Seattle Mariners Gameday Preview versus the Texas Rangers

Apr 6, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher

Erasmo Ramirez

(50) comes out of the game during the fifth inning against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

Initial Thoughts:

Last night’s game was a tough pill to swallow after Felix Hernandez‘s gem ended with an error and a blown save in the 9th inning.

But today is a new day, with still 148 games left to play. It’s easy to turn one game into a microcosm of a season, but the season is still young and the Mariners have a chance for payback in the 4th and final game of the series in Texas.

Game Details:

Seattle Mariners (7-7)

Texas Rangers (8-7)

Time of game: 11:05 AM Pacific. Location: Arlington, Texas.

MATCHUPS:

Pitching:

Mariners: Erasmo Ramirez (1-2, 5.63 ERA) vs. Tanner Scheppers (0-1, 7.88 ERA).

EDGE: Erasmo. After two rough outings against the Oakland Athletics, Ramirez is facing a new team against a young pitcher with an even higher ERA. Scheppers is still young, and still talented, but Ramirez has been better this season and marginally proven himself over recent years.

Projected Lineups:

Mariners:

Nick Franklin DH

John Buck 2

Of note: Nick Franklin made his seasons debut last night, going 1-4. If he brings his pop from Triple-A Tacoma up to the big league squad, it will be hard to keep him out of the lineup, especially seeing as the M’s have been struggling offensively recently.

Rangers

Of note: Felix kept the Rangers bats quiet most of last night, until errors and wild pitches netted the Rangers the victory. Elvis Andrus, the Rangers shortstop, is the only regular batting over .300 this season.

Keys to Mariner Victory:

1) Play smart. After errors and wild pitches ended the game last night, it is important that clean, smart defense take precedent. Nothing stings more than a game in the hand that is so painfully thrown away.

2) Getting after Scheppers. The M’s bats have been the ones of old since the opening series in Los Angeles. They need to get to Scheppers early and often to not only but some runs on the board, but also build some confidence and momentum heading to Florida to face the Marlins on friday.

Other Notes:

With Blake Beavan put on the 15-day DL, James Jones was called up from Tacoma. The M’s will need a fifth starter for the game Sunday. GM Jack Z say that player will come internally.

Final Thoughts:

The M’s need to score a lot of runs tonight. First because we don’t know which Erasmo will show up. And second, this team could you a moral boost and a series split before leaving Texas.

Score Prediction:

Mariners 6, Rangers 3.

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