August 12, 2026 • 39 mins
Is it over? It feels like this Mariners team is done after last night’s loss… another disappointing offensive performance and more questionable bullpen choices were the headlines from the Mariners 4-1 loss to the Yankees. The math still allows for this team to make a run and get into the playoffs, but where does the spark come from and why can’t they find it? :30- Mariners Morning After Bryan Woo delivered a shutout performance in NY, a very welcome sight, but the offense couldn’t string anything together and managed just 1 run on 3 hits. :45- Hard Knocks episode 2 aired last night and we are fascinated by what we are able to see from this team. Mike MacDonald, Leonard Williams and Derick Hall are the stars of this show so far.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let the game's begin and now broadcasting live from the
city of Champion now World Champions Crystal Clear.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
FM stereo new stereomonic sounds.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
All right, stuff.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
The next four hours are brought to you by the
Julia Resort Casino Hotel.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Now we've got a long time.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
We're the action. Never stop? Are you writing this stuff? Something?
This is Chuck in the morning. Why you people are
beyond Let's go, Let's get the game off. Hey, great
(00:46):
morning to you. Welcome into the radio show on a
home day. It is Chuck Polin Ashley Ryan with you
Sports Radio ninety three point three kh A r f M,
and we do take you till ten o'clock today. We've
got all sorts of things to discuss on today's program,
and yeah, a lot of them. Great.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
I was gonna say we got all sorts huh yeah, all.
Speaker 5 (01:06):
Sorts of happy stuff.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
No, yeah, I wouldn't call it happy stuff.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
We're thrilled.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Maybe we could weave in some happy stuff at some point. Okay,
maybe we could sprinkle it. I don't know if I
have I don't have enough material for a weave. I
might have to sprinkle dust it.
Speaker 5 (01:24):
What about tears? We got room for tears.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Oh we do, we do. Yeah, yeah, the salty tears. Yeah,
we can taste each other's tears later on in the
program as well. Okay, gonna be that kind of day,
but we welcome you into the show. We do have
a lot to discuss here on today's program, and so
welcome in as we get things started here on a Wednesday.
(01:47):
And yeah, it does feel from you know, this is
kind of this is one of the tough I'm gonna
say this the good thing if there's a silver lining
about what I'm ready to discuss, as I have done
this before, and the team two different times has magically
turned the baseball season around like out of nowhere, like
(02:09):
just completely out of no like the moment I said this,
then the team absolutely reached down and found something magical
and went on a run. This has happened twice in
the last five years now. One time they didn't finish it. Yeah,
the other time they did. But yeah, it is Mariner's
(02:30):
funeral day today. That's what it feels like to me.
That team's not going to come back from this. And
they are now eight games under five hundred after losing
to the Yankees last night, a game that they were
leading one to nothing going into the sixth inning, but
once again, absolutely no offense from this baseball team. Once
(02:52):
again a manager that doesn't know what to do once
the starting pitcher is out of the game, and it
results in a one loss to the New York Yankees,
eight games under five hundred, four and a half games
out of first place, with another with two teams between
them and first place, four games out of the wild card.
(03:13):
There are only three teams in the American League right
now that are worse than the Seattle Mariners in the standings.
Only three, I mean, certainly not out of it completely.
The maths suggests that they could pull something out of
a hat and pull this thing off. But the baseball
team that we're watching, even the postgame comments, I mean,
(03:35):
I do appreciate Ashley, and you know, there's never ever
going to be a time where we don't like Slash
love cal Rawley, right, never going to be a time.
I mean, he's just such a good dude. And then
on top of it, he's given us phenomenal memories in
this city, yep. And he gave us what probably is
(03:56):
the greatest individual season in Mariners history, and a franchise
that had Griffy Junior in it. Cal Rawley authored the
greatest individual season in the history of the franchise last year.
But he's been awful to use his own words, and
last night I appreciate him going out there and meeting
(04:19):
the media head on, and it looks like, I mean,
he could have easily sat in his locker and did
the same three to five minute conversation and gave short,
cliched answers to questions. He went out, he met it
head on. He threw himself under the bus. But it
seems like a really strange time for the captain of
(04:40):
the team, and the manager still hasn't spoken this way.
On August twelfth, eight games under five hundred to have
an entire press conference with both New York and Seattle
media last night and say we got to start playing
with it with an edge. You got to start playing
(05:03):
with an edge. And he might not have said that specifically,
like in those terms, but that was the theme of
his press conference last night. That's what he went out
to tell the media. We got to just play with
an edge. We're not always playing with an edge. What
on earth? So what was the wake up call eight games?
(05:27):
Was it seven wasn't seven games under five hundred, Six
games under five hundred an All Star break in which
you were already being described as the most disappointing team
in baseball. And that's in a league where the New
York Mets have the second highest payroll in the sport
and are the worst team in the National League. And
yet national experts who had your back at the beginning
of the year and said you were going to win
(05:47):
the American League, at the All Star break and at
the trading deadline were describing you as the most disappointing
team in Major League Baseball. And now we're going to
create an edge. Now we're going to set that edge.
And maybe he didn't mean it that way, and maybe
he felt that way a long time ago, but that
seems like a strange time to waltz out in front
(06:09):
of a bunch of cameras and a bunch of reporters
who've been following you all year along some of them,
and announced that we've got to set an it, we
got to play with a greater edge going forward.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
Well wow, And I think I do think that this
team thought they were doing that, Like I think they've
had moments where they're like, yeah, we've got this, we're
playing with our edge, we're fighting for this, we want this.
But I think they were maybe going more through the
motions and maybe him coming out because he I mean,
he said that, but he also kind.
Speaker 5 (06:39):
Of called all of them out.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
He said, we we can't we got we gotta stop
finger pointing.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
I mean, it's not about who did this wrong or
who did that wrong.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
And so I want I don't know if it was
more of a public display to say like, yeah, we're
having these conversations and this is what's.
Speaker 5 (06:54):
Going on and we know we need to be better, or.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
If it was just finally his frustration kind of overflowing
in him.
Speaker 5 (07:01):
Saying saying like I want to say this out.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Loud, and I want to about himself.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Yeah, I want everyone to know that I know I'm
terrible right now.
Speaker 5 (07:10):
Awful was his word.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
And this team isn't playing how they're supposed to, and
we are we know that.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
It is a disappointment to everybody.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
And I mean, I I admired that he came out
there because yeah, as you said, he could have easily
just mumbled things in his locker and been like, I
don't know, we've got to be better, gotta try.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
We fought hard.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
I mean he could have, you know, kind of done
a Dan Wilson and just well it was a tough one. Yeah,
I mean even Dan Wilson was a little more irritated.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
I like it, but I'll say this, like it felt
like it felt like closing words to the season. It
felt like we don't have an answer. Yeah, we got
six weeks left to come up with an answer, and
we don't have an answer. And of course Dan Wilson's
typical tough one press conference afterwards. I don't you know,
(08:01):
if if fire is required, I don't think that they
have a match. I don't think I don't think that
they know where to pull that spark from. If it occurs,
it's going to come out from you know, the sky.
It's going to be a lightning bolt that jolts them
into action. It's not going to be anything that they
can generate themselves. That's how it felt to me. It
(08:24):
felt like a eulogy last night, more so than a
pep talk like this, this thing's dead. I'm sorry that
it's dead. I'm partly responsible for it being dead. I
take a lot of the blame for it. Being dead.
Maybe we can resurrect it, but if we do, we
got to play completely different than what we've been playing
(08:47):
as of late. And that it wasn't inspiring to me,
I can I can appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (08:52):
Oh and I don't think he was trying to be inspiring.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
He wasn't inspiring. It didn't feel like there. I didn't
see in his eye fight. I kind of saw in
his eye surrender. That's what I saw in that in
his press conference last night. And Dan Wilson just you know,
Just is gonna be him, gonna be him every single
second of every single day, including in games. Yeah, he's
(09:18):
gonna be nervous and fidgety and and then just vanilla.
