There's nothing like some morning baseball to watch in the Pacific Northwest.
That's what Seattle Mariners' fans get on Thursday, with their team taking on the Orioles with a 1:05 p.m. local time first pitch in Baltimore (for 10:05 a.m. in Seattle).
There's just one bummer: no Cal Raleigh.
The Mariners have made a lineup without Raleigh in it for one of just a handful of times this season.
The day game after the night game is the main reason, with Mitch Garver slotting in at catcher to give Raleigh's legs a break.
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Often when Seattle does this, Raleigh still is the DH, but not this time. Jorge Polanco gets that role on Thursday.
It's probably an OK thing for Raleigh to get a refresh day.
He's 0-for-4 in each of the first two games of the series against the Orioles.
Prior to going to Baltimore, Raleigh had hit a home run in three consecutive games.
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On the season, Raleigh is batting .243 with 45 home runs. He's on pace to fly by Salvador Perez's single-season record for home runs by a catcher, which is 48.
It hasn't been as big of a second half for Raleigh as it was in the first half, which has some people pointing to his Home Run Derby crown as a possible reason for regression. That's unlikely, as Raleigh was simply due to cool off a bit at some point. Hitting is hard.
The Mariners have to hope that Raleigh picks it back up down the stretch. He already showed signs of life with those recent home runs. And now with a quick chance to catch his breath, he should head into the weekend series against the Mets in Queens ready to roll.
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