Game 15, Mariners at Rangers
Erasmo Ramirez vs. Tanner Scheppers, 11:05am
The first day game of the year comes uncomfortably close to the first really painful blown save of the year. The less said about last night’s ending, the better.
Today, the M’s face another converted reliever; hopefully this game goes a bit better than Tuesday’s shutout. Scheppers was a first-round talent out of college, but he fell a bit due to injury. That’s essentially been the story with him ever since. His stuff never quite missed enough bats in the rotation, but he’s been a solid reliever…when healthy.
Scheppers sat in the mid/upper 90s as a reliever, and while his velo’s down a touch in his first few starts, it’s still 94-95. He relies overwhelmingly on a sinker and a slider, though he’s got a change up that he’ll break out occasionally to lefties.
1: Almonte, CF
2: Miller, SS
3: Cano, DH
4: Hart, RF
5: Seager, 3B
6: Franklin, 2B
7: Smoak, 1B
8: Ackley, LF
9: Buck, C
Andrew Carraway starts for Tacoma tonight, while the Jackson Generals play 2 against the Tennessee Smokies – Stephen Landazuri and Moises Hernandez start. Carlos Missell starts in Clinton, but the biggest prospect taking the hill in the system is Tyler Pike, who’ll navigate the treacherous waters of Lancaster, CA and a pretty good Jethawks lineup.
Comments
54 Responses to “Game 15, Mariners at Rangers”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Oh, if the team beats up on the Marlins we’ll hear plenty of stories about how they’ve turned it around and have a winning attitude or something.
The team is not as bad as they seem right now… I think. They’re not as good as they seemed against the Angels either. They’re likely just a mediocre team. But at least they’re not awful.
Honestly, if we can get through the month at .500 I think we’re doing just fine… 20-something of our first 30 games are on the road, and against Division teams in arguably the toughest division these days. If you had told me we’d be .500-ish after 15 games against the Angels/A’s/Rangers, I’d take that. Especially given we’re a high toss from SS to 2nd, and an ump’s missed strike call away from 9-6.
Does Simms HAVE to return? I like the new combo.
Hmm… MrZ, I am not sure that the AL West is anywhere near the toughest division in baseball, or even in the American League. But while I am personally not bullish on this team, I think your overall point is a good one.
A lot will depend on how they fare against the bad teams they’re about to face. Going 4-2 (or even 5-1) against the Marlins and Astros is what a decent team would expect to do.