That's what afterwards. He's just gonna be vanilla and not
give you anything. And so that's where you're at. And
that's why to me, like I mean, I've said this
week that I'm on the other side of the fence
for the first time. I don't think they're gonna be
able to pull this off. And that's very disappointing. Yeah,
(09:40):
it really is now. I really think it's over. It's done.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
I've gotten I tell you that every year, if we
are out of the playoffs. Mathematically out of the playoffs,
I still hold on to hope, like, well, something crazy
could happen. We could still end up. And I have
this like certain mentality where I'm like, I haven't fully
given up yet, even though I should have given because
there's no chance. That's kind of how I already feel,
even though we're not mathematically out of it. Oh, not
(10:05):
till we have a chance. But I have that same
kind of like I'm trying to will myself to still
believe that they could do something that kind of seems impossible.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Yeah, you're gonna have to just I mean, in the
last you've got to find a streak, you've got to
find some tear. Yeah, And that's that's I guess that's
my point. Yeah, certainly you've got plenty of time Mathematically
it comes back from this. But we've been waiting for
this team to play good baseball for four and a
half months, right, and it's not getting better. No, the
(10:35):
offense is getting worse. Yep, that's the worst picture you're
gonna face in this series. And he's pretty good, don't
get me wrong. Weather's is pretty good. Yeah, that's the
worst picture you're going to face. In these three games
and you got three hits off of him and then
with a one nothing lead, And I do blame just
I mean, I think you know what's coming. I mean,
we're going to talk about Dan's decision, but I do
(10:58):
blame the offense. I don't want anybody to get it.
That's the biggest problem. We can't hit right. And so
for all of the people that are worried that the
Mariners are going to have to fire a legend and
Dan Wilson, I got news for you, They're gonna have
to fire two legends because there's no way that this
offensive coaching staff can survive this season in the off season,
(11:19):
and that that legend, that sacred ground right there, Edgar Martinez.
But he can't. He can't stick around after a year
in which you ended up with one of the four
worst records in the American League with maybe the best
roster in the American League. Again, he can't survive that.
(11:40):
As much as I like Kevin Seizer, you know, for
all the Dan Wilson's so nice, Kevin Seitzer's nicer, He's
not gonna survive this. He's not going to and he's
got a much better track record as being a hitting
coach than Dan Wilson does as a manager. He can't
survive this.
Speaker 5 (11:53):
Yeah, Dan Wilson was never a manager before this.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Yeah, yeah, So I do blame the offense. And once
again it was the problem that you can only score
one run on three hits in the game last night,
and once you were down, I mean you could just
see the defeat once you fell behind by two runs
or more. This team's cooked. That's the way that they've
played pretty much all season long to this point. But
(12:17):
we do that does not excuse it. In matter of fact,
it highlights the importance of a manager when you can't
score runs and every single run is precious and you
know you're not going to put many runs on the
board from night tonight. You got to treat this thing like, man,
we've got to win this one. Nothing. And I get that.
Apparently gave Spires not available last night. How he's not available?
(12:40):
I mean, what did you do? Did you in you're
two days off of your suspension? Did you help a
neighbor move? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (12:46):
Hardcore, Parkore, I don't get it. Well, yeah, how is
he not available? But I guess he's not available. But
even though he's not available, this is the time of year,
this is the desperation you're in that you have to
break the mold of how you've been doing things for
the long term.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
You have to win that night. The only way to
create a streak is to win a game.
Speaker 5 (13:13):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
And Jose Ferrer has not been good as of late,
but last night he looked like he could strike out
the twelve Disciples like he looked like he was locked in.
And they have a lefty dominated lineup, which you know
doesn't take a talk show hos to do a Yankee
preview and tell you they have seven left handed hitters
(13:36):
in their lineup. So you don't have Gabe Spire, You've
got a horse in Ferrer. He's had two three days
off and I know he hasn't been good lately, but
when he's pitching great and you don't have another lefty
in the pen, you ride that horse. And if Aaron
Boone Pinch hits with a right handed hitter, then you
(13:57):
go to Domingez. Dominguez has been phenomenal this year against righty's.
That's when make make them. You dictate the terms. All
season long, he's let the other manager dictate what he's
gonna do. And so you just played right into Aaron
(14:18):
Boone's hands. He didn't have to pinch hit, he didn't
have to do anything. Oh my gosh, you're going to
your mop up guy in the sixth inning up one run,
thank you. Yeah. And I don't have to I don't
have to take my big lefties out of the lineup
at all. And I don't have to face that horse
who was mowing us down for sixteen pitches in the
last half inning. Let him go a couple if they
don't pinch hit now he goes in inning and two thirds?
(14:39):
Is that gonna kill Jose Ferrer. I'll say another thing.
I'll say this about Jerry and Justin Kate Anderson. If
you don't have Gabe Spiers got to be activated for
this series. You're facing a team with seven lefties in
their lineup. You've got a guy down in Double A
who is toying with minor league hitters and is not
(15:00):
getting challenged in any way. You know you're going to
bring him up at some point this season. Why wouldn't
it be now? Why wouldn't it be in this moment?
Is it not desperation time for the Mariners right? Why
wouldn't you bring in if you don't have another lefty
and you're getting ready for a road trip that is
(15:20):
going to determine whether or not you can save this season.
I mean, why are you this secret weapon that you've
been holding up with, holding up with this entire year.
I mean, it's like getting to the end of the
Avengers and Thanos finally gets the five Stones and then
he just leaves the glove on top of his car
(15:41):
as he's you know, and drives away and it rolls
off into the ditch. Like you have this secret weapon
and you're going to let the season get away before
you ever even use it. Why wouldn't you have used him?
And then let's get to Rucker. I don't get the infatuation.
(16:02):
And look, I'm not saying he doesn't have a spot
on a major league roster. Fine, he's been phenomenal in
mop up situations, not phenomenal, really good. You have to
have mop up guys and then you have leverage guys.
And Michael Rucker has proven to you statistically, I have
(16:23):
the data. He is nothing more than a mop up guy,
a good one. When he enters a game in the
last two months, when the team is out of it,
either they're up big or in most cases, down big.
He's had ten appearances with that ten and a third innings,
(16:43):
he's allowed three earned runs, and he's allowed ten hits
ten base runners. That's less than one base runner per inning. Yeah,
that's that's a mop up guy. Hey, eat some innings
for us so that we don't have to use our
best guys to try to get through this game tonight
that we know we've already won or we know we've
already lost. That's a mop up guy. That's what Michael
(17:05):
Rutger is what he is not. And I implore all
of you that keeps sending me messages about Rutger's numbers
have actually been pretty good. I beg you, I beg
you please look one layer deeper than the surface. I mean,
if you're going to start a fight, I got guns,
don't bring a knife. Michael Rutger in close games this
(17:30):
year in the last month and a half, six and
two thirds innings and seven appearances, eight runs allowed and
fourteen base runners. Now, three of those runs were unearned.
But let's not give Michael Rutcker too much credit there.
If you take away the unearned run, if just say runs.
(17:53):
He'd have an ERA of ten point eight zero in
close games, and he's allowed fourteen base runners and six
and two thirds innings when he's brought in in a
close game like that. Is not a high leverage guy,
and Dan Wilson has turned him into one. How do
you go to Michael Rucker? There? Again, it defies logic,
(18:19):
it defies statistics. That's not even analytics. You're not even
you're not even banking on your analytics at that point.
There is no way that Michael Rutgers the choice there
getting ready to face two left handed hitters after Brian
Wu comes out, stick with WU'SCA, you're down a guy.
Speaker 4 (18:38):
Well, and you're at the point of the season, right,
he is at ninety two pitches. Why wouldn't you put
him in and see if you can get out of
one more inning or two thirds of an inn? Yeah,
just something you gotta get twenty seven outs? Yeah, and
you you apparently were down a.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Guy, which you never told anybody about. And here's Brian
Wu on a roll after the thirty pitch first inning.
Speaker 5 (19:03):
Finally on a roll on the road.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Yes, if you're that desperate, see if you can steal
an out or two. Maybe you have a quick inning,
maybe and maybe you get to skip Rucker entirely. But nope.
Dan Wilson loves Michael Rutger. There's no getting around it.
He thinks he's great and the numbers suggest he's not.
(19:29):
And I'm sure they're simple.
Speaker 5 (19:30):
I'm sure he's a nice guy and he thinks he's
great because of that.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Yeah, yeah, exactly, But yeah, but that's just it. Nice guy.
I just keep hearing nice guy. Is that what we're doing?
We're just trying to run a nice guy organization here.
I don't know. Let's get some Let's get some ballers
in here. Let's got get guys that have already set
an edge. Let's get a manager who knows how to
set an edge. One hundred and twenty five games into
(19:58):
the season, and now we're going to start playing with
an edge. All right, Let's find out what's on tap?
May I have your attention?
