Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - Number Crunchers

Episode Date: May 27, 2021

Failing to come up with anything interesting to say about yesterday's loss to Oakland, D.C. spends the entirety of B block diving in to the Mariners' offensive numbers to try to see exactly what the heck is going on. It's mostly the same group of hitters as we saw last year, yet they're not doing nearly as well. He comes up with a couple answers, but it still doesn't explain everything. 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, celebrities in a three-by-three grid are asked general knowledge questions, and the contestants must decide if it's the right or wrong answer to the question in order to acquire the square to try to complete tic-tac-toe. Welcome to Locked-on Mariners, part of the Locked-on podcast network, your team every day. Here's your host, D.C. Lundberg. That might be the most complex explanation to Hollywood squares that I've ever seen. Or heard since it's radio. This is, I am D.C. Lundberg. This is D.C. Lundberg. Something like that. Ha ha ha. It's late, ladies and gentlemen. In any case, this is Locked-on Mariners part of the Locked-on podcast network, or T-L-O-P-N, or T-Lopin, for those of you like me who have lost their marbles.

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 program here on Tlopin. Very easy to do. All you got to do is say, hey, smart device over there. Why don't you play Locked on Mariners podcast for me? You know, these shows are so much more interesting when I'm sleep deprived. Anyways, Wednesday afternoon was another typical boring Mariners loss, unfortunately. The one game of the Oakland series that I'm able to watch, and it's the only one that they lose. They did not get anything going offensively until it was way too late.

Something that Scott Service has talked about a few weeks ago, he was frustrated that his offense got slow starts in so many games. I don't remember specifically when he said that. I think it was about three weeks ago, maybe prior to the Texas series, I think. That series, they actually looked competent, but they regressed back really quickly. Yesterday's game? Just another boring game. And not unlike many of the other losses we've seen lately,

to the point that I'm at a loss on what to say about the damn game. I wish I had more of that conversation with Jason Burke to publish because there isn't much to dive into other than the eighth inning when the Mariners finally got something going at the plate. If they could do that before the eighth inning once in a while and before they're down six runs, it would really help. But they generally haven't gotten anything started in the first half of any game. They did that on Monday scoring a run on the second batter of the ball game when I was in school. Maybe that's the key. If I actually watch the game they lose, if for whatever reason I can't watch it, they win. Maybe I'm a jinx.

Although that theory goes right out the window when you consider that I didn't see the game yesterday until the fourth inning when the Mariners were already down in 3-0. I tried to DVR the game. I took a mid-morning nap since I woke up at 3.30 a.m., but I failed somehow to set the DVR properly so I didn't see the first reading. I caught the final two-thirds of the ballgame. And also the 93 to negative 4 loss or whatever. it was in San Diego, also discounts that theory since I was at a Vista Stadium watching the

Indians play the Aqua Sox at that time. Anyways, again, I'm just at a loss for what to say about this particular ballgame, this specific ball game, because it's like so many others they've played lately. Something has to change. The injuries certainly have not helped, but the vast majority of the injuries have been incurred by pitchers, and the offense is the bigger problem. They've been a problem since all the pitchers started dropping like flies since before that happened. The pitching staff's struggles can be justified to a certain extent since there are guys pitching who should be in AAA,

and these bullpen games are not a recipe for success. I get that they have to utilize these bullpen games for the time being, and they've generally done a respectable job. While Robert Dugger did give up five runs yesterday, he pitched him to the fourth inning, which is something he has not done in the past and probably saved at least one guy down there for the next ballgame. Wyatt Mills came in to relieve him. He pitched to one in the third innings, pardon me,

Mosevic for another inning, then Johann Ramirez for two, during which he amazingly only walked one batter, which is very odd for him. The pitching staff has been spread so thin that it's almost okay, I guess, for lack of a better word, that they're faltering to a certain extent. I understand why it's happening. It's kind of a case of biting time until Marco Gonzalez returns. And don't forget that three other starters have been lost for the season. And the bullpen's been hit with injuries and COVID disablements too.

The offensive struggles are more baffling to me since it's pretty much the same group of hitters that we saw last season. Yet they're performing at a much lower level. I don't know why that is. I'm going to get into some numbers in B block and just kind of see what that. heck is going on here. I don't know what I'm going to set out to prove. I don't know if I'm going to prove anything, but I think it'll be interesting just to kind of dive into some of these splits just to see what's going on. I've been off Twitter and social media for months now, so I don't know if there are any fans out there who are calling for service as head yet, but I sincerely doubt

that he's going to get fired as long as Jerry Depoto's general manager. And the way Mr. Depoto has built the farm system, I don't see him getting fired, nor should he really. Since he has done a good job building up the minor league system, Tim Laker is the hitting coach. Maybe he needs to go. That's not the first time I've said that on this program, but something has to give, gang. As I said on Monday, could have been last Friday. I honestly don't remember. People are paying to see this year's iteration of the Seattle Mariners. and this year's iteration of the Seattle Mariners is playing really bad baseball right now, and have generally have been since the middle of April.

