Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - Capitalization of Dodger Mistakes Leads to M's Victory

Episode Date: April 20, 2021

It was a good day to be a fan of the Seattle Mariners. A 4-3 victory over the defending World Series champions, who had lost all of three games thus far. The M's did capitalize on some Dodger mistakes -- both on the mound and in the field -- which led to the M's winning the ballgame. The M's pitching was also pretty good, limiting the powerful Dodger offense to only three runs. D.C. talks about the game, and also goes over some stats on the 2021 Dodgers to put into perspective just what a good team the Mariners beat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on Locked-on Mariners, Yes, now I hit the word, I forget this, but you know, it's your view no one. There's no one. You know, if you're not loch, there's a bad. So, welcome to Locked-on Mariners, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Here's your host, D.C. Lundberg. Thank you very much, Joey Martin, and welcome to those of you out there in Podcast Land, and thank you for looking us up today.

I'm D.C. Lundberg, and I will be playing a part of host today on Lockerbors. on Mariner's, part of the Locked-on podcast network, or T-L-O-P-N for short, or for shorter, Tlopin. Please remember to download, rate, and follow this program on whichever podcasting app that you personally care to use. Ask your smart device to play Locked on Mariner's podcast or any of the other great shows here on Tlopin. Well, the strong possibility of an afternoon episode yesterday wound up not being possible at all. I had to call it off for a couple of different reasons. In any case, the Mariners won yesterday against the defending world champs who have just been on fire this year.

Kyle Lewis was not activated from the disabled list for this contest, more on Lewis and some other injury updates later in the show. But for yesterday's game, Justice Sheffield got the start for the M, and he was okay. He made a couple of mistakes in the third, though. The double to professional bowler at Mookie Betts caught way too much of the middle of the zone, and then Kyle's brother hit a two-run home run on a hanging slider. Yes, I'm calling Corey Seeger, Kyle's brother, since this is a Mariners podcast.

The double to Justin Turner that followed, that was just good hitting on Turner's part, capping off a nine pitch at bat. Chef came back to get Will Smith looking at strike three. Will Smith was obviously distracted and wondering where DJ Jazzy Jeff was at that point in time. Chef went out for the sixth inning, but he was wild and probably fatigued. As much as I complain about Scott Service's short hook with his starters, I'm actually going to say that he may have left Chef in a little bit too long in this instance.

It is taking longer for starters to get stretched out this year. as a result of last season's weirdness. But, you know, Chef hadn't thrown that many pitches through five innings. At the same time, though, he was wild, as I said, and they did eventually go to a reliever after Chef got two outs but had given up another run. Final line for Chef, five and two-thirds innings, four hits, three runs, all of them earned, three walks, that home run to Seeger and six strikeouts. Home-played umpire Chad Whitson had a tight strike zone.

In Sheffield's base on balls to Justin Turner in the first, the second pitch was definitely in the strike zone, but called a ball, and the fourth was borderline. His walk to Chris Taylor leading off the fourth also had some borderline pitches. Who knows what would have happened, had those pitches, been called strikes, and the only one that was for sure a strike was the second one to Turner. But it still did not give Chef a whole lot to work with.

Dustin May and his mop of rock and roll hair opposed the Mariners, and he was, well, it wasn't his best day. In the first, he allowed a single to tie France, then one out later, a two-run home run to Jose Marmaléjos. And that home run left in a hurry, ladies and gentlemen. It was really a line drive that snuck over the right field wall. One of those homers that Chris Berman would have called a two-backer, back back on.

