Prospect Insider - Spring Training Preview: Game 20

Spring Training Preview: Game 20

By Alex Carson

By 03-14-2013

The Mariners have dropped six of their last seven contests after winning 10 straight. Their last win was the 12-2 drubbing of the then-undefeated Kansas City Royals. I wouldn't really call this regression to the mean, since we're talking about spring games here. It is a reminder, though, that these Mariners aren't the juggernauts we thought them to be over the span of their first 11 games.

Aside from the game we're previewing here, the M's also have a B game going on this morning. Neither contest features the now scarcely seen Franklin Gutierrez. Manager Eric Wedge says he's fine, but I'm certainly raising an eyebrow at the fact that we haven't seen Guti in a few days now. It could be something or it could be nothing. Either way, I'm curious.

Kyle Seager is at second base today with Carlos Triunfel getting the nod at third. Okay.

Mariners Lineup
1: 4-L Kyle Seager
2: 8-R Casper Wells
3: 0-S Kendrys Morales
4: 9-R Michael Morse
5: 3-S Justin Smoak
6: 7-L Carlos Peguero
7: 2-R Jesus Sucre
8: 5-R Carlos Triunfel
9: 6-R Brendan Ryan

Pitching matchup
Joe Saunders will be on the bump for the M's today, taking on Cincinnati's righty-hander Homer Bailey.

Following the M's southpaw will be Brandon Maurer, Oliver Perez, Danny Farquhar and Bobby LaFromboise. The list of scheduled pitchers is getting shorter. Look for Saunders and Maurer to go 2-3 innings each depending on pitch counts.

spring-training-preview:-game-20

Comments
The following 2 comment(s) for this article are shown below:

1. By: maqman on 03-14-2013 12:20:56
It's going to start getting to decision time on several players here shortly. The hard ones like Bay/Wells and Garland/Kids will most likely go down to the wire, as they should. Maurer is making things interesting.

2. By: rjfrik on 03-14-2013 15:19:08
A couple of things.

1st. Branden Mauer looks AMAZING. The guy is killing it and seems like a much more complete pitcher then Saunders, Beaven, Garland, Bonderman and even Ramirez and Iwakuma, so far this spring. He has been the best pitcher in camp. Consistently touching mid 90s on his fastball and locating all three of his off speed pitches (change, curve, slider). At this point I think he makes the team as a starter. He has the look and feel of Pineda, who did the exact same thing. (overcame injury in the minors, put together a really good season in AA, winning the pitcher of the year and making the club the next year)

2nd. I'm starting to love the Morales, Morse, Smoak wheel house. I think the protection and ability not to press that the M&M boys will give Smoak this year is going to be a very good thing. I think all three have good, if not great years and that is exciting. If a couple of guys can emerge as table setters we could see us go from the bottom of the list to upper middle of the list of mlb teams, in terms of runs scored this year.

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