In searching for a header image that would sum up “the ending of spring training” I typed “desert sunset” in the Getty search bar and came up with this gem:
That’s a portrait of Ken Caminiti of the San Diego Padres taken in 1998, and it raises some questions. Why did Caminiti and his motorcycle get this special photoshoot? Were other players allowed to be photographed with their favorite things? Is there a picture somewhere of Trevor Hoffman cradling his collection of Buffalo Nickels at sunset? If this picture was taken and subsequently filed under “sports,” why is there no indication anywhere that he is a baseball player? Whose idea was this, and who went along with it? These answers are lost to history.
Not lost to history: today’s lineup:
You’ll notice there is no Kyle Lewis in that lineup. Worryingly, the line from the club has gone from “excess of caution” to “not responding how we’d like.” Dislike.
Scott Servais said that Kyle Lewis has a pretty deep bone bruise on outside of right knee.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) March 27, 2021
"It hasn't responded the way he or the training staff was hoping it would."
Per Ryan Divish, Lewis’s status for Opening Day is now in doubt. Double dislike!
Also, James Paxton is listed as the starter for today’s game, which is surprising, as the early buzz was that Pax would make a back fields start instead to shield him from the Giants, whom he’ll face during the first homestand. However, the travel roster the Giants are bringing to Peoria doesn’t include a lot of names Pax will likely face—no Posey/Bart, Crawford, La Stella, nor Yaz—so the Mariners must have felt okay with running him out there. Sorry, fans of Gamesmanship.
Today’s game is the last Spring Training game that will be televised, so you might as well tune in for it, since it’s the last baseball action you’ll be able to see on TV until Opening Day on Thursday. It starts at 6:40 PM PT on ROOT, and will also be broadcast on MLB Network. If you’re old-school or just out and about on this beautiful Saturday you can catch it on the radio on 710 as per yuz. Also Happy Passover to all who celebrate. If your Passover dinner is keeping you from tonight’s game, have no fear, we’ll have all the recap action for you later tonight.
Update: A few more roster and rotation moves!
The @Mariners today announced the following roster moves:
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) March 27, 2021
Optioned to alternate training site (2):
RHP Joey Gerber
RHP Erik Swanson
Read: https://t.co/sDkaGVq1Bs
Mariners rotation for first three games of the season: Marco, Pax and Flexen ...
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) March 27, 2021