Jamie Moyer’s Notebook: Seattle Mariners vs. Toronto Blue Jays May 22, 2015

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Seattle Mariners (18-22) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (19-24) 4:07 PM PST

Pitching Matchup: Felix Hernandez RHP (6-1 2.30 ERA) vs. Marco Estrada (1-2 3.55 ERA)

Lineups:

Seattle Mariners 

May 14, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners right fielder Nelson Cruz (23) singles against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

1. Brad Miller CF

2. Seth Smith LF

3. Robinson Cano 2B

4. Nelson Cruz RF

5. Kyle Seager 3B

6. Welington Castillo DH

7. Logan Morrison 1B

8. Mike Zunino C

9. Chris Taylor SS

Notes: A few surprises here from Lloyd. Brad Miller in center, and Castillo at DH are both noteworthy. Putting Brad in CF shows the confidence that he has earned with his defense over his first few games in the outfield. We’ll have to see if he is up to the challenge. Seeing Castillo at DH shows that the Seattle Mariners brought him in to be more than just a once a week break for Mike Z.

Toronto Blue Jays

1. Ezequiel Carrera LF 

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2. Jose Bautista DH

3. Edwin Encarnacion RF

4. Russell Martin C

5. Chris Colabello RF

6. Kevin Pillar CF

7. Danny Valencia 3B

8. Ryan Goins SS

9. Munenori Kawasaki 2B

Notes: No Josh Donaldson for Toronto in game one of the series, something that the third basemen is probably happy about. He is hitting a putrid .182/.222/.303 against King Felix in 33 career at-bats. Carrera (.125), Valencia (.143), Martin (.150), and Encarnacion (.200) also will be dreading this matchup against their least favorite pitcher. Bautista is the only Blue Jay with success against the King hitting .333 with a pair of home runs.

3 Things to Watch For:

1. Stoppers Gonna Stop

Felix Hernandez is the best pitcher in baseball. He gets payed $175 million to single-handedly win games when the team needs a win, and are struggling to get one, among other things. Coming off his worst outing of 2015, Felix will be locked in and ready to go. He always plays his best in big games, and going up against the highest-scoring offense in the MLB would qualify.

2. Castillo Lights A Fire Under Zunino 

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Over the past two seasons, we have watched Brad Millers production skyrocket when Chris Taylor is pulled up from AAA Tacoma. For the first time in Zunino’s career, he has a legitimate threat to his starting position. I’m thinking that the youngster will respond favorably. Also, Mike Z is hitting .368 (7-19) with three HR’s, six runs driven in and five runs scored following days off in 2015.

3. Seager Gets His Redemption

Kyle was ejected from Thurday’s loss in costly fashion. His replacement, Willie Bloomquist came up twice with the bases loaded and popped out both times. Seager, who typically is cool, calm and collected let his emotions cost his team big-time, and will make up for it today.

Last Game’s Predictions:

1. Welington Castillo, Seattle Mariner–Hit

The new acquisition began his Seattle career with a sac-fly, a line-drive single to left and a run scored. He earned himself a spot in the lineup today as well.

2. Seth Smith is a Great Player–Hit

He only played three innings, as righty Chris Tillman didn’t come back out after the rain delay, so he didn’t have time to make an impact at the plate. However, he took extra-bases away from J.J. Hardy with an unbelievable sliding catch. The 32 year-old continues to stave off decline and make plays for the M’s.

3. Finally, Some Runs–Out

It’s close, but I can’t bring myself to consider four runs on TEN hits a win. The Mariners left 13 men on base and EIGHT in scoring position. They did a good job getting runners on, but you have to drive them in for it to count for anything. 3-15 with RISP just isn’t good enough.

Outs: 18     Hits: 12     Batting Average: .400

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