The Mariners pulled out a win in an extremely annoying game yesterday thanks to some late heroics by Miles Mastrobuoni and Eduard Bazardo, who turned in his best ever performance as a Mariner. Bryan Woo will try to keep the good vibes rolling today.
Lineups:
Mastrobuoni’s heroics are being rewarded with a start today over rookie Ben Williamson. Julio gets a DH day with Raley taking over in center, allowing Canzone to get the start in right and Solano to start at first. Strange to think this would have been a “B” lineup not long ago.
The Rangers will start Kumar Rocker, back from a brief demotion to the minor leagues in May where he worked on a new cutter to pair with his wipeout slider. Rocker struggled in his last outing against the Mariners in April, and Tampa Bay got to him in his first big-league start back, but since then he’s posted two solid outings, albeit against the White Sox and Pirates. He also walked three in that game against the Pirates, showing his command issues are still present.
News:
After the bullpen took a beating last night between a tough start for Gilbert and extra innings, the Mariners needed to make a move. Interestingly, they did not recall Jackson Kowar, who’s with the team on the taxi squad; instead, they opted to DFA Zach Pop and call up the rookie Juan Burgos. Read more here.
In Rangers news, today they are inducting Elvis Andrus into their team Hall of Fame, in case you needed to feel old for a minute.
Game Information:
Game time: 1:05
TV: ROOT Sports, with Aaron Goldsmith, Angie Mentink, and the occasional specter of Jay Buhner
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr., with a Buhner cameo
Today in Mariners History:
1988 – Glenn Wilson chased a ball hit by Texas’ Jeff Kunkel which travels into the Mariners bullpen. With the game ball trapped under the bullpen bench, Wilson stops at the ball bag, takes a ball out and hurls it into the game. When asked to comment, Wilson says, “I grabbed the first ball I saw.”
1996 – The Mariners tie the club record with 19 runs as they clobber Texas at the Kingdome 19-8.
2005 – In a game against the Athletics, the Mariners battery consists of a pair of 42-year olds as Jamie Moyer throws to backstop Pat Borders. It marks the first time in major league history that two players 42 years or older have been the starting pitcher and catcher for a team.
2011 – Ichiro Suzuki hit his 33rd career leadoff home run on the first pitch in the bottom of the first inning. The homer tied Paul Molitor for 9th on the all-time leadoff home run list.
2017 – In a 5-4 loss to the Phillies, Félix Hernández moved into 50th place all-time in career strikeouts. He tallied 5 strikeouts to bring his career total to 2,297, surpassing Dwight Gooden.