Don't Blame Josh Beckett

Place the blame elsewhere for last night's 5-4 loss to the Mariners. One and a half words can sum up the problem:

Wily-Mo.

Genius.

The return of Wily Mo Pena from the depths of AAA would scare any opposing pitcher. Thanks to Justin Smoak's amazing face-stop on Friday night, M's general manager Jack Zduriencik pulled the trigger and called up the most feared hitter in minor league history. Clearly, this is a man who knows baseball.

The mere presence of the 6-3, 265lb tactician set up mashers such as Ichiro Suzuki, Franklin Gutierrez and Mike Carp in an offensive phalanx for which Beckett was no match.

Granted, Wily Mo is carrying a hefty .000 average, but his 0-4 night was all about the little things. American League pitching be warned.With the man who was once traded straight up for Bronson Arroyo slotted in the 5th slot in Seattle's lineup, the M's are now a force to be reckoned with.

Dustin Ackley

I know, I know. It's tough to get excited about a Friday night game on the west coast against a last place Seattle squad, who find themselves 15 games out of first. The last time the Marines rolled through Boston a few weeks ago, they were swept pretty easily out of Fenway in a three game set. But something a bit more significant happened--for M's fans anyway. Much ballyhooed prospect Dustin Ackley held his own, hitting .400 in the series. The top prospect was clearly a prospect no more. Now 45 games into his major league career, his 2.1 rWAR has given Seattle another bright spot aside from King Felix and an aging Ichiro. I'm not saying the transition from prospect to big-leaguer occurred during his trip to Boston, but it was nice to witness the process first hand. So if you need a reason, any reason, to take an interest about tonight's game, Ackley's it.

For a little bit more info on the rising star, Fangraphs Dave Cameron did an interesting piece comparing Stephen Strasburg and Ackley, the No.'s 1 and 2 picks in the 2009 draft, and how their careers stack up so far.