Here’s Mariners catcher Miguel Olivo sliding safely into first in extras last night…

Via Root Sports Northwest

Good stuff. Wait, what? You had to leave game? That’s weird. Same thing happens to Brian Roberts — like, a lot.

Meanwhile Oakland has shown it can beat AAA Norfolk: Brad Bergesen, Robert Andino, Craig Tatum and Ryan Adams are no match for As.

Blog wonders if Brian Matusz could have beaten them last night. Guess we’ll never know. Next week for Matusz, it looks like, provided, you know, he’s not still “a little sore.”

It’s been about a month since Blog of Team checked in with Team’s superstar, win machine and future Hall of Famer, designated hitter Vladdy Guerrerro.

Not that he’s been quiet. He’s won two games for Team since Sunday, when his two-run home run beat Washington. Today ol’ man Vladdy came through in Bottom of 12th inning on West Coast getaway day, sending Team off with five-game win streak and .500 record.

Buck knows it, via MASN

OH! And he’s still leading Team in batting average and hits. Also, apparently he takes walks, you know, when he feels like it.

And yet whining from certain quarters goes on apace! Oh well. What are you going to do about it? Some folks wouldn’t know a Star from a Hole in the Ground.

Too bad for them … and Hoo Ray for Vlad!

4:26 p.m.: Matt Wieters completes strike out, throw out double play to end game as Nats keep trying to run on him instead of letting Kevin Gregg pitch himself into oblivion. Team takes series and has sort of stabilized things after unholy messes in Boston and against Yankees.

3:54 p.m.: GOT PICTURE OF CREEPY SCORE-BIRD! MUST CREDIT WAYWARD O!!

jackalOpe

3:40 p.m.: Anybody out there still hating on Vladdy?

3:14 p.m.: Tillman was good decent but Jordan Zimmermann has been far better, twirling a one-hitter. Trailing 1-0, Team turns to Jeremy Accardo, hoping for better from bullpen.

2:51 p.m.: Testing very outer limits of escapery is never so wise as Tilly gives up unlucky bases-loaded single to Alex Cora that ricocheted around infield and plated run. Roger Bernadina then drove a ball within one foot of making this game 5-0. But it’s 1-0, a deficit Team presumably can make up. Annnd it’s raining…

2:26 p.m.: Tillman strikes out Ian Desmond and Laynce Nix — two of Nats’ better batsmen — to escape a 2nd and 3rd, one-out jam.  Also they just did hotdog race on scoreboard but Blog of Team looked down for a minute to type and missed the Wiener.

2:06 p.m.: Stadium scoreboard cheers now helmed by bizarre Claymation Oriole that looks like something out of a Tim Burton movie. Will try to get a pic. But it’s kind of terrifying to look at it.

2:01 p.m.: Two putative Hall of Famers out here today: Vladdy G., of course, and Ivan Rodriguez.

1:38 p.m.: Annd just like that Jim Riggleman is gone for arguing a weird out call on Roger Bernadina, who appeared to bunt his way aboard but was apparently out of batter’s box.

1:35 p.m.: The Roland Park Country School girls choir just rocked National Anthem! A notably fine effort.

1:18 p.m.: It was fantastic to see Nolan Reimold go yard in first AB back with Team yesterday. So many spirits were lifted.

12:47  p.m.: Opinions are opinions. Facts are facts. But in game of baseball, more than any perhaps, twain shall meet. And meet they do! Check in with Blog today for live updates from fancy press seats! (And as always, many thnax to Team for being so gracious as to allow we bloggers a little room at table…)

He wanted me to say ‘Hi Mom’ for him. Consider it done.

This was yesterday. And Team finally got right with an 8-3 behind Jeremy Guthrie and his saintlike patience and 95 mph heater. Here’s a fact: Team needs this today and Chris Tillman better be hitting yogi mat because that’s how you get stretched out these fancy days.

19-23 Team is 0-6 against fat, overpaid, stinking Yankees and Yankees are literally laughing at Team.

Blog of Team knows you know that Blog knows that Blog saw Nick Swisher COLD LAUGHING at Team after 3-run double put Pynstrypz up 5-0 in first inning. Swisher and rest of Yankees knew from that point they’d be tasked with recording 27 workmanlike outs and hopping Acela back to Bronx or wherever Traveling All-Stars are heading next.

Losses have been excruciating but, unlike some excruciating memories, Blog for some reason doesn’t want to forget them. Blog wants to remember, so let’s quick-like go back and see:

LOSS ONE, April 13 — Team 4 @ Yankees 7: ARod, coming off flu symptoms, smacks 3-run homer run in first inning off Chris Tillman, getting Team’s Spring of Futility off on right foot. By top of 3rd it was 6-0 in favor of Fat Yankees.

