Matthew and Kate put their heads together and try to figure out how to save the Mariners’ season, which is only a week old and not even that bad record-wise. It was pretty evident that the White Sox were going to samurai sword the Mariners, but will that happen every time the M’s face an above-average team? The 13-2 Mariners from 2019 are not walking through that door. A few minutes of relitigating the San Francisco and Chicago series gives way to the topic of the day: James Paxton’s no good, dirty rotten luck.

Listeners ask if we should already give up on the whole season, seemingly forgetting about on-base GAWDS like Jake Fraley and José Marmolejos. There’s also a conversation about pace of play that needs to be had, and the Lookout Landing podcast will surely solve it before the commissioner’s office. Now that we’ve seen every starting pitcher go at least once, let’s make some wild overreactions. Speaking of which, will this offense be unwatchable all summer, or just for right now?

If you’re looking to release some way-too-early frustration about Justin Dunn and J.P. Crawford, don’t touch that dial. Kate preaches patience when it comes to Evan White, even though his wRC+ matched his jersey number at the time of recording. The home stretch lets us tackle an important, yet deeply morose question. Which member of the roster can have a fun plant-based nickname now that Big Maple has been chopped down? 

Music: “Vascular” by Public Pool // “All That” by Emotional Oranges & Channel Tres

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