Game #57, 6/2/23: SEA at TEX

Whenever I look at the AL West standings, something that I recommend against doing, I get a Talking Heads lyric stuck in my head:

If you haven’t looks, the Rangers are on the top of the world looking down on creation the rest of the division, and suddenly the state of Texas can forgive them for being in Arlington instead of Dallas. Speaking from personal experience, Austin is typically an Astros enclave, but there have been decidedly more blue and red T’s on the streets this year, and the Rangers suddenly getting good is to blame for that. And one of their sudden “oh he’s good now?” type players is their starting pitcher tonight, Jon Gray.

Lineups:

Mariners

Gray seems to be cruising at the moment, with his last start against the Mariners setting him on a run of great games. His 2.81 ERA is worrying, but his 4.64 FIP betrays some other problem. It’s his fastball that gets hit the most (0.417 xwOBA), and it’s his fastball that he throws almost half the time (43%). The Mariners 3-8 hitters are all real threats to go deep tonight, so that’s something to keep an eye on.

Scott’s Pregame Notes:

• Mike Ford is here! Taylor Trammell was sent back down to AAA and Ford is here to DH. Scott sounds like he’s excited to see him based on his great start in Tacoma. Scott specifically praised him for controlling the zone.
• Bryan Woo is also with the club. Scott said that Marco is still in Seattle and is dealing with his left forearm. Woo will start tomorrow.
• Finally, Scott said that they are expecting to see a similar slider tonight from Gray that they saw last time out: hard and fast, “like a bullet.”

Today’s Game Info

Today’s game time: 5:05 PT

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TV: ROOT Sports NW; Dave Sims and Aaron Goldsmith on the call

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports; Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr. on the call

Today in Mariners History:

• 1987 - Ken Griffey Jr. is selected first overall in the 1987 June Draft out of Cincinnati’s Moeller High School. He received a $160,000 bonus and reported to the Bellingham Mariners.
• 1990 - Randy Johnson throws the first no-hitter in Mariners history, combining power (eight strikeouts) and wildness (six walks) in a 2-0 win vs. Detroit.
• 1996 - Bob Wolcott outduels Roger Clemens for a 3-1 win vs. Boston. Ken Griffey Jr. steals his 100^th base in the game.
• 2002 - The Mariners come back from deficits of 6-0 and 7-1 to beat the Orioles, 11-8 at Camden Yards. Bret Boone’s 8^th inning grand slam was the game-winner.
• 2010 - Ken Griffey Jr. announces retirement from Major League Baseball.
• 2012 - Ichiro hit 2 solo home runs, and the Mariners hit home runs to lead off each of the first three innings in a 10-8 win over the White Sox in 12 innings. Justin Smoak and Michael Saunders also hit home runs, and Saunders recorded a career-high 4 hits. The teams combined for 8 home runs (4 each) and 16 pitchers were used.
• 2016 - The Mariners secured the largest comeback win in club history against the Padres, after trailing by 10 runs after 5 innings to earn the 16-13 victory. The Mariners hit 7 consecutive 2-out, RBI singles in the 7^th inning, becoming the only Major League team to accomplish that feat since 1974, as far back as records are available.
• 2018 – Scott Servais recorded his 200^th career managerial win, all with the Mariners, as Seattle won its 8^th-consecutive game against Tampa Bay at T-Mobile Park. He ranked 5^th all-time among Mariners managers at this point.