Mariners Game Preview: M’s Hope to Clinch Series with Win

May 18, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano (22) looks on during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Baltimore Orioles won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
May 18, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano (22) looks on during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Baltimore Orioles won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning Mariners’ fans! Our beloved M’s have a rare 9:35 am PT start time today in Baltimore.

The Seattle Mariners (22-17) will battle the Baltimore Orioles (24-14) in the rubber match of a three-game set this morning at Camden Yards. First pitch is scheduled for 9:35 am PT. The M’s took the opener on Tuesday night and Baltimore evened the series with a win last night. The Mariners will hand the ball off to Nate Karns (3-1, 3.51 ERA) in the finale, and Tyler Wilson (2-1, 2.14 ERA) will be on the hill for the O’s.

Karns was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays last winter, and he has quickly established himself as one of the M’s better pitchers in 2016. The 28-year-old right-hander is 3-1 on the season with a 3.51 ERA through 7 outings. Karns has fanned 43 and walked 18 across 41 innings of work this year. He enters play with a 0-1 record and a 3.86 ERA in 4 career starts against Baltimore.

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Tyler Wilson is an unfamiliar name to M’s fans, and understandably so. Today will be Wilson’s 10th career start, and his 5th this season. The 26-year-old righty has been very productive and is 2-1 with a 2.93 ERA in 2016. Wilson has posted a lackluster 2.14 strikeout to walk ratio, but has allowed just 1.076 walks/hits per inning. The long ball appears to be his weakness, as Wilson has served up 3 round trippers in 30.2 innings pitched.

Pick to Click

Personally, I expect a low scoring game today. I predict a solo home run in the late innings will determine who wins and who loses. If this does in fact happen, it stands to reason that Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager are the M’s most likely candidates to go yard. I’m going with the Boomstick as my pick to click. He homered in the opener and he had a double a night ago. Hopefully he tallies multiple hits today, with one being a home run.

Next: Mariners Can’t Rally For Walker in 5-2 Loss

Final Score Prediction

It’s fair to assume that today’s game will be a tough one for the Seattle Mariners. Many of the players normally don’t even get out of bed until 10 am PT, so there might be some groggy Mariners today. It might take a while to get warmed up, but I still have faith Seattle will do enough to come out on top. Look for the M’s to squeak out a 3-2 win.