Mariners Game Preview: M’s Send Taijuan Walker to the Hill vs. Brewers

The Mariners will hope to stay perfect in Cactus League play on Friday afternoon against the Brewers.

The Seattle Mariners (2-0) are in Maryvale, AZ on Friday to take on the Milwaukee Brewers (2-0). First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 pm PT from the Maryvale Baseball Park. Taijuan Walker will toe the rubber for the M’s, and Wily Peralta will be on the bump for the Brew Crew.

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Prince Tai had some great moments with the Mariners in 2015, but he was also plagued by inconsistency. Walker went 11-8 with a 4.56 ERA across 29 starts in his first full season in Seattle. He struck out 157 and walked 40 in 169.2 innings pitched. The talent is there for Walker to be special, but he needs to keep his emotions in check while he is on the mound. Tai has suggested he plans on pitching 200 innings out of the fourth spot in the M’s rotation, and that would do wonders for the Mariners in 2016.

Wily Peralta had a miserable campaign with the Brewers in 2015. A year after he tallied 17 wins, Peralta went 5-10 with a 4.72 ERA across 20 starts last season. He averaged just 5 strikeouts per 9 innings and issued 37 free passes in 108.2 innings. Friday’s outing will be the 26-year-old right-hander’s first of the spring.

Mariners skipper Scott Servais and Brewers manager Craig Counsell have released the following lineups for today’s ballgame:

The Mariners are essentially going with a lineup full of reserves on Friday. The only starters in Seattle’s starting nine are Nori Aoki, Leonys Martin, Seth Smith and Chris Iannetta. That might seem like a mistake, but the M’s backups accounted for all 6 runs in yesterday’s 6-5 win against the San Diego Padres.

Luis Sardinas is known more for his glove work, but he hit a pair of doubles on Thursday and drove in four runs for the Mariners. He will get the start at shortstop today. Chris Taylor and Shawn O’Malley are both completing with Sardinas for the utility infielder gig this spring. Taylor will play third base this afternoon, and O’Malley will man second base for Seattle. It will be interesting to see how these three fare in Maryvale.

Unfortunately, today’s game will not be televised. But fans in the Pacific Northwest can listen live on 710 ESPN. We are spoiled to live in an age where all 162 M’s games are televised, but it’s been fun the past few days listening to Rick Rizzs and Aaron Goldsmith on the radio. You have to see the game with your ears, and that is a lost art in my generation of fans.

Next: Mariners Top 20 Prospects: #3 RHP Tony Zych

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