July 06, 2008
Change that Works
Jim Riggleman
Photo: Icon SMI
The Mariners defeated the Tigers Saturday night 3-2. That win gives Seattle a 10-5 record under Jim Riggleman. The offense was sputtering under John McLaren, but they appear to have come to life under the new manager.
Mariners Offense
| 2008 | McLaren | Riggleman |
|---|
| Runs/Game | 3.86 | 5.00 |
| Batting Average | .252 | .286 |
| On-Base Average | .308 | .349 |
| Slugging Percentage | .374 | .401 |
The power isn't there, but the team is doing a much better job of putting batters on base. When the bases keep getting filled, runners tend to come around to score. It also doesn't hurt that the team is hitting .301 with runners in scoring position under Jim.
As you can see from looking at individuals, Sexson's 14 walks are making up for his continued lack of power. Ichrio is knocking out hits at a high rate, 23 in 15 games. Ibanez, Beltre and Clement are supplying the power. While there still appears to be no complete hitter on the club, most players are doing something useful.
There's progress on the pitching side as well. Although they're not going deep in games, Bedard, Dickey and Washburn all pitched well under McLaren. The rotation is 6-4, but with an excellent 3.40 ERA under Riggleman. Unfortunately, the Angels are 9-5 in that time, so while the Mariners no long have the worst record in the majors, they've only gained 1/2 game in the standings.
With Toronto 7-7 under Gaston and the Mets 9-9 under Manuel, Seattle is the only club so far where the manager made a difference.
could it be, again, that they have just been playing really bad teams? Their last 15 have been against Detroit, Toronto, San Diego, NY Mets + Atlanta. Two last place teams and all five under .500...
see how they do at Oakland this week in a 4-game series.