Now THAT’S how you open up the MLB season! The Mariners and A’s slugged it out at the Tokyo Dome early Wednesday morning and, as expected, the bats were loud enough we heard them loud and clear on this side of the Pacific. And best of all, we had every home run, save for Tim Beckham ’s, listed in the Playbook for you. Matt Chapman , Domingo Santana , Khris Davis and my man Stephen Piscotty all came through and hopefully helped bring you closer to swimming through stacks of gold coins like you’re Scrooge McDuck.
We did have a couple of duds as Mitch Haniger came up empty and Jay Bruce was just meh, but the one that hurt the most was Ichiro Suzuki . He wasn’t expensive at all so it didn’t hurt that much, but to have him get pulled in the fourth inning was a huge blow because we lost at-bats. While he’ll be in the lineup again for Game 2, we won’t be able to touch the hometown hero for fear of it happening again.
So who should you use? To be honest, I’m just going to go ahead and use, pretty much, the same group of hitters from yesterday, but with a few minor tweaks.
Khris Davis , DH OAK – Yes, he’s prone to the strikeout, but he’s also a consistent 40-homer threat who continues to accrue 100-RBI seasons. He went deep last night off left-hander Marco Gonzales and, given the park dimensions, he could very easily do it again.
Matt Chapman , 3B OAK – He hit his dinger off righty Nick Rumbelow in the first game, but he was still 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored off lefty Marco Gonzales . He posted a .352 wOBA against southpaws, so he should be good in the early innings, but his real power has come against righties and if Yusei Kikuchi struggles, he’ll get numerous cracks at this heavily right-handed bullpen.
Stephen Piscotty , OF OAK – He took Gonzales deep in his very first at-bat last night and continues to build off that .337 wOBA and .205 ISO against lefties he posted last year. Ride the wave until it breaks, that’s what they say…
Chad Pinder , OF OAK – The part-time outfielder had a pair of hits and a run scored last night and should bat fifth in this lineup once again. If he’s really going to keep hitting between Davis and Matt Olson when they face lefties, he’s going to see ample opportunities.
Jay Bruce , OF SEA – Same rules apply here on the Mariners side as Marco Estrada and Mike Fiers can be very similar at times. Yes, Bruce has clearly slowed down in recent seasons, but he’s still sporting a career .230 ISO against right-handed pitching with a .346 wOBA and a strong 115 wRC+.
Domingo Santana , OF SEA – That grand slam was the perfect way for Santana to introduce himself to the Mariners fanbase and we expect another strong game from him. The .370 wOBA and .230 ISO against right-handers are no joke and he’s ready to make it happen.
Mitch Haniger , OF SEA – OK, so he didn’t deliver yesterday and that was a disappointment, but we’re still talking about a guy with a .362 wOBA against right-handers. He’s going to heat up eventually and maybe another game in the Tokyo Dome will help – you know, he gets more work with the different batter’s eye, etc. He’s too good a hitter to ignore.
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Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.