Speaker 3 (20:08):
Please? This is What's on Tap? Brought to you by
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Speaker 2 (20:23):
Yankees win four to one over the Mariners last night,
fifty six and sixty four. The record now four and
a half games back of the Astros, four back in
the wildcard. In this I mentioned only three teams in
the American League with a worst record now than the
Seattle Mariners. And so tonight they'll play again four pm
at Yankee Stadium. Bryce Miller will go against Will Warren.
That is a battle of two right handers. First pitch
(20:46):
again at four to five Mariner morning after coming up
at six thirty. And of course we're gonna talk more
about this later on in the show. What should have
been our lead story was the Hard Knocks episode two,
where some interesting things came out about Terry and Arnold
and Nick, Eamon Worri and all sorts of culture. I mean,
it was just a show about highlighting, showcasing the culture
(21:10):
of this organization, which I found fascinating. I don't know
of other fans of other teams found it as fascinating,
but my goodness, that's what that episode was about yesterday,
and then the Terry and Arnold story at the very end,
we'll ask Greg Bell about it. At seven oh five,
it's game week for Seahawks. Training camp. We count down
(21:32):
the days till Saturday against the Dallas Cowboys at home,
and they'll kick that thing off f five o'clock NFL News.
Kobe Bryant, former Seahawk, now Chicago Bear, looks like he's
not even gonna play this year. He is out for
the season, or at least four to six months, which
likely puts his season in peril. And the Vikings named
Kyler Murray their starting quarterback. Didn't take them very long
(21:55):
to determine Murray is better than JJ McCarthy, so he'll start.
That says a lot, not just the naming of Murray,
but it says a lot about McCarthy that the competition
is already over. Ant Husky's camp continues as well, and
we're gonna spend a lot of time on that tomorrow.
Coming up next though, Mariner's Morning After the details of
last night's loss right here on Sports Radio ninety three
(22:17):
point three KJRFM.
Speaker 5 (22:19):
Yep, people have heard of it.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Yeah, people thought this was good at one point.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
I this was one of my favorite songs as a child.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
As a child, and then you grew up, right, But.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
Now I like it still because I'm like, oh man,
I remember just jitterbugging around. I don't think I was jitterbugging,
just dancing like a weirdo. Oh god and god, I
loved it.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
It's got a rank as the worst ever.
Speaker 4 (22:38):
The fact that you don't like it is what's gonna
fuel this team.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Oh sure, Oh yeah, I mean pitching, hitting, defense. No,
it's gonna be whether or not I really channel my
inner hatred for Jitterbug?
Speaker 5 (22:52):
Can I tell you something that this team has caused?
Speaker 4 (22:55):
By the way, I no longer, I've gotten rid of
all my superstitions.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
I think there's nothing I can do.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
You've exhausted, it's all done.
Speaker 4 (23:03):
I'm like, you know what, I finally realized, Chuck and
Bucker has nothing to do with me. I can't do anything.
And I almost didn't even want to play any music today.
That's what this team has done to me.
Speaker 5 (23:12):
They have killed me. Art is dead.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
We actually probably should have problem played the sound of silence,
not the song.
Speaker 5 (23:18):
No, just nothing, just nothing, That's what I feel in
my heart.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Introduced the segment, Well, it's Mariner's morning after. Good morning
to you if you're just now joining us. Yeah, it
does feel over. It does feel a little bit like
a Mariner's funeral here today after they lost again yesterday
at Yankee Stadium against the New York Yankees. It's not over.
(23:42):
I mean, mathematically, it's not even close to being over.
And the whole still remarkably is not all that great.
They've overcome, this organization, has overcome bigger deficits at this
point of the year, exceedingly greater deficits at this point
in the year. And yet the way the team is
playing offensively, they're not getting closer to the goal. They
(24:05):
seem to be getting further away with each night. And
Dan Wilson, in my estimation, and it feels like a
lot of others continues to make just really inane pitching
decisions when we can't afford We don't have any margin
for error because of the offense. And so Mariners had
(24:26):
a one nothing lead last night against the New York Yankees.
Brian wu actually pitched really well on the road. It
was a little rocky there in the very first inning
that he had to go thirty plus pitches, but he
did get out of it unscathed, did not allow a run,
and then got on a roll and shut out the
New York Yankees on the road. By the way, a
(24:48):
lefty dominating lineup, one that has been struggling as of late,
but so is Brian wu on the road. So with
a one nothing lead, a precious one nothing lead, and
despite Wu be being on a roll, and despite our
being desperate to win games still, Dan Wilson decided to
take him out of the game. He brits in Jose Ferrer,
(25:09):
who dominates the sixth, I mean dominates the six and
instead of keeping him in to phase two left handers
that were due to lead off the seventh inning for
the New York Yankees, he decided to take him out
as well, despite our place of desperation that we find
ourselves in. And then he brought in Michael Rucker, and
(25:31):
it's turned into a thing on social media with me
and Michael Rutger. So obviously I tweeted out, I cannot
believe what I'm seeing. And Michael Rucker takes the mound
against the lefty dominating lineup, and I know he seems
to have a little more success against the left handers
as a right hander than what you'd think, but he
(25:53):
has had zero success when coming into games where it's
tied or you're up or down one, and I'll get
to that in a moment. And sure enough, very first
battery faces doubles off the right field wall, next one
singles into right field. He does strike out the right
handed hitter that he faces. He walks Spencer Jones to
(26:15):
load the bases, and then he faces another lefty because
he's still in the game, by the way.
Speaker 4 (26:20):
Yeah, because why would we pull him when he's loaded
the bases.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Ryan McMahon comes to the dish Rucker behind in the count,
with the bases loaded in one away. Mariner's gripping to
a one nothing lead. Here comes brown ball through the
outside base at garcia Isism goes rounding third and he scores.
The Yankees take the lead of a seven uh. Five
(26:48):
batters face for Rucker. He allows four of them to
reach base. They all four score because Bizardo didn't exactly
come in and clean up his mess. Yankees took a
four to one lead at that point, and let's face it,
this team falls down to three runs and it's pretty
much Katie barred the door. Uh So, Yankees go on
to a four to one win, another flaccid offensive performance
(27:11):
and another questionable Dan Wilson pitching change. Here's Dan after
the game. Yeah, uh, you know, a tough one again tonight.
Speaker 7 (27:19):
You know, I thought Brian threw the ball very well,
you know again deserved a better faith and then he
had I think, you know, they put a lot of
pitches on him early. I think there were thirty something
foul balls, you know, with with Brian in there, they
put up some tough and some long at bats and
and ran his pitch count up. And then you know,
(27:39):
bopen not able to handle it tonight, and uh, offensively,
you know, just uh just a randy home run there.
I thought that was a really good piece of hitting
and you know, got a pitch that was up and
away from him and away from him and able to.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Drive it out of the ballpark.
Speaker 7 (27:53):
And and uh, you know, you know, as we've talked
about before, you know, you need to find.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
That consistency on offense. Then you can't well to start
of the booth end stuff after Perra and thank get Ryan,
I mean you had two more lefties coming up, and
you went to Brucker. Was Gabe not available to night
and gave was down tonight.
Speaker 7 (28:13):
He's you know, he had a little bit of backstness
and and uh hopefully we get him back tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
And and uh, you know.
Speaker 7 (28:19):
Wanted to get through that inning, and and uh, you know,
we would like the way Rock match up there with
with those lefties, and it's just, uh, you know, it
just didn't get to where we wanted it to get.
And and uh, you know it, we just weren't able
to to you know, to get through that inning and
and and keep them keep the game where of us.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Oh great, it just didn't get to where we wanted
it to get. So you mean, really wanting it to
work doesn't work.
Speaker 4 (28:47):
I promise from experience that doesn't. It doesn't work. It
doesn't help you. I really have wanted this for a
long time. Guys, it doesn't do anything. And it doesn't
matter if I really want it or if you really
want it, Dan.
Speaker 5 (29:00):
Doesn't matter.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Unbelievable. I would like to point out again, I don't
want to sit here and beat up on Michael Rutger.
He's doing his best out there. Seems like a nice
young man, but there's a reason why he's never really
stuck on a major league roster. He's not a high
leverage guy. He could have had a nice little span
of time being a mop up guy in this bullpen
(29:23):
that is down with injuries, but Dan and the organization
are putting him in these positions and he's failing. I
want to take that even in the next extra layer
deeper because I keep having thrown in my face that
he had a two point seven o ERA last month. Well,
I just pointed out in the last segment he has
a six point seven to five ERA in close games
(29:45):
down two or up two, perfect, and he's being put
in those positions. And that's with three I'm not counting
three runs one in extra innings where you get the
inherited runner and that scored immediately when he came in
the game. And then Brendan Donovan the other night, Yeah,
he makes an air and it ends up being three
underned runs or two underned runs for Rucker in that situation.
