[jaa36]

AG: Jerry, welcome back to The Wheelhouse. As always, I'm Aaron Goldsmith. Well, a couple of roster moves for the Mariners this week?

JD: Yeah, as you know, we've kept our position player roster pretty consistent this weekend, and then we really made a flurry of moves all at once.

AG: The biggest one was actually making two very similar deals on the same day, both for first basemen. One of them brought first baseman Brock Stassi over from Minnesota for minor league pitcher Spencer Herrmann, the other one Mike Ford, who had been with the club in spring training, for pitcher Reggie McClain.

JD: Right. We had been looking at both deals for a bit, and you know me, I'm never one to turn down a good trade, so we ended up just making both of them. Both of the pitchers were fine, but not really in our plans. And Stassi and Ford both bring with them good plate discipline and power from the left-handed side of the plate.

AG: Ford was brought up to the major-league club, with Stassi going to Tacoma. And Daniel Vogelbach, who had struggled this season, with a .209 average and no home runs, was also sent to Tacoma. Where does he figure into the Mariners plans going forward?

JD: We still have really high hopes for Daniel. This has really been his first extended taste of big-league action. We've seen him tear the cover off the ball at triple-A already. His challenge is hitting the pitches that ended up in the zone and not getting behind in the count. I think some time in Tacoma will really help him get his confidence back.

AG: Then the other major move is Ben Gamel finally returning from Tacoma. Ben now hitting .305 at Tacoma, with a .380 on-base percentage.

JD: We know Ben can get on base, and he's got some sneaky power too. you saw in the first game back, he made a difference on defense as well, throwing out J.D. Martinez at second base to complete a double play.

AG: And since one member of the Mariners' hair-flipping contingent was not enough, you brought back Taylor Motter as well.

JD: Yes. Austin Romine had been fine in a utility role, but Taylor brings a bit more to the table as far as his outfield defense, and with Guillermo Heredia also going down to Triple A, we thought having more flexibility with our outfield would be a good thing.

AG: Just in time for the Motter-Gamel dual shaggy-hair bobblehead next weekend, right Jerry!

JD: (laughs) That had nothing to do with it, Aaron. But a great promotion! Come on down to the ballpark this Friday!

AG: Well, let's talk some actual baseball for a bit here. The Mariners were 2-4 on the week. Really it's been a pretty disappointing June so far, and the team has gone 7-13 in it's last 20 games.

JD: I think every team goes through stretches like this. Our offense hasn't been producing quite as much as earlier in the season. We've had some early exits from a few pitchers, though most of those have been injury-related. The good news is that our team is pretty much at full strength right now, no one with any major injuries, so we're heading towards the second half of the season in really good shape.

AG: A few tough losses this week. But may I focus on the positive for a bit?

JD: (laughs) You bet.

AG: The Wednesday night game against the Yankees was a pretty nifty comeback. Felix gives up three home runs in that one and has to leave in the fifth inning. The Mariners are down 5-0 heading into the seventh inning. Then Ichiro picks up a three-run double in that inning, Nellie Cruz homers in the eighth and the Mariners are right back in it.

JD: It was a huge hit from Ichiro, absolutely huge. Then he was in the middle of things in the ninth again, reaching on a two-out error.

AG: And then three consecutive singles gave the Mariners a 7-5 lead heading into the bottom of the inning. Were you nervous for the ninth.

JD: (laughs) Not until it started. Aaron Judge just crushed Edwin's first pitch, but he was pretty effective the rest of the way and we were able to hold on for the 7-6 win.

AG: The Yankees lineup has just been running roughshod over the American League this year. Giancarlo Stanton leads the league with 31 home runs, and Judge not far behind with 25.

JD: It's been a tough order for us to play them and the Red Sox back to back. Baltimore, our next opponent, hasn't played nearly as well this year, but it's always hard to win on the road.

AG: Any crab cakes on order for you in Baltimore this week?

JD: Absolutely, Aaron.

AG: Shall we take a mailbag question?

JD: Let's do it.

AG: OK. The question this week comes from Lucy in Centralia. Lucy's question, what do you see as the major differences in the game now versus your own playing days?

JD: Oh, there are a million. One of the biggest ones is how different the expectations are for a starting pitcher now than before. It used to be, don't use your whole arsenal the first time through the lineup, save something for the second or third time through. Now, you may well not get that third time through the order, so you'd best go after every hitter with everything you've got. That's probably the biggest one. You really don't see guys pitched seven, eight innings every time out like before. Then the other one is the sheer preponderance of guys throwing 95+ miles per hour. Those guys were a rare find in baseball twenty years ago. You had a few, Randy Johnson of course, Billy Wagner, Mark Wohlers. But they were the exception rather than the norm in the bullpen. Now you have Aroldis Chapman throwing 105-mile-per-hour fastballs every year. A guy in the Cardinals' system, Jordan Hicks, throwing even fast than that. It's a huge difference in what we expect from pitchers, and how we use them.

AG: All right, Jerry. Well, let's wind it up here. Thanks very much for joining us.

JD: Welcome.

AG: We'll see you next week on The Wheelhouse.