Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - MARINERS POSTCAST: Seattle Mariners WIN CRUCIAL SERIES vs Houston Astros

Episode Date: August 17, 2026

Anders goes live right after the final game of the series between the Mariners and Astros.  Randy Arozarena was huge today with a homer and a double, and Cal Raleigh also homered in a bid to get out of his funk.  Bryan Woo was fantastic once again to secure the series win in Houston.   Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everyday...     Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Amazon This Back To School Season, spend less on your kids, with Amazon. With Amazon’s low Back To School Prices, just spend less on your kids. Because every dollar you don’t spend on them, is a dollar you haven’t spent on them.     Stance Check out the ICON collection from Stance—premium comfort, performance, and durability designed for whatever your day brings.   Use promo Code LOCKEDON at checkout for 20% off your purchase.  Learn more at https://Stance.com. Stance. The Official Sock Partner of Major League Baseball.   Dose Daily Ready to give your liver the support it deserves?   Head to https://DoseDaily.co/LOCKEDONMLB or enter LOCKEDONMLB to get 35% off your first subscription.     Odoo Great organizations win because operations matter. And that’s why you should get Odoo. Try for free today at https://Odoo.com/lockedon.   Clutch Parlays Go to https://ClutchParlays.com today and use code LOCKEDON for your first month free on a monthly plan. Pick Smarter. Parlay Sharper.     KALSHI For a limited time, Download the Kalshi app and use code [LOCKEDON] to get $10 when you trade $10.     Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.   FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COM to play Daily Dingers and make your free pick on who’s hitting a homer this MLB season.     FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is the Mariners Postcast. Your instant game reaction for the Seattle Mariners. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Guys, as frustrating as this season has been, that is a massive series win, especially considering how Friday went. Again, I would have signed up for two out of three. It would have been nice to get the sweep. And I realize there's probably some people that are thinking, hey, if only you hadn't

joked on Friday and gotten bap-bipped to death in the ninth inning. But still, I would have taken two out of three instantly if you were to hand me that going into Friday night's game. And especially after Friday night's game. So the fact that the Mariners bounced back yesterday and then bounce back today with just two great performances in the offense in different ways is starting to come around finally. It's fantastic to see.

You get a Homer from Cal Raleigh that barely scrapes the Crawford boxes, but we don't complain. We take those. We absolutely take those. And then, of course, Julio Rodriguez hits his like 413 feet and it's an out. But that's how weird Houston's ballpark is. And, you know,

you take one of those as a fly out. You take one of them as a home run. It's just the opposite of what you expected. So, but man. Munoz. God, he was good. God, that was so good. Good to see him continue to pitch with confidence. And again, on Friday, I still thought he actually pitched really well. He just got a couple unlucky hits against him. But today, he was all gas, no breaks. And that's what I love to see. Just dotted a couple pitches. Sir Anthony Dominguez gets himself out of a jam with a nasty splitter.

uh, Bazaardo once again was really, really good. Um, Dom Canzone, Randy Rosarena, that your two offensive heroes showed up once again today. Randy with a Homer and a double continues to just could just have his best season as a major league baseball player similar to Dom Canzone. How many times have we said this could be the, the turning point? It's in its past, we're August 16th guys. It's, we're past a quote unquote turning point. It's now like, okay, have they finally figured it out? Have they finally woken up and realize that you can't screw around anymore?

So that's what it feels like. And it's great to see. Welcome to the Mariners Postcast. My name's Anderson Hurst, a three two victory for your Seattle Mariners. They win two out of three in Houston against the Houston Astros. They are 59 and 66 on the season. they are now only four games out of the top of the A.L. West would have loved to have been three or two, but hey, you win two out of three. Keep winning series, stack winning series together. And while I still believe Houston's a little bit of fools gold, you have to win these series. This was a must win game today. Absolute must win for this team. And they got it done. Let's start with a start with Brian. Will. First, let me do a roadmap here.

Let's start with a start with Brian Wu. We'll talk about the offense individually. Lots of underlying, under unsung kind of stuff from the offense today. You score three runs. You're not jumping off the page with any of the stats. But I saw a couple things that I was really happy with with the Mariners. And we'll talk about that. And then, of course, we'll get to our unsung here at the very end of the show.