(30:08):
But he gave up three hits in the span of
four batters that inning as well. So he has a
six point seven to five ERA in close games over
the span of seven games, and he's allowed fourteen base
runners in those seven six and two thirds innings. Let's
take it even further in one run games, which was
(30:30):
the case last night, two and two thirds eight runs
allowed and eleven base runners. I mean, that's a twenty
seven era.
Speaker 5 (30:43):
That's not good.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
That's and that's over four games. That's a small sample
size in the big picture, But we are running out
of time to win games, and we're choosing somebody who
has shown no ability is a entire life to inherit
a close, a close one run game or a game
and be successful. His slash line this year is three
(31:05):
twenty one batting average against three seventy nine on base
five to twenty eight ops in late and close games
clutch stats. Try this one on for size. A seven
fifty batting average against within one run, as I just
(31:26):
pointed out, a six hundred on base percentage. And we're
using him repeatedly at the at a dire time in
our season to keep the game one nothing or two
to one.
Speaker 5 (31:46):
Just because Spire has a back issue.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
Yeah, and by the way, tough enough Spire. Well.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
I also wonder if he really had a back his
eye I do too, or if they're kind of punishing
him because he threw at somebody, or if they're just
didn't want if it's just an excuse as to why
he wasn't used.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Not punishing him. I do wonder if he was available,
but then after it went Yeah, they tried to save
their own ass maybe by saying that he wasn't available.
Speaker 4 (32:12):
Yeah, because that seems I mean, how did you get
a back issue when you were when you haven't played
in five days?
Speaker 2 (32:17):
Yeah, And if he does have a back issue, manage
it differently. Try to get an extra out or two
from Wu. Try to get an extra out or two
from Farrer.
Speaker 4 (32:25):
Yeah, because you should have, because you would have known
that going into the game that he was unavailable.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Yeah. I mean if it ends up that you got
two outs and nobody on base, and you know you
want to get Ferrer out and you want to bring
in Rutger to get out of get one out against
a like George Lombard Junior who's never faced him before. Okay,
there's a way, there's a way to weave him in,
sprinkle him in, but to put him in and maybe
(32:49):
the most important inning of the entire game and then
expect a different results and then leave him in. Yeah,
and then expect a different result.
Speaker 4 (33:01):
And then after he gives up the two runs, you're like, well,
now we should pull him. Oh, now you should pull him.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Okay, Cool, it's just terrible, just terrible, cool cool, cool,
all right tonight again, not over, but it does to
me feel over. I will say that Ashley's holding out hope,
and I hope Ashley's right.
Speaker 4 (33:19):
I hope I am too. But it's not like a
great feeling of holding out hope.
Speaker 5 (33:23):
It's like, come on, guys, please.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
Please, Yeah. Have you tried your socks inside out?
Speaker 4 (33:30):
Maybe I just haven't come up with the right combination. See,
now you're gonna and now I'm gonna do it.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
Have you tried to wrap your head in foil? No?
I have not done that yet.
Speaker 5 (33:39):
Maybe that's today.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
Yeah, I've tried wearing mariorn his clothes. I've tried not
wearing mirror in his clothes.
Speaker 5 (33:44):
I've tried.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
Have you tried shaving Bunker's head?
Speaker 3 (33:47):
No?
Speaker 5 (33:48):
I have not.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
Tapped into everything I do.
Speaker 5 (33:51):
Maybe I should put Bunker in his cal rawly jersey tonight.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
That'll be the trick Miller versus Warren a pair of
right handers. Tonight. That's your pitching matchup at four five.
All right, another big story today. Can't believe I'm waiting
this long to talk about it. Hard Knocks episode two
aired last night our reaction next on kJ R. But yeah,
he couldn't be coming off better, Like in terms of
(34:15):
culture building. That whole episode was about culture last night,
and I know a lot of people are coming off
with like this. Derek Hall's coming off as a bad teammate.
I don't see that at all. I think he has
a different type of motor. I think he's kind of
a bully on a playground type, but but the nice kind.
I just doesn't know his own strength and maybe runs
(34:38):
a little too hot. That's what That's what Dirty said
about him, you know, adding dirty that he's it's what
we love about him, and you know that will smooth
that over every single time. But Mike was right, stay
away from Sam. You're getting too close. We don't need
to see how great of a bull rusher you are.
And week two of practice.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
Well he did it right after if somebody had told
him to do something club, don't bowl, do something with
the club. I don't know this stuff, but yeah, and
then he went and then no, I was just meaning
the bowl in the club.
Speaker 5 (35:09):
I didn't understand. But and then he went and bull
rushed him right after that. It was like he just
told you not to do that.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
Yeah, so, I mean he should have been scolded, and
he was scolded, and then Mike make sure he circles
back around and tells him that he loves him and
loves him for some of the reasons that he was
scolding him for. Yeah, so I don't I haven't had
a problem. I mean, Derek Hall has the star of
Hard Knocks.
Speaker 4 (35:32):
That's the first thing I took in my notes last night.
Derek Hall is the star of the show, the good
and the bad.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
The camera cannot camera loves Derek Hall. I mean, it
has been about him for two episodes, and I don't
think he's come off, in my opinion negative at all. No.
I maybe a little silly, maybe a little careless, but
that's where Mike is, and that's where adding Dardan is
there to rain him back in.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
I think the only way he ends up coming off
bad is if in those moments then you see his
teammates on the sideline like, man, what is he doing?
But they're not, They're like, look, he's our little brother.
He's never out of brother. He's never out of older
brother's never had a little brother, and now he's experiencing
it all and he's learning and they clearly love it.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
Oh they love him. They absolutely are him. I'll tell
you who's coming off even better than Mike McDonald and
all of this. And I want to move in with him.
And I want to be raised as his baby's big brother. Okay,
Leonard Williams, Oh yeah, how great is Leonard?
Speaker 5 (36:31):
Will do some gardening with him.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
I want to garden with him. I want a shadow
box with him.
Speaker 5 (36:36):
When he was like, we need to find someone that
really likes salads, I was like, I do. I love salad.
I'll take your veggies.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Yeah, I love salad. I'm freshly grown salad. I'm a
little reluctant about some of the lettuce out there these days.
Safe I trust big cats lettuce, I'll tell you that much.
But I mean, he's just got a phenomenal relationship with
everybody in the building. A one time he's shadow boxing
with Jaron Reid, the veteran, and then the next thing
(37:03):
he's got Derek Hall. He's the big brother Derek Hall.
And then you hear Sam Darnold saying he is the
best guy you will ever meet, Like, Leonard Williams is
coming off great. I was. I mean, we were already
fans obviously, but my gosh, am I loving me some
big cat on hard knots.
Speaker 4 (37:20):
I know it was just and him and his family.
They're just too cute. And the shadow boxing thing. I
was getting a kick out of that. And then at
the end that my note was I still don't understand
shadow boxing.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
Yeah, I could not do it. I mean, you and
I could not. I'm not sure what the rules are.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
No.
Speaker 5 (37:32):
I was like, we're just supposed to go.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
Well, it's supposed to be if I move one way,
you should move that same way to counter my move.
That's the idea. No matter what move it is, like
Biron Murphy at one point just raised his hips up.
Whatever the move is, you have to make a move
that would get in the way of that move. It
doesn't matter if I just point in the direction and
(38:00):
if I'm going that way, then you have to point
that way.
Speaker 5 (38:02):
Yeah, you can't get I'd suck at it.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
Yeah, I would too. Rock paper scissor on steroids.
Speaker 5 (38:08):
I think is what I'll stick with scissors.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
That's fine, But yeah, I mean I think it was
an entertaining episode. I'm not sure anybody in any other
market would kind of see the culture to kind of get.
I mean, we already know the culture, we're invested in
the culture, but to get nitty gritty details of the
culture has been fascinating television for me for sure. And
(38:32):
then of course the episode ends with the Terry and
Arnold thing, and what we see revealed is that, Yeah,
John Schneider's trying to convince Mike McDonald that we should
be in on this. Yeah, and I don't think Mike
McDonald's buying it, that was my read. But John just
has this in him. I can get a potentially great
(38:54):
player for nothing right now. I can overlook his troubled.
