Bryan Woo takes the ball as Mariners chase unwanted history in Game 3 vs Guardians
bryan woo is on the mound Saturday night as the Seattle Mariners face the Cleveland Guardians in Game 3 of the season at Seattle, with first pitch set for 9: 40 PM ET. The Mariners enter the night in a bizarre, pressure-cooker spot: they do not have a single yet through two games, and no team has ever opened a season with three straight games without one. Seattle’s lineup also shifts for its first look this season at a “facing a lefty starter” setup, as the club tries to snap the streak before it becomes a record nobody wants.
Game 3 stakes: a rare early-season history chase
Seattle and Cleveland go into Saturday with the kind of stat that turns a normal March game into a spotlight event. The Mariners are the first team ever to begin a season with two games played and zero singles. There have been only nine instances in history of a team going two consecutive games without a single; no team has ever gone three.
The task in front of Seattle is blunt: break through for a single and move the conversation back to wins and losses, not an all-time oddity. The challenge is also immediate because the Guardians are starting a left-hander, and Seattle’s order is built specifically for that look.
Lineup changes vs a lefty, with bryan woo starting for Seattle
Seattle’s “facing a lefty starter” lineup brings notable changes. Rob Refsnyder replaces Dom Canzone at designated hitter and will hit leadoff. Victor Robles replaces Luke Raley in right field and will bat seventh.
One of the key notes inside the new look is that left-handed hitter Cole Young remains in the lineup at second base. That suggests Cole Young is not automatically locked into a platoon with right-handed infielder Ryan Bliss; Cole Young had the most reps against lefties in Spring Training of anyone on the team.
On the mound, bryan woo makes his first start of the season for Seattle. The Seattle Times published a Saturday morning article outlining the team’s plan to keep Woo healthy over the full season, centered on setting him up to maximize rest between starts.
Cleveland counters with left-hander Joey Cantillo. Cantillo spent last season split between the bullpen and the rotation, then moved into starting in July and finished strong over 13 starts down the stretch with a 2. 96 ERA and 3. 21 FIP. His changeup was a major weapon, producing a 49. 4% whiff rate last year. His command was identified as a weakness, though his walk rate improved slightly after joining the rotation, and he entered this season with a rotation role secured.
Immediate reactions and key notes around the club
Seattle’s broadcast crew is set for the night, with Mariners TV carrying the game featuring Aaron Goldsmith, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and Angie Mentink, while the radio call will be on 710 with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.
In an additional roster note, J. P. Crawford is back in Seattle while he rehabs a shoulder injury.
Quick context
This is only the third game of the season, but the singles drought has already placed Seattle on the edge of a never-seen-before opening stretch. Saturday also marks the club’s first in-season look at how its lineup is configured against a left-handed starter.
What’s next after first pitch at 9: 40 PM ET
If Seattle finds early contact and breaks the streak, the storyline shifts quickly to whether the new lineup arrangement sticks and how bryan woo looks in his first outing under the team’s rest-focused plan. If the singles drought continues deep into the night, the Mariners will be playing under a louder and rarer kind of pressure—one that tightens with every at-bat until a single finally drops.