LOSS TWO, April 14 — Team 5 @ Yankees 6, 10 inn.: Behind Jake Arrieta, Team runs out to 5-0 lead and things appear sort of normal on pretty night in Bronx (Blog of Team bought $5 walkup stub) until bullpen melts down behind Kevin Gregg and Michael Gonzalez. Added painful bonus: Felix Pie slap-tagged in face by Joba Chamberlain in play at plate and Nick Swisher pie faced after game-winning sac fly:

Ralph! via MLB.com

In defense of Team, LOSS TWO was at midway point of 8-game losing streak. So it’s not like Team was only losing to Yankees at that point.

LOSS THREE, April 23 — Yankees 15 @ Team 3: Keeping up time-honored, alternating blowout, extra innings torture motif, Team cold gets stomped at home. A-Rod hits grand slam, his 2,956th home run against Brad Bergesen.  

LOSS FOUR, April 24 — Yankees 6 @ Team 3, 11 inn.: Read all about it here. Or not. Robert Andino tagged out at plate in Bottom of 9th to keep Team from ending game.

LOSS FIVE, May 18 — Yankees 4 @ Team 1, 15 inn.: Little wrinkle for ya here. Team hangs around for 15 innings but loses. Luke Scott comes up with bases loaded and one out in 11th and strikes out on four pitches. But at least, like April 24, Team got to Mariano Rivera, AGAIN, you know. AT LEAST Team did that before LOSING.

LOSS SIX, May 19 — Yankees 13 @ Team 2: Like April 23rd game, a C.C. Sabathia vs. 3e mismatch. This one was literally over in 15 minutes. And Swisher again had first, middle and last laugh. Want to see his laffy taffy face again? Blog doesn’t. 

So, three blowouts and three extra-inning affairs capped by inches separating Team from victory. Dunno which is worse. Blowouts probably are harder to watch in terms of story line, since there is none. Sorry, Team. Blog didn’t want to do this. In immortal words of Ted Knight, or Judge Smails, Blog felt it owed it to you.

Just before 10 p.m. last night, with Team leading Red Sox 6-1 and a shaky Michael Gonzalez having taken over for Chris Tillman, Gonzalez struck out Jason Varitek in a key spot with runners on first and third with a breaking ball on outside black…

Strike three, you’re out, brought to you by NESN

As Varitek slunk back to dugout pondering what he would do in life after baseball, a potential Red Sox rally was quelled and Team went on to win.

Except for one small problem. Home plate umpire Adrian Johnson joined parade of horseshit arbiters who refuse to punch out a Red Sox in key spots in games with Orioles.

So, is Blog defending Gonzalez? A little yeah. He was terrible, OK. But anyone watching could see how that was a crucial moment and how non-call got to him. Sure, you could go on about how Matt Wieters was set up inside but that’s just more horse-stuff. Varitek shoulda gotten his ticket punched. Very next pitch Varitek singles and — well we don’t need to rehash rest.

And there were other culprits on Orioles. Kevin Gregg was bad. Luke Scott and Mark Reynolds played poorly in field that bottom of sixth, aiding Boston in its comeback carousel.

And you have to wonder about mysterious back stiffness that sent starter Chris Tillman to showers after five innings in favor of Gonzalez. You also have to lament fact that Brian Matusz STILL is not with Team. Were he with Team you’d have Brad Bergesen there to come in for Tillman in long relief. Gonzalez really isn’t a long guy. Blog doesn’t know what guy he is, or if he has future, really — but he’s not a long guy.  Gonzalez should probably not have been in that spot.

Eh, it wasn’t pretty, but as my man Adam Jones told my man Pete Schmuck:

“We let that game get away from us. That’s the game of baseball. Let’s correct our mistakes and come out and swing the bats the way we did today. Our bullpen is fine. Our pitching is fine. They’ve been battling their butts off. Let’s just put them in the same position tomorrow.”

Nope, this isn’t same kind of panic-inducing loss we witnessed at Fenway Park in May of 2007. It just isn’t same animal. It didn’t feel great to let Red Sox move above .500 mark only to see Team denied .500 mark at same time, but a cold, wet 8-7 loss at Fenway is just something that’s in cards on occasion.

Especially when Blue’s heart bleeds Sawx Red.

Blog is more worried about Derrek Lee situation. Lee quietly has been a key member of Team and has had key hits and made big defensive plays. Blog wonders if he aggravated muscle on falling down throw behind first base early on.

Still, c’mon, MLB players can’t be taking weeks and months off for strained muscles. That’s just crazy. Nice to see Lee thinks he won’t be out that long but if Blog knows Team, Team will stretch it out as long as possible.

With Luke Scott’s throwing shoulder ailing, easy solution would be to stick Luke at first base. Blog hopes this doesn’t happen. He’d have to make throws at first anyway to play position well. Luke is just terrible at catching those iffy throws to first.

Haven’t we all seen enough of that? Please, Derrek, feel better quickly. And please, Team, stop coddling injured players.