If you’ve been keeping tabs on the Big Four — pitching prospects Danny Hultzen, James Paxton, Taijuan Walker, and Brandon Maurer — the Mariners, Rainiers, and Generals have something very special in store for you today.

While Maurer took the mound for the M’s in his major league debut, Hultzen and Walker are penciled into the lineups for the Rainiers and Generals, respectively. Here’s hoping that the two MiLB starters can avoid the first-game jitters Maurer exhibited today.

Highlights:

• Michael Morse continued his home-run hitting trend, going deep against Oakland starter A.J. Griffin. He currently leads MLB with four homers in as many games — an insignificant statistic, to be sure, but a satisfying one nonetheless.
• Kelly Shoppach gave Jesus Montero a bit of a break behind the dish today. In his first game of the season, he went 2-for-3 with two base hits and a walk.
• Gene Maurer, Brandon’s father, had some sweet words following his son’s first MLB outing: “To see him out there on the mound, it just brings chills… it gives me chills to see him out there with his whole family. [...] I just want to thank Seattle for giving him the opportunity to get up here and realize his dream.”

Lowlights:

• Unfortunately for most Mariners fans, the chills felt during Maurer’s debut were not excited ones. The 22-year-old right-hander finished with eight hits, six earned runs, two home runs, and a single strikeout in his 6.0 IP. The good news? He set down eight A’s in a row and managed enough control to withhold walks. The bad news? Oakland’s lineup figured him out just a bit quicker than he did.
• The M’s bullpen dug itself into another hole this afternoon. Following a sharp performance from Oliver Perez — no hits, runs, or walks allowed in an inning of relief — the A’s picked up two hits, two sacrifice flies, and an intentional walk from lefty Lucas Luetge.

Tweet of the game:

Next game: vs. White Sox | April 5 | 5:10pm

Tonight, the Mariners lost a baseball game.

This doesn’t mean their ride to the 2013 World Series is over, but it’s not looking good. Sure, they’re tied with Texas for first place in the AL West, but the Angels are rapidly gaining ground with just half a game’s difference between them. For that matter, the A’s and Astros are crafting their own comebacks, solidified by the 6-2 pummeling in Oakland tonight.

Yes, these are dark times. Hang onto your rally caps — this will be a bumpy, 159-game ride.

Highlights:

• Michael Morse is determined to live up to his Twitter handle. He went yard for the third time this season, following Franklin Gutierrez’s leadoff solo shot for an early lead. Unfortunately, those were the only runs Oakland allowed all night, holding the Mariners scoreless in the remaining eight innings.
• Brendan Ryan’s defense appears to be in midseason form already. On a cutoff throw from Jason Bay, Ryan fired a shot home to nab Nate Freiman and preserve the M’s one-run lead.
• Speaking of defense, Jesus Montero caught two runners at the plate tonight. On the other side of the plate, he went 2-for-4 with a pair of base hits — his first multi-hit game without an RBI since September 22, 2012.

Lowlights:

• Joe Saunders debuted for the Mariners, giving us a breather from the dominant performances of Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma. His final line: 7 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO in 4.0 IP.
• By contrast, LHP Tommy Milone set down ten batters in a row and finished with just four hits, two earned runs, a walk, and four strikeouts over 7.0 IP.
• Seattle’s pitching woes continued with Kameron Loe and Charlie Furbush. Loe buried the Mariners’ hopes of a comeback, surrendering four hits and two home runs in his three inning outing. Furbush plunked Josh Reddick on the back in the 8th, prompting the cameras to pan to a young fan holding a “That’s Reddick-ulous” sign in the stands. As Reddick converted the HBP into a stolen base, then advanced to third on a wild pitch, the pun may have been worse than the plunking.

Tweet of the game:

Next game: vs. A’s | April 4 | 12:35 pm

Welcome to Seattle, Michael Morse.

This is the fun of early season ball. A two-homer performance, a 7-1 win over the A’s, and a bases-loaded walk from Justin Smoak may not mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it sure makes for enjoyable baseball.