I'm going to pause now for the trivia corner, and I'm going to present the Hall Pass that I had given to Taylor Blake Ward. I'm glad that he came up with his own. I was hoping he would, honestly. I provided one for him just in case he didn't want to or didn't have an opportunity to write something for himself. But the one that I sent along, Mr. Ward, revealed that he would put this particular gentleman in the Hall of Fame. And this particular gentleman enjoyed a 17-year Major League career primarily as a middle-in-fielder.

In fact, almost exclusively as a middle-infielder. Accumulated a slash line of 266, 371, 424. He played in the 1970s and 80s. I forgot to mention that. He stroked 320 doubles, 224 home runs, drove in 864. also stole 104 bases but was caught 83 times. Let's see. Did he win a gold glove?

No, four gold glove awards, pardon me. Also a silver slugger and a six-time All-Star. He placed in MVP voting five times, played all 162 games in one season, and played 160 games one other time. Even with that low number of career, you know, home runs, you know, we say low. If he played today, he'd have more home runs. There just were not as many home runs hit in the 70s and 80s as there were today.

But he led his league in home runs once, and in another season hit as many as 30. The season he led the league in home runs, he also led the league in slugging percentage. Are those Hall of Fame credentials in your eyes, ladies and gentlemen? Keep in mind the offensive numbers, different era. And I will tell you who it is after this word from Wealthfront. Stocks, memes, rocket ships, day trading can be a lot of fun. But if you want to grow your long-term wealth and make it to the moon, you should open up a wealth-front investment account today. Wealthfront can create a portfolio of globally diversified, low-cost index funds personalized just for you.

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Go to Wealthfront.com slash locked on MLB and get started today. The Hall Pass. Do you agree with Mr. Taylor-Blake Ward that those numbers are Hall of Fameworthy considering the area in which he played? That, ladies and gentlemen, is Orioles and Angels second baseman Bobby Gritch,

generally regarded as one of the more intense ballplayers of his era and those offensive numbers for a middle infieler in that era way above average. Coming up, just how worse is the Mariner offense this year compared to last? I ask the voices in my head that very same question following this word from Rock Auto, which is a family business serving auto parts customers online for 20 years. Go to rock auto.com to shop from four 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.

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Now back to Lockdown Mariners and your host, D.C. Lunders. Thank you very much, Joey. We're going to dive into some numbers here in this portion of the show. I would like to note that all of the numbers that I'm about to state regarding this season are as of Wednesday morning prior to yesterday afternoon's game. Baseball reference has not had a chance to update with Wednesday's action as of this recording. I'll start with saying that in April, the M's slashed as a team 2.11, 291, 375. They struck out in 29.8% of their bats and scored 112 runs against 279 base runners.

That does not include runners who reached on errors. That's about 40% of those base runners scored, which is not a statistic I think anyone keeps track of. I'm doing some calculations on my own here. In May, and remember that this is as of Wednesday morning, a slash line of one 29 268, 341. The strikeout rate is actually almost exactly the same. 29.9% compared to 29.8%. Effectively, no difference. They've scored 72 runs in May against 206 base runners other than having reached on error. That's 34.4% of base runners scored down about 5.5% in April. That tells me that they're not getting as many timely hits in addition to the batting average. and on base percentage also dropping. The following statistics could be an indicator as to why they're having trouble getting anything going.

The first batter of a given ball game has an on-base percentage of 204 and a batting average of 170. Leading off an inning, the numbers are slightly better, but still terrible. A 268 on-base percentage and a 182 batting average. The Mariners have hit 14 home runs leading off innings, one to lead off a game. And while that does put a run on the board, it does nothing to start any sort of rally. There's no traffic on the base paths that the pitcher or defense needs to worry about. The pitcher can shrug it off and move on to the next guy. Their numbers with 0, 1, and 2 outs respectively really are not much different from one another.

A 200 batting average with no one out, 2.02 with 1 out, and 204. with two out. On-base percentages of 283, 263, and 295 respectively. For all intent and purposes, their batting averages while swinging at the first pitch against taking the first pitch also are not much different. The difference is in the on-base percentage. A 223 on-base percentage while swinging at the first pitch versus an on-base percentage of 304 while taking the first pitch. That tells me that they might want to be a little bit more patient at the plate. You know, unless you get a fastball to start off which is in your zone, then by all means, go ahead and wail on it. Now to compare some of these numbers to what they did last year, and this might take up this segment in the next.

I'm not sure. Last year, the M's slashed 226, 309, 370. Not good numbers, but certainly better than what they've done this year. Their strikeout rate last year was quite similar to this year, but slightly last. at 28.3%. They scored 254 runs against 2672 base runners other than having reached on error. That equates to 37.8% of those base runners scoring. The M's number in April roll was actually higher than last year's figure, while May's percentage is down from last year. I think that's one of the main issues. They're just not cashing in enough when they get people on base. The bad

average is this year with men on and with men in scoring position aren't much different from last year. In fact, the average with the men in scoring position is identical this year to last. The big difference is the batting average with the bases empty, which again speaks to their inability to get anything started. Last season with the base is unoccupied, their team batting average was 208 and on base percentage was 290. This year, the batting average is 174 with the base is unoccupied, with it on base of 255. Last year, 42.9% of their plate appearances came with men on base. This year, that has fallen all the way to 32.8%.

