Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - Vive la France + Matt Brash's Near No-Hitter

Episode Date: August 20, 2021

Join Locked On Mariners hosts Ty Dane Gonzalez and Colby Patnode as they break down Ty France's overhaul value and impact in the Mariners' 9-8 extra innings thriller down in Arlington. Then, the duo gives you the scouting report on the team's latest addition, corner infield prospect Kevin Padlo, and discuss whether Mariners pitching prospect Matt Brash's high-effort delivery will ultimately relegate him to the bullpen. Afterwards, they get you set for the Mariners' big weekend series with the Astros down in Houston.Be sure to follow or subscribe to Locked On Mariners wherever you prefer your podcasts! For questions and other inquiries, email: [e-mail] the show on Twitter: @LO_Mariners | @danegnzlz | @CPat11For more of Ty and Colby, check out their Patreon: http://patreon.com/controlthezone/Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.Alaska AirlinesIt's now easier than ever to travel globally because Alaska Airlines has joined OneWorld. Visit AlaskaAir.com/OneWorld for more information.BetOnlineThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus. 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.

You are Locked-on Mariners, your daily Seattle Mariners podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. This episode of Locked-on Mariners is brought to you by Spotify Green Room. Download the Spotify Green Room app and find one of our locked-on rooms. It is Friday, August 20, 2021. This is the Locked-on Mariner's podcast. Your home for Daily Seattle Mariner's News and analysis, I am your host, Tidea. Gonzalez, joined as always.

by my co-host, Colby Patno, the Mariners coming off a sweep of the Texas Rangers down in Arlington winning the final game yesterday afternoon in one of the most bizarre, kind of frustrating ways possible. We will get you covered on that. We're also going to dive into the Mariners'

latest acquisition of corner infield prospect, Kevin Padlow. Might also talk to Matt Brash, who had a dominant performance for the Mariners' AA affiliate down in Arkansas yesterday, and then we'll wrap things up by getting you set for Seattle's big three-game series, against the Astros down in Houston this weekend. It's going to be a fun one.

So if you like the show, give it a follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Greatly appreciate it. Colby, what a weird, weird game. It was yesterday afternoon. The Mariners beating the Rangers by a score of 9 to 8 and 11 innings. They had a 7 to 2 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th, but Anthony Mosevic and Diego Castillo couldn't hold it down.

Obviously, I don't want to dwell on the negatives of it, however, because in the end, the Mariners won and a wins win and a massive part of that win was Ty France who gets what ended up being the game winning two run home run in the top of the 11th but before that he was actually the main reason he even had the

chance to hit that home run in the bottom of the 10th the Rangers had runners on first and second with no one out a routine double play ball was hit to J.P. Crawford but Abraham Toro sailed the throw on the turn at second and France saved the ball from going over his head which would have allowed Yanni

Hernandez to score from third and in the game, but France instead catching Hernandez, leaning towards home and firing a rocket to Crawford for the tag at the base, and the Mariners turned to anyway, and one of the weirdest defensive plays you'll ever see. But a great heads-up play by Thai France and Colby, he just continues to be incredibly valuable for this team,

both as a hitter and as a defensive first baseman, and yesterday he showed all of that. Vival of France. It's He's becoming a You know A centerpiece of the next core Which is

I mean I don't know if it's something we saw coming It certainly liked what you saw last year In what the month that he was here But you know He just kind of Well he's probably only a DH And he doesn't have for much power

And he's not going to provide much defensive value So how is he going to to fit long term here? And, you know, as of right now, it's he's the starting first baseman, you know, of the future, which is not a phrase I like to use. But for now, that's what he is. And we'll see how that goes with, you know, with Evan Wyatt and first base is a pretty popular place to move a guy if you go get a free agent. And, you know, he's towards the end of his career. So we'll see. France has been excellent defensively at first base.

really at the plate he's been fantastic, except for the month of May when he was dealing with his wrist injury. So, yeah, he's definitely a core player going forward. He's only 27, I believe, and he's not even eligible for arbitration until after next season. So he'll still be making the minimum in 2020. And probably I'm going to make $2 or $3 million in 2023. So he continues to be an incredible bargain for Jerry DePoto, Scott's service, and, you know, Mariners fans in general.

So yesterday, you know, you gave us three ways to improve the offense, right? We talked about Mitch Hanigar, moving Hanigar down the lineup. We talked about the last couple days. And right as soon as we hit stop record, what did Mitch Hanigar do? He hit a three-run home run against the Texas Rangers. Kyle Seeger got a two-run double. I titled the episode yesterday that this episode aged poorly. It was nice to finally see this offense get something going.

