Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - What Has Made Dan Wilson So Valuable to the Mariners? w/ Gary Hill Jr.

Episode Date: May 16, 2025

Mariners radio broadcaster Gary Hill Jr. joins the show to discuss the Mariners' upcoming road trip, the effect Dan Wilson has had on the club, and much more.Check out our Patreon!Follow the show on Twitter: @LO_Mariners | @TyDaneGonzalez | @CPat11Follow the show on Bluesky: @lockedonmariners | @tdg | @mlbcolbySupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Wonderful PistachiosLooking for a snack that’s both delicious and nutritious? Get snackin’ and get crackin’ with the snack that packs a protein punch. Visit WonderfulPistachios.com to learn more.Supply HouseJoin the TradeMaster program today at SupplyHouse.com/TM and start ordering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical supplies with just a few clicks. Plus, use promo code S-H-5 for 5% off your first order. That’s SupplyHouse.com!UpworkVisit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free to connect with top talent and grow your business today! Just IngredientsVisit JustIngredients.us/Bryce-Harper and use code LOCKEDONMLB for 20% off your order! And for more wellness tips, follow @just.ingredients on Instagram.Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with MonarchMoney. Use code LOCKEDONMLB at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONMLBfor $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.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.

What has made Dan Wilson so valuable to the Mariners this year? Marys Radio broadcaster Gary Hill Jr. joins the show to tell us about that and more coming up here on the Lockdown Marrars podcast. You are Locked on Mariners. Your daily Seattle Mariners podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. Ahoy, Sailors. It is Friday, May 16th, 2025.

This is Tading Azales for the Lockdown Marys podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. This episode is brought to you by GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use the promo code Locked-on MLB, that's L-O-C-K-A-D-O-N-M-L-B for $20 off your first purchase. And as always, if you want to hear from me

and Colby even more and help support the show, you can check out our Patreon. All you have to do to check that out is click the link in the description of this episode. Got a longtime friend of the show joining us today. Let's visit with him. Happy to welcome back longtime friend of the show, Ameris Radio broadcaster Gary Hill Jr.

Gary, thanks for taking the time. How you been? Anytime, guys. It's great to see again. It's been a while. It's good to be here. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I've got to be honest.

I've been seeing you on, you know, the couch GM and Marine Layer. And I'm going, now, wait a second. Gary's my guy. All right? Like, you guys back off, right? I mean, you were first. So, yeah. So I understand where you're coming from.

But in all seriousness, it is cool to see you, you know, interacting with some of the other content creators in our space. It's been really cool to see just like the other content creators start to build up their platforms here in the Mariners fan base and, you know, seeing guys like what TJ and Lala, what they're doing right now and getting credentialed and all the stuff that they're doing, couch GM, all those guys. So it's really cool. But, you know, you are, I feel like maybe I'm wrong on this, but the first like Mariners official to kind of welcome in the Mariners content creator's face. because I think people watch our show, you know, when we've had you on and probably assume that our friendship started because, you know, I asked you or we asked you to come on this show. But you actually asked us first to come on Barroner's Pod, which was really cool. And I was incredibly green at the time and had no idea what I was doing.

But that was like a really cool thing that you did, that you didn't have to. And still to the say, I just, I really appreciate that. Yeah. I love the community. I think it's amazing. You know, I grew up a Mariners fan in Tacoma, and, you know, we didn't have this when I was growing up. It was essentially everyone read Dave Cameron,

and Dave Cameron, like, blew my mind because he was writing on the Internet about the Mariners and writing about stuff that no one else was talking about. So, I mean, he really opened my eyes to a lot of different things as a fan. But that was the only outlet. It was just reading Dave Cameron. It was amazing.

But I look around now and the community is incredible. So, you know, I try and do all I can for the community because it's something I really appreciate because there's a lot of smart people talking about the Mariners every single day. I know I enjoy it. I know there's thousands of fans out there that enjoy it every single day. So I like to do my little part. It was great having you on.

I should do that again. Mariners' pod is taking a hit this year with everything else I've had going on. I haven't done as much as I'd like to, but hopefully I'll get back to it a little more consistently. But I just love it. I love the community. I think we have the most vibrant kind of Mariners podcast blog community that's going on in baseball right now.

