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Last night was fun, huh? Maybe let’s do it again tonight.
Lineups. Encarnacion sitting with a sore lower back again pic.twitter.com/RA8Z8g673n
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) June 15, 2019
For the fifth time this season, the Mariners are deploying an opener. Gerson Bautista is getting his second crack at it after firing 1.1 scoreless innings on Wednesday, though he’ll probably only stick around for the first. Wade LeBlanc is next up, and he’s benefited quite nicely from this strategy - in his past two outings, each of which he had an opener for, he’s given up just three runs over fourteen innings while walking just two hitters. Here’s hoping that trend continues. Edwin Encarnación is out with a sore back, and Dee Gordon is getting the day off due to a slightly tender wrist after all the headfirst slides he’s been taking the past couple games. Get well soon, guys.
The latest Oakland A to turn into a star out of nowhere is, unfortunately, on the mound tonight. After putting up middling numbers last season through 65 innings, Frankie Montas has been on a tear to start the year, putting up a 3.05 FIP over 76 frames. He’s upped his strikeout rate by over nine points from last year, and he’s learned and deployed a splitter fairly often along with a fastball that averages around 96. We might need some luck dragons to get a win here.
Game Time: 6:07 PDT
TV: ROOTNW, MLB.tv
Radio: 710 ESPN, MLB At Bat
EDIT: Welp.
Edwin Encarnación has been traded from the Seattle Mariners to the New York Yankees, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Encarnación currently leads the American League with 21 home runs. The Mariners’ teardown is in full bloom and the Yankees get another big bat.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 16, 2019
Fly on, parrot. After leading the AL in home runs, the Mariners’ most prized trade chip has a new home. Details are currently scant, though we’ll have a blurb on the way once more information comes.