9/23: Open Game Thread

After a day off yesterday for rest and regrouping, the Mariners return to the fray today hoping to avenge a series sweep against the Twins from back at the end of May, an ugly harbinger of the rough June the team would endure. Both teams look pretty different from their last incarnations--the Mariners more from the pitching side of things (MiMo, Steve Johnson, Joel Peralta, and Wade Miley all pitched significant innings during that series), and the Twins on the offensive side. Eduardo Nuñez was traded to the Giants and now Jorge Polanco has shortstop duties, Trevor Plouffe is on the DL again because he's no dummy, and Logan Schafer is a 29-year-old indy baller who was described in the Twinkie Town blog as, "a warm body." (He will probably also hit five home runs against the Mariners because we are the shiny foil balls the baseball gods love to bat around.) Watch out for Kennys Vargas, who has sneaky power and would probably be a bigger story if he didn't play in Minnesota.

The Mariners are playing Ketel Marte, which is a choice they are making, and rolling with one of the less-athletic combinations of the outfield in order to hopefully get some hits. They are also playing Adam Lind. I hate this lineup, you guys. The onus will probably be on Paxton to keep the Twins down, and really, the pitching might be in the Mariners' corner this series--the Twins won't have seen Paxton, Miranda, Altavilla, Díaz, Caminero, Scribner, Storen, Cody Martin, nor Venditte, at least not wearing Mariners uniforms. Hopefully the Twins' batters will be too busy looking at Venditte's funky glove or Cody Martin's piercing blue eyes and will forget to swing at pitches.

Game time is 5:05 here on the best coast, and it's also on the radio/TuneIn at 710 ESPN or online at MLB.tv

goms

UPDATE: GAME TIME PUSHED BACK TO 5:45

because Minnesota is the land of 10,000 sucks