8/13/22: Open Game Thread

Yesterday, Julio Rodríguez’s return, a stellar day at the plate and in the field from Mitch Haniger, and excellent pitching from George Kirby and friends paved the way to one of the easiest wins of the season, propelling our Mariners to the first Wild Card spot thanks to other league matchups falling the right way. Unfortunately, as of this writing, the Blue Jays just beat the Guardians 2-1, while the Rays are leading the Orioles 5-2 in the sixth. It would certainly be in Seattle’s best interest to win again tonight.

Man, that top three in the Mariners’ lineup can warm even the most cynical of hearts. Haniger slots in at DH tonight, giving Carlos Santana a day off, and we’re treated to the return of Sam Haggerty, who’s rounding out the bottom of the order and playing right field. Per Scott Servais’s pregame, Andrés Muñoz and Matt Brash - two of the three relievers who finished last night’s game - will be unavailable, so a solid start from Marco Gonzales would be much appreciated. Coming off a six-inning, three-run effort against the Angels in which he notched a season-best seven strikeouts, though, I’m optimistic.

For Texas, they’re rolling out their standard right-handed-heavy lineup against a lefty, with lineup fixtures Corey Seager and Nathaniel Lowe the only ones with the platoon disadvantage. We are, however, getting our first look at Bubba Thompson. The 24-year-old never lit up any prospect lists, but earned the call last week after a solid performance at Triple-A. The 105 wRC+ doesn’t look like much, but he went 49-for-52 for stolen bases in just 80 games with the Round Rock Express, and has already swiped three with Texas in seven games. Dane Dunning will be on the mound for his fourth outing against the M’s this year, and will look to keep things rolling after twirling seven innings of scoreless, one-hit ball against the White Sox last Saturday. For our sake, let’s hope Seattle keeps the good vibes rolling.

Game Time: 4:15pm PDT

TV: FOX - national regional broadcast, baybeeeeee (Generally, it’s on FOX in the PNW, but it’s complicated. If you’re in the red area on this map, FOX is carrying Yankees-Red Sox (natch), so the Mariners-Rangers is available on MLB.TV. If you’re in the light blue areas, the Mariners are an alternate FOX channel, probably FOX Sports.)

Radio: 770 KTTH (thanks to the Seahawks preseason game being on 710), MLB At Bat