Speaker 5 (38:59):
Past, overlook eight felonies.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Why can't anybody else in the room. But it looks
like they're already trying to figure out how do we
make this work without our fan base rebelling. So we'll
talk about that with Greg Bell at seven oh five.
We have headlines coming up next as well. Sports Radio
ninety three point three kh ARFM
Let the game's begin and now broadcasting live from the
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Speaker 2 (00:10):
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Speaker 1 (00:14):
All right, stuff.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
The next four hours are brought to you by the
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Speaker 1 (00:20):
Now we've got a long time.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
We're the action. Never stop? Are you writing this stuff? Something?
This is Chuck in the morning. Why you people are
beyond Let's go, Let's get the game off. Hey, great
(00:46):
morning to you. Welcome into the radio show on a
home day. It is Chuck Polin Ashley Ryan with you
Sports Radio ninety three point three kh A r f M,
and we do take you till ten o'clock today. We've
got all sorts of things to discuss on today's program,
and yeah, a lot of them. Great.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
I was gonna say we got all sorts huh yeah, all.
Speaker 5 (01:06):
Sorts of happy stuff.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
No, yeah, I wouldn't call it happy stuff.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
We're thrilled.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Maybe we could weave in some happy stuff at some point. Okay,
maybe we could sprinkle it. I don't know if I
have I don't have enough material for a weave. I
might have to sprinkle dust it.
Speaker 5 (01:24):
What about tears? We got room for tears.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Oh we do, we do. Yeah, yeah, the salty tears. Yeah,
we can taste each other's tears later on in the
program as well. Okay, gonna be that kind of day,
but we welcome you into the show. We do have
a lot to discuss here on today's program, and so
welcome in as we get things started here on a Wednesday.
(01:47):
And yeah, it does feel from you know, this is
kind of this is one of the tough I'm gonna
say this the good thing if there's a silver lining
about what I'm ready to discuss, as I have done
this before, and the team two different times has magically
turned the baseball season around like out of nowhere, like
(02:09):
just completely out of no like the moment I said this,
then the team absolutely reached down and found something magical
and went on a run. This has happened twice in
the last five years now. One time they didn't finish it. Yeah,
the other time they did. But yeah, it is Mariner's
(02:30):
funeral day today. That's what it feels like to me.
That team's not going to come back from this. And
they are now eight games under five hundred after losing
to the Yankees last night, a game that they were
leading one to nothing going into the sixth inning, but
once again, absolutely no offense from this baseball team. Once
(02:52):
again a manager that doesn't know what to do once
the starting pitcher is out of the game, and it
results in a one loss to the New York Yankees,
eight games under five hundred, four and a half games
out of first place, with another with two teams between
them and first place, four games out of the wild card.
(03:13):
There are only three teams in the American League right
now that are worse than the Seattle Mariners in the standings.
Only three, I mean, certainly not out of it completely.
The maths suggests that they could pull something out of
a hat and pull this thing off. But the baseball
team that we're watching, even the postgame comments, I mean,
(03:35):
I do appreciate Ashley, and you know, there's never ever
going to be a time where we don't like Slash
love cal Rawley, right, never going to be a time.
I mean, he's just such a good dude. And then
on top of it, he's given us phenomenal memories in
this city, yep. And he gave us what probably is
(03:56):
the greatest individual season in Mariners history, and a franchise
that had Griffy Junior in it. Cal Rawley authored the
greatest individual season in the history of the franchise last year.
But he's been awful to use his own words, and
last night I appreciate him going out there and meeting
(04:19):
the media head on, and it looks like, I mean,
he could have easily sat in his locker and did
the same three to five minute conversation and gave short,
cliched answers to questions. He went out, he met it
head on. He threw himself under the bus. But it
seems like a really strange time for the captain of
(04:40):
the team, and the manager still hasn't spoken this way.
On August twelfth, eight games under five hundred to have
an entire press conference with both New York and Seattle
media last night and say we got to start playing
with it with an edge. You got to start playing
(05:03):
with an edge. And he might not have said that specifically,
like in those terms, but that was the theme of
his press conference last night. That's what he went out
to tell the media. We got to just play with
an edge. We're not always playing with an edge. What
on earth? So what was the wake up call eight games?
(05:27):
Was it seven wasn't seven games under five hundred, Six
games under five hundred an All Star break in which
you were already being described as the most disappointing team
in baseball. And that's in a league where the New
York Mets have the second highest payroll in the sport
and are the worst team in the National League. And
yet national experts who had your back at the beginning
of the year and said you were going to win
(05:47):
the American League, at the All Star break and at
the trading deadline were describing you as the most disappointing
team in Major League Baseball. And now we're going to
create an edge. Now we're going to set that edge.
And maybe he didn't mean it that way, and maybe
he felt that way a long time ago, but that
seems like a strange time to waltz out in front
(06:09):
of a bunch of cameras and a bunch of reporters
who've been following you all year along some of them,
and announced that we've got to set an it, we
got to play with a greater edge going forward.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
Well wow, And I think I do think that this
team thought they were doing that, Like I think they've
had moments where they're like, yeah, we've got this, we're
playing with our edge, we're fighting for this, we want this.
But I think they were maybe going more through the
motions and maybe him coming out because he I mean,
he said that, but he also kind.
Speaker 5 (06:39):
Of called all of them out.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
He said, we we can't we got we gotta stop
finger pointing.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
I mean, it's not about who did this wrong or
who did that wrong.
Speaker 4 (06:46):
And so I want I don't know if it was
more of a public display to say like, yeah, we're
having these conversations and this is what's.
Speaker 5 (06:54):
Going on and we know we need to be better, or.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
If it was just finally his frustration kind of overflowing
in him.
Speaker 5 (07:01):
Saying saying like I want to say this out.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Loud, and I want to about himself.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Yeah, I want everyone to know that I know I'm
terrible right now.
Speaker 5 (07:10):
Awful was his word.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
And this team isn't playing how they're supposed to, and
we are we know that.
Speaker 5 (07:16):
It is a disappointment to everybody.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
And I mean, I I admired that he came out
there because yeah, as you said, he could have easily
just mumbled things in his locker and been like, I
don't know, we've got to be better, gotta try.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
We fought hard.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
I mean he could have, you know, kind of done
a Dan Wilson and just well it was a tough one. Yeah,
I mean even Dan Wilson was a little more irritated.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
I like it, but I'll say this, like it felt
like it felt like closing words to the season. It
felt like we don't have an answer. Yeah, we got
six weeks left to come up with an answer, and
we don't have an answer. And of course Dan Wilson's
typical tough one press conference afterwards. I don't you know,
(08:01):
if if fire is required, I don't think that they
have a match. I don't think I don't think that
they know where to pull that spark from. If it occurs,
it's going to come out from you know, the sky.
It's going to be a lightning bolt that jolts them
into action. It's not going to be anything that they
can generate themselves. That's how it felt to me. It
(08:24):
felt like a eulogy last night, more so than a
pep talk like this, this thing's dead. I'm sorry that
it's dead. I'm partly responsible for it being dead. I
take a lot of the blame for it. Being dead.
Maybe we can resurrect it, but if we do, we
got to play completely different than what we've been playing
(08:47):
as of late. And that it wasn't inspiring to me,
I can I can appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (08:52):
Oh and I don't think he was trying to be inspiring.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
He wasn't inspiring. It didn't feel like there. I didn't
see in his eye fight. I kind of saw in
his eye surrender. That's what I saw in that in
his press conference last night. And Dan Wilson just you know,
Just is gonna be him, gonna be him every single
second of every single day, including in games. Yeah, he's
(09:18):
gonna be nervous and fidgety and and then just vanilla.
That's what afterwards. He's just gonna be vanilla and not
give you anything. And so that's where you're at. And
that's why to me, like I mean, I've said this
week that I'm on the other side of the fence
for the first time. I don't think they're gonna be
able to pull this off. And that's very disappointing. Yeah,
(09:40):
it really is now. I really think it's over. It's done.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
I've gotten I tell you that every year, if we
are out of the playoffs. Mathematically out of the playoffs,
I still hold on to hope, like, well, something crazy
could happen. We could still end up. And I have
this like certain mentality where I'm like, I haven't fully
given up yet, even though I should have given because
there's no chance. That's kind of how I already feel,
even though we're not mathematically out of it. Oh, not
(10:05):
till we have a chance. But I have that same
kind of like I'm trying to will myself to still
believe that they could do something that kind of seems impossible.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Yeah, you're gonna have to just I mean, in the
last you've got to find a streak, you've got to
find some tear. Yeah, And that's that's I guess that's
my point. Yeah, certainly you've got plenty of time Mathematically
it comes back from this. But we've been waiting for
this team to play good baseball for four and a
half months, right, and it's not getting better. No, the
(10:35):
offense is getting worse. Yep, that's the worst picture you're
gonna face in this series. And he's pretty good, don't
get me wrong. Weather's is pretty good. Yeah, that's the
worst picture you're going to face. In these three games
and you got three hits off of him and then
with a one nothing lead, And I do blame just
I mean, I think you know what's coming. I mean,
we're going to talk about Dan's decision, but I do
(10:58):
blame the offense. I don't want anybody to get it.
