Kevin Millwood and more
May 24, 2012, 3:58 PM | Updated: May 25, 2012, 11:52 am
By Gary Hill Jr
I am putting the Part II of my closer analysis on hold to bask in the warm glow of a scrumptious Seattle Mariners surge. The M’s followed up a three-game sweep of the Rockies on the road by performing a Texas two-step on the Rangers. They have taken five of their last six and look to keep their momentum going against the Angels tonight. Seattle starters are a scorching 5-1 with a 1.82 ERA in their past seven games. Kevin Millwood has been ridiculously good. He has thrown 17 2/3 innings of scoreless ball (or has a 17-inning scoreless streak, whichever you prefer) in parts of three starts against the Yankees, Rockies and Rangers. He is closing in on his longest scoreless streak of his career.
April 2009: 18 2/3 IP
August/September 1999: 18
May 2012: 17 2/3
April/May 2000: 17
July 2003: 15
His streak in 1999 included one of the best pitched games of his career. On Aug. 28, 1999 he dazzled the St. Louis Cardinals by hurling 10 shutout innings while holding the powerful St. Louis Cardinals lead by Mark McGwire, Ray Lankford, Willie McGee and J.D. Drew to just two hits. An Edgar Renteria single and a pinch-hit Craig Paquette base hit were all he coughed up. He was opposed by Darren Oliver, who settled for pitching nine shutout innings. Oliver and Millwood pitched in the same game this year and between them have represented half the teams in baseball. Millwood will take his third crack at Texas in his next start.
–Alex Liddi is now tied for the most career grand-slams by an Italian born player. Or, Alex Liddi è ora legato per la carriera più grand-slam da un giocatore italiano nato.
–The M’s are 18-6 when scoring four or more.
–The M’s have scored four or more in five of the last six and they have won five of their last six.
–Fifteen bases on balls were drawn in the three-game series vs Texas.
–The Mariners have moved up to 23rd in baseball in drawing walks after languishing near the bottom of all of baseball the first few weeks of the season.
–Seattle is 15th in baseball in homers and is just two behind the Detroit Tigers. The M’s are two ahead of the Angels.
–They have also moved up to 19th in runs scored.
