7/12/18: Open Game Thread

The All-Star Break is drawing ever closer. After today, just one series at Coors Field is all that stands between the M’s and a week off of regular baseball activity. Fortunately, four of them will be in attendance for the game, and it’s possible that the man starting tonight could be their fifth.

With the exception of one Qole Qalhoun, the Angels are running out an all-righty lineup against James Paxton. Anaheim has struggled mightily against lefty starters this year, putting up just a 7-17 record against them. Denard Span gets the start in left field, and David Freitas - who clubbed his first big-league home run last night - is behind the plate for a second straight day.

Tyler Skaggs has been the Angels’ most valuable starter this year, putting up 2.2 fWAR along with a 3.06 FIP over 92 innings. It hasn’t looked flukey, either, as he’s running the highest whiff rate of his career, and his best ground ball rate since 2014. While his 81.9% strand rate suggests he’s been the beneficiary of some sequencing luck, Skaggs is by no means a pushover, and today would be a great day for the Mariners’ bats to wake up a bit.

Game Time: 7:07 PDT

TV: ROOTNW, MLB.tv

Radio: 710 ESPN, MLB At Bat