But unfortunately, as soon as they provide some run support, the bullpen, which has been absolutely nails all year long for the most part, kind of blew up a little bit. Anthony Nemisevich wasn't good at all. Diego Castillo left a submit mixer up there that Jason Martin put over the wall for tying three run home run in the bottom of the night. They had two outs. They were right there and they weren't able to score in the 10th. And it kind of just seemed like they were going to lose that game.

But overall, a nice sign for the offense. What did you think about the offensive performance? Do you think maybe this is a way that Hanager specifically can get things turned around? He went two for five yesterday. Not really. It's Texas, you know, and like, look, we've seen Texas pitching shut down the Mariners, you know, in pretty much the last six games they played. So I don't want to take away too much and say, well, this doesn't count as much because it's Texas.

It's like, well, you haven't been hitting anybody. So it's nice to see them, you know, put up runs against anybody. But you're going into Houston, you know, this weekend. you're not going to get cranky, which is probably a good thing considering how well he's pitched against you, but you do get McCullors tonight, who's really tough. You do get for Amber Valdez on Sunday,

who's really tough, and, you know, Oda Rizzi isn't a slouch either. So three really good pitchers, really good, three solid pitchers going for Houston and a revamp bullpen. Yeah, it's, you know, we kind of ask the same question.

after the the blowout win against the blue jays on Saturday. And nope, right back to bad for the next three days. So hopefully this is a sign of things to come, but it's kind of tough to trust right now until you see it, you know, three times in six days or you know what I mean? Like it's and it's not so much, hey, you have to put up nine runs. But can we consistently put up five? Like, if the Mariners,

get swept this weekend, but they put up, in the three games, they put up like 17 runs and it's like a pretty even distribution of like, you know, 575 or something like that, then that, that would be, that would be encouraging for the rest of the year. But yeah, it's, you know, against Texas and kind of a wild game, you know, I'll wait and see. Jake Bauer is the Babup God with a two for four performance. He gets on base three times in total with a walk. The Bowers Rangers are vibing right now after the

Jake Bowers performance yesterday. My favorite part of yesterday, aside from Thai France, of course. J.P. Crawford gets on the board with a couple hits as well. So a solid day for the Mariners' bats as a whole. Hopefully, you know, we'll see. We'll see. Like you said, we'll see. But hopefully this is a sign of things to come. All right, coming up,

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This is locked on Mariners and the trade deadline may be long in the rearview mirror, but that won't stop Mariners General Manager Jerry Depoto from tweaking his roster. Shortly after we recorded yesterday, the Mariners claiming corner infielder Kevin Padlow off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. Heading into this year, fan graphs had Padlo ranked as the Ray's 18th best prospect, which is certainly saying something considering Tampa was ranked. as the consensus number one farm system and baseball at the start of the year. But the season hasn't gone so well for Padlo. He slashed just 194, 273, 779, and AAA this year.

12 home runs, 37 RBI is a 33% strikeout rate. He also got a cup of coffee at the big league level. Playing nine games for the raise this year, he went one for 12 with a double. But historically speaking, Padlo has been a pretty good hitter down in the miners, high walk rates, tons of power, some solid on base skills, and he should be able to stick at third base. So Colby, what are the Mariners getting in Kevin Patlob? They're getting a pretty interesting lottery ticket. You know, I believe he's 25 years old.

The power is very real. It's a plus raw power, particularly to his pole side. So he has been, like you said, he's been a minor league performer with the exception of this last year. And, you know, it's kind of tough to judge anybody this year in particular, particularly those who are struggling because, like most people, he did not play last year. So it's a little tough. You'd like to see him, you know, you would have liked to see him start to hit a little bit at this point. But, you know, again, taking a whole year off, that can cause some issues. So Padlow, tremendous raw power.

Like you said, he should be able to stick at third. He's not going to win a gold glove there or anything like that. but he's he's fringy fringe average a really strong arm he takes a lot of walks he can hit a lot of home runs and and you know that's that's a jerry to potos special when you factor in that he's been a performer at the high minor level so yeah it's it's an interesting lottery ticket i don't know that we see him this year i i don't think he's going to survive the winter on the 40 man to be honest with you but we'll see it's it's definitely a player that you would think that jerry and his staff would like because he checks a lot of the boxes.

You know, where do you think once we post our re-ranks of the Mariners Farm System on our Patreon? Patreon.com forward slash control the zone, by the way, where do you think he's going to end up? Last, let's see. Last night, I looked at my ranks and I think I slotted him in originally at 32. He was a little bit higher than I thought he was going to be. but, you know, it's still in the learning process. So I might have to move some things around.

