Living in North Carolina, I haven't ever had the opportunity to see the Mariners play in person, and I don't expect I'll be getting the opportunity any time soon. It's about a 200 mile trip (or more) in any direction to get to an MLB park. But, last night, I got to watch the 2010 Seattle Mariners play. Some would attempt to correct me and suggest I was watching the 2015 Ms. They'd be wrong.

So, how do I know I was watching the 2010 Ms? Well, they lost. They lost 2-1. They got great starting pitching, (much better than the opposition). They played outstanding defense. They'd have random defensive lapses which eventually cost them the game. The hitters took quality, professional at bats. They managed to put a bunch of guys on base. They stranded all but one. The deciding points in the game were plays where LITERALLY an inch difference and they win. Does any of this sound familiar to any Mariner fans out there?

OPENING ACT:

With one out in the first Peguero hit a solid single to center, which needed about another foot to reach the gap for a double. Liddi grounded into a DP off Mudcat starter Scott Carroll, (a recent acquisition from Lynchburg).

Steve Hensley was on the mound for the DJaxx. Hensley is one of the organizational guys (drafted 4th round in 2008), that has some talent, but no hype. The kind of guy that is signable, but you don't REALLY think is ever going to do anything. Sort of like a 7th round choice in 2006 currently in the Ms rotation - initials of D.F.).

Hensley also suffers from currently being on the same team with Pineda (4-1; 2.32) and Mauricio Robles (3-2; 3.77). Hensley's season? He FELL to (5-2; 1.53) after Friday nights loss. Okay, he doesn't have the K-rate (ONLY 7.3) or K/BB ratio (only 2.24) of Pineda. He just doesn't give up hits, (only 34 in 47 innings). Hensley breezed through the first with one K.

The second inning was where I KNEW I was watching the 2010 Ms. After a groundout by Limonta, Jose Yepez got another sharp single to CF. Ackley was up next, (the guy I REALLY wanted to see), and promptly doubled to LF. This was one of those gappers that kind of hangs in the air for awhile, allowing both the CF and LFs to close on it. The CF got close enough to wave at it as it went by, while the LF was playing it perfectly off the wall.

The problem? Yepez wasn't 100% certain it was a hit, so he wasn't running all out initially, because there was a (slim) chance that he'd have to hustle back to first to avoid getting doubled. Because of the delay, Ackley was getting to second at about the same instant that Yepez was getting to third. Unfortunately, for Yepez, LF Sean Henry threw a perfect relay to the SS Kris Negron, who nailed Yepez at the plate - easily.

If Yepez runs all out from crack of the bat, he scores easily. But, since he held up, he had NO business being sent. So, instead of 2nd and 3rd with one out, West Tenn had Ackley on second with two down. Triunfel hit another line drive single (to right), which brought Ackley in for the DJaxx lone run of the night.

The bottom of the 2nd was another three up, three down with a K for Hensley.

Seattle ... I mean, the DJaxx, did their best to repeat their second inning. Leadoff out, single (Kuo Hui Lo) followed by double (Peguero). This time they didn't send K-Lo, primarily because he pulled something, and was replaced for the rest of the game by brand new DJaxx roster addition Jacob Shaffer, (who would go 1 for 2 with a walk). Limonta walked, but Yepez grounded out to end the bases-loaded threat. (This would NOT be a highlight reel night for Yepez).

Carolina got their first hit of the night off Hensley, the first really sharply hit ball off him. Then came the 3-6-Casper DP attempt. Sharply hit ball to first, perfect throw to second to get the lead runner (and first out of the inning), and an absolute laser beam throw from Triunfel to the Mudcat dugout. It went dead spot straight over the first base bag - except there wasn't anyone there to catch it. A faster runner would've been decapitated. Luckily, instead of into the dugout, the ball bounced off something hard enough to pop up and nearly land on top of the 1B bag like some trick billiards shot. Hensley got out of the inning with a strike-'em-out-throw-'em-out DP. I'd say that was Yepez' best moment, though really it was a hit and run, and the baserunner got a truly lousy jump.

THE DRAMA:

Carroll, for Carolina would likely be called "effectively wild" from a Carolina sportswriter. My sense was this might be too kind. Early on, the DJaxx were swatting his fastball all over the place, and he not only didn't seem to have any trouble finding the strikezone, he didn't have any trouble finding West Tenn bats. I think he simply got wise - and just decided not to try and put his FB over the plate anymore. The radar gun had both starters peaking at 94 mph, (though the gun might've been reading about 2 mph high). The difference wasn't velocity - the difference was Carroll's FB was getting knocked whop-sided, while the Mudcats were simply missing Hensley's pitches way more frequently.

So, in the 4th, Ackley walked. Triuinfel got hit-by-pitch, so two on, none out. Savastano struck out, (fishing against a team with a catfish mascot is to be expected, I suppose). Truthfully, at this point, Carroll started pitching backwards, and his 82 mph curve, I'm assuming it's a curve, because sitting second deck behind (and just beyond) the visitor dugout is NOT a good place to view the movement on pitches). But, the 81-92 range on his heater to soft stuff was pretty consistent all night. But, I digress. Leury Bonilla grounded in a DP to end the 4th inning threat.

Nine base runners for the DJaxx in the first four innings, and all they have to show for it is one run. But Hensley is cruising ...