That's a lot less. There's your difference, gang. The M's created more scoring opportunities last year than they did this year. They just don't have runners on base very often. They're hitting when the base is unoccupied. you applied way more often than they did last year. The Major League average this year, by the way, is that 43.4% of all plate appearances come with runners on base.

And to remind you the Mariners number, it's 32.8%. Way below the Major League average. They can't get anything started. It is not just perception. The numbers bear it out. This offense is terrible. Have you got a question or a comment for the show? If you have, I suggest that you send an email to Locked-on Mariners at gmail.com,

and I'll reply to it in a future mailbag segment, most likely going to do one next Wednesday. Questions and comments on any subject whatsoever are highly encouraged. Does not have to be about the Mariners, does not have to be about baseball, does not have to be about sports. Coming up, with the Mariners coming home to play the Rangers, should we expect the offense to improve? Yeah, probably not. They have a much better offense on the road than at home this season. But first, this word from lucy.cotein is a company founded by Caltech scientists and former smokers looking for a better and cleaner nicotine alternative, researched and developed for three years to be made for people, not patients. Lucy has created a nicotine gum with four milligrams of

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Here once again is your host, D.C. Lundberg. Thank you once again, J.M. I was going to dive into some more numbers and compare specific players to what they did last year, but I have a headache, and it's remarkably late. So I'm going to save that for another time, probably tomorrow, and preview the impending Rangers series instead. As a team, the Rangers are slashing 235-307-388. Their 215 runs scored puts them pretty much right in the middle of the pack in baseball, but they can hit the long ball.

Their 62 home runs tie them for 9th in Major League Baseball along with the Tampa Bay Rays. Compared to other teams, they like to run a little bit. They've stolen 34 bases and been caught 10 times. On the pitching side, they have a team ERA of 4.50, which is 21st in baseball, and a whip of 1.36, which is 24th. They're walking 3.2 batters every nine innings could work to the M's advantage since they have players who can take a walk and they're striking out 8.3 every nine innings, pardon me. They have a bullpen ERA by the way of 416,

so the relievers doing a little bit better job than the starters are. Speaking of starters, starting for the Rangers this evening, will be Colby Allard, pardon me. This will be his first start of this season. He's appeared in 10 ball games and pitched 20. innings, so I don't know how stretched out he is at this particular point in time. He has a 3-1-5 earned run average in those 20 innings, has struck out 23 and walked 6. He has a whip of 1.2-0.

He's appeared in parts of three other seasons, and in his career, in his career has 107 innings, and an ERA of 606, and a high whip of 1.589. Historically, lots of walks as well, 4.1 every nine innings, but that's down so far this year. He'll be opposed by Chris Flex, and he would rather forget about his last start, where he saw his ERA go from 346 all the way up to 509, pretty much went into the stratosphere. I'll preview Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays pitching matchups on tomorrow's show. If I have one, I'm not convinced there is going to be a show tomorrow. Probably will be, ladies and gentlemen. some time left in this particular episode. This segment is running short, so I will take this time

to congratulate Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mowett of Scotland for their victory at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship last Sunday. The tournament took place in Aberdeen, Scotland, or Aberdeen Scotland, as it were, I don't have a brogue, ladies and gentlemen, so they were on home turf, so to speak. They defeated Norway in a fantastic gold medal game. Sweden took comb the bronze, defeating Canada in the bronze medal match. The U.S. national championships are underway at this time in Wisconsin. They will conclude this weekend. And I'm pretty sure that that's it for curling season after that, unfortunately.

The PBA season continues, however. The next telecasts occur in mid-June. Gang, that's about as far as I can stretch the show for today. Again, not entirely convinced there will be a show tomorrow. There probably will be, but don't be entirely surprised if there's no Friday show. However, tomorrow, if there is a show, probably will be once again. We'll be recapping the game in Seattle versus the Rangers. Joining me will be Sam Gorply, The Noid, and a half-eaten pastrami sandwich.

Please remember to download, rate, and follow Locked on Mariners. Look for us in any podcasting app that you can happen to think of. Leave a rating and review if your podcasting app of choice, so, allows. Thank you for listening, ladies and gentlemen. Weekend is almost here, thank goodness, just a couple of more days to get through unless you're listening to this on your way home from work rather than on your way to work, in which case there's only one day left. What am I talking about? Have a great Thursday, gang. I'll be back with you tomorrow in all likelihood. 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 Lockdown's team of local experts. Follow the Locked On Today podcast on the Odyssey app or wherever you get podcasts. This is Joey Martin speaking for Locked-on Mariners, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network.