Mariners Moose Tracks, 10/14/17: ALCS, Kyle Lewis, the Dolly Vardens, junk puns

Happy Saturday! The ALCS got underway in Houston yesterday, with the Astros taking Game One over the Yankees, 2-1. The series continues today, and the NLCS kicks off today as well. Who are you rooting for? Personally, I’m enjoying seeing the Astros terrorize a team that isn’t the Mariners, and it feels good to root openly for Jose Altuve, who is one of my favorite players in the league. If you haven’t seen it, the MLB special “Big Dreams” about him will make you a fan, too.

In Mariners news...

• Kyle Lewis is feeling healthy and ready to make a splash in the AFL.
• Luke Arkins at Prospect Insider isn’t sure firing Casey Candaele will solve the Mariners’ baserunning woes.
• The Mariners added a new scout to the organization:

In Mariners winter ball action...

• The Javelinas lost yesterday, 4-2. Joe DeCarlo made his debut behind the plate and seemed to hold up there pretty well despite working with four new pitchers, blocking a bunch of strike three pitches in the dirt (AFL batters, they love to swing). Braden Bishop and Eric Filia each collected a walk.
• RHP Dylan Unsworth made his debut in the Venezuelan League, pitching five innings of four-hit, no-run ball. He also became the first South African to play in the LVBP:

• Also in Venezuelan ball: Adam Law and Chuck Taylor are playing for the Cardenales de Lara. Law went 2-3 with a triple, 2 BB and 3 RBI, and Taylor went 3-5 with his first home run.

Around the league...

• What Dallas Keuchel did yesterday was even more special than you might think, says Jeff Passan.
• If you like genitalia-themed recaps, this one from the Ringer is for you!
• The PTBNL in the Verlander deal was announced:

Ramirez is an 18-year-old out of the DR who has been hitting well in the DSL/GCL but hasn’t shown a ton of power yet. He does possess excellent plate discipline for such a young player, walking more than he struck out this year.

• Jeff Sullivan took a look at Didi Gregorious in which he didn’t once refer to him as “Sir Didi,” so address your fanmail to Jeff care of the NYC penal system, I suppose.
• You might recognize Mary Craig’s name as the person brave enough to take on the bandwagoning the Red Sox piece for this site. If you love baseball history, you’ll enjoy her piece on the Dolly Vardens, an all-black woman team based in Philadelphia in the 19th century.

Kate’s picks...

• WSU fans, look away. But good gravy, look at this crazy play!

(Apparently his mom later told him he should’ve done a double.)

• I’ve mentioned before how much I enjoy the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, and they’ve just started in on The Goblet of Fire. There’s something about October that always makes me want to revisit the books (probably because the movies are on TV nonstop), but more than that, I get a lot out of the rigorous discussion the hosts, students at Harvard’s Divinity School, bring to the text. This is the trailer for Season Three, but it feels especially apt right now: