May 29, 2025 • 18 mins
Former Mariners pitcher and analyst Bill Krueger joins Dick Fain and Hugh Millen to talk about George Kirby getting lit up by the Nationals yesterday, Logan Evans’ success and the decision to send him down, what the rotation will look like and a rest-of-year outlook.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's time for our weekly conversation with Bill Kruger, brought
to you by the brand new Occidental Hall next to
Lumenfield On Occidental, Seattle's newest hot spot for sports fans,
with massive HD screens and a menu packed with Seattle's
best smash burger wings and the best local craft beers
in town. Now with Bill Krueger, here's Saftie and Dick. Ah.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yes, love talking baseball with the crafty left hander.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
He joins us right now. Brought to you by Occidental Hall.
Bill Krueger, Hi, Bill, how are you?
Speaker 4 (00:33):
I'm good, Dick. It's great to be on with you.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Good to be on beautiful day. It was a beautiful
night last night.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
It was my first foray of the year into te
Mobile Park and boyle boy, did I watch us stinker
on both sides.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Of the ball. But you know, let's talk about George Kirby.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Everybody was gonna wonder how he's gonna look in his
first home start and boil boy, there was a lot
over the plate last night. Maybe compare what you saw
from Georgie and start number one on the road versus
what you saw last night.
Speaker 5 (01:06):
Well, he looks like George. He has the same you know,
beautiful delivery and nice cadence and repeatability, but he just
isn't quite there yet. And I don't think people really
understand what it takes to get ready to pitch in
a big league game or get ready for a big
league season. Yes, I thought his fastball was down a
(01:27):
tick and he threw a lot of breaking stuff. The
Nationals were vulnerable against the breaking ball. We saw what
Logan Evans did to him, carved him up with all
breaking balls, but George's breaking ball didn't have the same
bite on him, whether it was the curveball, the slider,
or the split. As fastball wasn't winning at the top line,
and he didn't throw a lot of sinking fastballs. He
stayed in the middle of the plate, and they hit
(01:48):
him around. Hit three solo shots off him, six runs
at five innings. Not something we're used to seeing for George.
George has been pretty much he's been elite since he's
been in the big leagues. So to see him get
hit twice around, you have to say to yourself. The
two questions would be, is there something wrong with him?
I don't think there is. I think he's still building
arm strength, and the real missnomer is that he missed
(02:10):
all of spring training and you really need to redo
spring training before you start the season. And I don't
think they've given him that opportunity. Baseball, and I'm not
gonna blame the Bears. Baseball in general tends to let
starting pitchers rehabilitate in the big leagues.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
I don't get that at all. That makes no sense.
Are we you know how many pitches does he have today?
What are we talking about?
Speaker 5 (02:32):
You should come to the big leagues ready to pitch
seven eights and pitch to win, period, None of this.
I'm rehabbing my way. You know where you rehab in
the minor leagues. He needed two more turns in the
minor leagues playing and simple let's go back and re
re engineer and look back at how many guys, how
many times guys throwing the in spring training before they
pitching the.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Game, not giving him enough time to get ready.
Speaker 5 (02:56):
And he needs to go through He's going through a
cycle too, because in spring training you'll go along and
then you'll hit a little dip and then you'll come
back out of it.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
That's just how it works. That's how your arm builds. Up.
Speaker 5 (03:07):
I just didn't think that he was anywhere near ray
to pitch in the big leagues, and they're just so
anxious to get him there that it just isn't doing
him justice or in my opinion, doing the team's justice.
Speaker 6 (03:18):
Bill Corueger with us Bill, you know, it strikes me
as is interesting, maybe noteworthy. You'll you'll tell me how
rare it is. But of course the starting five win healthy,
the healthy mariners. They're all right handers. The number six
and number Hancock and and Evans are right handers. And
(03:39):
and so you as a lefty are used to seeing
you know, more of the of the opposite gout. You
know you're seeing used to seeing right handers. But Kirby
had to face a lineup of all lefties, all nine
of them. How much do you think that played a
factor in that? And just in terms of of the
(04:01):
mistakes he was making, and he's thrown to all lefties.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
Yeah, I mean, George wins with his fastball, whether it's
at the top line or sinking the ball. His other
pitches are really relatively average, and his control is elite,
and when he has to lean on breaking balls to
get people out, which he did last night, and facing
an all left handed lineup, And what I've seen from him,
without getting into all the minutia, what's happened in baseball,
(04:29):
is when two years ago they took the rover out
of right center, right the second basement had to be
on the dirt. So then once they did that, even
though they're still shifting the game, we still see the
short stop standing behind second, and I swear those guys
moved before the balls hit. You know, I don't even
know the shift still exists. But when you took the
rover away, that brought left ten hitting back because it
(04:52):
was becoming a right hand hitting game. Really, the left
handers were being disadvantaged. Now you're seeing it level out.
