Mariners Game #106 Preview, 7/31/23: BOS at SEA

With the shadow of the trade deadline looming, the Mariners welcome in a team that’s ahead of them in the Wild Card standings and another team that’s had a late-season wakeup after a snoozy first half. The Mariners went into soft-sell mode earlier today, trading closer Paul Sewald for a trio of players from the Diamondbacks, and also dealing AJ Pollock, so we’ll see how the team reacts to losing their closer and veteran voice in Sewald, as well as the message from the team that while not fully sellers, the team can’t really be considered buyers, either.

Lineups:

Mariners Baseball Information

The Red Sox bring in another lineup heavy on the lefty bats, but thankfully will miss Bryan Woo and his wonky platoon splits. First up is George Kirby to try to set the tone for the series against the Red Sox’s lengthy lineup of above-average hitters.

The Mariners hitters will try to attack swingman Nick Pivetta, who’s been pressed into a starting role or as the unappealingly-named “bulk” pitcher behind an opener. The Mariners can set themselves up for success in this series by getting to Pivetta and the Red Sox bullpen early, as the pitching side is not their strength in the way it is for the Mariners, but the offense will need to continue stringing together consistent, team at-bats, as they have over the past couple weeks.

News:

Obviously the big news is the Sewald trade, which has created a hole in the bullpen (and our hearts). Currently, it looks like that hole will be filled by Juan Then, who was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma today, where you should absolutely not look at his stats over 14.2 innings.

Today’s game information:

It’s a 6:40 first pitch tonight, broadcast in all the old familiar places (TV = ROOT Sports NW; radio = 710 AM Seattle Sports; streaming audio on Mariners.com or the At-Bat app). No word yet on who will be holding down radio vs. TV duty.

Today in Mariners history:

• 1985: Gorman Thomas hits his club-record 11^th homer in the month of July, the most ever by a Mariner in one month, to lead the Mariners to a 12-3 win over the Twins in the Kingdome.
• 1992: Edgar Martinez seizes the lead for the AL batting title, going 3-for-4 at Chicago. Martinez would lead the rest of the season, finishing at .341 and winning the title, the Mariners first ever in a triple crown category.
• 1996: The Mariners tie an MLB record as Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr. and Jay Buhner all homer twice in a 9-3 win at Milwaukee. Seattle becomes just the ninth club to have three players hit two HR in a game.
• 2015: Taijuan Walker pitches his first career complete game, striking out 11 and allowing just one run on a solo homer, as the Mariners defeat the Twins 6-1.
• 2016: In an under-the-radar Deeply Cursed Mariners Game, the Mariners were featured on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball for the first time since 2004, and lost in the 12th inning thanks to a walk-off RBI sac bunt by Jon Lester.