Episode 444: The Mariners Take The Series Against The Astros, But Did They Show Enough?

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to episode number four forty four of the Marine Layer Podcast. The Maritors take two of three in Houston. We'll talk about the series and the rest of the road trip they got coming up this week. 00:00:10 Speaker 2: Reminder of you guys, just before we start this podcast, make sure to download these episodes and rate and review five stars. If you're listening, go hit subscribe on YouTube. You can check us all at our website marine layerpod dot com, where we'll find our episodes, our merch our, Patreon, it's all there, and then find us on social media. We're posting content every day at Marine Layer Pod. 00:00:29 Speaker 1: Let's get it rolling and we welcome yout toed this episode of the Marine Layer Podcast, part of the Just Baseball podcast network, recording here on Sunday evening, August sixteenth. There is one thing the Mariners do really, really really well this season, Lyle. They do beat the Astros consistently. 00:01:02 Speaker 2: They have really beat up on Houston. There's nothing else to say about it. Like in a world and in a season where there's been so many downs, they just, for whatever reasons, seem to have this team's number, even in Houston, where you wouldn't think they're gonna play all that well. They haven't played well on the road this year. Houston's been a house of horrors for him. In the past, they have had some years with real success in that ballpark. I wouldn't say it outweighs the bad years they've had in that ballpark. But for whatever reason, they have just been on the Astros this year. 00:01:33 Speaker 1: I think it's that pitching staff, Like the pitching staff for the Astros just top to bottom is not good. I know they faced Hunter Brown here tonight, but Hunter Brown hasn't been the Hunter Brown of old this year at all, and he's been very hittable recently, and the Mirrors hit him around tonight. They hit around Astros pitching all weekend. They had thirty five hits on the whole weekend. So when you get thirty five hits, you're gonna give yourselves more opportunity to win the game, and the Mariners were able to win two of three. There was another side to this though, that we said the Mariners needed to sweep this series. They needed to and they had their chance to sweep this series, but then Friday happened in extra innings, so the Marritors don't get a sweep and they only gained one game in this series. 00:02:18 Speaker 2: Yeah, so do we want to get to that immediately? 00:02:21 Speaker 1: Like, what's finish what we can finished with the positives? I willt's finish the positives. 00:02:25 Speaker 2: I will say I don't know if they beat up on Hunter Brown, but they certainly had some base runners against them, because what Hunter Brown's achilles heel has been all year is He's all of a sudden developed a walk problem. In past years that has not been the case. I mean, you look at his year last year where he was a cy Young contender and that wasn't an issue. Hunter Browns walked a lot of batters this year, and you saw it on Sunday where he walked five guys. There was a point in the game where he threw ten balls in a row. And control and command I haven't been the same for the guy this year. The been fine. I mean, Hunter Brown's still sitting here with an era that sis it that sits at three to six, but it has not been the same efficiency or dominance in any way that it was in say twenty twenty five or parts of some other years as well. So, yeah, the Mariners got on against them, and they did what they had to do, and then they held it late enough. But they actually played okay baseball this weekend. If you want to sit on the positive and just talk about this weekend as a whole, take all the other big picture stuff out, and you're just looking at these three games, despite the absolute disaster that ensued on Friday, overall, they actually played decent baseball. They hit what, they scored runs. Starting pitching was pretty good. Yeah, Like it wasn't a like. There was still some sloppy baseball that you saw at times, especially on the base paths, but overall, there was some pretty good baseball just in this weekend alone from the Mariners. 00:03:56 Speaker 1: And I don't even think we had a Damn moment. 00:04:00 Speaker 2: Suckingly know, And when there's a series without a Dan moment, I mean that feels more rare than the other side of the coin, that's for sure. 00:04:07 Speaker 1: I think that the only like really puzzling thing from the weekend is what they did here today where they actually use Sir Anthony Dominguez with a lead for the first time ever and got out of it after a forty foot or sixty foot pop up drop behind him on the infield, which I've on it again very rarely ever seen this year and looks like a pretty typical Mariners thing. But you know, besides that, it seems, you know, most like most of the things they did worked. 00:04:40 Speaker 2: Well, and that should have been Munio's the spot if you're just talking about process in a game that important where you know it could really swing your season one way or another. In the finale on Sunday, yeah, Munos has got to be in there. He's got to go get four outs. 00:04:54 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, he hasn't done that much this season. 