For the third time this season the M's lost a 1-0 game. At least they didn't get no-hit, but they only mustered three feeble hits and never got a runner past first against the Rays. Not much of a tribute to Edgar on the weekend honoring his entry into the Hall of Fame.
All this has only caused me to think more about the importance of picking up opportunities during a game and the absolute necessity of never giving opponents any additional ones. Last time I fumed over balls and walks, today let me add my disgust at errors.
With Crawford at short, Seager back in the line-up and Santana off the field things have gotten better, but the Ms have led the majors in errors, now at 108, all season. That's in 118 games. Errors are given-away opportunities and they allow an opponent to extend an inning, move runners, score them, just do all sorts of damage, most notably exhaust and demoralize pitchers. Outs are hard to come by. Imagine how deflating it is to pitch to a tough batter, think you've gotten them out only to realize a boot by a fielder has taken away the out, put a runner on base and brought up a new batter. This has two be particularly exasperating when a third out gets lost to an error or an inning-ending double play falls apart.
Errors and walks, which I now realize could be the subtitle of the Mariners 2019 season, just kill a team. And when an inning starts with a walk and doesn't end due to an error, nothing good is going to happen. But as much as giving opportunities to the hitting team pisses me off, watching my team on offense give away opportunities is enough to surely frost my noogies.
I've expounded on this before. In my mind there is no excuse for getting called out on strikes, especially on a 3-2 count. And getting picked off base or thrown out on a running blunder is a black mark in my book.
It comes down to this: Duke's Rule #3... never give an opportunity up or away. Each pitch is an opportunity, treat them with care.
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