But again, let's start with the start. Brian Wu, I mean, I mean, he is now pitched two straight, very, very good road starts. And the road Brian Wu versus home Brian Wu stuff, I feel like can finally, let's put it behind us. Because he absolutely needed to deal today. And he did just that. Six innings, three hits, two runs, both earned.

And they were just two solo shots. One walk, 5Ks. You'll absolutely take that. You give the homer to Nick Allen and Jeremy Pena. I mean, it is what it is. That's two solo shots for an entire pitching staff, let alone a starter, should absolutely get the job done. It's great to see the Mariners, you know, finally.

Maybe it's just the game versus Houston that kind of wakes you up and kind of gets you going a little bit because they're doing things in this series that they haven't done all season long, which is great to see. and that one of those is Brian Wu pitching on the road. So good for him for getting through six. I would have probably let him go seven. He was at 75 pitches and he was, I don't know, cruising and he gave up the homer to Nick Allen in that sixth inning.

Still, especially considering the way the bullpen as of late was pitching, I probably would have let him go seven. But hey, it ends up working out in the end. Vizarro gets the hold pitching a clean inning with a strikeout. Gabe Spire. does give up two hits in two, in two thirds innings pitch, but Sir Anthony Dominguez comes in and strikes, just a huge strikeout.

I forget who that was. I believe that was Dalton Varshot in the eighth inning. And look, we can debate till we're blue in the face about, you know, who should be coming in in certain situations, bullpen-wise. I you're never going to see I don't know not never I should say but almost always Andres Munoz when he's available is going to be saved for the ninth inning slash a save situation in extra innings and as much as I would like to see him used in the most important

batters of the game right not necessarily the ninth inning which those are two different things guys sometimes it is sometimes the ninth inning is the most important batters of the game, the highest leverage against the best hitters. But I want to see Andres Munoz in the most important situations, no matter what the ending is. For a reliever, obviously, sometimes that can be in like the fourth or fifth inning and your starter still in, right? So, but it was 100% that eighth inning. And you tried to get a little finicky bringing in Gabe Spire against two righties, who he's had not very much success versus right-handed pitching this year, just to keep him in for the Ord on Alvarez at bat, who then

Jordan Alvarez gets the hit anyway. So it doesn't really do you a ton of good. Would I just love to see Andres Munoz in that situation. You know you would have had to face. It was 9-1-2, that part in the lineup. If you get through that with Munoz, then it's 3, 4, 5 with, you know, Dominguez, Spire, wherever you want to go.

So that's probably what I would have done. But again, we're getting a little picky with how we do things. but the process in and of itself, you know, there can be some things to be talked about. But Munoz comes into the ninth inning and does his job. Looks absolutely fantastic, which is great to see. Let's talk about the offense. Brendan Donovan, tough day at the top of the lineup. You know, after his really good day yesterday, would have liked to see him build on that.

Unfortunately, was not able to do that. But Randy Rosarana, guys, I'm going to keep saying it and saying it and saying it again. his consistency in never going in a slump. Knock on wood, knock on wood. Randy in the past, he's gone through hot stretches, but he also, towards the end of last year, there was like a good, you know, three week to a month stretch where he was a average to below average hitter,

probably below average for that month stretch, right? And I know his final line last year in 2025, looks pretty good. You know, probably around his career average. But there were times in the big moments, especially where you expected more from him, he hasn't had that at all this year. And I know there's still, you know, a month left,

a month and a half left, I should say. But the fact that he, to this date on August 16th, has not gone through any slump whatsoever. He's either hot or, you know, he's just consistently doing good things. Like yesterday, he goes 0 for 4, maybe even 0 for 5. I can't remember. But then today, Homer and a double, a run scored, an RBI, 2 for 5.

