The Mariners’ recent history at Kauffman Stadium has been filled with wild back-and-forth games. Your memory might tell you the Mariners lost all of those games, but they are actually 5-5 there since 2022. However, this will be their first series at the K since 2019 without Ty France, which will be a disadvantage since he’s the best visiting hitter in the history of Kauffman (min. 30 career PAs) with a wRC+ of 285. Not all is lost. Third on that list of 709 players is Julio Rodíguez. Recall that the 2023
series featured two of the four games in which Julio set the MLB record for the most hits in a four-game span with 17, a record that had stood for so long that the prior owner of the record played for the Brooklyn Robins. Also of note, Edgar Martinez and Dan Wilson are both also in the top 25.
Half an hour after Michael Wacha throws out the first pitch, the Rangers and Astros will face off in Houston. The Astros won last night’s game, though not without Yordan Álvarez spraining his ankle. Steve Shaeffer reports for MLB that the Astros are calling the sprain “significant” and that Álvarez could miss “extended time.”
Lineups
Game Info
First pitch: 4:40 PT
TV: ROOT Sports
Radio: Old reliable
Fun on the Farm
ICYMI, Colt Emerson has been called up to Tacoma for their playoff push. The Rainiers played earlier today, and Emerson hit a home run in his AAA debut. Geez. After his second-half promotion to Arkansas, he hit .282/.360/.430. That translates to a 133 wRC+, which is 24th in the Texas League among the 169 players with at least 100 PAs there this season. I never really know what to make of the park adjustment that goes into wRC+ for the Travs though, since it’s a very difficult home park but is much more difficult for righties than for lefties (like Emerson). Even if you shave a little off that wRC+ to account for that, you’ve still got to be impressed that he did this in his age-19 season.
This Day in Mariners History
- 1997: In a 7-3 win against Toronto, Ken Griffey, Jr. launches his 51st & 52nd home runs, the most since 1961. Your move, Cal.
- 1998: In a 4-1 win against Oakland, Ken Griffey, Jr. steals his 20th base of the season, becoming the third player in MLB history with 50 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season. Your move, Cal.
