Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - Mariners Squander Scoring Opportunities

Episode Date: May 20, 2021

Which is worse: Getting no-hit, or having men on base in multiple innings yet only taking advantage in one of them? D.C. talks about last night's frustrating game; this is the most frustrated he's been on the air in a while. Logan Gilbert's second big league start wasn't good, either, but he did have a good first inning. D.C. talks about that as well. 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, the host becomes increasingly frustrated at the mariner offense. Welcome to Locked-on Mariners, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Here's your host, D.C. Lundberg. I'm starting to lose my patience, gang. But welcome nonetheless to the show. I am D.C. Lundberg very thankful that today is an off-day for the team for multiple reasons. And I'm here to present another edition of Locked-on Mariners, parts of the Lodon. Locked-on Podcast Network, brought to you by the Locker Room.

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 Mariners podcast or any program here on the Locked-on Podcast Network. Well, gang, at least they weren't no hit again. The Tigers took the third game of the series last night to sweep aside the struggling Mariner's with the score of 6 to 2. Prior to that game, another Mariner landed on the disabled list as well. Dylan Moore has a calf strain. He first felt as if there was a problem a few days ago, sat out Monday's game to rest it,

but came back Tuesday and it was still bothering him, and he's now on the 10-day injured list. Jack Mayfield was recalled from AAA Tacoma once again and got the start at second base in last night's game for his first game as a Seattle Mariner. Not only was Dylan Moore's bat starting to come around, his timing seemed to have returned and he was driving the ball again. But his loss takes away a lot of versatility from the team,

especially with the Mariners now carrying only two bench players. The Mariners have a whole ton of players on the injured list. And with Ty Frant and Evan White also out, that leaves Jose Marmonejos really has the only option at first base on the active roster. The only other players other than Marmo who have professional experience at first base are Luis Torrens, four minor league.

games and Donovan Walton, one minor league inning. Though he has not done so in a while, Scott Service has said that he has no trouble putting both of his catchers in the starting lineup. So I suppose it would be possible that we could see Torrens start at first base in Marmosted while Murphy catches against a left-handed pitcher. I don't know. I'm just speculating, ladies and gentlemen. Jack Mayfield and Donovan Walton will see the majority of playing time at second base while Mr. Moore is on the shelf. Walton will get most of the at-bats. against right-handers, well, Mayfield will see most of his playing time versus South pause for the platoon situation.

Telegram Sam will also see the occasional game at second base, in addition to filling in in at multiple positions to allow other players to DH for a game, and also DH himself every once in a while, as he did last night. Now to last night's game, and it started off so well. I wish I could just talk about the first inning and pretend the rest of the game didn't happen. I can't do that. Logan Gilbert was on the mound once again, and in the first inning, and in the first inning, he had little trouble dispatching of the Tigers, needing only nine pitches to set him down in short order.

In the bottom of the first, Kyle Lewis drew a two-out walk, his 13th of this season, in his 99th plate appearance. Even if he's not hitting, it seems like he's turning in decent at bats and drawing his share of walks. Kyle Seeger came up behind him, and he hit a no-douder into the right field seats. his 84th home run in that particular ballpark, now more than any other player ever. He had been tied with former Mariners Raul Ibanez and Nelson Cruz, but he now has the record all to himself. History onics aside, the Mariners had an early 2-0 lead supplied entirely by the Kyle connection. And it seemed like it was going to be a good game.

And then it wasn't. Jonathan's scope let off the second with an eight-pitch plate appearance, which ended up. in a base on balls. The four balls who were out of the zone were not close. Then Gilbert left a fastball in the middle of the plate for Noamar Mizarra, who singled sharply. Eric Haas then also singled on a center-cut fastball to drive home scope. A Nico Goodrum flyout advanced both runners along. Then Wilson Romo, Ramos, pardon me, grounded out to third base. But Mazar was headed home on contact. He scored to tie the game, giving Ramos an RBI, and the Tigers had erased that mariner lead.

then threw seven pitches to Willie Castro, but did strike him out. Well, Mr. Gilbert put the Tigers away on just nine pitches in the first. He needed 30 in the second and threw 35 in the third before being removed from the game. He threw 14 pitches to scope alone in those two plate appearances, and based on the radio call, he was also spiking a lot of sliders. But Tom Murphy was behind the plate instead of Luis Torrens, so each and every one of them were blocked, and Gilbert was also leaving a lot of fastballs in the middle.

of the zone. He's lucky he didn't allow more runs to score, quite frankly. I hate to be overly critical of somebody making his second big league start. It's rare that someone comes up to the major leagues and has instant success, especially considering Mr. Gilbert only had 50 innings of double A ball under his belt going into this season and only pitched the one game in Tacoma prior to being recalled. I have bad memories of Ken Cloud and Bob Walcott. Both were young pitchers who were supposed to have really good careers, but they were both brought up way too early, and it just derailed their development. In Walcott's case, the team was in a pennant race at the time, and they were desperate for another arm, so they didn't have any choice but to call him up.

