6/6: Open game thread

While Jack Zduriencik and Tom McNamara deliberate over their next draft pick, the Mariners will try for their sixth straight win in Tampa. If successful, it'll be their longest winning streak since they won eight in a row last July.

The last time Erik Bedard donned a Mariners uniform was both the worst day of his career with Seattle and an agonizing loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Bedard lasted 1 1/3 innings, giving up five runs on three hits and four walks. By the end of the second inning, left-handed reliever Aaron Laffey had wasted three more runs on the Rays. The next seven frames breezed by, with only Dustin Ackley, Adam Kennedy, and Chone Figgins spoiling a no-hitter. The three-hit shutout marked Bedard's seventh loss in 16 starts.

Things didn't get much better for the southpaw after leaving the West Coast. He struggled with the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros, and was unable to complete a no-hitter after maxing out at 109 pitches through 6 1/3 innings. At the start of 2014, Bedard opted out of his contract with the Rays when he failed to make the starting rotation, but soon changed his mind and was called up on April 11. So far this year, he's managed three home runs, 22 walks, and 34 strikeouts in 10 outings. He's currently riding a three game losing streak after giving up 18 hits, 14 runs, and seven walks in 14 innings pitched.

Game notes

• Mariners @ Rays, 4:10 p.m. PST
• Today's game will be televised on ROOT Sports, broadcast on 710 ESPN, and available for out-of-market fans on MLB TV.
• Justin Smoak is back in the lineup after suffering a sore left quad on Wednesday.
• John Buck is batting cleanup today. According to Greg Johns, Lloyd McClendon feels that Buck will be a good match against Erik Bedard, and wants Mike Zunino to be extra rested for three consecutive day games.
• If you're curious, Ryan Divish pulled a great chart from Baseball-Reference with this lineup's previous numbers against Bedard.