And anything I can do to help out, I'll do it because the whole thing I find just great. you guys are obviously a big part of it. I've just really appreciated how welcoming the organization has been to the content creators. I was talking to Alex Mayer about this. We caught up for about an inning in Toronto when you guys were here. And just talking about how that's been a big part of this, you know, that we are, you know, very much relevant in the space now. And like, you know, it's better to welcome us in rather than ignore us.

It has become a big part of that. Obviously, not just us, but, you know, again, what TJ and Lala are doing, Couch GM, Mariner Mojo, the list goes on and on and on. There's been so many content creators that have come up, especially in the last couple of years. It's been really awesome to see them. You know, we've tried to do our part and giving them our platform to help them grow a bit as well. And it's been really cool to see. And it's been really cool to see, you know, them branch off now and kind of start to

collaborate with one another and start to get opportunities with the team and and interview people like you. It's been really, really cool. Yeah, so just been really appreciative of what you've done in that regard and just what the organization has done in that regard. Now, so you and I also got to meet up a little bit in Toronto about a month ago. A lot has happened since then, and we'll get into that with this ball club. But I wanted to ask you, yeah, a lot has happened. A lot of good.

Yeah. Some bad too. We'll get into all that. Some bad certainly as well. but, you know, so the next day you were in Boston, you got the off day. And I saw on your Instagram, you actually got to go as the Patriots Day game. What was that Red Sox, White Sox, I think? Yeah, that day was incredible.

It's one of my favorite off days I've ever had. So to set the scene, the day of the Boston Marathon is Patriots Day in Boston. So it's an no one works. It's an off day. The Boston Marathon starts and the Red Sox play. an 11 a.m. game. And my whole life, I've wanted the Mariners to get that game. I did not realize we had it best because we played in Toronto, as you mentioned. So we got in Sunday night and we had Monday off. That's the way to do it because we stayed really close to the marathon. And I've always

been, yeah, I'm a little bit of a runner. But I'm just amazed by professional runners. Like, you know, I camped out at kind of, Aaron and I camped out at like, mile 26 and watch these elite runners running through. I mean, these are guys that are running like 4.30 miles in the middle of this race. It's just, they're just sprinting. It was incredible. But I've always wanted to experience the Boston Marathon. And it was, it was so much more than I could have imagined.

And so much more emotional than I thought it was going to be. Like there were thousands of people lined up everywhere. And after the elites, like normal runners started. coming through and there's a couple times that the runners would see like their families and run over and have big hugs on the sideline and there was this one moment specifically like as you make the turn to Boylston it's kind of a jog turn and this woman was running and you could see she was just she was just wasted you know she's gone 25 miles and you could see it on her face and she turns the corner and like all these Bostonians are just they have their bell.

and they're cheering because they're cheering because they're cheering everyone and her face just lights up and it's like she's going to make it now because it was just it's so great and then we we walked down like the we walked down the route and just watch the race and then

walked to Fenway walked in it was like the sixth inning Red Sox White Sox went up on the monster seats just hanging out watching the game we could we could look down and see the Red Sox White Sox play and then turn around behind us and see the marathon and the sun was out and I was like

this this is it this is the greatest off day of all time it was so fun what how far do you think you could get in the Boston marathon oh well first of all I would never qualify qualifying these days these people are so fast so the longest I've ever gone at one time is 13 miles so uh that's halfway So I have no chance. What's another half, Gary? What's another half? Yeah, what's another half?

Yeah, I would collapse. It did. You know, I'd given up on it because every time I've tried to increase my mileage, I've gotten hurt. So I'd given up on it and just be like, okay, I'm healthy. I run my whatever. But then after watching the marathon, I got inspired. So I'm like, maybe I'll give it another shot. I don't know.

We'll see what happens. I have no faith that I'm actually going to make this happen. But maybe I'll give it a shot. see we're talking a little bit before we record that you know you're obviously about to go on a very long road trip what is your favorite visiting city to take a run in oh so i have a favorite spot in just about every city uh boston is actually a great one uh i run by the river and i can kind to go across to cambridge which is really great uh our old place in toronto was super fun because i go on the water and just you can go as long as you want uh chicago's great along the lake uh let me

it's great in the summer along the lake sure yeah yeah yeah it's awful awful early in the year along the lake yeah i've had one of my greatest runs and one of my worst all time ever runs in the same spot on that lake so it's got to be it's got to be the time of year like san franc Francisco all along the wharf is incredible. That's one of my favorites. Central Park is just an, it's an all-time great one. It's so big and there's so many interesting things going on. I mean, every place mostly has a really fun spot to be at.

