8/31/20: Open Game Thread

In a series which they’ve been outscored 20-7 through the first three games, the Mariners can still salvage a split with a win today in Anaheim. Today is also somehow the last game of the season between the Mariners and Angels, which feels like the last time you have to go to your least favorite class in school. The Mariners will also not play on Tuesday or Wednesday due to a member of the A’s organization testing positive for COVID-19.

The M’s and Halos have both recently offloaded their catchers to San Diego in hopes of bolstering their future while making things actively worse in the present. The Angels’ unwavering incompetence started out as a genuinely hilarious bit, but now that they’re threatening to end up with a higher draft pick than the M’s, I’m very conflicted. Winning is always good, especially against the sentient band of gas station trucker hats known as the Angels, but if beating them ends up costing Seattle a top-five pick, I will have no choice but to dump Orange County into the vast Pacific.

In today’s roster news, Braden Bishop is back, along with Donovan Walton, who gets the start at second base over Shed Long Jr.

Hopefully we see new additions Ty France and Luis Torrens sooner rather than later. With Austin Nola out of the picture, Seattle is left with catchers Joseph Odom and Joe Hudson. Putting one of them in the lineup is essentially the same thing as having a pitcher hit every day. But again, if this is all a ploy to tank for brighter days, I tip my cap to Mr. Dipoto.

Lineups

First Pitch: 1:10 p.m. PDT

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

Radio: 710 ESPN, MLB app