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The Mariners are kicking off their series in Chicago today, provided Mother Nature cares about baseball, which she does not.
The Truest Blue Bear Hisashi Iwakuma is on the hill for the Mariners today, looking to pick up his 12th win of the year. Kuma has allowed just three earned runs over his past three starts, giving up just one homer in those 19-plus innings. With this start, Iwakuma should surpass his innings from last year, so let's hope he doesn't have a magic threshold that will force his arm to fly into the stands in the third inning.
Jon Lester is going for the Cubs, and he's struggled as of late. Lester's ERA this month is a glorious 10.13, making it through just 16 innings over four starts. Unfortunately, the M's are a merely average team against southpaws, so it's not a slam dunky-dunk.
Guillermo Heredia is up with the club today, but he's not in the starting lineup against a left-hander, which is a bit disappointing. Expect him to be available to pinch-hit (or run) should Lester outlast Kuma.
Later today, the Rangers host the Royals, the Angels host the Red Sox, the A's are in Cleveland and the Astros are in Detroit.
Game Info
Mariners at Cubs, Wrigley Field, 11:20a PST
TV: ROOT
Radio: 710 ESPN
Web: MLB.tv
Today's Lineups