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Hello, and happy Wednesday! There’s some great news and some less-than-great news to be had today. Starting with the potentially bad news, Drew Smyly has been scratched from his final spring training start on Friday, and his status for the opening series against Houston is in question.
Drew Smyly having some arm issue and won't pitch Friday as scheduled. Some concern, but Servais waiting for more info.
— Greg Johns (@GregJohnsMLB) March 29, 2017
The issue has been described by Servais as a “soggy arm,” which is a term that I’ve never heard before. Perhaps Smyly just had a curse put on him by a witch that prevents him from ever fully drying himself. Greg Johns seems to believe it’s just an arbitrary term indicating that the team is waiting for more information, but it’s worrisome regardless.
The likeliest replacement for Smyly would be Ariel Miranda, recently optioned to Tacoma with the intention of keeping him as the team’s sixth starter. Should the team decide to put Smyly on the 10-day disabled list, the team could backdate his injury so that he would only have to miss one start with the team during the regular season. This would allow the team to continue with their plans to break camp with an eight-man bullpen.
Alright, on to the good news. I’ll let you see for yourself.
Revised Dodgers lineup for today's 1:10 pm game with Mariners. And yeah, that's quite likely Seattle's Opening Day nine vs. a LH pitcher. pic.twitter.com/k0YG6SvdhG
— Greg Johns (@GregJohnsMLB) March 29, 2017
Except for Hisashi Iwakuma, this is probably the team’s Opening Day lineup. This will therefore be the closest thing to a real baseball game that we’ve witnessed this year! What’s more, we get to watch them face Clayton Kershaw. Even if the Mariners fail to do much of anything against him, the first few innings of this game should be a real treat to watch, and as close to a real test for the Mariners’ hitters as you’ll see in Spring Training.
Lest you trick yourself into thinking this is an actual baseball game, most of the Dodgers’ good players will be taking the day off. That means no Corey Seager, no Yasiel Puig, no Joc Pederson, and no Adrian Gonzalez. Getting the start for Gonzalez will be Scott Van Slyke. You can already feel the tension in the air as Robinson Cano continues his quest for redemption. Lastly, we have a Chris Taylor sighting, which is mildly interesting I guess.
Game Time: 1:10 PM PT
TV: Root Sports NW/MLB.tv
Radio: 710 ESPN/Mariners.com