The road trip is in the books and the Mariners are still exactly where they've been: right around .500, holding the second wild card spot in the AL, not further along than they should be. Four and three felt like progress on paper. It felt like a missed six and one in practice.

Chicago started hot. Raley went nuclear in game one, a grand slam and a three-run homer, seven of the team's 12 RBIs, Naylor added a three-run shot, 12-8 win. Then Saturday: a veteran lefty with an ERA over five shows up and the offense dies. One run. A Refsnyder sac fly. Castillo pitched well enough to deserve better. Sunday they had their shot, bases loaded, one out, Cole pops up and Donovan dribbles one down the first baseline. One out of three in Chicago and it should have been two.

Houston started clean. Kirby went five innings, nine strikeouts, one run, and became the 12th pitcher in franchise history to reach 50 wins. Game two was all Canzone, his first career grand slam off Imai, who couldn't find the zone. Randy went four for four with a two-run homer. Woo gave six innings and two runs. Then game three happened. Miller was dealing in his season debut, on pace for six scoreless, until an umpire took a foul ball to the face and got concussed badly enough to still be in the hospital when the team left town. The rhythm broke, the Astros scraped two runs, Julio walked one home to tie it, and then the Mariners lost on a Naylor infield dribbler that was half an inch from a walk-off win. Cal backed up a throw awkwardly, tweaked his oblique, and was on the IL the next morning. Game four, Raley hit a three-run homer in the first, Garver went deep, Donovan went double-triple-single in his first three at-bats, and Castillo went five and two-thirds on 108 pitches. Back-to-back solid outings from the guy who used to be the "oh no, he's pitching today" guy. Four and three. Could have been six and one.

Cal is probably done until the All-Star break, but Garver is a proven big-league catcher and Cal hasn't been Cal this year anyway. The bigger question is Raley, the team's home run leader hitting .270, still getting platooned against lefties. It's a Jerry-era roster philosophy, but at some point you have to let the hot guy hit. The rotation logjam is a good problem. Miller looked sharp coming back, Hancock has been great, Kirby is Kirby, and Castillo is in a groove. They're talking stack starts to get everyone their innings. It probably lasts one outing before something else solves it.

Around the league: the Cubs have spent 20 of 45 games inside two separate 10-game win streaks. The Braves hit 30 wins first. The White Sox are above .500 for the first time since 2022, two years after setting the all-time loss record. Tatis still hasn't gone yard despite hitting the ball harder than ever. Yandy Diaz rockets, no lift. The Padres are only three wins ahead of Seattle. Flip three of those one-run losses and nobody's treating them like a tier above.

Prediction for the homestand: four and two. But Mason Miller is pitching Friday, so the first eight innings of that game are going to matter a lot.

Just when we thought the Mariners had found something, Kansas City showed up and took the broom to us. Travis and Ryan break down a brutal sweep at the hands of the Royals — a team that has gotten a lot better lately, but still. Three games, three losses, and a bullpen that lost two of its biggest arms: Brash and Spire both went to the IL, leaving Munoz as the closer and the back end looking thin.

Saturday night was the real gut punch. Randy Johnson retirement ceremony, the number 51 going into the rafters, the whole ballpark riding high. Then Emerson Hancock goes out and deals: fourteen strikeouts, a sweeper nobody could touch. We still lost in ten innings because Randy did Randy things on the basepaths, Julio missed a ball in the outfield, and Munoz couldn't hold it. It felt very Felix-era. All the strikeouts in the world, zero run support.

Then the Braves came to town. A rotation of studs, a bullpen with sub-1.00 ERAs, four guys hitting over .300. We were expecting a second sweep in five days. Game one looked like we were right until Luke Raleigh, 1-for-17 coming in, had a chat with Edgar Martinez and hit a three-run bomb. JP Crawford followed with a moonshot to right that Aaron Goldsmith tried to talk us out of believing in. It had plenty. 5-4 final, bullpen held. Series.

Game two, Kirby shoved for six and JP hit another two-run shot, but Munoz served one up to Matt Olson in the ninth. Game three, Brian Wu put up nine strikeouts over six shutout innings, Julio hit a tank off Martin Perez, and Jose Ferrer worked three straight days, 10 outs across three appearances, to close it out. Series win against the best team in the NL.

Big topics this week: the closer conundrum (Munoz is streaky, a committee approach might be smarter until Brash returns), the Emerson Hancock question (his 14-K gem has forced the fifth starter conversation with Bryce Miller on his way up), and the fact that the American League is historically bad right now. Three teams over .500. Two solid weeks and we could be in first by three games.

Also: Framber Valdez threw at his own catcher, started a bench-clearing brawl, and got five or six games. The Phillies have taken off since making their managerial change. And the NL Central's worst wild card team has a better record than we do.

The roller coaster keeps rolling. It's early. We'll forget that tomorrow night around the seventh inning.

THE NAUTICAL 9 — Episode 8 Week of April 27–May 1, 2026 | Hosts: Travis & Ryan

The M's closed April at 16-16 after a 5-1 road trip through St. Louis and Minnesota. Cole Young is becoming something special, Matt Brash is a question mark, and Luis Castillo remains the $25M elephant in the rotation.