I hope the same thing doesn't happen to Gilbert, although the Mariners are not in playoff contention, and they do have a choice. If he struggles through a couple more starts, it may be wise to send them back down to the miners. There's no shame in that. Mike Trout struggled when he came up first came up to the big leagues in July of 2011. He hit 163 in 14 games and was sent back to the minors. He reemerged a couple weeks later and hit 250 in the 26 games after his recall. The best player in baseball struggled at the outset and was sent down after struggling. If it's okay for him, it should be okay for anyone. Alex Rodriguez struggled when he was first called up to the Mariners in 1994 in a major way.

He was also sent back down after struggling and wasn't recalled until the following season. The strike may have had a little to do with that. He may have been a September call-up, who knows. But there's precedents for super talented players struggling during their first stint in the big leagues, getting sent back to the minors, then coming back up and flourishing. Kyle Seeger's another example. He was up for a while in July of 2011, got into seven games but only hit 136. He was sent back down and came up just a short time.

later and hit $2.75 the rest of the way out. It happens. I do hope Mr. Gilbert turns in a really good start next time out. If I'm looking at the schedule correctly, his next start would be in Oakland in the Coliseum where the Mariners have historically struggled, aside from the aforementioned Bobby Walcott, who tossed an 80-pitch-complete game there in 1996. While I surely do not expect Mr. Gilbert to do that, I am certainly rooting for him. But again, If he struggles in a few more starts, being sent back down to Tacoma really would not be the worst thing. There's more to talk about regarding last night's game and we'll do so shortly. But first we've got the trivia corner and today it's a two-part question.

What was the Mariner team batting average last year and who had the worst average in all of baseball since I'll be talking about the offense in the next segment. I will tell you that after this word from Wealthfront. Decades of data show that investors that trade individual stocks underperform, the market each and every year. In fact, only 1% of day traders beat the market. The odds are not in your favor if you're doing it alone, gang. Team up with Wealthfront instead.

Wealthfront can create a portfolio of globally diversified, low-cost index funds personalized just for you in minutes. No manual trades, no picking stocks, no watching the stock market every day. They automatically handle all the investing based on preferences that you control. Wealthfront can even help you lower the taxes you pay as you invest. For the average client, their tax loss harvesting can more than cover the low annual 0.25% advisory fee. Best of all, it is automatic. Wealthfront is trusted with over $20 billion in assets.

That's almost as much money as I make in a year. Yeah, right. And you can get your first $5,000 managed for free by going to Wealthfront.com Locked on MLB. All you need to get started is about $5.000. $400. That's actually closer to what I make in a year. Just kidding. Grow your wealth the easy way and that wealth front do the work for you. To get your first $5,000 managed for free for life, go to wealthfront.com slash locked on MLB. That is W-A-L-T-F-R-O-N-T-T-R-O-N-T-L-B to start

and get started today. Last season, the Mariners had a team batting average of 226, which ranked 24th in all of baseball. The Major League average last year was 2.45, and the Cincinnati Reds had the worst team average last year at 212. They've much improved, and they now rank number six. Coming up, after the two runs scored by the Kyle Connection in the first inning, did the Mariners do any more damage the rest of the game? Take a wild guess.

And now this from Rock Auto, a family business serving AutoBarr's customers online for 20 years. Rock Auto.com to shop to see auto parts from hundreds of manufacturers. Whether it's for your classic or daily driver, get everything you need and a few easy clicks delivered directly to your door. Best of all, prices at rockato.com are always reliably low, and it's the same for professionals and do it yourselfers. Why spend up to twice as much money on the same parts?

Go to rockato.com right at this exact moment to see all the parts available for your car, car, truck, van, S, if your crossover, right, or locked on in their how did you hear about this box? I almost had Rock on again. so they know that we sent you. Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need, rockauto.com. Welcome back to Lockdown Mariners. Here once again is your host, D.C. Lunders. Thank you very much, Joey Martin.