00:04:58 Speaker 2: No, but when and it's fine in May if that's how they determined to use him, But when he's thrown as little as he has over the last few weeks and that's as important a series as you're gonna have maybe all year, Yeah, that's got to be his spot. 00:05:11 Speaker 1: It just has to be, I'd say. The other really big positive from this weekend that's something that the Maritors are just desperately needed and really can swing the outcomes of some of these games they're playing on the road is another good road start from Brian Wu Cause while the bar is low given how he's pitched on the road this season, you know, has back to back really good road starts. So we'll just look at this, right, he's not allowed an earned run in each of his last each of us are sorry, actually that's wrong. No, no, I was right. So he gave up what one run two runs today? One run, yeah, two two earned, But then he didn't give up any of New York. Yeah, so we didn't give up any New York set. It was getting my numbers mixed up because and I pull up game logs, they don't have his game from today logged in there. Okay, so two earned runs over six innings today, he had no earned runs in five innings in New York. That's a huge difference from the road outings where he's giving up five and five innings in Los Angeles and five and five innings in Texas, and what four runs and five innings in Miami, and then five runs and four innings and Pittsburgh and five runs and six and a third in Detroit, and on and on a seven runs and five innings in Baltimore, and on and on and on and on getting six and two in a pretty big series on the road against the first place team in your division. For Brian Lou, I don't care if the Mariners are beaten up on the Astros this season, a very very positive step in the right direction, something I was very happy to see. 00:06:54 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, of course, to see him start to turn this around a little bit is a really nice sign. You were hoping it wasn't going to go on forever. You were hoping he was going to start to turn this thing around at some point, and these are two nice steps in doing so against two teams that are The Yankees are good, they have not been great offensively the last couple of weeks. The Astros. Again, they're not world beaters, but it's the first time since the end of May you've won a series against the team with a winning record. And Brian Wu helped the cause in doing so by putting together a competitive start on the road that's back to back. He's done that. You would hope that continues to build for him, because again, if they want to have any chance the rest of the way, they have to have him doing that. They have to have him being competitive on the road. And the last two starts he's done that. It wasn't perfect by any means. It wasn't perfect in New York either, but he did his job. Now here's it Now the other part of this is it's Brian Wu gonna make his next start. 00:07:50 Speaker 1: It's a great question because he got pulled at seventy five pitches with shoulder discomfort. 00:07:57 Speaker 2: Mm hm, and Wu said it's nothing to worry about. He's fine. Team says it's fine. But if there is any team that has just absolutely, like like miscalculated the timeline of injuries, it is the Mariners. 00:08:16 Speaker 1: I mean. 00:08:18 Speaker 2: Just about every player they seem to think is gonna be fine, and it's and it's and he's and it's a minor concern. Oh it turns into like he's on the IL. Matt Brash when he exited that game back in May, no minor concern, like like they'll be like precautionary. That's a word that us a lot, precautionary. And then he's essentially out for four months. 00:08:38 Speaker 1: And that was after he had already came back from injury. 00:08:41 Speaker 2: Well, I think the second time they knew it was going to be longer. I'm saying that first time he went on the IL this year with the lat and it was like, oh, it's precautionary, like you know, we we we had to do our due diligence. Which you do when managing injuries. But what made it sound like, oh would be day to day and then he goes on the IL, he comes back, and then he lands on the IL again. 00:08:59 Speaker 1: Well, the Murders also have been able to have anyone really play through an injury successfully this season, which is why I just like, I hear potential nagging injury and I just think, oh, no, like the performance is going to fall off a cliff. Like I don't need to be the one to tell you that. Cal Naylor, cal Naylor, Cole Emerson allegedly as of this weekend. We'll talk about that later in the podcast. Potentially Bryce Miller if that's what's ailing him and that he's not feeling one hundred percent that whenever guys have these nagging injuries, they've not been able to play through them at all. 00:09:35 Speaker 2: I mean, Julio's had some injuries this year, and obviously the last few weeks he's been really hot, but season as a whole, it's still not where we're used to seeing his numbers, that's for sure, at least offensively. You know, Julio's dealt with an ankle, he's dealt with some dizzyness, he's dealt with different stuff this year. 00:09:51 Speaker 1: So yeah, it's gotten to the point in the season though, where if Wu has to miss a start, I mean, Kate Anderson's gonna come up probably pitch better than Brian Wu in his first start. 00:10:04 Speaker 2: This dude, Kate Anderson, I don't know. Is he gonna immediately pitch better than Wu? 00:10:08 Speaker 1: I mean, Kate Anderson is is I think? Is the area's back under one in double A? 00:10:15 Speaker 2: I mean, yeah, he's been absurd. 00:10:17 Speaker 1: Like he he he had a like just another absurd outing on Friday. 00:10:22 Speaker 2: Yeah. So, and it's funny if you take that remember that one inning back in what was that late May early June where he gave up four runs in an inning. If you take that inning out of it, what's he at now? Oh five? 00:10:36 Speaker 1: So Kate Anderson's area at the season currently sits at one point zero six with a forty percent strikeout rate in a four percent walk right. I mean, are you sure he won't like he could he couldn't put up six shutout at the big league level right now? 00:10:51 Speaker 2: Yeah? Who knows? He? I mean he probably could, he probably could. 00:10:55 Speaker 1: The Mariners are in a spot though, where if Brian Wu misses a start, it's not the end of the world. Like they can be precautious in a scenario like this, use it as an excuse to put Kate on the big league roster, and then you know, maybe they'll have one run through a six man rotation, but by then it's September, so things could be different, or someone else goes in the bullpen. 00:11:16 Speaker 2: I mean, the only thing about this Wu injury is, yeah, if it really was a start he had to miss just to be safe, you could handle that. I just also think back to another Brian Wu injury that occurred in Houston almost a year ago, where you didn't think it was going to be all that severe and then he essentially couldn't pitch in the playoffs, the whole peck tightness he had last year which turned into the peck strain. Remember he was pulled out for what was precaution back in September last year in Houston, and they said, well, it's you know, it's precautionary. And then they're trying to delay Wu pitching in the alds and when can they slot them in, and they thought it was going to be Game three or four, and then oh, Wu can't pitch in the Alds it's going to be in the ALCS, and then he can only pitch in the bullpen in the ALCS because he's still battling this peck injury. And you know, it didn't go perfectly when he did that. He tried to pitch through it. I get it, but it certainly did not go perfectly. So again, the Mariners are not The Mariners are not on the mount rushmore of calculations with their injuries time wise. So I'm glad to hear that everybody says they're not worried about it. We'll see if Wu makes his next start that that's when I'll not be worried about it. 00:12:29 Speaker 1: Sure they are better suited to handle it this year than they were last year. 00:12:34 Speaker 2: So oh yeah, I mean in terms of reinforcements. 00:12:37 Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, but we'll see. I get We're gonna need to hear I'd say a lot more in the coming days before that happens. I mean, even with this injury. Brian wo through six innings tonight, Yeah sounds pretty good. So okay, like he's fine. Other positives, I mean, shout out to brock rodden. People have been clamoring for this dude to get up and get his shine in the big leagues at some point this year, even to just play on the Mariners bench. And he came up. He had three hits on the weekend. Pretty good, like pretty cool, a twenty six year old making his big league debut for the Mariners. And I'm happy for him. And he had a lot of family in the stands too, So good for him, the people for him calling for him to come up. I'm sure you feel very good about yourself this weekend. 00:13:28 Speaker 2: Yeah, he had a really cool weekend. He had the double in Game one that helped tie things up. He had a hit in all three games if you look on Sunday, I mean he walked twice and had a hit. Did a nice weekend. He did a nice first series. I don't know if he's gonna keep this pace up the entire time. I mean, I think people have estimated that his role in the big leagues will probably be some type of utility player, which is fine, Like the Mariners could use more strong utility players on their bench, and maybe long term Rock Roding can be that. But we can worry about that conversation for another day. In the meantime, Yeah, like Brock Roddin contributed this weekend. He is he is a factor in why the Mariners got two of three wins and almost three or three. 00:14:07 Speaker 1: Well, so right now Mariners need shortstops. They don't, yeah, they they They are not flush with proven big league shortstops. So if he's going to have a hot month and a half to finish the season and then the Mariners might as well claim him as a as a as a shortstop at least here for this season. 00:14:22 Speaker 2: Maybe it'll be their new Brad Miller or something. Probably doesn't have that type of power. 00:14:26 Speaker 1: But what if he takes a demo's role. 00:14:29 Speaker 2: Yeah, it'd be fine. I mean, Rodden could probably play some left field if they needed him to. 00:14:33 Speaker 1: Right Has he played left field? 00:14:37 Speaker 2: Maybe, but I'm sure he could learn. 00:14:40 Speaker 1: He played forty nine innings in left field in year I thought. 00:14:45 Speaker 2: I didn't want to say it for sure, but I thought he's played some left field. 00:14:48 Speaker 1: This year maybe, so he could be as possible. 