That's the biggest problem. We can't hit right. And so
for all of the people that are worried that the
Mariners are going to have to fire a legend and
Dan Wilson, I got news for you, They're gonna have
to fire two legends because there's no way that this
offensive coaching staff can survive this season in the off season,
(11:19):
and that that legend, that sacred ground right there, Edgar Martinez.
But he can't. He can't stick around after a year
in which you ended up with one of the four
worst records in the American League with maybe the best
roster in the American League. Again, he can't survive that.
(11:40):
As much as I like Kevin Seizer, you know, for
all the Dan Wilson's so nice, Kevin Seitzer's nicer, He's
not gonna survive this. He's not going to and he's
got a much better track record as being a hitting
coach than Dan Wilson does as a manager. He can't
survive this.
Speaker 5 (11:53):
Yeah, Dan Wilson was never a manager before this.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Yeah, yeah, So I do blame the offense. And once
again it was the problem that you can only score
one run on three hits in the game last night,
and once you were down, I mean you could just
see the defeat once you fell behind by two runs
or more. This team's cooked. That's the way that they've
played pretty much all season long to this point. But
(12:17):
we do that does not excuse it. In matter of fact,
it highlights the importance of a manager when you can't
score runs and every single run is precious and you
know you're not going to put many runs on the
board from night tonight. You got to treat this thing like, man,
we've got to win this one. Nothing. And I get that.
Apparently gave Spires not available last night. How he's not available?
(12:40):
I mean, what did you do? Did you in you're
two days off of your suspension? Did you help a
neighbor move? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (12:46):
Hardcore, Parkore, I don't get it. Well, yeah, how is
he not available? But I guess he's not available. But
even though he's not available, this is the time of year,
this is the desperation you're in that you have to
break the mold of how you've been doing things for
the long term.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
You have to win that night. The only way to
create a streak is to win a game.
Speaker 5 (13:13):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
And Jose Ferrer has not been good as of late,
but last night he looked like he could strike out
the twelve Disciples like he looked like he was locked in.
And they have a lefty dominated lineup, which you know
doesn't take a talk show hos to do a Yankee
preview and tell you they have seven left handed hitters
(13:36):
in their lineup. So you don't have Gabe Spire, You've
got a horse in Ferrer. He's had two three days
off and I know he hasn't been good lately, but
when he's pitching great and you don't have another lefty
in the pen, you ride that horse. And if Aaron
Boone Pinch hits with a right handed hitter, then you
(13:57):
go to Domingez. Dominguez has been phenomenal this year against righty's.
That's when make make them. You dictate the terms. All
season long, he's let the other manager dictate what he's
gonna do. And so you just played right into Aaron
(14:18):
Boone's hands. He didn't have to pinch hit, he didn't
have to do anything. Oh my gosh, you're going to
your mop up guy in the sixth inning up one run,
thank you. Yeah. And I don't have to I don't
have to take my big lefties out of the lineup
at all. And I don't have to face that horse
who was mowing us down for sixteen pitches in the
last half inning. Let him go a couple if they
don't pinch hit now he goes in inning and two thirds?
(14:39):
Is that gonna kill Jose Ferrer. I'll say another thing.
I'll say this about Jerry and Justin Kate Anderson. If
you don't have Gabe Spiers got to be activated for
this series. You're facing a team with seven lefties in
their lineup. You've got a guy down in Double A
who is toying with minor league hitters and is not
(15:00):
getting challenged in any way. You know you're going to
bring him up at some point this season. Why wouldn't
it be now? Why wouldn't it be in this moment?
Is it not desperation time for the Mariners right? Why
wouldn't you bring in if you don't have another lefty
and you're getting ready for a road trip that is
(15:20):
going to determine whether or not you can save this season.
I mean, why are you this secret weapon that you've
been holding up with, holding up with this entire year.
I mean, it's like getting to the end of the
Avengers and Thanos finally gets the five Stones and then
he just leaves the glove on top of his car
(15:41):
as he's you know, and drives away and it rolls
off into the ditch. Like you have this secret weapon
and you're going to let the season get away before
you ever even use it. Why wouldn't you have used him?
And then let's get to Rucker. I don't get the infatuation.
(16:02):
And look, I'm not saying he doesn't have a spot
on a major league roster. Fine, he's been phenomenal in
mop up situations, not phenomenal, really good. You have to
have mop up guys and then you have leverage guys.
And Michael Rucker has proven to you statistically, I have
(16:23):
the data. He is nothing more than a mop up guy,
a good one. When he enters a game in the
last two months, when the team is out of it,
either they're up big or in most cases, down big.
He's had ten appearances with that ten and a third innings,
(16:43):
he's allowed three earned runs, and he's allowed ten hits
ten base runners. That's less than one base runner per inning. Yeah,
that's that's a mop up guy. Hey, eat some innings
for us so that we don't have to use our
best guys to try to get through this game tonight
that we know we've already won or we know we've
already lost. That's a mop up guy. That's what Michael
(17:05):
Rutger is what he is not. And I implore all
of you that keeps sending me messages about Rutger's numbers
have actually been pretty good. I beg you, I beg
you please look one layer deeper than the surface. I mean,
if you're going to start a fight, I got guns,
don't bring a knife. Michael Rutger in close games this
(17:30):
year in the last month and a half, six and
two thirds innings and seven appearances, eight runs allowed and
fourteen base runners. Now, three of those runs were unearned.
But let's not give Michael Rutcker too much credit there.
If you take away the unearned run, if just say runs.
(17:53):
He'd have an ERA of ten point eight zero in
close games, and he's allowed fourteen base runners and six
and two thirds innings when he's brought in in a
close game like that. Is not a high leverage guy,
and Dan Wilson has turned him into one. How do
you go to Michael Rucker? There? Again, it defies logic,
(18:19):
it defies statistics. That's not even analytics. You're not even
you're not even banking on your analytics at that point.
There is no way that Michael Rutgers the choice there
getting ready to face two left handed hitters after Brian
Wu comes out, stick with WU'SCA, you're down a guy.
Speaker 4 (18:38):
Well, and you're at the point of the season, right,
he is at ninety two pitches. Why wouldn't you put
him in and see if you can get out of
one more inning or two thirds of an inn? Yeah,
just something you gotta get twenty seven outs? Yeah, and
you you apparently were down a.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Guy, which you never told anybody about. And here's Brian
Wu on a roll after the thirty pitch first inning.
Speaker 5 (19:03):
Finally on a roll on the road.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Yes, if you're that desperate, see if you can steal
an out or two. Maybe you have a quick inning,
maybe and maybe you get to skip Rucker entirely. But nope.
Dan Wilson loves Michael Rutger. There's no getting around it.
He thinks he's great and the numbers suggest he's not.
(19:29):
And I'm sure they're simple.
Speaker 5 (19:30):
I'm sure he's a nice guy and he thinks he's
great because of that.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Yeah, yeah, exactly, But yeah, but that's just it. Nice guy.
I just keep hearing nice guy. Is that what we're doing?
We're just trying to run a nice guy organization here.
I don't know. Let's get some Let's get some ballers
in here. Let's got get guys that have already set
an edge. Let's get a manager who knows how to
set an edge. One hundred and twenty five games into
(19:58):
the season, and now we're going to start playing with
an edge. All right, Let's find out what's on tap?
May I have your attention?
Speaker 3 (20:08):
Please? This is What's on Tap? Brought to you by
Emerald Queen Casino, bringing you the best in live music, entertainment, dining,
in gaming. Emerald Queen Casino, always Entertaining. For more info,
visit Emerald Queen dot com.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Yankees win four to one over the Mariners last night,
fifty six and sixty four. The record now four and
a half games back of the Astros, four back in
the wildcard. In this I mentioned only three teams in
the American League with a worst record now than the
Seattle Mariners. And so tonight they'll play again four pm
at Yankee Stadium. Bryce Miller will go against Will Warren.
