4/30/21: Open Game Thread

Despite a lackluster road trip, the Mariners are guaranteed a winning April thanks to a 1-0 win over the Astros last night, on the back of a strong start by Yusei Kikuchi and a solo shot by Taylor Trammell. Trammell also made a great sliding catch to end the game, and BreakingT has already made a shirt commemorating it.

BreakingT

You can order your own here, and if you use that link, we get a small kickback.

Unfortunately, we won’t be seeing either of them tonight, but Chris Flexen will be on the mound, which should give Seattle a good chance at a win. Imagine reading that in January.

Mariners PR

Tom Murphy DHing while hitting ninth? Yeah, okay. This is the third time in a calendar year the Mariners have hit their DH ninth - Tim Lopes (!) did it twice last season. I’m a little surprised that Jacob Nottingham - whose arrival was made official earlier today while Evan White is on bereavement due to the loss of his grandfather - isn’t behind the dish or at first base tonight, but whatevs. Let’s instead focus on both Mitch Haniger and Kyle Lewis back in the outfield as we all hoped. Luis Torrens batting fifth might make you wince, but he had by far his best game of the season - and maybe as a Mariner - on Wednesday, smacking a solo homer and a two-run double. Has his swing finally been fixed? We’ll see!

Tonight is also the first time this year we’ve seen the Angels, who have hovered around .500 despite an otherworldly (even by his standards) start by Mike Trout and strong performances from Shohei Ohtani and Jared Walsh. Andrew Heaney has given the Mariners plenty of fits the last few years, and he especially dominated them in 2020. Fingers crossed they can jump on him early to get a head start on depleting what has been a strong bullpen for the Angels.

Game Time: 7:10pm PDT

TV: ROOT Sports NW, MLB.tv

Radio: 710 ESPN Seattle, MLB At Bat