But both pitches were down, but in the middle of the plate. And even at 99 miles per hour, big league hitters will hit anything, close to the middle of the zone with authority. That's one reason I much prefer pitchers with finesse, control, and movement. They're not going to make as many mistakes, especially in the strike zone generally, and the ends capitalized on May's mistakes in the first. A solo home run off the bat of Taylor Tremel followed in the second,

which was another 99-mile-an-hour pitch in a similar location to Marmos home run. Tren can hit the fastball. He's proven that. May did start him off, rather, with a curveball. in that particular at bat, then missed with the next pitch in the middle of the plate, and Tram did not miss it. Tramel later hit an RBI double in the fourth on a low end in cutter, but again it caught too much of the plate. It wasn't in enough. If you miss with your location with something hard to Tramel, he's going to make you pay more often than not. He went two for three

yesterday. Both balls that he hit were smoked. Setting up that RBI double was an error. With two out, Luis Torrens grounded to second baseman Chris Taylor, a former Mariner who flat out booted it. He got there but just didn't make the play. Torrens was safe at first. Then Tramel steps up and scorches that double to score Torrens. You cannot give a team extra outs like that, even a young team like the Mariners.

More often than not, it's going to bite you. And it sure did bite the Dodgers yesterday. I forget what game it was against the Astros in the previous series, but the Mariners' defense committed some errors which cost them runs. They wound up winning that game, but the point remains. And this error that Taylor committed wound up being the difference in this game. Remember, that would have been the third out of the inning, and it was the M's fourth run of the game to make the score 4 to 2.

Chef gives up one more run in the 6 before being removed to make it 4 to 3, and that was the final score. That turned out to be a very costly error for, LA. Going into yesterday's game, their defense was statistically near the middle of the pack in the National League, but the bottom half. Their 983 fielding percentage

as a team was eighth in the National League, and their 10 errors ranked them number 10 among the 15 teams. Again, those numbers are before yesterday's action. This was the first time all season the Dodgers had lost two games in a row. They were coming

off a 5-2 loss in San Diego on Sunday. That brings their record to 13 and 4. They're good, ladies and gentlemen. The M's just beat a very good team. The Mariners, meanwhile, are now 11 and 6, and they're tied for the best record in the American League. All three division leaders in the AL thus far

are teams that no one thought would be leading its respective division at any point in this season. The Mariners have now gone eight and two in their last 10 games. That's the best record in that stretch in the American League. Again, gang, enjoy it while it lasts. Young teams like this tend to be streaky. And while the Mariners are finding ways to win right now, I still can't help but feel as if this team is missing or three or two.

I cannot put my finger on it, but it just seems, I can't put it into words. But I just don't think this team is as good as their record indicates right now. I don't mean to be so negative. I'm just calling it as I see it. Again, this is a young team, and they're making some mistakes. Their defense is statistically worse than the Dodgers, ranking 13th in the American League, in both fielding percentage and errors, 97 fielding, and 13 errors. Again, those are numbers prior to yesterday's action.

Not all the offensive cogs are cogging right now, either, so to speak. Dylan Moore went 0 for 3 again, and his average is now down to 120. Tramel had a good day and took advantage of some mistakes in the strike zone, but he still got that wholeness swing against off-speed stuff low and in. On the other hand, Mitch Hanigur and Ty France at the top of the order, pardon me, has generally been a fantastic one-two punch, although Manninger had a tough game. O for four with three strikeouts yesterday. Not exactly what you want from your lead-off hitter.

France wound up having to leave the game, which I'll talk about in the next segment along with some other injury news. But right now we're at the trivia corner. A hall pass today. And today's subject played 15 seasons of Major League Baseball in the 1960s and 70s, 14 full ones, as a catcher. Keep in mind, not many catchers in the Hall of Fame. This gentleman slashed for his career 262, 340, 412, 200 home runs exactly, 241 doubles, 758 RBI.

He was regarded as a great defensive catcher, though, and won five Gold Glove Awards. He also received MVP votes in six different seasons, finishing second in the voting one year and third in another. In addition, he was an 11-time All-Star. Do you believe those are Hall of Fame credentials? I will tell you who it is after this word from Blue Nile. This episode is brought to you by 1010,

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Those offensive numbers seem unimpressive when speaking about Hall of Famers, but also remember that catcher's offensive numbers tend to be much lower than other position players, and in 1968, the so-called Year of the Pitcher, he hit 263 with 25 home runs and 84 RBI. The American League collectively only hit 2.30 that year. I'm not going to advocate one way or the other for his inclusion in the Hall of Fame on a future Veterans Committee ballot, but I do feel as if catchers tend to get short-shripped in Hall of Fame voting. Coming up, what's up with Kyle Lewis?