But I think he's pretty solidly top 40. I feel pretty good about that. Yeah, that's probably where I'm going to put them, probably in that 35 to 30 range. Yeah, I feel like, yeah, it's the power is really good. The arm is a good one. The defense is good enough. That really, it's the hit tool that you're worried about.

And unfortunately, the hit tool is, the most important tool. So he's he's not a burner or anything like that. He's a decent athlete, but he's not, you know, it's not like he has 70 grade speed to make up for a, you know,

45 grade hit tool. It's, it's, it's not the case here. So, yeah, it's, it's an interesting player.

It's a fun player to watch at AAA. It's a guy who could, in theory, be up at any point this year. And, you know, maybe he's a guy, who plays against lefties, you know, in September, but probably not.

I think this is just a guy that you're sticking in your system for a couple weeks here, see what you can do. Maybe they've already think, maybe they already think they have a tweak that they can make with him to maybe make more consistent contact and get him back to where he was in 2019. All right. Now, let's switch gears and talk about Matt Brash, who just continues to be an absolute revelation down in the miners for the Mariners this year. Since being called up to AA Arkansas, Brash has gone 33 innings pitch, just seven earned runs on 19 hits,

48 strikeouts to 12 walks. And yesterday in the first seven inning game of a double header against Frisco, Brash nearly through a no hitter. He gives up one hit in the final inning, a little bit of a heartbreak there, but does go complete game shutout with 11 strikeouts. That's his high in AA, and he was really showing off that 70 grade slider. Colby, you know, I know. there's some concerns about his high effort delivery and that it could relegate him to the bullpen,

but the guy has shown three legitimate offerings this year. And we've seen guys who have high effort deliveries be able to sustain long-term success in the majors. Obviously, it's not often. But a guy that really comes to mind for me when I watch Brash pitch is Nathan Avaldi. Another guy that has a lot of movement in his delivery throws in the upper 90s. Obviously, Avaldi throws more of a cutter than the slider. He's also got a really good curveball. And Brash has kind of moved off.

his curveball, but I see, you know, how Evaldi's been able to have success with that delivery even after his injury all those years ago, and he's made a work. And I think Brash can absolutely make it work as a starter as well. And I think you do as well, right? Yeah. To me, you know, I just, I don't care about the, because like the, the issue with the high effort delivery is typically long term. It's, oh, well, how long can you do that before you, you know, before you lose velocity and stuff like that? But if Matt Brash is a number three starter,

which he might be more than that for four or five years, that's worth way more than being a good reliever for six. And that's if you're lucky to get six years. Because pitchers get hurt with perfect deliveries. It happens. So I, to me, you know, the high effort delivery thing does not matter. because I don't think it's he doesn't have an issue repeating it, right? It's very, he repeats it well.

It's not costing him strikes. He throws a ton of strikes. And he's not losing velocity late into the ballgame. So it's a non-factor. It doesn't matter. By the way, you talk about guys who had high effort delivery. Felix Hernandez had a pretty high effort delivery. It looks smooth, but there was a lot of torque and there was a lot of, you know, quick movements

and explosion coming off the mound. And Felix was pretty darn good. Yep, Felix was pretty good, darn good for 10 years. Linsecum was maybe the best pitcher in the National League for like five years in a row. There's a five-year stretch there. Guys with high effort deliveries, Chris Sale has a horrible delivery, and he just now got hurt last year, and he's still pretty good. So, yeah, I feel like this high effort, oh, he's a bullpen guy.

That to me is just, it's laziness. It's straight up laziness. Like, oh, effort in the delivery, he's a bullpen guy. really just no examination of you know how it works or no just he's a bullpen guy doesn't make sense to me Matt Brash has got three plus pitches on any given day he throws a ton of strikes he's eaten innings and he maintains his stuff and velocity deep into starts 90s pitch he's throwing 95 96 miles an hour yeah I don't buy it yeah I mean he looks the part and it's incredible that they were able to get this guy for Taylor Williams

from the San Diego Padres last year. Oh, boy. I mean, AJ Praller, the gift that keeps on giving, baby. All right, we're going to be putting a bow on this episode in the week as a whole by getting you ready

for the Mariners weekend series with the Astros, but first, this episode is brought to you by bet online. Bet online is the fastest and easiest way to bet on all your sports action. Baseball season is 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 MLB, NBA, NHL, and all your UFC and MMA action. Before the next pitch, head on over to Bet Online on your laptop or mobile device,

and check out all the great sporting news, sign-up bonuses, and contest information. Don't sit on the sidelines anymore as this is your chance to get into the game as teams prep for the 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 with promo code. locked on. That's LOC, KEDON. Bet Online, your online sportsbook experts. Mariners are getting back after it against the AL West leading Astros tonight down in Houston,

a three-game set that will span over the course of the weekend since the Mariners and Astros made that infamous July 27th trade that sent Kendall Graveman and Raphael Montero to Houston and Abraham Toro and Joe Smith to Seattle. The Mariners have gone 11 and 10 and the Astros have gone 10 and 10. kind of a struggle as of late for Houston. They lost three of four to the Royals, lost four in a row dating back to their series with the Angels and Hannaheim.

Tonight's pitching matchup, you say Kukuchi versus Lance McCullors Jr. On Saturday, it'll be Logan Gilbert versus Jake Oda Rizzy. And finally on Sunday, the Mariners will throw Tyler Anderson against Framber Valdez. Colby, what are you hoping to see out of this one?

Some offense, mostly. Yep. You're not going to be doing the Logan Gilbert start. Yeah, you're not going to roll into Houston and win a couple of three to two games. Maybe you get lucky and you win one of them. And, you know, winning one game in this series, I actually would take as a pretty good win. I mean, that's a pretty, you know, overall, that's a win. So don't get swept would be my first thing I'm looking for.

But score some runs. You know, it's Houston. It's a good lineup. It might be the best lineup in baseball, certainly in the American League. but it's missing some parts right now, you know, it's missing Kyle Tucker, it's missing Alex Bregman still. So,

you know, maybe take advantage of that, find a way. But you got, you got to fight, you're going to have to score five or six runs to win, you know, one or two of these games.

So it's, it's going to be a struggle, I think, for them offensively, because it just, it's been a struggle against everybody. But you hope that what you saw yesterday can kind of start to get the,

wheels turning and again it was Hanager it was siger it was france those guys that you need to be good they were good yesterday and so you hope that continues uh you know kelnick got a whole day off so hopefully he's you know recharge and ready to go uh braley should have had a home run but you know atolas garcia is a thing which is aggravating but um you know maybe we're starting to see that turn around they they should use jake bowers more because i don't know if you know this or not tie, but in his last three games played, which have taken nine days to get there, but in his last three games played, he's hitting 429, 556, 429. Still no extra base hits for Jake Bowers, but hey, from August 10th through the August 19th, which is a total of nine at bats, he's hitting

429. So get him in there. Absolutely, man. Like I said, like I said earlier, the Bowers Rangers are bribing right now, man. We're feeling it. We're feeling it. Yeah, just score some runs. For the love of God, score some runs. If you get swept, but you score, like I said earlier, 17, 18 runs in this series, fine,

I'll take it. But to sit here and think, oh, well, we're just going to win a couple games, you know, one to nothing or two to one or four to three, like, yeah, probably not. So find a way to score some runs. Colby, you know me very. well. What am I looking forward to out of this series?

Logan Gilbert. No, no, no. You want Abraham Toro to go deep off of Kendall Graveman. Absolutely. Yes, that would be the greatest moment of the whole season for me, quite honestly. After just the chaotic mess that was Mariners' Twitter after that trade was made. And then, hey, guess what? The trade was actually kind of smart. and Abraham Toro has been awesome. He's gotten on base in all but what one game for the Mariners since the trade.

He is, he's just, he's been one of their best players. And Graveman is just kind of, you know, I mean, he's good, but he's just,

for eight innings. Yeah. Um, he gave up one run for the, for the Astros compared to Joe Smith scoreless eight innings for the Mariners. So again, advantage mariners chills depoto did it again and um that's all going to come to ahead in this series when abraham toro goes ya ya off of kindled gravement it's going to happen okay it's going to happen

it's going to happen hey i was i was right about the beef boy breakout the two for five the two for five down in texas i will take that as a breakout and jason churchill even back me up up with that. He said, hey, 400 is a breakout. There you go. I mean, I think that's mostly because Churchill just hates me. But yeah, it's, I mean, if you want to take that fine, I'm taking Jake Bowers as, you know, future MVP because he's like four for his last nine or something like that. Hey, I'll allow that. I'll allow that. All right. I'll allow it. See, you know, I'm not like you. I don't want to rain on anyone's parade. You know, I'll just let you live in your little

fantasy land while you let me live in mine. How about that? Fantasy land. Okay. All right. That's the way you want to play it. All right. That's going to do it for today's show. Appreciate you guys tuning in this week. We'll be back on Monday to recap this series with Houston. But keep the Seattle sports vibes going.

But checking out the latest episode of Lockdown, Seahawks, as Corbyn Smith gets you set for the Seahawks preseason game with the Broncos tomorrow night. Colby Pat node. I'm Ty Dan Gonzalez and this has been Lockdown Mariners. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter at L0 underscore Mariners. You can follow me at Dan Gonzalez. That's D-A-N-Z-L-C and Colby at CPAT 11.

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