That is a battle of two right handers. First pitch
(20:46):
again at four to five Mariner morning after coming up
at six thirty. And of course we're gonna talk more
about this later on in the show. What should have
been our lead story was the Hard Knocks episode two,
where some interesting things came out about Terry and Arnold
and Nick, Eamon Worri and all sorts of culture. I mean,
it was just a show about highlighting, showcasing the culture
(21:10):
of this organization, which I found fascinating. I don't know
of other fans of other teams found it as fascinating,
but my goodness, that's what that episode was about yesterday,
and then the Terry and Arnold story at the very end,
we'll ask Greg Bell about it. At seven oh five,
it's game week for Seahawks. Training camp. We count down
(21:32):
the days till Saturday against the Dallas Cowboys at home,
and they'll kick that thing off f five o'clock NFL News.
Kobe Bryant, former Seahawk, now Chicago Bear, looks like he's
not even gonna play this year. He is out for
the season, or at least four to six months, which
likely puts his season in peril. And the Vikings named
Kyler Murray their starting quarterback. Didn't take them very long
(21:55):
to determine Murray is better than JJ McCarthy, so he'll start.
That says a lot, not just the naming of Murray,
but it says a lot about McCarthy that the competition
is already over. Ant Husky's camp continues as well, and
we're gonna spend a lot of time on that tomorrow.
Coming up next though, Mariner's Morning After the details of
last night's loss right here on Sports Radio ninety three
(22:17):
point three KJRFM.
Speaker 5 (22:19):
Yep, people have heard of it.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Yeah, people thought this was good at one point.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
I this was one of my favorite songs as a child.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
As a child, and then you grew up, right, But.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
Now I like it still because I'm like, oh man,
I remember just jitterbugging around. I don't think I was jitterbugging,
just dancing like a weirdo. Oh god and god, I
loved it.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
It's got a rank as the worst ever.
Speaker 4 (22:38):
The fact that you don't like it is what's gonna
fuel this team.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Oh sure, Oh yeah, I mean pitching, hitting, defense. No,
it's gonna be whether or not I really channel my
inner hatred for Jitterbug?
Speaker 5 (22:52):
Can I tell you something that this team has caused?
Speaker 4 (22:55):
By the way, I no longer, I've gotten rid of
all my superstitions.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
I think there's nothing I can do.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
You've exhausted, it's all done.
Speaker 4 (23:03):
I'm like, you know what, I finally realized, Chuck and
Bucker has nothing to do with me. I can't do anything.
And I almost didn't even want to play any music today.
That's what this team has done to me.
Speaker 5 (23:12):
They have killed me. Art is dead.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
We actually probably should have problem played the sound of silence,
not the song.
Speaker 5 (23:18):
No, just nothing, just nothing, That's what I feel in
my heart.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Introduced the segment, Well, it's Mariner's morning after. Good morning
to you if you're just now joining us. Yeah, it
does feel over. It does feel a little bit like
a Mariner's funeral here today after they lost again yesterday
at Yankee Stadium against the New York Yankees. It's not over.
(23:42):
I mean, mathematically, it's not even close to being over.
And the whole still remarkably is not all that great.
They've overcome, this organization, has overcome bigger deficits at this
point of the year, exceedingly greater deficits at this point
in the year. And yet the way the team is
playing offensively, they're not getting closer to the goal. They
(24:05):
seem to be getting further away with each night. And
Dan Wilson, in my estimation, and it feels like a
lot of others continues to make just really inane pitching
decisions when we can't afford We don't have any margin
for error because of the offense. And so Mariners had
(24:26):
a one nothing lead last night against the New York Yankees.
Brian wu actually pitched really well on the road. It
was a little rocky there in the very first inning
that he had to go thirty plus pitches, but he
did get out of it unscathed, did not allow a run,
and then got on a roll and shut out the
New York Yankees on the road. By the way, a
(24:48):
lefty dominating lineup, one that has been struggling as of late,
but so is Brian wu on the road. So with
a one nothing lead, a precious one nothing lead, and
despite Wu be being on a roll, and despite our
being desperate to win games still, Dan Wilson decided to
take him out of the game. He brits in Jose Ferrer,
(25:09):
who dominates the sixth, I mean dominates the six and
instead of keeping him in to phase two left handers
that were due to lead off the seventh inning for
the New York Yankees, he decided to take him out
as well, despite our place of desperation that we find
ourselves in. And then he brought in Michael Rucker, and
(25:31):
it's turned into a thing on social media with me
and Michael Rutger. So obviously I tweeted out, I cannot
believe what I'm seeing. And Michael Rucker takes the mound
against the lefty dominating lineup, and I know he seems
to have a little more success against the left handers
as a right hander than what you'd think, but he
(25:53):
has had zero success when coming into games where it's
tied or you're up or down one, and I'll get
to that in a moment. And sure enough, very first
battery faces doubles off the right field wall, next one
singles into right field. He does strike out the right
handed hitter that he faces. He walks Spencer Jones to
(26:15):
load the bases, and then he faces another lefty because
he's still in the game, by the way.
Speaker 4 (26:20):
Yeah, because why would we pull him when he's loaded
the bases.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Ryan McMahon comes to the dish Rucker behind in the count,
with the bases loaded in one away. Mariner's gripping to
a one nothing lead. Here comes brown ball through the
outside base at garcia Isism goes rounding third and he scores.
The Yankees take the lead of a seven uh. Five
(26:48):
batters face for Rucker. He allows four of them to
reach base. They all four score because Bizardo didn't exactly
come in and clean up his mess. Yankees took a
four to one lead at that point, and let's face it,
this team falls down to three runs and it's pretty
much Katie barred the door. Uh So, Yankees go on
to a four to one win, another flaccid offensive performance
(27:11):
and another questionable Dan Wilson pitching change. Here's Dan after
the game. Yeah, uh, you know, a tough one again tonight.
Speaker 7 (27:19):
You know, I thought Brian threw the ball very well,
you know again deserved a better faith and then he
had I think, you know, they put a lot of
pitches on him early. I think there were thirty something
foul balls, you know, with with Brian in there, they
put up some tough and some long at bats and
and ran his pitch count up. And then you know,
(27:39):
bopen not able to handle it tonight, and uh, offensively,
you know, just uh just a randy home run there.
I thought that was a really good piece of hitting
and you know, got a pitch that was up and
away from him and away from him and able to.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
Drive it out of the ballpark.
Speaker 7 (27:53):
And and uh, you know, you know, as we've talked
about before, you know, you need to find.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
That consistency on offense. Then you can't well to start
of the booth end stuff after Perra and thank get Ryan,
I mean you had two more lefties coming up, and
you went to Brucker. Was Gabe not available to night
and gave was down tonight.
Speaker 7 (28:13):
He's you know, he had a little bit of backstness
and and uh hopefully we get him back tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
And and uh, you know.
Speaker 7 (28:19):
Wanted to get through that inning, and and uh, you know,
we would like the way Rock match up there with
with those lefties, and it's just, uh, you know, it
just didn't get to where we wanted it to get.
And and uh, you know it, we just weren't able
to to you know, to get through that inning and
and and keep them keep the game where of us.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Oh great, it just didn't get to where we wanted
it to get. So you mean, really wanting it to
work doesn't work.
Speaker 4 (28:47):
I promise from experience that doesn't. It doesn't work. It
doesn't help you. I really have wanted this for a
long time. Guys, it doesn't do anything. And it doesn't
matter if I really want it or if you really
want it, Dan.
Speaker 5 (29:00):
Doesn't matter.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Unbelievable. I would like to point out again, I don't
want to sit here and beat up on Michael Rutger.
He's doing his best out there. Seems like a nice
young man, but there's a reason why he's never really
stuck on a major league roster. He's not a high
leverage guy. He could have had a nice little span
of time being a mop up guy in this bullpen
(29:23):
that is down with injuries, but Dan and the organization
are putting him in these positions and he's failing. I
want to take that even in the next extra layer
deeper because I keep having thrown in my face that
he had a two point seven o ERA last month. Well,
I just pointed out in the last segment he has
a six point seven to five ERA in close games
(29:45):
down two or up two, perfect, and he's being put
in those positions. And that's with three I'm not counting
three runs one in extra innings where you get the
inherited runner and that scored immediately when he came in
the game. And then Brendan Donovan the other night, Yeah,
he makes an air and it ends up being three
underned runs or two underned runs for Rucker in that situation.
