Mariners Game #149 Preview, 9/17/23: LAD at SEA

Last night was a bummer, but thankfully didn’t damage the Mariners in the standings too badly as both Texas and Houston lost. However, the Mariners now have their backs against the wall to avoid the sweep after dropping the first two games against the Dodgers and maintain their tenuous grasp on a Wild Card spot.

Lineups:

Mariners Baseball Information

The Dodgers starter was TBA for a while but has now been announced as RHP Shelby Miller after Emmet Sheehan did piggyback duty with Clayton Kershaw last night. The 32-year-old well-traveled journeyman is enjoying a breakout with the Dodgers, because of course he is, with an ERA of just 2.00 over 36 innings pitched. The underlying metrics don’t like him too much though—probably due to an inflated walk rate—so hopefully the Mariners batters pack their patience at the plate. Offensively, the Dodgers are resting the twin stars at the top of their lineup after clinching the NL West last night; catcher Will Smith has a day off, as well.

Today’s game information:

Today’s game starts at 1:10 PT. Because Football Sunday, the radio broadcast will be on 770 KTTH instead of 710 Seattle Sports, although you can still hear Rick Rizzs and Aaron Goldsmith there. The televised broadcast will be the same bat-channel as usual, ROOT Sports NW, with Dave Sims and Mike Blowers on the call.

This is the last game of this short-ish homestand before the team starts their final roadtrip against Oakland and Texas. They’ll return for their final homestand of the season, again playing AL West opponents in Houston and Texas, and tickets for those games are going fast and could well determine playoff seeding, so you’ll definitely want to get to the ballpark if you’re able. The entire Houston series is value games with seats starting as low as ten bucks, so get out there and pack the park if you can.

Also, tonight is the first game of the California League championship series. The Modesto Nuts take on the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes tonight at 5:05 at home at John Thurman Field. You’ll want to tune in to watch this game, because Rancho, despite being a Dodgers affiliate and therefore theoretically flush with cash, doesn’t have MiLB TV at their ballpark, so this could be your last opportunity to watch the Mariners’ most exciting affiliate. The game will show for free on MiLB TV.

Milestone watch:

• Teoscar Hernández reached base via walk yesterday, so his on-base streak extended to an MLB-leading 30 games. With four more games, he’ll tie the longest streak for a Mariner since Robinson Canó back in 2016.
• J.P. Crawford has been stuck at one RBI shy of his career-high (54) set during the 2021 season for the past few games. Let’s hope today is the day he pushes past that mark.
• Cal Raleigh still needs two more homers for #29 to become the 29th player in MLB history with a 30-HR season.

Today in Mariners history:

• 1982: The Mariners set a new club win total by winning their 68th game of the year, beating the Kansas City Royals, 4-2.
• 1986: Harold Reynolds hit his first career MLB HR and Mike Morgan pitched a complete game shutout as the Mariners beat the Royals 7-0.
• 2022: Julio Rodríguez hits a leadoff homer in his second consecutive game, the first Mariner to accomplish the feat since Ichiro Suzuki in 2004.