00:14:52 Speaker 2: Yeah, I hope so, because they could use again more quality players on their bench. As we've highlighted this year, their bench has been awful. So hopefully somebody like Rodden gives them a little bit of a jolt in that way. 00:15:07 Speaker 1: So we've talked about the positives from this weekend. Now let's update the picture of where the Mariners are at right now in the standings and how they're situated after this Astro series. On this road trip, they played six games. They've won three, they've lost three. They lost the first series in New York. They've now won this series in Houston. The difference between a sweep and winning two of three, while both look good on paper, lyle winning a series against a division team, especially the team you're chasing down in first place, is good. But the point the Mariners are at in the season, losing that game on Friday cost them two games in the standings. Because right now the Manners are four games back in the American League West, thirty seven games to play. If they had hung on in extra innings on Friday and they won that game, then they would be two games back in the American League West right now. That is a that's big. That's a big number. And because the Mariners have played so poorly this season and have put themselves in the position that here on August sixteenth, they's seven games under five hundred, they've not really allowed themselves the comfort to to only win two out of three in some important series this season. So when you have an opportunity to sweep a team like the Astros, a team you actually can sweep, unlike the Brewers coming up this week, I feel like you gotta take advantage of it and sweep the team. And since the Mariners didn't sweep them, it like like they gained ground, but they're at the point where they do need to gain more ground than they are currently gaining in this In this series, I. 00:16:52 Speaker 2: Think it's pretty simple. They gain ground, but not significant ground, not enough ground. And it's not just a team you had the chance to sweep. It's the team you had a chance to sweep that you're chasing in your own division. That's what makes it such a stinger for the Mariners this weekend because if this had been the Brewers series, look, it would have been impressive that you nearly swept the best team in baseball. But I'm just saying, like the magnitude of playing a team in the other league and nearly sweeping them doesn't have the same impact that it does when you're playing a team in your own division that you're chasing. If fans had a chance to pick to sweep the Astros or the Brewers. Obviously, ten out of ten times you're picking the Astros because it holds so much more significance, And you're right, they do not have the leeway to just let games like that go at this point. They just don't because four games back with thirty seven to go, when you still have the Brewers, the Cubs, the Phillies, the Red Sox, and the Blue Jays in the month of August, it's still a long way to go. You've got a long hill decline before you get to this September schedule and things start to flatten out and things start to get easier. And if they had been two back going into Milwaukee, you're looking at a whole different picture. You're looking at a team that really feels like it has some juice and it could be catching fire at the right time, and one more good series on this road trip could totally, I don't want to say turn the whole season, but really really start to raise some eyebrows in a positive way from people. But instead, I know it sounds a little harsh, but it's kind of same old story because by only taking two of three against the team that's barely over five hundred and the Astros, you haven't made up enough ground. And now TJ, as we highlighted before the podcast started, this week, the Maritors play the Brewers on the road in Milwaukee, and the Astros play the Angels. 00:18:44 Speaker 1: The Marritors lose on Tuesday and the Astros win on Tuesday, both teams I think have Tomorrow off. Then all that progress you made is gone. 00:18:55 Speaker 2: You're back to exactly where you were when you got to the ballpark on Friday. 00:18:59 Speaker 1: And while you might feel good because you won that series, like in the standings, all of a sudden, like all that progress is out the door, and God forbid. I mean, the Mariners get swept or lose two of three in Milwaukee, and the Astros mirror that. I mean, you're either losing two games in the standings or you're losing three games in the standings over the course of just the next week after you worked hard to gain that singular game, right, And the Mariners are not in a spot where they can afford to lose three games in the standings this week. And that's not even including the Mariners current battle for the wild card. I put out a post on Saturday morning about this. The Mariners are fighting six other teams for the final American League wildcard spot because I don't see the Mariners catching the Red Sox and we don't see them catching the Yankees either. In the first two wildcard spots, the deficit's just too big. So there's that third spot that is currently held by the Baltimore Orioles. It honestly, it changes every single day. It's the Orioles, Rangers, Blue Jays, Tigers, Twins, Guardians, and Mariners all vying for this spot. Every team is within two and a half games of this spot. There are so many different variables going into this final wild card spot that you can't even like rely on anything like you have to you have to win games. You can't be like, oh, but the like the Rangers lost tonight, thank goodness. No, but like the Orioles and Tigers could win, it doesn't mean anything. So there's just so many factors out of your control, which makes that ground really really hard to gain. And the only way you know you're gonna gain ground is by winning all these games, like by sweeping teams. 