(30:08):
But he gave up three hits in the span of
four batters that inning as well. So he has a
six point seven to five ERA in close games over
the span of seven games, and he's allowed fourteen base
runners in those seven six and two thirds innings. Let's
take it even further in one run games, which was
(30:30):
the case last night, two and two thirds eight runs
allowed and eleven base runners. I mean, that's a twenty
seven era.
Speaker 5 (30:43):
That's not good.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
That's and that's over four games. That's a small sample
size in the big picture, But we are running out
of time to win games, and we're choosing somebody who
has shown no ability is a entire life to inherit
a close, a close one run game or a game
and be successful. His slash line this year is three
(31:05):
twenty one batting average against three seventy nine on base
five to twenty eight ops in late and close games
clutch stats. Try this one on for size. A seven
fifty batting average against within one run, as I just
(31:26):
pointed out, a six hundred on base percentage. And we're
using him repeatedly at the at a dire time in
our season to keep the game one nothing or two
to one.
Speaker 5 (31:46):
Just because Spire has a back issue.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
Yeah, and by the way, tough enough Spire. Well.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
I also wonder if he really had a back his
eye I do too, or if they're kind of punishing
him because he threw at somebody, or if they're just
didn't want if it's just an excuse as to why
he wasn't used.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Not punishing him. I do wonder if he was available,
but then after it went Yeah, they tried to save
their own ass maybe by saying that he wasn't available.
Speaker 4 (32:12):
Yeah, because that seems I mean, how did you get
a back issue when you were when you haven't played
in five days?
Speaker 2 (32:17):
Yeah, And if he does have a back issue, manage
it differently. Try to get an extra out or two
from Wu. Try to get an extra out or two
from Farrer.
Speaker 4 (32:25):
Yeah, because you should have, because you would have known
that going into the game that he was unavailable.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Yeah. I mean if it ends up that you got
two outs and nobody on base, and you know you
want to get Ferrer out and you want to bring
in Rutger to get out of get one out against
a like George Lombard Junior who's never faced him before. Okay,
there's a way, there's a way to weave him in,
sprinkle him in, but to put him in and maybe
(32:49):
the most important inning of the entire game and then
expect a different results and then leave him in. Yeah,
and then expect a different result.
Speaker 4 (33:01):
And then after he gives up the two runs, you're like, well,
now we should pull him. Oh, now you should pull him.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
Okay, Cool, it's just terrible, just terrible, cool cool, cool,
all right tonight again, not over, but it does to
me feel over. I will say that Ashley's holding out hope,
and I hope Ashley's right.
Speaker 4 (33:19):
I hope I am too. But it's not like a
great feeling of holding out hope.
Speaker 5 (33:23):
It's like, come on, guys, please.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
Please, Yeah. Have you tried your socks inside out?
Speaker 4 (33:30):
Maybe I just haven't come up with the right combination. See,
now you're gonna and now I'm gonna do it.
Speaker 2 (33:35):
Have you tried to wrap your head in foil? No?
I have not done that yet.
Speaker 5 (33:39):
Maybe that's today.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
Yeah, I've tried wearing mariorn his clothes. I've tried not
wearing mirror in his clothes.
Speaker 5 (33:44):
I've tried.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
Have you tried shaving Bunker's head?
Speaker 3 (33:47):
No?
Speaker 5 (33:48):
I have not.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
Tapped into everything I do.
Speaker 5 (33:51):
Maybe I should put Bunker in his cal rawly jersey tonight.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
That'll be the trick Miller versus Warren a pair of
right handers. Tonight. That's your pitching matchup at four five.
All right, another big story today. Can't believe I'm waiting
this long to talk about it. Hard Knocks episode two
aired last night our reaction next on kJ R. But yeah,
he couldn't be coming off better, Like in terms of
(34:15):
culture building. That whole episode was about culture last night,
and I know a lot of people are coming off
with like this. Derek Hall's coming off as a bad teammate.
I don't see that at all. I think he has
a different type of motor. I think he's kind of
a bully on a playground type, but but the nice kind.
I just doesn't know his own strength and maybe runs
(34:38):
a little too hot. That's what That's what Dirty said
about him, you know, adding dirty that he's it's what
we love about him, and you know that will smooth
that over every single time. But Mike was right, stay
away from Sam. You're getting too close. We don't need
to see how great of a bull rusher you are.
And week two of practice.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
Well he did it right after if somebody had told
him to do something club, don't bowl, do something with
the club. I don't know this stuff, but yeah, and
then he went and then no, I was just meaning
the bowl in the club.
Speaker 5 (35:09):
I didn't understand. But and then he went and bull
rushed him right after that. It was like he just
told you not to do that.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
Yeah, so, I mean he should have been scolded, and
he was scolded, and then Mike make sure he circles
back around and tells him that he loves him and
loves him for some of the reasons that he was
scolding him for. Yeah, so I don't I haven't had
a problem. I mean, Derek Hall has the star of
Hard Knocks.
Speaker 4 (35:32):
That's the first thing I took in my notes last night.
Derek Hall is the star of the show, the good
and the bad.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
The camera cannot camera loves Derek Hall. I mean, it
has been about him for two episodes, and I don't
think he's come off, in my opinion negative at all. No.
I maybe a little silly, maybe a little careless, but
that's where Mike is, and that's where adding Dardan is
there to rain him back in.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
I think the only way he ends up coming off
bad is if in those moments then you see his
teammates on the sideline like, man, what is he doing?
But they're not, They're like, look, he's our little brother.
He's never out of brother. He's never out of older
brother's never had a little brother, and now he's experiencing
it all and he's learning and they clearly love it.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
Oh they love him. They absolutely are him. I'll tell
you who's coming off even better than Mike McDonald and
all of this. And I want to move in with him.
And I want to be raised as his baby's big brother. Okay,
Leonard Williams, Oh yeah, how great is Leonard?
Speaker 5 (36:31):
Will do some gardening with him.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
I want to garden with him. I want a shadow
box with him.
Speaker 5 (36:36):
When he was like, we need to find someone that
really likes salads, I was like, I do. I love salad.
I'll take your veggies.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Yeah, I love salad. I'm freshly grown salad. I'm a
little reluctant about some of the lettuce out there these days.
Safe I trust big cats lettuce, I'll tell you that much.
But I mean, he's just got a phenomenal relationship with
everybody in the building. A one time he's shadow boxing
with Jaron Reid, the veteran, and then the next thing
(37:03):
he's got Derek Hall. He's the big brother Derek Hall.
And then you hear Sam Darnold saying he is the
best guy you will ever meet, Like, Leonard Williams is
coming off great. I was. I mean, we were already
fans obviously, but my gosh, am I loving me some
big cat on hard knots.
Speaker 4 (37:20):
I know it was just and him and his family.
They're just too cute. And the shadow boxing thing. I
was getting a kick out of that. And then at
the end that my note was I still don't understand
shadow boxing.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
Yeah, I could not do it. I mean, you and
I could not. I'm not sure what the rules are.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
No.
Speaker 5 (37:32):
I was like, we're just supposed to go.
Speaker 2 (37:38):
Well, it's supposed to be if I move one way,
you should move that same way to counter my move.
That's the idea. No matter what move it is, like
Biron Murphy at one point just raised his hips up.
Whatever the move is, you have to make a move
that would get in the way of that move. It
doesn't matter if I just point in the direction and
(38:00):
if I'm going that way, then you have to point
that way.
Speaker 5 (38:02):
Yeah, you can't get I'd suck at it.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
Yeah, I would too. Rock paper scissor on steroids.
Speaker 5 (38:08):
I think is what I'll stick with scissors.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
That's fine, But yeah, I mean I think it was
an entertaining episode. I'm not sure anybody in any other
market would kind of see the culture to kind of get.
I mean, we already know the culture, we're invested in
the culture, but to get nitty gritty details of the
culture has been fascinating television for me for sure. And
(38:32):
then of course the episode ends with the Terry and
Arnold thing, and what we see revealed is that, Yeah,
John Schneider's trying to convince Mike McDonald that we should
be in on this. Yeah, and I don't think Mike
McDonald's buying it, that was my read. But John just
has this in him. I can get a potentially great
(38:54):
player for nothing right now. I can overlook his troubled.
Speaker 5 (38:59):
Past, overlook eight felonies.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Why can't anybody else in the room. But it looks
like they're already trying to figure out how do we
make this work without our fan base rebelling. So we'll
talk about that with Greg Bell at seven oh five.
We have headlines coming up next as well. Sports Radio
ninety three point three kh ARFM
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Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.