FanHouse Miguel Batista

MLB Power Rankings: Where we care what you've done for us lately when we break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world each week.

We're almost there. You can smell it in the air, can't you? That's right ... the NHL playoffs! Ha. I kid, of course. No one actually watches hockey (if it even exists). But people do get amped up for baseball, and the season is upon us. So, in that vein, we've got our final installment of preseason power rankings ready for your digestion. Play ball.

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2009.

The Mariners went into 2008 as playoff contenders in the eyes of some, and a sub-.500 team that wasn't going to be able to score enough runs to compete in the minds of others. The latter camp was closer in its expectation, but nobody could have foreseen just how far Seattle would fall.

The offense was bad, as expected, finishing 13th in the AL in runs, OBP, and SLG. The more surprising issue was that the pitching, a unit which looked to be solid at the outset of the year, fell apart as well. Offseason acquisition Erik Bedard and previously dominant closer J.J. Putz both battled injuries, and weren't particularly impressive when they did pitch. They also got some abysmal performances from the back end of the rotation, with Carlos Silva, Ryan Feierabend and Miguel Batista combining for a 6.55 ERA in 308 innings.

It's worth noting that all the blame for the run prevention issues shouldn't fall solely to the pitchers, as the Mariners were 13th in the AL in defensive efficiency.

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups

While they have had many chances to take over the AL Central lead from the Chicago White Sox, the Minnesota Twins had been faltering all summer to capitalize on Chicago's mistakes. They would get to within a half-game of the White Sox only to lose every time Chicago opened the door.

That is, until yesterday. After taking three of four from the Sox and two of three from the Indians over the weekend, the Twins are finally on top of the division (again) where nobody expected them to be (again). Now today the Twins will begin to find out that sometimes the only thing tougher than catching the team in front of you is staying ahead of them once you get there.

Is it a coincidence that on the day the Twins finally woke up and brought Francisco Liriano back from minor league purgatory that they gained control of the division? Probably, but his presence in the rotation will go a lot further in helping them hold onto it than Livan Hernandez would have.

Will they hold onto their lead, or let it slip through their grasp? It's still too early to tell but they will begin their quest to put some distance between themselves and the competition after the jump.

For your fantasy assistance, Always Be Closing will occasionally stop in and take a look at some relief gigs that are worth monitoring, should the current closer falter. Finding saves is a cheap and dirty business. And there are always a few jobs that are murky, especially early in the season. Thinking ahead never hurt anyone.

Milwaukee Brewers -- Currently, Eric Gagne, he of the longest save streak in MLB history and Mitchell Report implications, is the closer. His name is funny for blown saves because it has so many "choke" implications in it. But it's not funny if you're Ned Yost or a fantasy owner dealing with the ERA inflation. The reality is, Gagne has lost something, whether it's an outside boost or an inside-the-head thing; if you witnessed his meltdown against the Cubs, it's obvious. Derrick Turnbow might not be the answer though, because one would think the Brewers wouldn't pay Gagne if they already had him and felt he could close. David Riske is the guy I'd take a cheap run at -- last season in Kansas City he had nearly a 2:1 K:BB ratio and he very quietly hasn't had an ERA over 4.00 since 2003.

With the Sonics on the verge of skipping town and Seattle likely to end up with an expansion team, at the very least the Mariners were keeping the city alive, what with their MVP candidate Adrian Beltre (okay, maybe I'm the only one who thinks that ... yet), new ace in Erik Bedard and stud closer J.J. Putz.

Actually, you have to scratch that last one now, since Putz has been placed on the disabled list this evening following a rib cage injury he sustained before coughing up a monster jack to Josh Hamilton last night.

When Putz was still sore after the game, the Mariners ordered a precautionary MRI exam for today, which revealed that he has something called mild costochondritis on his right side. That is described as inflammation where cartilage attaches to a rib. Right-hander Roy Corcoran was called up from Tacoma to take Putz's spot on the roster.

Now, one could have already argued that Putz' stats were going to revert back to at least "mortal" this season after a ridiculous 2007. But there was no question that his skills were legit and he was going to be a lights out closer for the M's this year. So this is not good news.

Costochondritis is described on WebMD as "an inflammation of the junctions where the upper ribs join with the cartilage that holds them to the breastbone or sternum". Purportedly it is "a relatively harmless condition and usually goes away without treatment".

So, in other words, breathe, Seattle. Putz should be back sooner than later. If WebMD isn't completely wrong, or if the Mariners didn't misdiagnose him, the closer should be back within a few weeks.

Bonus Fantasy Spin: The link above, Larry Stone's blog at The Seattle Times makes the best joke about who will close now: "Could be George Sherrill, could be Rafael Soriano. Oh, wait. Never mind." So I won't try. I will tell you that Mark Lowe would be a very nice guy to grab for a short term saves solution, seeing as how he's the current set-up guy for Seattle and would ostensibly begin closing. (Update: Miguel Batista closes for the M's tonight.)

Miguel Batista knows that he's not going to be able to play baseball forever, so it makes sense that he would work on his other skills so that when the time comes to retire, he'll be ready to move onto life in the real world.

