September 7, 2026 • 21 mins
Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain talk to Bill Krueger about the Mariners dropping 3 out of 4 to the A's, whether the Mariners have given up, why Dan Wilson isn't more critical of his players, why Julio has struggled so much this season and Bryan Woo's recent success.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Duke of Duke Seafood, letting you know that
this hour of Softie and Dick on your home for
the Huskies and Kraken is proudly brought to you by
Duke Seafood. Why not make it a Duke's night tonight?
Reserve your table today at dukesseafood.com on Sports Radio 93.3
KJR FM.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Now, from the Star Reynolds Sports Desk, your 93.3 KJRFM
Sports Headlines.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
All right, boys and girls, happy Monday, Labor Day Monday,
right here on 93.3 KJRFM Headlines. Of course, brought to
you by our friends at Frostbrood Coors Light, as cold
as the rocket.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Extremely difficult. Boy, they were so close. So close.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Well, that team, the Niners, is going to be in,
is that game in Sydney, by the way?
Speaker 4 (00:42):
No, Melbourne.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday night. We'll carry that game live
for you. Seahawks and Patriots go on Wednesday. You can
watch the game here at the Emerald Queen Casino, by
the way. The kickoff at 520. We'll be at Jimmy's
on first on Wednesday. Kevin Harlan makes his debut as
well on Wednesday's show.
Speaker 5 (01:03):
Go ahead.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
All right. Huskies have lost their top two running backs,
Quade Carr and Jaden Lamar. Both wanted to go surgery.
Lamar for an elbow. Carr with a hand injury. No
word on how long they will be out.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Mariners have lost three out of four to the A's.
Thank God they're done with them, although we see them
again this weekend in Sacramento. Six games back in the
wild card. Six games back in the West. 67-77 with
18 games left to go before the Rangers series starts tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
Injury news in the NFL. Cowboys will be without their
all-pro left guard, Tyler Smith, for over a month. He
will undergo thumb surgery tomorrow. Colts are getting their wide
receiver back, Alex Pierce, who got paid a lot of
money in the offseason. He is supposed to play in
week one. He's been recovering. from an off-season ankle surgery.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
I'd like to give you a score on the SMU-Florida
State game, but the game hasn't started yet because the
lights at Doak Campbell Stadium are not working. There's a
power outage in Tallahassee. Our next update, in case you're curious,
by the way, will come from them at 5.20 p.m.
All right, let's get to Bill Kruger right now.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
It's time for our weekly conversation with Bill Kruger, brought
to you by the brand-new Occidental Hall next to Lumen
Field on Occidental, Seattle's newest hotspot 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 Kruger, here's Softie and Dick.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
All right, we're back at the Emerald Queen Casino. Don't forget,
Wednesday night, kickoff night watch party. Seahawks Patriots 520 kickoff
right here at the EQC Tacoma. Swing on by, showroom, sportsbook,
everything ready for you, by the way. Occidental Hall will
also have the game. It's a great spot to watch
or even get there before the game. You're going to
the game on Wednesday night. Check out the Ox Hall
(02:46):
right across the street from Lumen Field. Here he is,
our friend Bill Kruger, joining us right now on the
radio program. Bill, what's happening, pal?
Speaker 5 (02:54):
I don't know, just kind of an easy, breezy weekend.
A lot to do things, but I picked up, I
tried to keep my interest peaked for Mariner baseball, but
it didn't really pique my interest. How's that?
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, you lose three out of
four to one of the worst teams in the game,
get dominated offensively for the most part by a horrible
pitching staff. I mean, how do you explain what we
saw that four-game series against the A's, man?
Speaker 5 (03:27):
Well, I mean, baseball is funny. Guys, you can't always
put your finger on a matchup with major league games.
It's not just as black and white as maybe when
you have a mismatch in the NBA or the NFL.
I don't know. But, yeah, I mean, I thought they
had a loose A's team that they didn't approach very
(03:48):
well from a pitching standpoint. and really had trouble shutting
their offense down. They were really looking out over the plate,
and we didn't pitch inside at all, really, the whole series.
And then Wu really had his way with them on
the final date. But, yeah, it was surprising to see Gilbert.
I don't think I've ever seen him pitch like that
(04:09):
in a game, get 10 strikeouts and not last a
fifth and give up seven runs. I think you kind
of give Anderson a hall pass because he's young. And
they just babysat him the whole season. You know, he's
ramping up to be, you know, this guy, but he's
not ready to pitch in the big leagues because they
got him to a certain plateau and they just kind
of eased off the gas and didn't get him ready
(04:31):
to pitch in the big leagues. You know, 80 pitches
in the minor leagues is like, that's like, you know,
you're not ready to pitch five innings in the big leagues.