Highlights:

• Forget what I said yesterday about the Mariners spoiling their fans only every fifth day. Following the King’s season debut, Hisashi Iwakuma shut down the A’s with another strong performance. He finished with two hits, an earned run, a walk, and seven strikeouts in six innings — retiring his last 11 batters and setting down four consecutive scoreless innings.
• After leading the 2013 Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues with nine home runs, Michael Morse ripped his first regular season homer tonight, a three-run shot off of Oakland’s RHP Jarrod Parker. Unsatisfied with a 5-run lead in the 9th, he did it again, driving another home run to center field off of closer Grant Balfour.
• File this in the “Can’t Predict Ball” folder: Justin Smoak walked in the Mariners’ fifth run of the night. This followed a stellar sequence by RHP Ryan Cook — a five-pitch walk for Kyle Seager, a four-pitch walk for Kendrys Morales, and a special HBP for Morse.

Lowlight:

• Yoenis Cespedes nabbed the A’s lone run of the game, turning Iwakuma’s 81 MPH slider into a moonshot over the center field fence.

Tweet of the game:

Next game: vs. A’s | April 3 | 7:05pm

It’s official: The Mariners won their first game of the year, which has serious implications for the rest of the season. For one thing, they’ll probably have a fighting chance against the Houston Astros for control of the AL West. For another, their dominating efforts in this 2-0 rout of the division’s third most-feared team can only mean that they are destined for greatness this year. 117-win greatness. World Series greatness.

Okay, now that I’ve gotten all of that unruly optimism out of my system, let’s look at how tonight actually went.

Highlights:

• The Mariners may have been 808 miles away in Oakland, but you wouldn’t know it from the 15,000+ fans that showed up to Safeco Field tonight. The marketing team put on a full-fledged Opening Day party, resplendent with free “True to the Blue” t-shirts, red and blue K cards, free admission to the entire park (including the warning track and dugouts), and a crystal-clear, HD viewing of the game on the new Jumbotron (also called “MarinersVision,” apparently) that could probably be seen from space.
• Felix pitched a standard, King’s Court-worthy season debut. His final line: 7.2 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 8 SO. Eight strikeouts. We are a spoiled fanbase — well, every fifth day, at least.
• While Josh Donaldson had the worst luck versus the King—going 0-for-3 and striking out twice—it was Felix’s former batterymate, John Jaso, who provided the most memorable strikeout of the night.
• One game into the season (and counting!), Franklin Gutierrez is still uninjured. Cross your fingers, knock on wood, throw salt over your shoulder. He provided the Mariners’ sole runs of the evening, driving in both Dustin Ackley and Brendan Ryan with a two-run single off of LHP Brett Anderson.
• Josh Reddick’s beard isn’t just in midseason form, it’s ready for playoff baseball. Fortunately for Seattle, Reddick isn’t nearly as prepared for the playoffs, and went 0-for-4 against Hernandez.

Lowlights:

• It’s a tough night when you go 0-for-4 against the Oakland A’s. It’s even worse when you also miss a pitch and get hit in the face. Such was Jesus Montero’s luck tonight when he miscalculated a pitch from Tom Wilhelmsen that dislodged his mask.
• Charlie Furbush relieved Felix in the bottom of the eighth, entering the game with runners on first and second. With a two-run lead to preserve, he promptly walked Coco Crisp to load the bases for Derek Norris. Thankfully, and despite Charlie’s efforts, this story had a happy ending.

Tweet of the game:

Next game: vs. A’s | April 2 | 7:05pm

Let that sink in for a moment. The hydro races, the piping hot garlic fries (or communal drumstick of the King’s Court, if that’s more to your taste), the crack of the bat and the frigid, could-be-December-but-no-it’s-April weather is all scheduled to return in just five days.

Reviewing The 2013 Seattle Mariners Commercials — As only he can, Jeff Sullivan psychoanalyzes the Mariners’ new batch of team commercials, from Brendan Ryan’s odd relationship with a buffalo to Kyle Seager’s stealth ability to hide silk pajamas from his teammates.

March Madness: Baseball Stats Edition — In case you need a last-minute distraction while NCAA basketball takes over the sports world (and before baseball reclaims its rightful position), have a crack at Matt Hunter’s baseball-themed bracket. It pits popular favorites—RBI, ERA, FP—against more involved stats like VORP, RE24, and (K-BB)/PA.

