Mariners Game Preview: Mariners Face the Yankees on Jackie Robinson Day

Apr 15, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners line up for the National Anthem to commemorate Jackie Robinson Day before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 15, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners line up for the National Anthem to commemorate Jackie Robinson Day before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Seattle Mariners are poised to extend their winning streak to two as they send Nate Karns to the hill to face the New York Yankees on Jackie Robinson Day.

The Seattle Mariners (3-6) will visit the New York Yankees (4-4) on Friday evening in New York.  First pitch is set for 4:05 pm from the Bronx. The Mariners have stopped their losing streak and have begun a winning streak.  Nate Karns (0-1, 7.20 ERA) will look to shut down the Yankees in his second start of the season to extend the winning streak to two.   Luis Severino (0-1, 5.40 ERA) will be on the mound for the Yankees.

Nate Karns will look to be the first starter to get a win in the rotation.  The Mariners have yet to get a win for any of their starters and this will be the last starter for the second time through the rotation.  The 28 year old gave up seven hits and four runs in five innings in his last start against Oakland.  This will be Karns’ second start for the Mariners.  In four career starts against the Yankees, Karns is 0-1 with a 2.91 ERA.

Luis Severino will be making his second start for the Yankees.  In his previous start he gave up 10 hits and three runs in five innings against the Detroit Tigers.  The right hander will face a Mariners lineup that has been struggling against right handed starters.

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This game will feature a few players that will be playing their former teams.  Dustin Ackley will face the Mariners and Robinson Cano will face his former team the Yankees.  Players facing former teams tend to want to prove something to their former teams and have good series for their clubs.  Let’s hope Cano can have a good series in New York this weekend.

Mariners skipper Scott Servais and Yankees manager Joe Girardi have released the lineups for today’s ballgame:

Scott Servias is giving Seth Smith more time in the second spot in the lineup for the Mariners.  He will DH today.  Adam Lind will bat sixth behind Kyle Seager and play first base today.  Chris Iannetta will be behind the plate and bat seventh and Ketel Marte will be at short stop and bat ninth.  Leonys Martin is eighth in the order today.  The only right hander in the lineup besides Iannetta, as usual against right handed pitching, is Nelson Cruz in the cleanup spot.

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The Mariners will look to get another win added to the win column today and continue their charge back to .500.  But the real story today is the celebration of Jackie Robinson.  All the MLB teams today will wear number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day.  If you do not recall, this day came to be thanks to a phone call Ken Griffey Jr made to then commissioner Bud Selig to wear number 42 to honor Jackie Robinson.  Number 42 had been retired by MLB to honor Robinson.  So no player could wear it.  Griffey received special permission from Rachel Robinson to wear number 42 and Bud Selig endorsed it and encouraged other Major League clubs to have a player wear it.  That has steamrolled to everyone wearing it to honor the late Jackie Robinson and what he did for the game and the players.

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