Neftali Feliz is available to pitch the ninth

As I write the game two recap, the San Francisco Giants have a 9-0 lead over the Texas Rangers. Guillermo Mota is pitching with no men on, one out. If the Rangers score ten runs, Neftali Feliz is available for the save.

There are two outs now. Seems unlikely.

Why is that important? Because in the bottom of the eight, the score was 2-0, bases loaded, two outs. Feliz was not in the game. Derek Holland and the other relief pitchers managed to walk in runs, give up hits to guys named Aaron. Suddenly a close game was a blow out.

It was bad enough that Rangers manager Ron Washington went to Darren Oliver after C.J. Wilson left the game with a blister on his pitching hand (Fox gave an awkward close-up). Oliver, who wasn't horrible (and wasn't good), allowed the one runner Wilson left on base to score to make it a 2-0 game.

Mota just walked a batter. Jeff Francoeur is up. Mota vs. Francouer is Bizarro World Series pitching match-up, right? Strike one.

Unless Cliff Lee is pitching his A+ game (most of the time) or Wilson and Colby Lewis are pitching their A- game (sometimes), Washington has been exposed as a horrible in-game manager.

Francouer popped out. Game over. Here's your box score, which includes Matt Cain's effective start--per usual.

The Difference Between Jack Z and Brian Sabean

The Seattle Mariners signed Eric Byrnes to a one year $400,000 deal last week. In this post, I made a snarky comment that San Francisco Giants GM Brian Sabean would foolishly sign Byrnes to a two year contract with a third year player option. Why am I now praising Mariners GM Jack Z for this signing when I would have trashed Sabean for the same signing?

It's definitely not for Eric Byrnes' stats. Over the last two injury plagued season, he didn't post an OBP greater than .272. In fact, he's had two other seasons where he didn't reach base more than 30% of the time. The thing about this signing, the Ryan Garko signing, the Milton Bradley trade and other signings is that the Mariners are acquiring okay production on the cheap. This okay production should lead to some nice, inexpensive platoons.

Sabean, on the other hand, signs Edgar Renteria, signs Aaron Rowand, signs Aubrey Huff and sign sMark DeRosa on the not-so-cheap and expects those players to be the stars of their position. Rowand and Renteria have not produced at the rate they are being paid, and I don't expect Huff and DeRosa to either.*

Back to the original question: Why am I now praising Mariners GM Jack Z for this signing when I would have trashed Sabean for the same signing?

Answer: Z brings in the same type of players that Sabean brings in. Z pays them much less than Sabean. Z does not throw all of his dice at said players. Instead, he creates depth and competition. Z is brilliant, Sabean is not.

*I tried to not make this so easy, but we can't forget this contract.