By Shannon Drayer

That tarp is no longer on the field, but it most likely will be needed at some point this afternoon, which could be downright entertaining as they just don't have a lot of practice with the tarp down here in the desert.

There is a 90 percent chance of rain -- big rain -- this afternoon, so there is a good chance we won't get the entire game in. It did rain hard early this morning, so the outfielders will at least be dealing with a wet field.

Ackley 4
Gutierrez 8
Ibanez 7
Smoak 3
Wells 9
Montero 2
Zunino DH
Romero 5
Ryan 6
Noesi

Sogard 4
Nakajima 6
Jaso 2
Smith DH
Donaldson 5
Barton 3
Choice 8
Peterson 9
Parrino 7
Griffin

Yep. That's John Jaso hitting third today, no doubt looking forward to seeing Hector Noesi.

For those of you who miss Jaso, it might comfort you to know that part of his legacy lives on. He and Kelly Shoppach are good friends from their Tampa Bay days, and like Jaso, Shoppach has a beard. Also like Jaso, he has a hedgehog -- actually one of Jaso's hedgehogs, with a very interesting name. For more on the Jaso hedgehog, click here.

Of note in the Mariners lineup, Dustin Ackley is back to hitting leadoff today with Franklin Gutierrez following him. It looks like Stefen Romero is getting a reward start at third after yesterday's monster day. I chatted with him briefly in the clubhouse this morning about where he felt most comfortable in the field. Like most young players he won't admit to one or the other -- obviously he will go wherever they put him -- but he has good experience at second and third in the minors with the Mariners and first base in college. He played about 30 games in the outfield as well, but that would be less of an option at this point. If his bat continues to develop (he was one of only 19 players in all of the minor leagues to have over 100 RBI last year) they will find room for him.

Away from the field, a bit of good news for Brendan Ryan. Rawlings has announced that they will add a new sabermetric component to the Rawlings Gold Glove and Rawlings Platinum Glove Award selction process. From the release:

"As part of the multi-year collaboration beginning with the 2013 season, SABR will develop an expanded statistical resource guide that will accompany the Rawlings Gold Glove Award ballots sent to managers and coaches each year. In addition, SABR will immediately establish a new Fielding Research Committee tasked to develop a proprietary new defensive analytic called the SABR Defensive Index(TM), or SDI(TM). The SDI will serve as an "apples-to-apples" metric to help determine the best defensive players in baseball exclusively for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award and Rawlings Platinum Glove Award selection processes. The collaboration also installs SABR as the presenting sponsor of the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award."