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710 ESPN Seattle's Shannon Drayer

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Updated Mar 26, 2009 - 3:43 pm

What the Heck, A Game Thread

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Since we have the full gang what looks to be the opening day out there, I will give you a rare running game blog...

Bottom 5

Gutierrez leads off with a single to center.

Ichiro grounds into a rare (for him) 3-6 double play.

Lopez 6-3 quick inning, and Felix comes back out.

Top 6

Ichiro replaced in rightfield by Balentien.

Jacobs with a single past a diving Branyan,

Butler with a double to right, Felix may be running out of gas.

Gordon with a softly hit ball to Branyan who holds the runners then tags the bag. One down.

Olivo RBI single to center

Aviles homerun 1-0 pitch, rightfield, Felix looks done for the day.

Crisp bouncer to Felix, 1-3 2 down.

DeJesus 1-1 Felix is snapping at the ball now, curveball, out of inning.

6 innings, 6 earned runs, 12 hits, but hey, this is the Royals, not Italy or the Netherlands.

Seriously, Felix has not pitched in 10 days and that probably has something to do with it.

I am about ready to shut this down and go wait on Ichiro. Branyan has just hit a monstrous shot to left center and the M's now trail 7-4.

More with Ichiro later.

Top 5

Yeah, I took a little break. In the bottom of the 4th, Sweeney with a nice basehit through short, looked great running.

Yuni, I think must be under orders to try and bunt in every at bat because with two out and Sweeney on second, he showed bunt, then looked towards the dugout as if to say, "See, I tried." I would applaud the effort, but I am not sure it is really there, so I will applaud the effort of the coaches instead. I think I could have learned to bunt effectively by now.

Felix strikes out Crisp, then nearly gets nailed by DeJesus up the middle.

Mark Teahen, who has taken at least part of Willie Bloomquists job is up.

Did talk to Willie before the game, he is very happy in KC. Is to that point in a ballplayer's life where his oldest is 4 and they have to decide where their permanent home will be.

Strikeout throw em out double play.

Guillen up, Guillen out, 6-3.

Top 4

Quick 6-3 to Butler

Gordon first pitch single to right.

Olivo single to left. Gordon tests Jr and wins, advances to third.

Aviles with a sac fly to medium center (not quite short) Gutierrez throws home, accurate but late. Sims just said to me he's got a better arm than I thought. Not quite a laser, but not a noodle by any means.

Felix is in a spot of trouble by the way.

Olivo (who runs better than most catchers) steals second, Felix not helping Joh out at all, very slow to the plate, I don't think he used a slidestep.

But strikes out Crisp.

I need to go get a soda.

Bottom 3

Joh, a man who has a lot of work to do in the next ten days steps in...

Gets hit in the back by Ponson, who I was just getting ready to say was looking pretty good...

Betancourt up, behind Joh. Don't like someone as slow as Joh in front of Yuni and Gutierrez but what are you going to do.

Wow. Hit and run on, ground out into a 4-6-3 double play. Lack of speed kills.

Gutierrez with what I believe to be the first 3 ball count for the M's.

A WALK!!!!

Ichiro with an excuse me swing pops one through the left side, runners on 1 and 2, 2 down.

Lopez with an E6, throw in the dirt at first (looked to me like Jacobs should have handled it). Gutierrez running all the way with 2 out scores. 2-1 Royals.

Jr. 2-0 pokes one to short right, mishandled by Guillen. Basehit, Lopez to third on an E9, RBI for Griffey.

Beltre hits one hard to third, out at first. 2-2 tie, both runs unearned.

Top 3

Aviles hits one off the wall, left center for a leadoff double. Was down 0-2 in the count.

Jr. just showed some arm holding Coco Crisp to an RBI single. Second great throw from left we have seen from him.

DeJesus bouncer to first, Branyan tags first, throw is a bit high and pulls Yuni off the bag, runner safe at 2, 1 out.

Yuni completely loses one in the sun, runners on first and third.

Teahen steals second, throw is late.

Guillen strikes out looking on a nasty slider. Felix by the way, told me that in the WBC his slider and curve were incredible.

Strikes out Jacobs.

Bottom 2

Ken Barron, Ichiro's translator just stopped by the booth. Apparently the plan for the State of the Ichiro Address after the game is Ichiro will leave the game, do his post game stuff and talk on his way out for the day. He will do US TV, then US writers, Japanese TV, Japanese writers. Don't worry about radio, Ichiro lets me go with the writers. Quite a process though!

Beltre first pitch 5-3

Branyan big swinging strikeout (does that mean he walks later in the game)

Sweeney 5-3, long throw by Gordon

M's not seeing a lot of pitches.

Top o' 2

Back to Butler...First pitch swing, foul ball. 2-2 strikes him out on a breaking ball.

Fastball still up, breaking ball getting closer.

Gordon up the middle.

Olivo 6-4-3 double play...first ground ball Felix gets.

Bottom of the first...

Big round of applause for Ichiro who takes the second pitch up the middle.

Lopez 3-0 count, Ichiro thrown out at second-was clearly not a hit and run, late throw (Olivo) but beat Ichiro by a mile.