4/15/19: Open Game Thread

There’s a neurological disorder called prosopagnosia that I think about from time to time. Colloquially known as “face blindness,” prosopagnosia impairs one’s ability to recognize familiar faces even as the rest of one’s visual processing remains intact.

Imagine having to recognize people by the sounds of their voice or their hairstyles rather than their faces. It doesn’t sound easy, does it? Yet apparently, up to 2% of the population may be affected by this to some degree — including Brad Pitt.

For those of you who have prosopagnosia, today’s game will be a tough one to follow. Because, you see, today is Jackie Robinson Day:

...and as a result, every single player is wearing the same number:

That said, tonight is a great matchup for a bunch of reasons. Yusei Kikuchi versus Cleveland ace Trevor Bauer! The return of Leonys Martín! Daniel Vogelbach as our cleanup hitter! Carlos González hitting third against a lefty starter! (Wait, what?)

After a tough sweep at the hand of the ‘Stros, the Mariners are surely looking forward to facing Cleveland tonight. Sure, the starting pitching won’t get much easier to face, but it helps that the 2019 All-Star Game hosts boast the third-worst offense in MLB by wRC+, slashing a putrid .194/.282/.316. Cleveland is also scuffling along of late, after losing three straight to Kansas City, so somebody is about to break their skid tonight.

Sorry if I’m droning on and on, so let me close with this: Welcome back, Leonys, and we’re happy to see you healthy and thriving!

First Pitch: 7:10 p.m. PDT

TV: ROOT Sports / MLB.tv for out of market viewers

Radio: 710 ESPN / MLB At-Bat app