I don't know. I'll ask him when he gets home. But right now, this word from rockado.com, which is a family business serving auto parts customers online for 20 years. Go to rockato.com to shop for auto and body parts from hundreds of manufacturing. manufacturers, whether it's for your daily driver or classic, get everything you need and a few easy clicks delivered directly to your door. The rockado.com catalog is unique and remarkably easy to navigate. Quickly see all the parts available for your vehicle and choose the brands, specifications, and prices that you prefer. Best of all, prices at rockado.com are always

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Here once again is your host, D.C. Lundberg. Thank you very much, Joey Martin. The Locked-on Podcast Network is covering the NFL draft from all angles. Catch up on the Ultimate Mock Drafts, 2021, presented by Odyssey. Follow Locked-on NFL and the Draft Dudes Podcast for the latest draft news. That's about draft beer, right? Stay tuned for more info about our live NFL draft coverage.

There are a number of injury updates to get to, and I want to talk about the Dodgers team a bit more, just to kind of put into perspective what kind of team the Mayors beat yesterday. We'll do that in C-block, but first, the injury updates. First of all, Ty France. He was hit in the right forearm with a 98-mile-an-hour fastball from Dustin May, who was noted for his biting action into right-handers with that two-seam fastball. France originally stayed in the game, but as he was fielding ground ball, preparing for the next half inning, he was visibly in a lot of pain.

And the cameras picked him up saying, I can't throw. He was replaced in the lineup by a telegram Sam Haggerty. France had been playing third while Kyle Seeger dached. Telegram Sam took second base, and the original starting second baseman Dylan Moore moved over to the third. X-rays were negative, thank goodness, and his status for this afternoon is up in the air. It all depends on how he feels when he gets to the ballpark. Up to this point, France had appeared in all 17 games, so he's due for a day off anyway, frankly.

The Mariners have an off day tomorrow while traveling to Boston to face the Bruins in a four-game series at Eddie Pellegrini Diamond. Kyle Lewis is more or less slated to play this afternoon, but it also kind of depends on how he feels. If he's super sore, he'll remain on the IL and rejoin the team on Thursday in Boston. Quoth, Skipper Scott Scurvis, unless he would come in completely sore and something totally that we're not expecting, we expect to get him out there in the lineup, end quote. Lewis played, quote, five to six innings, end quote, in a simulated game yesterday morning, and he said that he felt fine. We'll know for sure whether or not he'll be playing in, well, basically just a few hours after this is published. And if you're listening to this

right before the game, you already know. Jake Frey has been out since April 7th, and according to Scott service, he's, quote, still a little ways away, end quote, from resuming baseball activities. While the results of his MRI were promising, the Mariners didn't foresee that he'd be out of commission this long. Jose Marmallejos has played left field the majority of the time Ace Frey has been out, and he's come up with some big hits. Nick Margievich just left Sunday's game with arm fatigue, but he played catch yesterday, and that arm, quote, tested out fine, end quote, to service. Lots of quotes in this particular segment.

His next scheduled start would be Sunday against the Red Sox in Boston. And from what I gather, he's more than likely going to make that start. So there is some good news there. Shedlong, Jr., on the other hand, is still progressing rather slowly, unfortunately. He didn't play at all in spring camp with a shin injury, which he played through last year and subsequent surgery. He's taking batting practice, but he's having trouble running and is not yet returned to full baseball activities,

which to me sounds like playtime, but I know it's not. It's just the way it's phrased. No timetable on Long's return at this time, and I don't think there's much of a timetable on Ace Frey's return either. But, you know, good news with Lewis and Margievich is at the very least, and if Lewis isn't back this afternoon,

I'm assuming that he will be back in Boston. Do you have a question or a comment that you would like addressed on the show? If so, send an email to Locked on Mary. at gmail.com. It is so easy. Next mailbag segment will be, will be tomorrow, Wednesday. So if you have something you'd like to get on the air, send it in by late this afternoon, or I'll hold it over to the next mailbag segment, which will probably be a couple weeks out. Questions and comments about anything, gang, it need not be about baseball. In fact, sometimes those non-baseball emails make for better material.

