Mariners Game Preview: Wade Miley on the Bump vs. Dodgers

It will be a battle of veteran southpaws this afternoon in Peoria, as Wade Miley will be on the bump for the Mariners and Scott Kazmir will get the ball for the Dodgers.

The Seattle Mariners (12-12-2) are playing host to the Los Angeles Dodgers (11-10-3) on Saturday afternoon in Peoria. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 pm from the Peoria Sports Complex. Wade Miley (0-1, 5.40 ERA) will toe the rubber for the home side, and Scott Kazmir (0-0, 9.39 ERA) will start for the Dodgers.

Wade Miley will make his fourth start of the spring this afternoon for the Mariners. The 29-year-old left-hander is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA through his first three Cactus League outings. The Mariners acquired Miley from the Boston Red Sox this offseason, and they are hoping he can eclipse the 200 inning threshold working out of the third spot in the starting rotation. Miley has pitched reasonably well this spring, and hopefully he can put together a solid outing today in Peoria.

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M’s fans are very familiar with Scott Kazmir as he has spent six of the last seven seasons in the American League West with the Los Angeles Angels, Oakland A’s and Houston Astros. The 32-year-old southpaw went 7-11 with a 3.10 ERA across 31 outings with the A’s and Astros last season. He enters play with a 0-1 record and a 9.39 ERA through his first three starts this spring with the Dodgers.

Mariners skipper Scott Servais has released the following lineup for today’s ballgame:

Ketel Marte is back in the M’s lineup this afternoon after missing the past few games with the flu. Marte will hit leadoff and play shortstop for Seattle today. Kyle Seager will hope to stay hot hitting out of the number two spot in the order. Seags is hitting .279 with 2 home runs and 10 RBI so far this spring.

Seth Smith has been incredible in Cactus League play, hitting .548 with 3 doubles, 2 triples and 7 RBI through 12 games. Smitty will hit fifth and play left field today. Stefen Romero is competing for the chance to platoon with Adam Lind at first base, and he represents another player to watch this afternoon. Romero is hitting .389 with 1 home run and 7 RBI across 15 games.

Nelson Cruz will hit cleanup and play right field for Seattle against the Dodgers. The Boomstick got off to a slow start this spring, but he is heating up. Cruz connected on a two-run, game-tying home run in the 9th inning of yesterday’s game against the Chicago White Sox. He has homered in three of his last five games.

Today’s game will be broadcast live by Root Sports Northwest, and MLB.tv subscribers can watch worldwide on connected devices. Fans from the Pacific Northwest who find themselves away from their televisions can listen to Rick Rizzs and Aaron Goldsmith call the action on 710 ESPN.

Next: M’s Walk-off White Sox in Peoria

Make sure you follow SoDo Mojo on twitter for live updates throughout the game, and check back after the final out has been recored for a full recap. Go Mariners!