09/06: Open game thread

ADMIT IT. You saw the news earlier today that the Mariners recalled Nori Aoki and you were so excited. You just couldn't wait to see him in a Mariners uniform again, running down foul balls and creating bloop singles all over the outfield. Well, unfortunately for you, you will just have to wait another game. Or not. Perhaps he will come in as a defensive replacement, or whatever those are called. Either way, the Aoki show is on hold.

The Mariners show is not on hold, however. Those lousy Texas Rangers are back in town. An unnamed member of the staff was probably quoted as saying, "The Mariners are a seven-game win streak away from wiping away the stench of last week" (guess who said that). They are going to try and get that going with James Paxton on the mound. Paxton's last start was against the Rangers last week, and well, it just wasn't very good. But that is OK, because just a few starts ago, Paxton was busy creaming the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels. He has it in him to do quite well, so let's hope he figures that is the best order of business for tonight.

The Rangers are countering with Martin Perez this fine evening. Perez is a mediocre pitcher at best, but the Mariners did their best job of making him seem much better than he is the last time the two teams met. Perez went six innings with no run ball, despite the fact he gave up seven hits and walked three. So it goes sometimes.

According to Fangraphs, the Mariners have a 3.4 percent chance of grabbing a wild card spot. Let's bump that up to four percent, or maybe even higher, with a win tonight!

Game info

• Time: 7:10 pm PT
• TV: ROOT Sports
• Radio: 710 ESPN