Last night's game was a frustrating one. I cannot figure out which is more frustrating. Being no hit and looking silly against a pitcher who had a hit per nine innings ratio of 8.89 prior to the game and a 250 opponent's batting average, or having scoring opportunities in multiple innings and only being able to cash in once. I don't know which is worse. I was hoping the first inning was an indication of things to come. And when J.P. Crawford led off the second with a single,

I got a little ahead of myself, admittedly, pardon me, and thought that this could be the night that the Mariners break out of their slump again. But the M's went quietly, went one, two, three, in the third inning as well, and in the fourth got a two-out double-finding. for Mr. Crawford, but he was stranded. Mariners had other opportunities, though,

and made Terek's schoolball throw quite a bit of pitches. Sam Haggertie led off the fifth inning and took a two-two pitch off the inside corner for ball three. It looked like a strike to me, gang, but not to the umpire, and that's who counts, and the next pitch was taken for ball four. I thought that may have been the break that the M's needed to get something started

and went out later. Jared Kelnick hit a single, so the M's had two on with only one out, but again could not cash in. Both Mitch Haninger and Kyle Lewis struck out to end the threat. A relief pitcher was brought in from the Detroit Penn for the 6th, and then I thought that that might be what the M's needed to score some runs, as they had the worst bullpen ERA in baseball. But Daniel Norris set the Ms down on short order in the 6th,

as did Jose Cisneros in the 7th. The Mariners had one more scoring opportunity. It came in the 8th inning. Jared Kelnick led off by being hit by a pitch. It was a literal backfoot slider. in that it was a slider that hit his back foot, if you're scoring at home. Manninger then popped out, but Kyle Lewis singled to right field. Again, two on with one out, and Kyle Seeger was up,

who would not only give in the M's their first two runs in the first inning, but who also has a huge average with men in scoring position. But he didn't come through. He struck out, and then Tom Murphy popped out to end the threat. The Mariners went quietly in the ninth to end the long, frustrating game. This is not what Scott Servers, had in mind following being no hit the previous night. Prior to last night's game, he had this to say, quote, we've struggled to put any consistency together offensively, probably over the last 30 days

or so. It has been a battle. Like I said last night, I thought we were working our way out of it through the back end of the Cleveland series, and again, it's you take a step forward, take a step back, you've got to keep fighting with it, end quote. So they've been in a hole over the last 30 days, so maybe some humble pie 30 days in the hole would be in order. I don't know. Anyways, Scott's service went on to reemphasize, hitting the ball to all fields, and indicated that he has spoken with specific players on this very point.

There are players who are making that adjustment, chiefly J.P. Crawford, who has been one of the few consistent bats in the Meritor's lineup. He's been hitting the ball up the middle all season, and he got off to a slow start. Mitch Haninger has been taking some opposite field hits. Kyle Lewis as well. And for the most part, those are the three who are having the most success right now. I've been talking about it on this show for a month now. It's just not happening.

While young teams do tend to be very streaky, this level of non-production is staggering. The Mariners now have a team batting average, get this gang, of 198. They're the only team in baseball with an average under the Mendoza line. Their 279 on base percentage also ranks them dead last, and their 360 slugging percentage is fourth from the bottom. And they looked terrible against a team that had a 495 ERA coming into the series and a bullpen ERA in the mid-sixes. It's hard to be optimistic when your team basically does nothing against such a bad pitching staff. And also after you get swept in a three-game series with a run differential of not. negative 12 to a team with the winning percentage under 400. I don't know what else I can say about this offense that I have not said already.

I don't want to keep repeating myself, but they just cannot get anything together. They can get a hit here and there, but unless they hit the ball out of the ballpark, they just don't score. All three of their runs this series were scored via the long ball. And I will reiterate, they score three runs in three games against a team with an ERA close to five. Detroit's team ERA went from 495 prior to Monday's game to 466 following last night's travesty. I'm getting very frustrated. I try not to let it show on the air because I personally do not think it makes for a good show, but it cannot get much worse than this. Sooner or later, the Mariners are

going to have to start thinking about firing Tim Laker. They're hitting coach. Something has got to change. If you have a question or a comment, please do send it to Lockdown Mariners at gmail.com. I'll reply to it on the air in a future mailbag segment. We're doing one tomorrow. Questions and comments on any subject are welcome and encouraged. In fact, very highly encouraged through this string of poor Mariners baseball. And that's it for the email plug, I suppose.

Coming up, I thank Corey Klober for taking a little heat off the Mariners from the night before. But it also forces me to revisit the two no-hit games the Mariners were. part of. And I'll talk about that after this word from Bet Online, the fastest is an easiest way to bet on all your sports action. Baseball seasons in full swing, and you can track all the action at Bet Online. Get all the latest news, odds, and info for all your sporting needs, including Major League Baseball, the NBA, the NHL, all your UFC slash MMA action in addition. And also the World Curling Mixed Doubles Championship is underway. I've been watching that. Not as much into mixed doubles as I am. person in any case. Before the next pitch, head on over to bet online on your laptop or mobile device,

check out all the great sporting news, sign up bonuses and contest info. Don't sit on the sidelines anymore as this is your chance to get into the game as teams prep for their runs to the playoffs. Head to the website or use your mobile device to sign up today and receive your 50% welcome bonus on your first deposit. Bet Online, your online sportsbook experts promo code Locked On. Now back to Lockdown Mariners and your host, D.C. Lunders. Thank you once again, Joey Martin, the great announcer here on Locked-on Mariners. Speaking of which, where's Tom Huddler been? I've noticed on the TV broadcast