San Diego's great, which we're going to next because of the water. And funny enough, Houston is one of my favorites because I like high. hot and it's it's really hot and you kind of I kind of go through an arboretum and ends up at a park and the arboretum super interesting like I almost stepped on a poisonous snake a couple times ago which was pretty fun so so oh it's Houston you never know what you're going to get so there's that I live in New Mexico for 10 years so I understand that was fun it's it's especially on road trips like this it's the thing that centers me and keeps me going just to get outside and gets me view of the city a little bit, which I like.

But I feel like to survive on the road on these long trips and consistent trips, like you've got to have your thing. You got to have the thing that helps you get you through it. And that's, that's me just taking jogs outside. That's what, that's how I get through these things. There's nothing like the energy of an MLS match, the chance, the atmosphere, the last minute goals. If you want to experience it all live, Game Time makes getting tickets easier than ever. With last minute deals, all-end pricing, and a lowest price guarantee, GameTime takes the guesswork out of buying MLS tickets.

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apply. Again, create an account and redeem the promo code L-O-C-E-D-O-N-M-LB for $20 off. Download game time today. Last-minute tickets, lowest price, guaranteed. You're listening to the Lockdown Merritton podcast. We're here with Marra's radio broadcaster, Gary Hill, Jr. Gary, let's talk a little bit about this Marys Ball Club. So they've gone one in five on this on this homestand. Yeah. Yikes. They have now put Bryce Miller on the on the IL.

We know all the other guys that are on the IL alongside Bryce. Now they're going to get George Kirby back, presumably, at some point along this, this road trip. Looks like Thursday, the first game against the Astros. We'll see if that actually happens. But yeah, how can they survive this? Yeah. So let's start there. This is the trick.

So let's pull back, I guess, and look at this big picture. Because I feel like the Mariners are in a great spot considering everything that's happened. But if you would have told me at this point, the Mariners would be in first place before the season and the record would be like, yeah. And then I would have assumed their rotation had shoved and their offense had done enough. And this is where they are. The fact that they have been without the. rotation for the most part. You know, Wu's been outstanding, but, you know, Gilbert has been gone.

Kirby hasn't thrown a pitch. And essentially, we haven't seen Bryce Miller because we have not seen the Bryce Miller we expected to see. And in fact, I think this is actually good news what has just happened because now, okay, this is what was going on, right? And the fact that it's not serious is a great thing too, because they need Bryce Miller and they need Bryce Miller to be the guy that we sell last year. Underrated, I think, one of the best pitchers in baseball last year.

And I don't feel like he necessarily got the acclaim for that nationally, but I think he absolutely was. And there's a reality to the situation as we look at it now. Like they're missing three great pitchers. And Kirby and Gilbert were Sall Young Award candidates going into the season. So the fact is you're without those guys. And there's just no one you can plug in. to replace that.

I know everyone talks about Next Man Up, that's great. It's great in theory, but the reality is that you can't replicate those kind of guys. So eventually like Next Man Out runs its course, right? Like, all right, you know, you lose a couple of guys, sure. But after you lose like your six, seventh, eighth, everyday contributor, you know, or just big time contributor in general, like, yeah, no. No one can withstand that. Yeah.

And I give the offense a ton of credit because they've been great. I mean, that month and change, serious streak they were on was incredible. I mean, walking all the time, homering constantly. Polanco was out of his mind. Cal was great. It was awesome because it carried the load, which was amazing too because Robles, their leadoff guy and Rayleigh, who, you know, was the top three hitter for the meritor's last year.

And Rayleigh is a really key guy to their offense. We probably don't, we as in, you know, the outside. And so you guys probably don't talk about that enough. And the fact they were able to carry through and have this offensive surge is pretty amazing. Now, going into that last road trip, I kind of thought this stretch was going to be really tricky. One is the schedule. Two is, you know, you weren't going to get 19 homers from Polanco and Cal in May. Like, I don't think that was a fair ask.

They were both incredible in April, but we know how baseball works. You can go up, you can go down. You can still be good. like Cal's still been really good. It's just you can't ask him to hit 10 home runs every single month. So I thought until you started getting guys back, Kirby specifically, like this stretch of schedule, and then you throw in the Yankees, you throw in the Padres, like really good teams, this was going to be tough.

