch while Ackley and Smoak still suck.
 
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Ehh smoak has atleast shown improvement over last year. If he could make contact and not whiff so much I think his average would hang around 275-290
 
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 My man Ackley is so up and down it's funny, Smoak's been a little better as of late though, right? He's starting to take more pitches and taking walks more than usual.

I won't be able to take the BB:K ratio when Ackley, Triunfel, Smoak in the lineup at the same time. 
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Still weird seeing Ichiro in pint stripes and #31.

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Our vets are really coming through with the wood today..Morse having a heck of a game batting.
 
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