And we're short in the bullpen. You know, what else
can you say? I think when the news came out
about Brash on the third day, it felt like that
was just popped the balloon. You know, they really, I
think that took a lot out of the team to
know that he's not coming back for the rest of
(04:52):
the season because they were really banking on him. And
then the confounding play of Julio Rodriguez. I think nobody
can quite figure out what's happened to him. You know,
he's usually a great second half player. It just didn't happen.
He had a little hammy, he had a little back.
Of course, he had the concussion and he never got
it going again. He had another really quiet series against
(05:14):
the A's, chasing everything and not swinging at good pitches
and behind and ahead and just all the things you
are when you're slumping at the plate. He's just been
an off year for him. He just hasn't really been
the guy they really need him to be above and
beyond how Raleigh was for the rest of the season.
But if you're going to ask me to encapsulate what's
happened this year, I think it's a couple of things.
(05:36):
I think they were never deep enough in the bullpen
that they needed to be. And when they knew that
Brash got hurt, they needed Abel to replace him. They
monkeyed around with an elite pitching staff. They ended up
struggling in the second half, and you wonder, did the
monkey have anything to do with it? And the fact
that they played one guy short the whole season. Who
(05:56):
in the world does that when bullpen baseball is baseball?
Three innings a night is a given, and maybe four.
That's how baseball is played. The Mariners can't flip a
switch and say, okay, lead starting pitching. You're pitching 90
pitches in the big leagues, but now we need you
to throw 105. They can't do it. So I really
(06:19):
look at a lot of things, and then there's an
empty hole at third base. Complete empty, and we really
struggle defensively on that side of the field. really a
good portion of the second half. Couldn't find anybody to
play third. So there's a lot of things to point at,
but the A's really put it to them, and they're
up against the wall. I mean, there's 18 left. They've
(06:39):
got to play. I think they have to play pretty
close to like 15-3 and hope the Astros play 500 balls.
That's about where they are.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
Bill, I think the worst condemnation that somebody can have
for a team is that they're not showing requisite effort.
And we saw another example of that this weekend. We've
seen it too often this year. The Naylor play, ground ball,
double play, basically faster than a walk getting out of
the box. And then he realizes, oh, this might be close.
(07:10):
And he gets thrown out at first base. And Dan's
response is, I didn't see the play. So your comment
on that play, the effort level of this team, and
also Dan saying, well, I can't comment on it because
I didn't see the play.
Speaker 5 (07:26):
Well, I mean, I can tell you that guys not
going as hard as they can on ground balls is
nothing new in the big leagues. I just think that
when you put the microscope on a team that's struggling,
you find any moment to take umbrage with them about
lackadaisical play. I mean, this team has been not a great,
not a smart base-running team. This has not been a
well-oiled baseball team even last year. This isn't a team
(07:50):
that's mistake-free, that doesn't make a lot of base-running errors.
They've made base-running errors previously. for the past I don't
know how many years right so I'm not going to
say that's it right there you know lack of focus
not playing hard well I think they're yeah I think
that you can find those moments and you should point
at them and big league players should should step up
(08:11):
and never let that happen again because you run four
balls out at the most hard every game you should
run every ball out hard I mean, I can tell
you stories about how it used to be, but nobody
wants to hear about how it used to be. In
today's game, you should take responsibility to go hard every play.
Who's to say what's behind it all? Is it injuries?
(08:34):
Is it playing one guy short the whole season in
the bullpen and the team scratches its head? It's guys
not coming back from injury. It's the club making no
moves at the deadline. The only thing they cared about
at the deadline was getting someone to take Castillo's contract.
That was their whole strategy.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 5 (08:52):
That was their whole strategy. That can't be your strategy
at the deadline when you're trying to play to win.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
I didn't see anything else. Taylor Ward, if you scouted him,
he didn't look like he's the same player at all
to me.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
Right.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
He didn't look good defensively. He didn't throw the ball good.
Didn't hit. Didn't hit with power. I mean, they didn't
help themselves. Dominguez is scattery, and he was part of
the get rid of Castillo, and they got their victory.
Their victory was to get Castillo's contract paid. Well, that
can't be your strategy when you're trying to go to
the playoffs, right? You've got to help yourself for real.
