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After a full week of high impact matchups, the Mariners get a bit of a breather as they head to Philadelphia for a three game series against the Phillies. The once great Phillies, who have been unfortunately clipped by many injuries and legitimately hampered by age, are no longer the once great Phillies. They are just the Phillies -- the cellar dwellers of the NL East.
The Phillies are one of the sorriest hitting squads in the league, coming in at second to last with a wRC+ of 86 (just barely ahead of the San Diego Padres). As a team, Philadelphia hits .242/.304/.365. For a pitching squad that has been rolling like the Mariners have, the Phillies shouldn't present too many issues. Chase Utley is still decent at hitting this year, but much of his value comes from his defense. Marlon Byrd, way back when an old Mariners trade target, is having a good year with 23 home runs in 122 games, but is currently mired in a slight 6-for-28 slump.
Jerome Williams gets the start for the Phillies today. He was claimed off of waivers on Aug. 7 and has spent time with seemingly every single club in baseball. He has started one other game for Philadelphia this season, pitching 5.1 innings, giving up two runs off of five hits and two walks.
Roenis Elias is back for another go-round with the club as the team continues to monitor his innings. Elias has pitched close to 135 innings this season, which is second amongst rookies. Over his last four starts in the majors he has struck out 26 in 21.2 innings pitched. He also hasn't pitched at least six innings since June 28.
There is a bit of roster shuffling today because of the national league rules. We'll have the pleasure of watching Elias at the plate, but that also means that Kendrys Morales is taking over at first, shoving Logan Morrison into the outfield and booting Chris Denorfia from the lineup for today. It's always a dominoes with this team.
Game info
- Seattle Mariners @ Philadelphia Phillies, 4:05 p.m. PT
- Today's game will be televised on ROOT Sports, broadcast on 710 ESPN, and available to out-of-market viewers at MLB TV here.
Today's lineups
| Seattle Mariners | Philadephia Phillies |
| Austin Jackson (R) CF | Ben Revere (L) CF |
| Dustin Ackley (L) LF | Carlos Ruiz (R) C |
| Robinson Cano (L) 2B | Chase Utley (L) 2B |
| Kendrys Morales (S) 1B | Ryan Howard (L) 1B |
| Kyle Seager (L) 3B | Marlon Byrd (R) RF |
| Mike Zunino (R) C | Darin Ruf (R) LF |
| Logan Morrison (L) RF | Cody Asche (L) 3B |
| Chris Taylor (R) SS | Andres Blanco (S) SS |
| Roenis Elias (L) P | Jerome Williams (R) P |
| Roenis Elias - LHP | Jerome Williams - RHP |