Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - Mariners Drop the Opener/MLB Screws Up Postseason

Episode Date: July 25, 2020

Well, the 2020 season is finally underway, and it didn't exactly begin in spectacular fashion for the Mariners. D.C. Lundberg breaks down the Mariners' first game. In the second half, D.C. does his best impression of an 85-year-old stick in the mud as he laments the changes Major League Baseball made to its postseason.Support us by supporting our sponsors:Rock Auto -- Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. 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.

Welcome to Locked-on Mariners, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Here's your host, D.C. Lundberg. Yep, those are the Mariners that I know. Welcome to Locked-on Mariners, ladies and gentlemen, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, or T-L-O-P-N or T-Lopin, brought to you by Rock Auto. Please remember to download rate and subscribe to Locked-on Mariners on Google Podcast, Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher Radio or whichever podcasting at that you personally care to use. Ask your smart device to play Locked on Mariner's podcast or team name here podcast. It'll do it.

Follow the show on Twitter at L-O-O-U-U-Skourners and follow me on Twitter at D.C. underscore Lundberg, L-U-N-D-B-E-R-G, if you are scoring at home. The first game is in the books, not an auspicious 2020 debut for the M's. with or without trash cans or Apple watches, let's face it, the Houston Astros are talented. Well, on the flip side, the Mariners put together the youngest 30-man roster in Major League Baseball. Four Mariners made their Major League debuts last night.

Two of them were in the starting lineup. First baseman Evan White batted second. Well, Jose Marmolejos, batted seventh and played left field. Marco Gonzalez was the M's opening day starter for the second year in a row. opposing him was probable future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, who looked like his vintage self for most of the game. After 1, 2, 3 innings by both clubs in the first, center field or Kyle Lewis, yes, center field or Kyle Lewis, stepped up to the plate and pretty much continued right where he left off at the end of the 2019 regular season. He absolutely drilled one and estimated 438 feet to give the M.

a 1-0 lead. Folks, this kid is for real. And he evidently played well enough in center field during training camp to warrant a starting job there while Malick's Smith shifted over to right field. The Astros would answer back in the bottom of the third inning on a sharply hit RBI single by Martine Maldonado. The Mariners would respond the very next half-inning. Verlander left a fastball in the middle of the zone to Kyle Seeger, who did what he should have done with that pitch, parked one into the right field seats to give the Mariners the lead right back. It would not hold, though. The bottom of the fifth was the Mariners undoing.

A Ledmus Diaz led off with a single. Maldonado grounded to third baseman Kyle Seeger, who made a good play to get to the ball, but threw wildly to second base, sending Diaz to third. That should have been a double play, as Malinato is not the fleet is to foot. George Springer then grounded out, sending Maldonado to second. Jose Al-2, they hit a groundball six. single to score Diaz and send Maldonado to third, tie ballgame. Gonzalez's day was done, and in from the bullpen came Zach Groats.

And he was not impressive. First hitter he faced was Alex Bregman, who singled to drive in Maldonado and give the Astros a 3-2 lead. Next hitter was Michael Brantley, to whom he hung a breaking ball, which Brantley deposited into the stands for a three-run home run. Game was pretty much over at this point at 6-2. The Stroes added a run apiece in the 6th. and seventh innings for good measure. The M's went pretty quietly, and they lose the 2020 season opener in Houston, 8 to 2. Evan White struck out in his first big league at bat, as did Jose Marmaléjos.

Both would strike out twice. Marmalejos went 0 for 3 in his debut, while White collected his first Major League hit in the top of the ninth, a slow grounder to third baseman Alex Bregman, which Bregman had to bare hand just to make the play close. White can move down the line. He went one for four. Also making their big league debuts were pitchers Anthony Masevich and Rule 5 draft choice, Johann Ramirez.

Both would pitch a single inning. Mosevic would allow an earned run, a hit, and a walk. Ramirez walked two and never threw one close to the strike zone to his first hitter, but he didn't allow a run while striking out too. It looks like he's got electric stuff but control problems. Carl Edwards Jr., or Carl's Jr., of course, course, also logged an inning for the Mariners. The famous star gave up an earned run and a hit in the seventh. Mariner's trivia question for the day is the following. On opening day last year in

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So they know for a fact that we sent you. Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Rockado.com. Now time for the second half of Locked-on Mariners. Once again, your host, D.C. Lundberg. Welcome back, gang.

Second half of Locked-on Mariners is ready to begin, following the Mariners' opening day defeat at the hands of the Houston Astros. This half of the show, Not going to be that fun. About an hour prior to the first pitch on Thursday, MLB announced that the playoffs would be expanded this year. Yay. It's kind of like they got everyone all excited for the season, hyped everything surrounding it,

and oh, by the way, more than half of the league is going to make the postseason. Wait, what? Yeah, it's bull crap. But then again, so is any postseason that's going to take place this year. No one was going to take this year's World Champion Series. And if somebody wins that's a seven or eight-seed in his league, then really no one will take it seriously. But at the same time, this season is such a joke anyway, that I'm honestly pretty ambivalent about it. If it carries over into next season, though, then we're going to have some issues.

The system they're using is complicated, involves reseeding after at least the first round. The division winners get to pick who they play against in the first round. I'm not certain of all the details, and I didn't bother looking into them because I don't care. This isn't basketball, this isn't hockey. 16 teams out of 30 making the postseason. That's a joke and not a good one. Why should a team that finishes third in its division make the playoffs?

I can give it a pass if that team's record is good enough for a second wild card spot, as was the system that was in place up until last year. But eight teams in a 50s. team league making the postseason cheapens the postseason. It cheapens it. You'll have some very mediocre teams in the playoffs.

Why the hell would anyone watch that? Except for the fans of said mediocre team, of course. I don't like it. I would also like to point out that I'm not resistant to any change whatsoever. I liked the addition of the second wild card spot a few years back. I felt as if that put more emphasis

back on winning the division, which I thought was kind of taken away when the first wild card was introduced in the first place, rather than simply shooting for that lone wildcard spot, since that was good enough. And while letting the division winners pick their first round opponents also puts some emphasis on winning your division, it doesn't put on very much emphasis,

and the point that I cannot get around is that it flat out cheapens the playoffs. If this was in place last year, the 78 and 84 Texas Rangers would have made the AL playoffs. That's ludicrous. Well, that's enough get off my lawn for one show, I suppose. We'll be back later on this evening for something fun, something upbeat. Another round of Diamond Quiz.

Well, actually, two rounds, since there are two rounds per game. Playing Diamond Quiz will be Gabrielle Star of Locked-on Red Sox, Bryce Patterick from Locked on Rangers and Sean Woodley from Locked on Raptors Diamond Quiz is always fun ladies and gentlemen I have a blast writing it and recording it and you won't want to miss it so download rate and subscribe to this program

so you never miss an episode Google podcast Apple Podcasts Stitchy Radio Spotify whichever podcast anything out that you care to use were probably there look for us Locked on Mariners podcast follow this show on Twitter at LO underscore Mariners and follow me on Twitter at DC

underscore Lundberg. See you next time, gang. This is Joey Martin speaking for Locked-on Mariners, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network.