Round two of the Vedder Cup!
After a brutal homestand, few wins have been needed more so far this season than yesterday’s complete team effort of a 5-1 victory. A trio of homers and six scoreless from your ostensible #7 starter? We take that any day of the week. Last night was just the first bout between the Mariners and Padres, though, and the vaunted Vedder Cup surely won’t be decided in such a small sample.
Lineups:
The Mariners’ lineup is fairly similar to last night’s tilt, but tonight, Dylan Moore gets the start at second base while Miles Mastrobuoni fills in for Leody Taveras in right field. Despite Taveras making a fun first impression with Seattle, notching a game-tying hit in Sacramento in his first game here, he has scuffled badly this past week, and a breather feels best for all parties involved. As for the Padres, Gavin Sheets will be at first base, and Jason Heyward makes his first appearance of the series, rounding out the lineup in left field.
Emerson Hancock got hit around quite a bit his last time out against the Yankees, but don’t let the ugly seven runs allowed completely discourage you; he notched fifteen swinging strikes on Tuesday to set a career high. Look for his changeup and slider – his two offerings that looked most promising – to get more play tonight, and for that command to tighten up a bit. The Padres will counter with Nick Pivetta, who is coming off a four-inning, six-run clunker to the Rockies at Coors. He’s still put up a strong body of work this season, though, and you may recall him giving the M’s fits last year with the Red Sox, racking up twenty strikeouts against just one walk over a pair of starts. If Seattle can grind out plate appearances like they have for most of the year, however, they stand a good chance at getting their revenge.
Game Info:
First Pitch: 5:40pm PDT
TV: ROOT Sports NW, with Aaron Goldsmith and Ryan Rowland-Smith. Out-of-market viewers can also watch free on MLB.tv as part of Rivalry Weekend.
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.