That's just, that's so good from him. And having a consistent offensive performer like him is really important for this line. I'm telling you right now, if we did not have Randy or Rosal Rayno, we would not be in this place right now. And you can say the same thing about Dom Canzone. Now, Dom Canzone does go through stretches, like I think leading up to this series or even up through Friday's game, Canzone was, you know, had a couple weeks where he wasn't as good as, you know, he had been before. But another great day from him today. He gets the second RBI of the game when he singles in Brock Rodden, who will get to him in a second as well. I want to shout out Julio because he,

he goes one for five of two k's it seems like kind of a rough day for him and believe me i'll be not the first to jump on julio but the first to say that we expect more from him and if you're looking at his um you know results numbers he has a 750 ops right now but man he scorched the ball like three times tonight and uh one of them was a line out directly to dalton bar show in center field uh another one as i mentioned earlier was just cranked off josh hater in that ninth inning and it would have been a homerun 23 of 30 ballparks or something like that, 107 off the bat, 413 feet. I mean, this is what baseball is.

It's a process, right? So I have noticed much more of the Julio that we know and love from the last probably two weeks to a month. I don't know the numbers. Don't have the numbers in front of me, but he's been much more consistent as of late. And that leads into Cal Rale, who goes one for three. hits the scraping home run on the Crawford boxes, but we take those every single day.

But the big thing is the walk, guys. And he, you can tell is, I'm not going to try and jump on the, he's coming around. He's coming out of his slump. He's hitting the ball hard. He's seeing the ball much better. Look, we have to see better results,

no question about it. But the fact that he comes up to the plate right now, and today at least I didn't feel like he was an automatic out from what I was watching. You know, he was taking the pitches he needed to take. He does still get a strikeout, which, you know, it's going to happen with Cali's. He's going to be a heavy strikeout guy anyway. But the fact that he's still hitting the ball hard, he's just getting under it a lot. And I think it's a lot to do with his timing as of late.

So if he just kind of tweaks a couple things here and there, I know it's late. And I know it's, we're past the point of looking for positive signs for Cal Raleigh to turn his season around. At this point, the numbers itself are going to be a lost cause for Cal. But if he can be close to an average Cal Raleigh season, not even last year, I'm taking last year out of it, if he can get for the rest of this year, from now, August, I guess tomorrow, from tomorrow until the end of the year, If he can be the 2024 Cal Raleigh, that is something that I think would go a long way for this team. So there's just, there's a lot of positives from this series, guys.

And I know everyone wants to look at Friday night and say, man, if you could have swept, it would have changed everything. You still went in and got the best two out of three against the team that's leading your division. and a must-win series, straight up. And there's also a point of having Friday's game be on Friday, the first game of the series versus, could you imagine if that was today? If you had won the first two games and then today was the one that you,

you know, let off the hook, that's, it would have felt so much different baseball is weird like that, man. And I know there's some skeptical people with momentum, especially in baseball, where, you know, you go through stretches up and down. A lot of teams don't try and ride those, but the Mariners do. So winning your last two after having your backs up against the wall,

losing the first game of the series, hopefully rallies these guys into something where they can, you know, stack some series wins together. That's going to be the key for the Mariners moving forward. Let's take a quick break. We'll come back, get to our unsung hero. After a series win for the Mariners, winning three to two on Sunday on Sunday night baseball,

they're still 59 and 66. So obviously a lot of work to be done. But job number one for this weekend, win the series you did that. So we'll come back, talk a little bit about our unsung hero on the Mariners Postcast after a much needed Mariner victory. A big thank you to our friends at Amazon

for this limited break, this back-to-school season, spend less on your kids with Amazon. We all know how crazy the back-to-school shopping experience can be. It starts with a few items on the list, suddenly you're shopping for supplies, clothes, lunch gear, tech, and then 10 other things you don't see coming, it adds up super fast. When it's 9 p.m., the night before school starts and somebody suddenly remembers they need folders, notebooks, markers, and apparently 12 other things that nobody mentioned until now. Nothing gets the heart rate up quite like emergency school shopping.

And that's why I'm convinced Primes delivered tomorrow before 7 a.m. feature was created exclusively for parents in this moment. So remember, with Amazon's low back-to-school prices, just spend less on your kids because every dollar you don't spend on them is a dollar you haven't spent on them. Shop back to school at Amazon and spend less on your kids. Welcome back, Mariner's Postcast. My name's Anderson Hurst. Three-two, Mariner Victory. They squeeze this one out. Great start from Brian Wu.

