The Seattle Mariners rookie is out of the lineup on Thursday amidst a tough stretch at the plate. We caught up him and his skipper before the finale with the New York Yankees.
NEW YORK -- As the Seattle Mariners look to snap a six-game losing streak and halt a second-half free fall that includes 20 losses in their last 29 games, rookie infielder Colt Emerson is not in the lineup on Thursday against the New York Yankees.
It's a good chance for Emerson to get a day off, especially against tough lefty Max Fried. The rookie, who was signed to an eight-year contract extension right after Opening Day, was 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in Wednesday's 10-5 loss against New York.
He has one walk and 19 strikeouts since July 25.
The reason for that? To me, it appears that Emerson is being too aggressive at the plate. As a result, he's swinging at almost everything thrown to him. It's hard to live in the big leagues when every count is 0-1, 0-2 or 1-2. At that point, you are eating out of the pitchers hand.
We spoke with Emerson - and manager Dan Wilson - before Thursday's finale about his struggles, and his approach. Specifically, both parties were asked about Emerson's aggression and if there is a thought to pare some of that down.
Emerson talked about wanting to hunt the fastball and be on time for it. Wilson said that when players are struggling, they sometimes have a tendency to want to "swing their way out of it," and that sometimes they then need to be more selective. But he said it's a balance between being too aggressive and too passive.
Emerson's idea of hunting the fastball is well-founded. The issue? He's swinging through it, chasing it, and fouling it back.
He's hitting .190 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs since getting called up in May. Regardless of his struggles, he's one of the biggest reasons for optimism about the M's future.
Some fans have asked for him to be sent back to Triple-A Tacoma, but the team isn't really in a position to do that because of JP Crawford's recent trip to the injured list.
In addition to comments on his offense, Emerson said he's trying to find one thing to do each day that helps the team win.
Other pregame notes
--Taylor Ward is out of the lineup with upper leg soreness but could be available off the bench.
--Cole Young is out of the lineup with some symptoms from the dizziness that caused him to leave Wednesday's game.
--The Mariners are 5.5 games back of the Houston Astros in the American League West entering play. They'll head to Houston over the weekend in a series that will likely decide if the M's last 35 games truly matter.
Of note
The latest edition of the 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast is out, featuring ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney. You can listen to the episode here, or you can watch it in the YouTube player below:
