Jamie Moyer’s Notebook: Seattle Mariners vs. Tampa Bay Rays May 26, 2015
By Max Carter
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Seattle Mariners (21-23) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (24-22) 4:10 PM PST
Pitching Matchup: J.A. Happ LHP (3-1, 3.61 ERA) vs. Alex Colome RHP (3-1, 4.81 ERA)
May 21, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Alex Colome (37) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Oakland Athletics at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Happ: There are not really too many surprises when J.A. Happ takes the mound. Aside from his rain delay-shortened two inning, four run outing against the Orioles last week, the left-hander has been excellent for Lloyd McClendon and the Seattle Mariners in 2015. Happ has turned in quality starts in five of his eight outings so far, and has allowed two runs or less in six of eight outings. J.A. should rebound nicely tonight against the Rays.
Colome: The 26-year-old only is only making his sixth start of the season but is coming off a five inning, scoreless effort against the Athletics. Colome has not gone more than six innings in 2015, and has only gone more than five innings in one of his five starts. The Seattle Mariners should look to strike early again tonight and get into the Rays’ bullpen as soon as possible.
Lineups:
Seattle Mariners:
Apr 29, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Seattle Mariners center fielder
Austin Jackson(16) bats during the game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Seth Smith RF
3. Robinson Cano 2B
4. Nelson Cruz DH
5. Kyle Seager 3B
6. Logan Morrison 1B
7. Welington Castillo C
8. Brad Miller LF
9. Chris Taylor SS
Notes: Danny Farquahar was sent down to AAA Tacoma after Monday’s game to make room for Austin Jackson. The center fielder is returning from the DL after a rehab assignment, and will be looking to impact this game from the first pitch. Another interesting note, Welington Castillo gets the start behind the dish despite Mike Zunino‘s great at-bat late in last nights game that resulted in a home run. Perhaps the Welington Castillo acquisition was more significant than we all thought… Only time will tell.
Tampa Bay Rays:
1. Brandon Guyer RF
2. Joey Butler DH
3. Evan Longoria 3B
4. Logan Forsythe 1B
5. Tim Beckham SS
6. Jake Elmore LF
7. Kevin Kiermaier CF
8. Nick Franklin 2B
9. Rene Rivera C
Notes: Despite only producing one run last night in a 4-1 loss to the Mariners, the Rays will run out the exact same lineup two days in a row. Evan Longoria hit a few balls hard in yesterday’s contest, as did former Seattle Mariners prospect Nick Franklin. I expect Happ to have his best stuff today, but if he doesn’t then those are two guys who will be looking to feast on a mistake pitch.
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3 Things to Watch For:
1. The Return of A-Jax
After a stint on the DL that came at a bad time for the M’s, the everyday center fielder is back in the lineup tonight. Jackson has been tearing it up at AAA Tacoma on his rehab assignment, and hopefully he can keep that up at the big league level. Austin is has an excellent offensive track record, so despite his struggles for the Mariners, I expect him to contribute greatly for this team the rest of the way. A couple of base hits for A-Jax in his return.
2. Welington Castillo–Splitting Time?
Since being acquired for Yoervis Medina, Welington Castillo has played more than I think most people expected. Well, perhaps we should get used to this, as Castillo is a very talented player that certainly could warrant a lot of playing time. Mike Zunino has benefited offensively since Castillo joined the ball club, and hopefully the former Cub can continue to motivate our young catcher. I say he does tonight, and picks up his first multi-RBI game for the Seattle Mariners.
May 15, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher J.A. Happ (33) throws against the Boston Red Sox during the third inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
3. You See What ‘Happ’ens Larry?!
It’s not good to find a stranger in the alps, but I think that is exactly what the Rays are going to do with J.A. Happ today. *Good on you if you get “The Big Lebowski” reference there* Happ has been solid all season for the M’s, and he will be chomping at the bit to log some innings after a rain-delay shortened outing in Baltimore. I think that Happ will turn in his longest outing of the year tonight, and possibly go all the way. At least seven innings from Happ tonight, no more than three runs.
Last Game’s Predictions:
1. Kyle Seager Heating Up–HIT
Kyle only had one hit last night, but it was an extra-base hit. He also logged a base on balls in his four plate appearances, so I am going to give myself this one. Seager now has an 11 game hitting streak.
2. Woah, Nelly!–OUT
Believe it or not, Nelson Cruz did NOT go yard in last night’s game. He did pick up a nice RBI single in the two-run first inning though, but it wasn’t enough to give me a hit on this one.
3. Sergio Millar Comes to Play–OUT
Brad reached base with a walk in his five plate appearances, but went 0 for 4 with three punch-outs last night. With the return of Austin Jackson, Miller will move down to the eight spot in the lineup, so hopefully he can get some good fastballs to hit tonight and get back to the form that won him American League Player of the Week.
Season Tally:
Outs: 25 Hits: 17 Batting Average: .405