Sunday matinee at Rate Field, and the Mariners get the worst possible draw to close out this road trip. Davis Martin has been the best-kept secret in the AL through 7 starts: 5-1, a 1.64 ERA, and a 43/8 K/BB in 44 innings. The White Sox have leaned on him like a veteran ace, not a guy with a career ERA in the high 4s before this season.
The market sees it. Pinnacle has Seattle at -128 with a wide line gap on the spread (Pinny -1, DK -1.5), which is sportsbook-speak for 'we don't fully believe in the road favorite here.' All three EVs are negative, so this isn't a card worth forcing. The total is the spicier divergence — Pinnacle 8, DK 9.5 — a full run-and-a-half apart, which usually points back at the pitchers.
And about those pitchers. Logan Gilbert finally got a W on Monday in Atlanta, but the underneath stuff was ugly — 14 hard-hit balls allowed, 4 earned over 6, his second-worst contact night of the year. He's at 4.30 on the season and trending the wrong way for a guy who's supposed to anchor this rotation. With Bryce Miller still on the 15-day IL (oblique, targeted return Wednesday vs. Houston), Seattle needs Gilbert to stop the bleeding, not feed it to a White Sox lineup that just won 6 of 9.
- Day-To-DayTeddy McGraw SP — McGraw is working his way back from right elbow issues, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.
- 10-Day-ILPatrick Wisdom 1B — The Mariners placed Wisdom on the 10-day injured list Friday due to a left oblique strain, retroactive to Wednesday.
- 10-Day-ILVictor Robles RF — Robles (pectoral) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.
- 10-Day-ILWill Wilson 3B — The Mariners placed Wilson on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a fractured left thumb.
- 15-Day-ILBryce Miller SP — Miller (oblique) will return from the injured list to start Wednesday's game against the Astros, Shannon Drayer of SeattleSports.com reports
- 15-Day-ILGabe Speier RP — The Mariners placed Speier on the 15-day injured list Monday with left shoulder inflammation, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
- 15-Day-ILMatt Brash RP — Brash (lat) began playing catch Tuesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
- 60-Day-ILMiles Mastrobuoni 3B — Seattle transferred Mastrobuoni (calf) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
- Day-To-DayAndrew Benintendi LF — Benintendi is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels.
- Day-To-DayMason Adams RP — The White Sox announced that Adams underwent successful Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILAustin Hays LF — Manager Will Venable said Saturday that Hays (calf) has resumed taking live batting practice and could begin running the bases next week, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILKyle Teel C — Teel (hamstring) will run the bases this weekend before beginning a rehab assignment next week if all goes well, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILEverson Pereira RF — The White Sox placed Pereira on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a right pectoral strain.
- 60-Day-ILMike Vasil RP — The White Sox transferred Vasil (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.
- 60-Day-ILTanner Murray LF — The White Sox transferred Murray (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Monday.
- 60-Day-ILBrooks Baldwin LF — The White Sox transferred Baldwin (elbow) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.
Both training rooms are full. Seattle is missing Patrick Wisdom, Will Wilson, Victor Robles (rehab in Tacoma), and a chunk of the bullpen between Brash, Speier, and Vargas. Chicago is without Kyle Teel behind the plate, Austin Hays in left, and Andrew Benintendi has been in and out of the lineup. Neither club is hitting on full cylinders, which is part of why the under crowd at Pinnacle is sitting on 8.
Records-wise these are basically the same team — Mariners 19-21, White Sox 18-21, both 2-3 over the last 5. The difference Sunday is the guy on the mound. If Martin keeps doing what he's done all April and early May, the South Siders steal the rubber match and send Seattle into a brutal stretch of 13 straight without an off day already on tilt.