Tough to believe a bullpen that has been so good this season could blow a game like that. Jesse Litsch fights through 5 scoreless innings, giving up 5 hits and 4 walks. You have to be pretty magic to not give up a run. I'm not sure if he was luck or skill, but he left with a good shot at a win. Frasor pitched a scoreless inning. Carlos Villanueva game up a run in his inning but we were still up 7-1.
Then David Purcey came in for the 8th. His time went single, walk, fly out, single and he was out of the game. I don't know, if you can't use Purcey up by 6 in the 8th, then he shouldn't be on the roster.
Octavio Dotel came in and wasn't any better, walking two lefty batters. He does have trouble with lefties. Out he goes, in comes Marc Rzepczynski in. Things don't improve much. Walk and ground ball single. To be far, he was trying to get the ground ball and he did. It just missed the infielders.
Shawn Camp came in and gave up a harder hit ground ball but Jayson Nix was able to get to it. Good throw to Hill, good turn and bounced throw to Lind, who made a great snag. We are out of the inning with a lead.
Camp stayed in for the 9th. You could argue the choice, maybe Rauch should have come in, but Camp only threw one pitch in the 8th and the bullpen was pretty empty. Camp gives up a lead off double. A bunt moves the runner to third. Then he gets a ground ball right to a drawn in Yunel Escobar. Camp threw two pitches to Ichiro, first a clear ball, the second I thought was a good pitch but called a ball and Farrell orders the IW. Camp battled Luis Rodriguez for 9 pitches before Luis hit the 10th over the outfielders and the M's won.
Our offense did well against Felix Hernandez. Nix and Encarnacion had 3 hits each. Bautista, Arencibia and Patterson had 2 hits. Everyone else had a hit but Snider (0 for 4, walk, run, RBI) and Lind (0 for 5). Patterson had a home run.
Jays of the Day are Litsch (.164 WPA), Nix (.143) and Encarnacion (.137). The pen gets suckage. Camp had a -.620 (going into the 9th with a 1 run lead you have a pretty good shot at a win). Rzep had a -.248. Dotel was only -.085 and Purcey -.018 (with a big lead, a couple of hits and a walk doesn't change the chance of winning all that much), but I'm giving them each a suckage award anyway.
I feel bad for Camp, he battled Rodriguez, but getting strikeouts isn't his strong suit. The double to start the inning and the game winning hit were very hard hit balls, but he has pitched a bunch this year.
I really can't see how Purcey stays on the team. I know he is out of options, but John Farrell can not have any confidence in him at all anymore. I can't see any spot that John would want to bring him into a game. I also can't see why any team would take him off waivers. He has no clue where the strike zone is, at the moment. I'm not sure that, at his age, he can be taught to throw strikes.
Anyway, just a sad, sad loss.