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Mariners News: M’s Send ‘Kuma to Hill Amidst Trade Rumors

By Brady Farkas

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The Mariners send Hisashi Iwakuma to the mound tonight, badly needing a win against the mediocre Diamondbacks in game two of a three-game set at Safeco Field.

Also, with an incredibly taxed bullpen, the M’s need ‘Kuma to go deep into the game. This will help the M’s now, and could help the M’s later this week. Why? The Mariners are reportedly getting calls on ‘Kuma, and if they are to trade him, it’d be nice to have a stellar pre-deadline start in the books.

Brian chronicled the trade rumors and possibilities earlier today. You can read that here.

Who else is on the field tonight for the M’s besides ‘Kuma? Take a look at the lineups:

Quick Takes:

1. Zack Godley is on the mound for Arizona. He’s a 25-year-old rookie with one major league appearance under his belt. That appearance was a good one, as he tossed six shutout innings. The M’s need to use his youth against him and attack pitches early in the count.

2. Robinson Cano is hitting cleanup again. He’s hitting very well in the month of July. He homered again last night, and man, is that nice to see. Robinson Cano is still an elite baseball player, folks.

3. Mark Trumbo and Mike Zunino look like major league hitters. I’m happy for Z, who had a game-tying knock in the bottom of the 9th last night. He’s also had homers robbed in back-to-back games. He may not ever be a .330 hitter, but he’s not a .150 hitter, either.

4. The M’s need a win tonight, and tomorrow, before they head to Minnesota for a season-defining series with the wild card leading Twins.

Go M’s.

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