Well. Here we are.
After a raucous playoff clinching game last night thanks to Josh Naylor’s bases-clearing double in the eighth inning, the Mariners’ magic number to win the AL West for the first time
since 2001 is the loneliest number. A win – or an Astros loss – is all that’s needed, but I think I speak for everyone when I say there’s one outcome out of the two that is much tastier.
Lineups:
Hangover lineup after celebrating last night? Not so! Tonight’s lineup for Seattle is the exact same as last night’s, the exception being Luis Castillo on the mound, who has rattled off three straight strong starts after weathering a tough August. As for the Rockies, they’ve shuffled their lineup a bit, meaning we’ll get our first looks of the series at Yanquiel Fernández, Warming Bernabel, and Orlando Arcia. Tanner Gordon will get the start, and while the even 6.00 ERA looks promising, we saw the M’s get mostly shut down by McCade Brown last night before Naylor’s heroics. Gordon is two starts removed from his career-best outing, a six-inning, one-run, nine-strikeout performance against the Padres on the 12th, but if the M’s can jump on him early, good things should follow.
Game Info:
First Pitch: 6:40pm PDT, with the Astros’ game against the Athletics kicking off at 7:05pm PDT
TV: ROOT Sports NW, with Aaron Goldsmith and Ryan Rowland-Smith
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.
Fun on the Farm:
Here’s the roundup of the minor-league awards Kate was supposed to post yesterday before getting clobbered with an entire bottle of champagne in the clubhouse, featuring some good quotes from Justin Hollander, Lazaro Montes, and Ryan Sloan.
This Day in Mariners History:
· 1995 – Tino Martinez belts a two-run HR off Dennis Eckersley in the bottom of the ninth for a 9-8 win and a sweep of the Oakland A’s.
· 2001 – Jamie Moyer collects his 150th career victory in a start at Texas. He became the 13th active pitcher to reach the 150-win mark, the fifth left-hander.
· 2002 – Ichiro sets franchise records with his fifth lead-off home run of the season and his sixth lead-off homer as a Mariner in an 8-7 win over Oakland. The Mariners, down 7-2 in the 7th inning, score two in the 7th and four in the 8th for the comeback victory.
· 2013 – James Paxton struck out 10 batters in 7.0 scoreless innings in the Mariners 4-0 win over the Royals. Paxton lowered his season ERA to 1.50 in his 4th Major League start.
· 2022 – Mariners agree to multi-year extension for All-Star RHP Luis Castillo.