Coming to terms with Jason Bay: Seattle Mariner — Jason Bay is a nice guy, probably. Will he be a nice Mariner? Lookout Landing’s Kyle Davis is here to answer that question.

Breakout seasons often foreshadowed in spring training — Spring training stats can be fun to look at in hindsight. Take Buster Posey, for example. In his rookie year, he batted .305/.357/.505, heralded by a spring slash line of .315/.351/.444. Now, does this give us any insight into the Cactus League performances of the 2013 Mariners? We’ll have to wait until 2014 to find out.

What have you read this week? Share it with us on Twitter or in the comments below!

The big 5-0: In 29 spring training games, the Mariners have mashed 52 home runs—seven more than their runner-up, the Chicago Cubs. If the totals for the rest of the AL West are indicative of their respective regular season performances (they’re not, but we can dream), it should be an interesting year.

Houston Astros – 41 HR
Oakland A’s – 32 HR
Texas Rangers – 30 HR
LA Angels – 27 HR

Last minute additions: RHP Kameron Loe was added to the ‘pen yesterday when fellow right-hander Josh Kinney landed on the 60-day disabled list.

Endy Chavez, 35-year-old outfielder and former Mariner, is back with Seattle on a minor league deal. In 2012, he played 64 games for Baltimore, batting .203/.236/.278 with two home runs and a 40 OPS+ in 169 PA.

Roster refurbishing: According to Twitter reports, Eric Wedge should have a final roster sketched out by Friday, the day before the team’s last Cactus League contest.

After battling arm soreness, Erasmo Ramirez’s spot in the rotation may not be as secure as he’d like. Blake Beavan and Jeremy Bonderman remain in the mix, with Bonderman slated to start against the Royals today.

Rumor has it that the Mariners, Indians, Rangers, and Pirates are scouting Dodgers’ southpaw Chris Capuano (h/t Ken Gurnick, MLB.com). Capuano holds a 7.20 ERA this spring after allowing 18 hits, 13 runs, and 5 homers, and striking out 14 of 67 batters in 15.0 IP.

The Decision: Jon Garland is waiting for an offer. If that offer is not a rotation spot on the Mariners’ 2013 squad, he can choose free agency, thanks to an opt-out clause in his minor league contract. Rumor has it, Seattle isn’t the only club that’s looking for a 33-year-old veteran starter.

Bay back in center: According to Shannon Drayer, Jason Bay will receive another look in center field after his debut last night. The reason? Eric Wedge says he didn’t get a play during his start against the Cubs.

And then there were 34: The Mariners trimmed their roster again yesterday, sending three more players packing. Here’s the updated list so far.

Players reassigned to minor league camp:
Logan Bawcom
Andrew Carraway
Nick Franklin
John Hicks
Jhonny Nunez
Ronny Paulino
James Paxton
Stefen Romero
Carson Smith
Taijuan Walker
Mike Zunino

Players sent to Triple-A:
Vinnie Catricala
Bobby LaFromboise
Alex Liddi
Danny Hultzen
Yoervis Medina
Hector Noesi
Carlos Peguero
Eric Thames
Carlos Triunfel

Players optioned to Double-A:
Francisco Martinez
Julio Morban

Celebrate in style: Kevin Martinez and the Mariners marketing department will ensure that Mariners fans have the best Opening Day celebration possible — even with the team far away in the O.co Coliseum. Not only will Safeco Field be open to the public, but there will be food and drink specials, the opportunity to tour Edgar’s, check out the new ballpark features, and best of all, enjoy the Mariners’ first 2013 game on the big screen. For more details, swing by Mariners.com.