Teams are showing a lot more left hand hit, and
that's an advantage. It's always been an advantage. So I
think that was a challenge for him. I think when
he started to throw the split that right at the
time he started to throw more splits. He had, i
(05:13):
in my opinion, what was becoming his best breaking ball,
which was his curveball. But as soon as he went
to the split, he kind of got trapped into I
throw a curveball, do I throw a split? Which one
do I throw, and to left handers in particular, and
I think it's water down his curveball. It's hard to
throw slider and curveball, and then when you're trapped with
(05:33):
what's my outpitch? And he doesn't really his outpitch his fastball,
but he's got an assortment of other breaking balls. I
think he needs to fine tune his breaking stuff. Clearly,
the split finger didn't do much. He doesn't have as
good a one as Miller or as Gilbert's. I think
he'd be better off throwing a fastball, a circle type
change fastball that comes off his fastball. That'd be a
(05:55):
better pitch for him and put more emphasis on his
breaking pitches. But this is all stemming from the fact
that I don't want to reiterate what I already said
about him. I think he's special, I think he's talented.
I think that h's a slap in the face to
get beat around a couple of times. I don't think
he expected that, and it just goes to show you
(06:15):
that if you're not really physically up to it, you're
going to get hit around.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Logan Evans did the exact opposite of getting hit around.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
He gave up one mistake and that was it.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
What was the most impressive thing about what you saw
from et youngsters.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
He's very comfortable in his own skin. He can go
out and say, I have such great touch on my
breaking pitches. And he's got a wide assortment of him slider, sweeper, curveball,
and he throws a change up and he sinks it
and he throws a force but he's only throwing like
fifteen to twenty percent fastballs. He pitches around his fastball.
And the Nationals are not, you know, they're a typical
(06:54):
young team geared up to hit the fastball. Think they're
going to get the fastball. Even though the memo might
be the guys all throwing all breaking balls, They're like, well,
I'm going to get the fastball.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
Well you're not.
Speaker 5 (07:05):
Not from him, and he just handled him. He's got
kind of a Maddox like kind of a delivery, and
he had Maddox like command. He is a lead at
getting early contact and moving the line along which I love.
I think he's got a ways to go. I think
he's got to get his fastball usage up. I mean
he's got to get up in the thirty four percent
and he's got the good enough arms, and I'm not
(07:25):
trying to nitpick at him because he's pitched brilliantly, but
for his staying power. When he faces veteran teams, they're
going to take the fast ball away and they're going
to hang out of the plate and he's not going
to be able to just throw a breaking ball after
breaking ball and get everybody out. But I think there's
a lot to like about him, a lot. In fact,
it's a real injustice that he's going down down to
Triple A. And I understand there's a numbers game involved, sure,
(07:47):
and we're bringing elite pitchers back, but I'll tell you
something else. Sometimes maybe a pitcher that takes himself out
for maybe a minor injury, maybe he needs to learn
a lesson that you know, somebody steps in and pitches, Well,
maybe you've got to go down into the minor leagues
and pitch a little bit more. Because we don't want
to have the same situation we just saw with George Kirby.
(08:09):
We need to have you come in and write it
at six to seven ages. If you're not ready to
do that, you need to stay in the minor leagues
and let this get keep pitching.
Speaker 6 (08:17):
Well, I look at Logan Evans and I'm almost conditioned
Bill seeing all these You know, if I see a
six' four right hander as a prospective starter in this,
league The potos proved it over and over again that
he's got a hell of an eye for, that and
SO i get really excited About Logan, evans particularly what
(08:39):
the last EFFORT i. Saw kind of amplify your. Thoughts
you touched on the fact that he went down to
triple TRIPLE. A for those of us who need to be,
initiated tell us the logic from The mariners. Standpoint you
sound like you disagree with, that but just kind of
touch on the decisions that's been Involving evans over the
last couple of.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
Days, WELL i think they they have a lead pitching
that gets their spot. Back they're not gonna Get wally.
Picked Logan gilbert And Bryce miller are not gonna Get
Wally pitt. Right but the, lesson and there's such a
lesson because at the end of the, day you want
your best pitchers pitch and if they're, healthy but if
(09:19):
you're feeling a little bit of, tightness maybe it's hot.
