Mariners Game Preview: M’s look to even series in game 2

M’s send Tai Walker to the hill in game 2 against Cleveland.

The Seattle Mariners (5-8) will take on the Cleveland Indians (6-5) on Wednesday afternoon in Cleveland. First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 pm PT at Progressive Field.  Taijuan Walker (0-0, 2.25) will make the start for the Mariners, going against Danny Salazar (2-0, 0.79) of the Indians.

Walker has been effective in his first two starts of the season and will look for his first win of the year this afternoon. In those two games, Walker has thrown 12 innings and given up 3 runs on 12 hits. He has also walked 2 and struck out 8. If Walker can continue to control the strike zone, he could have some quick innings and put the team in a good position to win.

The offense could have a tough time getting to Salazar, who has pitched 11.1 innings, giving up 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 16. The only stat that could go the M’s way is the 6 walks Salazar has given up. If the Mariners lineup stays patient, they could get some scoring opportunities that, with clutch hitting, could produce runs.

Here are today’s starting lineups as announced by Mariners skipper Scott Servais and Indians manager Terry Francona:

Pick to Click

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Not only does Kyle Seager hit right-handed pitching well, but he mashes at Progressive Field. Seager is a lifetime .268/.344/.446 hitter against righties and has hit 63 of his 98 homeruns against them. Mix that with his success in Cleveland, where he has played 17 games, going 28-67 (a .418 batting average) with 4 home runs (including one last night) and 10 RBI, and he is set up for a big night. Look for Seager to go 2-4 with 2 RBI while he smacks his 99th career homerun.

Final Score Prediction

With Salazar on the mound for Cleveland, runs may be hard to come by. I don’t expect a real high scoring game, but I predict the M’s to fall 5-3 to the Indians. Walker will have a solid start, but Salazar will be a touch better and lead the Indians to a 2-game lead in the 3-game series. I do think that the Mariners have a good chance to win if they work the count, draw some walks, and make Salazar throw a lot of pitches.

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You can catch the game on Root Sports or you can stream it on your devices connected with MLB.tv. Pacific Northwest fans can listen to the game live on 710 ESPN. And be sure to follow SoDo Mojo on twitter for live updates throughout the game, and check back after the final out has been recorded for a full recap. Go Mariners!