One day in the Mariners clubhouse, Adrian Beltre called across the room to Batista to bring him a drink. Miguel happily obliged, grabbing Beltre's drink and bringing it to him. It was then that Beltre handed Batista a dollar bill as a tip.

It was then that Batista knew what he had to do with his life.

The Mariners clubhouse is blessed with one of the best chefs in baseball in Jeremy Bryant, known in the clubhouse simply as "Chef Jeremy."

He also has a new restaurant, The 43rd Street Cafe, in a medical building near Southcenter. Tuesday starting pitcher Miguel Batista showed up, but not to eat. He worked as a waiter for nearly three hours.

Word got out in a hurry. Bryant said the restaurant did triple its normal business and customers were lined up out the door while Batista was chipping in for eight bucks an hour and tips.

No word on whether or not Ichiro bussed any tables.

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the days most intriguing baseball matchups

San Diego Padres (70-59) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (74-57)-10:05PM Est.

If the Diamondbacks want to drive the point home that the NL West is theirs, today would be a good time to get their point across. The currently lead the Padres by three games in the NL West, and begin a four-game series with the Padres tonight. They'll have to do it against one of the best pitchers in baseball though, as Jake Peavy will be starting for the Padres tonight. In his last 14 innings of work against Arizona, Peavy hasn't allowed a run. Tonight will be Jake's fourth start of the season against Arizona, and in the first three he's 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA. Livan Hernandez starts for Arizona, and he's 10-3 in his career against San Diego. Though this season he's 1-1 with a 7.00 ERA against the Padres. Arizona is hoping Livan can get some support from Chris Young. The rookie centerfielder is killing the ball lately, and has seven home runs in his last ten games, and now leads all Major League rookies with 28.

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups

Arizona Diamondbacks (71-56) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (65-61)-9:40PM Est.

The Diamondbacks are hoping that the same Brandon Webb who's taken the mound in his last three starts comes to the park tonight. Webb has pitched three consecutive shutouts, and hasn't given up a run in his last 42 innings of work. Somehow that's only good enough to qualify him for 12th all time-in the early 1900's batters apparently preferred licorice over wooden bats-but it's the longest such streak since Orel Hershiser pitched a record 59 innings without giving up a run in 1988. I'm not saying he can't do it, but I don't think Webb is going to last 18 more innings to break Hershiser's record. Of course, the Diamondbacks won't care as long as he pitches well enough to get them a victory. They're one game away from being swept at home by a Brewers team that's supposed to be falling apart. Instead the Brewers have outscored Arizona 16-4 in the first two games of this series, and remain tied with the Cubs for first place in the NL Central. Jeff Suppan starts for Milwaukee, and he's been the opposite of Brandon Webb lately. He's 0-3 with a 4.88 ERA over his last ten starts and hasn't won since June 22nd.

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups

Chicago Cubs (55-48) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (55-49)-ESPN 7:05PM Est.

The Cubs are just a win away from a first place tie with the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central, and they'll look to catch them on ESPN tonight. Of course, all they'll have to do is beat the hottest team in baseball right now, the Philadelphia Phillies. Philly has won 8 of their last 9 games to move to second place in the NL East, and they're doing it without Chase Utley. While the Phillies have lost a game recently, the guy they'll be facing tonight has not. Ted Lilly is 7-0 since June 15th, and has won his last six starts with an ERA of 1.83 in July. Something has got to give! Cole Hamels goes for the Phillies, and he shut down the Cubs back in May, allowing only two runs in seven innings. This game will also mark the return to Chicago for Tadahito Iguchi who has been gone a whole three days. Welcome home, Gooch!

The Mariners and Jeff Weaver were forced to sit around for four days in Cleveland waiting to play a baseball game that never happened. On Tuesday they finally got a chance to play in Boston, and they were probably wishing that a snowstorm had hit town before they did.

Jeff Weaver made his first start as a Mariner and got crushed. The first batter he faced was Julio Lugo, and he walked him on four straight pitches. Things only got worse from there.

"It was my fear - coming out after such a long rest, feeling strong and not having any feel," Weaver said. "Being a sinkerball guy, I'm all about feel, getting it down in the zone. Everything was up. My cut fastball, I really had no feel for it, and that's a big pitch, especially with so many left-handers in the lineup."

Weaver threw a staggering 47 pitches in the first inning, which would have put him on pace for a 423-pitch complete game. Except he lasted just two innings, yielding seven hits and seven runs before departing with a 31.50 earned-run average.

Forty-seven pitches in the first inning? I'm not baseball expert, but I think that 47 pitches per inning is not the optimal number to have.

That's just not the kind of start a team is hoping to see from one of it's big free-agent acquisitions. Especially when you combine his numbers with the M's other free-agent pitcher, Miguel Batista.

Coming on the heels of Miguel Batista's rough debut against Oakland - well, actually, heels that were separated by six days - it meant that the Mariners' two big free-agent pitching acquisitions combined, in their first Seattle starts, to work 6-2/3 innings, giving up 17 hits, 15 earned runs, four walks, one hit batsman and two balks, all adding to an 0-2 record and cumulative 20.24 ERA

I hope the Mariners kept the receipt.


Previously at the Fanhouse:
Mariners Still Waiting On Their Dream Weaver