Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - MARINERS POSTCAST: Seattle Mariners CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE against LHP in loss to Chicago White Sox

Starting point is 00:00:01 Man, I wish things weren't this predictable. But going in against a soft-throwing left-hand or not soft-throwing, but a left-handed pitcher that's struggled this year, having a Castillo start and seeing Rob Restanter and Cal Raleigh as your one-two hitters, it was about as predictable of an outcome as it comes. I wish that weren't the case. Let's talk about it on the Mariners Postcast. This is the Mariners Postcast.

Starting point is 00:00:29 Your instant game reaction for the Seattle Mariners. part of the Locked-on podcast network, your team every day. Well, welcome to the Mariners Postcast. Mariners lose 6 to 1 to the Chicago White Sox. They now face losing another series if they can't get it done tomorrow. Luis Castillo in what was probably a second best start of the season, but still only gets through four innings. I think that's more, that's damning with faint praise.

Starting point is 00:01:06 if I've ever seen it. But it's the offense, once again, it's going to be the big discussion today. Cal Raleigh, still hitting second and still in an 0 for 29 slump, I believe is what it is now. He just doesn't look right, doesn't look healthy, doesn't look comfortable, yet he continues to bat in the most important position in the lineup. That is a question mark for me.

Starting point is 00:01:32 Continuing to lead off Rob Reff Snyder against, left-handed pitching is a questionable decision in its own right. Now, I've defended in the past the usage of him, but leading off is, especially the way he's looking right now, it's just, it's pathetic. He's a 122 average 427 OPS. And yeah, we'll talk about that a little bit later. Let's start with a start, Luis Castillo. Look, I think there was both positives and negatives today.

Starting point is 00:02:06 first things first the outcome uh four innings five hits four run runs six k's on no walks is a good sign two home runs and look the two the four runs come on two swings of the bat um if you're looking at you know worrying signs moving forward it's not like he had zero command it's not like he couldn't get swing and miss. It's just unlike in previous years, this is what's happening with Castillo right now. He's unable to make pitches in the big moments with guys on base. And I hope that turns around. Maybe it doesn't. But he's been known in the past to kind of, you know, never been full on dominant, especially the last couple years. But then when he would get guys on base two outs who would find a way to get the pitch and limit the damage, right? That is not what's happening

Starting point is 00:03:05 right now with Luis Castillo. I actually think his stuff looked pretty good today. Gets a lot of swing and miss. Use the fastball. Well, like I said, six days and no walks is a good. It's a good line. But the outcome is four innings and four run baseball. And that's what matters right now, unfortunately. It's just not good enough. You know, he's pitching like a five-starter, a normal five-starter would. Normally, we'd be kind of saying, oh, you know, the Mariners fifth starter, you know, is pitching like, you know, middle of the rotation guy right now, whether that was Emerson Hancock last year or maybe Bryce Miller last year. But Castillo right now is pitching like a normal five-starters. So it's not good enough, especially the way the offense is playing.

Starting point is 00:03:52 So there's not a ton there for me. Like I said, it's probably a second best start of the season in terms of how he looked, it's just still not good enough for him. So I don't know how long the leash is going to be moving forward, but we'll see what ends up happening. Bryce Miller looks to be ready. They're going to have an interesting decision on their hands with what to kind of do in that situation. But guys, look, it's really just two at-bats that he was bad today with two home runs.

Starting point is 00:04:20 And it's still not good enough, obviously. but I think if you're looking at the trajectory of Castillo, obviously started off really well against the Yankees, kind of fell down into a crevasse really quickly. But the last couple starts, I've started to feel a little bit better about him. But hey, it's all about what the result is right now because the Mariners, you know, at this point in time are 19 and 21. So the result's going to have to start mattering at some point instead of just looking at predictive outcomes. offensively. Look, I've talked about it before. Cal Raleigh needs to be moved out of the two-hole.

Starting point is 00:05:00 And this whole thing with struggling against left-handed pitching does not make a lot of sense to me. Because theoretically, I think if you were to tell me going into this year, who are your best hitters in this Mariners lineup? I would have said Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, Josh Naylor, and Randy Rosarana. Those would be my four guys that I need to rely on

Starting point is 00:05:27 for my offense. Just looking, not looking at splits, just looking at handedness. How many of those guys feel like they should have the advantage against left-handed pitching? Julio, Randy, Cal because he's a switch hitter,

Starting point is 00:05:42 and I'll give Naylor a pass because he's a lefty. but three of your four best hiters can hit from the right side against left-handed pitching. So this whole notion that you have guys that can't hit versus your best hiters can't hit versus lefties is BS to me. It's like totally gone. And Julio, again, actually in his career, if you look at his splits, has been really good against left-handed pitching. He goes two for three today, gets on base three times, including a walk. He's doing his part, okay?