(09:27):
Last year they stumbled into Suarez and Naylor. They stumbled
into them. Arizona had a moment where they fell out
of contention, and nobody was really looking for those two
corner positions. The Mariners scooped them up, and it made
a big difference. You had to try a little harder
this year, I think, to find help in the bullpen
in a big way, and a right-handed bat that was
for real.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Yeah, I just, Bill Kruger with us. I mean, there's
a deeper culture conversation, and I've been talking about that
for a while with this baseball team that's bothering me
that I think is maybe even more appropriate when this happens.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
Over that we can.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Get to but you know it's like the Julio thing
and I feel like I feel like you've been part
analyst this year and part therapist with us on the
air because we're talking about baseball related things technique approach
whatever strategy And then we're talking about, all right, what
about what's happening inside that clubhouse, right, and the day-to-day
(10:25):
operations of a baseball team? You know, why, for example,
did the Mariners allow Julio Rodriguez to go out there
when they were in a funk as a team and
had just lost another game to Tampa Bay and have
him play fake DJ in center field after a loss
in front of 30,000 people? I mean, just things like
(10:45):
that that they just keep doing over and over and
over again and that just make no sense whatsoever. Nobody
held accountable publicly. Nobody reprimanded. Nobody pulled out of a game.
Nobody benched by anybody. It just kind of feels to me, Bill,
like there's no leadership, that the culture all of a
(11:06):
sudden that we thought was so good a year ago
is now rotten to the core this year. And if
I'm being unfair, then jump in and tell me. But
that's what I've observed.
Speaker 5 (11:18):
Well, we're not getting– Dan is very matter-of-fact, and he
doesn't want to put anybody out in front. He's just
not going to do that. That's not the type of
guy he is. I think that probably when things start
to go haywire a little bit, I think you have
to step up and be a little more forthright. I
think that I would say that about Dan. He needs
(11:38):
to be a little bit more forthright. He needs to
show a little bit more, I guess the word would
be charisma, where you're a little more fiery about when
things aren't going right because there's so much to do
with the media. There's a lot of media every day
for the manager. And then when you have, I mean,
part of the problem behind this whole game that goes
(12:01):
sideways and ended up Julio throwing one in the stands,
it starts with the whole thing about throwing them in
the stands.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
I mean, I'm not going to pick on a Rosarito
because he had a hell of a year and he
plays hard, but his whole time is spent throwing the
ball in the stands. So maybe we shouldn't throw the
ball in the stands because we're paying more attention to
throwing the ball in the stands than getting yourself ready
for the next pitch, right? So, yeah, I think that
you need to bring that up and say that's never
going to happen again, right? Dan needs to tell us,
(12:31):
the listening audience, that, right? Because we don't know what
exactly is being said today. behind closed doors we don't
know if he's had conversations with Julio privately I don't
know but these are veteran players and Julio has had
a distracted second half let's just leave it at that
balls in the stands you know base running goofs you
(12:54):
know it's just you know not playing the ball right
in Fenway Park the cost of the game there's a
lot of accountability across the team the team loves marketing
so everything's about marketing right Marketing is a big deal
for the Mariners, right? That's a big deal for them, right?
I'll just leave it at that. And, you know, the
(13:14):
monkeying with the pitching staff, the lack of will to
help themselves out when they know that players are hurt
and not coming back, and then just the absolute goofiness
around the starting pitching that I still don't understand to
this day. But I think Dan... needs to be a
little bit more forthright. I think the club demanded that.
They needed to have someone step up and say that's
(13:36):
enough or we're never going to play like that again.
We're going to nip that in the bud. Whatever it
could be, there has to be some of that as
part of your mantra as a manager, I think.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
You mentioned the marketing. One of their biggest marketing elements
this year was the 50-year anniversary team. They've got seven
guys that are on the team right now out of 50.
and they had eight when it comes to Luis Castillo,
and they got rid of him. What does that say
about what they feel about this team, and do you
(14:07):
think it had any distraction, or was there anything that
really hurt this team because of that list?
Speaker 5 (14:20):
I think for players that maybe you could step back
away from the list and Think about the long history
of Mariner baseball, and maybe you could say, well, there
have been guys that maybe have proved it for a
longer stretch, but we just don't remember them, or they
weren't on winning teams. I don't know. I mean, I
don't think it really affects today's game. I think today's
(14:41):
game is affected by, you know, the things that I
brought up. Playing short in the bullpen. Can't sort out
the starting pitching. Can't solve third base. Can't solve right-hand hitting.
Those kinds of things. and your core players, the guys
in the middle, having really terrible years, right? I mean,
as a collective, the three guys in the middle. And
(15:05):
it adds up to a team that's just not going
to perform as well. And then you have a manager
that's not someone that's a business-like manager that lets players
play and expects them to come to play and play
hard and refuse to take and put guys on the spot.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Bill, you mentioned Julio Rodriguez earlier. I was just running
some numbers here. Second half last year, Julio had a
900 OPS. This year, he's at 596. This is post-All-Star.
Last year, 18 homers, 45 ribbies. This year, 621. And
then I noticed his road numbers. This year, he's... hitting.
(15:47):
227 with a. 632 OPS on the road. Last year,
he hit. 296 with a. 912 OPS on the road.
