The Other Washington comes to town for a three-game set
The Mariners return home for a long homestand, still smarting off a highly disappointing series in Houston that saw their advantage in the AL West dwindle to just a game and a half. First up is the Washington Nationals, who are towards the bottom of their division but are by no means pushovers, led by some talented young position players and pitcher Mackenzie Gore, who is finally rounding into the frontline pitcher he was predicted to be.
Lineups:
The Mariners will deploy their righty-heavy lineup against lefty Mitchell Parker, the second game in a row the Mariners have faced a lefty with two first names. Hopefully they’ll fare better against Parker than they did against Colton Gordon.
Unfortunately, the Mariners have no lefty starting pitchers to deal with Washington’s Oops All Lefties lineup, so Logan Evans will have to do his best. (And Gabe Speier will have to drink his Ovaltine all series.)
Fun fact from Alex Mayer: This is only the third time in Mariners history that the opposing lineup has started ALL lefties or switch hitters: the other two times were the White Sox on April 10, 1988 and the Tigers on July 29, 2003.
News:
Justin Hollander provided his traditional start-of-homestand injury updates: the significant things to know are about Logan Gilbert, who will make a rehab start on Thursday; Bryce Miller, who could return towards the end of this homestand; and Luke Raley, who is scheduled to start a rehab assignment June 3. Read all these updates and more here.
Captain’s Log:
Dan Wilson on Logan Evans’s composure as a young pitcher:
“I think a lot of times young players come up and feel like they’ve got to do something differently than they’ve done in the past. And I think Logan has a good sense of understanding that he is who he is. And that’s kind of the goal for all of us, right? To understand who you are, and to go out and just be that. And I think he’s done a very good job with that. We’ve seen that in his demeanor on the mound, he’s poised, and a lot of that does stem from the confidence of knowing who he is as a player.”
Game Information:
Game time: 6:40 PT
TV: ROOT Sports NW, with Aaron Goldsmith and Dave Valle, with Jen Mueller as field reporter
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs, Angie Mentink, and Gary Hill Jr. Shannon Drayer is off today after working a full ten-day roadtrip; do not be alarmed, do not adjust your radio dials.
Meanwhile, the Mariners are back for a long 10-day, nine-game homestand with lots of specialty nights. The deadline for buying tickets for most of these special sections is usually the day before at 5 PM. However, there’s no special ticket necessary for the Randy Arozarena bobblehead, given to the first 10,000 fans at each game of the Nationals series.
Some of the other homestand highlights include:
- Looney Tunes Night (May 28th) – ticket includes a 90s-style Mariners Looney Tunes shirt
- Craft Beer Nights (May 28th and June 3rd) – ticket includes a Mariners-emblazoned keychain bottle opener (May 28) or Mariners foam cowboy hat (June 3rd)
- Emo Night (May 29th) – ticket includes Fallout Boy-style shirt that says “Thnks fr th Mrnrs”
- Teacher Appreciation Night (May 29th) – ticket includes a navy quilted quarter zip with an embroidered apple with the Mariners logo
- Zags Day (May 31st) – ticket includes letterman-style Gonzaga jacket and $5 donation to the Gonzaga Seattle Chapter Regional Endowment
- Girl Scouts Day (June 2nd) – ticket includes Mariners-themed Girl Scouts patch and $2 donation to the Girl Scouts of Western Washington
- Bark at the Park (June 3rd)
- Pride Month (June 4th and 13th) – ticket includes a Pride-themed belt bag (4th) or Stanley-style tumbler (13th) and a $5 contribution to the GBSA scholarship fund (4th) and Seattle Pride (13th) – note that you must purchase the ticket special to get any special Mariners-themed pride items, there will be no general giveaway as there has been in years past.
Also, the Mariners announced they are adding four new beer options for this homestand from local breweries available at the Walk-Off Markets/Walk-Off Brews:
- Sky Hazy Pale Ale – Fremont Brewing
- Disco Lemonade – Aslan Brewing
- Space Needle IPA – Pike Brewing
- Silver City Pilsner – Silver City Brewing
Today in Mariners history:
- 1981: It’s the anniversary of Lenny Randle Day everybody, please celebrate appropriately.
Although this will always be my favorite Lenny Randle moment:
They just don’t make them like they used to, in any sense.
- 2015: No less majestic: “We’ve got a floater here in Tampa Bay!”
That two-out, ninth-inning, three-run homer delivered the Mariners both a win and a sweep over Tampa Bay, making a winner out of Félix Hernández , who tossed a complete game shutout, striking out eight and improving to 8-1 with a 1.91 ERA on the season.
- 2019: Another fun one: Mallex Smith steals four bases in a 6-2 win over the Rangers, tying a franchise record, but more excitingly, “steals for the cycle” in the eighth inning.