00:20:43 Speaker 2: You know how this would have been in the Mariners control if they were five games about five hundred right now, something that should have been very very very very doable. When talking about the start of this season, we shouldn't be talking about the team five games over five hundred. We sure as hell shouldn't be talking about him seven games under five hundred. We should be talking about him fifteen to twenty games over. If you were five games over five hundred, you wouldn't have to worry about all these other middling American League teams fighting for the final wildcard spot. But since you are where we are, yeah, you can't play that game of Well, thank god the Rangers lost tonight. Oh but the Blue Jays won, Oh but the Orioles one, Hey but the Twins lost. No, your best shot is going to be in the division because you have put yourself in such a spot where I think there's too many of it, there's too many variables to fight your way through this wildcard spot unless you just get red hot and get yourself well above five hundred. 00:21:36 Speaker 1: You know it can't happen this week. Mariters cannot get swept by the Brewers. 00:21:41 Speaker 2: And it's possible, and it's possible they do this Brewers team listen, man, if you want a glass half full positive, we thought the Mariners were gonna get miss I think the Brewers shifted around their rotation at some point in the last week or two because Miz pitched on Saturday in LA. Now they won't see them. So if you want to go half full positive about the Brewers series, you don't get Miserwski. You do get Kyle Harrison, who's not just a lefty, but a very good lefty. You get Dustin May, who hasn't been perfect all year, but he's got big stuff and he throws really hard. And the Brewers are also one of the best offenses in Major League Baseball. So I'm glad they beat the Astros, but it's a team they've had the number of all year. The Astros are also barely above five hundred, and they do not line up or match up to the Brewers, not in any way, shape or form, not with the pitching, not really with the offense, not with the bullpen. Aside from hater like this is a different breed man, what you're going up against in Milwaukee this week, it's a whole different ballgame. Mariners win two of three in Milwaukee this week. I think that's when people have the right to kind of raise their eyebrows and say, oh, maybe this team's figured something out. Maybe they've started to get hot and something started to turn around. But if it goes back to the same old story and they look lifeless and they get swept, or even if they lose two to three, now it's gonna be the like we're gonna talk about the same storylines. 00:23:04 Speaker 1: I think two of three is treading water because at that point you're looking at a four and five road trip, which we said is survival. Yeah, at that at that point, I think we said four and five is is manageable for the teams they were facing. But you can't get swept. If you if you get swept, then I mean then then all that progress gets thrown right out the window. If but I'm in the boat with you, if they take two of three against this Brewers team, then I think the people who are who are preaching positivity about this team like finding something and turning it around, like maybe that could be something, but they're gonna have to string it together the rest of the season. It's never with this team gonna be just one series that is like Okay, that is it. It's gonna need to be a great final month and a half to truly to stamp it. Yeah, because they they've given us endless opportunities to say, Okay, that is the thing that turns them, that is something that can get everyone fired up and playing good, and then it never ends up happening. 00:24:10 Speaker 2: Now, if they beat the Brewers in Milwaukee in a series, that is far and away the most impressive series win of the season, because they haven't had very many impressive series wins. Even the Astros won like it's good and it's important because it's in your own division, But the Astros are barely above five hundred. I mean, this al Wes is just so bad and the Rangers look lifeless again too. So you go and beat Milwaukee. That is far and away the biggest series win of the year. But it is a much much taller task than beating the Astros. I mean, the Mariners played solid enough baseball this weekend. You got to take it up multiple notches in Milwaukee if you want to win that series. Otherwise we're going to be having just more tough conversations. 00:24:51 Speaker 1: The offense is going to need to do what it did this weekend. And the starting pitching is going to need to be nearly perfect, like we're talking six to seven in of one to two runs max to win this series. 00:25:04 Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, guys, for anybody that hasn't perfectly followed the Brewers all year, the Brewers on the season are seventy seven and forty eight. They win a hell of a lot of series. They don't get swept in a lot of series. 00:25:19 Speaker 1: I mean, they just took three or four in Los Angeles, a team that the Mariners very much struggle with. And then offensively this season they are let's see, the Brewers are currently by WRC plus. It doesn't like them, but we don't like Team WRC plus. They're very good offensively. 