that the Mariners have had a string of substitute public address announcers over at the stadium, and Tom Huttler still does some radio ads, or maybe their recordings. If anybody knows why Tom Huttler's been away from the team for a little while, please email me at LockedonMarters.g.com and let me know. Anyways, Corey Klob of the Yankees did something last night, which I was very appreciative of, in the new ballpark in Arlington, or whatever it's called,

he no-hit the Texas Rangers, only allowing one walk. That is the sixth no-hitter of the year already. And the record for one season is seven, as I stated on yesterday's program. It is not unfeasible, gang, that we could have seven before Memorial Day. And at the rate we're going, I don't think I'd be surprised, quite honestly. Texas has now been no-hit twice this season. Earlier, they were the team that Joe Musgrove of the Padres put away for the first no-hitter, In Padres history, never before have three teams been no hit twice in one season.

The Mariners, Rangers, and Cleveland Indians are now a dubious part of baseball history. Not something to be proud of. It's a little early probably to start talking about league leaders. I could talk about how the bullpen did yesterday, but I would honestly rather not talk about that game any longer. And I need to fill more programming, and so we'll talk about some league leaders. the American League batting leader thus far is the White Sox Yermine Mercedes who earned his manager's ire the other day. Hmm, I think you know what I'm talking about.

If you don't, no, I'm probably not going to talk about it tomorrow. Anyway, Mercedes is hitting 358. Zender Bogartes is number two in the American League at 3.46. And Yordon Alvarez is third at 343. In the National League, the highest average is 343. and it belongs to Jesse Winker. Nick Castellanos, his teammate, I believe, is second at 3.30. Yes, they both play for the Reds.

And third is Trey Turner at 327. Jesus Aguilar has driven in the most runs in the National League. 32 of them, big reason why the Marlins are not nearly as terrible as I thought they would be. Nolan Aronado is one behind him with 31, while Adam Duval and Eduardo Escobar both have 30. In the junior circuit, Trey Mancini is the current leader with 38. Great to see him doing well again. Yulei Juryel is second with 34, not necessarily great to see him doing well. And there's a third place tie between teammates Rafael Divers and J.D. Martinez, pardon me, with 34 apiece.

The home run leader in the AL, who else? Show Hey Otani, ladies and gentlemen. He is just a freak in the best way possible. I mean that as a compliment. Mitch Hanager is part of a second place tie. Otani's son, by the way, has 14 home runs. well Mitch Hanigar, Aaron Judge, and Jose Ramirez all have 12. So something to cheer for for the Mariners, I suppose.

Over to pitching and the AL leader in Earned Run average is going to be another reminder of a time the Mariners were no hit, I'm afraid, because the leader is John Means at 1.70. So I guess it's no shame in getting no hit by that gentleman or by Spencer Turnbull, quite honestly. He did have a good game. I made it sound like he was just some sort of pluts on yesterday's program. I didn't mean it that way.

I guess I just chose my words a little poorly because I was frustrated. Anyways, John Means 1-70 ERA leads the junior circuit. Garrett Cole is next at 203. And then Kyle Gibson at 2.32 for the Rangers. The NL leader is another player who is just on another planet right now. And that's Jacob de Grom. He's got an ERA so far. Get this, ladies and gentlemen, of 0.68.

0.68. Brandon Woodruff checks in at 1.58, while in third place is Kevin Gosman, whom the Mariners faced on opening day, at 1.66. I'm done. I'm done, ladies and gentlemen. Mariner's baseball is not fun right now. They have an off day today to regroup. Thank goodness. Let's hope they can do that. On tomorrow's show, we will open up the fan mailbag. Clyde's Braithwaite to the 4th will be here along with John Miller. In addition, we will be joined by Angela Bauer, the snuggle teddy bear, and a pack of college-ruled index cards. Please remember to download, rate, and follow,

Locked on Mariners. Look for us in a new podcasting app you can think of. Leave a rating and review if your podcasting app of choice, so allows. Thanks for listening, ladies and gentlemen. I know it was not the most fun episode that we've ever done. Hopefully it gets better. Tomorrow's Friday, gang, and tomorrow the Mariners start a series in San Diego,

and I don't know where I'm going with that thought, so I'm just going to stop talking. Have a great day, ladies and gentlemen. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Get all the sports news you need in under 20 minutes with the Locked On Today podcast. Host Peter Bukowski will keep you updated on the latest news in every major sport with Locked On's team of local experts. Follow the Locked On Today podcast on the Odyssey app or wherever else you get your podcasts. This is Joey Martin speaking for Locked On Mariner's, part of the Locked On Podcast Network.