I mean, just a totally different player on the road
in the second half than he was a year ago.
What are you seeing in his approach, his swing, any
of that, that maybe explains what's going on here?
Speaker 5 (16:12):
Well, I just think that You know, I mean, here's
a guy that never challenges ABS because I don't think
he really knows the strike zone. He lives in this
free place of having immense ability and just going up
and reacting to pitches. Because I watch him swing at
balls he should never swing at. And then he'll take
(16:34):
a ball right out that's a hair's edge off the
plate for a ball. And you're saying, well, how can
you swing at a ball that's three feet outside and
take a similar pitch that lands just an inch off
the plate or a fraction of an inch and take
it for a ball? He doesn't have a really great
plan at the plate. He doesn't really understand where he
likes the ball. And to me, he guesses a lot.
(16:57):
That's all I can see when I watch him. He
guesses a lot and he chases a lot. And you
know something, you're going to have to start, if you're
going to hit for a higher average and have more success,
you got to start being a little bit more disciplined
and have a plan at the plate about what kind
of hitter you are, where you like the ball and
what guys are trying to do to you. So, and that, that,
(17:20):
that has to start developing over time. We're in the
fifth year of him and, Have we really seen him
do that? He gets hot and stretches, but we really
haven't seen that over his career. He's always been a
little bit of a chase guy and really not showing
you that he has a real good plan at the plate.
That's putting the work in and discipline yourself and really
(17:43):
start to understand what it is you want to do
at the plate and what makes you successful. If I
was pitching to him, I certainly would be very aware
of the fact that he chases That's for sure.
Speaker 4 (17:56):
Well, Bill, I'd love to end this conversation on a
positive note, so that's what I'm going to do. I'm
going to have you talk about it. Guy Softy always
talks about getting rid of the one hairball performance, right?
So we're going to get rid of Brian Wu's hairball
performance where he gave up six earned runs in four
innings against Philadelphia, and we're going to look at the
rest of his outings since the beginning of August. He's
(18:17):
got a half an ERA, Bill. One half an ERA.
I mean, he has been... as good a pitcher as
anybody in Major League Baseball since the beginning of August.
Tell me what you're seeing.
Speaker 5 (18:30):
Well, I think that he's been a little bit more,
when you look at his two fastballs, he's starting to
understand better that the two-seam sinking-style fastball is the better
of the two. And the four-seam fastball has to be
a little bit more of a chase fastball. And he's
been more willing to use his breaking stuff and use
(18:51):
it earlier in the count. He's paid closer attention to
controlling his fastball. I think what happened was he got
so good at the invisible fastball that he thought he
could just let it go and nobody could touch it
because he did it for a whole season. Really, up
(19:12):
until this year, nobody could handle his fastball. I think
what happened was he got a little behind the count
and he started to get balls that were living not
at the top and not at the bottom, a lot
of them right right in the middle of the strike zone, right?
In fastball counts. And guys are starting to see him
a little bit more, right? So they're getting a better
understanding of where the ball's coming out. I thought his
(19:34):
ball was a little straighter. It didn't quite have as
much life. It's the small things, but I thought he
did a better job of starting to understand, you know,
that use the two seam and pitch pitch more down
or pitch in and out with that and when you
throw your four seamer you got to make sure it's
a it's it's it's at the top line not throw
it too much in the early part of the count
(19:57):
and i thought yesterday through his change up more um
breaking stuff and change up more incorporated earlier in the
count um But, you know, he's still got some work
to do. When teams really stack the deck with left-hand hitters,
he's got some work to do because he's going to
have to be better with a breaking ball that works
against lefties, stay out of that down-and-in spot where he
(20:19):
got killed. just he let the game kind of get
away from him. He still struggles a little bit. The
game starts really speeding up on him, and he doesn't
really know how to kind of understand how to make
a pitch to get yourself out of an inning. You
really have to understand how to calmly attack a spot
with your fastball to get the guy's weakness and get
(20:40):
out of the inning, right? So he's got a little
bit of work to do there. But it was great
to see him rebound. He's a great athlete. He's a
hell of a pitcher. And it's great to see him
go out and succeed over this last month and really
show the type of pitcher that he is. So I'm
thrilled to see him improve. And, you know, that's what–
it's a long career. That's all I can say. You've
(21:01):
got to keep adjusting.
Speaker 4 (21:03):
No doubt.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
All right, Bill, you're the man. Great stuff. And who knows,
maybe they'll go on some miracle run. Maybe the Astros
go on some miracle fall. And by this time in
a week, who knows, we're talking about something different, buddy.
Great stuff, and we'll talk soon, all right?