Starting point is 00:06:12 The other guys, I know Naylor, gets a hit as well, but it was really a foul ball that gets missed and it ends up going fair. Cal obviously we talked about. And then Randy Rosalena, one for four, two Ks, not great, but he's been one of your best hitters all year long. But my point is, is that you're giving them excuses that just aren't there right now. So I don't understand that I get you have to play Rob Reff-Snyder instead of Luke Rayleigh or Dom Canzone. I get that. And I would much rather have Luke Rayleigh or Dom-Kanzone, but it shouldn't be this big of a difference for the entire lineup. It really shouldn't.

Starting point is 00:06:50 Cole Young, if you look at this year, Cole Young has shown that he can be good against both sides of the plate, didn't have a great day today. It's going to go through ups and downs. But this excuse that's built in that the Mariners are just going to struggle against left-handed pitching for the foreseeable future is unacceptable to me. It's unacceptable. So I just don't agree with that whole notion that their lineup is built to be better against right-handed pitching. I just completely disagree.

Starting point is 00:07:20 So I just wanted to get that out of the way. Look, it's just, it's not good enough offensively. You get four hits, zero extra base hits against a guy that had close to a 6ERA. I mean, what else is there to say? I can't break it down any different than that. So let's talk about Cal and Rob. on the other side of the break, because I have two things I need to say regarding those two guys. Different players, obviously.

Starting point is 00:07:49 You're having to rely on Cal Raleigh a lot more, but there's a couple instances that is just damning for me with Rob Reff Snyder. So we'll talk about that next year on the Mariner's Postcast. The NHO playoffs are here where every shift matters. Every moment is intense and the pressure is at its highest. If you guys haven't caught the NHL playoffs yet, I know the Cracken aren't in it. If you're a Seattle fan, please check it out.

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Starting point is 00:10:19 Indeed.com slash podcast terms and conditions apply. If you need to hire, this is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. Welcome back to the Mariners Postcast. Well, if it wasn't predictable going into today and you looked at the lineup, you looked to see who was pitching, you looked to see who they were facing, you see Rob Reff Snyder leading off, you see Cal Raleigh in the two hole, and you see Luis Castillo on the mound. That's about as automatic of an L as it gets for today's,

Starting point is 00:10:47 this year's version of the Seattle Mariners in my book. And it's sad that that's the case because it shouldn't be that much of a, like, determining factor of whether you're going to win the game or not. But it is right now. And the fact that they keep leading off Raff Snyder and they keep Cal Rale in the two hole, look, I'm not going to be the one to say, Cal Raleh needs to be put on the aisle.

Starting point is 00:11:15 He probably should, but they know, and he knows his health much more than I do, if he feels like he can work his way through whatever's going on with him, then that's just going to be something we have to live with. But I will say

Starting point is 00:11:32 there has to be some willingness from Cal Raleigh, and I'm not saying there's not, because again, I don't know what's going out behind the scenes. There has to be some of responsibility. He's kind of the leader in that locker room guys. He's the leader in the clubhouse to be like, hey, I am not your best option right now. I still want to play. I still want to catch. I still, you know, want to be in the lineup. But I am not your best option to be hitting in the most important spot in this order. And you saw it twice today. When he came up with two

Starting point is 00:12:03 outs and guys on base, that is why the two hole is the most important spot in the order. You've seen it so many times now. And Cal Ralee is just, it's an automatic out right now. And quite literally, because he's Ofer 29 in his, I don't even know how many games that is, but it's the longest offer in his entire career. Look, we all expected regression and the injuries don't help and the WBC don't help. I get all that. I'm not giving him excuses.

Starting point is 00:12:32 This is just, it's the reality of what's going on. But there needs to be a willingness. And maybe Cal Rale needs to go to Dan Wally. Wilson and be like, hey, I can't be batting second right now. I just can't. It's something that's not helping our team win. And as someone who has as much of a leader as he is, it's all about the team. And, you know, I just, I feel like there needs to be some conversation along those lines from your captain Cal Raleigh. So, Rob Restaner is another thing. Look, I realize, like, these are two totally different conversations with Rob,

Starting point is 00:13:10 ref Snyder, it's more of like you kind of are hoping to get anything out of him and you're absolutely not getting anything out of him. With Caldala, you're relying on him to be your main offensive threat and he's not bent. So that's a bigger reason why you're struggling or not even strongly being inconsistent on the offensive. He scored 12 runs last night. He was another over for him. But having him produced at a normal level will kind of limit the inconsistent that you have because it's one less guy that you can rely on to do damage right now. But with Rob Reff Snyder, A, he shouldn't be leading off. But B, this is the telltale sign about what teams think about with Rob Raff Snyder.

