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Mariners Game Notes: M’s Go for Series Win

By Brian Helberg

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The Seattle Mariners (30-36) will try to win their series with the San Francisco Giants (35-32) tonight at Safeco Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 pm from the corner of Edgar & Dave. Rookie sensation, Mike Montgomery (1-1, 1.89 ERA) will get the ball for Seattle in the series finale. Veteran right-hander, Ryan Vogelsong (4-5, 4.81 ERA) will be on the bump for SanFran on Thursday night. Root Sports Northwest will broadcast the game live locally, and MLB.tv subscribers can watch worldwide on connected devices.

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The Mariners’ win last night allowed them to keep pace in the American League West. The M’s currently sit in 4th place in the west, 8.5 games back of the division leading Houston Astros.

Mariners’ manager Lloyd McClendon and Giants’ boss Bruce Bochy have released the following lineups for tonight’s series finale:

LoMo Hitting Leadoff and DHing for Seattle on Thursday

Logan Morrison is quickly turning into the M’s de facto leadoff man against right-handed starting pitchers. While he does not possess the typical speed of a leadoff man, LoMo has been one of the top hitters in the Mariners’ lineup all season. Morrison is hitting .254 with 8 home runs and 23 RBI’s through his first 64 games in 2015. Perhaps LoMo’s best stat is his .323 on base percentage. He is hitting .281 atop the M’s lineup this season through 8 games.

LHP David Rollins to Begin Rehab Assignment in Tacoma

The Mariners selected David Rollins in the Rule 5 draft last December, and he immediately made a name for himself pitching this spring in Peoria. The 25-year-old southpaw tore up the Cactus League, going 1-0 while posting a 1.13 ERA across 8 innings of work. Rollins fanned 7 and walked none for the M’s in Spring Training. However, it was discovered mid-way through March that the hard throwing reliever had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Major League Baseball suspended Rollins for 50 games.

Rollins’ suspension is winding down, and the M’s have elected to send him on a rehab assignment with their Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma. He is an intriguing young man with a fastball that consistently hits 95 mph on the gun. However, with lefties like Charlie Furbush, Joe Beimel and Vidal Nuno already in the Mariners’ bullpen, I am not sure where Rollins fits.

Pick to Click

The Mariners struggled to generate anything last night against one of the best pitchers in the game, but hopefully fans will be treated to an offensive explosion tonight. Nelson Cruz carried the club for the first 2 months of the season, but he has gone hitless in his last 16 at bats. It was inevitable that Cruz would fall off his historic pace, but he is struggling mightily in June. For the month, Cruz is hitting .212 with 0 home runs and 3 RBI’s. However, I am picking Cruz as my pick to click tonight for Seattle. I predict the 34-year-old slugger will hit his first home run since May 27th, and will contribute at least 2 hits.

Final Score Prediction

The Mariners are going for the series win tonight, and they have the right man on the mound to get the job done. Mike Montgomery has been dominant since making his big league debut on June 2nd. Monty enters tonight’s game hot on the heels of his first career victory last week in Houston. Giants’ starter, Ryan Vogelsong has been awful this month, going 0-3, and posting a 6.61 ERA across 3 outings in June. I predict a lopsided game, with the M’s winning 7-2 on Thursday night to take the 4-game series.

Next: Royal Flush: King Felix Reigns Supreme in Battle of Aces

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