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Well, the hole created by Mike Leake’s departure has finally come up in the rotation, and Scott Servais has opted for a bullpen day. Fun!
Lineups are out. Mallex Smith is out of the lineup which isn’t a surprise. They may keep him out a few more days. Servais wasn’t pleased with Smith’s mental mistakes this road trip pic.twitter.com/gwsYwijsJe
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) August 17, 2019
With Mallex’s absence, Tim Lopes assumes the role of leadoff man. Lopes has been a pleasant surprise since making his big league debut, running an 89 wRC+ with a low K-rate while taking to left field well for a career infielder. There’s a chance we’ll see more of him there, as well:
Mariners manager Scott Servais said Mallex Smith is on the bench for repeated mental mistakes on the bases and in the field. They had a team meeting prior to yesterday's game to discuss it. And Smith made another silly baserunning mistake later that night.
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) August 17, 2019
Woof. Reggie McClain and his intriguing slider will start for Seattle, and could possibly go for two or three innings. Expect to see multi-inning guys like Erik Swanson and Zac Grotz follow at some point, and hey, maybe some matchups if the M’s can hold a lead? Time will tell. Trent Thornton will be on the mound for Toronto, whose wayward command and mild case of dingeritis have led him to a 4.76 FIP in his debut season. Like Jacob Waguespack yesterday, Thornton throws five pitches, but will lean more heavily on his 93 MPH fastball. He’s running a ground-ball rate of just over 30%, so if the M’s can square him up a bit, they stand a decent chance of knocking a couple of dingers.
Game Time: 12:07 PDT
TV: ROOTNW, MLB.tv
Radio: 710 ESPN, MLB At Bat