8/19/18: Open Game Thread

Getting a win last night, albeit in quirky fashion, was vital for the Mariners for many reasons. It helped them keep pace with Oakland and gain a game on Houston. It was a bounce-back after a clobbering on Friday night. Most notably, however, today’s game felt and feels like as mismatched as a pair of competitive teams can be. Roenis Elías has returned from the DL to toe the rubber against his fellow southpaw, Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw has slipped from the deity he was from 2014-2016 back down to a mere ace, but despite back pain hampering his innings totals, when he’s been on the mound he’s been a nightmare for hitters.

Elías hasn’t gone more than an inning in any of his rehab stints, so it’d be a surprise to see more than 5 IP from him, so the bullpen may have to once again carry the load. In case you missed the blurb I wrote five minutes ago with a bit of extra detail on James Pazos’ struggles, here are today’s roster moves:

The silver lining on today’s otherwise grim outlook is that the lineup is once again a banger. We get Haniger/Canó/Cruz to lead off the game, which is about as good as a Segura-less lineup can look. Mike Zunino gets the day off after a night game yesterday, and the Mariners get their first look at Chris Taylor of the series as he’ll push Manny Machado to 3B with Justin Turner DH-ing.

Additional fun facts - here’s the starting lineup for the last time Clayton Kershaw started against the Mariners in the regular season. Dee Gordon and shortstop, a match made in heaven!

Baseball Reference

Game Time: 1:10 PM PT

TV: ROOT NW

Radio: 710 AM ESPN

Online: MLB.TV