Mariners Game #113 Preview: 08/04/24, PHI at SEA
Happy First Félix Day
After facing Tyler Phillips, who you had definitely heard of before, and Kolby Allard, who required an opener, today we get the marquee pitching matchup of the series: Zack Wheeler, in his first career start against the Mariners, takes on Logan Gilbert, looking to bounce back from his second real clunker of the year. For my money, Wheeler is the best pitcher over the past five years. Even if you’d pick someone else, Wheeler’s gotta be on the short list.
The good news is that Gilbert has a solid track record of pitching at his best against elite opposing starters, such as when he went tip top toes with Justin Verlander after the All-Star break in 2022 or when he went splitter for splitter with Kodai Senga last September. The bad news is that the Mariners lost both those games anyway. Turns out you’ve got to score runs too.
Lineups
Scott Servais is apparently doing a heat check on last night’s hero, Mitch Haniger, by having him DH today, despite the difficult righty on the mound. Justin Turner gets his first day off since joining the club, while Vosler plays first and bats ninth. Philly goes with their standard lineup, which is something you can have when you’ve got a good offense.
Game Info
First Pitch: 1:10 PT
TV: ROOT Sports (Sims and Blower Power), and the free game of the day on MLB.tv
Radio: 710 KIRO and Mariners dot com (Rizzs and Goldy)
After today’s series finale against the Phillies, the Mariners will enjoy a rare home off-day tomorrow before beginning a three-game set against the Detroit Tigers from Tuesday - Thursday Aug 6-8. All of those games will be value games, and August 7 is a Bark at the Park night. They’ll then start another three-game set against an NL East opponent, hosting the Mets over the weekend, from Friday to Sunday, Aug 9-11, with Friday being a Fireworks Night. As a reminder, Sunday August 11 against the Mets has been flexed into Sunday night baseball, starting at 4:10 PM PT and available only on ESPN.
News
Scott Servais said pregame that Dominic Canzone, on the IL with a strained right adductor since July 10, has been progressing well in his rehab assignment and could join the team this homestand. He played seven innings in Tacoma yesterday, and the next test will be to push him to a full nine innings and see how he recovers.
This Day in Mariners History
- 1979: Ruppert Jones hits a pop foul that stuck in a speaker above the first base dugout. It was ruled a strike
- 1992: Edgar Martinez is named the American League Player of the Month for July. He hit .388 with 22 runs scored, 3 homers and 12 RBI. Both his average and his runs scored numbers were AL highs. Martinez is the third Mariner honored (Griffey Jr, April 1990 and Danny Meyer, June 1979)
- 2001: All 10 Mariners who come to the plate record at least one hit as the Mariners beat Cleveland 8-5 and win their 80th came of the year
- 2005: Félix Hernández makes his MLB debut at 19 years, 118 days of age
- 2008: The Mariners fall behind the Twins 6-0, but score a stunning 10 runs in the seventh inning on the way to an 11-6 victory. Between a grand slam and a two-run single, Raul Ibanez sets the club record for most RBI in an inning
- 2010: Ichiro Suzuki tied the club record with 4 stolen bases in one game against the Texas Rangers
- 2012: On the seventh anniversary of his Major League debut, Félix Hernández threw a two-hit shutout in a Mariners 1-0 victory at Yankee Stadium, becoming the first opposing pitcher since 1988 (Greg Swindell) to throw a 1-0 shutout in New York