A’s vs. Mariners game thread

Happy Mason Miller Day! So far, the rookie flamethrower has just a 6.48 ERA in his first two major league starts, the 11th and 12th of his career. However, ERA indicators are seeing a lot more in him, which aligns more with the good ole eye test. FIP has him at 1.85 and xFIP, which adjusts for the league average HR/FB rate, thinks he’s closer to 3.55. Most of the damage has been limited to one or two bad innings, but outside of those, he’s been spectacular.

One thing to keep an eye on is his pitch count as he hasn’t been allowed to finish the 5th inning in either of his starts yet, ending up right around 80-85 pitches both times. If he can get a little more run or be a bit more efficient attacking hitters, he may have more wiggle room to work out of trouble.

He’ll be squaring off against another rookie righty Miller on the Seattle Mariners’ side, Bryce Miller. After trading away two of their top prospects in the Luis Castillo last year, the young starter is now ranked as Seattle’s #2 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, as well as in the upper 90s nationally. He’s 24 years old and was drafted out of the 4th round just two years ago. He’s known for having plus fastball that averages out at 95 mph, as well as a well-rounded slider/curveball/changeup offspeed arsenal. He has just a 6.41 ERA in four AA starts this season but he performed well at that level late last season, ending with 3.20 ERA in 50.2 innings with a 61/19 K/BB ratio.

Here’s the lineup the A’s will be rolling out today:

And for the Mariners: