4/12: Open Game Thread

Seattle Mariners (4-7) vs. Texas Rangers (7-3)

Tonight's keys to the game are brought to you by fjords, planet Earth's most underrated geographical feature. Stop by a fjord today, and tell them that Bones sent you!*

1. Heat up yu bats, Mariners! For the Mariners, it's all about offense tonight. The M's haven't hit real well lately and that's something that has to change. Score more runs than the other team, and nine times out of ten, you're gonna win the ballgame. The M's hit the crap out of Yu Darvish last year, and look for Endy Chavez to help continue that trend as a catalyst leading off the game.

2. Heat up those arms, Mariners! For the Mariners, it's all about pitching tonight. The M's haven't thrown the ball real well lately and that's something that has to change. The key here is Lucas Luetge. He's struggled a bit thus far, but he'll get it going, and I think he's gonna have a big impact out of the bullpen.

3. Don't 'walk off.' Sprint off! If you end the ninth with a hit, you'll always win the game. Always. So, if the Mariners find themselves in a ninth inning hole, they need to focus on getting base hits until the game's over. If they execute, they'll be alright.

* I am terribly skinny.

Shifting tones, you guys are going to love the lineup tonight. Not a whole lot of lineups look all that good without any of their Opening Day outfielders, but most teams wouldn't exacerbate the problem by bunching their replacements at the top of the order, either.