Mariners Game #159 Preview, 9/28/23: TEX at SEA

The Mariners play again today and try to keep their playoff hopes, now on life support, alive.

Lineups:

It’s another righty-heavy lineup against the lefty Jordan Montgomery. Last time the Mariners failed to get anything going off Montgomery; they’ll need to make some significant adjustments in order to stay in this game.

Tonight’s game information:

TV: ROOT Sports NW, with Aaron Goldsmith and Mike Blowers on the call.

Radio/streaming: 710 AM Seattle Sports/Mariners.com, with Rick Rizzs and Dave Sims.

Milestone watch:

• Last night, J.P. Crawford surpassed Shohei Ohtani to take the AL lead in walks. The Mariners have never had a player finish as the league leader in walks. If Crawford can maintain his .380 on-base percentage to the end of the season, it will be the best by a Mariners batter since Robinson Canó posted a .382 OBP in 2014, and Ichiro a .386 in 2009.

Today in Mariners history:

• 1983: The smallest crowd in Mariners history (3,630) watch the Mariners drop an 11-8 decision to the Kansas City Royals. Only 64 more (3,694) show up the next day for a 5-4 win over the Royals. A young Rick Rizzs is in his first year with the team.
• 1995: Randy Johnson improves his record to 17-2 and reduces the Mariners magic number to two in a 6-2 win at Texas. Griffey broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth with a grand slam HR off Roger Pavlik. The win eliminates the Rangers from the post-season race.
• 2003: Jamie Moyer picked up his 21^st win of the season in a 9-3 win vs. Oakland. His 21 wins set a new Mariners record for most wins in a season.
• 2014: The Mariners closed out the 2014 regular season with a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels to earn the 3-game sweep. The Mariners entered the day trailing Oakland for the 2nd AL Wild Card by one game, and the A’s beat the Rangers 4-0 to advance to the playoffs and eliminate Seattle.