6/16: Open Game Thread

Hello, you made it! It's Friday, and what better way to end the week than to grab some Happy Hour and watch James Paxton take on the Texas Rangers? The Rangers are just half of a game ahead of the Mariners in the Wild Card race. The Mariners themselves are still only 1.5 games back, but a whopping six teams stand between them and that second spot. If you haven't heard this a hundred times, the American League sucks.

First, there's a little bit of roster news today. Continuing the mad shuffle of long relievers:

Chase De Jong has been optioned to Tacoma, Zac Curtis is up.

— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) June 16, 2017

De Jong threw four innings of long relief yesterday, so he wasn't going to be available for at least a couple days. Curtis has pitched just 1.2 innings for the Mariners so far this year, and hasn't yet allowed a run. He was pitching for Double-A Arkansas, and pitching well, posting a 2.82 FIP over 23.2 innings. That success may not translate to the Majors for very long, but he should be serviceable in a pinch.

Unsurprisingly, there's still no sign of Jean Segura. If you didn't see, he's unlikely to play in this series, but seems likely to be back on Monday. Still, barring catastrophe this weekend (knock on wood), the Mariners should have their full starting lineup on Monday! That is, unless you are a Leonys Loyalist. If you are, you probably also like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, in that you like things that are both heartwarming and bad.

The Game will be on Root Sports NW, 710 ESPN, and MLB.tv (if you aren't in a blacked out area).