8/19/20: Open Game Thread

Today, we collectively saunter into a new world.

No, there’s no vaccine yet. Everything is still mostly bad, and it is way too hot outside for my liking. But perhaps even worse, Daniel Vogelbach is no longer a part of the Mariners’ active MLB roster.

If you missed the news, we’ve got you covered here. Since galumphing onto the 2019 All-Star team, Vogey has been several kinds of bad. While that is an immensely sad truth, it also has the sort of added bonus of making things easier on the Mariners. Cutting ties with Vogelbach means the M’s have one less player to consider when piecing together their next competitive roster. I think we all would have cried tears of joy upon seeing Daniel Vogelbach in a playoff game, but it was simply not meant to be.

Nevertheless, the Mariners still have a game to play today. It is, unfortunately, against a team that is much better than they are. Vogelbach’s exit means we get our first looks at Sam Haggerty and Braden Bishop in 2020 as the youngsters were brought up in the swirl of roster moves earlier today. Haggerty and Bishop will man left and right field, respectively. The Dodgers will counter at those positions with...AJ Pollock and Mookie Betts, who have combined for five All-Star nods, five Gold Gloves, and an MVP.

We got this!

Lineups

First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. PDT

TV: ROOT Sports Northwest, ESPN+, MLB.tv for out-of-market viewers

Radio: 710 ESPN, MLB app