Mariners Game Preview, 9/23/22: #149, SEA at KC [Updated with Julio injury news]

The Mariners begin the final leg of their final road trip of 2022

Today, the Mariners start the final leg of their final road trip of the season, a three-game set against Kansas City. Let’s look at how things shape up for the first game of the series.

Lineups:

Marco Gonzales takes the hill against Brady Singer, who’s been the lone bright spot pitching-wise for the Royals this season. He’s coming off back-to-back outings where he gave up no runs against Detroit and Boston in two shutout wins for the Royals. As for Marco, his season has been more uneven, but he probably looks upon a Royals uniform fondly, as they were the victims of his first-ever complete game, back in 2018.

Odds:

FanGraphs odds: 48% Mariners, 52% Royals

ESPN Moneyline: Mariners +115

A sampling of lines from OddsShark:

Remember with betting lines that the team with + in front is not favored, so no one sees Seattle as the favorite to win this game, but the margin isn’t huge.

Latest News:

• You’ll notice from the lineup graphic that it’s missing Julio Rodríguez, as expected. Julio is having an MRI taken that is in the process of being read by the Mariners’ orthopedic doctors. The pain is on his right side, according to Servais, in his right lower back, just above the glutes. More information will be forthcoming, and an IL stint could be possible.
• Servais noted the rash of changes in the Royals organization over the last few weeks, both on and off the field, and said the Mariners are trying to get up to speed with the younger players as quickly as they can.
• Kelenic’s play yesterday was “exactly what I was hoping for,” according to Scott. He’ll be given center field moving forward while Julio is out. Servais also praised all of Jarred’s at-bats yesterday, not just the home run swing, noting he looks much “calmer” in the box.
• Suárez has been out fielding ground balls (not throwing) and taking BP; he feels “pretty good” swinging the bat, per Servais.

• What did Servais say to George Kirby after yesterday’s disastrous outing? He wouldn’t say exactly, but did pull out the “be a goldfish” line from Ted Lasso.
• In addition to the adjustments the two young pitchers, Kirby and Gilbert, have made with their pitches, Servais said they’ve also tried to back them off their workload between starts. “It took us a while to get Logan to buy into it, and he has bought into it, and you’ve seen it [the stuff] come back.”
• One final note: Servais coughed through his whole media availability, as he’s fighting off a “bad cold.” Get well soon, Scott!
• UPDATE, 4:40 PT: The Mariners have announced that they’re indeed sending Julio to the 10-day IL with a lower back strain. In a corresponding move, Taylor Trammell has been recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.

Game information:

• Game time: 5:10 PT
• Radio: 710 Seattle Sports
• TV: ROOT Sports NW
• Streaming: fuboTV (in-area); MLB TV (out of area)