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
All righty.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
Thanks, guys. Good stuff, man.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
All right, Bill Kruger with us. We're going to break,
come back and hear a little bit from Mike McDonald
before their season opener on Wednesday right here on a
Labor Day Monday on 93.3 KJRFM.
This is Duke of Duke Seafood, letting you know that
this hour of Softie and Dick on your home for
the Huskies and Kraken is proudly brought to you by
Duke Seafood. Why not make it a Duke's night tonight?
Reserve your table today at dukesseafood.com on Sports Radio 93.3
KJR FM.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Now, from the Star Reynolds Sports Desk, your 93.3 KJRFM
Sports Headlines.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
All right, boys and girls, happy Monday, Labor Day Monday,
right here on 93.3 KJRFM Headlines. Of course, brought to
you by our friends at Frostbrood Coors Light, as cold
as the rocket.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Extremely difficult. Boy, they were so close. So close.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Well, that team, the Niners, is going to be in,
is that game in Sydney, by the way?
Speaker 4 (00:42):
No, Melbourne.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday night. We'll carry that game live
for you. Seahawks and Patriots go on Wednesday. You can
watch the game here at the Emerald Queen Casino, by
the way. The kickoff at 520. We'll be at Jimmy's
on first on Wednesday. Kevin Harlan makes his debut as
well on Wednesday's show.
Speaker 5 (01:03):
Go ahead.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
All right. Huskies have lost their top two running backs,
Quade Carr and Jaden Lamar. Both wanted to go surgery.
Lamar for an elbow. Carr with a hand injury. No
word on how long they will be out.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Mariners have lost three out of four to the A's.
Thank God they're done with them, although we see them
again this weekend in Sacramento. Six games back in the
wild card. Six games back in the West. 67-77 with
18 games left to go before the Rangers series starts tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
Injury news in the NFL. Cowboys will be without their
all-pro left guard, Tyler Smith, for over a month. He
will undergo thumb surgery tomorrow. Colts are getting their wide
receiver back, Alex Pierce, who got paid a lot of
money in the offseason. He is supposed to play in
week one. He's been recovering. from an off-season ankle surgery.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
I'd like to give you a score on the SMU-Florida
State game, but the game hasn't started yet because the
lights at Doak Campbell Stadium are not working. There's a
power outage in Tallahassee. Our next update, in case you're curious,
by the way, will come from them at 5.20 p.m.
All right, let's get to Bill Kruger right now.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
It's time for our weekly conversation with Bill Kruger, brought
to you by the brand-new Occidental Hall next to Lumen
Field on Occidental, Seattle's newest hotspot 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 Kruger, here's Softie and Dick.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
All right, we're back at the Emerald Queen Casino. Don't forget,
Wednesday night, kickoff night watch party. Seahawks Patriots 520 kickoff
right here at the EQC Tacoma. Swing on by, showroom, sportsbook,
everything ready for you, by the way. Occidental Hall will
also have the game. It's a great spot to watch
or even get there before the game. You're going to
the game on Wednesday night. Check out the Ox Hall
(02:46):
right across the street from Lumen Field. Here he is,
our friend Bill Kruger, joining us right now on the
radio program. Bill, what's happening, pal?
Speaker 5 (02:54):
I don't know, just kind of an easy, breezy weekend.
A lot to do things, but I picked up, I
tried to keep my interest peaked for Mariner baseball, but
it didn't really pique my interest. How's that?
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, you lose three out of
four to one of the worst teams in the game,
get dominated offensively for the most part by a horrible
pitching staff. I mean, how do you explain what we
saw that four-game series against the A's, man?
Speaker 5 (03:27):
Well, I mean, baseball is funny. Guys, you can't always
put your finger on a matchup with major league games.
It's not just as black and white as maybe when
you have a mismatch in the NBA or the NFL.
I don't know. But, yeah, I mean, I thought they
had a loose A's team that they didn't approach very
(03:48):
well from a pitching standpoint. and really had trouble shutting
their offense down. They were really looking out over the plate,
and we didn't pitch inside at all, really, the whole series.
And then Wu really had his way with them on
the final date. But, yeah, it was surprising to see Gilbert.
I don't think I've ever seen him pitch like that
(04:09):
in a game, get 10 strikeouts and not last a
fifth and give up seven runs. I think you kind
of give Anderson a hall pass because he's young. And
they just babysat him the whole season. You know, he's
ramping up to be, you know, this guy, but he's
not ready to pitch in the big leagues because they
got him to a certain plateau and they just kind
of eased off the gas and didn't get him ready
(04:31):
to pitch in the big leagues. You know, 80 pitches
in the minor leagues is like, that's like, you know,
you're not ready to pitch five innings in the big leagues.
