Mariners Game #45 Preview: 5/15/24, KC at SEA

The up-and-down Mariners take on the surprising Royals for all the marbles

Are the Mariners going to win it all? Are they even going to make the playoffs? It feels like pulse of the fan base swings between the two on a near-daily basis. As ballyhooed as the Mariners’ recent run of seven series wins out of eight has been, they haven’t swept a series since facing Cincinnati a month ago. They’re in first place by 1.5 games, yes, but are just three games above .500.

There are reasons for optimism: the Mariners somehow in first place despite an offense that can’t seem to string together two decent performances in a row. Dom Canzone is back! J.P. Crawford is days away from returning and may help revitalize the offense. The pitching, while no longer performing at an otherworldly level, remains as good as any team’s and leads the league in quality starts.

There are reasons for pessimism: they’ve been buoyed by offensive hot streaks by Josh Rojas and Dylan Moore. Is that sustainable? The bullpen seems to walk a tightrope each time they’re called upon. The Astros remain a specter: don’t look now, but they’ve won three straight and are just 5.5 games behind the Mariners.

With that context, today’s game promises to have an outsized impact on the vibes surrounding the team. It will decide the series, there’s an off day tomorrow to stew on the result, and fifth starter Bryan Woo makes his second start of the year.

Lineups

A few things to note: Mitch Garver remains out with upper back spasms. Per Ryan Divish, these are not an exacerbation of the back spasms that kept him out earlier this year: those spasms were in his lower back. Jorge Polanco is out again with hamstring tightness. As mentioned above, though, Dom Canzone is back! Sam Haggerty has been optioned to make roster room for Canzone. With the Mariners set to play 10 games in 11 days on their upcoming East Coast road trip, one hopes that Garver’s and Polanco’s absences are of a precautionary nature.

Game information

Game time: 1:10 PM PT

TV: Root Sports NW with Aaron Goldsmith and Mike Blowers

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.

Today in Mariners history

• 1996: After having been no-hit the day before, the Mariners record a whopping 19 hits in a 10-5 win over the Yankees. I guess some inconsistencies are consistent.
• 2013: Raúl Ibañez becomes the oldest player to hit a grand slam at Yankee Stadium (both the old and new versions) as the Mariners score seven runs in the first inning en route to a 12-2 win.
• 2022: Julio Rodríguez goes 4-for-4 with a walk in an 8-7 win over the Mets in New York. Julio becomes the third Mariner in history 21-years-old or less to reach base five times in a game, joining Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodríguez. May 15th is declared The Mariners Beat New York Day (not really, but maybe it should).