@ Cardinals (April 24–26) — Sweep

• Game 1: Kirby's 3rd straight quality start, Naylor 418-ft go-ahead blast, Muñoz closes it. W 3-2
• Game 2: Woo gets shelled (5 HR allowed), but the offense chips back inning by inning. Will Wilson ties it with a homer off Riley O'Brien. W 11-9
• Game 3: ABS challenge in the 9th changes everything — Ruf Schneider battles back, gets a hanger, walk-off homer. W 3-2. Sweep.

@ Twins (April 27–29) — 2-1

• Game 1: Castillo struggles, cold weather, rookie pitcher nobody had film on. L 11-4
• Game 2: Gilbert solid, Naylor bat flip of the year, Randy 3 hits, Julio 3 doubles. W 7-1
• Game 3: Cole Young 3 RBIs including the go-ahead 2-run single in the 9th. Brash exits after 2 pitches. W 5-3

STORYLINES

Cole Young is for real. .383 with 10 RBIs over his last 13 games. 2nd-best WPA in all of baseball behind only Trout. #1 among all position players in defensive WAR. He went from one of the worst defensive 2B in baseball last year to the best this year. Where does he hit in the order, and when does he get his first All-Star nod?

Matt Brash. Exited Wednesday after 2 pitches with right-side discomfort. Had a 0.00 ERA in 13 outings. IL stint likely. Bizzardo probably slides into the leverage role. Oblique word has been mentioned. Not great.

Luis Castillo. The $25M question. Sometimes has his 95-96 stuff, sometimes doesn't. Cold weather theory has merit. But Hancock has been dominant and Bryce Miller is rehabbing. When everyone's healthy, something has to give.

JP Crawford's defense. Still the captain, still hits. But the range isn't there anymore and it shows. Leave it alone while we're winning — revisit if we stop.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

• Red Sox fired Cora and 5 coaches at 10-17, then won 17-1. Phillies fired Thomson (9-19), offered the job to Cora, he said no, Donnie Baseball steps in. Mattingly wins his first two.
• NL Central: every team is at or above .500. Reds are 20-11 with Tito Francona out of retirement. Wild.
• Braves at 22-10, rookie J.R. Richie from Bainbridge, WA gave up a homer on his first MLB pitch then struck out 8.

COMING UP

• Randy Johnson #51 retirement ceremony — Saturday May 2, T-Mobile Park (80s jersey night giveaway)
• Home vs. KC Royals (May 1–3) then the Braves (May 4–6)

The conversation covers the Seattle Mariners' performance in April, focusing on their struggles, bullpen issues, and offensive performance. The discussion delves into the team's challenges and successes, providing insights into their current state and future prospects.

Takeaways

• Seattle Mariners' April performance
• Bullpen struggles
• Offensive performance

Travis and Ryan break down a week that tested every M's fan — from the darkest record since 2011 to right back in the AL West race in four days. That's baseball.

🏥 Injury News & Roster Moves JP Crawford is back and already clutch — he's tied the team walk-off record. Victor Robles back on the IL, Schneider on paternity leave, so Patrick Wisdom gets the call from Triple-A.

🌾 Down on the Farm Cade Anderson is dealing — 11 K's in 5 innings in his last Double-A start. The guys dig into the logjam: if Bryce Miller returns and Emerson keeps rolling, something has to give. Six-man rotation? Trade? Move Emerson to the pen? Colt Emerson projected for a May call-up.

😤 Anaheim — The California Nightmare

• G1 (W 3-1): Woo dealt. Cole Young breaks it open in the 10th.
• G2 (L 1-0): Zack Neto leadoff homer — that was all she wrote. Jo Adell robbed Cal, Naylor, AND leaped into the stands to rob JP. Three robberies. Greatest defensive outfield game we've ever watched against us.
• G3 (L 8-7): Offense scored seven but Luis gave up six and the bullpen gave up more. Brutal finish.

😤😤 Texas — Four Losses, Four One-Run Games

• G1 (L 2-1): Cal's first career homer. deGrom and the pen did the rest. Gilbert wasted again.
• G2 (L 3-2): Donovan leadoff bomb. Still not enough. Third straight one-run loss.
• G3 (L 2-0): Two hits. Two. Four and nine. It was dark in Arlington.

☀️ Houston Home Stand — The Cure

• G1 (W 9-6): Season-high 9 runs. Three in the first on walks and chaos. Randy two-run bomb breaks it open.
• G2 (W 8-7): Down 7-2, came all the way back. Cal's first homer at T-Mobile. Julio's first homer of the year. JP walks it off with a bases-loaded single.
• G3 (W 6-1): Walked until the cows came home. Julio extends his on-base streak.
• G4 (W): Nails goes nuclear — back-to-back homers. 13 hits. Kirby goes 7.2. Back to one game under .500.

🌍 Around the League Dodgers are 12-4 being Dodgers. Everyone else is bunched up. Rangers lead the AL West at 9-7. Blue Jays and Astros rotations are in shambles. Pirates and Reds quietly hanging around. Cubs gave up 14 to Philly.

