TERRY MOSHER
EDWIN DIAZ
For a reason I can’t really explain well, I have never liked Steve Cishek as the closer for the Seattle Mariners. Maybe I thought his pitches, especially the low fastball just below the knees, looked too straight and too hittable, and was hittable at times.
But whatever it was, Cishek is no longer the closer. Manager Scott Servais has demoted Cishek in favor of the flame-throwing Edwin Diaz, the 22-year-old youngster who was promoted directly from double-A on June 6.
I don’t know anybody that would disagree with the switch. Diaz throws in the upper 90s and on occasion hits 101 and throws a slider that in time will be extremely nasty.
Cishek blew seven saves (he has 25 saves), including in the last two games, so his demotion was expected. The problem is where do you use Cishek? Does he replace Diaz as the setup guy, and if he does will he be any better than he has been recently?
It’s a wonderful world, though, when all we can think about is who should be the Mariners’ closer. Sports is an incredible useful tool to ease the often mental strains that accompany some god-awful news that swirls around the world now in record time with the advent of electronic technology that can supply us with information – useful and otherwise – on an instance basis. One minute, I can read and often see death and destruction somewhere in the world, even at home, and the next minute I’m thinking about Diaz and his 100 mph fastball and that, at least temporarily, allows me some relief from all the tragic news.
It helps me too that I can while I’m writing look out this big bay window and see birds swooping around, into and over the water that is a salt water bay in back of our house. It’s nice to know that there is always that peaceful scene right there in front of me to take off any edge world news punishes me with.
Anyway, I’m happy to see Diaz in the role of closer. The Mariners have been involved in 37 one-run games (third in the American League; Texas is 23-7 in those games), winning 17 of them, so maybe a better closer will help them get more of those one-run games.
I don’t expect the Mariners, even with Diaz as closer, to make enough headway to make the postseason. Texas and Houston are better in the AL West and it would be tough to climb high enough to get the second wild card berth in the AL.
Another year of maturity for this pitching staff may get the Mariners into the postseason next year. A lot of that will depend on King Felix learning how to pitch effectively with less. He has thrown a lot of innings (2343 so far over 12 seasons, which is nearly 200 innings on average) and that has taken a toll on his velocity.
But I’m optimistic that the Mariners finally have the right general manager and manager in place to get it done and make our little world here in the Pacific Northwest even brighter than it already is. We live in the greatest country in the world and part of that is the beauty of our region where God’s sky meets God’s mountains and meadows and lakes and streams and plush greenery to make this a wonderland in a wonderful country.
So on the way to work take the time to get a good look at what we have around here, and feel blessed that we are blessed with such a great country.
I’m outta here for now. I have some errands to run, some blood to be drawn and some time to reflect on the good things that are around me.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
You are loved.