Seattle Mariners Manager Speaks on "Prize Fight" Between Seattle, Texas Rangers Aces
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners are on the tail end of a nine-game homestead entering Saturday with Game 3 of a four-game stretch against the Texas Rangers on the slate.
The Mariners and Rangers played to 5-4 finals in the two games before Saturday: Texas won the first on Thursday and Seattle won the next one on Friday.
The two sides already have had interesting pitching battles this series. Bryce Miller went against Rangers rookie Kumar Rocker on Thursday (the latter was making his major league debut). And Emerson Hancock, filling in for an injured Luis Castillo, took on Jacob deGrom — who also made his season debut in his first start back since Tommy John surgery on June 2023 — on Friday.
But the most interesting pitching matchup could be on Saturday — a head-to-head between the Mariners' 2024 All-Star Logan Gilbert and Texas' three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer.
Logan Gilbert, Filthy 87mph Splitter. ✌️
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 8, 2024
668 RPMs pic.twitter.com/2AUf7wduCG
Scherzer is making his first start since July 30 after going on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation.
Max Scherzer's 2Ks in the 6th.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 25, 2024
3,399th and 3,400th Career Strikeouts. pic.twitter.com/tRtUK52vfB
Seattle Mariners manager Dan Wilson referred to the matchup as a "prize fight" before Saturday's game.
"Looking for another good outing from Logan and it should be a good ballgame tonight," Wilson said. " ... It's got to be that feeling of a challenge when you are in a prize fight. I think that's exciting for a competitor like Logan. And I think that's what Max Scherzer has brought to the mound every time he goes out there. ... I think it should be a good matchup tonight. An older veteran against a younger veteran and two guys who know how to pitch and have had successful career. It's going to be a good one tonight."
Scherzer is going into Saturday with a 3.89 ERA in eight starts. He's struck out 38 in 39.1 innings pitched.
Gilbert has a 3.15 ERA in 29 starts this year with 191 strikeouts in 185.2 innings pitched. Gilbert fanned 10 batters in eight innings during his last outing on Sept. 7 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
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