Mariners Game #101 Preview, 7/25/23: SEA at MIN

To say something controversial but so so brave: it’s so boring to play the same team, not in your division, for a solid week’s worth of games. Oh look, it’s Pablo López vs. George Kirby. Again. This should be an exciting pitching matchup, but I literally just watched this movie last week. Kirby was Oppenheimer, becoming death destroyer of the Twins’ left-handed bats, while Pablo López gamely played the role of Ken, pitching okay but taking the loss. We’ll see if any of those roles reverse today.

Lineups:

This Barbie is an ugly MLB.com screenshot. Sorry.

After last night’s putrid offensive showing, Scott Servais has shaken up his lineup some, putting switch-hitter Cal Raleigh into the three-hole to break up that run of righties, while stacking lefties Marlowe and Wong at the bottom of the lineup. Part of the reason I have found the Twins series, plural, so exhausting is there’s so much handedness mischief afoot, as is the case with two teams struggling to get offense going—platoon matchups don’t matter so much when the ball is beach-ball-sized for hitters. Plus, the Twins being so lefty-heavy has turned into a nightmarish matchup for the Mariners’ pitching staff, currently 0-for-2 on their lefty starters. I’ll be glad to see the end of this series, is what I’m saying.

Today’s Game Info:

Today’s game starts at 4:40 PT and will be broadcast on ROOT Sports NW with Dave Sims and Dan Wilson on the call. Over on the radio, Aaron Goldsmith and Gary Hill Jr. will do the honors for 710 AM Seattle Sports.

Today in Mariners History:

• 1984: In what might be the original Most Mariners Game Ever, the Mariners spoiled a 9.2 (!) inning near-complete game by Jim Beattie, who had issued just one hit and no runs while striking out 10 before giving up the winning run in the 10th. Their opponent was, of course, the California Angels.
• 1991: Jay Buhner’s 479-foot bomb (est.) is the longest homer ever hit in Yankee Stadium post-1974 renovations (“Yankee Stadium II”). Curiously, it’s hard to find Buhner’s ambulance-clearing blast in any of the “greatest homers in Yankee Stadium history” compilations, so here’s the best I was able to find:

• 2014: In an homage to Jim Beattie, the Mariners played The Most Mariners Game Ever until the next Most Mariners Game Ever. Félix Hernández set an American League record and tied a Major League record with Tom Seaver (1971) with 13 consecutive starts allowing 2 or less runs in at least 7.0 innings. The Mariners lost 2-1 in 10 innings vs. the Orioles.
• 2015: Jesus Sucre hits his first career home run.
• 2022: Jarred Kelenic scores on a wild pitch to give the Mariners a 5-4 victory over the A’s. We miss you, Chaos Ball.