Servais said he plans to give days off to Jean Segura, Kyle Seager and Robinson Cano on this road trip.
TORONTO — The Mariners rolled out their normal everyday lineup to open the seven-game road trip and three-game series with the Blue Jays.
- Dee Gordon, CF
- Jean Segura, SS
- Robinson Cano, 2B
- Nelson Cruz, DH
- Kyle Seager, 3B
- Mitch Haniger, RF
- Ryon Healy, 1B
- Mike Zunino, C
- Ben Gamel, LF
Facing right-hander Marcus Stroman, Seattle went with its typical lineup that features lefty-hitting Ben Gamel in left field. Shortstop Jean Segura was back in the lineup after being pulled out of Sunday’s game with migraine headaches.
Even with the struggles of Gamel and the off-and-on start of Kyle Seager, it’s still a pretty solid lineup, capable of producing runs in bunches.
But manager Scott Servais said that there will be a few day-to-day lineup changes on this road trip as he tries to get rest for some of his position players that haven’t had a day off since the season started. Cano, Seager, Segura and Haniger have started every game this season.
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“We are going to try to give Seager a day, Jean a day and Cano a day within this trip,” Servais said. “We are looking at matchups and seeing what is the best day to give them a break. You probably won’t see our entire lineup out there every day of this trip.”
The purpose of giving a player a day off isn’t just resting from past play, but building for future games. Because of the makeup game against the Twins on May 14, the Mariners have just one off day — May 21 — until June 4, which is a span of 26 games in 27 days.
“It’s really important,” Servais said. “I don’t know if a player’s tank is ever completely full after you get through the first couple weeks of the season. You get nicks and bruises and you get sore and you have to play through that stuff. But you still try to give guys a day off. I always think it’s as much mental as it is physical, giving them a rest and keeping them fresh going forward.”
Players like the ones Servais mentioned despise days off even when they know they are good for them.
“They’ll all argue with me,” Servais said. “They will say they don’t need a day, and they are going to play 162 games. We know that’s not realistic. Instead of waiting for an injury to happen … let’s try to be more proactive.”
It’s also not waiting until a player looks physically drained or is really scuffling to give them a day off. The idea is to avoid having a player looking gassed at the plate and in the field or mentally drained from struggles.
“Instead of having a guy sitting on a 0 for 10 and he’s not looking good and chasing everything because he’s tired, let’s stay out of ahead of it,” Servais said.
Osuna out indefinitely
If the Mariners are trailing going into the ninth inning in this three-game series, they won’t have to face Blue Jays hard-throwing closer Roberto Osuna.
the MLB and MLB Players Association’s Domestic Violence Policy.The Blue Jays released the following statement about the incident with Osuna:
“We are aware of the incident involving Roberto and fully support the decision by the Commissioner’s Office to place him on administrative leave. We are taking the matter extremely seriously, as the type of conduct associated with this incident is not reflective of our values as an organization. As this remains an ongoing investigation by Toronto Police, the Club will not comment further on the matter.”
Osuna has nine saves on the season and a 2.93 ERA in 15 appearances.
Short hops …
Right-hander Dan Altavilla (AC joint strain) reported to Class AA Arkansas to begin his rehab stint. Altavilla will throw a bullpen session with the Travelers and is expected to pitch on Thursday. He’s eligible to return from the disabled list on May 10.