And we're short in the bullpen. You know, what else
can you say? I think when the news came out
about Brash on the third day, it felt like that
was just popped the balloon. You know, they really, I
think that took a lot out of the team to
know that he's not coming back for the rest of
(04:52):
the season because they were really banking on him. And
then the confounding play of Julio Rodriguez. I think nobody
can quite figure out what's happened to him. You know,
he's usually a great second half player. It just didn't happen.
He had a little hammy, he had a little back.
Of course, he had the concussion and he never got
it going again. He had another really quiet series against
(05:14):
the A's, chasing everything and not swinging at good pitches
and behind and ahead and just all the things you
are when you're slumping at the plate. He's just been
an off year for him. He just hasn't really been
the guy they really need him to be above and
beyond how Raleigh was for the rest of the season.
But if you're going to ask me to encapsulate what's
happened this year, I think it's a couple of things.
(05:36):
I think they were never deep enough in the bullpen
that they needed to be. And when they knew that
Brash got hurt, they needed Abel to replace him. They
monkeyed around with an elite pitching staff. They ended up
struggling in the second half, and you wonder, did the
monkey have anything to do with it? And the fact
that they played one guy short the whole season. Who
(05:56):
in the world does that when bullpen baseball is baseball?
Three innings a night is a given, and maybe four.
That's how baseball is played. The Mariners can't flip a
switch and say, okay, lead starting pitching. You're pitching 90
pitches in the big leagues, but now we need you
to throw 105. They can't do it. So I really
(06:19):
look at a lot of things, and then there's an
empty hole at third base. Complete empty, and we really
struggle defensively on that side of the field. really a
good portion of the second half. Couldn't find anybody to
play third. So there's a lot of things to point at,
but the A's really put it to them, and they're
up against the wall. I mean, there's 18 left. They've
(06:39):
got to play. I think they have to play pretty
close to like 15-3 and hope the Astros play 500 balls.
That's about where they are.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
Bill, I think the worst condemnation that somebody can have
for a team is that they're not showing requisite effort.
And we saw another example of that this weekend. We've
seen it too often this year. The Naylor play, ground ball,
double play, basically faster than a walk getting out of
the box. And then he realizes, oh, this might be close.
(07:10):
And he gets thrown out at first base. And Dan's
response is, I didn't see the play. So your comment
on that play, the effort level of this team, and
also Dan saying, well, I can't comment on it because
I didn't see the play.
Speaker 5 (07:26):
Well, I mean, I can tell you that guys not
going as hard as they can on ground balls is
nothing new in the big leagues. I just think that
when you put the microscope on a team that's struggling,
you find any moment to take umbrage with them about
lackadaisical play. I mean, this team has been not a great,
not a smart base-running team. This has not been a
well-oiled baseball team even last year. This isn't a team
(07:50):
that's mistake-free, that doesn't make a lot of base-running errors.
They've made base-running errors previously. for the past I don't
know how many years right so I'm not going to
say that's it right there you know lack of focus
not playing hard well I think they're yeah I think
that you can find those moments and you should point
at them and big league players should should step up
(08:11):
and never let that happen again because you run four
balls out at the most hard every game you should
run every ball out hard I mean, I can tell
you stories about how it used to be, but nobody
wants to hear about how it used to be. In
today's game, you should take responsibility to go hard every play.
Who's to say what's behind it all? Is it injuries?
(08:34):
Is it playing one guy short the whole season in
the bullpen and the team scratches its head? It's guys
not coming back from injury. It's the club making no
moves at the deadline. The only thing they cared about
at the deadline was getting someone to take Castillo's contract.
That was their whole strategy.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 5 (08:52):
That was their whole strategy. That can't be your strategy
at the deadline when you're trying to play to win.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
I didn't see anything else. Taylor Ward, if you scouted him,
he didn't look like he's the same player at all
to me.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
Right.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
He didn't look good defensively. He didn't throw the ball good.
Didn't hit. Didn't hit with power. I mean, they didn't
help themselves. Dominguez is scattery, and he was part of
the get rid of Castillo, and they got their victory.
Their victory was to get Castillo's contract paid. Well, that
can't be your strategy when you're trying to go to
the playoffs, right? You've got to help yourself for real.
(09:27):
Last year they stumbled into Suarez and Naylor. They stumbled
into them. Arizona had a moment where they fell out
of contention, and nobody was really looking for those two
corner positions. The Mariners scooped them up, and it made
a big difference. You had to try a little harder
this year, I think, to find help in the bullpen
in a big way, and a right-handed bat that was
for real.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Yeah, I just, Bill Kruger with us. I mean, there's
a deeper culture conversation, and I've been talking about that
for a while with this baseball team that's bothering me
that I think is maybe even more appropriate when this happens.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
Over that we can.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Get to but you know it's like the Julio thing
and I feel like I feel like you've been part
analyst this year and part therapist with us on the
air because we're talking about baseball related things technique approach
whatever strategy And then we're talking about, all right, what
about what's happening inside that clubhouse, right, and the day-to-day
(10:25):
operations of a baseball team? You know, why, for example,
did the Mariners allow Julio Rodriguez to go out there
when they were in a funk as a team and
had just lost another game to Tampa Bay and have
him play fake DJ in center field after a loss
in front of 30,000 people? I mean, just things like
(10:45):
that that they just keep doing over and over and
over again and that just make no sense whatsoever. Nobody
held accountable publicly. Nobody reprimanded. Nobody pulled out of a game.