Homer's from Cal Raleigh and Randy Rosarena and also a big hit from Dom Kanzone. make it two zero as well in that third inning. But Brian Wu is fantastic as well on the road. That's now a second straight good road start, which is awesome to see. But our unsling heroes, Brock Rodden, guys, he goes one for two, but two walks. He just continues to look like a big league hitter. And his defense is good at short, which is great to see. He's not too big for the moment. And I think there's a lot to say about someone like him who may be from the outside in, especially if you're maybe a Houston fan. And you see like, who's this Brock Rodden guy that got called up just for this series? You may be thinking, oh, you know, Quad A guy is coming to look to,

you know, create a spark for this team. This guy may be something more than a spark. I think he could have some staying power in this lineup. If he continues to do what he's doing right now, put together They're good at bats. He's still going to strike out a decent amount because he chases. But his contact tool is so high that it, I think it will make up for it with, you know, how he's able to put the bat on the ball. And even with chasing a little bit and having the good contact tool, he still gets a fair amount of walks as well.

Now, Hunter Brown today for Houston was all over the place. And that's something I also want to mention with the Mariners. and it wasn't just today. This has been, you know, a good seven games now, eight games, where the Mariners have gotten the starting pitcher out of the game early. And that's been something we've talked about a lot on the postcast is working pitching counts. Instead of being ultra-aggressive, getting one, two, and three pitch outs,

which they did so much earlier this season. I think it's a process thing with these guys. And, you know, if it takes, taking until you see a strike. If it takes, you know, waiting and maybe being a little more passive in that first step at so you can kind of see what the arsenal looks like. I think that process leads to better results for these mariner hitters. And I think they got away from that.

And I don't know if it was, you know, maybe the last part of last year where they were ultra aggressive and they had success with that, starting to hit home runs. and teams tried to get ahead of them, and they took advantage of that. Now, for the first, you know, three, four months of this season, they were very much in swing mode instantly. And we saw so many one, two, and three pitch outs where pitchers just had breeze through innings with these guys.

And even when the Mariners aren't scoring runs, they score three runs today. But they get the pitcher out of the game early. And it's more than just, you know, waiting to bring, them into you and give you a pitch to hit. It's more about the process of the entire series and even longer than that, right? Where, say on Friday night, you get to the starter early, you force the bullpen to come in

and cover four innings instead of three. And then that makes one reliever not available the following night, right? And if you start to stack that up, it makes it a lot harder for a post- pitching staffs to get you out later in the game because they have to do things, which the Mariners have had to do, where your starter doesn't go more than five innings. And then you have to piece together the end of the game, even if you have the lead. And you're still kind of keeping runs off the board. So for the Mariners, getting the starter out of the game early and working counts

and making them kind of struggle and labor early in the game has been such a key to their offensive turnaround lately and I really like to see that continue. So hopefully they can. It's just overall, it's just a massive series win. I know everyone wants to see the sweep. And yes, you probably would feel a lot better right now if you had the sweep set of just the two out of three. But again, if you had offered me this win two games going into the weekend, I would have signed up for it, right? Especially the way the Astros had been playing. They've been one of the best teams in baseball over the past month and a half. They're a completely different team with Yardon Alvarez, as you guys see,

which the Mariners hadn't faced in their first few games against them earlier in the season. So two out of three, at the end of the day, it's all about the results. It's not about, you know, how it looks at this point. We're at August 16th, right? It's all about just getting the wins, getting the series wins. And now you have a chance to go do that again. In Milwaukee, you have a day off tomorrow. So it's a good opportunity.

for the Mariners. Let's stack some series wins together. Like I said, day off tomorrow, we'll talk to you guys after the Milwaukee game. It's a 440 first pitch on Tuesday. So we'll be with you right after that game. Hopefully the Mariners can kind of build on this positive series. I know Friday was a little bit devastating and I was very devastated myself. But the fact that you came back and then won two out of three is huge for this baseball team. So we'll talk to you guys then.

good, good series, Mariners. Keep it going. Stack some series wins together. We'll talk to you guys on Tuesday.