00:25:38 Speaker 2: Look at run scored? Where are they. 00:25:40 Speaker 1: Runs scored the Brewers are currently? It just blows my mind every time I look at this. The Nationals are first by twenty six runs in Major League Baseball and they're not good. It just it makes no sense. 00:25:51 Speaker 2: Can't pitch. 00:25:52 Speaker 1: Brewers are fifth? Yeah, and runs scored major League base. 00:25:55 Speaker 2: But again, team WRC plus is kind of dumb. Run scored is what you should look at for teams because those are not created runs. Those are real real runs for score a. 00:26:03 Speaker 1: Lot of runs, and they're a very patient team. They walk nearly eleven percent of a time as a group. It's it's gonna be tough to beat this team, but they know what they gotta do, like, don't get swept, do not get swept, can'napp right, I mean, even. 00:26:19 Speaker 2: If you lose two to three. Look, it's a manageable road trip if you're just looking at the nine games. If you go four and five, you did your job enough to not just get beaten down by these superior teams on the road. But again, if the Astros go win two of three and against the Angels, or they sweep the Angels, then you're back in a bad spot, like you need some help this week too, and you have to find a way to try to win the series, because again, if you lose two or three, I know we're saying don't get swept, but if you lose to a three, you're really not in a good spot either. I know, I know, series or road trip as a whole. Four and five's okay, but there's a bigger picture here to this season at this point, which is it's not a spot you want to be in. 00:27:03 Speaker 1: Do do we think the Mariners should focus on the division, because like, every time I think about this wildcard picture kind of stresses me out. If they're thinking postseason, they should be literally any one of these six other teams could get hot. 00:27:18 Speaker 2: They should be focused on the division until they get five games over five hundred. If you want to think about the wildcards, here's my stamp. Here's my official take on the wildcard. You can't think about it until you're five games over five hundred, otherwise you're gonna create headaches for yourself. 00:27:35 Speaker 1: We've been through this podcast, or are we twenty seven minutes and everything we've talked about, you would forget that the Mariners are currently lyle seven games under five hundred. 00:27:47 Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean like they've told us who they are at this point in the season, very very much so. Right, it's good they won one series. It's gonna take a lot more than that. 00:28:00 Speaker 1: To close out this podcast, I think we need to talk about this cult situation. We did not have all the info when we taped on Thursday night. We thought Colt Emerson was just gonna be getting sent down to Tacoma to work out his swing and get his confidence back. But then allegedly in that meeting. As it was reported, col Emerson then admitted to the Mariners that he had the wrist issue that he injured in spring training has actually been bothering him all season and has been drastically impacting his play to the point where the Mariners don't send him down, they just put him on the eel and there's a chance he could be out the rest of the season. I see that on I think it was Friday. I see that on Friday. I'm like, what, we're just hearing about this four months after he got I think he got an injection when he's in Triple A in April and haven't heard a peep about it since. 00:28:56 Speaker 2: No, nothing, not from anybody. So I know players play through a lot of things through the course of a year, but man, this one seems like it should have been handled earlier. 00:29:11 Speaker 1: That's what I'm That's what I'm thinking. I know most teams will have guys playing through something at some point, but I'll bet you there's no team in baseball that's had such a drop off in production from players because they're playing through injuries. Like col Naylor and Colt are three that just jump off the page. To you, it's like heart now that Colt admitted it, you can't dispute any of those three haven't been dealing with stuff and look at their season performance and how it's impacted the Mariners. Like the fact it just keeps happening, I think is a little troubling. 00:29:51 Speaker 2: The fact that you have so many players playing badly through injuries. It's just hurting the team. 00:30:00 Speaker 1: Yeah, yes, you're talking about all three of those guys at some point during their downturn or bottom five players in Baseball, bottom five. 00:30:11 Speaker 2: You would have thought at some point during this six week stretch where Colt was just going through it, like nothing ever came up. There wasn't ever something from Colt that said he was hurt, or something from one of the people that's on the coaching staff to say, okay, we got to look closer at this, or something from one of his teammates that was, oh, he doesn't want to say it, but he looks like he's battling something. There was none of that, like nobody noticed anything or nobody said anything. Not just cold because obviously some of this is on him to acknowledge when you have an injury earlier on, so you get it treated and you get it settled earlier in time. But there's people around him that I'm also looking at and saying, well, where were you? And all this again, none of his teammates noticed it, none of the coaches noticed it. Nobody. 