Seattle Mariners Minnesota Twins Series Preview: Opening Day 2022
Mariners-Twins gets the baseball season underway for both clubs, which finished last year heading in different directions. The Mariners are coming off of a 90 win season, although they finished the year with a negative run differential. The Twins are coming off of a season that saw them win just 73 games, but a flurry of off-season moves gives Minnesota Twins fans a reason for hope. Carlos Correa was handed out the largest free agent contract this winter, and Seattle Mariners inked last year’s Cy Young winner in Robbie Ray to a five year deal.
Last Season
The Seattle Mariners bested the Twins four games to two in 2021. The two clubs met in early April with Seattle winning the last two matchups, and then again in mid-June where Seattle Mariners won the first two games. However, Seattle finished just +1 in the run differential between the two squads, which was the story of their season.
Probable Starters
Friday (3:10 CT): LHP Robbie Ray (13-7, 2.84 ERA, 248 K’s, 193.1 IP) vs RHP Joe Ryan (2-1, 4.05 ERA, 30 K’s, 26.2 IP)
Saturday (1:10 CT): TBD vs RHP Sonny Gray (7-9, 4.19 ERA, 155 K’s, 135.1 IP)
Sunday (1:10 CT): TBD vs RHP Bailey Ober (3-3, 4.19 ERA, 96 K’s, 92.1 IP)
Monday (6:40 CT): TBD vs RHP Dylan Bundy (2-9, 6.06 ERA, 84 K’s, 90.2 IP)
Robbie Ray, Nasty Slider. 😨 pic.twitter.com/HlTaiN9ORo — Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 28, 2022
Follow Along
Games will be streamed on MLB.TV all season long, which is free for T-Mobile customers. You can also stream the game in Twins territory on Bally Sports North. If you are from the Pacific Northwest, the game can be seen on Root Sports Network. You can listen to the series on the Treasure Island Baseball Network in Minnesota, and AM KIRO 710 in Seattle.
Seattle Mariners Minnesota Twins Injuries
The Twins will be without star starting pitcher Kenta Maeda, who is on the 60 day IL recovering from Tommy John surgery. They will also be without pitcher Randy Dobnak who is on the 60 day IL. Reliever Cody Stashak also starts the season on the ten-day IL as he recovers from a right forearm strain.
The Mariners will be without 1B Evan White, who had sports hernia surgery at the end of March. White will be out for the foreseeable future. Outfielder Kyle Lewis is also missing the series in Minnesota due to a knee injury. Reliever Ken Giles has also been shut down for a few weeks due to a finger injury. No Mariner has been placed on the IL at the time of this writing, although the moves will surely be made before first pitch.
Seattle Mariners Minnesota Twins Prediction
Both teams were active on the market this offseason, with splashes coming in the form of Robbie Ray and Carlos Correa for both sides. The Mariners are due for some negative regression if the run differential holds true, while the Twins are due for some positive regression. Both clubs are in similar positions as they hope to contend for the playoffs this season. However, neither projects to be the best team in their divisions. Julio Rodriguez will make his MLB debut in Minnesota, and he is one of the best prospects the game has to offer. Twins will throw out newly acquired Sonny Gray in the second game of the series, as well as Dylan Bundy in Game Four.
Prediction: Teams split the series 2-2.
Check out our series preview on the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays here.
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