Nobody benched by anybody. It just kind of feels to me, Bill,
like there's no leadership, that the culture all of a
(11:06):
sudden that we thought was so good a year ago
is now rotten to the core this year. And if
I'm being unfair, then jump in and tell me. But
that's what I've observed.
Speaker 5 (11:18):
Well, we're not getting– Dan is very matter-of-fact, and he
doesn't want to put anybody out in front. He's just
not going to do that. That's not the type of
guy he is. I think that probably when things start
to go haywire a little bit, I think you have
to step up and be a little more forthright. I
think that I would say that about Dan. He needs
(11:38):
to be a little bit more forthright. He needs to
show a little bit more, I guess the word would
be charisma, where you're a little more fiery about when
things aren't going right because there's so much to do
with the media. There's a lot of media every day
for the manager. And then when you have, I mean,
part of the problem behind this whole game that goes
(12:01):
sideways and ended up Julio throwing one in the stands,
it starts with the whole thing about throwing them in
the stands.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
I mean, I'm not going to pick on a Rosarito
because he had a hell of a year and he
plays hard, but his whole time is spent throwing the
ball in the stands. So maybe we shouldn't throw the
ball in the stands because we're paying more attention to
throwing the ball in the stands than getting yourself ready
for the next pitch, right? So, yeah, I think that
you need to bring that up and say that's never
going to happen again, right? Dan needs to tell us,
(12:31):
the listening audience, that, right? Because we don't know what
exactly is being said today. behind closed doors we don't
know if he's had conversations with Julio privately I don't
know but these are veteran players and Julio has had
a distracted second half let's just leave it at that
balls in the stands you know base running goofs you
(12:54):
know it's just you know not playing the ball right
in Fenway Park the cost of the game there's a
lot of accountability across the team the team loves marketing
so everything's about marketing right Marketing is a big deal
for the Mariners, right? That's a big deal for them, right?
I'll just leave it at that. And, you know, the
(13:14):
monkeying with the pitching staff, the lack of will to
help themselves out when they know that players are hurt
and not coming back, and then just the absolute goofiness
around the starting pitching that I still don't understand to
this day. But I think Dan... needs to be a
little bit more forthright. I think the club demanded that.
They needed to have someone step up and say that's
(13:36):
enough or we're never going to play like that again.
We're going to nip that in the bud. Whatever it
could be, there has to be some of that as
part of your mantra as a manager, I think.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
You mentioned the marketing. One of their biggest marketing elements
this year was the 50-year anniversary team. They've got seven
guys that are on the team right now out of 50.
and they had eight when it comes to Luis Castillo,
and they got rid of him. What does that say
about what they feel about this team, and do you
(14:07):
think it had any distraction, or was there anything that
really hurt this team because of that list?
Speaker 5 (14:20):
I think for players that maybe you could step back
away from the list and Think about the long history
of Mariner baseball, and maybe you could say, well, there
have been guys that maybe have proved it for a
longer stretch, but we just don't remember them, or they
weren't on winning teams. I don't know. I mean, I
don't think it really affects today's game. I think today's
(14:41):
game is affected by, you know, the things that I
brought up. Playing short in the bullpen. Can't sort out
the starting pitching. Can't solve third base. Can't solve right-hand hitting.
Those kinds of things. and your core players, the guys
in the middle, having really terrible years, right? I mean,
as a collective, the three guys in the middle. And
(15:05):
it adds up to a team that's just not going
to perform as well. And then you have a manager
that's not someone that's a business-like manager that lets players
play and expects them to come to play and play
hard and refuse to take and put guys on the spot.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Bill, you mentioned Julio Rodriguez earlier. I was just running
some numbers here. Second half last year, Julio had a
900 OPS. This year, he's at 596. This is post-All-Star.
Last year, 18 homers, 45 ribbies. This year, 621. And
then I noticed his road numbers. This year, he's... hitting.
(15:47):
227 with a. 632 OPS on the road. Last year,
he hit. 296 with a. 912 OPS on the road.
I mean, just a totally different player on the road
in the second half than he was a year ago.
What are you seeing in his approach, his swing, any
of that, that maybe explains what's going on here?