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Let's talk about the Dodgers a little bit, to give you some idea, just how good they are. The numbers I'm going to state in this segment, by the way, are going into yesterday's actions. This is before yesterday's slate of games. As a team, they're hitting 262, or they were hitting 262, going into yesterday. third in the National League, second in slugging, and first in on-base percentage. They were also first in total bases, base hits, doubles, second in triples, and third in home runs. They were second in runs scored with 90. Going into yesterday's game, their run differential was plus 38.

Not only is their offense mighty, but their pitching has also been on point. 279, Team ERA, second best in the National League. Third fewest runs allowed with 52. Third fewest home runs. Second fewest walks. They're giving up some base hits, though, ranked ninth in the National League, but that low walk rate gives them a team whip of just 1.101. And the fellow who the M's beat yesterday had turned into pretty good starts thus far,

although he was pulled after only 71 pitches in his previous outing. In his 10 and 1 3rds innings prior to yesterday's game, he had struck out 14 hitters and only walked 3. No home runs either, but the M's got to him for two long balls. He wasn't as sharp yesterday as he had been in those first two starts or most of last season. Their starting rotation has a combined 2.49 earned run average, or they did going into yesterday, with a whip below 1 at 0.942. Bullpen has allowed more base runners, but has a respectable 3.78 earned run average.

Back to the offense, and Justin Turner was hitting 4.9. o four prior to yesterday's game. He had five home runs and six doubles already, a 772 slugging percentage, and an insane OPS of 1225. As I said yesterday, some of these early season numbers are quite funny because you know it's not going to last, but it's still fun to see numbers like that. Looking over the rest of their offense, not a whole lot of eye-popping numbers, but still very, very good numbers, of course. And this is all without Cody Bellinger. He has a hairline fracture and will be on the shelf for a while. The Mariners should take pride in beating a team such as this.

These are not the Orioles, and the Astros were without four of their main pieces in their offense when the M's beat them two of three. Starting for the Dodgers this afternoon, will be Julio Orias, the bespeckled 24-year-old left-hander, who will be making his fourth start of the season. His first start of the season was in Colorado against the Rockies, and it was a good one.

Seven innings, one run, one walk, six strikeouts, no home runs. In his subsequent two starts, a combined 11 and 2 thirds innings, 16 hits, eight runs, seven of them were earned, two walks, nine strikeouts, but three home runs. In last year's Bizarro shortened season, he appeared in 11 games, started 10 of them, and posted a 327 earned run average, and a 1.145 whip. He won't walk a ton of hitters, and he'll generally keep the ball in the ballpark. Marco Gonzalez will oppose him, also making his fourth start. Marco's first two starts were poor, and he stated that his mechanics were off.

His third start began in a similar fashion to the first two, but he seemed to put it all together in the second inning of that game, and was his normal self from there on out. He'll have to be on his game this afternoon against his Dodger offense, but he can do it. He also generally keeps the ball in the ballpark when he's on and won't hardly walk anyone. His whip last season was 0.947.

Should be a good pitching matchup. Also interesting to me that they're both left-handed pitchers who wear number seven. I don't know why that's interesting to me, but it just is. That'll be all for this one, ladies and gentlemen. Tomorrow we will recap the final game of this brief two game series. Here with me to do that will be Joey Gladstone, Marvin the Martian, and a vacuum cleaner. Also, Clive Braithwaite's the fourth will be here to open up the fan mailbag. And if you want to have an email included for tomorrow afternoon show, get it in by late this afternoon,

Lockedon Mariners at gmail.com. If we record the program before you get your message in, we'll save it for the next mailbag segments. Please remember to download, rate, and follow Locked on Mariners. Look for us on any podcasting app that you can think of. Leave a rating and review if your podcasting app of choice so allows. Thank you very much for listening today, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you join us back here tomorrow for another edition of Locked on Marinerers. Have a great day.

This is Joey Martin speaking for Locked-on Mariners, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network.