00:30:58 Speaker 1: This is what I was thinking over the weekkend Jerry got a ton of flack for his quote, a ton. And if your opinion out there is that you thought Jerry Depoto handled this situation wrong, which if in case you missed it, uh Like both Daniel Kramer and Adam Jude wrote articles regarding the situation, and they talked to Jerry about the injury, and Jerry said, I wish Colt had told us sooner for this, this injury. That quote quote tells me that no one really knew at all. And he got a lot of flak for it, saying like, man, it's unprofessional. You're throwing the kid under the bus, Like it's not a good look when the president of the team is doing that to its top prospect, and on and on and on and on. I think a couple of things can be true. Number One, maybe Jerry didn't need to be so straightforward in the quote. It's possible, but also like tough truth, guys. I don't think Jerry's wrong in that because the Mariner's season is careening downwards in a way no one wants and it could affect the jobs of someone like Jerry. So of course he wants to know and have all the information available to him when he's putting a roster together. So I can't really blame him when he finds out that a prospect that he's been playing it short every single day for four months, who's been really bad for the last two months, like really really really really bad and hurting the team almost with his offensive performance. All of a sudden, here is oh, actually, by the way, I was playing through an injury, where it's like, well, we could have done something about this, like bru. 00:32:40 Speaker 2: There's two things that are true about that. Jerry has a right to be frustrated. I still don't understand why he's publicly airing this out to the media. Don't you think he could have had a meeting with Colt and with some of the coaches and with some of the trainers and say, guys, you have got to let me know and let us know if something is going on with this, and that can be directed a Colt. It can be directed at the coaches, it can be everybody which is behind closed doors saying, hey, you've got to let us know when something's bothering you, airing it out publicly. When Jerry has a history of doing this, I think where is where people rightfully are not happy with how he handled that. 00:33:17 Speaker 1: Sure, I think it's more Jerry's reputation. The problem is like they already announced, it was already reported he was getting sent down, So reporters are going to ask questions when Colt ends up on the i L instead. Right, if if Colt went straight on the injured list, you can pr spin at all you want it. It would have been super easy. It would have been like, yep, Coles, Colt's been dealing with the bum wrists, we gotta we gotta put him on the we gotta put him on the IEL. People then it's like, you know, it's hard to speak. Oh, he's hurt, he's been struggling. Okay, but no, everyone reported he was getting optioned. So at that point then the reporters are like, oh, so why'd you option him? Well, yet then then you have to then you actually have to answer the question. 00:34:06 Speaker 2: Yet Another thing the Mariners have mishandled in twenty twenty six. Just chalk it up to the laundry list. 00:34:11 Speaker 1: Yeah, when I was thinking about this, I think I'm frustrated on like every level of this. I'm you know, I'm frustrated at the people at the top, because ultimately they are in charge of this entire situation. Jerry didn't handle this situation perfectly at all, as sometimes he doesn't really do. I'm a little frustrated with the coaching staff, who's you know, supposed to be overseeing the players. And then a player is playing through an injury for four months and nobody hears about it, and no one's telling anyone or communicating anything about it, and he's and he's playing terribly and he's his at bats are hurting the team because he's really struggling at the plate, and no one from the coaching staff who's coaching and managing these players is seeing anything. And then his teammates too, that was no one was no one sitting cult down and asking him how he's doing in the middle of this slump? Is it is no one like wrapping their arm around him and being like, hey, man, is everything okay? Honest question because the leadership of this team has been questioned all season long, and I feel like if there was a solid foundation of like communication and transparency at any level, that this would have been solved. And this and Cult maybe was on the injured list sooner and they could have had a solution to not having production a shortstop. But instead they gets this gets dragged out to mid August. I don't know how it's allowed to get to this point. Like the player thing, I especially can't get Man, there are plenty of veterans on this team. How how did no one how there's no one communicating this like trying to pit this up from Colt Emerson and then taking upon their duty as like as a veteran as a leader, to bring this to the organization for everyone to make a right decision. 00:36:14 Speaker 2: And if Colt really did hide it from every single person and just kept it close to the best, then it's on him too. This is on a lot of different people. Cult takes some blame, certainly the people in the organization can take some blame. His teammates can take some blame. But yes, this was yet another thing. This was that this was yet another thing that was mishandled this season and obviously totally. 00:36:37 Speaker 1: Avoidable, totally avoidable problem that the that collectively, it seems like the Mariners have created for themselves. 