Speaker 5 (16:12):
Well, I just think that You know, I mean, here's
a guy that never challenges ABS because I don't think
he really knows the strike zone. He lives in this
free place of having immense ability and just going up
and reacting to pitches. Because I watch him swing at
balls he should never swing at. And then he'll take
(16:34):
a ball right out that's a hair's edge off the
plate for a ball. And you're saying, well, how can
you swing at a ball that's three feet outside and
take a similar pitch that lands just an inch off
the plate or a fraction of an inch and take
it for a ball? He doesn't have a really great
plan at the plate. He doesn't really understand where he
likes the ball. And to me, he guesses a lot.
(16:57):
That's all I can see when I watch him. He
guesses a lot and he chases a lot. And you
know something, you're going to have to start, if you're
going to hit for a higher average and have more success,
you got to start being a little bit more disciplined
and have a plan at the plate about what kind
of hitter you are, where you like the ball and
what guys are trying to do to you. So, and that, that,
(17:20):
that has to start developing over time. We're in the
fifth year of him and, Have we really seen him
do that? He gets hot and stretches, but we really
haven't seen that over his career. He's always been a
little bit of a chase guy and really not showing
you that he has a real good plan at the plate.
That's putting the work in and discipline yourself and really
(17:43):
start to understand what it is you want to do
at the plate and what makes you successful. If I
was pitching to him, I certainly would be very aware
of the fact that he chases That's for sure.
Speaker 4 (17:56):
Well, Bill, I'd love to end this conversation on a
positive note, so that's what I'm going to do. I'm
going to have you talk about it. Guy Softy always
talks about getting rid of the one hairball performance, right?
So we're going to get rid of Brian Wu's hairball
performance where he gave up six earned runs in four
innings against Philadelphia, and we're going to look at the
rest of his outings since the beginning of August. He's
(18:17):
got a half an ERA, Bill. One half an ERA.
I mean, he has been... as good a pitcher as
anybody in Major League Baseball since the beginning of August.
Tell me what you're seeing.
Speaker 5 (18:30):
Well, I think that he's been a little bit more,
when you look at his two fastballs, he's starting to
understand better that the two-seam sinking-style fastball is the better
of the two. And the four-seam fastball has to be
a little bit more of a chase fastball. And he's
been more willing to use his breaking stuff and use
(18:51):
it earlier in the count. He's paid closer attention to
controlling his fastball. I think what happened was he got
so good at the invisible fastball that he thought he
could just let it go and nobody could touch it
because he did it for a whole season. Really, up
(19:12):
until this year, nobody could handle his fastball. I think
what happened was he got a little behind the count
and he started to get balls that were living not
at the top and not at the bottom, a lot
of them right right in the middle of the strike zone, right?
In fastball counts. And guys are starting to see him
a little bit more, right? So they're getting a better
understanding of where the ball's coming out. I thought his
(19:34):
ball was a little straighter. It didn't quite have as
much life. It's the small things, but I thought he
did a better job of starting to understand, you know,
that use the two seam and pitch pitch more down
or pitch in and out with that and when you
throw your four seamer you got to make sure it's
a it's it's it's at the top line not throw
it too much in the early part of the count
(19:57):
and i thought yesterday through his change up more um
breaking stuff and change up more incorporated earlier in the
count um But, you know, he's still got some work
to do. When teams really stack the deck with left-hand hitters,
he's got some work to do because he's going to
have to be better with a breaking ball that works
against lefties, stay out of that down-and-in spot where he
(20:19):
got killed. just he let the game kind of get
away from him. He still struggles a little bit. The
game starts really speeding up on him, and he doesn't
really know how to kind of understand how to make
a pitch to get yourself out of an inning. You
really have to understand how to calmly attack a spot
with your fastball to get the guy's weakness and get
(20:40):
out of the inning, right? So he's got a little
bit of work to do there. But it was great
to see him rebound. He's a great athlete. He's a
hell of a pitcher. And it's great to see him
go out and succeed over this last month and really
show the type of pitcher that he is. So I'm
thrilled to see him improve. And, you know, that's what–
it's a long career. That's all I can say. You've
(21:01):
got to keep adjusting.
Speaker 4 (21:03):
No doubt.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
All right, Bill, you're the man. Great stuff. And who knows,
maybe they'll go on some miracle run. Maybe the Astros
go on some miracle fall. And by this time in
a week, who knows, we're talking about something different, buddy.
Great stuff, and we'll talk soon, all right?
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
All righty.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
Thanks, guys. Good stuff, man.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
All right, Bill Kruger with us. We're going to break,
come back and hear a little bit from Mike McDonald
before their season opener on Wednesday right here on a
Labor Day Monday on 93.3 KJRFM.
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