Mariners Lineup: Crawford returns, Winker begins 6-game suspension

The Mariners get one key contributor back for the series opener in San Diego, but another is out of action for the next few days.

Julio Rodríguez and Robbie Ray power Mariners to 2-1 win over A’s

Shortstop J.P. Crawford’s four-game suspension is up, and he returns to the Mariners’ lineup against the Padres. He’s hitting second.

Seattle will be without starting left fielder Jesse Winker for the team’s next two series as he’s suspended for six games and that suspension begins Monday now that Crawford is back. Winker was initially suspended for seven games for his role in the Mariners’ benches-clearing brawl with the Los Angeles Angels, but he told reporters last week that it was reduced by one game to six.

For Winker, he will miss two games against the Padres and the entirety of the Mariners’ upcoming four-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Crawford is slashing .261/.343/.381 on the year while Winker is slashing .226/.341/.337, though Winker did heat up in June to the tune of a .277/.424/.468 slash line before going hitless in 11 at-bats to begin the month of July.

Mariners Lineup

Julio Rodríguez, CF
J.P. Crawford, SS
Eugenio Suárez, 3B
Carlos Santana, 1B
Cal Raleigh, C
Abraham Toro, 2B
Justin Upton, DH
Dylan Moore, LF
Marcus Wilson, RF

Chris Flexen, SP

Padres Lineup

Jurickson Profar, LF
Manny Machado, 3B
Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Luke Voit, DH
Eric Hosmer, 1B
Jorge Alfaro, C
Nomar Mazara, RF
Ha-Seong Kim, SS
Trent Grisham, CF

Sean Manea, SP (LHP)

Mariners Notes

• Monday is the first MLB start for Marcus Wilson. Wilson has appeared in two games for the Mariners over the last week, working a walk in his line plate appearance on Wednesday and also scoring the game-winning run on Saturday as a pinch runner.

• With Winker out, Scott Servais told reporters that Dylan Moore will likely play a lot of outfield over the next six games. He also brought up the possibility of Adam Frazier playing in left field while Abraham Toro plays second base.

• 2020 AL Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis began his rehab assignment on Sunday, going 0-1 with a walk for Triple-A Tacoma. Lewis, who has been out of MLB action since late-May with a concussion. With the Rainiers on a road trip beginning Monday, Lewis continues his rehab assignment with High-A Everett on Monday. He’s hitting second and serving as the Aquasox DH.

• Even with Crawford back, the Mariners are sticking with Rodríguez at the leadoff spot. Rodríguez has hit leadoff seven times this year, and is slashing .308/.357/.731. He hit a leadoff home run on the first pitch of the first inning on Sunday.

• Robbie Ray was stellar for the Mariners on Sunday, striking out a season-high 12 batters in 6 2/3 innings while allowing one run against Oakland. Over Ray’s last five starts, he’s thrown 33 2/3 innings and allowed just 15 hits, three earned runs (0.80 ERA), and struck out 40 batters to nine walks. He’s lowered his 2022 ERA from 4.97 to 3.62 over that five-start span. And after posting a 5.24 ERA in May, Ray has had a 2.06 ERA in seven starts between June and July.

Has any Seattle athlete met expectations as fast as Mariners’ Rodríguez?

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