🔭 Looking Ahead Padres (10-6) in town — soft schedule but a real lineup. Woo goes tonight. Jackie Robinson Day tomorrow. Then Rangers at home for redemption, followed by the A's. Travis wants a win streak. Ryan says take it one series at a time. Either way — stay on the roller coaster.

Thanks for listening to The Nautical 9. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.

The Nautical 9 | Episode 5 April 3, 2026

MARINERS NEWS The Mariners sign top prospect Colt Emerson to an 8-year, $95M extension before he's played a big league game. We weigh the risk, the precedent, and where he might slot in when he gets here.

OPENING HOMESTAND RECAP (3-4)

vs. Guardians — 2-2 split Thu 3/26: Guardians 6, Mariners 4 | Fri 3/27: Mariners 5, Guardians 1 | Sat 3/28: Guardians 6, Mariners 5 (F/10) | Sun 3/29: Mariners 8, Guardians 0 (NBC)

Emerson Hancock threw 6 no-hit innings in his season debut on Sunday Night Baseball. Rotation looked sharp. Bullpen is a work in progress.

vs. Yankees — 1-2 series loss Mon 3/30: Mariners 2, Yankees 1 (walk-off) | Tue 3/31: Yankees 5, Mariners 0 | Wed 4/1: Yankees 5, Mariners 3

Cal Raleigh — off the bench after a brutal Cleveland series — delivered a walk-off single in Game 1. Max Fried and Cam Schlittler were filthy in Games 2 and 3. The Mariners rallied late in the finale but couldn't close it out.

STORYLINES

• The WBC hangover is real — Julio, Randy, Cal, Muñoz, Bazardo, and Bizzarro all slow out of the gate
• Brendan Donovan doing his job at the plate, still finding his footing at third
• Cole Young is the early surprise — lefty at-bats, big hits, highlight-reel defense at second
• The Mariners have been under .500 in the opening homestand three of the last four years
• Bullpen usage questions — why isn't Dan going to Brash and Spire in key spots?

AROUND THE LEAGUE Chase DeLauter (CLE) homered twice in his first regular-season career game. Murakami (CWS) went deep 3 times in 3 games. JJ Wetherholt (STL) homered for his first big league hit, then walked off the Rays the next day. McGonigle (DET) had 4 hits on debut day. Walk-off grand slams from Dom Smith and Drake Baldwin. Blue Jays opened with back-to-back walk-offs vs. Oakland.

ABS SYSTEM — EARLY TAKES We're both into it. The crowd reactions are electric. Early standouts on the challenge system: 'Geno Suárez and Salvi Pérez. CB Buckner is having a rough week. Two things it still needs: a 3D plate model and an egregious-miss override when teams are out of challenges.

LOOKING AHEAD AL West road trip — Anaheim and Texas. Woo, Hancock, and Castillo on the bump. JP Crawford off the IL and on the trip. Warmer weather, the ball will carry, and Julio loves hitting in Anaheim.

Show Notes:

Baseball is almost here! Travis and Ryan kick off Episode 4 on the eve of the 2025 MLB season, diving into everything Mariners and beyond as Opening Day arrives.

In this episode:

• Opening Day hype — Giants vs. Yankees on Netflix tomorrow, then the full slate drops Thursday morning with early games. It finally feels like Christmas Eve.
• Mariners rotation talk — Logan Gilbert gets the ball on Thursday. Where does the rotation shake out behind him? Kirby, Emerson, and what it means for the staff.
• Lineup construction — Cole Donovan as the true leadoff guy they've been missing, Luke Raley's bounce-back potential, Cole Young absolutely raking in spring, and whether this is finally Julio's year from Game 1.
• Colton not making the club — Was it performance? Or just giving a 21-year-old more seasoning? Either way, expect to see him this year.
• The Mariners TV situation — RootSports is dead. Mariners.TV is the new brand. Will your cable login work in the MLB app? We're all finding out Thursday morning.
• Streaming chaos — Netflix, Peacock, Apple TV, Amazon Prime... how are casual fans supposed to find a game anymore?
• WBC wrap-up — Great pitching, cold bats, and a loss that still stings. Why do international teams just seem to want it more?
• AL/NL whip-around — Division winners, wild card picks, Dodgers three-peat talk, and why the Phillies might finally break through in the NL.
• Bold 2025 predictions — Cole Young as breakout player, Cal Raleigh hitting 51 home runs, Brian Wu as a sneaky Cy Young dark horse, and a Mariners 101-win season prediction.

Final picks: Mariners vs. Tigers in the ALCS. Mariners vs. Phillies in the World Series. Mariners win it.

The episode covers a range of topics, including spring training baseball, the World Baseball Classic (WBC), and the potential outcomes of the tournament. It also delves into the performance of various teams and players, as well as the dynamics of the WBC matchups.

Takeaways

• Spring Training Concerns
• AL WEST Preview
• WBC Excitement

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Podcast Update
• 07:15 AL West Deep Dive and Playoff Predictions
• 21:49 WBC Quarterfinal Matchups and Analysis