10:10 pm
April 2

Giants @ Mariners

Who will WIN this matchup?

San Francisco Giants (0-1)

@ Seattle Mariners (1-0)

 

Starting Pitchers:

Cueto (SF): 0-0; 0.00 ERA

Kikuchi (SEA) 0-0; 0.00 ERA

 

Current odds:

San Francisco Giants: (+105)

Seattle Mariners: (-115)

 

• It didn’t take long for Buster Posey to make his presence felt in his return to the San Francisco Giants’ lineup. The veteran catcher homered Thursday in the season opener at Seattle in his first plate appearance since the 2019 season. Despite taking a five-run lead into the bottom of the eighth inning, the Giants couldn’t close it out, and the Mariners rallied for an 8-7 victory in 10 innings.

• Posey, a six-time All-Star and former National League MVP, opted out of the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season after he and wife Kristin adopted premature newborn girls. He chose to stay home to help care for the infants. He made his 10th Opening Day start for the Giants on Thursday, as did first baseman Brandon Belt and shortstop Brandon Crawford, the last links to San Francisco’s three World Series titles last decade.

• Posey nearly gave the Giants the lead in the top of the 10th when he came to the plate with two outs and the potential go-ahead run at third base. Posey hit the ball down the right field line, but the Mariners’ Mitch Haniger made a sliding catch to thwart Posey and end the inning.

• Posey’s solo shot was one of four for the Giants in the opener. Evan Longoria, Austin Slater and pinch hitter Alex Dickerson also went deep.

• Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto (2-3, 5.40 ERA last season; 2-1, 2.41 in three career starts vs. Seattle) is scheduled to start Friday against Mariners lefty Yusei Kikuchi (2-4, 5.17 last season), who will be facing San Francisco for the first time in his career.

• James Paxton was originally supposed to start the second game, but the Mariners flipped his spot in the rotation with Kikuchi’s, putting Paxton fifth in the six-man starting staff.

• The Mariners’ first outing of the regular season finished successfully thanks to three consecutive walks in the 10th inning, with ball four to Jake Fraley sending home the winning run. Dylan Moore drove in three runs for Seattle, which rallied with one run in the seventh inning and six in the eighth.

4/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Seattle Mariners
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