And they're going to have to just find ways to get games. They're going to have to find a ways to get series. Unfortunately, the third game against the Yankees, That's one of the games I'm talking about. Those are games they're going to have to find ways to get. Because you gave up three runs to a piping hot offense. And in this stretch, without your guys, when you're giving up three runs in a game, you've got to find a way somehow to get that game.

So those are the type of games I'm talking about because it turns around everything. You win that game. You just won a series against the Yankees, right? And then you go into San Diego. So those are the type of games I'm talking about. game two against the Yankees. That was it. You get a great start from Wu.

You find a way to get the win. And they did. And they beat free, which was impressive. Well, and generally speaking, while Kirby, Gilbert, Miller, down, you need to win the starts that Wu and Castillo are making, right? Colby, what do you got for Gary? No, I was just thinking about that one win that we did get on the homestand here.

And I feel like Brian Wu was maybe overlooked because of how the game ended, but he was really good. But I think probably the most exciting thing we saw is we saw, I think, for the first time, 2023 Matt Brash. So I'm wondering how that looked from your seat watching Brash dominate really the heart of the Yankees order, including the big strikeout of Aaron Judge, who was just an absolute freak. And for Brash to do what he did to Aaron Judge is incredibly impressive. And I think incredibly important, especially with the bullpen,

having to cover as many innings as they have so far this year. Yeah, it was awesome. I've missed Matt Brash so much. I have said if everything was the same last year, except they had Matt Brash, they would have been a playoff team. I think he's that core to what they do, because we've seen it,

he is unleashed in the most critical situations. And what was interesting to me, because I wasn't sure how they would use him to start, whether he would be thrown into those type of situations right away. And it does not get more high leverage than facing Judge in a tight game in the eighth inning. And that's a situation, hey, maybe they go to Munoz there and give Brass the ninth inning where he wouldn't face the time. Grisham's been red hot too. Wouldn't face those guys.

Instead, hey, they handed it to Brash, which to me, it really felt like Brash is back. I mean, watching him punch out judge and watching the. off. It's like, oh, yeah. And then you can kind of dream on what this can look like. Because I think overall spire's been really good, you know, despite the home run to Goldschmidt. Munoz, of course, has been invincible. That back three is really good. And especially in this short term, like when they have leads, they're going to have to close out games. And they're going to rely more on the bullpen because they're not going to get the innings without Kirby and Gilbert and those guys. So the bullpen is going to have to come through.

for them and when they hand the ball to those back three, they're going to have to get those games. And to see Brash as Brash as the guy we all know, I think it's enormous for this team. I don't think you can say enough how big it is for them. And I asked Dan Wilson the game the day after, like, this is like you obviously trusted Brash to go to him in this situation. He's like, yeah, it doesn't get more high leverage. And we went to him because we knew it could get it done. And this is his role. So I think this is. This is going to be it moving forward. What have you thought of Carlos Vargas?

A lot of people were surprised he made the team, and yet he's been given some high leverage opportunities and a couple hiccups here and there, but for the most part, he's been really good. And I'm just wondering, do the Mariners maybe view him as kind of the fourth option after the big three that they have back there? Is there more to go get?

We saw a lot more swing and miss over the weekend from him as well, which is kind of the one thing that's been missing. But what have your thoughts been on Carlos Vargas? Yeah, that's been the, you're right. That's been the missing piece for him. him. His ground ball rate has been great. But you look at the stuff, you know, 98, the slider, the cutter. It's really good stuff. You would expect more swing and miss. So I kind of do expect more to come. And I think you're right. I think he fits into that fourth spot after the big three right now.

He's pitched some really important innings. He's had a couple of airups. Everyone does. But he's pitched some really important innings for them. I think overall the bullpen kind of big picture, the bullpen is going to need some more swing and miss. You know, it's what's interesting about this bullpen compared to pens in the year past. They don't have a ton of swing and miss overall. You know, outside of Munoz, of course, who's, you know, been great at literally everything. Outside of that, there hasn't been a ton. So I think along the way, they'll need to find some.

Legamina's been pretty good, too. Like, he's been a good guy that I think is kind of stair-stepping up the leverage ladder. I'm interested in Coar. I know he's a ways away. He's on the rehab in Tacoma right now, but just given what we saw a couple years ago with just this pure stuff, I'm curious to see what that looks like.

I was hoping Taylor would be a part of this. It still could at this point. We know how it works. You know, he gets a slow start of the season. He hasn't been the same guy that we saw last year. But I do feel like at some point, they're going to need some more swing and miss along the way. And maybe that comes and turn a way.

maybe externally, I don't know. So I want to ask you about the coaching staff because we get asked a lot about the impact of Dan Wilson, the impact of Edgar Martinez, Kevin Seitzer, Bobby Maggayanas, etc. The difference between Dan and Scott's service, all that, and we're not there, right? We're not, you know, I'm living in Toronto,

Colby lives in Yakima, we're not credential, we're not there at the ballpark every day. So we, it's easy for us to talk about those things. things and get into hyperbole and I don't want to do that. So typically that's just a topic that I mostly avoid or kind of just talk about in more broad terms, right? But for you as someone that's there every day, you talk to the players, you're talking to Dan,

you're talking to the coaching staff. What are the differences? And I'm not asking you to speak, you know, ill of Scott's service and, you know, the previous coaches that were here or anything like that. But I think fans are curious.

Like, what are the differences that you do see? because it does seem like this has had a positive effect making this change. What are the differences that you see between the coaches that left last year at the end of the year and the arrival of Dan, the arrival of Edgar, Kevin Sites, or Bobby Maggi Anas? Yeah, there's a couple different things. And I think just big picture, it's little things are different in terms of we see it, how games play out.

Like there's some decisions that are different that we see with this Mariners. group as opposed to the last Mariners group and you know some of those are you know pinch hitting here changing a picture there you know we all kind of see it play out a little differently yeah we'll say this Mariners team in particular because i think of the way they're structured and their injuries there's a lot of decision points during the course of a typical Mariners game right now so there's always a ton to second guess i feel like after every single game just because of the sheer volume of decisions that are being made. But, you know, outside of that, I've always said,

just from the manager perspective, the most important stuff for a manager we never see. Like, we always see what happens on the field, like when Dan walks out and changes a pitcher or whatever. But I always think the most important stuff is like, the job of a manager has grown so much over the last few years. and it is so different than it used to be. Like just think back to when Earl Weaver or Lou Penella

or guys like that were managers, the job has changed dramatically since then. Because if you think about it, not only do you have the players to deal with. And, you know, you think about all the different places they come from, you know, all the different parts of their career they're in. Like you have guys that have been in the big leagues for 12 years and you have guys that have been there for 12 days, right?

Different experience level. different skill sets, and you're trying to get them to go all in the same direction. You've got your analytics department that you're getting all the info from that the coaching staff is getting. You're dealing with your coaching staff, how you distribute the information to the players. There are all these things that are happening.

It's much more like a CEO. And so I think it's really important. And what I think Dan, for my conversations, is a great job of, is he's really great at empowering his coaching staff, which is great because the Mariners have a lot of smart coaches and they have a lot of smart analysts. And I think it's great that decisions are made with a lot of different smart people having input into those decisions.

You know, all those meetings are still going on that were going on before, whether you're talking about bullpen, hitters meetings, you know, all that sort of thing. But Dan has done a really good job in empowering everyone around him. And everyone loves Dan. everyone loves playing for Dan like he's had a relationship you think about all his time before he became manager you know he'd go to Arkansas

for a week or Tacoma for a week or every or wherever and so you think about all the coaches that came up through the system there's been a prior relationship there's been a relationship with the guys that have come up Cal and George and Logan and everyone else like he has already had an established

relationship with everyone and there's just a calm with Dan I think is the best way to describe it. So some of it, you can't measure, right? But it's just, it's just leadership. Now, the hitting side, I think is really interesting because I've had a lot of conversations about this. And this is the best way I can describe it, because it's funny when you look at the results and what's working, like they're smashing home runs. And they're pulling the ball actually, you know, it depends on the day you look, but essentially at the same rate they did last year.

depending on the day, sometimes they're pulling it more than they did last year. So there is a difference, I think, between preaching a mindset and the results that are happening. And here's the best example I can give. I've talked to Cal Raleigh about this. And for him, it works best if he's thinking middle of the field, right? That's not what's happening. When Cal's at his best, he's pulling home runs. Like he's pulling tanks, whether it's right-handed or left-handed.

That's when he's at his best. And he's taking walks and, you know, doing a lot of other good things. But that's when he's at his best. He's pulling homers. But he's thinking middle of the field. And that's what helps him. From our standpoint, like, what do we care what he thinks about? Like, he could be thinking about Papa Smurf.

