Mariners Game Preview: M’s Host Rangers in Peoria

The Seattle Mariners will host the Texas Rangers on Friday afternoon in Peoria, AZ.

Yesterday the Mariners tied the Oakland Athletics 11-11 in a game where they saw themselves down 7-0 at one point. Today the Mariners (8-8) will face another regular season opponent in the Texas Rangers (9-5). Nathan Karns (0-1, 4.00 ERA) is starting his fourth game for the Mariners this spring. The Rangers will send out minor league pitcher Victor Payano (0-0, 0.00 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 PM.

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One of the more talked about storylines this spring involves who will be the victor of the 5th spot in the starting rotation, Nathan Karns or James Paxton. After a rough outing by Paxton yesterday, it’s up to Karns today to try and improve on his spring. In Karns’ first start, he pitched two scoreless innings with one hit. He pitched three innings with two strikeouts, two walks and one run allowed in his second start. Karns’ third start was the least encouraging of them all, giving up three runs on four hits, including two home runs in four innings pitched.

Some news from Mariners camp today: Mike Zunino, Boog Powell and Cody Martin were optioned to Tacoma. All three were pretty expected moves. Zunino will hopefully get some much needed development in Tacoma this season, as Chris Iannetta and Steve Clevenger will share the big league catching duties for the foreseeable future. Powell will get a significant amount of playing time down in Tacoma this season, and we’ll likely see him as a mid season call up. Martin had three appearances with the Mariners the spring, including one start against the Angels, pitching three innings, allowing two runs, with one walk and two strikeouts.

Here are the starting lineups for both clubs:

Today’s game in Peoria will be broadcast live on Root Sports, and MLB.tv subscribers can watch on connected devices. Fans in the Pacific Northwest can listen to a delayed radio broadcast on 710 ESPN.

Next: Mariners Analysis: Updating the M's Utility Infielder Position Battle

Follow SoDo Mojo on twitter for live updates throughout today’s action, and check back for a game recap after the final out of is recorded. Go Mariners!