A leadoff single through the left side. A legit hit, but nothing special. The next Mudcat hitter flies out to deep center. This was probably the best hit ball all night by the Mudcats. But, as if to rub the horrid base-running of the DJaxx into their noses, Kris Negron (on first), advances to second on the long fly. It was close at second - but a heady play - because as well as the ball was hit, it was an obvious out immediately. A groundout moved Negron to third. (This was one of several REALLY nice defensive plays by Ackley, as he tracked the grounder down in short right-center to get the runner. If he doesn't move so well, it's an easy RBI single.

Another single to CF brings in Negron and ties the score. In my notes, I refer to it as a "seeing RB-eye single." It was hit sharply enough that if the SS gets there, it's an easy third out and the shutout is still in play. Instead, it was about 2 inches beyond Triunfel, so the game was tied.

The 5th for DJaxx - another leadoff walk, followed by a flyout. The next play I STILL don't know exactly what happened. Peguero flied out to CF. I looked down to score the play. When I looked up, the DJaxx were doing an appeal at SECOND, and the umpire called Jake Shaffer out. My "guess" is that Shaffer rounded second on the long fly to CF ... realized that it was going to be an out, and retreated to first (beating the throw), but failed to retouch second base in the process. As near as I can tell, they are TEACHING horrid base running all the way up -- because bad base running seems to be not just an organizational trait - but an organizational imperative.

Carolina got a two-out single but didn't do any other damage in the 5th.

In the 6th, Limonta hit a lead-off double. Yepez sacrificed him to third. They walked Ackley again. Triunfel popped out to short. Savastano walked. So, AGAIN, the DJaxx have the bases loaded. Bonilla flied out to right.

The bottom of the 6th is like the 2010 Seattle Mariner season in microcosm. While Hensley has pitched a wonderful game and is breezing, the sequence in the 6th perfectly captures the 2010 Mariner mystique. Kris Negron hits a swinging bunt barely on the grass down the first base line. It's a footrace between Negron, (the very fast Mudcat leadoff hitter), and Hensley. Hensley actually wins the race, scooping up the ball about 10 feet shy of the 1B bag, and has a choice of tossing underhand to the 1B, or simply tagging Negron. He opts for the tag. The play is OVER. Negron has no chance. Except, Negron attempts to dive UNDER the tag, head first.

SAFE!

I'm way too far away to tell whether the ump blew the call or not. But, when Negron made his dive, Hensley swiped down, and if he made contact, Negron was out. But, the ump saw it differently. Oddly, the official scorer called it E-1. Error on the pitcher. I'm not sure I've ever seen a failed TAG when a ball is neither bobbled or dropped called an error - at any level - in 40+ years of watching baseball.

Hensley was pissed. He threw over to first about a half dozen times. Negron stole second.

The 2nd hardest hit ball of the night happened next. It was a line drive down the 3B line. This one, I'm in perfect position to see. It went directly over the 3B bag. And inch to the left, and it's just a foul ball. Instead, it drives in the winning run. On ANOTHER hit and run, the Mudcats end up with men on first and third, (and still no outs). Hensley bared down, struck out the next two. Then Yepez, doing his best Rob Johnson impression failed to hold onto a pitch. The guy on third was napping, and stayed put, but the runner on first advanced. Then Hensley closed the door, managing to strike out the side.

THE CLOSING ACT:

Jake Shaffer singled to give the DJaxx another base runner. Peguero managed to swing so hard on a pitch that he twisted his knee. They let him finish the AB. He fanned. Shaffer got caught stealing. Liddi also struck out.

A meaningless single in the 7th for Carolina - but that was mostly because Ackley made another solid snag of a line drive to open the inning. Ackley looked completely comfortable at second, and had opportunities for great plays moving both left or right. The only microscopic blemish was he double clutched a throw in the 8th when he had trouble getting the ball out of his glove. But, he had gotten to that ball so quickly, it didn't matter and it was just a routine out. Having seen Ackley at second (and back in the day - Upton playing SS), I'd say Ackley is likely NOT going to become a hall-of-fame defensive 2B. But, he's likely going to be above average. He doesn't have that ellusive Ozzie Smith-ness to his defensive play.

The 8th was interesting only in that the Mudcats brought in Philippe Valiquette. He hit 102 on the gun. He hit 101 repeatedly. He only threw about ten pitches, but most of them hit triple digits. That said, he didn't fan anyone. But, he got three pretty routine outs ... one being Ackley's only right turn of the night. It would be the only inning of the night the DJaxx didn't get somebody on base.

Paredes pitched the bottom of the 8th for West Tenn. With one out, he walked Sean Henry. He then threw two "wild pitches". Both of these were low, in the dirt, or nearly in the dirt throws. Both SHOULD have been blocked by the catcher. Both went to the backstop. So, in addition to bad base running, it appears the Ms teach bad back-stopping along the way, too.

The DJaxx did manage to get a one-out single in the 9th, but couldn't even muster the energy to get him into scoring position to add a little drama, (and shove the knife of frustration in just a little deeper).

SUMMARY:

There is a lot of talent on the West Tennessee roster. Many are already playing like real major leaguers. Pity that the major leaguers they are playing like are the 2010 Mariners.