00:36:45 Speaker 2: Yes, and again like let's not we love Colt, but obviously some of this does fall on him. If he is really not saying anything to anybody about it, then some of this is on him. It's not all on him because there's a lot of people around him who could also stepped in here, and it doesn't feel like anybody really did. 00:37:04 Speaker 1: And as a fan, I'm just frustrated watching underperforming players on this team this year because of injuries, Like they're just hurt, so they're gonna suck. It's like, we're frustrated they're not making the playoffs. A big reason they're not making the playoffs is because a lot of the players are really underperforming, And a big reason a lot of the players are underperforming is because they're playing through injuries. 00:37:27 Speaker 2: It seems like, yeah. 00:37:29 Speaker 1: And when it happens again, then we're like, how does this keep happening? Did we not in my opinion, did we not learn our lesson from this? Is that really worth it playing through an injury If you're gonna be that bad. To me, that doesn't really make sense because Colt's current pace as a player, the way he was hitting with that injury is a negative war player. You're telling me you can't get like a replacement level player production a shortstop from someone else if he's gonna be that bad because of that injury. Like, at some point, we gotta do it for the good of the team. 00:38:07 Speaker 2: It's the Brian Kelly Lsu quote. We're sitting here again. We're sitting here again talking about the same things. Yeah, it's that. 00:38:18 Speaker 1: I know not everyone will be happy with that sentiment, but that's where we're at, guys. I just felt very frustrated watching another avoidable problem that the Mariners let fall right into their lap. Again. 00:38:33 Speaker 2: Look, they won a series in Houston. They didn't lose the series. There is some positives from this weekend, But I'd like to think TJ and I are usually pretty good about keeping things pretty real with people. And if you thought we were gonna come on here and say everything Sunshine and Roses after one series win against the team that's barely over five hundred, no it's not. There's still a lot of problems and there's still a lot of uphill battle of to go now with another player that might be done for the year, because the reporting is that there is a chance Colt is gonna need risk surgery and be done for the season. So there's Look, brock Rodden had a nice three games. If you had told a single Mariners fan at the start of twenty twenty six, the down the stretch, when you were in dire need of winning baseball games, you were gonna have brock Rodden starting at shortstop. No, No, I don't think anybody's signing up for that. 00:39:27 Speaker 1: No, I don't think so. 00:39:28 Speaker 2: No. 00:39:29 Speaker 1: Or Weston Wilson playing first. 00:39:31 Speaker 2: Yeah, Like it's the middle of August. Guys, you've got Weston Wilson starting, You've got brock Rodden in its short You've got a million guys that are banged up with injuries, and JP and Cal and Naylor and Taylor Ward apparently who's now been out like four games in a row. Like, by the way, your headline trade acquisition is also banged up with a thigh injury. He has not played well. Your quote unquote headline reliever, the only reliever you picked up at this trade deadline, has not been inspired. He's been fine at best, and that's your whole deadline. And then again you've got Colt now potentially done for the year. There's still a lot of problems. 00:40:11 Speaker 1: Life is a Mariners fan. 00:40:13 Speaker 2: Yeah, Brendan Donovan look good this weekend. You want one more positive to bookend this thing. He had a good weekend. 00:40:19 Speaker 1: He did more of that. Please, they really. 00:40:23 Speaker 2: Need it very very badly. I mean Donovan for the weekend, he was Yeah, he was one for five on Friday, then he had three hits on Saturday. And here on Sunday, I mean he was oh for four, but he had a walk. But what he did on Saturday to help him win that game, he did a lot. So, like you said, more of that, because if you get the Brendan Donovan that was injured, slash playing the way he was playing before this weekend yet again, is going to be very tough to get to where you want to go. 00:40:49 Speaker 1: And they just they've been through most of the season without any production from Brennan Donovan, so you can say it'll be a net ad to this lineup if you can get that kind of production. So please, please please, if they want to make the playoffs, having more Brendon Donovan would be a big help. 00:41:06 Speaker 2: Barry. All right, That just about wraps up this edition of the Marine Layer Podcast. You guys know the drill. If you want to listen to the full form podcast, you can do so wherever you get your audio pods, be sure to download. If you're listening, make sure to rate and review five stars. Whether you're on Apple or Spotify or wherever you're listening to your podcast. If you're on YouTube, just take a just take a second and go hit that subscribe button. If you're watching, you can find us at our website marine layerpod dot com. Podcast merch is all there, our episodes are there, our Patreon is all there again, that's marine layerpod dot com. And then find us everywhere across social media because we're on every platform. We're posting every single day at Marine Layer Pod. That's TJ. I'm Lyle. As always, we thank you guys for tuning in. We'll talk to you soon. Stististi