One of the most active participants in the wildest baseball brawl this season will make his return tonight. Jesse Winker, a primary agitator in the epic dust-up between the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels a few weeks back, comes back after serving a six-game suspension.
The former Red was initially handed down a seven-game sentence from Major League Baseball, but it was reduced after appeal.
Winker has struggled in his first season with the Mariners following a career year with Cincinnati. The lefty set personal bests in average (.305), homers (24), RBI (71), and runs (77) in 2021 but is barely hitting his weight this season. The 215-pounder is hitting just .226 with six long balls and 33 RBI.
The M’s will hope the Winker of 2021 shows up as they are suddenly in the wild card race. Seattle is the hottest team in baseball after winning eight straight and nine of ten. They are now tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL’s last playoff spot.
FanDuel Sportsbook has the Mariners as slight road dogs when they take on the Washington Nationals tonight. With Chris Flexen (5-8, 4.00 ERA) on the mound, Seattle is -104 on the moneyline while the Nats sit at -112.