Stuff And i'll leave you, KNOW i don't, know because
you have to go back to square one and we
have to walk you through the steps every day you,
miss it's two days to get back and then you
have to build your stuff. Up you got through all these,
steps and they sound. Impatient i'm, Fine i'm, ready give
me the, ball let me. Pitch i'm. Fine i'm just
(09:41):
getting my work in. Now it's, like, wow that's a
fast recovery for. Me IF i go down for the,
Count i'm down for the. Count, okay you got to
drag me off the. Field i'm really, hurt, Right And
i'm not saying they're not. Hurt in, fact they're probably
smarter THAN i. Was but you, know you have to start.
Again when you're pitching like, that and you have to
go through the, steps and you got throw a long,
tossing and you gotta throw the, hitters and you gotta
(10:02):
throw the. Bullpen then you got to go to TRIPLE.
A and you can't go to TRIPLE a and, go,
hey that's two innies for. Me i'm good to. Go,
no that's not good. Enough you need to go to
the lineup for or four. Time you need to pitch
deep in the. Game you gotta. Be you can pitch
seven in the minor, leagues you can pitch five.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
In the big.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
Leagues SO i just didn't.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
Think in, Theory i'd rather see guys really get their
work in and really get ready in the minor leagues
so they're ready to pitch in the big, leagues not. Rehabbing,
Okay so if this kid gets a chance to pitch
one more, time that's. Good and maybe there's a, little
slight little lesson being taught that, Said, hey this is
what happens when you get. Hurt you got to you
gotta take a step or two. Back we can't just
(10:38):
turn you around and throw you back in there because
you feel.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Good our Weekly, Conversation Bill, krueger brought to you By Occidental.
Hall So, bill put YOUR gm hat. On then we've
got seven starting. Pitchers we've got a few days off
between now And june the, eighteenth and then no days
off for seventeen consecutive. Days so how would you organize
the starting pitching rotation with those seven? Guys and then
(11:04):
also When Luke rayley comes back to which it sounds
like very very.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
Soon who's the odd man? Out? Offensively When Luke raley comes.
Speaker 4 (11:11):
Back, well to start with the.
Speaker 5 (11:14):
PITCHING i think WHAT i probably do IS i probably
Take Emerson, hancock AND i put him on the big league,
roster AND i figure out how to give him opportunities
like he'd he'd be standing, since of.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
Course our pitchers aren't going to be right to pitch
more than four.
Speaker 5 (11:30):
Innings he's going to be right to pitch that day
When Bryce miller Or Logan gilbert take them, out because,
gosh we're not going to get them ready to pitch seven,
innings right to the whole. Reacting SO i would Keep
emerson in the in the in the big, leagues and you,
know he's got a good. Arm in, fact it might
even he might even be he might show you even
a better arm when he's pitching in shorter.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
Bursts he's a strike, thrower he's got good. Stuff it's.
Confident you, know he's hungry to stay in the big.
Leagues put him in the big. Leagues let him pitch
in the.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
Middle you, know we're always kind about not having enough,
pitch and this guy could pitch the, lineup you, know
on any, day and use.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
Him like every three.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
Days they did that with Pit niro back in the
day when he wasn't quite didn't quite have a, spot
and they let him pitch stretches like that and eventually
became a very good starter for this.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
Team SO i think you Put evans back In TRIPLE
a and.
Speaker 5 (12:20):
Let him, pitch keep doing what he's, Doing maybe encourage
him to work on his fastball command so he can
throw it, more because he got ninety three ninety. Four
if he uses that a little bit, more then he's
gonna really have the hitters. Compromise i'm not saying it
Because i'm. Critical i'm saying that throwing more fast he's
gonna be. Tougher AND i think you Put hancock in
the big leagues and you can figure out how to
use him adroitly around those starts Where miller And joebert
(12:43):
aren't quite ready to go full tilt as far as.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
You'd like to see him.
Speaker 5 (12:47):
Go and then maybe he'll end up liking him. There
kid wants to he wants to be in the big.
Leagues so and, then and THEN i Put evans into. Play,
now as far As raley's, concerned you, know really's a
big player in eighteen homers last year at a good second.
Half you, know he comes to play the left hand,
hitter it's probably gonna be we're a little bit long
suited at second. Base that's probably where they. Go that's
(13:08):
probably where they.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
Go they'll. Be they'll Be. Revos Probably boss is a good.
Job you, know the endfield is.
Speaker 5 (13:14):
Interesting it's Interesting master For bonie's got a lot of
grit and he's a good player and could play him
in spots and he can move around the, field just
Like Dylan moore And reeboss has played really. Well it
probably was taken out of the lineup when he was
really going. Good but you, know it's a tough juggle
because they Want. Williamson if they're going to be in
the big, Leagues williamson has to play every. Day you
don't bring prospects up to stand on the. Bench and
(13:36):
he's done a nice. Job but you, know you can
kind of say to, yourself if we're offensively challenged And
Dylan moore was one of our best hitters the first
two months and now he can't get in the, lineup
then you have to think about that little, harder don't,
You BECAUSE i think If Dylan moore played every day
at third, base he could really play the. Position when
he bounces. Around he's not as good as he could
be if he was at one. Spot and you've already
Got Master boney that can move around the, field, Right
(13:58):
SO i don't know that's to think about. IT i Like,
WILLIAMSON i like, him but he's not a great offensive.
