5/5/21: Mariners vs. Orioles Open Game Thread

The Seattle Mariners can win their 18th game of the season today. That would put them three games clear of any team in the NL East, but as MLB stays beholden to “geography” and “common sense”, Seattle remains behind the infuriating Oakland A’s.

If you’re the type of person who believes in momentum, the Mariners could have a full cup of it after a late-inning explosion last night. They may need it, as Baltimore is throwing their best pitcher, and one of the best pitchers in the American League to this point. Luckily, the M’s are going with a lineup that mostly makes sequential sense (at this point the fifth hitter is probably whoever bakes Scott Servais cookies before the game), and puts everyone in a defensive position that they can actually handle (sorry to José Marmolejos, Left Fielder and Ty France, Anything But a DH).

Yusei Kikuchi gets a chance to clip the Orioles’ wings in this Wednesday matinee. One time the Mariners and Orioles played a 12:40 game in Seattle and the O’s didn’t record a single hit. Kikuchi brought a no-hitter into the seventh inning last time he pitched, and that was against a much better team than these flightless birds. Your move, baseball gods...

Lineups

First Pitch: 12:40 pm. PDT

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

Radio: 710 ESPN, MLB app