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AG: Welcome back to a very special edition of The Wheelhouse. This is the All-Star break edition. Jerry, glad to have you with us.

JD: Glad to be here.

AG: And I feel like a broken record here, but the Mariners head into the break after another incredible week. Five wins against one loss. The Mariners now stand at 59-38 overall. That's three and a half games in front for the first Wild Card spot in the American League. Here's an obvious question: are you happy with the team's performance?

JD: I'll give you an obvious answer. Yes, absolutely. From top to bottom, I couldn't be happier with how these guys have come out and performed so far.

AG: We should get into the team as a whole, but let's look at a few games from the last week. First of all, what a way to go into the break, with a ninth-inning comeback in yesterday's game.

JD: We had a lot of baserunners against the Rockies, but couldn't push anything across the plate for the first eight innings. But you just had a feeling that something was going to happen, and it sure did.

AG: With the team down 2-0, what a ninth inning. Wade Davis on the mound. Two on, two out. Mitch Haniger at the plate, he lines a ball to left field to score Robinson Cano, and Nelson Cruz, not the fastest guy on the bases, stops at third base.

JD: I tell you what, it's probably a good thing I'm not the third base coach, because I would've sent him. But Scott Brosius has a cooler head than mine and held him. Which turned out to be a pretty good decision the way things turned out.

AG: Then Ryon Healy grounds a ball to the shortstop Pat Valaika, who muffs the transfer and the ballgame's tied up.

JD: I will admit I pumped my fist at that point.

AG: And the 2018 Mariners, not a team to leave well enough alone, take a 5-2 lead when Mike Zunino blasts a three-run home run to the opposite field. Edwin Diaz closes things out quickly in the ninth, and the Mariners head into the break coming off a very successful road trip.

JD: It's really proven to be a team that can beat you in a million different ways.

AG: The day before had a great moment as well, with Robinson Cano capturing his 2500th career hit. Tell us a little bit about that hit.

JD: Robbie doing was Robbie does, going with the pitch and taking it the opposite way. You can see how mature a hitter he is now, like the game just slows down for him. Really a great moment for him, and of course, it was in the middle of a rally that gave us a six-run lead.

AG: Robbie now with an 18-game hitting streak. His average now up to .320. Somehow that wasn't enough to make the All-Star team. But let's talk a bit about the players who did make the team, Kyle Seager, Dee Gordon and Edwin Diaz.

JD: Kyle just had an incredibly consistent first half of the year at third base. We haven't talked about him much on this podcast, but he's been as good as any third baseman in baseball. Kyle's a guy who has just gotten better and better every single year, and this year so far is his best yet. A .361 on-base percentage and a .518 slugging percentage are career highs. On pace for career highs in home runs and doubles. The other two we've talked about quite a bit. Dee's now up to 77 stolen bases this season, so technically on pace for 129 on the season, which would be one off the all-time record. And Edwin Diaz, putting up just silly numbers out of the bullpen.

AG: A lot of what we've seen has really been a clear plan that has come together the way you've hoped. What's been the biggest surprise so far this season?

JD: Hmm, tough one. Certainly Dee's stolen bases and the way he's taken to center field have been up there. James Pazos in the bullpen would be another one. Another one would be how well Marco Gonzales has performed in the fifth spot in the rotation. Marco's now 6-1, 2.39 ERA, and has given us everything we could ask for from him going two or three turns through the lineup. But probably the biggest one is our overall team health. We've had a few guys suffer some minor injuries here and there. But knock on wood, we have been an incredibly healthy team so far. We've had six guys play in at least 90 of our 97 games so far. Our top five starting pitchers have started 90 of 97 games. That's just unheard of in this day and age, and what a difference from a year ago.

AG: Under the radar, one notable signing for the Mariners, international prospect O'Neill Manzueta from the Dominican Republic, who signed with Seattle for $2 million earlier in the week. What do you expect from O'Neill?

JD: Like most players we would get through that route, O'Neill is extremely raw, but has terrific power potential. He's fast and should turn into a pretty good outfielder. His swing still has some holes, and he can certainly work on his plate discipline, but he could be a real asset to our team in years to come.

AG: Well, why don't we go for a question from the fans. This one coming at you from Bob in Corvallis, Oregon. The question is, what do you see as Ichiro's role the rest of the season?

JD: We have seen Ichiro play less as the season's gone on. That's not because Ichiro has played poorly- he's done pretty much exactly as we would have expected. It's more that we've had Ben Gamel knocking down the door to get more playing time. We'll certainly see Ichiro get into some games, either in left field or as a pinch hitter. And I wouldn't count Guillermo Heredia or Taylor Motter out of the outfield mix either the rest of the season.

AG: Well, Jerry, a much-deserved break for the players. How about you, how are you spending the all-star break?

JD: I'll be going home with the family for a few days myself. Don't worry, I'll keep my phone on.

AG: With the deadline coming up, the Mariners have to be buyers, so I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of magic you can work.

JD: I'll tell you, I don't have a whole lot of areas to improve, which is a great problem to have!

AG: Well, Jerry, thanks so much for being with us.

JD: Thank you.

AG: And we'll see you in the second half on the next episode of The Wheelhouse.