Mariners 7, Guardians 2: Disaster Strikes in the 7th

It’s time for some screaming.

Before I get into the game recap, we got an update on Shane Bieber’s health.

Made me stay up until 1 am to watch this garbage.

I’m angry and I may wake up tomorrow and look at this article as an overreaction, but sometimes overreacting is cathartic.

Nolan and Kwan went yard back to back in the 3rd as the Guardians took a short-lived lead against Seattle.

Gavin was shaky, but he was done no favors by the home plate umpire tonight.

Jose extended his on-base streak to 38 games.

Cade Smith looked good and was very fortunate to escape what was a very scary incident in the 6th when a Tellez line drive struck him in the brim of his hat.

Now, let’s overreact.

Tim Herrin gave up a double to a scorching hot J.P. Crawford and then got Rodriguez to fly out to end the 6th. And then, for some completely unknown reason, after Herrin had thrown 12 pitches, Vogt brought him BACK OUT for the 7th to face CAL RALEIGH. An utterly baffling move, and one that I do not understand in the slightest. Herrin’s command has been shaky (at best) all year. Why you bring him BACK INTO THE GAME to face one of the HOTTEST HITTERS IN BASEBALL is completely beyond me. And then, after he walks Raleigh (granted, he should’ve struck him out after a horrible check swing call), Vogt LEFT HIM IN for Polanco. And look at that, Polanco put a great swing on the 2nd pitch he saw. Baffling. Stupid. Mind-boggling. I’m running out of words to describe the hideous chain of events that led to the Guardians’ bullpen throwing this game away.

Gaddis came in and more runs scored.

Vogt, all year, has tried to get cute with the pitching staff whenever he can. Leaving pitchers in too long, trying to get an extra out from a reliever. This is not 2024. You cannot expect your bullpen to be as elite and dependable as it was last year. You cannot expect them to continue being elite at stranding runners, inherited or not. You have to stop putting your pitchers in situations where they are not given the best chance to succeed.

Give your relievers clean innings. Do not try to get cute and bring a reliever out for a second inning for one out.

I understand if the optimists among us want to just write this game off as the result of bad luck propelled by poor umpiring. I think that that is probably much more healthy than whatever I’m doing.

I’m done yelling at Vogt.

I thought, after those Jones and Kwan homers, that maybe this team had turned a corner with their performance in the final game of the Reds series.

They have struggled, all year, to consistently play clean, complete games.

They have struggled to get quality performances from their starters, relievers, hitters, and defenders in the same game in any consistent manner. Whether it’s that this team isn’t very good or that they just haven’t found their identity... I don’t know.

What I do know is that they cannot continue to be put in situations where they must walk a very thin tightrope in order to edge out close wins. Vogt has to be better, and this team has to be better.

Get Delauter up. Get Kayfus up. Get Aleman up. Get Messick up. Make a change. Bring at least one of those guys up. This roster is just not working right now.

I’m going to sleep.

Win the next two games.