Let’s run it back.
Leg two of the Vedder Cup begins Friday in Seattle. The Mariners got swept in the first set in San Diego, so they’ll need to sweep at home in order to have a chance in the tie breaker, which is run differential (Padres lead 16-9) then average exit velocity in the series (Mariners lead 88.8 to 88.6).
Randy Vásquez and Emerson Hancock face-off again in game one. Both pitchers spent years toiling without the ability to miss bats, and both pitchers have suddenly figured it out this year,
getting tons of whiffs and strikeouts. They may be their respective league’s most improved players. I wrote about the changes for Vásquez last month at FanGraphs, and on the same day, Michael Rosen outlined the changes for Hancock. The Mariners put up a four-spot on Vásquez last time out, and Hancock held his own. But the Mariners ultimately lost that game after Andrés Muñoz allowed five runs in the bottom of the ninth.
The Padres enter the series as one of the luckiest teams in baseball. For more on that, Jake Mailhot has you covered in the series preview.
The Mariners lineup looks a bit different with Cal Raleigh now on the IL. Randy Arozarena moves up to bat cleanup, and the lefty quartet each moves up behind him. Jhonny Pereda is behind the plate today and bats ninth.
Lineups:
News:
The Mariners provided updates about several players before the game. Kate Preusser has the latest:
Game Information:
Game time: 6:40 PT
TV: Mariners.TV
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.
