Mariners vs. Giants postponed, moved to San Francisco due to poor air quality in Seattle
The Mariners’ upcoming two-game series against the Giants at T-Mobile Park has been postponed and relocated due to continuous poor air quality in Seattle, the club announced Tuesday afternoon.
Tuesday night’s game has been postponed to allow the teams to travel to San Francisco, with the short series planned to resume at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday at Oracle Park. The second game of the series will be played at 1:10 p.m. Thursday, which was a scheduled off day for both teams, to avoid a doubleheader.
The sudden switch is a result of the wildfire smoke that continues to blanket the Pacific Northwest. Air quality is not expected to improve in the region until the end of the week.
AirNow.gov, which reports air quality in different regions using the U.S. Air Quality Index, listed the air quality near 250 on its scale Tuesday afternoon, which is considered “very unhealthy” for all groups. With air quality in that range, the site suggests strenuous outdoor activities should be avoided, and physical activity should be moved indoors or rescheduled.
The air quality is projected to slightly improve, but still remain at “unhealthy” levels in the Seattle area until Friday, when incoming rain showers are expected to arrive and help dissipate the smoke.
In San Francisco, where the Mariners played underneath an ominous orange sky last week, the air quality had improved to 60, which is considered “moderate,” as of Tuesday afternoon, and those levels are projected to remain similar through Thursday’s series finale.
“Unfortunately, the air quality in Seattle has gotten worse overnight here at T-Mobile Park and it is not clearing at all today,” Mariners president and chief operating officer Kevin Mather said in a release. “Forecasters expect it to clear late Thursday and into Friday morning. As always, the health and safety of the players, and our staff is our first priority.”
“To assure the games could be played, the best solution was to relocate to the Bay Area. We appreciate the Giants’ willingness to work with us on this challenge, and we look forward to returning to T-Mobile Park on Friday to host the Padres.”
The Mariners’ three-game series against the Padres, which is set to begin Friday evening, is currently expected to start on time. Seattle is then scheduled host the Astros for three games beginning Monday to wrap up its final homestand. The Mariners end the regular season with four games in three days in Oakland at the end of September.
The decision to move this week’s series against the Giants comes on the heels of a rescheduled doubleheader the Mariners played against the A’s on Monday in the smokey conditions. The two clubs were on the field playing beneath the haze in a pair of seven-inning games for nearly five hours, not including pregame activities. The air quality remained at what was considered “very unhealthy” levels throughout the day.
Mariners manager Scott Servais didn’t believe there were issues with visibility or playability.
“That’s one of the reasons you’ve got the roof on, so you’ve got some backdrop there, you can see the ball when it goes up in the air,” he said. “No issues there. Certainly a little bit different than what you’re used to, but nobody had any problems.”
Jesus Luzardo, who started the first game for Oakland, was one of the A’s players who expressed concern about the air quality.
“I’m a healthy 22-year-old,” he told reporters postgame. “I shouldn’t be gasping for air, I guess you could say, or missing oxygen when I’m kind of getting to the line. So I’ll leave it at that.”
“It was pretty smoky out there,” A’s manager Bob Melvin told reporters following the doubleheader. “And guys were starting to feel it in the second game some. I think the numbers were pretty high.”
ROSTER MOVES
The Mariners reinstated right-handed reliever Brandon Brennan from the 45-day injured list in a series of roster moves Tuesday.
The 29-year-old was placed on the IL on July 27 with a strained left oblique, and spent time rehabbing in Arizona and at the club’s alternate training site in Tacoma.
He had appeared in just one game, allowing one run on two hits with two walks in 1 1/3 innings in a game in Houston on July 25, before he was placed on the IL.
Brennan was 3-6 with a 4.56 ERA in 44 appearances for Seattle last season after the Mariners picked him up in the Rule 5 Draft in December 2018.
Right-handed reliever Seth Frankoff, who allowed five runs on five hits with two walks in Monday’s loss to the A’s across 1 2/3 innings, was optioned back to the Tacoma site following the doubleheader.
Right-handed reliever Jimmy Yacabonis, who started the second game and recorded the loss, allowing a run on two hits with three walks and a strikeout in 1 1/3, was designated for assignment after making two appearances for the Mariners this season.
This story was originally published September 15, 2020 at 2:12 PM.
