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Jamie Moyer’s Notebook: Seattle Mariners vs. Baltimore Orioles May 20, 2015

By Max Carter

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Jamie Moyer‘s Notebook is the most in-depth Mariners game preview on the internet! The daily JMN will be posted here at Emerald City Swagger two hours prior to the first pitch. Make Jamie Moyer’s Notebook part of your game-day routine.

Seattle Mariners (17-21) vs. Baltimore Orioles (17-19) 4:05 PM PST

Pitching Matchup: Roenis Elias (0-1, 3.24 ERA) vs. Wei-Yin Chen (1-2, 2.53 ERA)

May 6, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Roenis Elias (29) pitches during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Elias: The Cuban left-hander has been solid since being called up from Tacoma to replace the injured Hisashi Iwakuma. In fact, Roenis is making a strong case that he belongs in the rotation regardless of Iwakuma’s health. Coming off a bit of a beating on Tuesday, Lloyd McClendon and the Seattle Mariners will need a strong outing from Elias to get the road trip back on track. Roenis Elias has faced the Orioles twice in his young career, allowing only two runs over 10.2 innings and racking up 13 strikeouts. Despite an opponent’s batting average of .280, Elias has battled through each of his four starts thus far, and I expect him to do the same tonight against the O’s.

Chen: Much like Elias, Wei-Yin Chen is an extremely reliable left-handed starter for Buck Showalter and the Orioles. In his seven starts thus far in 2015, Chen has allowed two runs or fewer in every start but the first, in which he allowed only three. Chen has been particularly good during his last four starts, averaging seven innings and less than two earned runs per outing during that span. The Mariners will have their work cut out for them on the road against the tough lefty, and runs will be certainly be at a premium tonight.

Lineups:

Seattle Mariners:

May 14, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners first baseman

Logan Morrison

(20) hits an RBI against the Boston Red Sox during the sixth inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

1. Rickie Weeks DH

2. Willie Bloomquist LF

3. Robinson Cano 2B

4. Nelson Cruz RF

5. Kyle Seager 3B

6. Justin Ruggiano CF

7. Logan Morrison 1B

8. Mike Zunino C

9. Chris Taylor SS

Notes: Although the Mariners lost by five runs on Tuesday, the middle of the lineup was solid, going 5 for 11. However, aside from Seth Smith‘s solo homer to lead-off the game, the rest of the lineup had exactly ZERO hits. If the Seattle Mariners want to come back and win this series, they are going to need a lot more production out of the top and bottom of their lineup. After dealing Yoervis Medina to the Cubs in exchange for catcher Welington Castillo on Tuesday morning, it will be interesting to see if the right-handed hitting backstop gets into the game on Wednesday against lefty Wei-Yin Chen. Perhaps a fresh face behind the dish–and in the lineup–will be just what the Mariners offense needs.

Baltimore Orioles:

1. Manny Machado 3B 

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2. Jimmy Paredes DH

3. Adam Jones CF

4. Delmon Young RF

5. Chris Davis 1B

6. Steve Pearce LF

7. J.J. Hardy SS

8. Caleb Joseph C

9. Rey Navarro 2B

Notes: The Orioles’ offense erupted on Tuesday night, scoring eight unanswered runs to beat the Seattle Mariners 9-4. The attack was led by designated hitter Jimmy Paredes, who has been a very pleasant surprise for Showalter this season and drove in four runs on Tuesday. Adam Jones drove a couple of very deep fly balls Tuesday night that were tracked down and caught, so Elias will have to be careful with the former Seattle Mariner. The Orioles have numerous right-handed bats that can punish a mistake, and they will surely be looking to capitalize on anything that Elias leaves up in the zone tonight.

3 Things to Watch For:

1. Robbie Gets a Pair

Number 22 had a couple of solid line drive base hits on Tuesday night, snapping a tiny, little 0-11 skid. I look for Robinson Cano to start his campaign back to a .300 average during this road trip, and the couple more hits that he picks up tonight will help him on his way.

May 17, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners designated hitter Nelson Cruz (23) watches a foul ball during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

2. Cruz is Just Amazing

With the incredible start that Nelson Cruz has had in 2015, it was no surprise when he launched a dramatic three-run homer to left center field in his second at bat of the game on Tuesday. Nellie didn’t waste much time in reminding Orioles fans of what they saw him do a Major League-best 40 times last year. It seems as if number 23 has homered in more games than not this season, so I won’t be surprised one bit if he leaves Camden Yard again tonight.

3. Elias Goes All the Way

Since his MLB debut last year, Elias has a reliable ERA of 3.77. Last June, Roenis threw his first and only complete game when he required 111 pitches to shut out the Detroit Tigers on only three hits. The 26 year-old had only 89 pitches in his last outing, so his arm should be nice and fresh. On the heels of a 9-4 loss Tuesday night, it would be a huge boost of momentum for the Mariners if Elias could work a complete-game gem tonight.

Last Game’s Predictions (Mariners vs. Orioles May 19, 2015)

1. Miller Time!–OUT

The American League Player of the Week went 0-4 on Tuesday, hitting a couple of deep fly balls to left center field. Nobody is going to get a hit every single game, not even Nelson Cruz. I think Brad really turned a corner offensively this past week, and I am not worried at all about his 0-4 last night.

2. Walker? More Like, No Walker…–OUT

Welp… Taijuan Walker walked the first batter of the game. Will the Mariners continue to let Walker mature, or could he be following Yoervis Medina out the door soon?

3. Sweet Lloyd?–OUT

Unfortunately, we had to sit through the Orioles’ offensive onslaught without the entertainment factor of a Lloyd McClendon tirade. Luckily for you, all you need to do is click right here to see Lloyd at his finest. I was going out on a limb a little bit on this one, but hey, it would have been cool.

Ouch, my first O-fer of the season…

Season Tally:

Out: 16     Hit: 8

Next: What The Heck Happened To Yoervis Medina?

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