[jaa36]

AG: Welcome back to the Wheelhouse. Once again I'm Aaron Goldsmith, and here with me as usual is Jerry Dipoto.

JD: Hey there.

AG: Well, here we are in October, and the M's have locked up a postseason berth with six games to play. How are you feeling, Jerry?

JD: Good, really good. Obviously are work is far from over. We still want to take the division, and the American League is stacked again this season, so the playoffs won't be easy.

AG: You go into those last six games with a 95-61 record, which is four games ahead of the Astros. The Rangers came on like a house on fire in August and September but are still three games behind Houston. You've got four more games against the Astros to close out the season. Any thoughts?

JD: Well, that's the way you want it to be, to have to go through the team that won 107 games last year and too the division last year. And the trade that we made with them earlier this year just upped the stakes.

AG: That one was a really interesting deal, sending away the very popular and very accomplished Nelson Cruz for a 33-year-old reliever without much of a track record, but it's really paid off thus far, with a 1.87 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings.

JD: We thought that we saw something in his mechanics that we could unlock, and we were right. It's rare that we're the ones fixing something that Houston didn't see! But since he's gotten here, he's cut his walk rate and his home run rate in half, and he's been one of a handful of guys in our bullpen who have been just dominant.

AG: Do you anticipate Scott resting some of your starters down the stretch?

JD: Well, if we've already locked up the division, absolutely. But it's a huge advantage to go into the postseason as a division winner rather than as a wild card, like we were last year. And for that matter, the Indians are just three games ahead of us, and we'd love to have the home-field advantage if we were to play them again.

AG: Let's look at the injury front for a minute. You were expecting to get Mike Leake back in August, but when he was on a rehab assignment after an ankle injury, he ruptured his biceps and will miss the rest of the year.

JD: Yeah, that was disappointing to lose him. He's been a guy who has stayed really healthy over the course of his career, but has been hit with a few injuries this year and last. He should be able to make it back either by or near the start of next season, and in the meantime, we've kind of mixed and matched with Max Fried and Sal Romano to kind of make it through the order a couple of times.

AG: Kevin Pillar remains out also. What's his timetable for returning at this point?

JD: To be honest, we're not sure. His elbow's still bothering him, and it's certainly better than it was, but not back to 100%. Fortunately, Corey Ray has stepped in played really well, with some surprising pop and good defense out in center field. But Kevin was just a huge part of our team last postseason, we'd sure like to have him back for the playoffs this year.

AG: Speaking of outfielders. This was a foregone conclusion, but Dee Gordon did indeed break the single-season stolen base record. It would not surprise anyone to hear that he didn't stop after breaking the record. Now up to 159 stolen bases!?! Holy mackerel!

JD: I don't know what to tell you. He is a marvel. He said the other day that he wants to end up over 162 so he can say he stole over one base per game.

AG: That trade with the Marlins a couple of years ago looks pretty good now!

JD: Yeah, we really thought Dee would be something special, and he's just such a hard worker. We've asked him to learn a new position two seasons in a row now, and he just hasn't missed a beat. Really a remarkable athlete and a remarkable competitor.

AG: Now we could go on and on about the bullpen. Juan Nicasio and Jake Diekman have just had stellar years. Edwin Diaz and James Pazos a tick worse than last year, but tremendous as well. Estrada just makes that group deeper. Let's face it, this is the best bullpen in baseball, isn't it?

JD: The stats would say so, Aaron. A lot of that credit goes to Scott for putting guys in roles in which we think they'll succeed. They've thrown a lot of innings- Eddie is over a hundred again this year- but they haven't thrown many innings when they're tired.

AG: Do you think James Paxton wins the Cy Young this year?

JD: Wouldn't be a bad choice. The Big Maple's been great all year, and best of all he's stayed healthy and should end up right around 200 innings fo the second season in a row. It's great for us to have him and Jose Quintana at the top of the rotation.

AG: OK, Jerry. Let's go to the mailbag for a minute. Got a question from Jen in Sitka, Alaska. Jen wants to know, what do you think about Felix's Hall of Fame chances?

JD: Felix has sort of settled in as a mid-rotation pitcher these last few seasons. He's been good, but certainly nowhere near his overall peak. I think at this point he can probably give us this kind of production for at least three or four more seasons- at least that's what I was thinking when I signed him to that extension. I think, honestly, his odds are pretty good, especially if he can add to his postseason resume a bit this year.

AG: All right, Jerry. Are you ready for the next round of Stump JD?

JD: I gotta say, I'm a little nervous, Aaron. I've got a lot to live up to from last month.

AG: This question, I'll be honest, it's a little bit of a softball, but it's in honor of Dee Gordon and the stolen base record. The question is, can you name the other players who have stolen a hundred bases, and how many times they've done it?

JD: Ooh, that's pretty good, Aaron. Well, Dee's obviously done it twice now. Rickey Henderson did it three times. Vince Coleman I believe did it three times as well.

AG: Right.

JD: And we aren't counting pre-1900, are we?

AG: Good clarification. No, we are not.

JD: Lou Brock did it once.

AG: Yes.

JD: And of course, the old record holder, Maury Wills. And- I think that's it?

AG: You got it, Jerry. Well done, two in a row.

JD: Thanks Aaron. I feel smarter for the experience.

AG: Well, best of luck with the last six games of the season. Will we get a postseason edition of this podcast?

JD: Eh, I'm kind of liking this monthly schedule. We'll see.

AG: Good enough for me, Jerry. Thanks for being here, and we'll see you next time on The Wheelhouse.