All aboard the Woo train
For all the disappointment with the first two games of this series, all four of the Mariners, Rangers, Astros, and Blue Jays are still very much in it. Nonetheless, today sure does feel about as close to a must-win game as you can get without it literally being a must-win game. I love Bryan Woo, and his season has been one of this year’s biggest success stories, but I gotta tell you, he is not my first choice for a must-win game, especially against the Rangers. They gave him all kinds of trouble in his MLB debut back in June when he didn’t even make it out of the second inning.
The good news is that today marks the Mariners’ last road game of the (regular?) season.
Platoons, here! Getchyer platoons! Half off!
The Mariners will roll with the lefty lineup today, but don’t worry—I’m sure we’ll see some pinch hitters. Scott knows how much people love it, and he’s a man who gives the people what they want. Cal catches the day game after the night game because at this point in the season, what choice do they have?
The Rangers continue to beat us over the head with one of the most intimidating lineups I can remember. As always with the 2023 Rangers, the optimism comes from the other side of the ball. In his four starts since returning from six weeks on the IL, Eovaldi has struck out just 17.2% of batters, while walking 15.5% and giving up 2.25 dingers per nine.
First pitch: 11:35 PT
TV: ROOT Sports
Radio: 710 KIRO and mariners.com