6/20: Open Game Thread

Looking to earn a series split against the Halos, the Seattle Mariners send Felix Hernandez to the mound. In case you missed it, Adam H. Wong shared a wonderful look this morning at current Felix compared to Cy-Young-Award-winning Felix from 2010. It's a fantastic read that you should peruse as time allows.

The King looks to build another streak of solid outings. His last two turns against Oakland and the Yankees were strong, but he hasn't had three consecutive Felix-esque starts since that brilliant month-long stretch between April 17 and May 14.

During that span, I remember thinking that Felix hadn't been suffering from the devistingly low run support he had in the past. Maybe he was just that good to divert attention away from the hitters. Over those six games the offense chipped in only 20 runs -- good for an average of just 3.33 per game -- and seven of them came in one game against the Astros.

That's how special Felix is. He has a way of affording us an escape every five days. He gives us reason to circle the calendar and not want to miss out. Because, with Felix -- regardless of all the other noise surrounding the club -- something special is always very possible.

Lineups

RHP Felix Hernandez