It doesn't matter to us. He can think about anything. But for him, that helps him. And so for my conversations, like the mindset they are preaching. up the middle is helping them, even though the results are, the results are they're pulling the ball and they're hitting the ball hard mostly, and they're hitting home runs, right?

So there's a difference between what they're preaching and what is happening, but that's fine, like that, because it's working. And every guy's individual, I think one of the most important conversations I had with Kevin Siteser and what I came away with the most is he was talking about, you look at every player and every guy has a completely different swing. No two swings are alike. And so for me, that tells me that they are really meeting the individual,

which I think is hugely important to because every guy's different. The NBA playoffs are in full swing and every night delivers highlight worthy performances, major momentum shifts, and can't miss moments. Whether it's a game winning shot or a breakout player, there's never been a better time to get in on the action. Fanduel makes it easy to stay in the game before tip-off and live. The player props, performance trends, and same game parlays, fans have more ways than ever to play smart and win big.

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We're here at Mariner's radio broadcaster Gary Hill Jr. That's really interesting insight there on the coaching staff. Because again, you know, it's hard for us specifically Colby and I to kind of see that, right? And to be aware of that because, you know, if we're not there on the field, really the only way that we can talk about the coaching staff is what we're seeing happening in the games that we're watching, right? And really, most of our analysis and our criticism just comes down to in-game decisions. Now, I haven't been a fan of a lot of the end-game decisions. Colby hasn't been a big fan of the end-game decisions. Aaron Goldsmith doesn't seem like he's been a big fan of the in-game decisions on the broadcast.

So I want to ask you, what have you thought about? And obviously, there's a lot of things that branch off here when we talk about in-game decisions. And there's a lot of cooks in the kitchen and all that. Like you talked about, you know, Dan empowers his coaches and, you know, and there's a lot of people that factor into these decisions. But, and obviously all the injuries and stuff. So it's a very tight window to fit through. But what have you thought about the end-game decisions so far? Yeah.

Let me put them in two buckets. It's first I'll say, I think the bullpen decisions, let's set those aside for a second. I always think those are toughest to analyze because we don't have all the information going and game by game. Because there's always tears going into a game. There's guys who are not available. We are not going to these guys no matter what. Then there's kind of the next year is, hey, we would rather stay away from pitcher X.

but in an emergency or a situation, we go to them. And I think it's particularly tough this season because the bullpen has had to cover so many more innings than we all anticipated. I mean, the bullpen has thrown a ton of innings. And I think what has made the Mariners so good the past few years and why their bullpen has been so good, no matter who's been in there,

is I always felt like they were really good at putting guys in specific situations to be the best. they can be. And mostly that's matchups, right? That's harder to do when you're covering four innings consistently every single light. Because what you're doing is you're asking guys, hey, I need an extra out here. I need an extra out there. Or, hey, I know this pocket is not a great matchup, but we have three guys down. So you have to go in this one. So I give them, I don't know, I give them grace on bullpen stuff because this has been, I think, a really hard year to manage.

And then, you know, a guy like Brash, he's not a full go, right? He's not being used as he has in the past. And, you know, Taylor came back and they weren't using him the same. So they have a lot of balls in the air when it comes to the bullpen. So we'll put that one in a separate bucket. At least I do. That's how I look at it. Sure.

Now, I'm thinking of specific the other day, like, uh, leo, dropping down a sacrifice bun with guys on first and second. That's probably one of the ones. Yeah, let's get into that. Yeah. Yeah, that's probably one of the ones that you two are talking about. Because honestly, like, if I were in charge, I wouldn't have done that either. Of course, I'm not, I'm not a huge sacrifice fund guy.

I generally don't like sacrifice buntz. Now, there are times for it. Like, if you are, if you are in extra innings and you're the home team and the other team didn't score, you have a guy at second. you want to drop down a button, move them to third. Okay. You know, there are times that it's fine. Yeah.

It's fine. But generally, I'm not a fan. And, you know, I don't know, I looked at that situation, and I thought you had a Ritey that kills Riteys on the mound. Like, Julio had the home run. That was the first extra base hit that Schmidt had allowed against a Rite on the season. And it's the Yankees. So I felt like, right.

Yeah, you probably shouldn't be playing for just one run here. Yeah. Six runs a game. Right. Like maybe Tavares runs into one hits a three-run home run and that changes the game. Now, what are the odds of them doing that? Probably not good. And maybe they don't score anyway.

