6/13/22: MIN at SEA Open Game Thread

I am back in the recapping chair after having been laid absolutely low by a sinus infection for all of yesterday and most of today. Between spending all day tucked into bed with tea and hot cloths and the gray, windy weather outside, it sure feels more like April, when the Mariners last saw the Twins in the ice bowl known as Target Field. Zach Mason was telling me about a Star Trek episode he was watching that suggests time is malleable and I think I might believe that. Anyway, happy Junepril, here’s how the teams line up for tonight’s contest:

Chris Archer, forever the pitcher who got away, will take the hill for Minnesota tonight in his favorite road city. I love Chris Archer and want only the best for him, but I’d also really like to win this game. Caught between Scylla and ChrisArcherus, I am. Archer has been outperforming his expected metrics this year; his ERA is sub-four but his xERA, FIP, and xFIP are all closer to five, and his DRA at Baseball Prospectus is half a run higher than that.

The other Chris in the battle of the Chrises tonight, Flexen will have the task of keeping a potent Twins lineup in hand, which means navigating the contact-monster Arraéz followed by the one-two punch of Buxton and Correa at the top of the lineup. It seems that the Mariners are only running into Buxton when he’s both healthy and on a hot streak, which about tracks with the luck of the 2022 Mariners.

Rejoice, all of you sickos who love the 7:10 start time, as it is back again (spoken as someone who has to recap/has east coasters on staff; the fan in me loves the later start time). Tonight’s game can be found on all your normal bat-channels: 710 Seattle Sports on the radio, and ROOT Sports NW for those of you with cable or fuboTV packages. If you’re out of area, you can of course stream the game on MLB TV.