Updated: Starting Lineups, Gameday Preview for Mariners-Orioles on Friday

As the Mariners get set to take on the Orioles in Game 1 of a critical series, we've updated our game preview with the starting lineups, which features a bit of a surprise for Seattle.

May 13, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Ty France (23) is / Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports

Update, 1:45 p.m. PT: The Mariners lineup is out, and interestingly enough it features both Luke Raley and Josh Rojas, two lefties against O's lefty John Means.

Bryce gets the nod in Baltimore 👊 #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/7sinSuiA6L

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 17, 2024

Here is the O's lineup as well:

Friday night lights. pic.twitter.com/nPYdsCZp8r

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) May 17, 2024

Thursday AM: After an off day on Thursday, the Seattle Mariners hit the road for the first of 10 games on the East Coast. The M's will take on the Baltimore Orioles for three games, the New York Yankees for four and the Washington Nationals for three.

Ahead of Game 1 of the series against the Orioles on Friday night, here's what you need to know:

1) The Records: The Mariners enter the game at 24-20, leading the American League West by 1.5 games over the Texas Rangers and 5.0 games over the Houston Astros. Baltimore enters the game at 27-14 and 1.0 game back of the Yankees in the American League East. The O's are the reigning division champions, having won 101 games in 2023.

2) Home vs. Road: The Mariners enter the game at 9-10 on the road this season, and they are 12-14 against teams over .500. Baltimore is 15-9 at home and has gone 14-5 against teams over .500.

3) The Pitching Matchup: The pitching matchup features Bryce Miller for the M's against John Means for the Orioles. Miller is 3-3 this season with a 2.66 ERA while Means is 1-0 with a 3.09 ERA after coming back from an early-season stint on the injured list.

In his last start, Miller took a loss against the Oakland Athletics. He went 6.0 innings and allowed two earned runs while striking out nine. Means took a no-decision against the Arizona Diamondbacks, surrendering four earned runs over 4.2 innings.

Means no-hit the Mariners in Seattle back in May of 2021.

4) News and Notes: After getting hit by a pitch during his rehab assignment on Wednesday, it doesn't appear that J.P. Crawford will be activated from the injured list just yet.

5) What to Watch For: Given that Means is a lefty, expect the M's to roll out their right-handed lineup featuring Luis Urias and Dylan Moore. Expect Mitch Garver to be in the lineup as well, if his back is healthy enough to play.

First pitch is set for 4:05 p.m. PT.