Hey all, sorry I haven't stayed up to date on the blog this last month. Hopefully you all understand, I have had AP tests, SAT, and finals to study for. However that's not to say I haven't stayed up to date on the Mariners, because I have. It sure has been a rough month for the M's, as they lost first place, and are only 8-15 in the month of May. Sitting at 21-24 overall, the Mariners are in third place, 6 games behind Texas.
HOMESTAND IN REVIEW
This last homestand has been very encouraging though, the Mariners have been able to score two series victories, one over Boston (2-1), and one against San Francisco (2-1), while dropping the four game set against Los Angeles (1-3).
While the record might be sitting at 5-5, a lot of good has come from these 10 games. Adrian Beltre is beginning to heat up, after Manager Don Wakamatsu moved him to the number 2 hole for Saturday's game and to the three hole for Sunday's game. Ken Griffey, Jr. has also heated up, raising his average nearly 50 points and hitting a home run in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants.
From the pitching rubber, after some intense comments from Wakamatsu following a Tuesday night loss at the hands of the Angels, Felix Hernandez pitched an 8 inning, 1 earned run ballgame on Sunday, and earned his fifth win. Wakamatsu, who had said that Felix didn't step up for his team, was pleasantly surprised with Felix's performance on Sunday.
DOWN ON THE FARM
The Tacoma Rainiers have stepped it up, and have improved their record to 22-20, and are in third place, 4 games behind first place Salt Lake. Mike Carp and Chris Shelton continue to hit well, providing the Mariners options in the minors if they decide to make a move for more offense.
2009 JUNE AMATUER DRAFT PREVIEW
Well, we are getting to that time once again, draft time. Every year, one must ask themselves where thier club needs improvement, and this year is no different. In fact, it is much more important this season, as the rebuilding process continues.
This season, the Mariners really need infielding. With a few top picks, they are going to have several oppertunities to get some good ballplayers. Adrian Beltre, who is expected to leave following this season, needs to be replaced. The most viable option is Matt Tuiasasopo, who currently plays for Tacoma, however he doesn't have the power that the Mariners need in their lineup that they will lose from Beltre. The second position the M's need improvement at is Shortstop. All of you who have continued to follow the blog know how I feel about Yuniesky Betancourt. I don't think he is in the future of the club and needs to be replaced. The final area of improvement needs to be starting pitching. If the M's can draft a good young starter, that would help a lot, as it does on any club.
The second question has to be, "do we draft high school or college players?" Right now, the Mariners don't have the time to develop high school players. College players are the way to go at this time, they have already had 4-5 years to develop, and a single year at Triple A could make them Major League worthy.
ASK ANDREW!
"Where wil the Mariners finish this season?" -Jacob, from Puyallup
In my preview, I said they will finish in third, in front of Texas. That has not changed, I still think they will finish in third, but maybe front of Oakland. Los Angeles has looked very strong with all the injuries they have endured, and Texas has been very surprising with their strong starting pitching.
"Felix got in trouble with Wak on Tuesday, do you think it was justifiable?" -Bill, from Tacoma
I don't think it was justifiable, although Wak is right on what he said. Felix is our ace, and he is going to have a bad game once in awhile. This win today really proved to Wak that he can step up when the club needs him.
THANKS ALL!
Thanks everyone for the questions and for sticking with me even though I haven't been online since about a month ago. Send your comments, and your questions for the "Ask Andrew!" segment, to AndrewR@MyTeamRivals.com. Check back next Sunday for my blog! Thanks again everyone!

































































