Mariners Game #80 Preview: 6/26, at MIN

Wait, game number 80 already? That can’t be right.

*** WE ARE IN A RAIN DELAY ***

Do not buy me some peanuts and Crackerjack. Let’s go with some peanut butter Chex and Apple Jacks because today we’re getting breakfast baseball. The Mariners have a getaway game against the Twins before they fly to Texas to go from facing one former Senators team to the other.

Emerson Hancock gets the ball for Seattle today, hoping to bounce back from getting a little blown up by the Cubs on Saturday. It’s hard to make too much of that bad start given the weather, but to the extent it’s real, remember that with Emerson Hancock, we take the good with the bad and the bad with the good.

He’ll face off against Simeon Woods Richardson, one time top prospect whose stock has been trending down for years at this point. But he’s still only 24, and given the Twins’ pitching lately (yesterday notwithstanding), it’s not like they have a ton of better choices.

Lineups

Luke Raley gets the day off as the Mariners continue to play it slow when it comes to his recovery. Mitch Garver will don the tools of ignorance so that Cal can get some time out of the crouch, but don’t fret, Cal’s still in the lineup at DH.

Somewhat puzzlingly, the Twins have chosen today—with fly-ball pitcher Woods Richardson—to go with their most defensively challenged outfield. Byron Buxton’s obviously as good as it gets, but if I were Minnesota, I’d want Harrison Bader and Trevor Larnach in the corners today rather than Willi Castro and Matt Wallner. Since Castro plays everyday giving roving days off, it seems like it would have been a better fit for them to use him at third today and left field yesterday. Hopefully the Mariners can pounce on the mistake.

Game Info

First pitch: 10:10 PT
TV: ROOT Sports
Radio: Ol’ reliable

Today in Mariners History

• 1984: Mark Langston earns his first career shutout, as the Mariners defeat the White Sox 5-0. Langston pitched a complete game with nine strikeouts.
• 2002: Kazuhiro Sasaki picks up his 100th career save, becoming the fastest pitcher to reach the 100-save plateau in Major League history. He earned his 100th save in his 160th game.
• 2003: Edgar Martinez becomes the Mariners all-time career RBI leader (1,153), with a two-run homer in Anaheim. Edgar would end his career with 1,261 RBI.
• 2022: Phil Nevin chooses violence.