And maybe he strikes out and the guys don't advance, right? Yeah. Whatever. Absolutely. Like, this is all theoretical at this point because anything that we would have done could have worked out poorly as well. Like, that's the nature of baseball. So there are things like that.

that I look at and it's like, well, I wouldn't have done that. Or I wonder why he didn't pitch it for him here. So I think there's, because I'm one that as the game goes, I try and think along with the game. One, I think it's fun. Like, I think that's one of the great things about baseball is like, okay, like thinking about situations and what's going to happen next. And guys, when I'm up in the bullpen, when are they going to go here? And it's something I like to talk about during the broadcast.

And so I have found myself being wrong more this year than, in years past, like wrong in terms of like what they've, what they've actually done. Like predicting what they're going to do. Predicting, yeah, thinking, because I like to think and I talk about it because I think it's fun for people, at least I hope it is, fun for people to follow along with what's going on. And sometimes they'll say, well, this might be his last better here. This could be his last better here. And it's not, which is fine.

Like, we're all wrong all the time. Yeah. But I found myself more wrong this year. And again, not that I'm, I mean, I'm just an idiot talking about baseball on the radio. Like, what do I know? Right? I'm just thinking along with stuff. But this is a long way of saying, I will take Dan and how the clubhouse feels about him and how the coaching staff feels about him and how everything is working behind the scenes.

over, man, I would have done that differently today or, you know, three days ago, I wish they would have done that instead. You know what I mean? So I guess there's a, there's a lot more benefit than not for what's going on with the current. And, and I know, I know it's like, that's the stuff we see, right? That's, that's the, in a lot of ways, that's the only thing we see when the game plays It's like we only see the pitching changes or the pinch hit or non-pinch it or whatever. So I 100% understand where people are coming from and their criticisms about this move or that move. But I think big picture, like it's very, it's small. It's a small percentage of the pie if you wanted to think about it in those terms.

Well, and that's why I wanted to ask you about it, right? Because you're there. You're having those conversations. you're seeing it happen. Now, obviously you're not there behind closed doors and all that stuff, but like you're seeing more than most, right? Yeah. And one other thing I would add to it is, you know, the other thing is we were watching a manager in his eighth season by the end, right? Now, service had been at this for a long time. I also think it's worth thinking about.

And I know Dan leans on the people around him, but this is his first full season in this role. Yeah. And so I think there are decisions. And I know he won't come on and say this because, you know, I don't think you would. I don't think you would. I don't think it benefits you to come out in public say this. But I think there are lessons to get learning games after decisions are made, which is good. I mean, that's a healthy thing. That's, that's something you want from a manager. Like if you want a man, when a manager makes a decision and things don't go well and he talks about it with, you know, know his staff after the fact, like you want your manager to learn from it. And so I think this whole thing is a learning process. Right. Yeah. Scott's service managed the game a lot differently in year nine than he did in year one. Absolutely. So, which is a great point. And it's something we should all think about. Like over time, you just get used to it. But think back to year one with Scott. Like he was learning too. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. I got a couple quick final questions for you. But before that, Colby, you got anything else for Gary?

Yeah, I think one of the more interesting somehow polarizing players, at least where Ty and I sit, seems to be Julio. And there seems to be this wide chasm of opinion on Julio. And some think that he's never going to live up to that contract. Others think he's the best player they've ever seen. And I'm just wondering how you feel about Julio's season this year because I think he's been pretty darn consistent. He's certainly been more consistent than he was last year. We're seeing more power early. So I'm just wondering how you feel about Julio's season, where he's at in his career.

It does feel like sometimes people forget that he's 24 years old and he's, you know, made a couple all-star teams and all of that. But he had an incredible season. He's been worth like 16 wins in his first three seasons, all that. Yeah. Like he's on a Hall of Fame trajectory. Yeah. Pretty close. Yeah.

I always feel like there's two conversations, at least in my mind, going on with Julio. Because if you look at his season, he's been a tremendously productive player. He's been really good in center field. He's been really good on the bases. And overall, he's been a productive hitter. I always think, though, Julio is not measured by any of those things. Julio is measured by extremely lofty expectations.

And I feel like all conversations surrounding Julio are, he is measured against superstar expectations. So I feel like whenever we talk about Julio, that's where the conversation always starts. but if you just think about in terms of like what he's done on the field this year, I think you're right. I think he's been really productive. I think he can be better offensively and I think he will be better offensively.