Player Dylan moore's got offense and he can run the
bases and do some. STUFF i think you have to
think of a lot harder About Dylan moore because he
did not get in the lineup. Right he's just gonna
play against left handed, pitching and that's it because that's.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
The only time he gets in. Now he And Master
boney split.
Speaker 5 (14:19):
Second he's one of our best players the first two, months,
Right so these are things for them to.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Ponder ready comes back. In he's gonna play the.
Speaker 5 (14:27):
OUTFIELD i, mean they've Given traveris the job and he switched, its,
Right so what happens Now rady plays and then you
Know treveris plays against left handed. Pitching it's gonna be
interesting because they've Given taveras the. Job and that's what's
caused a lot of pressure on the on The Dylan
moore scene because he can't get on the. Field so
(14:47):
But rady's gonna be the he's gonna be on the.
Team he's gonna he's gonna play in the. Corner, uh you,
know so they're gonna have to mix and. Match you,
know they give you good be able to give A
Rose arena a day off And grady can play left
and you, know you get play, right and you know.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
They're going to mix them. In they're going to mix them.
In so it's going to be reboss in my, opinion
it's going to.
Speaker 6 (15:06):
Go my last question For Bill, Krueger, BILLY i just
we probably just got a minute on, this but we
just passed the fifty four game, mark, Right so that's
the third, poll DON'T i don't know if they use that.
Term and horse race AND i guess it's like the
first period after a hockey. Game but we've seen enough
of this team for you to form some. Opinions and
(15:27):
we were arguing yesterday what The World series odds should
be for The. Mariners like where are you in terms
of evaluating compared to what you thought going into the
season or early in the. Season just kind of give
your update about how bullish are you about the prospects
of this team Come, September October.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
November, WELL i like.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
THEM i think they're going to be it to the.
END i think they've got they should have playoff. ASPIRATIONS
i think they're going to be. There what we've seen
is the division is and his. Good there's probably the
weakest division in The American. LEAGUE i don't know any
alias said we could argue the potentials of this. League
but because The angels are really down The. Astros i'll
(16:12):
tell you what, though the last TIME i just saw The,
ASTROS i came away with a little different. OPINION i
mean they've watered down their. Offense they Lose, bregmant they
Lose Kyle. Tucker those are great, players, Right But paradis
has come in and hit eleven and drove in thirty.
One and he's not the, defender but he can. Hit
and the Kids smith Dam, smith he's a nice young.
Player puts the ball in plate and run like the.
(16:34):
Wind so and then a bullpen's. Better they got like
three lefties in the. Pad they never had any left
end of. PITCHING i think The astros are a little
better than we. Think And varga And albarez didn't play
the big donkey. McCovey he didn't, Play so they're better
THAN i thought they. Were the age have tripped and.
FALLEN i thought they were pretty good when we saw,
(16:55):
him AND i think that The rangers are going to
scuffle to the. End they don't have enough pitching and
their offense seems to be, overrated and The angels are not.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
Good so they're in a good.
Speaker 5 (17:03):
Position they're in a good position to they're in the
position to win the division and their pitching gets started.
Out varcas has been a huge addition to that. Bullpen
they got another guy down there right that can match
which With crash he's. Got he's got got the same
kind of electric, stuff and that really gives them four
guys at the, end which is really. Good we saw
(17:24):
the kid last, Night. Koar he's through the ball pretty.
Good we'll have to wait and see what he's gonna look,
like uh in in tighter.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
Situations but, uh their their pen looks a little bit. Better.
Speaker 5 (17:34):
Yeah are they gonna look for a batcher would they
when they won a third base?
Speaker 4 (17:38):
Bat?
Speaker 5 (17:38):
Yeah probably maybe first a bat a bat, somewhere and
then maybe a left handed. Relief BUT i like. HIM
i think they're gonna be. THERE i think they're they're
a team that's gonna be into the end and make the.
Playoff they get the, playoff they get the, playoffs they
get they got frontline. Pitching if it's, right they're gonna
be a problem for.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
People great, Stuff, bill look forward to talking to you next.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Week my, pleasure, Guys thanks for having.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
Thanks Man Bill.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
KRUEGER a weekly conversation On, thursdays brought to you By
Occidental hall And. Hugh we've got some good. News Mark
grace called. Back so we are two for, two two
for two in OUR eqc note giving away one hundred
dollars every hour On. Thursdays so we will give away
another name at near the top of the hour here
on ninety three point THREE kjrfm
It's time for our weekly conversation with Bill Kruger, brought
to you by the brand new Occidental Hall next to
Lumenfield On Occidental, Seattle's newest hot spot for sports fans,
with massive HD screens and a menu packed with Seattle's
best smash burger wings and the best local craft beers
in town. Now with Bill Krueger, here's Saftie and Dick. Ah.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yes, love talking baseball with the crafty left hander.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
He joins us right now. Brought to you by Occidental Hall.
Bill Krueger, Hi, Bill, how are you?
Speaker 4 (00:33):
I'm good, Dick. It's great to be on with you.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Good to be on beautiful day. It was a beautiful
night last night.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
It was my first foray of the year into te
Mobile Park and boyle boy, did I watch us stinker
on both sides.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Of the ball. But you know, let's talk about George Kirby.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Everybody was gonna wonder how he's gonna look in his
first home start and boil boy, there was a lot
over the plate last night. Maybe compare what you saw
from Georgie and start number one on the road versus
what you saw last night.
Speaker 5 (01:06):
Well, he looks like George. He has the same you know,
beautiful delivery and nice cadence and repeatability, but he just
isn't quite there yet. And I don't think people really
understand what it takes to get ready to pitch in
a big league game or get ready for a big
league season. Yes, I thought his fastball was down a
(01:27):
tick and he threw a lot of breaking stuff. The
Nationals were vulnerable against the breaking ball. We saw what
Logan Evans did to him, carved him up with all
breaking balls, but George's breaking ball didn't have the same
bite on him, whether it was the curveball, the slider,
or the split. As fastball wasn't winning at the top line,
and he didn't throw a lot of sinking fastballs. He
stayed in the middle of the plate, and they hit
(01:48):
him around. Hit three solo shots off him, six runs
at five innings. Not something we're used to seeing for George.
George has been pretty much he's been elite since he's
been in the big leagues. So to see him get
hit twice around, you have to say to yourself. The
two questions would be, is there something wrong with him?
I don't think there is. I think he's still building
arm strength, and the real missnomer is that he missed
(02:10):
all of spring training and you really need to redo
spring training before you start the season. And I don't
think they've given him that opportunity. Baseball, and I'm not
gonna blame the Bears. Baseball in general tends to let
starting pitchers rehabilitate in the big leagues.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
I don't get that at all. That makes no sense.
Are we you know how many pitches does he have today?
What are we talking about?
Speaker 5 (02:32):
You should come to the big leagues ready to pitch
seven eights and pitch to win, period, None of this.
I'm rehabbing my way. You know where you rehab in
the minor leagues. He needed two more turns in the
minor leagues playing and simple let's go back and re
re engineer and look back at how many guys, how
many times guys throwing the in spring training before they
pitching the.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Game, not giving him enough time to get ready.
Speaker 5 (02:56):
And he needs to go through He's going through a
cycle too, because in spring training you'll go along and
then you'll hit a little dip and then you'll come
back out of it.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
That's just how it works. That's how your arm builds. Up.
Speaker 5 (03:07):
I just didn't think that he was anywhere near ray
to pitch in the big leagues, and they're just so
anxious to get him there that it just isn't doing
him justice or in my opinion, doing the team's justice.
Speaker 6 (03:18):
Bill Corueger with us Bill, you know, it strikes me
as is interesting, maybe noteworthy. You'll you'll tell me how
rare it is. But of course the starting five win healthy,
the healthy mariners. They're all right handers. The number six
and number Hancock and and Evans are right handers. And
(03:39):
and so you as a lefty are used to seeing
you know, more of the of the opposite gout. You
know you're seeing used to seeing right handers. But Kirby
had to face a lineup of all lefties, all nine
of them. How much do you think that played a
factor in that? And just in terms of of the
(04:01):
mistakes he was making, and he's thrown to all lefties.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
Yeah, I mean, George wins with his fastball, whether it's
at the top line or sinking the ball. His other
pitches are really relatively average, and his control is elite,
and when he has to lean on breaking balls to
get people out, which he did last night, and facing
an all left handed lineup, And what I've seen from him,
without getting into all the minutia, what's happened in baseball,
(04:29):
is when two years ago they took the rover out
of right center, right the second basement had to be
on the dirt. So then once they did that, even
though they're still shifting the game, we still see the
short stop standing behind second, and I swear those guys
moved before the balls hit. You know, I don't even
know the shift still exists. But when you took the
rover away, that brought left ten hitting back because it
(04:52):
was becoming a right hand hitting game. Really, the left
handers were being disadvantaged. Now you're seeing it level out.
Teams are showing a lot more left hand hit, and
that's an advantage. It's always been an advantage. So I
think that was a challenge for him. I think when
he started to throw the split that right at the
time he started to throw more splits. He had, i
(05:13):
in my opinion, what was becoming his best breaking ball,
which was his curveball. But as soon as he went
to the split, he kind of got trapped into I
throw a curveball, do I throw a split? Which one
do I throw, and to left handers in particular, and
I think it's water down his curveball. It's hard to
throw slider and curveball, and then when you're trapped with
(05:33):
what's my outpitch? And he doesn't really his outpitch his fastball,
but he's got an assortment of other breaking balls. I
think he needs to fine tune his breaking stuff. Clearly,
the split finger didn't do much. He doesn't have as
good a one as Miller or as Gilbert's. I think
he'd be better off throwing a fastball, a circle type
change fastball that comes off his fastball. That'd be a
(05:55):
better pitch for him and put more emphasis on his
breaking pitches. But this is all stemming from the fact
that I don't want to reiterate what I already said
about him. I think he's special, I think he's talented.
I think that h's a slap in the face to
get beat around a couple of times. I don't think
he expected that, and it just goes to show you
(06:15):
that if you're not really physically up to it, you're
going to get hit around.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Logan Evans did the exact opposite of getting hit around.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
He gave up one mistake and that was it.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
What was the most impressive thing about what you saw
from et youngsters.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
He's very comfortable in his own skin. He can go
out and say, I have such great touch on my
breaking pitches. And he's got a wide assortment of him slider, sweeper, curveball,
and he throws a change up and he sinks it
and he throws a force but he's only throwing like
fifteen to twenty percent fastballs. He pitches around his fastball.
And the Nationals are not, you know, they're a typical
(06:54):
young team geared up to hit the fastball. Think they're
going to get the fastball. Even though the memo might
be the guys all throwing all breaking balls, They're like, well,
I'm going to get the fastball.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
Well you're not.
Speaker 5 (07:05):
Not from him, and he just handled him. He's got
kind of a Maddox like kind of a delivery, and
he had Maddox like command. He is a lead at
getting early contact and moving the line along which I love.
I think he's got a ways to go. I think
he's got to get his fastball usage up. I mean
he's got to get up in the thirty four percent
and he's got the good enough arms, and I'm not
(07:25):
trying to nitpick at him because he's pitched brilliantly, but
for his staying power. When he faces veteran teams, they're
going to take the fast ball away and they're going
to hang out of the plate and he's not going
to be able to just throw a breaking ball after
breaking ball and get everybody out. But I think there's
a lot to like about him, a lot. In fact,
it's a real injustice that he's going down down to
Triple A. And I understand there's a numbers game involved, sure,
(07:47):
and we're bringing elite pitchers back, but I'll tell you
something else. Sometimes maybe a pitcher that takes himself out
for maybe a minor injury, maybe he needs to learn
a lesson that you know, somebody steps in and pitches, Well,
maybe you've got to go down into the minor leagues
and pitch a little bit more. Because we don't want
to have the same situation we just saw with George Kirby.
(08:09):
We need to have you come in and write it
at six to seven ages. If you're not ready to
do that, you need to stay in the minor leagues
and let this get keep pitching.
Speaker 6 (08:17):
Well, I look at Logan Evans and I'm almost conditioned
Bill seeing all these You know, if I see a
six' four right hander as a prospective starter in this,
league The potos proved it over and over again that
he's got a hell of an eye for, that and
SO i get really excited About Logan, evans particularly what
(08:39):
the last EFFORT i. Saw kind of amplify your. Thoughts
you touched on the fact that he went down to
triple TRIPLE. A for those of us who need to be,
initiated tell us the logic from The mariners. Standpoint you
sound like you disagree with, that but just kind of
touch on the decisions that's been Involving evans over the
last couple of.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
Days, WELL i think they they have a lead pitching
that gets their spot. Back they're not gonna Get wally.
Picked Logan gilbert And Bryce miller are not gonna Get
Wally pitt. Right but the, lesson and there's such a
lesson because at the end of the, day you want
your best pitchers pitch and if they're, healthy but if
(09:19):
you're feeling a little bit of, tightness maybe it's hot.
Stuff And i'll leave you, KNOW i don't, know because
you have to go back to square one and we
have to walk you through the steps every day you,
miss it's two days to get back and then you
have to build your stuff. Up you got through all these,
steps and they sound. Impatient i'm, Fine i'm, ready give
me the, ball let me. Pitch i'm. Fine i'm just
(09:41):
getting my work in. Now it's, like, wow that's a
fast recovery for. Me IF i go down for the,
Count i'm down for the. Count, okay you got to
drag me off the. Field i'm really, hurt, Right And
i'm not saying they're not. Hurt in, fact they're probably
smarter THAN i. Was but you, know you have to start.
Again when you're pitching like, that and you have to
go through the, steps and you got throw a long,
tossing and you gotta throw the, hitters and you gotta
(10:02):
throw the. Bullpen then you got to go to TRIPLE.
A and you can't go to TRIPLE a and, go,
hey that's two innies for. Me i'm good to. Go,
no that's not good. Enough you need to go to
the lineup for or four. Time you need to pitch
deep in the. Game you gotta. Be you can pitch
seven in the minor, leagues you can pitch five.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
In the big.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
Leagues SO i just didn't.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
Think in, Theory i'd rather see guys really get their
work in and really get ready in the minor leagues
so they're ready to pitch in the big, leagues not. Rehabbing,
Okay so if this kid gets a chance to pitch
one more, time that's. Good and maybe there's a, little
slight little lesson being taught that, Said, hey this is
what happens when you get. Hurt you got to you
gotta take a step or two. Back we can't just
(10:38):
turn you around and throw you back in there because
you feel.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Good our Weekly, Conversation Bill, krueger brought to you By Occidental.
Hall So, bill put YOUR gm hat. On then we've
got seven starting. Pitchers we've got a few days off
between now And june the, eighteenth and then no days
off for seventeen consecutive. Days so how would you organize
the starting pitching rotation with those seven? Guys and then
(11:04):
also When Luke rayley comes back to which it sounds
like very very.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
Soon who's the odd man? Out? Offensively When Luke raley comes.
Speaker 4 (11:11):
Back, well to start with the.
Speaker 5 (11:14):
PITCHING i think WHAT i probably do IS i probably
Take Emerson, hancock AND i put him on the big league,
roster AND i figure out how to give him opportunities
like he'd he'd be standing, since of.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
Course our pitchers aren't going to be right to pitch
more than four.
Speaker 5 (11:30):
Innings he's going to be right to pitch that day
When Bryce miller Or Logan gilbert take them, out because,
gosh we're not going to get them ready to pitch seven,
innings right to the whole. Reacting SO i would Keep
emerson in the in the in the big, leagues and you,
know he's got a good. Arm in, fact it might
even he might even be he might show you even
a better arm when he's pitching in shorter.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
Bursts he's a strike, thrower he's got good. Stuff it's.
Confident you, know he's hungry to stay in the big.
Leagues put him in the big. Leagues let him pitch
in the.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
Middle you, know we're always kind about not having enough,
pitch and this guy could pitch the, lineup you, know
on any, day and use.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
Him like every three.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
Days they did that with Pit niro back in the
day when he wasn't quite didn't quite have a, spot
and they let him pitch stretches like that and eventually
became a very good starter for this.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
Team SO i think you Put evans back In TRIPLE
a and.
Speaker 5 (12:20):
Let him, pitch keep doing what he's, Doing maybe encourage
him to work on his fastball command so he can
throw it, more because he got ninety three ninety. Four
if he uses that a little bit, more then he's
gonna really have the hitters. Compromise i'm not saying it
Because i'm. Critical i'm saying that throwing more fast he's
gonna be. Tougher AND i think you Put hancock in
the big leagues and you can figure out how to
use him adroitly around those starts Where miller And joebert
(12:43):
aren't quite ready to go full tilt as far as.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
You'd like to see him.
Speaker 5 (12:47):
Go and then maybe he'll end up liking him. There
kid wants to he wants to be in the big.
Leagues so and, then and THEN i Put evans into. Play,
now as far As raley's, concerned you, know really's a
big player in eighteen homers last year at a good second.
Half you, know he comes to play the left hand,
hitter it's probably gonna be we're a little bit long
suited at second. Base that's probably where they. Go that's
(13:08):
probably where they.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
Go they'll. Be they'll Be. Revos Probably boss is a good.
Job you, know the endfield is.
Speaker 5 (13:14):
Interesting it's Interesting master For bonie's got a lot of
grit and he's a good player and could play him
in spots and he can move around the, field just
Like Dylan moore And reeboss has played really. Well it
probably was taken out of the lineup when he was
really going. Good but you, know it's a tough juggle
because they Want. Williamson if they're going to be in
the big, Leagues williamson has to play every. Day you
don't bring prospects up to stand on the. Bench and
(13:36):
he's done a nice. Job but you, know you can
kind of say to, yourself if we're offensively challenged And
Dylan moore was one of our best hitters the first
two months and now he can't get in the, lineup
then you have to think about that little, harder don't,
You BECAUSE i think If Dylan moore played every day
at third, base he could really play the. Position when
he bounces. Around he's not as good as he could
be if he was at one. Spot and you've already
Got Master boney that can move around the, field, Right
(13:58):
SO i don't know that's to think about. IT i Like,
WILLIAMSON i like, him but he's not a great offensive.
Player Dylan moore's got offense and he can run the
bases and do some. STUFF i think you have to
think of a lot harder About Dylan moore because he
did not get in the lineup. Right he's just gonna
play against left handed, pitching and that's it because that's.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
The only time he gets in. Now he And Master
boney split.
Speaker 5 (14:19):
Second he's one of our best players the first two, months,
Right so these are things for them to.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Ponder ready comes back. In he's gonna play the.
Speaker 5 (14:27):
OUTFIELD i, mean they've Given traveris the job and he switched, its,
Right so what happens Now rady plays and then you
Know treveris plays against left handed. Pitching it's gonna be
interesting because they've Given taveras the. Job and that's what's
caused a lot of pressure on the on The Dylan
moore scene because he can't get on the. Field so
(14:47):
But rady's gonna be the he's gonna be on the.
Team he's gonna he's gonna play in the. Corner, uh you,
know so they're gonna have to mix and. Match you,
know they give you good be able to give A
Rose arena a day off And grady can play left
and you, know you get play, right and you know.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
They're going to mix them. In they're going to mix them.
In so it's going to be reboss in my, opinion
it's going to.
Speaker 6 (15:06):
Go my last question For Bill, Krueger, BILLY i just
we probably just got a minute on, this but we
just passed the fifty four game, mark, Right so that's
the third, poll DON'T i don't know if they use that.
Term and horse race AND i guess it's like the
first period after a hockey. Game but we've seen enough
of this team for you to form some. Opinions and
(15:27):
we were arguing yesterday what The World series odds should
be for The. Mariners like where are you in terms
of evaluating compared to what you thought going into the
season or early in the. Season just kind of give
your update about how bullish are you about the prospects
of this team Come, September October.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
November, WELL i like.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
THEM i think they're going to be it to the.
END i think they've got they should have playoff. ASPIRATIONS
i think they're going to be. There what we've seen
is the division is and his. Good there's probably the
weakest division in The American. LEAGUE i don't know any
alias said we could argue the potentials of this. League
but because The angels are really down The. Astros i'll
(16:12):
tell you what, though the last TIME i just saw The,
ASTROS i came away with a little different. OPINION i
mean they've watered down their. Offense they Lose, bregmant they
Lose Kyle. Tucker those are great, players, Right But paradis
has come in and hit eleven and drove in thirty.
One and he's not the, defender but he can. Hit
and the Kids smith Dam, smith he's a nice young.
Player puts the ball in plate and run like the.
(16:34):
Wind so and then a bullpen's. Better they got like
three lefties in the. Pad they never had any left
end of. PITCHING i think The astros are a little
better than we. Think And varga And albarez didn't play
the big donkey. McCovey he didn't, Play so they're better
THAN i thought they. Were the age have tripped and.
FALLEN i thought they were pretty good when we saw,
(16:55):
him AND i think that The rangers are going to
scuffle to the. End they don't have enough pitching and
their offense seems to be, overrated and The angels are not.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
Good so they're in a good.
Speaker 5 (17:03):
Position they're in a good position to they're in the
position to win the division and their pitching gets started.
Out varcas has been a huge addition to that. Bullpen
they got another guy down there right that can match
which With crash he's. Got he's got got the same
kind of electric, stuff and that really gives them four
guys at the, end which is really. Good we saw
(17:24):
the kid last, Night. Koar he's through the ball pretty.
Good we'll have to wait and see what he's gonna look,
like uh in in tighter.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
Situations but, uh their their pen looks a little bit. Better.
Speaker 5 (17:34):
Yeah are they gonna look for a batcher would they
when they won a third base?
Speaker 4 (17:38):
Bat?
Speaker 5 (17:38):
Yeah probably maybe first a bat a bat, somewhere and
then maybe a left handed. Relief BUT i like. HIM
i think they're gonna be. THERE i think they're they're
a team that's gonna be into the end and make the.
Playoff they get the, playoff they get the, playoffs they
get they got frontline. Pitching if it's, right they're gonna
be a problem for.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
People great, Stuff, bill look forward to talking to you next.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Week my, pleasure, Guys thanks for having.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
Thanks Man Bill.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
KRUEGER a weekly conversation On, thursdays brought to you By
Occidental hall And. Hugh we've got some good. News Mark
grace called. Back so we are two for, two two
for two in OUR eqc note giving away one hundred
dollars every hour On. Thursdays so we will give away
another name at near the top of the hour here
on ninety three point THREE kjrfm
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