Mariners Game #6 Preview, 4/4/23: LAA at SEA

Baseball is a game of dusting yourself off and trying again the next day, and the Mariners will attempt to get off their four-game losing streak today against the Angels. Luis Castillo is on the hill for the Mariners, so that’s about as good as you can feel in hoping to stop a skid.

The Angels are rolling out yet another lefty from their southpaw-heavy rotation, so the Mariners will again counter with their righty lineup, which means a second consecutive off day for Kolten Wong and Jarred Kelenic. Good news on the Dylan Moore front, though:

Lefty Matt Thaiss gets the start over rookie Logan O’Hoppe. Thaiss is the Angels’ “C” option while Max Stassi is on the IL and is a very, very fringy defensive catcher, so you’ll likely see the Mariners being aggressive on the bases tonight. If they can get there. Please let them get there. Maybe Ty France will steal another base, which would be objectively hilarious.

And here’s an interesting tidbit courtesy of the Mariners’ baseball information department: the Mariners currently have the 7th-largest gap in MLB between actual batting average (.188) and expected batting average (.206). .206 is still obviously below ideal, but what a difference a few of those hard-hit balls finding some grass would be [stares in Sam Haggerty].

Tonight’s game info:

Tonight’s game is another 6:40 start. It will air on TV on ROOT Sports Northwest; Aaron Goldsmith, Mike Blowers, and Dan Wilson will be on the call. I love Dan Wilson-called games the most, personally; not only does he know the game on a deep level, but because of the amount of time he spends with the club doing player development, he also knows this team really well as people, and that really comes through in his commentary. Once in the clubhouse Cal Raleigh, fresh from the shower and wearing just a towel and flip-flops, chased down Wilson in the hallway for a ten-minute chat because he wanted to ask him questions. That’s how deeply the players esteem him. You can also listen to the game on radio at 710 AM Seattle Sports or streamed over At-Bat or Mariners.com; Rick Rizzs and Dave Sims will be on that call.

If you’re feeling like attending tonight’s game last-minute, it’s a value game and the get-in-the-door price is ten bucks plus fees for a bleacher ticket on the Ballpark App; that’s about what you’ll pay on the secondary market, and about as cheap as you’ll get in to see the Mariners this month, so why not? The sun is shining and the team leaves on a long roadtrip tomorrow. Gather ye roses, etc etc.

Today in Mariners history:

1994: Eric Anthony, making his Mariners debut, gets the first hit and home run ever at Jacob’s Field in Cleveland.