• The battle for rotation spots #3-5 is heating up, with Erasmo Ramirez, Blake Beavan, Brandon Maurer, Jeremy Bonderman, and Jon Garland in the mix. Although no names have been selected so far, Shannon Drayer believes Maurer is making a convincing case for his time in the sun. Following Tuesday’s win over the defending San Francisco Giants, she quoted Eric Wedge: “We feel strongly he is going to be able to get major league outs […] It’s just a matter as we prep everything out decisions we have to make and we have to take everything into consideration. The experience level, what the other guys have done and match that up to what he he done.”
• Seattle Times’ Geoff Baker seems to have other thoughts. In a nutshell, his opinions leave Maurer out in the cold: “If Garland makes it, Maurer has no chance. The team would give the final spot to either Blake Beavan or Erasmo Ramirez. In fact, even if Garland doesn’t make it, I think the team would give the final two remaining spots to Beavan and Ramirez. Not to Maurer.”
• On Tuesday, Dustin Ackley batted eighth. Is this a sign of things to come? According to Greg Johns and Eric Wedge, it very well might be. “Wedge said afterward that Ackley could well wind up down in that area during the regular season given the addition of the middle-of-the-order veterans and improvement of some of the young core players,” Johns writes. He added that Franklin Gutierrez is likely for the leadoff spot, while Kyle Seager could take his place if Guti fails to stay healthy.
• The Mariners roster has been pruned to 37 after another round of cuts.

Players reassigned to minor league camp:
Logan Bawcom
Andrew Carraway
John Hicks
Jhonny Nunez
Ronny Paulino
James Paxton
Stefen Romero
Taijuan Walker
Mike Zunino

Players sent to Triple-A:
Vinnie Catricala
Bobby LaFromboise
Alex Liddi
Danny Hultzen
Yoervis Medina
Hector Noesi
Eric Thames
Carlos Triunfel

Players optioned to Double-A:
Francisco Martinez
Julio Morban

Currently, they are riding a five-game winning streak, six if you discount the 8-1 drubbing they suffered at the hands of The Netherlands’ WBC team.

Sams channeling former Mariner Halman in Classic — Kalian Sams, a 26-year-old outfielder from the Mariners Double-A Generals, has a lot on his plate this spring. As he competed with The Netherlands’ squad in the World Baseball Classic, he drew his inspiration from a fellow countryman and beloved, late member of the Mariners: Greg Halman.

Here Goes Nothing — For those who have been mourning Lookout Landing’s loss of Jeff Sullivan, there is a new Mariners expert at the helm of SBNation’s favorite Seattle Mariners blog.

Why I Don’t Care Too Much About The Opening Day Roster — Dave Cameron is here to tell you why you should read even less into the Opening Day roster than you already do.

How Jesus Montero Threw Out Mike Trout — Jeff Sullivan delves into a second-by-second replay of the one time Jesus Montero managed to nab Mike Trout at second base. (Watch out for the ending–you’ll never see it coming.)

Catching up on Mike Carp, Chone Figgins, and other ex-Mariners — You know you miss them. Now, thanks to Larry Stone, you can also know just where they stand in roster battles so far. Unfortunately, no matter how hard Figgins tries to make the Marlins 25-man roster, the chances of him reappearing in Safeco Field this season look pretty slim.

What have you read lately? Share it with us in the comments below!

No home run hoarders here: To date, 21 different Mariners have rung up a home run in Cactus League play. Of those 21, 12 players have logged multiple homers, with Michael Morse (5), Franklin Gutierrez (3), Carlos Peguero (3), and Justin Smoak (3) leading the pack.

Guti back under scrutiny: Franklin Gutierrez has been sidelined for six days of Cactus League games with tightness in his legs. According to Greg Johns’ report, the center fielder appears unconcerned, and believes he will be back on the field soon.

Opening (Day) acts: When April 8th rolls around, here’s one Safeco Field debut you can count on—that of Pickwick, a Seattle-bred folk band. Their first self-released record, Can’t Talk Medicine, can be heard on iTunes or at the band’s official website.

If you need even more incentive to attend the Opening Day festivities, single-game tickets will be available for purchase through Mariners.com beginning at 10am tomorrow morning.

40-man roster gets trimmed again: Four more cuts were made from Seattle’s major league camp this afternoon. Here’s the current list of players who have been sent down or reassigned so far:

Reassigned to minor league camp:

• John Hicks
• Jhonny Nunez
• Ronny Paulino
• James Paxton
• Stefen Romero
• Taijuan Walker

Sent to Triple-A:

• Alex Liddi
• Danny Hultzen
• Hector Noesi

Currently, the roster stands at 47 players.