It feels like he's working himself into one of those groups right now. In fact, I think if you look at the past 10 days or so, like the stuff underneath and surface numbers have been really good. And I do look to him, like they're going to need him and they're going to need his power specifically. You know, when I think about, okay, you got 19 home runs in the first month from Polanco and Cal, they're not going to do that in May. They're not going to do that in June. Who are the guys that can supplement? Well, Julio is an obvious choice for one of those guys.

Like, they're going to need one of his power binges along the way. But it is, man, he's still super young. He's not even entering his prime yet. and he's still really good. Yeah. But I understand why, like he is shown flashes of being one of the greatest players on the planet.

And that's what I think people think about a lot. And he's shown it for long periods of time. Like we've seen it for a month at a time where he's just unbelievable. And so I think everyone wants that all the time, which would be great. I mean, we'd all love that all the time. But I would have that.

I love to see August 2023, Julio, every single day. You just watch Yankee games and watch Aaron Judge. Same thing. Pretty much. Yes. That's a big ask for at this point in his career. And we'll see where he goes. Like, I've been encouraged by a lot of the under the hood stuff we've seen so far this year.

Like the strikeout rate has been something that has impressed me so far. And he was still hitting the ball hard, which is great. So I think the surface numbers are going to follow. And with everything else he's doing. going, that's a really good player. That's an all-star player. Yeah, absolutely. All right, last couple questions for you here.

We saw Jorge Polanco get pinch hit for Monday night. I was kind of wondering if maybe that was just because the game was pretty much out of reach at that point. But then he didn't get a start on Tuesday against the lefty. And then yesterday, it gets the righty. He's deaching. Did he re-agravate the side? Do you have any insight on that? I do not have insight on that.

We were kind of wondering that as well. I mean, it's one of two things. It's that, like, he quakes something again. Or the reality is you have got to find ways to not play him every day, I think, because we know, even as a DH a lot of the time, we know he has a history, especially the last few years of lower leg injuries. And he has become critical to the office. especially with the way he's performed so far this year. So it's either he tweaks something or, hey, this is a natural spot to give him a day off. Because if you're going to give him a day at this point, it's going to be against a lefty.

Yep. So I don't know which it is at this point, but it could be either. But they do need to find ways to get him off his feet because they need him in the lineup, especially right now with the other injuries. Like he's so important to what they do. then lastly you know we've obviously seen a lot of changes in the broadcast crews this this offseason you know a lot of changes more so on the TV side of things on radio but you've kind of seen more of an increased role things are a little more just kind of put in

place there on the radio side like Aaron's not coming over I'm sure you're you're very sad about that but I guess I'm curious and I'm sure a lot of people are curious just kind of how things have changed for you with the changes at the, you know, at the network and, and just with the broadcast and all that. It's been a big year for me, personally. Yeah, I've done a lot of games in the past, but I haven't done play by play. In terms of play by play, I haven't done every game in the past, but this season, I'm on every single one, play by play, which was something I've dreamed about as far back as I can remember when I was just a little kid running around city at Tacoma and people would ask, hey, what do you want to do in your growth? I want to be a Seattle

Mariners play-by-play announcer, which was obviously ridiculous and there was no way I was going to be that. And, but here I am doing it every day. So for me, it's, it's been incredible. And I just, I love, I just love talking ball with Mariner fans every single day. And I get excited every day about whatever matchup it is, whoever they're playing. I'm just, I'm super curious and super interested about baseball and Mariners in general. And I hope that comes across with some of the stuff that I talk about and we talk about every single day. But I'm just having the time of my life. I love it. It's been the greatest. That's awesome. That's awesome. Well, Gary, thanks so much for hopping on. It's pleasure as always. enjoy the road trip as much as you can.

Try not to melt down in Houston. Try to avoid the poisonous stakes, all that good stuff. And hey, let's know if you hit a new personal best on your runs. Yeah, I'll let you know. It was great to catch up again. It's been a while. So hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later. All right.

That's going to do it for our show. Thanks again to Gary for joining us. And thank you so much for joining us here on the Lockdown Merris podcast for Colby Patnode. I'm Tiding Azales. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter at L0 underscore Marrers. You can follow me at Tiding, and Colby at C-Pat-11. That's C-PAT-1-1.

We're also on Blue Sky. You can follow me at TDG, Colby at MLB-Colby, and the show at Lockdown Merrers. You can also find us on Instagram and TikTok at Locked-on Marriers. Have yourself a beautiful baseball day, and we'll see you next time.

Peace.