9/25/20: Open Game Thread

Even though the Mariners’ playoff hopes were officially decapitated yesterday with the Blue Jays’ win, the M’s have still agreed to play their scheduled series with Oakland. I think that is very nice. Oakland needs all the practice they can get before losing in the playoffs.

With only three games left in this miniature season, it feels sort of necessary to cherish every remaining inning before the Mariners go into hibernation again. The opportunity to watch J.P. Crawford, Kyle Lewis, Yusei Kikuchi, and the rest of the gang play a Friday night game in the crisp early fall air is a nice little parting gift, and given everything that’s happened over the last 200 days, gratitude is certainly in order.

The A’s are rolling with a fairly standard lineup littered with familiar faces, although Bishop Blanchet graduate Jake Lamb has made his way in there after Matt Chapman went down with a season-ending injury. Tommy La Stella will play his 24th game in Oakland green after coming over from the Angels at the deadline in exchange for enigmatic prospect Franklin Barreto.

On the Mariner side, Braden Bishop and Joseph Odom round out the order as both get some much-needed reps. In the past, I’ve had good luck making home run predictions in game threads, so let’s go ahead and say Bishop gets his first MLB tater tonight.

Lineups

First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. PDT

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

Radio: 710 ESPN, MLB app