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Seattle Mariners

Mariners Pregame: Home opener (finally); lineups and starter matchup

Seattle Mariners employees cheer as they shoot up a small cloud of confetti as fans arrive before a baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros Monday, April 10, 2017, in Seattle. The game is the home opener for the Mariners. (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)
By Dave Nichols daven@spokesman.com(509) 459-5441

The Seattle Mariners try to put in the rear view mirror a dismal 1-6 opening road trip with the festivities and pageantry of the home opener.

James Paxton draws the home opener assignment. Paxton is starting his second Mariners home opener (also: April 8, 2014 vs. LAA). He becomes the ninth different pitcher to start multiple Mariners home openers.

One good note from the first week of the season: the Mariners lead the Major Leagues in double plays turned with 13 and have turned two double plays in six of their seven games thus far.

Lineups and starter matchup

Game 8: Seattle Mariners (1-6) vs. Houston Astros (4-3), 2:10 p.m., Safeco Field

Courtesy @MarinersPR
Courtesy @MarinersPR

Starters: LHP James Paxton (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Charlie Morton (0-0, 3.60)

Mariners Notes

  • The Mariners have won three of their last four home openers (2013-15), including a 3-0 shutout over the Astros on April 8, 2013…Seattle is 6-4 in its last 10 home openers (2007-16)…overall, the Mariners are 24-16 (.600) in home openers.
  • The Mariners are facing the Astros in their home opener for the second time in club history…Seattle opened its 2013 home schedule with a 3-0 win over Houston on April 8, as four Mariners pitchers (Joe Saunders, Carter Capps, Charlie Furbush and Tom Wilhelmsen) combined to shutout the Astros.
  • The Mariners are playing their 12th home opener day game…Seattle is 6-5 (.545) in home daytime openers…It marks the Mariners second home opener day game in the last three seasons (also: 2015)…Seattle played its first home opener day game on March 31, 1998 against Cleveland and played nine consecutive day games to open their home schedule from 2002-10.

This Day in Mariners History

In 1989, Ken Griffey Jr. homered off White Sox right-hander Eric King in his first Kingdome at-bat in a 6-5 victory before an Opening Night crowd of 33,866.