Starting point is 00:13:59 Okay. So the White Sox started with Anthony Kay, again, had close to a 6 ERA, goes five innings, three hits, one run, zero earned. It was an unearned run, two walks and five K's, brought his ERA down below five. They go to Grant Taylor, a kind of fireball or right-hander for two innings. And then as soon as the top of the order comes back up, usually when you have a platoon heavy guy in, like Rob Reff-Snyder, the idea is that he's good against one side of pitching. and putting, you know, the opposite side of a pitcher in to kind of get him out of the lineup, especially a guy that's hitting lead off, usually would be the move there.

Starting point is 00:14:50 They specifically, they had the rightie in. They specifically burned another left-handed pitcher just so they could keep Rob Reff-Snyder in this game. So that tells you everything you need to know about what teams are hoping the Mariners do. And they're, I don't want to say it's, they're two steps ahead because Dan Wilson's kind of strapped. You're not going to bat Luke Rayleigh against the lefty, maybe Dom Kanzone, but you're not going to pinch hit Dom Kanzone against the left-handed hit.

Starting point is 00:15:25 Rob Reff-Snyder is there to hit left-handed pitching. That is his job and he still can't do it. You're kind of out of options at this point, but it's the way that this roster is constructed right now. It's so easy to get the matchups that everyone knows that is so much more favorable to the other team. And it's unfortunate. They literally burned a lefty just so they wanted to keep Ref Snyder in the game. And that tells you everything you need to know about, you know, where ref Snyder is at this point. Look, he's just, he's not good enough.

Starting point is 00:16:00 I don't know how long this is going to last. I don't know if there's another AJ Pollock situation where he gets DFAed a couple months into the season. reason, but yeah, it's not looking good because, look, he hits a ball hard. He gets an out. He does get a sack fly. He does get the one run. He drives in the one run the Mariners have today, but it's not what you want from your lead off hitter, all right? So I'm done harping on him. It's like, it's hard to, it's disingenuous to say that, you know, he's the reason he lost this game. But it's so frustrating to watch when it's so easy that the other team can just, hey, oh, they have their lefty killer at the top of the lineup. Let's,

Starting point is 00:16:36 put our lefty in so he stays in there and we don't get another actual guy that we're scared of getting pinch hits. So yeah, it's just, it's not what you want to see. If you're the Mariners, I'm wondering how long that lasts. Well, tomorrow, Mariners got Logan Gilbert versus Davis Martin. Look, this was the guy to get today in Anthony Kay because, I mean, I know it's a lefty and all that stuff. But Davis Martin's a good pitcher. You're going to struggle against him. Now, watch them go out and put up eight runs or something like that because it's just kind of what they do in these situations. But man alive, I'm done with the excuses with, you know, how they're doing against left-handed pitching.

Starting point is 00:17:18 It's, it shouldn't be that easy. It shouldn't be as easy as, all right, what's lefties do we got? Let's keep them in there and keep the Mariners off the board. It should not be that easy. And it is right now. So heads up, guys, no postcast tomorrow. Look, I'm doing one for the team here. I believe I'm 3 and O on postcast that I have skipped, or the Mariners are 3 and no, excuse me.

Starting point is 00:17:41 I know I'm at least 2 and O because I've done the weekday day games. I think I'm 3 in O because it's Oakland. It was Minnesota, I believe, and it was Atlanta. Yes, those are my three, Oakland, the ace. But the reasoning why I'm not doing the postcast tomorrow, it's my wife's first Mother's Day. I'm spending the day with her. Happy Mother's Day to everyone else out there. So please enjoy it.

Starting point is 00:18:09 Hopefully the Mariners, you know, continue the trend on the day where I miss postcast of Keep Winning Games. It would be a decent series win before you go into Houston beginning next week. But yeah, guys, just frustrated. Hopefully they get it done tomorrow. But we'll talk to you guys a little bit Monday after the Houston game. Have a good one. Go, Maryland.

Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - MARINERS POSTCAST: Seattle Mariners CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE against LHP in loss to Chicago White Sox

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